Flames in the Midst (The Jade Hale Series)

by Reckenwald, Sarah

  I spent the rest of the day mulling things over. It came down to a few truths. First, I could not let my mother’s murder go unanswered. Evan, and probably Cameron, deserved to be punished for her death and for any other deaths they were responsible for. Someone had to stop them. I had a job to do, and that was the most important thing in my life at the moment.

  Second, when the situation in Salem was resolved, I still did not want to be a witch. I would draw up a contract and give away that part of myself. Maybe I could divide it up. That way, if the witch I gave my abilities to died, I would not have all of it rushing back to me at once. Maybe there was another way. Maybe I could give my abilities to Anastasia. She wasn’t a witch, but she was immortal. Then there would never be the risk of ending up back in my current situation. Of course, then Anastasia would be the hunted one. Maybe I could give them to Chase. Let him be the hunted one. I didn’t know how I would solve this problem and return to a normal life, but I was determined that one day I would return to a normal life free from my supernatural past.

  In the meantime, I needed to learn as much as I could. The coven had voted to continue offering me solace and training. Amy had been very clear that the decision to help them would be mine when the time came. They knew as well as I did that I wasn’t ready yet anyway, so I had time to make up my mind. In the end, as much as I wanted to track down Evan and Cameron on my own, I would have to admit this battle was part of a larger war, and the Guardians in this coven had as much of a right to fight in the battle as I did.

  By the time I started to worry about getting back to the house, it was already dark. I thought I might have to spend the night in the woods, and I was a little nervous about the animals that might be out there with me. I didn’t want to end up setting a fox or a bobcat on fire to protect myself. I had been sitting on another fallen tree for over an hour when I heard a noise behind me. I turned quickly, ready to defend myself if necessary.

  “Ready for company yet?” Chase asked.

  “You scared the hell out of me,” I reprimanded him. I wasn’t as angry as I had been, but I would have rather Stefanie or Amy been in the woods with me at the moment. Chase was not really the person I wanted to see. On the other hand, at least I had someone to lead me out of the woods and back to the house.

  “Sorry,” he shrugged. “Can you come and light this?” He gestured towards a small clearing in the woods a little ways behind where I was sitting. I wondered how he had set up a fire pit without my hearing, but then I figured it was just another spell I didn’t know. I got off my tree trunk and joined him in the clearing.

  “I’d rather not. I’m actually ready to go back to the house now.” I looked at him and his fire pit with contempt.

  “Actually, I think we need to talk,” he said, looking at me expectantly. “C’mon. I brought food.” He held up a bag with hotdogs, marshmallows and drinks. Being out in the heat all day with only one bottle of water left me feeling parched, so I relented.

  I focused on the fire pit and found that it wasn’t hard to release my anger since I still had quite a bit of it from the events of the day. While I lit the fire, Chase laid out a woven beach mat not too far from the fire pit. He took out the hotdogs and searched for the right sticks nearby for us to spear them. He sat on the mat. With the fire crackling, Chase gestured for me to sit by him. Reluctantly, I sat down and he passed me another bottle of water.

  We cooked our hotdogs in silence. When mine had cooled enough, I broke it in pieces and devoured it. I really needed to work on eating at regular intervals.

  “So,” I said, breaking the silence. “You said we needed to talk.”

  “I owe you an apology,” he started.

  “No, you don’t. You don’t owe me anything.”

  “Will you just let me apologize to you?” he asked.

  “Fine.” I could feel the anger building up in me again. I didn’t want to go over this. I didn’t want an apology from him because I wanted this whole embarrassment to be over.

  “What would you like to apologize for?” I asked him. “Is it for pretending to be my friend? Is it for lying about being a Guardian? What exactly are we discussing?”

  “We are friends,” he said with a bit of his own anger, “and I never lied about being a Guardian.”

  “No?”

  “You didn’t ask if I was one, and I didn’t share the news with you. The conversation never came up. I would have been honest with you if you had asked,” Chase insisted.

  “Really? If I remember correctly, I did ask what you were doing in St. Augustine. I don’t remember you telling me about being a Guardian then.”

  “I explained everything to you the way it happened. It just also happened that I had become a Guardian just before I went after you. Part of the deal for me to go was that I had to pass their tests and officially join them. Luckily, I was close enough to becoming one anyway. Otherwise, it would have been someone else looking out for you.”

  The way he said his last sentence made it sound like he didn’t want anyone else looking out for me. It sounded like he fought more than I realized to be the one sent out to keep an eye on me.

  “Maybe it would have been better if it hadn’t been me, though,” he continued. I just couldn’t figure him out. One minute he sounded like he had feelings for me, and the next he sounded like he had when we first met—like I was the last person, the last witch he wanted to see. I was tired and fed up. If I was going to stay here and train, I wanted to get back to the house and take part in the planning I was sure was happening without me.

  “Weren’t you keeping me out here to apologize?” I asked him, trying to change the subject. “What did you want to apologize for again?”

  “Like I said, I’m sorry,” he spoke in a low voice, quiet and somber. “I obviously wasn’t ready. I failed you.”

  “What?” I stared at him. Was he actually saying what I thought he was saying?

  “They should have sent someone else. I was supposed to keep you safe, and it turns out I couldn’t do it. I sent you into that house straight to a Shadow Ruler so I could chase his underling, and I couldn’t even do that.”

  “But Chase, you didn’t know,” I tried to cut him off, but he was well into berating himself.

  “I should have known. If I had been doing my job right, if I had been distancing myself from you, I would have been ready. I could have protected you. You wouldn’t have needed to lose your family. You almost died, Jade, and it would have been my fault.”

  This was not what I had expected. I wanted to be angry at him, but there was nothing left to be angry at. He had deceived me, but he also cared about me. I wished everything would just slow down. As if I could make my own wishes come true, the moment did seem to freeze in time. I stared at Chase, taking in his anguish, and he looked at me. The pain in his eyes faded behind the soft glow of his yellow aura. He placed his hand gently against my cheek, threading his fingers in my dyed hair.

  “I hate that you can’t embrace what you are, but I am hopeful you will. I can’t explain it, but I do care about you.” He looked into my eyes as he leaned forward. In the moment before he kissed me, I was surprised and disgusted to realize I was thinking about my lagoon and being this close to Cameron. I shoved the thought out of my mind and focused on breathing Chase in as our lips met. He smelled like the forest around us. The smell of sunlight and fresh air radiated off him, intermingling with his aura, which had intensified in brightness as we touched. It was like kissing someone in the center of a star. I felt like the whole world would be able to see the glow coming from the forest, but in truth, not even Chase could see the light we created in the evening air. It was there only for me, and I enjoyed every minute in it, practically feeling the warmth of the light wrapped around us.

  I had never experienced anything like it. My heart raced as if I were experiencing my first kiss ever. I had kissed a few boys in the years my life had been normal, before Aunt Lynn had died, but nothing like this had ever happened
. The boys I had kissed were all normal; they were all what I wanted to be—oblivious of the supernatural occurring around them. Maybe this was just what happened kissing another witch. Then again, maybe Chase was special.

  Our lips parted, and we stood facing each other. He ran his hand through my hair and down my arm until our hands intertwined.

  “Wow,” he breathed.

  “Did you see that?” I asked him, wondering if maybe the light had not been a part of my secret gift.

  “See what?” he asked, staring down into my face. I sighed.

  “Nothing.”

  He bent down towards me and pressed our foreheads together, our hands locked at our sides.

  “Now what?” I asked.

  “I need you to promise me something,” he said, and the concern was evident in his voice. I nodded.

  “When you go back to Salem, don’t do it alone. I know I don’t deserve another chance to keep you safe, but I want to be the one to do it. If you decide not to take anyone else with you, don’t go alone. Take me.”

  “Okay.” I should have argued with him. I should have told him no way. I should have felt like he was toying with my emotions in order to get what he wanted, but I didn’t feel any of that. I felt caught up in the moment, and it was more real than anything I had ever experienced. When I told him okay, I meant it. I would have agreed to anything in that moment.

  Later, I realized you shouldn’t make promises too quickly. He wanted to protect me, but I felt like I was the one who needed to protect him. How could I take him with me and put him in danger now? I wanted to feel this way forever, and I couldn’t risk losing him because it would mean losing too much of me. Losing Chase would be the one thing that would unravel me at the seams, and I couldn’t afford for that to happen.

  Chapter 13

  When we made it back to the house, everyone else had already gathered in the living room to meet. We hurried in and sat down. I sat next to Stefanie, who looked relieved to see me. Amy ran the meeting. She sat with fireplace to her right, in a large, antique-looking armchair. Madilyn sat near her, apparently second in command. Paul, Madilyn’s husband, stood on the outskirts of the meeting. He was not a witch, but he knew about us. He had chosen to be supportive when he found out his wife and daughter were witches, unlike my father who chose to abandon his family.

  About a dozen people in all gathered in the small space. Most of them were people I vaguely remembered from the first time I had been at this house back in May. I didn’t remember anyone’s name because I had barely paid attention when introductions had been made.

  “Jade, we are glad you made it in time for our meeting. We weren’t sure how long you would be out. I trust Chase made sure you made it back safely,” Amy began. This was not a question, and I noticed Chase squirm a little bit. I didn’t think to ask him, but he must still be the Guardian looking out for me, even though I was back with the coven.

  “Thank you,” I told Amy, since it was evident I was supposed to respond. “I needed some time to process a few things. This is a very beautiful property you have.” I didn’t mention stumbling upon their Guardian meeting, and no one asked if I had heard anything.

  “Thank you, Jade. We are gathering tonight for several reasons. Our first order of business is to officially welcome Jade and extend an invitation. Jade, you are welcome to stay with us as long as you would like. We will help you and train you to become more familiar with your skills and gifts. We hope you will help us in turn with our plan to travel back to the Salem Witch Trials and confront Evan and his son, but I want to make it clear your helping us is not a condition. It is merely a request, and not one that needs to be answered at this time.” Amy looked sternly at a slightly plump Hispanic woman to her right, sitting on the floral couch just on the other side of the fireplace. The woman pulled her billowing black hair back and fidgeted in her seat. I assumed she was my primary dissenter in the Guardian meeting earlier in the day.

  Ironically, she had a purple aura that usually indicated someone with a fun, spunky personality. I would probably like her if I didn’t already know how she felt about me. I looked around the room at the other faces I didn’t recognize. Most of them were a bit older than Chase or Stefanie and I. Of the six people I didn’t recognize, only two others looked to be in their early twenties. One was a young man who slightly resembled Miss “get rid of Jade.” He and a skinny girl sat on the couch with the Hispanic woman. Chase sat in a smaller armchair next to the girl. The other four looked to be in their mid to late thirties with one man looking older. I realized most of them must be Guardians since no one other than Stefanie and I was around in the morning during the Guardian meeting. Of course, I hadn’t seen Paul in the morning either, and he wasn’t even a witch, so just because someone was not where I could see them did not automatically mean he or she was at the Guardian meeting.

  “Thank you, Amy,” I said in response to the offer for me to stay. “I would love to stay and continue to learn and prepare myself. I feel I should be able to help you as well.” I saw Chase smile out of the corner of my eye, and I felt my pulse quicken slightly. I really didn’t have time for this, but I couldn’t help myself. I had never dated anyone who knew what I was, much less anyone who was also a witch. The thought intrigued me, and I wanted nothing more than to go back into the woods and repeat the kiss we had shared.

  “I’m glad to hear you will accept our offer to help you,” Amy continued. The whole exchange had been very formal; I had a feeling this was significant, but not as significant as a written contract. Amy introduced each person in the room again, noting his or her special talents for me to learn from.

  The Hispanic woman was named Mercy. She had an affinity for writing spells. Any witch could write a spell, but not all spells worked for everyone, and some spells worked better than others. My mother had possessed a strong talent for writing spells. I hated that it was the woman who hadn’t wanted me to stay who I would have to turn to if I wanted help in this area.

  The young man next to her was in fact related to her. Alejandro was her nephew. He cut Amy off to make sure I knew to call him Alex. Alex could read auras. I’d never met someone with a gift like mine before, but since it was my only gift no one knew about, and Aunt Lynn’s letter specifically instructed me not to tell anyone if I had a third gift, I couldn’t let Alex know we had this in common. Alex also shared his mother’s skill for writing spells to a lesser degree, and a talent for removing weapons from assailants. I would get him to help me with that one.

  Caylin, a skinny girl with short, strawberry-blond hair angled towards her chin, sat next to Alex. They held hands on and off through the meeting. Caylin’s aura glowed green, like the new leaves that show up in the spring. Alex was already a Guardian, but Caylin was not. She still studied to become one. Caylin also possessed a rare gift—called cloaking. She had this in common with Evan to some degree since he had been able to fool my mother into believing he was an Unknown. However, Caylin’s gift was a bit more literal. She demonstrated, and like a chameleon, she blended in with the couch on which she was sitting. What’s more, Alex, too, began to blend in. This girl’s gift was almost as valuable as mine. The difference was her gift lay in the world of defense, while mine remained part of an aggressive offensive strike—at least my fire starting gift. Caylin’s light brown eyes filled with flecks of gold came into view first as she ended her demonstration. The effect sent a chill down my spine.

  Chase did not need an introduction, but Amy filled me in a little bit anyway. I learned that Chase had a talent for tracking people and finding Unknowns. This explained a lot. No wonder he admired my mother so much. It also explained how he always seemed to be able to find me.

  On a loveseat next to Chase sat two darker skinned witches. The first struck me as amazingly beautiful, like Anastasia. I could not tell what origins lay in her ancestry, but she had light brown skin, like brown sugar or clay. Her name was Gia, so I imagined she might be part Italian. Her eyes were even more s
tartling than Caylin’s. Her light brown eyes reflected her aura, the orangey-brown of coquina. She wore her short brown hair in a spiky hair-do and radiated a sense of spunk and determination. Gia had worked as a fortuneteller at one time, but it turned out she did not truly have the gift of premonitions. Gia could read a person’s mind if she touched that person. As a fortuneteller, she would grab her client’s hand, tell them something they were telling her with their thoughts, and then make a prediction based on what she was seeing. She had quite a following, until Amy found her and explained she was really a witch and could choose to join a group of witches called Guardians and use her gift to help people. It helped Gia make up her mind when Amy found her, and they narrowly escaped being killed by a Shadow Ruler all in one day. Gia’s business had been demolished in the process, so she threw her lot in with Amy and the coven of witches gathered in Amy’s living room.

  Kendra sat next to Gia. Her skin looked like it had soaked in every color in the room, a deep ebony like charcoal. Her eyes were deep brown, but lighter than her skin. She had wild, curly hair that was pulled back with a headband. Her aura, however, disturbed me. She had a hazy silver and purple aura that reminded me of the cloudy aura I had seen on the young boy stalking Zach’s neighborhood. It was not a decidedly sinister aura, but it concerned me none-the-less. Kendra herself had an interesting rare gift. She could levitate people and objects without the use of a spell. She demonstrated by causing the chair Chase sat in to lift off the ground with him in it. I looked at him, concerned, but he crossed his arms and smiled, enjoying Kendra’s gift.

  Kendra had been raised as a witch in New Orleans until she was twelve. Her mother caught her performing magic shows for the neighborhood children and decided that Kendra needed to spend some time with her grandmother in Florida. Kendra’s mother and grandmother were not witches. Kendra’s abilities came from her father’s side of the family. Kendra took to living in Florida and sought Amy and Madilyn out when she was old enough to move out of her grandmother’s house. She had gone to college at Santa Fe Community College in Gainesville when she met them at a small and secret gathering for witches. Unfortunately, Kendra’s mother had died in Hurricane Katrina in August of 2005, and her father died shortly afterwards, battling a Shadow Ruler. Kendra did not become a Guardian until after her father’s death when she decided to commit herself to fighting the Shadow Rulers and protecting others. She was thirty when she passed the tests, a mere year after her mother’s death. She had been living with this group ever since.