The Broken Witch

by Chandelle LaVaun

  I slipped my phone in my back pocket and kept walking. “Hidden Kingdom. We searched the rest of the park already, and now we’re in the forest. I’m hoping he’s passed out under a bush.”

  “Who is we?”

  “Emersyn.”

  A squirrel leapt from one branch to the next, rustling the leaves and letting a massive death ray of sunshine through. I hissed and shielded my eyes with my hand. But the light reflected off the ground. Hold up. I jogged over to the shimmering object and kicked the loose leaves away. My jaw dropped.

  Tennessee’s sword.

  “Hello? Deacon? You still alive?” Cooper half shouted through the phone.

  “I found his sword.”

  Cooper gasped. “What? Where? Are you sure it’s his?”

  I bent down and ran my fingers over the smooth jet-black blade. The metal glowed under my touch and warmed until I had to yank my hand away. My fingertips burned. “Yeah, man. I can feel his magic inside it. It’s just sitting at the base of a tree.”

  “He had his sword in the courtyard last night. I saw it.”

  “Yeah, I think we all saw that.” I chuckled, remembering the utter annihilation brought down by the blade in front of me. Though Cooper made a good point. What was it doing here? I looked up at the tree, and my eyes widened. I cursed. “Lookout Tower. Of course. Hold on, Coop, let me climb up there.”

  “I’ll hold.” Cooper’s voice was short and tense. His anxiety poured through the phone. It was infuriating to watch him be so cold to Tennessee when he cared so much.

  By the time I climbed all the way to the top and pulled myself onto the balcony ledge, I wanted to throw up all the food I hadn’t eaten that morning. Sweat dripped down my neck and dropped to the wooden planks. Cooper’s tense breathing in my ear was far from helpful.

  “He in there?”

  I groaned. “Give a guy a second, bro.” I had no idea what was wrong with me, but it needed to go away.

  I got to my feet and walked through the front door of The Coven’s little treehouse hideaway…and froze. My eyes widened. “Oh shit. Sorry, guys…” I jumped back and slammed into the wood wall. The clock crashed to the ground and smashed into pieces.

  “What? What happened?” Cooper barked in my ear. “What did you find?”

  A whole lot of nothing to see here. Right at the front of the treehouse was a large, brown leather sofa…and it wasn’t empty. The fuzzy white blanket usually tossed over the side was tangled around a whole lot of bare skin. Some of it deeply tanned, and some of it pale. Arms and legs were tangled around each other, like their owners die if they were separated.

  No need to ask who they were. Two heads of raven hair were kind of a giveaway. A pair of mismatched eyes met my gaze and held it. His face paled. Neither of us spoke, or moved. My body locked in place when it should’ve been hightailing it out of there. Come on, legs, get with it. I took a step to the side, and the wood beneath me creaked. Tegan’s eyes flew open. She sat up, using Tennessee’s body as a cover for her undressed body. I looked down at the ground and found a pile of black clothing…and two pairs of black combat boots.

  “HELLO, EARTH TO DEACON!” Cooper yelled into my ear. “WHAT IS HAPPENING OVER THERE?”

  I cleared my throat and took another step to the side, almost at the door. My cheeks warmed. “Sorry, Coop, yeah…uh… I…um…found Tennessee. He’s uh…he’s fine. No big deal.”

  “Deacon, you didn’t let me speak,” Emersyn grumbled from nearby. She’d apparently followed me up the ladder. Her feet hit the wooden floor with a thud. The floor creaked as she crossed over the threshold. “Would you just let me— TEGAN?”

  Oh boy.

  “TEGAN IS THERE?” Cooper shouted. “What is my sister doing there with him?”

  I opened my mouth then shut it. None of my responses were appropriate. “Yeah, um…I’m just… We’re gonna… You guys have…uh…fun, and we’ll see ya’ later.”

  “Have fun? What does that mean? Deacon!” Cooper screamed. “DEACON, you tell me what they’re doing right now.”

  “Negative, my friend. Snitches get stitches.”

  Tennessee closed his eyes and cursed. He scrubbed his face with his hands.

  Emersyn was a silent, cold stone beside me.

  “Well, this is awkward,” Tegan said with a grin and a chuckle. Her cheeks flushed a deep pink. She reached down and plucked a black shirt off the ground then slipped it over her head. The neck opening was so big it slid down her shoulder onto her arm. She stood and the dark material fell to almost mid thigh. She ran her fingers through Tenn’s hair and angled his head back, then she bent over and pressed her lips to his.

  It was hot, heavy, and lasted long enough that I should’ve looked away. But I was the Devil, so seeing people’s desires was like candy to me.

  When she pulled back, his cheeks were flushed and his breathing ragged. “Thanks for last night, babe, but I’ve gotta run.” She gave him another peck on the lips, then vanished into thin air.

  Chapter Forty-Five

  Tennessee

  As my cab turned onto my street, I wished I’d waited a little longer. My father was definitely going to have something to say. Cooper was probably already inside, waiting to rip my head off. Unlike before, I didn’t have the energy or desire to fight back. Unlike before, I had technically done something I wasn’t supposed to. It shouldn’t have been anyone else’s business, but I knew my Coven-mates enough to know it would be.

  Thanks for last night, babe. What did that mean? Did it not mean the same to her as it did to me? Because it meant everything to me. I thought we’d been on the same page, in the same book. I thought we’d connected on a new level, even for us. I thought I felt it in her touch, in her kiss. Could I have misjudged that? Was that all in my head? Maybe it was just a distraction—to prevent a conversation she didn’t want to have?

  I’ve gotta run.

  Yeah, run over my heart and smash it into pieces.

  “Sir? We’re here.”

  I sighed. Great. Fantastic. Can’t wait. I handed the driver cash then climbed out of the car. Florida’s year-round humidity and heat bore down on me. I squinted through the sunlight and stared at my front door.

  “Yo, Tennessee!”

  I glanced over my shoulder and found Deacon jogging up to me. His pretty Porsche was parked along on the curb. I hadn’t even noticed it when we pulled up. “Hey, D.”

  “I’ve been sitting out here waiting.” He shook his head and held something out to me. “You cannot go in there shirtless, man. Not today.”

  Shirtless? I frowned and looked down at myself. Dammit. He was right. I was, in fact, not wearing a shirt. Tegan had taken it. She’d been in such a rush to get away from me that she left all of her clothes—including her favorite boots.

  Pain shot through my chest. Not the kind that told me she was near, but the new kind. The kind I felt every time she broke my heart a little bit more.

  I took the shirt from his hand and slipped it on over my head. “Thanks.”

  “No problem. They don’t need to know you left half naked.”

  “They?”

  Deacon’s purple eyes shifted toward the house, and he scratched the back of his head. “Yeah…there’s a mob thing going on in there.”

  My face fell and my breath left me in a rush. I turned to face the house and pushed with my magic…and was met by all kinds of furious energy. My pulse quickened. “Who’s inside?”

  “Who isn’t is an easier question.” He patted my shoulder and started backing up the walkway. “They just get angrier the longer they wait.”

  I cursed and followed him up to the front door. The fact that it was unlocked was not a good sign. The fact that Deacon was shielding me was an even worse sign. But I was grateful for the latter. The second our boots hit the hardwood floors, all conversation stopped. My stomach turned then tightened into knots. I clenched my teeth and breathed through my nose. I had to stay calm. Maybe Cooper didn’t know exactly what happe
ned last night…

  Easton spotted me first. He was perched on the edge of the sofa with Lily standing beside him, her arm draped around his shoulders. He grinned and nodded, then mouthed nice.

  Yeah. They know. I stepped into the room, and it erupted into chaos. There were too many voices shouting at me at once. I didn’t know who was saying what. It all blended into one big growl.

  Deacon jumped in front of me with his hands raised. “Everyone, shut up!”

  Instant silence.

  “Good,” Deacon mumbled, his magic still flowing through the room. “One at a time and no screaming.”

  “I can’t believe you,” Cooper snapped. His green eyes aimed daggers at my face.

  I scanned the room for my father. When I found him leaning against the kitchen counter, I wished I hadn’t looked at all. He looked at me with an expression I’d never gotten from him before. Disappointment. I’d seen him give others that look but never me. He shook his head.

  I opened my mouth to speak to him when a big body stepped in front of me. Brown beady eyes glared at me. Timothy. He snarled.

  “I gave you the soulmate thing because that wasn’t in your control, but this?” Timothy growled, like he was fighting Deacon’s magic to try and scream at me. “This is a direct violation of the law. I could strip your magic and your Mark for it.”

  “The law says no dating. We’re not dating,” I snapped back before I could stop myself.

  “Just what a father wants to hear,” Hunter grumbled from the far side of the room.

  I gasped and my eyes widened. I felt the blood drain from my face. “Hunter, I didn’t—”

  “Think before speaking? Yeah, got that.” Hunter shook his head. His golden eyes burned with an anger that made my skin crawl. “It doesn’t matter. This is a conversation you and I will have later. In private. It is not for the group.”

  “Like hell it isn’t,” Timothy snapped and slammed his fist on the kitchen counter. “The Coven upholds all laws.”

  “You couldn’t strip his magic or his Marks, even if you wanted to,” a little voice said.

  We all turned toward the sound, to where Bentley sat on the floor by the coffee table. He had a large book spread open in front of him and notebooks full of Kenneth’s handwriting. My pulse kicked up a notch. Something about the tone in his voice made me nervous.

  Timothy huffed. “I beg your pardon?”

  Bentley shrugged. “The Aether Witch is more powerful than all of us combined.”

  “Tegan isn’t here,” Timothy said through clenched teeth.

  “But her magic is.” He smiled and flicked his wrist in my direction.

  A ball of blazing silver magic flew right at me. I was too stunned to move. Timothy’s eyes widened. My father cursed and ran forward. Deacon and Royce moved like they were trying to catch it. It slammed into my chest. I braced myself for pain, but instead, a cloud of rainbow mist exploded out from where it hit.

  “Bentley Cooper Bishop!” Devon yelled.

  Everyone froze with their hands stretched out in front of them…like they were expecting to have to catch me. But I didn’t feel a thing. I frowned and looked down at my chest. There was nothing. No mark, no cut, no magic fragments. I looked back up and found a room full of wide eyes. Even Timothy looked concerned.

  “See. I told you,” Bentley’s voice cut through the panicked silence. “She put a spell on him. The only way his magic or Mark could be stripped would be if she did it herself.”

  Chapter Forty-Six

  Emersyn

  My mind was a mess. A tangled, knotted mess. I had no idea what Tegan was up to. She kept surprising me at every turn. How did any of this make sense?

  I looked over at Tennessee, and my heart went out to him. He was a disaster. His face was pale. His hair stuck out in every direction. His shirt was obviously not his and a size too small. But it was his eyes that held the most pain. They were dark and hooded as he stared at the ground. His expression was blank, like maybe he, too, didn’t know how to handle it all.

  And talk about awkward. Yeah, okay, he should’ve let someone know he was okay and wasn’t coming home, but I also understood why that thought didn’t cross his mind. Either way, this wasn’t a conversation for everyone to be a part of. My brother, with all of his good intentions, just couldn’t stop messing things up. He had no business blasting Tennessee and Tegan like that.

  The karma bus needed to run him over a few times.

  Tennessee stood there with his arms crossed over his chest and his shoulders curved inward. He had to be mortified. Truth was, the only non-adult who cared about what he did was my brother. Easton was probably dying to high five him. And me? Well, I’d meant what I said to Deacon earlier. Last night was rough. My own twin tried to bring a greater demon into our world, and she did it intentionally. It was killing me to watch her be like that, so I knew it had to torture her soulmate. I saw how much he loved her whenever he looked at her.

  Maybe he wanted to be alone. Maybe he wanted to think. Maybe he wanted to process the last few days. I knew I did.

  Hello, twin.

  I gasped and scanned the room for her.

  Relax. I’m not nearby.

  I sighed and scrubbed my face with my hands. I hated when she read my mind.

  I left a book under your pillow. See it through to the end. But don’t tell anyone.

  I frowned. Again, it made no sense. I had no idea why she would leave me a book, hidden under my pillow, and tell me about it telepathically. What could the book possibly be about that she needed me to read it? Unless it was a spell book, though she clearly didn’t need my help. Like Bentley said, she was stronger than all of us. So it couldn’t have been magic related. I doubted it was for fun. I wasn’t sure my sister remembered fun anymore.

  Oh, and twin? I’ll be waiting.

  I had no idea what that meant. So many questions ran through my mind…and I wasn’t going to get any answers sitting in Uncle Kessler’s living room. I needed to get home and get that book. I’d already been trying to find a reason to bail. I just needed to force it.

  I stood and everyone’s eyes turned to me. It was obvious by the tension in the air I’d interrupted some conversation…but judging by the furrow in Tennessee’s brow, I knew it wasn’t a conducive one.

  “Emersyn?” My mother frowned and cocked her head to the side. “What’s wrong?”

  I scoffed. “This entire conversation. Cooper needs to keep his nose out of other people’s business. Tennessee did nothing wrong. I’m ending this meeting, effective immediately.”

  “That’s not up to you, young lady.” Timothy scowled. “I have—”

  “Exceeded your invitation? Yeah, I know.” I flicked my wrists, and flames danced in my palms. “I’m gonna count down from five. Anyone who doesn’t live here better be gone or have a fire extinguisher in their pocket. Five…four…three…”

  Chapter Forty-Seven

  Deacon

  I took a deep breath, then knocked on the Bishop’s front door. It was Saturday afternoon, and the sun was shining in a cloudless blue sky. The humidity was low for a change, so sweat wasn’t rolling down my spine. Birds chirped and flew from tree to tree. Civilian witches were out walking their dogs and mingling with each other. A group of elementary school-aged boys were in the front yard two houses down playing football. Bentley was one of them, which made me happy. The kid was only nine. It was a rough break to be Marked as a child at a time like this.

  I tried to rein in my emotions, but it was getting harder by the minute. It’d been two days since my soulmate threatened to light the entire Coven on fire if they didn’t get out of Kessler’s house. I’d genuinely enjoyed watching her terrorize Timothy and Cooper. They had both deserved it. The relief on Tennessee’s face was palpable. I figured she’d done it on his behalf, so I hadn’t been too concerned at the time.

  But she hadn’t gone to school yesterday. She hadn’t left the house. In fact, Bentley said she’d barely left her room
. I’d known something was bothering her right before we found Tennessee and Tegan together, except I didn’t know what that was. I hadn’t had the chance to ask. I’d given her the space I sensed she needed, plus I needed it. Something still wasn’t right. That hangover feeling lingered, and it wasn’t normal. I told myself if it wasn’t gone by Monday, I’d go to the infirmary and see Katherine.

  The front door swung open. I gasped. Tegan? But then I blinked a few times, and my vision cleared. It wasn’t Tegan. It was her mother, Devon, standing in the doorway. She had on jean shorts and a T-shirt. Her hair was pulled back and her face was makeup free.

  She arched one brown eyebrow. “Deacon, are you okay?”

  I ran my hand over my face. Pull it together. “Sorry, yeah. For a second, I thought you were Tegan.”

  “My husband just said the same thing to me.” She chuckled and shook her head. “I think I terrified him for a moment there.”

  “Yeah, I think you’re right.”

  Her smile widened, and she leaned against the doorframe. “But that’s not why you’re here. Is everything all right?” The tone in her voice and the look on her face was just so motherly that for a second I considered calling my own.

  I cleared my throat. “Actually, I wanted to see Emersyn. Is she here?”

  Her smile vanished. “Yes. She’s been in her room for two days. I’m worried about her. Every time I check, she’s reading the same book, except she’s a fast reader.”

  “A book? Interesting.” Bentley had mentioned her reading a book each time I’d asked.

  She stepped aside and gestured for me to enter. “She won’t tell me, but maybe she’ll tell you.”

  I stepped into their foyer and sighed as the cold air conditioning hit my back. “I will do my best.”

  “Will you let me know if there’s anything to be concerned about?”

  I wanted to say no, but the poor woman was already suffering from Tegan. I nodded. “Of course. I’m sure she’s just emotional and stressed.”