Deacon leaned back on his heels and grinned like the Cheshire cat.
“I can’t take you anywhere,” I said, but I couldn’t help but chuckle. “We need to know her name so we make sure we’re checking the right girl.”
“We have a picture. We know what she looks like.” He pointed to the papers in my hands. “Shouldn’t be too difficult.”
I arched one eyebrow. “What’s our game plan? She’s in class. We need her out of class—”
“Right. On it.” He grabbed the papers from my hand and walked back to the student services counter we’d just left. “Pardon me, miss?”
The woman looked up at him and smiled, not that I could blame her. Deacon was charming and handsome. “How may I assist you again?”
Deacon leaned one elbow on the counter then tapped his fingers on it. Red mist filled the air around her face. “Please ask Ms. Joanna Patel to come here.”
She immediately pulled out the speaker and hit a few buttons. “Excuse me, Mr. Smith, please send Joanna Patel to student services.”
“No problem,” a male’s voice echoed through a speaker.
The secretary turned back to Deacon. “She’ll be right up.”
“Great. Thank you.” Deacon winked, then walked back over to me a few feet away. “See?”
“I would love to know what I’m about to see.”
A door down the hall slammed shut, and then high-heeled shoes clicked on the tile floor. We both looked up. Deacon held out the image we’d printed out for us to compare. It was definitely the girl from the picture. The orphan. She had long black hair and blue eyes, or at least they looked blue. She was tall for a girl, about my height, and she was tan like Tenn. Adrenaline rushed through my body.
I hope this is her.
I wanted so badly to be able to return Tenn’s sister to him.
The girl, Joanna, strolled up toward student services, but Deacon stepped out in front of her.
“Joanna Patel?”
She looked him up and down, then smiled. The kind of smile that tested my jealousy. “That’s me. What can I do for you?”
I rolled my eyes. Control yourself. That’s what I’d like you to do.
Deacon chuckled, completely unfazed by this girl’s proposition. He pulled the big quartz crystal from his pocket and held it out to her, and red mist coiled around her. “Hold this.”
She reached out and took the crystal. The second it touched her skin, it turned blood red. She arched one eyebrow. “Okay?”
I cursed.
Deacon took the crystal back then pushed his magic around her. “Forget this happened. Continue with your life.”
She grinned and walked away from us without another word.
Deacon sighed. “Well…shit. That’s disappointing.”
“Yeah, let’s get back so someone else can go look.” I pulled out my phone and started to dial Tegan’s number when the bell rang.
Every door in the hall flew open, and students poured out. In the blink of an eye, we were in the middle of a stampede. I cursed and looked up at the clock. Most schools gave three or four minutes to get between classes, so we’d have to wait to get our portal back.
“Excuse you.”
I looked up just in time to see some random girl snarling at my boyfriend. Deacon shrugged and turned …and shoved that crystal into the next person. Then the next. He was moving from person to person so fast the stone didn’t even have time to go back to clear from red. Everyone glared or cursed at him, or both.
I pushed my way through the crowd to him, then hissed, “You can’t just hit strangers with a crystal as you walk!”
He froze, his eyes wide. “You’re absolutely right. Butterberry, you’re a genius!”
“Wait, what? Deacon, what a—”
Red mist flew from his open hands down the hall. The second it touched someone, they froze like a statue until the entire hallway looked like Medusa’s garden. Minus the stone part.
I shook my head and threw my hands up. “That’s not what I meant— Oh hell, whatever. Just do it fast.”
Chapter Thirty-Three
Bettina
We stepped back through the portal into the living room in Coven Headquarters, and my gaze went straight to Tennessee.
My face fell. “Sorry, Tenn. Sam isn’t Hope.”
He nodded then turned and walked away from us.
Then he spun around and walked back.
Then turned again.
OH, he’s pacing. Shit. And then I felt the thick, anxious energy rolling off of him in waves. It made the hairs on my arms stand tall and my legs twitch. I had the sudden urge to walk away as quickly as possible.
Instead, I looked to Tegan and arched my eyebrow.
He’s as calm as he’s capable of being right now, she said into my mind as she opened up another portal beside her. We just need this potion to be finished.
Emersyn and Deacon came laughing through the portal.
Deacon shrugged. “Hey, it worked.”
“It’s in our best interest if I don’t encourage you.” Emersyn rolled her eyes—and then she spotted Tenn pacing like a tiger at the zoo. Her face fell. “No success.”
Deacon glanced around the room. “None here?”
Cooper cursed and marked two things off on his checklist. I couldn’t read it from where I stood, but I noticed a ton were marked off.
He shook his head. “We’re running out of leads.”
Emersyn narrowed her eyes. “Has anyone eaten?”
We all shook our heads.
“Okay, I’ll go whip something—”
“Fried chicken?” we all asked at the exact same time. Then laughed.
Emersyn chuckled. “Well, that was fast.”
As she walked away, Jackson turned to Cooper. “So which leads are left and who’s going?”
He sighed. “They’re all over the place, despite being within a small region. I was just trying to think who to send—”
“Why don’t we send Tegan?” When they all looked to me, I shrugged. “I’m just saying, she’s the one who can portal. Give her the list and let her do her thing. It’ll be much faster…and maybe Tenn would rather do that than pace our kitchen?”
Tenn stopped and looked up. Then he stomped over and plucked the checklist from Cooper’s hands. “Not a bad idea.”
“Not a bad idea?” Royce, who I hadn’t noticed lying on the couch until he spoke up, frowned. “They’re our best weapon. Joseph is straight up terrified of them, and you want them to leave?”
Jackson scowled. “He makes a good point.”
“But Tegan can portal real fast, and the rest of us can hold down the fort.” Deacon set his crystal on the dining room table. “Makes sense to me.”
“Besides, Em and I make a great team. Fire and ice will protect us long enough to get you two back.”
“Fire and ice.” Tenn smirked. “I like the way she thinks. Babe, let’s go. Just you and me.”
Tegan smiled. “You’re the boss.”
Chapter Thirty-Four
Bettina
Jackson gripped my hip then flipped me onto my back. As he lowered himself onto me, his Christmassy scent invaded my senses. His skin was smooth and warm pressed against mine. Sweat coated our bodies, but I didn’t care. I wrapped my legs around his hips and dug my fingers into his back.
A loud ringing noise ripped through the silence and our ragged breathing.
“Do you have to—”
“Ignore it,” he breathed against my neck.
“Okay.” I fisted his hair and dragged his mouth to mine just as my phone started ringing. I cursed against his lips. “Maybe we better—”
“Nah, they’d knock on the door.”
DEMONS ARE COMING! Tegan screamed into my mind.
Jackson cursed and pushed up on his elbows. “Bloody hell, now?!”
I JUST HEARD JOSEPH ORDER DEMONS TO EDEN. BE READY! THEY’RE COMING!
“Damn it,” I grumbled.
WE’RE
CHASING SAGE. WE’LL BE THERE ASAP.
Jackson rolled off of me, then scrambled out of his bed. I sat up and got a glimpse of his bare ass before my jeans slammed into my face. With another curse, I jumped out of bed and slid my jeans on. Heavy footsteps thundered down the hall.
“Rubbish timing,” I said under my breath.
Jackson groaned. “Don’t tease me now.”
I chuckled and threw the rest of my clothes on. “Guess that nap was a bad idea after all.”
“The nap was okay,” Jackson said with a laugh.
“THEY’RE HERE!” Easton shouted from downstairs. “MOVE, MOVE, MOVE!”
“Shit, shit, shit.” I slid my Converses on then raced for the door without tying them.
Jackson opened the door and held my sword out for me. I grabbed the hilt as we leapt into the hall, then we both hightailed it for the stairs. We weren’t even three steps down when we heard the shriek of a demon. The whole house rattled. My feet slipped over the edge of a step, and I slid halfway down the flight of stairs. Jackson caught me by the elbows before I crash-landed.
“THAT ALL YOU GOT, JOJO?!” Easton cheered. “YOU AIN’T SHIT!”
Lily leapt into the stairwell from the second floor, her face white as a sheet. “WHY DO I LOVE HIM? WHO ANTAGONIZES DEMONS FOR GODDESS’S SAKE?” she screamed as she sped down the stairs ahead of us.
“Why did we pick the third floor?” Jackson grumbled as we were halfway to the first floor.
I cursed. “I should’ve made an ice slide! Damn it, rookie move!”
Blue light flashed through all the windows.
“WILLOW, YESSSSS!” Warner bellowed.
“MOVE, MOVE, MOVE! POISON ROYCY ON THE WAY!” Royce shouted and pushed by us. “I’M COMING!”
“Jeebus, how do they move so fast?” I grumbled as I hit the ground floor.
Bright orange light flashed from the back of the house.
“BURN, BABY, BURN!” Lennox cackled. “VIVA LAS EMERSYN!”
“Bloody hell, I’m living for this play-by-play,” Jackson said with a laugh as we sprinted through the living room. “Let’s do this, Moonshine!”
He pushed the back door open, and we leapt outside. Jackson raised his sword and rushed into action, slicing through three wolf-like demons in a row. I jumped over the severed pieces like a track and field Olympian and raced toward the front of the line.
A giant spider-demon dropped from the sky right in front of me. I gasped and slid to a stop. Red lightning struck its back. The demon hissed and trembled, then crumbled in on itself.
“Tell your grandma I said hi!” Deacon grinned, his purple eyes flashing.
I sped around him—and almost tackled Bentley.
My heart dropped. “What are you doing out here?!”
“FIGHTING!”
“Oh, the hell you are!” I swung my sword then slammed the blade into the ground. A pink dome popped up over us. “STAY IN HERE!”
I didn’t wait to listen to Bentley’s protest. I turned and sprinted through the chaos. Bentley was only nine years old, and he wasn’t a Sword. He was a Cup. A healer. The damn Hierophant for Goddess’s sake. He was also my little brother, and I wasn’t about to risk his life for some stupid demons. He could be mad at me all he wanted, but he’d be alive.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Jackson move through the fight. His demon-killing spree was probably something to behold, but I couldn’t stop to watch. I was headed for the pillar of fire up ahead.
Emersyn.
Her hair whipped around, the tips pure flames. Smoke coiled around her legs as she shot fire into the demons.
I slid up beside her and fired my magic into the massive oozer-demon charging for us. Its feet froze to solid ice and stuck to the ground. “EM, now!”
She didn’t hesitate. Her flames swallowed the demon in an instant.
Her golden eyes sparkled. “You freeze, I burn?”
“Hell yeah!”
We turned and eyed the next demon. I dropped to one knee and picked these demons off one by one. I froze their feet to the ground then moved to the next. They shrieked and struggled against my magic, but Emersyn didn’t give them a chance to escape. She followed my path with an evil laugh.
I slipped into autopilot. The rest of the world blurred away. My body sang with power. The more I used it, the better I felt. Pink mist filled the air around me. Red lightning flashed, and my sight went red.
“BETTINA, STOP!”
I gasped and jumped back…and my ass hit the cold, hard ground.
Jackson’s face hovered above me.
Deacon appeared next to him, grinning. “That felt good, didn’t it?”
“They’re all dead, love.” Jackson chuckled. “But Bentley would like out.”
“Oh, shit.” I let Jackson pull me to my feet, then I raced over to my pink dome. I yanked my sword out of the ground, and the dome vanished. “Sorry, but not sorry.”
“No, don’t rush back. We handled it,” Kessler said from behind me. “Yes, we’re all fine, son. Finish your leads. We’re good here.”
Chapter Thirty-Five
Tennessee
This was it. The moment I’d been waiting for. This was the second moon rising, as Myrtle had told us to wait for. The potion had been brewed.
Time to give my sister her memory back.
We were in the backyard of Coven Headquarters on Holy Land. I stood staring at the Goddess’s rune in the ground. It would have been nice if we had found Hope in our searching. It would’ve been nice to have her standing here with me so that when her memory returned I’d have her back.
But we didn’t. She wasn’t here. So I’d still have to wait. And search.
I would do it, though. I would search every person in the world until I found her. My mother had told me she wasn’t lost, that I’d find her, so I had to hold on to the prayer that it wouldn’t be too difficult.
“Babe?” Tegan whispered from behind me. Her hand slid into mine, and then she was right in front of me. “Your hands are shaking.”
Are they? I hadn’t noticed. I looked down at them, but all I saw were Tegan’s fingers wrapped around mine. My pulse was racing. I felt clammy and sticky. Sweat rolled down my spine.
Tegan squeezed my hands and stepped up close to me. She looked up into my eyes and smiled. “Listen, you don’t have to do anything here, okay? I just need your presence. We’re going to do all the work. You just have to sit there. And breathe. That’s your only job, okay?”
I nodded. Breathe. I can do that.
“It’s gonna be all right.” Bentley walked up beside his sister. He gripped his Hierophant’s locket and smiled. “This is going to work. Hope’s memories will come back as soon as we do this.”
My breath left me in a rush. I nodded. My mouth seemed to not be working.
Someone cleared their throat behind me.
“Are we ready?” Henley said softly. “The second moon rising is upon us now.”
Tegan looked up at me.
I nodded.
She smiled and gave me a wink. “All right, Haven, I want you to kneel right here. The rest of us are going to kneel beside you to circle the rune.”
I did as she asked and dropped to my knees. The ground was cold and hard, but I barely noticed. My thoughts were everywhere all at the same time. My vision kept blurring in and out. I saw the flash of Lennox’s indigo hair across from me, and the glow coming from Bentley’s locket beside her. I felt both Tegan’s hand on my left arm and Henley’s magic on my right. I knew they were there, but I couldn’t really see them. Then I felt them both press their palms to mine. Tegan’s magic pulsed through my body like I’d been plugged into an electrical socket.
There was a murmur, hushed voices around me, but my heart was pounding so loud it completely drowned it out.
That golden cauldron floated over on a stream of rainbow mist. It tipped over, and the glowing liquid contents poured like a waterfall. The Goddess’s rune glowed and sparkled brighter with
each ounce of the potion upon it. My pulse skipped beats.
Oh God, this is really happening.
Tegan shouted something in the angelic language. I frowned and tried to translate it in my head as glowing runes popped up from the ground around us. I gasped and my entire body began to tremble. My golden wings spread out from my back and flapped in the breeze.
I was trying to listen—I really was. This was my mother’s potion we were reversing. I wanted to hear the words the four of them were chanting, but my breaths were coming too fast, too hard. It sounded like the roar of the wind in a hurricane, and I didn’t know how to stop it. They chanted and chanted. Warm energy rushed through their hands and into mine. My magic sizzled and sparkled all around me.
Bright golden light exploded from within the Goddess’s rune and shot up into the sky like a beam to Heaven itself.
Chapter Thirty-Six
Jackson
The energy in the living room was so thick and tense I would’ve needed a chainsaw to cut it. Everyone was nervous for Tennessee, but I knew we were all feeling kind of helpless. We all wanted to find his sister for him, to give something back to him after what he’d been through, but this wasn’t a battle we could fight. There were no demons to slay to fix this.
We couldn’t even all be out there performing this spell.
No one was handling being benched well.
Poor Kessler was wringing his hands so much they were going to start bleeding soon. Mona clung to his back like a monkey. Every few seconds she’d stroke his hair, and I’d see little flashes of magic like she was actively healing him. His brother, Hunter, stood close and was definitely using his gift to keep him calm. I couldn’t imagine being in his shoes. Or any of the adults, for that matter. They all had known Haven since the day he was born…and then they’d known Tennessee for twelve years without being able to see it was him.
I couldn’t fathom that level of guilt.
I’d always known The Coven were super close, like a family. But in this moment right here, I really saw it. This was tearing everyone up, as if it were their issue. They all cared so much, and it was…refreshing.
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