by Amanda Carol
“It’s mesmerizing, isn’t it?” Abby whispers from next to me. “It’s one of my favorite things about this place.”
“Yeah, it is beautiful,” I whisper back. “So, you’re a witch?”
She nods hesitantly, as if she’s afraid that will scare me off. It doesn’t. In fact, I think it’s pretty cool. How many people can say that their best friend is a witch?
“How does this all work?” I ask.
“Well, it’s elemental magic. It doesn’t mess with the balance of nature. Most witches only use elemental magic. But there are some who dabble in dark magic and it’s the dark magic that always comes with a price,” Abby tries to explain.
I just stare at her, dumbfounded. Mom didn’t have much in her journal about witches. I know about the elemental magic, but I always just assumed that they could make it rain or light a candle with the snap of their fingers. I have no idea what Abby’s talking about right now.
“Aria, honey, I will explain everything to you tomorrow. I promise,” Luna says, walking up the steps to the cabin in front of us. “I’ve known you long enough to know that there is no explaining things to you when you’re tired or hungry. And you are currently both. So eat, shower, and get some rest.”
She’s not wrong. I tend to not listen when I'm hungry or tired. Probably why Abby’s explanation went right over my head. And honestly, I'm too hungry and tired to argue.
The inside of the cabin is spacious. To my left, there is a wood stove and a living area with a flat screen TV that I know without a doubt never gets used. Although it might get used sometimes, because Abby is addicted to that show with the two half-brothers that play basketball together. She always made me watch it every time we had sleepovers. I follow them down the hall, past a set of steps, and into the kitchen, sitting down at the table. Luna walks over to one of the cabinets, pulls out a plate, and brings it over to me. Then she walks to the fridge and grabs me a bottled water.
“Make yourself at home. Abby will grab you some clothes. The bathroom is upstairs to the left.” She leans down and kisses my head. “I’m always here for you, Aria.”
I smile and nod at her. She says goodnight to us and heads upstairs to her room. I pull out my burger and fries as Abby pulls out the chair in front of me and sits down. She reaches forward and steals some of my fries. Typically, I’d smack her hand, but there are so many fries and I know I’m not going to be able to eat them all.
“Have you heard of a band called Chasing Ghosts?” Abby asks, playing with the charm bracelet on her wrist.
She’s had that bracelet for as long as I can remember. She told me her mom gave it to her on her 5th birthday and the feather charm was a family heirloom passed down from generation to generation.
I shake my head.
“They’re an all-girl band from the UK, and they’re kickass! I hear they’re going on their first US tour and they might be coming here. If they do, we should totally go to the show! Grace will want to come too, since she’s from the UK and she’s a huge fan. I know you’re a classic rock kind of girl, but I think you’ll like them,” Abby rambles.
Man, I’ve missed her and her ramblings. I’ve always loved that about Abby. I just let her ramble away because there’s no use in trying to stop her.
“Hey, does Declan still play the guitar?” she asks as I take a sip of water.
“No. We never went back to the house to grab it,” I tell her, suddenly losing my appetite.
We left just about everything behind that night. Declan left his guitar and I left my paints. She nods and doesn’t push the subject further.
“You know, Hunter plays the guitar. Maybe he can play for you and you can show off your pipes.” Abby waggles her brows, changing the subject as she gets up to get herself a bottle of water.
I roll my eyes. “I just met him!”
I mean, he’s definitely cute. Okay, fine, who am I kidding? The guy is freaking gorgeous.
“Don’t roll your eyes, Aria Elizabeth. I saw the way you two looked at each other.” Abby laughs as she sits back down.
I can’t help but smile. I’m so glad she’s here.
I throw my trash away, and Abby shows me where the bathroom is and how to work everything. I remove the gauze and look at the bite on my neck. The bleeding has stopped, and it’s starting to heal. It might leave a nasty scar though. Once I’ve showered, I change into the clothes Abby left me on the bathroom sink and make my way down the hall to her room. She’s made a makeshift bed on the floor. I crawl under the blankets and as soon as my head hits the pillow, I fall right to sleep.
I wake up the next morning before anyone else, which is surprising because that never happens. I guess my body has just gotten used to getting up early. Trying not to disturb Abby, I get up quietly and make my way down the hall to the bathroom. I use the extra toothbrush she gave me last night to brush my teeth. I glance at myself in the mirror and my platinum blonde hair has fallen in soft waves past my shoulders. I decide to just leave it down. It covers the bite on my neck. It’s healed, but there’s a crescent-shaped bite mark. It’s not that noticeable, but still. I don’t want anyone to see it.
Once I’m finished brushing my teeth, I make my way downstairs and see that my bags, along with Declan’s, are sitting in the living room. I walk over to my bag and pull out my favorite pair of skinny jeans and a dark green shirt. I change quickly and fold Abby’s clothes and set them on the couch.
I notice that the journal has fallen out of the bag. I pick it up, noting how the leather binding has become worn over the years. I open it, flipping through the pages, before coming across my drawings of the vampire that attacked our parents. I love painting more than anything, but I also draw a lot, too. It helps when I paint. Sometimes I’ll draw an outline of what I want to paint, especially if it has a more intricate design. Most of the time I just freehand it, though. Running my fingers over the face that haunts me, I take a deep breath, slam the journal closed, and stuff it back in my bag.
I make my way into the kitchen, hoping that Luna has coffee. I glance around, finding the coffee pot tucked away in the corner. Okay, now where is the coffee? You can’t have a coffee pot with no coffee, right? I start to open each drawer and cabinet, hoping to find it.
“The cabinet next to fridge, bottom shelf.”
I jump, turning abruptly at the sound of Luna’s voice. She’s standing in the doorway in a white silk robe and cheetah print slippers.
“Oh, my God. You scared the crap out of me, Mrs. Thibodaux!” I gasp, putting a hand on my chest.
“I’m sorry, honey. With Henry back in Maryland, it’s quiet in the mornings. Not used to having early risers here.” She laughs and comes to open the cabinet to my left.
Mr. Thibodaux always stayed home when Abby and her mom would go to New Orleans for the summer. He’s a salesman and can’t take a whole summer off, but he would visit when he could.
I step aside as she grabs the coffee grounds and heads over to the pot. I move over to the table and sit down, not awake enough to function yet.
“Mrs. Thibodaux?”
“How many times do I have to tell you to call me Luna?” she scolds with her back to me.
“Okay, Luna, does Mr. Thibodaux know you’re a witch?” I ask.
“Yes, he knows. When we first started dating, I kept it from him. But I decided that if he was the one, he needed to know what I was. He took the news rather well. You know, after he freaked out,” she replies, hitting a few buttons on the coffee machine before turning and leaning against the counter. “How are you feeling this morning?”
I glance up at her and her face is filled with worry. It’s been a long time since I’ve had someone other than my brother ask me that question. I’ve always put on a strong front for him. But I know I can’t lie to Luna. She’s always had a special gift for knowing when I’m not being truthful. She always called it “mom’s intuition,” but now I'm not so sure.
“I’m okay, really. Just trying to take this all i
n. You know? It’s not every day you find out your best friend and her mom are witches,” I respond truthfully. “But other than that, I'm just worried about Declan.”
“That’s understandable,” Luna replies, walking over and taking my hands in hers. “Nothing has changed, sweetie. Abby and I are still the same people. The only difference is that you know we’re witches now.”
“I just have so many questions.” I glance down at the floor.
“I know. I promised I would explain, and I will. I just think it’s best that Declan be present as well.” Luna lets go of my hands and walks over to grab some mugs out from one of the cabinets.
She then fixes us each a cup and hands me one. I thank her and take a sip, closing my eyes as the familiar flavor hits my tongue.
“I understand. That’s also why I haven’t pressed the issue. Even though I’m dying over here,” I joke.
“You’ll live.” She winks at me. “I’m off to take a shower. Do you need anything?” She starts shuffling over to the doorway before stopping to turn and look at me.
“No. I think I’m okay, thanks. I think I’m going finish this and then go check on Declan now if that’s alright?” I’m not sure if I’m allowed to wander around this place alone.
“You’re an adult now, Aria. You don’t need to ask permission. Just go. Abby and I will catch up with you guys later.” She waves her hand as she walks out of the kitchen and up the stairs.
Well, alright then. I finish my coffee, put my cup in the sink, and walk back into the living room. I throw on my black Converse and head out the door.
I start down the path that leads back to the barn. As I’m walking, I look around and notice that people are glancing curiously at me, but no one stops to ask me any questions. That’s fine by me, because I don’t have an answer to give them. Hopefully Declan is feeling better enough that we can finally get an explanation from Luna. I understand why she wants to wait, but I want answers now. My curiosity always gets the best of me. If he wasn’t feeling better, I might just drag his ass out of bed.
As I approach the barn door, it swings open and Alexander steps out, almost walking straight into me. I almost trip in my haste to get out of the way.
“Whoa. I’m so sorry,” Alexander says in a rush while reaching out to steady me.
Both of his hands land on my shoulders and I reach out and grab his arms to steady myself. Once I’m stable, he removes his hands and then clears his throat. I glanced down at my shoes, not wanting to look the Alpha in the eye.
Wait. Am I submitting? Is this what submitting feels like? I mean, I wouldn’t know, since this is the first time I’ve ever encountered a wolf pack. I didn’t back down last night, and I won’t let this man intimidate me now. So, I suck in a deep breath and look up at him.
“Ah, there she is.” He smiles at me.
Well, that’s different. Last night he all but ripped me apart. I’ve never been growled at before. Not like that, anyway. Unless you count my grandmother’s chihuahua. Peanut hated my guts and as soon as I walked in the door, he’d snarl and growl and try to bite me. Of course, he loved Declan, which was fine by me because I hated that tiny bastard.
“I was wondering when you’d finally stop submitting to me,” Alexander says, bringing me out of my thoughts.
Great. I was submitting. Ugh.
“Yeah, I seem to have a problem with authority,” I say dryly.
He laughs.
That’s not a complete lie. I did punch a security guard in the nose once. Declan and I hadn’t received our inheritance money yet and we needed some things. Not my proudest moment, that’s for sure. I promised Declan that I wouldn’t put us in that kind of trouble again, and I’ve kept that promise. Fighting vampires is one thing, but I would never make it in jail. What can I say? I just can’t rock an orange jumpsuit.
“Look, I’m really sorry about last night. It’s just that Declan and I are very protective of each other. It’s just the two of us now, and—”
Alexander puts his hand up to cut me off. “No need to explain yourself to me, Aria. I had no right making that call without knowing all the facts. I’m the one who should be sorry.”
He gives me a reassuring smile. I just stand there in disbelief, but manage to nod my head.
“And as for my son, he told me all about what happened last night. So, I do believe I owe you a thanks as well. You saved members of my pack.”
That wording seems strange, but I don’t dwell too long on it.
“It was nothing. Hunter and Bennett saved my life. The least I could do was distract that vampire long enough to give Hunter the opportunity to kill it. It was a team effort.” I shrug.
“Very well, then,” he says. “I won’t keep you any longer. I’m sure we’ll have a lot to discuss later. I have to go meet with Luna now, so I better not be late. You know how she can get.”
I laugh in agreement, and he puts his hand on my shoulder for a brief second, then starts to walk off.
“Oh, and Aria.” Alexander stops just before he reaches the stairs and turns to me. “I do hope we can start over. As far as I’m concerned, you are a part of this pack now.”
Before I can respond, he’s down the steps and walking away. Well, at least I don’t have to bake him cookies. Which is a good thing because, knowing my luck, I’d probably burn them. After another moment, I turn and walk through the doors to find Declan.
When I open the door to the medical room, I’m surprised to see Ciera sitting down in a chair next to my brother’s bed. They are deep in conversation and Ciera’s cheeks are flushed.
Declan, I swear to God, you’d better leave that sweet girl alone.
Ciera’s eyes meet mine and apparently she whispers something to Declan, because his head swivels in my direction. He has this huge grin on his face.
“Well, I’d better go. Classes are going to start soon, and I need to be there before the kids arrive. I’m glad you’re feeling better, Declan.” Ciera smiles at my brother and waves goodbye to me.
I watch her leave, then turn and narrow my eyes at my brother.
“She’s a nice girl, Declan. Please do not hurt her,” I scold.
He rolls his eyes. “I have no plans to. I genuinely like her. She’s not like any of those other girls that I meet at bars. She’s smart, funny, caring, passionate. Not to mention she’s absolutely stunning.”
He sighs. I narrow my eyes again and then soften. Declan has never been the type to settle down. He’s not afraid of commitments; he was always just too focused on school and trying to get a football scholarship into college. Then, when our parents died and we were on the move, he knew it wasn’t fair to try to build a lasting relationship with anyone because we were never around long enough anyway. But I knew without a doubt that when he found someone he cared about, she would be the luckiest girl in the world.
“What happened out there last night, Declan?” I finally ask him.
He glances away. He’s quiet for moment, then he looks back up at me.
“Honestly, I’m not sure. I saw Bennett getting thrown into you and Hunter. And before I knew it, the vamp had gotten the jump on me and then, lights out,” he explains.
I reach out and grab his hand, giving it a squeeze.
“It’s okay. You’re lucky you got knocked out. I, however, was not so lucky. The son of a bitch bit me,” I grumble, pulling my hair to the side to expose the bite, although all he’ll able to see is the faded scars.
“I’m going to kill that motherfucker!” Declan curses, turning his face away from me.
“Well, that motherfucker is already dead. Hunter bit his head off,” I tell him.
Declan’s head whips in my direction so fast that I think he might get whiplash.
“Come again?” he questions, raising his eyebrows.
“Right. You were passed out when he shifted. Hunter and Bennett are wolf shifters,” I explain, and Declan’s eyes widen. “Oh, I’m not finished. Abby’s here.”
“Your best
friend, Abby Thibodaux? Don’t tell me she’s a wolf shifter too?” Declan asks, looking like his mind is thoroughly blown.
“She’s not, but she is a witch,” I state, and he looks at me wide-eyed again.
“Well, shit. Remind me never to get on her bad side,” Declan jokes.
I slap his arm.
“What? I’m joking.”
I scowl at him, then smile. He and I both know that Abby Thibodaux does not have a mean bone in her body. Plus, he’s super aware that she had a major crush on him in middle school. She outgrew that phase in high school when she caught him making out with Laura Johnston in our freshman year. He became popular after that because she was a senior.
“I mean, that’s not all. Hunter’s father is the Alpha, and I may or may not have told him off last night,” I cringe and look anywhere but at my brother.
Declan knows about my temper. Now it’s his turn to narrow his eyes at me.
“What did you do?” His cautious tone causes me to look him in the eyes.
“Well, I-I mean, he said that he was going to erase our memories, and I just kind of, well you know, flipped out.”
Declan lets out a sigh and runs a hand over his face, letting his head fall back onto the pillow. Before anyone can say anything, the door to the room flies open. We jump at the sound, both taken off guard by the sudden loud interruption.
We silently watch Kora set her bag on the table and start to rummage through it. We exchange a look when we hear her curse under her breath. She apparently hasn’t noticed that Declan is awake, and he has a visitor. She finally turns around and lets out a loud gasp, clutching her chest. She recovers quickly and starts to walk over to my brother’s bed. I move out of her way, stepping off to the side while she examines him.
“Your wound seems to have healed rather quickly and your concussion seems to be gone. I know my potions are good, but they’re not that good,” she says to no one in particular.
She tells Declan to follow her finger with his eyes and he passes with flying colors. He seems to pass every other test Kora throws at him. She looks at him quizzically, as if trying to figure out a puzzle. His gaze locks onto mine and he winks at me. I roll my eyes in response. Of course Kora doesn’t know. But once she gives the all clear, we’ll be one step closer to finding out some answers.
