by Lily Luchesi
After one last check of his hair — lank and dull as always — he turned on his heel and exited the house, heading toward the castle.
As he came closer, he made a detour to the castle gardens. They were one of his favourite places, and he knew their layout well as he searched for calla lilies. They represented purity and love, and while he was unable to tell Daphne how much he loved her, he hoped that the flower would help her understand.
He entered the vestibule of the front hall and it took him mere seconds to spot Daphne. She was standing off to the side, near the phone banks where students could call home if they so desired. His heart stuttered at the sight of her.
She stood straight backed, her long red hair partially tied with a braid to keep it from her face. The rest of her locks descended past her shoulders in soft waves. She wore a traditional dress: floor-length, pale pink silk, with a corset top that had white silk ribbon to keep the corset in place. Her robe over it was also pale pink, with white lace at the edges. She was so beautiful, Salem felt more inadequate than ever to be her date.
Daphne turned her head and spotted Salem, blue eyes widening in joy as she waved at him.
It was too late to turn back; Salem stepped forward and she met him halfway, giving him a warm hug that he returned, careful not to break the stem of the flower. He pulled away from her slowly, and before he could think, he leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to her lips which she returned. Kissing her still scared him. He was afraid that one day she’d push him away and laugh in his face.
“You’re beautiful,” he said.
She blushed. “Thank you, Sal.”
“Almost makes this look awful in comparison.” He held out the flower, once again feeling inadequate. You were supposed to buy your date something special for your first ball. He had overheard some of the girls giggling over who was getting what bit of jewellery or pricey bouquet.
“My favourite flower!” Daphne said. “You remembered!”
“How could I forget? I know it’s not much but…” Salem took her hand in his and spotted the silver chain-link bracelet she wore. “Necto.” The stem of the lily began to twist and turn on its own, weaving in between the chain to turn the bracelet into a corsage. “Adservo,” he cast. That spell would enable the flower to last there forever without dying, as long as it wasn’t removed from the bracelet.
Daphne reached up and kissed him this time, quick and sweet. “It’s perfect. Thank you, Salem.”
Magic sparked between them, his green and hers pink, sending shivers down his spine.
“Shall we?” he asked, holding his arm out for her to take it. She looped her arm through his and smiled up at him.
They bypassed the main hall and went down to the ballroom, where the orchestra could be heard playing from some length away. People littered the hall, talking and snogging, and they passed them to get into the ballroom.
It was done up in tasteful white, gold, and silver to match the colours of the Solstice. The table decorations were small holly plants, which brought in the colours of green and red to complete the setting.
The tables could fit six people at a time, and they were set up around the perimeter of the room, leaving a large space in the middle for dancing. Many couples and groups were already on their feet, and the orchestra was going strong. There was a long table with refreshments against another wall, as far from the dancers as possible.
The Coven elders were milling about, including Edelstone, keeping an eye on everyone. While the ball was open to the whole Coven, it was always the younger set who came to it. Many preferred to celebrate the Solstice on their own. But the ball was a time honoured tradition and as long as someone came to it, the Coven would keep hosting it every year.
Salem’s nerves began to act up again, in this room full of people who disliked him simply because he had the misfortune to be born in a low class family in Clan Munro.
“You okay?” Daphne asked quietly. “Because we can leave.”
“No.” He shook his head. “I’m quite all right. Can I get you a drink?”
She smiled and said, “I’d much rather dance with you.”
That gave Salem pause. “Um … you do realise that, if we dance, people might know about us.”
“I know. But Sal … I don’t want to keep you a secret,” she admitted. “I know this is as bad as Romeo and Juliet, but maybe we can prove that Frasers and Munros can coexist. That we can be even more.” Her free hand pressed to his chest as she moved to stand in front of him.
He looked down at her, surprised and pleased. “You could be ostracised.”
“I don’t care.” She took both his hands in hers and dragged him toward the dancefloor. “I don’t give a damn what they think. I’m with you, and that’s that.”
Salem smiled, something he rarely did, especially at school events, and wrapped one arm around Daphne’s waist. “May I have this dance, Miss Fraser?”
“You can have them all, Mr. Sinclair,” she replied with a bright smile of her own.
The orchestra struck up a spirited dance, and Salem was glad that he and Robert had taken some classes over the summer, or else he’d have fallen flat on his face. Daphne was light and nimble on her feet, dancing around him like a faerie.
After two dances, Salem was starting to loosen up and enjoy himself. Daphne made it easy for him. Her Light was so palpable, it brought joy to anyone near her. Once more, he thought of his own innate Darkness and felt as though he didn’t deserve her. He didn’t deserve someone so good and wonderful. But that didn’t mean he was about to be noble and give her up.
That wasn’t his nature. He’d keep her as close as he could, never letting go unless it was she who asked him to. He didn’t deserve her, but as long as he had her, he’d savour every second.
After another dance, Daphne announced that she needed to rest.
“Go sit, I’ll bring you a drink,” Salem said. He watched as she went to a table where a sulking Kimberly was sitting alone. He smirked to himself that Caelum Lynx had probably not heard the last of it from her for breaking their date that day.
When he brought their drinks back to the table, it had begun to fill up. Robert was sitting there, sans date, and Michael was also there, his date on his arm but not looking very interested.
He wanted to turn tail and run away. Sitting at that table would be tantamount to self-torture. But he couldn’t show his cowardice. He had to go and sit and pretend that everything was fine.
He slid into his seat in between Daphne and Robert and handed her a glass.
“Thanks,” she said with a smile. “Can you believe what Caelum did?”
He nodded. “Robert and I saw the aftermath this afternoon.”
“Even I didn’t know he was going to do that,” Michael commented. “And we tell each other everything.”
“Draven’s not here, either,” Daphne said. “He broke off his date with Anderson for tonight. Anderson was really vexed.”
Kimberly scoffed. “Maybe they belong together. They’re both heartless.”
“I’m sure Cae had a good reason,” Daphne disagreed.
“I’m not,” Salem scoffed. “Full offence, he’s kind of an arsehole.”
“Spoken by the president of the Arsehole Club,” Michael said.
“Even so,” Daphne interrupted, “Draven isn’t. At all. It’s odd of him to behave that way. I hope he’s all right.”
Salem put his hand briefly over Daphne’s. She was always so in tune with everyone’s emotions. “I am sure he’s fine. Anderson is so dull he makes watching pus caterpillars mate interesting. Even someone as mild mannered as Draven would find him tiresome after some time.”
Michael laughed. “I hate to say it, but you’re right.”
Robert got up from the table a few moments later, and the orchestra struck up a modern song from the human world.
“Oh, I love this song,” Kimberly said. “If only I had someone to dance with!”
Daphne stood up and said
, “You can dance with me. After all, no one said friends aren’t allowed to dance together, right?” She held her hand out and Kimberly giggled as she took it.
“Lynx won’t know what he’s missing,” Kimberly said as they walked away from the table.
Salem smiled a little at Daphne’s retreating form, but now he had a problem: he was left alone with Michael and some witch he didn’t know at all except to pass in the halls sometimes.
“So … how did you manage to get Fraser to agree to come with you tonight?” Michael asked nonchalantly. However, his expression was anything but casual. There was a dark gleam in his eyes that Salem recognised. He always had that look before he said or did something reprehensible to him.
“I asked. She said yes. Unlike some people, I don’t have to bribe my dates,” Salem replied.
“Date? So this is a date? Question, does Fraser know that?”
Salem’s pulse began to race and he tried to tamp down the anger rising in his chest. “As a matter of fact, she does. Furthermore, she called it a date. Not I. Not that it’s any of your business.”
Michael didn’t have as great of a poker face as Salem did, and the shock that crossed his features was genuine. “I didn’t think her taste ran that bad. I mean, she turned me down and then went with you? Maybe she pities you.”
“Go to Hell, Smith,” Salem hissed. “I am so sorry that your fragile ego can’t fathom a world where the woman you desire would prefer someone else. But I suppose it’s time you realised that the world does not cater to your emotions.”
Michael leaned across the table, having forgotten all about his date, who looked upset, and rightfully so.
“Maybe you need to realise that Fraser is far too good for the likes of you and your Dark family. She might feel sorry for you now, being the outcast and all. But I assure you, the only thing she feels for you is pity, the same thing she feels for Kim right now, and the same thing she’d feel for an abandoned baby bird. You’re not special, Sinclair. You’ll figure that out soon enough, I suppose.”
Salem was caught between anger and despair. He wanted to hex Michael so badly there would be no counter-curse. But more than anything, he wanted to run away. He always had, ever since he was little. First to run away from home, and then to run away from the Coven when it seemed like, no matter where he went, there was always someone ready to abuse him.
Fighting back tears, Salem stood up abruptly, sending his chair careening to the floor. “Piss off, Smith.” He didn’t run, though he wanted to. Instead he walked briskly and with purpose out of the ballroom.
Only when he entered the hallway and found it empty did he give himself permission to run, to get somewhere quiet. He found the empty Household Charms classroom and slammed the door shut behind him, letting hurt tears flow from his eyes.
Because while Michael was trying to be cruel, there was some truth to his words. Daphne cared more for others than herself. Who was to say that she wasn’t only dating him out of pity, until she found someone she really liked?
He didn’t know how long he cried until the door slowly began to open, spilling light from the corridor into the room, along with the faint sounds of music.
“Sal? Are you okay?” Daphne poked her head into the room. When she got a look at his tearstained face, she dashed over to him, the door ajar. “Oh, Gaia, what happened?” She put one hand on his shoulder, the other on his face, tilting his head upward to look her in the eye.
“It doesn’t matter,” he whispered. “Why don’t you go back to the ball?”
She shook her head. “It does matter, Sal. Because you matter. You matter to me. So tell me.”
Salem felt like he was lightheaded at her words. No one had ever told him he mattered before. Never. Not until Daphne.
Slowly, he began to explain what Michael had said, about how horrible he felt, how pathetic.
“Oh Salem. Listen to me. Please. You know me. You know I have an attitude problem and I don’t take anyone’s shit, right?”
He nodded.
“Then why on Earth do you think I’d agree to date you out of anything but love?”
Salem’s breath caught at her words. “Love?”
Daphne gave a soft smile, one that sent a shiver down his spine. “Yes, you idiot. I love you. I think I’ve loved you since we were ten. I don’t pity you and never have.” She reached out and kissed him softly, and the magic between them sparked on his skin. “Feel that? That’s not pity. It’s magic. My magic calls to yours, and vice versa.”
She placed one hand in his inky black hair and kissed him again. His hands came around her waist, feeling her warmth through the silk of her dress.
“I love you,” he whispered against her lips, and proceeded to kiss her again, savouring the feeling of her lips on his, of their magic intertwining.
Daphne pulled away for breath and whispered, “No matter what happens, no matter how bad it gets, remember tonight, Salem. Because this,” she gestured between them, “cannot ever be broken.”
Chapter 10
Salem didn’t go home the next day for winter break. He was still working as an assistant at Piper’s Potion Shop and didn’t want to give up two weeks’ pay. His mother gave permission for him to stay.
The great thing? Draven, Caelum, Robert, and Michael had all gone home. That meant there was no one to get in between Daphne and him. Not that Robert had done anything wrong, it was just that he was becoming closer friends with the others that it made Salem worry.
When he woke up the next morning, he couldn’t help the smile that came to his face as he remembered the previous night. All his life, he had never known love. There had been no love between his parents, only thinly veiled resentment. He had certainly never been shown proper affection. And he hadn’t recognised it when he’d begun to feel it.
Now, now he knew what he’d been missing all his life. Because what he felt for Daphne wasn’t only romantic love. She wasn’t just his girlfriend, she was his best friend. Being with her made him feel that, if the rest of the world vanished, leaving only the two of them, he’d be just fine with it. She was all he needed.
He got out of bed and dressed before going downstairs for breakfast. His shift at the shop didn't begin until that night because the potion he had to brew needed moonlight.
Just as he was wondering if he should find Daphne, there was a knock at the front door. She stood behind it, dressed warmly in a thick, fur lined robe and mittens.
“Have you seen the snow? The whole Coven’s been blanketed in white. Come on, get dressed,” she said.
Salem dressed in his winter robe and boots and followed her outside. The snow crunched under their boots as they walked around to a large field beside the castle. Other children were out playing, throwing snowballs and building snowmen that would smile, wink, and even wiggle their carrot noses with simple spells.
Daphne made the first move, throwing a snowball at his feet. A few more magically flew into the air around her. “Come on,” she called. “Or don’t you want to fight a girl?”
Salem smirked. “What do I get if I beat you?”
“Bragging rights, since we all know I’m better at charms,” she replied. “And if I beat you, what do I get?”
Salem thought for a moment. He didn’t think he had anything anybody wanted, least of all her. “Whatever you want.”
“I hope that’s a promise, Sal,” she called as she sent another snowball at him.
“Hey, that’s not fair,” Salem called. “You didn’t say we started!”
She stuck her tongue out at him and then they proceeded to have a magically charged snowball fight. Salem couldn’t recall the last time he had smiled and laughed so much in one afternoon.
It looked like he was winning until Daphne sent out a rather large snowball, almost as big as his head.
He used magic to break it apart before it could hit him, and to his surprise, she was now standing just a few inches from him and tackled him down into the snow. There was so mu
ch of it, it didn't even hurt. He wrapped his arms around her and she giggled as she held herself suspended above him.
“I win,” she proclaimed triumphantly, kissing him on the nose.
He pulled her down into a real kiss, tasting strawberry lip gloss and smelling her sage shampoo.
Actually, I think I won.
Lynx Manor stood in Sydenham Hill Wood, not far from a chapel and school. Humans often went to those woods to hunt deer and other assorted woodland animals.
It was the only house in sight for about a mile, standing on what locals considered sacred ground. Caelum thought it was the biggest bunch of rubbish he had ever heard. The only thing that made it sacred was all the corpses buried there over the past centuries, ever since the Lynxes had made Sydenham their home.
He was ever so glad that the full moon had happened before the family began their own Solstice celebrations. The last thing he wanted was to be forced to shift at home. He was safer in the forest in the Coven, even with the dryadali that lived there.
Still, every Winter Solstice, the Lynx family had a ‘familial hunt’. And since Caelum was now sixteen, he was required to join them. It was their version of an initiation. Once a Lynx participated in the hunt, they were officially part of the family.
Caelum didn’t want to do it. He had been dreading it almost his entire life, when he found out exactly what — or should be say who — his parents hunted.
They didn’t hunt animals or other game. They hunted apprentice witches and wizards.
The Lynxes had the same values as most of Clan Munro: that apprentices should not be allowed. That if you were not born with magic already in your veins, then you should not be taught it. Magic, to them, was a gift that should not be shared.
On one hand, Caelum understood. Teaching apprentices magic, even the simplest forms, could result in death or serious harm. On the other, he thought that punishing apprentices by death, as Clan Munro had done and was still trying to do, was extreme.
He refused to hunt a human being. It was vile and disgusting. There was an organisation set up specifically for shifters to get the organs they needed to consume to survive. There was no need to hunt. Yet the Lynxes were too proud to utilise the organ banks set up by the PID.
