Page 42

AMbrOSE

I have fucked up many times in my life, but this one feels the worst.

Piper is crying on the couch. Her hair is a mess and her skin pale white. She’s wrapped in a soft green blanket that makes her look beautiful and fragile. Tears swimming in her eyes make them bluer. She looks like a painting.

And I have doomed her.

I kissed her. I can’t even blame it on this fucking potion because I’ve been dying to kiss her for longer than I’m comfortable admitting.

Even before we got married and grew closer, she’s always been intriguing.

I’ve been drawn to her since the very first moment we met.

Now, with one kiss, I’ve fucked up everything.

It’s the story of my life. One little touch and I’ve ruined another life.

“Why are you so upset?” Piper tugs the blanket closer.

“The kiss,” I state simply, despair washing over me. Piper said she loved me, but it’s a lie.

No one in my life has ever loved me that way.

My parents saw me as a way to get rid of their curses.

My friends enjoy my company, but would they be heartbroken if I disappeared tomorrow?

Probably not. This thing between me and Piper felt more real than anything I’ve ever experienced. And now it’s tainted.

“I didn’t mean to command you to kiss me. I’m sorry,” Piper sobs. I screw my eyes shut, my heart breaking a little more with each of her tears that fall. I sink down to the table in front of the couch and lower my head into my hands.

“I was too reckless. I thought we could just play a game.”

“Why is it so bad, Ambrose?”

“You said you loved me.” The words come out sharper than I intend, and Piper rears back.

“I’m sorry. I know it’s too fast.”

“It’s not that,” I interrupt. “It’s not real.”

Piper sniffs and wipes the tears under her eyes. “I know what I feel, Ambrose. I’m not asking you to say it back. I just… It felt right in the moment.”

“Because of my curse,” I snap. Is she not seeing what happened? Of course not. They never realize how unnatural their feelings are for me. All they know is that they want me, need me, love me.

The sun is starting to rise. Light pours in through the huge floor to ceiling windows and illuminates the misery that is taking place here. We should be celebrating. We just broke Piper’s curse.

“Is this about our marriage?” Piper’s voice wobbles. “I know you never asked for this, and you were doing me a favor. That once this hex was gone, I promised we’d get divorced.” Piper’s voice breaks and so does my heart.

My heart sinks. A divorce. I know that’s what Piper and I talked about when she asked me to marry her, but it honestly hasn’t crossed my mind since. Which is insane if I stop and think about it. I’ve been enjoying our time together too much.

There’s a knock on the door and I snap my head toward the front of the house. Who the hell is knocking on the door at six in the morning?

“Just…” I pinch the bridge of my nose. “We’ll figure this out,” I say, pulling on my pants and dragging a shirt over my head.

I have no idea how to make any of this better.

I stomp out of the room toward the front door, wondering what new horrors lay on the other side.

When I open the door, there’s a letter from the coven laying on the front mat.

There’s going to be another challenge tomorrow. Great. Just fucking great.

Tonight’s challenge begins at sunset. We’ve been instructed to meet at the Orpheum, which happens to be a Roth-owned entertainment venue.

The theater was built in 1891 and when the original structure was destroyed in a fire, it was rebuilt in 1910.

The building was constructed in Renaissance revival style heavily influenced by French architecture.

The exterior of the building is defined by lots of arches and ornate features in the molding.

The inside of the theater is decorated with deep red carpets, pale gold wallpaper, and a chandelier the Phantom would enjoy. There’s a ring of box seats, and a balcony up above that. The floor gently slopes down toward the stage, which has been set with eight chairs.

Piper and I haven’t spoken much in the past day. I’ve been avoiding her, and she has kept herself locked in her bedroom. Despite what I know are her best attempts to hide it, her eyes are puffy and red, as though she’s been crying. Guilt stabs me like a knife wound.

Odie and Roman are the first to arrive after us. Odie looks at Piper, a frown creasing her brow before she turns to me.

“Did everything go okay the other night? Was the hex broken?”

Piper nods and forces a smile. “I’m officially hex free. Well, one of my hexes.” Her voice sounds rough.

Roman frowns at me and cocks his head. I know he wants to ask what’s going on, but I give him a little shake of my head, and he nods.

Lucida comes on stage from the wings and a genuine smile lights up her face when she sees us. Her skirt floats behind her as she walks across the stage, her bracelets jingling. “Please come on up here. The rest of the coven will start filling in the seats soon, I’m sure.”

Odie goes first, and Roman follows behind her. I lay a hand on Piper’s back to guide her down the aisle and she flinches. I curse and pull my hand away. Things are so fucked up between us right now.

It doesn’t take long before Tucker, Francesca, my mother, and Hannah join us on the stage. Lucida is mingling with the coven members as they begin filling the seats of the audience.

As soon as the clock strikes six, Lucida heads back up on stage. She disappears into the wings before returning with a tray full of shot glasses. They’re full to the top with a clear liquid and she passes them out to each of us on stage.

“If you will all please drink.”

We all eye each other, but ultimately, Lucida doesn’t want to kill us. Well, maybe not all of us. Piper’s first to toss back the potion and I quickly follow suit. It’s oddly cool, making my mouth feel like I’ve sucked on a mentholated cough drop.

Once everyone finishes their drinks, Lucida gathers up the glasses and sets them off to the side. “For the first part of tonight’s challenge, the coven may ask questions of you. Anyone can have a turn, and no question is off limits.”

I watch as Stellan raises his eyebrows from the crowd and I roll my eyes.

Of course he’s thinking about what embarrassing shit he can ask people.

I’m sure he’s not the only one. I shake my head.

It doesn’t matter anyway. It’s not like we have to answer, and I can’t imagine Tucker will spew anything but lies.

Piper hums under her breath and I turn to look at her.

There’s a bit of a smile on her face, which is the first I’ve seen in the last day.

“What?” I murmur under my breath.

“Do you know what that potion was?” She smiles at me. For a minute, it’s as though everything is back to normal. My breath catches in my throat, and I forget what we’re talking about.

“Potion?” Oh, the one Lucida gave us. “No. I don’t.”

“This could be interesting.”

“Please line up if you'd like to ask a question.” Lucida points to a microphone that’s been set up at the end of an aisle. People rush out of their seats to line up. This is going to take all night.

Our coven is large. Mystic Hollows is a town that’s supposed to be a haven for witches. We’ve strayed far from that path over the years, but maybe Lucida will steer us back in the right direction.

I don’t recognize the first person who steps up to the mic. “Why do you want to be a part of the coven council? I’d like to hear from each of you.”

Yeah, we’re going to be here all night.

“I never thought I did,” I answer, frowning at the truth to my words.

“The night the spell selected me, I really thought, well, fuck .” The crowd titters with laughter.

“But after the first challenge, I realized something. We deserve better. We deserve leaders in this coven who aren’t just looking out for themselves.

We’ve been lied to, we’ve been misled, and we’ve been used.

My very existence is due to the fact that my parents wanted to pass along their curses.

” The crowd gasps and murmurs of whispered conversations break out.

My gaze strays down to my mother, who’s staring straight ahead. “I want to put an end to that.”

A truth potion. That’s what was in the glass. Crone’s titties.

Piper goes next, her voice starting soft but gaining strength with each word.

“I didn’t think I was worthy of representing this coven.

I’m still not sure I am, but I’ve been helpless, I’ve been subject to the heartless whims of another person, and I want to make sure that never happens to anyone else.

I vow to protect the witches of this coven, even if it pisses off powerful people. ”

One by one we go down the row, each of us answering the question. I don’t know if I’m surprised or disappointed by my mother’s answer of “Because it’s the duty of the founding families to guide our coven.”

When it reaches Tucker, he sneers, spitting words out through clenched teeth. “I deserve it.”

I have a feeling there’s more to his thoughts, but he manages to cut himself off from saying anything else.

Francesca is last, sitting slightly away from the rest of us.

“Power,” she says simply. The crowd shifts restlessly in their seats. We’re seeing the true nature of the people up on this stage.

Some in line drop off, as though their question has been answered. Others get up from their seats and join the long line. We’re asked question after question. How do we plan to unite our two former covens into one? Can we split the covens back up? What do we see as the biggest threat to the coven?

Josephine steps up to the microphone, her jaw determined as she glares at her mother. “This question is for Francesca Delvaux.”

Francesca Delvaux has done a lot of horrible things over the years. She’s a greedy and selfish woman who used and abused her daughter for years before Josephine was able to break free.

“What makes you think the coven should allow you back on the council? Instead of punishing you for the harm you’ve done to the witches of Mystic Hollows.”

Francesca glowers at her daughter, her nostrils flaring as she sits up straight.

“The Delvauxs are one of the founding families of Mystic Hollows. I don’t need to prove my right to be here to anyone.

You’re all low leveled witches. You wouldn’t know what to do with real power if it slapped you in the face.

So I don’t care if these insignificant witches don’t believe I should be a part of this council again.

It’s owed to me. And as for my punishment, I’m simply taking the power that is my due.

It’s not my fault there are so many pathetic beings in this town who beg to be walked all over.

If you don’t pull yourself up and take power for yourself, then you deserve to be used as a steppingstone.

” Francesca’s chin tips up as she sneers down at the crowd.

She doesn’t regret one single word. Amazing.

Chatter breaks out in the theater. Francesca doesn’t look chastised. She looks pissed. Ice forms on the ground near her feet, her magic leaking out of her.

Josephine smiles at her mother. “Thank you for your honest answer.” She spins, even getting a hair flip as she walks back to her seat where Ava gives her a hug.

Piper stares at Josephine, a contemplative look on her face. She stands abruptly, her chair screeching across the floor behind her.

“Where are you going?” I ask Piper, but she heads off the stage with a determined glint in her eye and gets in line to ask a question. People move out of the way, allowing Piper to the front of the line.

“This question is for Tucker Beaumont.” Piper’s voice echoes through the theater. Soft but haunting as she and her uncle stare each other down.

“Did you once hold a hex over me that controlled every move I made?”

Tucker’s breathing is hard. Sweat drips down the side of his red face. “Yes,” he bites out, as if the word has been reluctantly forced from his throat.

“And did you put a geas on me that would cause immense physical pain if I ever spoke of this curse?”

“Yes,” he barks. The crowd is silent this time, their eyes ping-ponging back-and-forth between Piper and Tucker.

“And why did you think that was okay?”

“Because I’m head of the Beaumont house. You were a burden on your father and then became my weight to bear. Controlling your curse is a fraction of the payment I deserved. Even now, you disgrace the Beaumont name, airing your dirty laundry to half the town. This is not the time.”

“I think this is the perfect time.” Piper looks beautiful, more confident than I’ve ever seen her, as she faces down her uncle.

“I believe all of these people deserve to know what kind of man you are. If you somehow pass these trials and become a member of the council once again, they should know that you’re a monster. ”

The crowd is glaring at Tucker, whose face is growing redder by the minute.

“And how do you feel about this coven?” Piper asks, her eyes fiery as she stares down the man who has done so much harm to her.

“I feel nothing. They’re fools, every one of them. And just like you, they’re also a means to an end.”

The crowd whispers behind their hands. Some are shaking their heads and glaring. A few older gentlemen nod as if they approve of Tucker’s every word.

Lucida steps back on stage, her eyes wide, looking slightly shaken.

“This concludes the first part of our challenge tonight.” She clears her throat.

“This next part will be the final trial to establish our new council.” She turns to look at the remaining witches on the stage.

“You have one hour to meet at the Tenebris coven house.”

With that, Lucida disappears backstage, and noise from the crowd explodes.