Page 17 of Untraced Magic (Cutters Cove Witches #1)

Morgan

A heaviness settled in my stomach, like boulders in their final resting place after a wild storm.

Last night had been a disaster of epic proportions, and everything I ever knew to be real had tipped on an axis, leaving me desperately clutching the edge of reality.

How I lost my shit, exposed my magic as Tyler called it, and fell for my next-door neighbor who may or may not be a total pyromaniac was beyond me.

The one thing I’d guarded with my life had been exposed.

And worse, Tyler had witnessed the entire thing.

I’d known I was different from a young age. Call it intuition maybe. But witches? And magic?

Last night, everything had changed between Tyler and I, and it felt right. Tyler had secrets of his own, and more it seemed. Could I trust him? I had to. Because right now, he was the only thing I knew to be real.

Popping a pod into the coffee machine, I hit the on button, a rich aroma filling the kitchen. Scuffing at the front door followed by a light knock interrupted my thoughts .

“Morgan, it’s me. Can I come in?”

My stomach flipped with nerves at hearing Tyler voice. Taking a deep breath, I padded to the front door, opening it wide.

My heart short-circuited at the sight of him leaning against the door frame. He wore a crisp white tee and those same faded black jeans, his hands shoved into his pockets.

A cautious smile creased his cheeks, and I couldn’t hold back a smile in return.

“Hey, come in,” I said, waving him inside.

Tyler slipped off his boots, and I followed him to the lounge, my gaze devouring the ripple of muscle that tightened across his shoulders with every movement. An awkward silence lingered between us, and my gaze dipped to the floorboards.

“Mind if I sit?” he asked.

I inwardly groaned at my rudeness. “Sorry. Of course.”

He lowered to the couch, his elbows settling on his knees, and I sat beside him. The combination of the intensity of his stare and his closeness melted my insides, turning me into a nervous wreck.

“I just wanted to see how you were… after last night.”

“Am I going to keep your secret, you mean?” I raised a brow.

His voice lowered. “That’s not what I meant.”

Tyler inched closer to me, his hand moving to my knee, my breath hitching at his touch. I watched as his thumb skated a line back and forth. The sensation set my nerves on fire, causing thousands of prickles to etch into my skin.

“Sorry,” I whispered, lifting my gaze to his .

A smile twitched the corner of his mouth, his steel grays turning over my insides, like he knew exactly what his touch did to me.

I inhaled a deep breath, releasing it slowly. “I’m okay. It was a bit of a blur, to be honest.”

“It’s alright. I get it. Sorry about Wes; he was out of line.”

My voice dropped to a whisper. “I don’t think I’ll ever be able to look at him again.” I grimaced.

Tyler let out a deep chuckle. “Yeah, Wes has…” he paused, seemingly choosing his words carefully. “ Interests I can’t even begin to understand.”

As he said the words, Skye and Wesley entered the living room, and if my cheeks weren’t hot enough, they were surely on fire now.

Oh. My. God. Kill. Me. Now.

I covered my face with my hands. “I can’t believe you’re standing here right now,” I groaned.

Wesley spoke, his voice completely void of emotion. “Nothing I haven’t seen before.”

I lifted my head as Skye smacked him in the side.

“Fine.” He lifted his hands in the air. “I’ll never speak of it again. Now, tell us about these magical hands of yours.” His eyes pierced mine as if he were trying to catch me in a lie.

The whole scenario was so uncomfortable I wanted to be anywhere but here. In my own home, nonetheless.

I held his heavy stare. “So, this little reunion is about me? What is this, an intervention?” This so-called neighborhood watch thing could just leave as far as I was concerned .

Tyler’s voice came from beside me. “Morgan, we’re here to help. Please let us.”

My attention remained locked on Wesley until I felt Tyler’s hand tighten on my knee. I turned away to find Tyler pleading silently with me. He was the first person I’d opened up to about my secret, but not by choice. Hell, I didn’t even understand it myself, let alone want to share it with others.

Three sets of eyes penetrated the lie I’d sold for years now. The tough exterior I’d guarded my secret with. Their weighted stares withered away the remaining strength I had, and at this point, I knew they were my only hope of finding answers.

“Fine,” I sighed, tipping my head back. My eyes slid shut, breath gathering in my lungs in a controlled rhythm, unable to believe I was about to tell them the absolute truth. I forced myself to look at Tyler. “I wasn’t quite honest with you.”

My breath scattered under the intensity of the moment.

I stood, pacing the room. “My magic killed my adoptive parents. We were having an argument.” I purposely left out the part about my stupid ex who my parents had disliked, who happened to be the subject of dispute.

“Something inside me just snapped. I don’t know how it happened.

But the next thing I knew, I’d blasted a hole in the side of the house, lighting it on fire. ”

The room stilled, falling into an awkward silence.

I sank my forehead into my hands. “The blast killed them. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you earlier,” I whispered, turning back to Tyler again .

“I’m sorry to hear that,” he said, moving behind me until his hand lay in the small of my back.

Skye shifted toward me and slung a hand over my shoulder, pulling me close. “That’s really tragic. That must have been awful.”

Saying it out loud brought back visions of the horrifying night.

Ones I had boxed up and placed neatly into the back of my memory, hoping they would someday disappear.

I paused, collecting myself. “That was the first time it happened. The second time was yesterday, when Tyler saw me.” I lifted my head again, finding his gaze fixed on me. I couldn’t look away.

Something flickered in his irises, emotion spilling between us in a soundless exchange that I knew only two people having lost someone could understand.

Wesley shifted in place, pulling my attention to him. “I’m sorry to hear about your parents. But why didn’t they tell you about your gift?”

“I’m figuring my adoptive parents were not… magical, and I never knew my birth parents. I was found on the doorstep of an orphanage when I was six months old, with nothing but a locket in my clothing.”

Skye screwed up her face. “A locket? Why would someone leave you with a locket?”

I shrugged. “Your guess is as good as mine. My mother gave it to me on my twenty-first birthday. Take a look for yourself.” I walked over to the counter, picking up the necklace with the large locket hanging from it, returning to hand it to her.

“I know nothing about it. There’s no engraving, only a symbol on the back. ”

Skye turned the heart-shaped locket over in her hands, her fingers tracing its delicate etchings.

“This symbol is like nothing I’ve seen before.”

Wes stepped up beside her, hovering over her shoulder. “Do you mind?”

He motioned to the locket, and I nodded as he took it in his hands. Without warning, his eyes turned a deathly shade of ink that flooded his irises completely. Only two black holes remained, indented in his skull.

My eyes flew wide, the chill that spread through me devouring my nervous system.

I scurried backwards, falling against the hard wall of Tyler’s chest. He lowered us to the couch until I balanced on his lap, the pads of my fingers pressed into his thigh.

His voice scraped my ear. “Be still, it’s okay. ”

Fear bolted me to his chest. “What the fuck is going on?” I whispered, gripping his leg tighter.

He chuckled, his voice low in my ear. “That’s his gift. Stay still.”

Just as suddenly, the green orbs of Wesley’s eyes returned. I blinked repeatedly. Was I the only one freaking out here?

Silence stifled the group, eagerly feasting on our uncertainty. Wesley’s eyes swung wildly around the room until landing on Tyler. One word fell from his lips. “Darkness.”

I glared at him. “Well, I sure as hell saw that.”

Skye pinned her hands to her hips, her glare fixed on him. “You need to give us more than that.”

Wesley’s stare turned cold as he focused on me. “Dark magic.”

At his words, three sets of eyes pinned me in place.

“Can someone please tell me what the hell is going on here?” I demanded, unable to hide the shudder in my voice.

A thick tension filled the room.

Tyler edged me off him until I sat at his side. He raised a brow at Wes, then looked to Skye, who nodded back.

Turning to me, Tyler dragged his hands through his stubble. “Morgan, every supernatural being you’ve ever heard about is real.”

“Supernatural…” I said, the word sliding off my lips like a landslide in slow motion.

There was no hesitation in his voice this time. “As in everything . Every being, in every book, in every movie.”

My brows furrowed. “You mean…”

“Everything,” he finished for me. “As in witches, werewolves, vampires… demons. Just to name a few.”

I opened my mouth, as if I had something decent to say but couldn’t gather words. Moments passed, and they just stared at me. All three of them, silent.

“So, at Jinxed last night…” I couldn’t comprehend what I was even saying and turned to Tyler.

He rubbed his knuckles against each other. “Vampires.”

“I don’t get it…” I started, trying to make sense of all this.

“They were trying to kill you, Morgan, drain you of your blood.”

I realized then the seriousness of last night. Tyler had saved my life, and in doing so, he’d exposed his own secret. I found myself staring openmouthed around the room, unable to grasp my newfound reality for what it was.

“So where does that leave me?” I asked quietly .

Wes shifted in his seat, everyone turning their attention to him.

“I’m going to take a stab in the dark here and say you’re a witch, and you have a spell bound to you that’s somehow suppressing your magic.”