Page 14

14

EMBERLYNN

I spend the rest of the day getting settled in. I like my room with its purple walls and comfortable bed. It’s not huge, but it’s cozy and feels more like home than any other place I’ve been.

Stella, Wylder’s mother, is the kindest woman I’ve ever met. Her aura stays shiny the entire time I’m around her and makes me feel at ease as we eat dinner. Wylder spends a bit of time showing me the property that surrounds his house, but by the time we’re finished, nightfall has arrived.

I learn the stars and moon are different here, the silver and purple shade unlike any I’ve seen in the human world. It’s pretty—everything about this place is—but I can’t shake the feeling it won’t last. Needless to say, my sleep consists of a lot of tossing and turning. Fortunately, I don’t wake up screaming, but my skin is drenched in sweat, and my heart palpitations threaten to allow my heart to burst from my chest.

I need to calm down and also take a shower.

The house is quiet as I tiptoe out of my bedroom and into the bathroom, making me assume everyone is still asleep. I take a longer shower than I’m used to, another effect of always being a guest in a home. I was often told to shower quickly to avoid taking all the hot water. Here, that feeling isn’t visible, and by the time I’m showered and dressed, my heart has returned to being at a peaceful beat.

I exit the shower with a trail of steam following me out into the hallway. The house isn’t as soundless anymore—soft traces of voices flutter through the air. I toss my dirty pajamas into the hamper in my room, then track the voices to the kitchen.

“This separate house thing isn’t going to work.” Phoenix is sitting at the table across from Wylder with his hand propped up, his fingers wiggling in the direction of the stove where a pan of eggs is cooking, a spatula stirring them seemingly on their own. “I barely got any sleep last night. Same with Nico.”

“I get it, but we also need to take this slow …” The words fade from Wylder’s tongue as the floorboards creak under my weight. His gaze darts to me, and his expression brightens. “You’re done with your shower?”

I nod as Phoenix revolves around in the seat, relief cascading over his features.

“Why are the eggs cooking themselves?” I wonder .

Wylder chuckles as he pushes the chair back from the table and stands up. “In the warlock and witch world, we can be lazy when it comes to doing mundane things, like cooking.” He approaches me with his hands in the back pockets of his jeans. “How did you sleep?”

I pop my knuckles against the sides of my legs. “I was kind of restless, but I don’t usually sleep well.”

His lips divot downward. “Because you have nightmares?”

“That and it just comes with never really having a place to call your own. It’s like when you stay in a hotel room, and you never quite get comfortable.” I face the kitchen, not wanting to talk about my sleep patterns anymore. “So, you guys can just use magic now?”

“Yeah, the restricted use just applies to when we’re in the human world.” His eyes bore into me. “Have you ever used yours just for fun?”

I swiftly shake my head. “No. And trust me; you don’t want me to.”

“Once you learn to control your powers, you won’t fear it as much.” He hitches a finger under my chin. “And the quicker you let it be a part of you, the sooner you’ll be able to do that.”

I rub my lips together. “You’ve never feared yours before?”

“No, but Phoenix and Kaiden have.” He turns his head toward Phoenix.

I do the same.

He’s scrubbing his hand across his mouth but lowers it. “ Kaiden and I have different kinds of powers than Nico and Wylder. None of ours are the same, but Nico’s and Wylder’s are lighter and have more positive qualities, while mine and Kaiden’s are more …” He wavers.

“It’s like the difference between the moon and the sun,” Wylder chimes in. “Neither are bad and both have a purpose. They’re just different.”

Because one is light, and one is darkness. I would like to know which category I fall into.

Probably the latter.

“We’ll get to learn more about yours today after you go shopping.” Wylder snaps his fingers at the oven, causing the spatula to stop moving and the oven to turn off. “But just remember, whatever happens, you don’t need to be afraid.” He drags his tongue along his bottom lip. “Are you hungry?”

I could say no. I should. But I also need to eat. And him cooking for me doesn’t make me feel as bad as when they were buying me food.

I nod, breathing in the scent of eggs and bacon. “A little bit.”

“Go sit down. and I’ll make you a plate.” Wylder nudges me toward the table.

“I can get my own,” I start to protest, but he presses a finger to my lips.

“I’ve got it.” Grinning, he snaps his fingers, causing a cupboard door to open and plates to glide out. Then the spatula begins piling eggs and bacon onto the plates.

Okay, then .

With wide eyes, I pull out a chair and drop down in the seat.

Phoenix studies me with his head tilted to the side. “It’s fun watching you see magic.”

“Why? Because I look stupidly clueless?” I joke.

He shakes his head. “Not at all. It’s cute.”

I shift in the chair. While Nico has called me pretty at least a dozen times, Phoenix is much more intense. I have a feeling he’s made many women swoon with that look on his face.

Luckily, for the sake of not melting into a puddle of swooniness, a plate lands in front of me and offers a distraction.

“I’d eat quickly,” Wylder warns as he glances at a clock on the wall. “The moment Lila wakes up, she’s going to want to go shopping.”

Right on cue, a door opens up from down the hallway, and a moment later, Lila comes bursting into the kitchen in her pajamas with an excited gleam in her eyes.

“Get ready for the best shopping trip of your life, bestie,” she singsongs before whirling around and skipping back down the hallway.

Phoenix snorts a laugh. “Dude, you should see your face,” he tells me. “It looks like you just saw a ghost.”

“I just don’t like shopping.” I scoop up a forkful of eggs but pause. “Do ghosts exist?”

“Of course. But you won’t see them unless you go to the cemetery,” Wylder replies matter-of-factly .

“Well, that one time that werewolf ghost snuck into the academy, but technically, it’s forbidden,” Phoenix adds before stuffing a forkful of eggs into his mouth. “You probably won’t see many.”

I pause mid-bite, shock whipping through me. Whatever face I’m pulling elicits laughter from both of them.

“Yeah, definitely cute,” Wylder says as he takes a seat in the chair beside mine.

Between talk of ghosts, watching magic happen, and all the cute and pretty remarks being thrown my way, I feel so out of place that I don’t know what to say or do. So, I focus on eating since that’s normal no matter what world I’m in.

Shopping ends up not being as terrible as I expected. Lila is fun and easy to talk to and picking out clothes isn’t too horrible. The only problem I have is spending Kaiden’s money, an issue I verbalize to Lila as we wander down the sidewalk with bags in our hands. The sun is out, and the air is kissed with an autumn warmth and smells like cinnamon.

“Dude, that’s just how it works in a coven,” Lila explains as she peers into the store window at a display of lavish diamond jewelry. “Everything is shared. It’s completely normal. And besides, Kaiden’s family is the wealthiest in the wiccan world. What we’ve spent today is nothing to them.” She sighs longingly at a ruby-encrusted tiara before walking again .

“It still feels uncomfortable to me. Money was a huge issue in the human world. Families let me stay with them because they got paid to.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. Well, I mean, it makes sense. They had to feed me and stuff. And food costs money. So does putting a roof over my head. I’m sure that’s all a burden.”

She scrunches up her freckled nose. “Did people tell you that?”

I nod. “Sometimes, but it’s true, so …”

She processes this with a frown. “Well, you’re not here.” She goes right back into cheerful mode. “Kaiden is probably ecstatic that he gets to buy you stuff.”

“I’m sure he’s not ecstatic.”

“Oh, he definitely is.”

She falls quiet as we stop at the street corner. “Look, the guys told me not to tell you everything at once because they don’t want to overwhelm you or whatever.” She dramatically rolls her eyes. “But I’m going to tell you this, because I think you should know. The heart —that’s you—is the center of your coven’s universe. It’s how it works for all covens. And it starts from the moment we’re selected by the gods and goddesses. Since Kaiden, Nico, Phoenix, and my brother didn’t have a heart because everyone thought you were dead, they’ve all been walking around half-dead. They were like zombies of themselves, and it totally sucked. It was so bad I felt like I lost my brother the day of the ceremony. Yesterday and today is the first time in a long time I’ve seen him genuinely smile. And I’m so damn glad, even if he’s as annoying as a goddamn elf.” She grabs my arm then leads me across the street. “Now, come on. No more depressing talk. Not when we’re about to shop for shoes.”

I’d argue with her, but her speech has me cinching my lips.

I’ve never been important. It’s strange to consider I’m the heart of four guys' existence. How does that even work? Like, what happens when they find the woman they want to marry? Won’t they get jealous? I guess if covens and heart s are a normal thing, maybe jealousy doesn’t exist.

I don’t know. All of this is so complicated.

And I learn just how complicated things can get while I’m trying on a kick-ass pair of boots. The shop door dings as a group of guys and girls walk in. They’re bustling with energy, and all of their auras are bloodred. Red usually means rage, but theirs feels different, like the edges are bleeding, as if wanting to burst out more array of colors but can’t.

“Great,” Lila mutters as she fastens the strap to a high-heeled shoe she’s trying on.

Her gaze is focused on the group when one of them, a guy with chin-length black hair and bright blue eyes, glances in our direction. A curious smile creeps across his face. He says something to one of the other guys then swings around the display case and makes his way over to us.

“Go away, Holden,” Lila says without glancing at him. She stands up and admires the shoes on her feet.

“Oh, come on, Lila; you know everyone’s curious.” His gaze is fastened on me. “So, you’re the missing heart of the wiccan world.” He smiles, revealing a set of pointy fangs.

Fuck, is he a vampire?

I try to stifle my panic by getting up and pretending to look at myself in the mirror. His gaze tracks me like a hawk. Or, I guess a vampire.

Lila moves between us. “Leave her alone,” she warns then flicks her wrist at him. “Go back to your little friends. Run along. Shoo.”

Did she seriously just shoo a vampire?

His lips spasm, aggravation heavy on his face. “And what are you going to do if I don’t? Call your big brother to come down here and protect you?” he mocks her.

She props her hand on her hip. “Yeah, I will. I have no shame calling them for help. Just remember, though, if I tell Wylder, Kaiden will hear about it.” Her lips curl into a smirk as Holden’s already pale face somehow pales more.

“Whatever. I’ll see her at school, anyway.” He glares daggers at me before whisking back to his friends.

She spins back toward me. “Vampires are so annoying.”

I gulp. “So, he was a vampire?”

She nods, flipping her hair as she approaches the mirror again and turns from left to right to check out her reflection. “Don’t worry. If anyone picks on you, just tell them you’ll send Kaiden after them. It’ll make almost any creature back off.”

I mull over what she said. “Why?”

“Because of his powers.” She picks up a bag from a nearby display shelf and drapes it over her arm before walking back in front of the mirror. “Again, though, the guys want to tell you everything in pieces so, for now, I think we should leave a lid on that one. It’s probably better if Kaiden tells you since it’s his thing.”

I nod like I understand, but I don’t.

I try to concentrate on shoe shopping, but it’s difficult when the vampire remains in the store, leering at me. I get the impression that if it weren’t for Lila scaring him off with the Kaiden remark, he would’ve eaten me alive.

No pun intended.

I’d be afraid, but the truth is, while I can’t control my powers, I can still use them, and vampire or not, he’ll more than likely get hurt.

What I truly want to know, though, is why he’s so fixated on me. At first, I think it’s in my head, but Lila starts to get a bit twitchy.

“We should go,” she finally says after noting that vampire guy sitting in the corner, openly staring at us. “It’s never good when a vampire gets too fixated with you. It’s how stalker obsessions start. And then they want to turn you. Or worse—eat you.” She lets out a nervous laugh.

Okay then, Emberlynn, I guess we’re not in the human world anymore.