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WYLDER

“ T urn the music up a little!” a guy with fiery orange hair shouts as he dances around the living room. “I love this song!”

“Shut the fuck up,” Phoenix, one of my best friends, yells.

He’s a cranky bastard, but no one ever calls him out on it, mostly because he’s a death whisper, so everyone is terrified of him.

A death whisper is basically what it sounds like—someone who can send death on anyone, if they want to.

My power is a healer, so the opposite of what Phoenix can do. But I think that might be why I’m okay with being his friend. Where he can hurt, I can heal.

We’ve been friends our entire lives, but we were destined to become friends even before that. We weren’t aware of that until we turned twelve and it was announced that we’d be in the same coven. It’s a rite of passage for all witches and warlocks.

A year before we reach our teens, we attend tegere electionem cermonia , a fancy way of saying a Coven Selection Ceremony. The ceremonies are creepy as hell, all rituals and magic, but in the end, the gods and goddesses of mates arrive from the smoke and ash scattered across the land and declare who will become the new covens. It’s supposed to be a darkly wonderful time, and it might have been, if things hadn’t gone down the way they did. I mean, it started okay, with them selecting my three best friends, Phoenix, Kaiden, and Nico, and me into the same coven. All we had to do was cross our fingers that our fifth and final member would be someone amazing.

Covens contain five members, either four girls and a guy or four guys and a girl, so we knew that the next step was for the gods and goddesses of mates to select a girl to be part of ours. This would be our heart . Except our heart was dead.

It took the council a while to realize this after the name Emberlynn Fairfield was announced, and no witch or warlock knew who she was. Confusion fell over the crowd as Phoenix, Kaiden, Nico and I sat in the circle of candles, flower petals, ash, smoke, and blood, dressed in our hooded cloaks, waiting to see who this girl was.

A day later, Addison, a council member who oversees all laws and rules in our world, showed up at my house and informed us of the bad news.

“After some digging around,” she said as she sat on the sofa across from my mother, “we’ve discovered that Emberlynn Fairfield died when she was five years old. We’re not sure how she passed away or how her family managed to become an unknown presence in the Wiccan world, but I assure you, we’re looking into it.”

My mother burst into sobs, and Addison patted her hand. “This has never happened before, but we’ll figure out why it did. I can promise you that … And maybe it’s just a mistake.”

My heart felt like it had been ripped in two. It was probably the most painful time in my life, and the first time I never healed myself, for reasons I didn’t understand at the time.

But, eventually, I moved on. Or, well, as much as I can under these circumstances. If I pay attention to my body for long enough, I can feel this hollow sensation in my chest that I’m certain is connected to the fact that the heart of our coven—our heart —is dead.

No one has ever given us any real answers as to why this happened for the first time in witch and warlock history, so we’ve been left to accept that we’ll never be a complete coven. Sure, we’re still a coven, just unmated and not as powerful. Well, we are still powerful. Phoenix, Kaiden, Nico, and I come from extremely prevailing bloodlines, so we’re still an above-average coven, even without our heart . But we were supposed to be more than this broken mess we are right now.

Take Phoenix, for instance. We’re currently at a party, and he should be having fun, getting drunk and high, and maybe even hooking up with another creature. Instead, he’s glaring at everyone, and I can see in his eyes that he’s seeking a fight. While he was always kind of an asshole before the coven ceremony, after it, he’s spent most of his time being pissed off at the world.

“Dude, get that look off your face,” I tell him then take a long swallow of my mystic punch.

He and I are sitting at a long table in the center of a massive kitchen that belongs to Haley Pretterford, the girl throwing this little shindig. Witches, warlocks, vampires, werewolves, and faeries are scattered around this room and the adjacent living room. They’re close to our age and are hanging out, dancing, drinking, making out—having fun. Someone has cast an illuminating spell, so streams of colorful, glittering magic spill through the air, and music plays from the stereo.

“I don’t know why I let you drag me here.” Phoenix grimaces, the scowl on his face like a tattoo at this point. “I hate parties. And being around people. And music.”

I set the cup on the table. “So, all things fun.”

He blasts me with a glare, and I smirk; the two of us like night and day.

“This party is lame,” Nico announces as he approaches the table. He pulls out a chair and plops down in it. “We should’ve gone to the party at Willows Bay.”

“You just want to go there because Mia’s there.” Phoenix rolls his eyes, reaching for the shot of werewolf whiskey he poured earlier .

Nico shrugs. “So? There’s nothing wrong with wanting to get laid. You should try it. Maybe you can fuck your anger out.” He smirks at Phoenix.

Phoenix flips him the middle finger, downs his drink, and shoves back from the table. “I’m out of here.”

“No getting into fights tonight,” Kaiden warns as he steps up to the table.

I don’t know where he was. My best guess is the library, as that’s where he typically goes.

Out of all of us, he’s the most responsible. Just like Phoenix is extremely angry and Nico is the biggest flirt. And me? I’m the one who tries to keep everyone calm. Although it gets exhausting, someone has to do it, or we’ll all end up drowning in the pain we pretend doesn’t exist. Just like we’re all pretending that Phoenix isn’t going to get as drunk and high as a faerie on Moonlight Night. Then he’ll go down to Deadman & Shadows Alley to participate in fights until he’s so worn out and bloody he can’t focus on anything else. And Nico will find Mia, or some other creature, and lose himself in meaningless sex until morning rolls around. Then he’ll wake up hungover and feeling like shit. Kaiden will go back to his place and focus on reading books that he secretly hopes will give us answers as to why the gods and goddesses chose a dead witch for our heart , something he doesn’t think we know he does, but we all do.

And me? I’ll return to my place, fall asleep, then wake up and smile until the corners of my mouth ache because what else am I supposed to do? If I lose control over my emotions for even one second, I’ll break. I know because it happened when I was fifteen. It was the day I almost died.

The day I almost took my own life.

But I failed, and now I’m here, and I promised my mother and the guys I’d never do it again, so that’s what keeps me going—a damn promise.

“Whatever,” Phoenix grumbles then storms off, shoving people out of his way.

“You know he’s going to the fights, right?” I tell Kaiden as he sinks into a chair.

Kaiden massages his temples. “I know, but I had to try. I’ll probably send Star to keep an eye on him.”

Star is Kaiden’s brownie, which is a tiny, faerie-like creature he inherited from his father. Brownies are loyal and obey their owners. That can be a problem, though, if the owner is cruel. But Kaiden is a nice guy, unlike his father.

“Good idea.” I finish my drink then stand up. “I’m going home so I can get some rest.”

Nico is scanning the room. “I wonder if Kassandra is here.”

I roll my eyes, and Kaiden shakes his head.

“You don’t have to screw every creature we know,” Kaiden tells him as he reclines back in the chair. “It’s making our time at the academy a pain in the ass.”

“Good thing we graduate in just a few months, right?” Nico retorts with an impish grin.

It fits him since he’s part faerie. It’s really uncommon in the witch world to come from two different types of creatures’ blood. It usually means that someone in the coven had an affair, or all the members of the coven except for one died. Nico is a product of the first and, because of that, his home life has been far from pleasant.

Kaiden responds to Nico’s comment with his eyes narrowing, his lips parting. But I don’t hear a word that leaves his mouth because this horrible, agonizing sensation pierces my chest, and I cry out.

Kaiden’s brows fleetingly knit, but then he’s hunching over and groaning in pain as he clutches at the edge of the table until the wood splinters apart. Nico starts quivering as he squeezes his eyes shut. I don’t see Phoenix anymore, but I wonder if he can feel it, too.

Can everyone in the room?

I concentrate on my surroundings enough to peer around. No one else is buckling over, and everyone is gaping at us.

As quickly as the pain emerges, it fades into a dull throb.

“What the hell was that?” Nico breathes out with his hand pressed to his chest.

“I have no idea,” I mutter, struggling to catch my breath as I stand upright.

I look to Kaiden for an answer, but he says nothing, glancing around at the attention we’ve drawn instead. Then, with his jaw set tight, he rises to his feet. “Let’s go somewhere else and talk.”

I nod, and Nico and I follow him.

Everyone continues to gawk at us as we make our way out of the house .

When we step out onto the porch, Phoenix is standing at the bottom, looking as pale as the moonlight. “Something happened,” he tells us while massaging his chest.

“I know.” Kaiden starts down the stairs. “We felt it, too.”

Phoenix keeps rubbing his chest. “What the hell was it?”

“I have no idea,” Kaiden says. “Maybe?—”

All of our phones go off.

“Could this night get any weirder?” Nico mutters as we dig our phones from our pockets.

“Mine is from the council,” I say as I read the text. “They’re requesting I come in right now. I’m guessing you guys’ messages are the same.”

They all nod, so we put our phones away and leave the property, heading toward the road leading to the main section of town, where the council building is located.

Our town is small, with quaint shops and stores lining the main road. At the edge of town, where the streets fade into rolling hills, the academy sits perched on the highest peak, the high, arched roof and towers shadows against the nighttime sky. This is where we go to school during the day with all sorts of creatures our age.

“What the hell do you think they want?” Phoenix asks, scuffing his boots against the dirt.

“I have no idea.” A hint of worry transpires in Kaiden’s eyes.

Worrying isn’t a regular occurrence for him, so seeing it on his face makes me uneasy .

“I guess we’ll find out soon,” I chime in, raking my fingers through my hair as my gaze strays to the sky.

It’s clear tonight, the silver and lavender stars twinkling to their full potential. It’s a beautiful sight and makes me wish I had stayed home and drawn instead of going out. But then I’d end up spending the night worrying about Phoenix picking a fight with the wrong warlock or Nico pissing off some witch’s boyfriend.

None of us speak as we finish the hike to the massive, gothic-like, two-story building that has black columns bordering it and a wide staircase that rises up to a stained-glass door entrance.

We hesitate before entering. We’re all a bit apprehensive about this.

When we enter the domed ceiling foyer, the receptionist greets us then ushers us into one of the small, private rooms with a table and chairs.

Nico drums his fingers against the table as we wait for someone to come in and tell us what the hell is going on. “This is making me uneasy,” he says as he slumps back in the chair.

“There’s no need to be uneasy.” Addison, the councilwoman who told us our heart was dead, whisks into the room with a folder in her hand. She’s wearing the council members’ standard uniform—a maroon cloak, the shade matching her hair.

“Hey, Addison,” Nico greets her with a charming smile.

I resist an eye roll when Addison reciprocates. But then, as if Nico suddenly remembers what happened tonight, his smile falters.

Addison’s smile evaporates, as well, as she takes a seat and drops the folder on the table. Then she looks at us, annoyingly dragging out the silence before she says, “I’m sure you’re all wondering why you’re here.” She overlaps her fingers. “Before I get into it, I want to make sure you’re all prepared for some startling news.”

“More startling than finding out your heart was dead before you ever met her.” Phoenix leans in, rests his arms on the table, and gives Addison a hard look. “Get over the dramatics, Addison, and spit it out. None of us need to prepare ourselves for what won’t be the worst news we’ve ever heard.”

“Fair enough.” She moves her fingers between the split in the folder. “As you all know, we never stopped looking into your circumstances. The problem is that the gods and goddesses have never selected a deceased heart before. And because of that, we haven’t had much luck finding anything out. However, a few days ago, an incident happened in a small town just outside of New York. The humans are referring to it as a sinkhole, but a witch who lives in the neighborhood and reported it to us assured us that it was definitely caused by magic. So, we started looking into it, assuming that a rogue witch or warlock did it. However”—sucking in a breath, she opens the folder— “we discovered that it wasn’t. It was a witch who’s living in foster care. She goes by the name of … Emberlynn Fairfield. We don’t kn ow why she’s there, how she went undiscovered for so long, or if she’s even aware that she’s a witch. What we do know is that she’s the witch who was selected to be your coven’s heart .”

My heart is beating so loudly that it’s all I can hear. I can’t move. Can’t think. Can’t breathe. I think I’m in shock. Phoenix and Nico are in the same state, but Kaiden manages to keep his composure, on the outside, anyway.

“Let me see the file,” he tells Addison after clearing his throat.

She slides it across the table to him, and he just stares at it.

Eventually, I snap out of my trance, get up, and walk over to stand behind his chair to better look at the file. Nico and Phoenix follow suit, and we all crowd around Kaiden.

Inside the folder is a piece of paper with some information, but not much. Attached to the paper is a photo of our heart , but we can’t see much of her due to the excessive clothing she’s wearing. She also has the hood of her jacket drawn over her head, and she’s wearing sunglasses.

“She looks sad,” I state, my chest tightening.

“Yeah, she does,” Nico utters as he brushes his fingers across the photo.

Silence skips, and then Kaiden says, “It doesn’t say what her gifts are.”

“Because we don’t know yet,” Addison explains. “Hopefully, we can get more answers when we bring her here.”

Kaiden tears his gaze off the paper and fixes it on Addison. “ Who’s bringing her in?”

“One of the reaper teams,” she replies with a hint of reluctance. “I know those are used to drag in rogues, but since we don’t know what she can do, we think it’ll be best if the team that went and got her is equipped to handle difficult situations. You know, just in case.”

“Do you seriously think I’m going to allow you to send the reapers to get our heart ?” Kaiden’s tone is calm in a scary as fuck sort of way. While most witches and warlocks wouldn’t dare speak to a council member this way, Kaiden can get away with it because his family is one of the wealthiest and most powerful families in the wiccan world. “You can call off your team. We’ll go get her.” He stands up then strides for the doorway with the folder tucked under his arm.

Nico, Phoenix, and I all trade a look, and then we hurry after him.

“Kaiden,” Addison calls out.

He ignores her, exiting the room.

She doesn’t follow us, and no one utters a word until we’re outside and off the land that surrounds the building. The town is empty tonight, except for a few open bars, and music is trickling through the air.

“How is this possible?” Nico breaks the silence as we near the path that weaves through the forest. About a half mile down, it’ll veer right and lead to the mansion Kaiden lives in. “Do you think she’s intentionally kept herself hidden?”

Kaiden clutches the folder. “I don’t know. This stupid folder has hardly any information. But I’m not surprised. The council is useless, even though no one seems to realize that. ”

“Some do,” Nico argues as we arrive at the border of the land that encases Kaiden’s property. He stuffs his hands into his pockets. “Maybe one day they’ll be enough that we can overthrow them.”

Great. We’ve gone from finding our heart to discussing mutiny.

“Why does this even matter right now?” I ask with more bite in my tone than usual. “We should just be focusing on getting her out of there. I mean, did you hear anything Addison said? She’s been in foster care this entire time.”

The Wiccan world has a foster care system, and while I don’t know much about the human world, our foster care has a dreadful reputation.

We halt in front of the brick entryway that domes above the double front doors of Kaiden’s three-story home. The lantern light casts across the yawn, creating eerie shadows amongst the trees.

“He’s right,” Kaiden says as he reaches for the doorknob. “We need to put all our energy into getting our heart and bringing her home. We can worry about revolting later.” He shoves open the door and enters the house.

“What are we going to do?” Nico asks as we wander into the foyer that’s lit up by a gothic-like chandelier. “Just show up and grab her? Because that seems like a terrible idea.”

Kaiden shucks his jacket off. “I know that. We need to be cautious. If she is aware of her powers, she might attack us. And if she doesn’t know about them, we might scare her, and she could try to take off.” He tosses his jacket onto a nearby bench. “I don’t want to frighten her. I want to make things as easy as possible.”

Nico rolls up his shirt sleeves. “Agreed.”

“What if she knows about us and doesn’t care?” Phoenix asks as he crosses his arms. “Are we just supposed to forgive her?”

“Why do you always have to be a pessimist?” Nico shakes his head at Phoenix. “I doubt she knows she’s a witch and just chooses to live with humans.”

Kaiden doesn’t appear convinced. “Despite what the situation is, we need to remain composed. Not only because of what could happen with her, but this entire situation reeks of something darker.”

That gets all of our attentions.

“What do you mean?” I ask, facing him.

Kaiden pats the folder. “Don’t you find it odd that the council couldn’t find any info on her, and then, suddenly, minutes after we all feel this agony in our chest, we get called down to headquarters so they can inform us they’ve found our heart , who was supposed to be dead but somehow isn’t?”

“Are you saying you don’t think that woman in the folder is our heart ?” Nico asks, pointing at the folder.

“No, I think she is. And I think what we felt tonight was a connection to her.” Kaiden starts toward the broad stairway. “But I’m suspicious that perhaps the council may have known that she was alive all along, and that connection we felt tonight spooked them enough that they decided to tell us. It’s something I’ve wondered for a while—that maybe they’ve been lying all this time. Why they’ve kept her from us, I don’t know, but I’m making it my mission to find out.” He pauses at the bottom of the stairs and glances at us. “After we save her.”

His choice of words causes my stomach to drop. Save her?

Save her from what exactly?

I guess we’re about to find out.