“Are you saying he can read your mind?” Jett asked, and I was pretty sure his face paled slightly.
I nodded. “That’s exactly what I’m saying.”
Both boys groaned.
“What?” I asked, confused as to why this might be upsetting to them.
“So your dad knows about everything that’s going on with the three of us?”
I laughed. “If my dad had any clue of that, both of you would be dead and I’d be sitting back in my old house in the middle of Opal Creek National Forest.”
“But you just said . . .”
I cut Jett off. “I said he could read my mind—if I let him. My dad likes having his privacy—thank goodness—and taught me, from childhood, how to place mental barriers so that no one has access to my mind without permission. Privacy is very important to him.”
“Thank heaven for small miracles.” Jett breathed out, visibly relaxing. “So what else have you inherited from your dad?”
“I’m not really sure.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean my dad has powers he doesn’t even know about. His dad, Damien Cummings, was a very evil man, a demon, who sacrificed many witches and warlocks to build his strength. He would kidnap those with the most power, drink their blood and then suck their magic from them using the power of a Demon Kiss.”
“I’m familiar with the magic you’re speaking of,” Jett said, letting me know immediately that his coven was involved in the same kind of behavior. That scared me.
I brushed that thought aside and continued on with my story. “When my dad finally had the chance to fight my grandpa, my dad did the same to him, absorbing all the magic of those witches—and I’m talking hundreds, maybe even thousands. He was extremely powerful before, but scary-powerful afterward. Then things went wrong with my mom, when the Awakening was taken from her, and she became a demon. She couldn’t take it and went completely crazy in the head. She couldn’t comprehend anything. So my dad had two choices—kill her, or take her magic. There was only one choice really.”
“So he’s currently the vessel for your mom’s magic, too?” Jett sounded surprised and I nodded.
“My magical traits come from many places, including both my parents, but anything actually passed down to me came strictly from my dad. Now that my mom is completely human, that makes me a “mud blood” I guess.” I couldn’t help my slight giggle as I smiled at the reference.
“A ‘mud blood’?” Seth looked just as confused as Jett.
“Oh, come on! Don’t tell me you’ve never read or seen Harry Potter? I lived completely away from society and even I’ve read the books and seen the movies.”
“Never seen it,” Jett said.
“Me, neither,” Seth added.
“Well, that’s it. This relationship must end immediately.” Standing, I brushed my hands over my clothes and headed toward the door.
“And where exactly do you think you’re going?” Jett asked, zipping around to bar my path.
“I’m going to find some real witches to hang out with, now that I know you two are impostors.”
Grinning, he stepped closer, sliding his hand against my cheek and rubbing his thumb there. “We’ll watch the damn movies if that’s what you want.”
Smiling, I nodded. “That’s what I want. And I want you to watch them with me so I can see your reactions.”
“Works for me.” Seth nodded. “I can easily add that equipment out here.”
“Can we leave it like this?” I asked, glancing over at him. “I mean, will it stay this way when you aren’t here?”
“Sure. It’s here until we tell it to go.”
“I like it here; and I can see that you’re both fond of it, too. I think it should be our own special place we can come to and escape it all.”
“Wait a second,” Jett said, halting me. “What do you mean when you say you can see we are fond of it, too?”
I laughed. “In your auras. It’s plain as day that something about this place relaxes you both.”
“You can see auras?”
“Yeah, it comes in really handy when trying to avoid certain kinds of people.” I eyed him, waiting to see if he’d catch my meaning.
“Hang on now. That’s why you kept staring at me that first day we met, isn’t it? You were trying to read my aura.”
“I was. And it was messy, messy, messy—all angry red with this black streak that snaked through it. I thought it looked exactly like this.” Reaching out, I pushed his sleeve up slightly, to reveal the coiled snake wrapped around his bicep. “I was worried about you. And then you were so mean to me.”
Sighing, he dropped his hand away, linking fingers with me. “I’m sorry. I was angry, and more than a little jealous. I’d dreamed about you. That dream said you were coming and would be mine. Then you showed up and not with just any guy, but with my best friend, who was obviously taken with you—and you with him. And even though he had a dream, as well, I’m afraid I tend to lash out irrationally on occasion. And though I still feel like I was helping you out when you first got here, you’re right. I could’ve gone about it better. If you’ll let me, I’ll spend the rest of my life making it up to you.”
He leaned in closer, but I placed my hands over his lips. “Jett, I know I agreed to all this, but can we please take things slow? I’m not used to it and it’s all so overwhelming.”
“You set the pace, darlin’. We will follow your lead. In fact . . .” His sentence dwindled off as he left my side and pulled Seth away for a private chat. Laughing at whatever he said, Seth twirled his hand in the air, conjuring something and then placed it in Jett’s hand. Jett was grinning as he rejoined me.
“I figured since you can see our auras and use it to gage our emotions, it’s only fair that we get to do the same with you. Turn around.”
I had no idea what he was talking about, but I dutifully did as he asked, surprised when he fastened a necklace around my throat. Glancing down, I noted the plain black cord decorated with a few beads and findings. In the middle of the beads was a teardrop shaped silver filigree pendant with a blue green stone in the center.
“What’s this?” I asked, fingering the pretty stone. To my surprise it began changing colors at my touch. “Oh my gosh! Is this a mood necklace?” I couldn’t help my laughter.
“It is,” Jett said. “This way Seth and I will know what mood you’re in, too; which I think will give us a much needed advantage—especially during certain times of the month. We will know when to avoid you.”
Seth chuckled and I shook my head.
“I can’t believe you just went there.”
Grinning, Jett replied. “I’m willing to go anywhere with you.” His eyes drifted over me. “Someday I hope to get to go on the whole ride.” I blushed heavily.
“Look, her necklace is changing. What was pink again, Seth?”
“Pink symbolizes love, I believe.”
My breath caught in my throat. There was no way I was in love with Jett Blackstone. I’d barely known him for a week. “I think I need to go outside and get some cool air. It’s getting warm in here, don’t you think? It’s probably messing with this necklace.”
Neither of them stopped me as I made my way outside.
“Dude, that girl wants you bad,” Seth said, sounding sorrowful; and it made my heart hurt.
“Not any worse than I want her. I swear I can’t get her out of my head. It’s like I’m under a damn spell.”
“I know exactly what you mean. It kills me every time she looks at you that way.”
Jett snorted. “Then you know how I feel every time she looks at you.”
I needed to get farther away. I needed to run—to just be free from everything. Glancing toward the dark forest, I sprinted away.
Chapter Twenty
Magic pulsated through me, racing through every single pore. Pushing faster, I ran harder. Despite being late August, it was nice and cool, and I relished the feel of it across my over-heated
skin.
Breaths short and quick, I bounded across the meadow surrounding the small cabin, heading toward the thickly treed woods beyond.
“Kenna!” Seth’s worried voice called after me. “What are you doing?”
“Wait for us!” Jett hollered immediately after, and I pushed myself even harder, knowing they would give chase. Adrenaline coursed through me and I was determined to “beat” them, even though I wasn’t sure where I was going.
The solitude of the woods wasn’t frightening; instead, it filled me with some sort of calm focus—almost as if I were back home in the ancient Oregon forest. Dodging about amongst the trees and vegetation, I jumped around, hopping over fallen trees and shrubs.
All of a sudden I could hear them both, the sound of their heavy breathing growing ever closer. Spurred on, I ran even faster.
A large clump of vegetation loomed in front of me and I instantly knew there was no way I could clear it naturally. Shoving my arms down so that my palms were facing the ground, I sent a burst of flaming magic out of my hands and feet, which acted like jet propulsion, rocketing me off the ground. I flew over easily before tumbling back to the earth. Angling my feet, I descended back to the ground, using my levitation to hover just above it. I continued on, desperately trying to “escape.”
Laughter filled the air around me—both my own and whoops and hollers from Jett and Seth, who still remained unseen.
“I’m gonna get you, darlin’,” Jett yelled from somewhere close by. Suddenly a blast of air hit me full force in the side, knocking me off my feet and sending me sprawling across the ground.
Vision spinning, my eyes caught Seth several yards away, his blond hair glistening in the moonlight. Smiling, he shoved his hand into the dirt and immediately everything around me started rippling and quivering. Vines appeared, growing quickly out of the surface and twisting rapidly toward my position. Finding my feet, I squealed loudly and took off again.
I didn’t make it far before something wrapped around my ankles, yanking me off my feet. Before I hit the ground, more vines twisted around me, breaking my fall and gently lowering the rest of my body to the earth with care.
Instantly Seth was standing over me, hands on his hips, staring down at me. “You seem to be caught in my web,” he said, sounding triumphant as his eyes sparkled in the moonlight. “I think I like that.”
“It was totally my push that knocked her off balance. I think I should get the credit for the win.” Jett smiled as he joined us. “Although that thing you did with the fire back there was pretty amazing.”
I couldn’t help my gasps and giggles. “That was so much fun. I swear, I haven’t done anything like that in ages. We should come out here and do stuff like this all the time.”
“I think that would be a great idea.” Seth agreed. “It was part of the reason I suggested this place. It’s completely private and the perfect place for us to have some solitude and practice magic together.”
“I agree,” Jett added. “Not to mention we can get to know each other better while we are at it.”
“I thought you two already knew each other, “I teased.
“You know what I mean. Seth, release her from this mess.”
Slowly the vines that gripped me so tightly began to loosen; but before I could rise, they disappeared, replaced by beautiful, scented flowers.
Jett glanced at Seth. “Show off,” he muttered, and Seth grinned wider.
“We should set this up to be our special place,” I suggested, loving the feel of the forest and how the sliver of moonlight filtered down through all the trees, casting dark shadows that should’ve been terrifying, but weren’t. It was like we were together in our own secret world.
“We can totally do that if you want. What are you thinking?” Seth asked.
I shrugged. “I’m not sure. Maybe we could set up an altar and some large stones to mark the four elements and the spirit.”
“So lay it out so any circle we cast is in the middle of a pentagram?” Jett asked.
“Yes! I think that would be awesome.” I turned to Seth. “Do you think it would be discovered or disturbed? I just thought it would be nice to have a peaceful place that’s ours, so to speak.”
“I think I can easily do some things to help camouflage it.” He studied the small clearing we were in. “I’ll add some thick vines and foliage around the perimeter, here, that will discourage any wandering people from trying to get through.”
“Perfect. We can also put wards around it, too. That will redirect people. We did that in the Opal Creek Forest. I can totally do that.”
“Sounds great,” Jett said, seeming totally at ease. “Would you like to go help me look for suitable stones, or would you rather stay here and work on wards while Seth builds the vegetation?”
“I can come with you,” I said, glancing at Seth. “If it’s okay with Seth.”
“Fine by me,” he said, casting a penetrating stare at Jett. “Just watch those hands. I don’t need them all over my girl.”
“Your girl?” Jett raised an eyebrow.
“That’s right. I had her first, and I still have her. I’m just letting you come along for the ride.”
“Oh, I see how it is. You want her all for yourself.”
Something flared in Seth’s eyes. “Yes, I do.”
“So do I.”
“But your wants don’t really matter in my universe.”
While I knew they were simply doing some friendly ribbing, it was starting to make me feel a bit uncomfortable. “Um, how about I’m my own girl and we continue doing the tasks we had planned? All this testosterone may kill me otherwise.”
“Your wish is my command,” Jett said, grabbing my hand and pulling me along.
“Funny you should say that.”
“Why?”
“My dad’s a jinn; well, sorta.”
“Excuse me? Did you say your dad is a jinn? I didn’t even think they really existed.”
“Actually, my step-grandpa, Hex, is the real jinn—or half jinn, rather. His mom always claimed that something had possessed his father when he’d gotten her pregnant. I guess she was right. Unfortunately for Hex, he fell in with some of the wrong people and his coven disowned him; so he spent a lot of time living alone. During that, he began trying to isolate the jinn cells inside him, until he finally manufactured one dose to try on someone else.”
“And he gave it to your dad?” Jett guessed.
“No, my mom, actually. But for some reason, in her blood, the chemistry caused the magic to amplify greatly. Hex, a “natural born” son of a jinn, can only disappear and reappear for a few feet at a time. But my mom could easily skip halfway around the world.”
“Are you serious?” His eyes widened in amazement.
“I am. But when my dad had to save my mom after her demon conversion, he sucked the jinn out of her, too. Strangely enough, even though he assimilated her power, he can’t blink any farther than Hex can.”
“Blink?” Jett questioned.
“Disappear and then reappear.”
“Gotcha. That’s interesting. You’d think it would be the same for both.”
“I agree, but it isn’t. My dad wants to try and reintroduce my mom’s powers back to her. Hex reportedly has a new serum almost ready to go. He and great-grandma, Milly, are supposed to come to visit when it is ready and try it on my mom.”
“So you don’t have these jinn powers?”
I shook my head. “No. They didn’t pass to me. My dad has speculated about whether or not it is something that would ever pass from a parent to child. I guess we’ll never know, unless Kyle comes up with some sort of amazing discovery.”
“Kyle?”
“He’s a research doctor that works with my dad. He’s more like family than an associate, though. I used to call him Uncle Kyle when I was younger. Sometimes I still do.”
“Well, I wish them the best in their research. I’m sure it must’ve been hard for your mom to not have her magi
c.”
“I don’t think she misses it at all. I think she’s mostly humoring my dad. He’s the one who has struggled the most with it . . . at least he’s the one I’m aware of, due to our link.”
“Do you think if your mom got her magic back that she’d be able to hear you, too?”
“I don’t know, but I’d like to think so.”
“Here’s a nice rock,” Jett said releasing my hand and going over to examine the waist high boulder. Leaning forward, he placed his hands on the rock and whispered Seth’s name. Almost immediately, the boulder disappeared. Glancing at me, he smiled. “I figured Seth could manifest it more easily to our new location than to try and levitate it and haul it there ourselves.”
“Good idea,” I replied. “We have the magic, might as well use it.”
“I have all the vines up and just transferred your massive stone,” Seth said, appearing beside us. “How’s the search going?”
“That’s the only one we’ve found. I’ve just been filling Jett in on some family details.” I quickly did the same for Seth, catching him up to speed. “So now, you should tell me about your families. Is there anything special I should know about them? Neither of you have been very forthcoming on that subject.”
“Do you plan on being here all night?” Jett teased.
“I figure we’ll be back pretty often. We might as well use those times to get to know everything about each other, too, right?”
“I think so,” Seth agreed, slipping one of his hands into mine. “And if we haven’t been very forthcoming it’s because we aren’t used to talking about them and magic so openly.”
“I understand that. But I still want to know about them.”
“Ask away,” Jett said. “We’ll tell you whatever you want to know.”
Together the three of us continued on, searching out the perfect stones for our new ritual location, all the while sharing and swapping stories with one another. Before long, we found several more stones and even a long rectangular one that was fairly flat on one side, to serve as a natural altar.