Confined (A Tethered Novel, Book 3) (12 page)

Kace released his grip on my hips and went to the drawer I’d
pointed to near the fridge. I turned to glance over my shoulder at him, but
caught sight of Admer once more. He was still staring at me with that odd gleam
in his eyes and an even stranger smile. I couldn’t tell if he was amused by
something or excited. Either way, he freaked me out.

“Here you go,” Kace said. He laid the knife I’d asked him to
get for me on the counter.

“Thanks.” I opened the salami. Callie picked up the trash
and walked away. I took that small opportunity to shift my full attention to
Kace. “What were you and Admer talking about a minute ago?”

Kace popped a pickle in his mouth. “He was just asking how
you were doing and if I thought you were ready for tonight.”

“That’s weird,” I muttered, wondering why he would even care
enough to ask that.

Admer already knew how ready I was for this, because he knew
about the tether. His weirdness never ceased to amaze me.

“It was a little bit awkward,” Kace admitted. He smiled as
he popped a cheese cube into his mouth.

I continued cutting the salami into thin slices, wishing
this night had a remote so I could fast forward to this time tomorrow, because
by then, the initiation would be over with, and the tether would be gone.

After dinner—which was the most spectacular barbecue chicken
I’d ever eaten—I was on my second rum and Coke and standing in the backyard,
tucked under Kace’s arm. The sun had set some time ago, leaving the ocean air
with a bit of a chill to it. We all stood out back, talking. Turns out Kace’s
dad could be pretty funny.

“And that was the first time we ever attempted to use our
magick,” Charles said as he finished his story.

I took another sip of my drink and felt Kace’s fingers slide
around on my shoulder in lazy movements, sending flickers of warmth to the
surface of my skin there. The sound of the national anthem rang out, blaring
from someone’s speakers somewhere down on the beach, and everyone hushed to
listen.

“Are you sure we’ll be able to see the fireworks from here?”
I asked once the song ended. Applauding and whistles erupted from down on the
beach.

“Positive,” Kace assured me.

I snuggled closer to him at the first big blast of a
firework, and waited for the bright lights to burst in the air above me. A big,
cheesy smile broke out on my face at the anticipation. Or maybe it was a
mixture of the alcohol as well. Either way, I was determined to enjoy this
moment for what it was—amazing!

Bright blues, reds, and whites filled the sky as they
started out the show with colors from the American flag. Cheers from the beach
and those around me filled my ears, causing me to smile even wider. More loud booms
sounded in the distance. Soon that fuzzy/crackling noise of fireworks raining
down from above filled the salty night air, and I couldn’t help thinking how
this had to be the best Fourth of July I’d ever had.

Nothing could top fireworks at the beach.

I continued to stare up, mesmerized by the array of colors
bursting above me, while waiting for my favorite type of firework to be lit.
Kace shifted to stand behind me and wrapped both of his arms around my
shoulders, pulling me into him a little more.

“Which is your favorite?” he asked. His lips brushed against
my earlobe as he spoke.

“The ones that look like little bees or fireflies flying
around,” I answered without taking my eyes off the sky. “You?”

“The big ones that change through a few colors before fading
out,” he answered. His warm breath tickled my ear.

The show seemed to last forever, but I wasn’t complaining. I
wanted it to continue; the longer it was, the more time I had to build myself
up for what was to take place in just a few short hours—the initiation.

A few of the fireworks I loved most shot through the sky and
Kace squeezed me tighter.

“Those ones?” he asked.

I nodded and watched as they danced through the dark sky,
captivated by their beauty. The fireworks were coming in rapid succession now.

“It’s the grand finale!” Adam shouted out like a little kid.

We all watched with amazement as the sky lit up doubly with
rainbows of colors, finally ending with the three they started with and one
that resembled an American flag. Loud cheers and whistling filled the night
again, and then it was over.

“That was beautiful. Anybody want some coffee while we
wait?” Della asked as she started toward my back door. “You have a coffee
machine, right, honey?”

I nodded. “Yeah, I do.”

“Do you care if I head inside and make a pot?” she asked.

“No, not at all,” I said with a smile. “There might be some
coffee left in the pantry from when my friend was here.”

“I brought a freshly ground bag with me.” Della winked.

Smiling, I glanced up at the sky, hoping to catch a glimpse
of a stray firework, but saw none. My favorite holiday was over with a snap of
my fingers, and all I could think about now was how I was that much closer to
becoming initiated.

“Oh!” Callie suddenly shouted. Her eyes grew wide with
excitement. “I almost forget I bought some of those extra-large sparklers!”

“I forgot about them too!” I said, eager to get my hands on
one.

Finishing off the last of my rum and Coke, I set the glass
on my back porch while Callie ran inside to retrieve them. She came back a
moment later with the whole box tucked under her arm and a single one in her
hand she was already preparing to light.

“Who wants one?” she asked.

Reaching out for the first one just as it was lit, I gazed
at the brightness of my own personal firework I now held. Looked like my Fourth
of July wasn’t over just yet after all.

I stepped into the flowing red dress from my shopping trip
with Callie. Standing in front of the antique mirror in my bedroom, I stared at
my reflection and smoothed out the fabric around my stomach, wishing it were
that easy to smooth away my nerves taking up residence there. Red was
definitely my color, regardless if I was talking about how it corresponded with
my element or how it looked against my skin tone.

A tight feeling centered itself in the pit of my stomach as
I trailed my eyes over every detail of my reflection once more. I’d left my
hair down like the others had told me; it flowed down my back and cascaded over
my shoulders in loose waves.

Taking in a deep breath, I mentally reviewed all of the
reasons that had brought me to this point, all of the reasons this had become
my last resort. A soft knock sounded on my bedroom door, pulling me from my
near mental breakdown.

“Are you okay? How does the dress fit?” Callie’s soft voice
fluttered through the solid door.

“Yeah, come on in,” I said. Swallowing hard, I forced a
smile into place just as the door opened. “I’m fine and the dress fits great.
How about yours?”

She closed the door behind her and spun to face me.
“Perfect. We got
so
lucky. I can’t believe we forgot to try them on!”

Callie looked stunning. The pale blue dress did exactly what
I’d thought it would paired with her dark skin and bright blue eyes. Just like
mine, her dress brushed against the tops of her bare feet in a waterfall of
ripples, and gracefully moved about her when she walked.

I chuckled. “I know.”

“Wow, you look amazing, Addison. Kace is going to flip when
he sees you!” she gushed.

I placed my hand on my stomach and forced another smile.
“Thanks. Adam will think the same about you.”

“Are you nervous?” she asked as she carefully positioned
herself on my bed.

“Yeah,” I admitted.

Nervous wasn’t the word I would use to describe what I felt,
though—sick to my stomach would be. I’d long passed nervous a while ago and
pulled right into I’m-going-to-barf-any-minute territory at a breakneck speed.

“There’s only about an hour before midnight. We should
probably head downstairs and meet up with everyone. There’s a tea you’ll have
to drink to purify you,” Callie said.

“Was that what Adam was talking about? The cleansing?”

“Yeah.”

I nodded, but didn’t speak. Saying the word “cleansing” made
me think of Theo and the bath we’d taken together to cleanse ourselves of the
tether.

Theo
.

His name pounded through my mind, becoming attached to my
heartbeat and throwing me slightly off balance.

Callie interlaced her fingers with mine, obviously noticing
my sudden shift in balance, and we started downstairs. I stopped to gather my
dress in my hands at the top of the stairs, and then descended, with my heart
racing and Callie right behind me.

Everyone stood waiting in the living room. They all turned
to stare at us as we entered the room together.

“Wow, sweetie, you look beautiful,” Susan said to Callie.
Her hand flew to her mouth as though Callie had taken her breath away.

“Look at you,” Kace said from my right. Shifting to look at
him, I felt my cheeks heat to match my dress as I took him in.

He was dressed in silver. Thinking of what he wore as a
dress seemed wrong, but it wasn’t a robe either. Whatever it was Kace wore was
solid, shimmering silver and covered him from his neck to the tops of his feet.
It was wide and had long sleeves where our dresses were sleeveless. There was a
near ravenous gleam in his eyes as he took me in, and I felt the heat from my
cheeks spread to my neck.

“You’re gorgeous in that,” he breathed. He started toward
me.

“Thank you.” I smiled, noticing the closer he got, the more
vibrant the silver made his icy eyes seem.

I needed to make a mental note to remind him to wear more
silver after tonight.

“Lookin’ good, Avery,” Adam called from the couch, where he
sat with Callie perched in his lap.

He was dressed in an identical outfit as Kace’s; the only
exception was his was a vibrant green.

“Not so bad yourself,” I said.