Coven (22 page)

Hex found my mom as she was running for her
life and hid her, teaching her to fight and introducing his jinn
powers to her. He was the one responsible for turning her into a
fighter strong enough to survive, and I loved him for it. If he
hadn’t interfered, I might never have been born.

“Here’s your food,” I said, interrupting and
placing the two plates I was carrying on the large mahogany desk at
one end of the lab. “I’ll be right back with your drinks and then
I’m getting on my laptop to look at cars until you’re ready to
go.”

Dad smiled and nodded. “Sounds like a plan.
Thanks for lunch.”

“Yes, thank you,” Kyle added.

“Not a problem,” I replied, practically
skipping from the room. Today was shaping up to be awesome.

Chapter Nineteen

“What are you doing?”

I couldn’t help myself—I jumped, clasping my
hand over my heart as I stared up at the shimmering figure
materializing in my room. “Dee Dee, you can’t just pop out of
nowhere like that. I swear you almost scared me to death.”

“Sorry,” she said, her brogue sounding more
pronounced than the last time. “I see you haven’t told your parents
about me.”

Sighing, I glanced at the list of cars on my
screen before closing my computer. “That’s because I wasn’t
entirely sure I didn’t dream you up. One second you were there and
then you were just gone.”

“That happens sometimes. I sort of blank
out.”

“How weird that must be for you.” Crossing
my legs, I stared at her. “So, tell me about death. Is it the same
for everyone? Did you see a white light?”

Shaking her head, she looked sorrowful as
she drifted soundlessly toward the window. “For me, there was no
light. I don’t know about for other people. I haven’t seen any
others like me.”

“Really?” How terribly lonely. I felt sorry
for her. “How long have you been . . . like this?”

Shrugging slightly, she glanced back at me.
“Time is irrelevant to me, but a long time.” Coming closer, her
stare pierced me in an uncomfortable manner. “That first night in
the attic—before I revealed myself to you—you were with a young
man. Who was he?”

Apparently she’d seen Seth and me. That
wasn’t embarrassing at all, since we practically made out like
fiends that night. “He’s a good friend of mine—my boyfriend, I
guess you would say.”

“Your beau reminds me of mine, the one that
I lost so long ago. I have never stopped pining for him, even
though he eventually found solace in the arms of another.”

I wasn’t sure what to say. “Seth is a good
guy. I’m glad I met him.”

Again, her intense stare made me
uncomfortable and I thought I saw a spark of anger light her eyes.
“Be careful, young one. It’s been my experience that men are rarely
what they seem. They like to entice women, seduce them even. It
seems so romantic, but then they will destroy everything about you
and use you to further their own sadistic games.”

Angry much?
I thought, though
compassion flooded my system for her. “How terrible things must’ve
been for you. I wish there was some way I could help you set them
right.”

“Kenna?” My dad’s voice floated into the
room from the hallway and Dee Dee immediately disappeared, just as
my dad entered the doorway. “You ready?”

“I am!” I said excitedly, jumping up from
bed and quickly slipping my shoes on.

“Who were you talking to?” Dad asked,
glancing around. “I swear I heard two voices.”

Shoot. I needed to remember my dad’s
fabulous hearing abilities. Mind scrambling, my gaze landed on my
laptop. “I was on FaceTime with Stephanie, going over things for
tonight,” I lied, but hated doing so. I didn’t like being
dishonest, but I couldn’t risk him freaking out over strange
happenings in our house. “Did Kyle leave or is he coming with
us?”

“He left. He said he still had some things
to take care of at the office. Let’s go get you a car.”

Following him out into the hallway, I
pressed for more information. “So, is there like a spending limit
on this car or can I get whatever I want?”

Laughing, he shook his head. “Well, I wasn’t
really planning on getting you a Maserati or anything.”

“I wasn’t going to ask for a Maserati.” I
smiled. “Besides, I’m pretty sure no one around here even carries
those things.”

“You’re probably right. I figured we would
just play it by ear. I thought we could go into Boston and check
out several dealers.”

“Sounds good to me. Thanks, Dad.”

“Anything for my girl!” he replied, draping
his arm around my shoulder and hugging me tightly. “I love you.
Thanks for being such a good kid. You make life so much easier for
your mom and me.”

Instantly, guilt assaulted me. I wasn’t the
“good kid” he thought I was. When did that happen? When had my own
needs and desires begun to supersede the things my parents had
taught me?

Yes, I was a legal adult, capable of making
my own choices. Technically, if my dad ever decided to run or go
into hiding, I could legally say no. But just because the law said
it was okay, didn’t mean that it was “Vance Mangum” okay. And in my
world, “Vance Mangum” was the law. I wasn’t sure if I was ready to
stand up to that—or if I even really wanted to. All I knew was that
I wanted the chance to stay here and see how my life would develop.
Maybe that was selfish, but in my own defense, I had been living as
a hermit for most of my life to please them and make them feel more
comfortable. The way I saw it, they owed me my turn at a real
life.

“I love you both too, Dad,” I replied,
meaning every word of it. Regardless of our differences in opinion,
I knew my parents only wanted the best for me. They had sacrificed
a lot for me, too. Hopefully, everything would work out just fine.
Now if I could sort out my feelings for Seth and Jett, life would
be perfect.

~~~

“We aren’t going to the meadow?” I asked in
surprise as Jett blasted past the turnoff.

“No. It’s the weekend and after the game.
Everyone is going to be out there tonight. We need to go somewhere
we won’t be disturbed.”

“And where is that exactly?”

Seth leaned forward from the back seat. “My
family has a piece of property out here that has been passed down
from generation to generation. There’s an old one-room cabin on it.
It’s still in pretty good shape. The area around it has lots of
woods and there are no nearby neighbors.”

“Making it the perfect place to practice
magic,” I added, realizing in that moment how excited I actually
was for this outing.

“Exactly,” Jett said, casting a sly sidelong
glance at me. “We can do whatever we want out here and no one will
be the wiser.”

Unbidden, an image of the three of us
dancing naked under the full moon popped into my head. I almost
gasped aloud. Then the thought turned humorous as I imagined me
trying to dance while having both the guys hanging all over me,
groping me as I tried to beat them off. Yeah, that would be more
realistic.

“As long as whatever we are doing allows me
to be fully clothed, I’m all for it.”

“You’d be surprised what you can do while
being fully clothed,” Jett quipped back, sending me from my safe
place right back into the abyss of nerves.

“I . . . I’ll take your word for
it.” He chuckled and so did Seth, his voice floating forward from
behind me.

For some reason simply the sound of their
voices mingling together around me made me feel . . .
something. Safe? Secure? Maybe it was just a sense of
belonging.

That was it, I realized. This felt right. I
belonged here with them. Peace flowed through me, heating me with a
languid relaxed feeling. I was where I was supposed to be. I was
home.

Turning off the main road, we made our way
onto a narrow dirt lane. I eagerly watched as the headlights
drifted over grass and trees, highlighting patches of the beautiful
scenery.

Having been raised in a picturesque forest
my whole life, I had a deep love and respect for nature. I’d
learned to watch and listen to the animals as they signaled to each
other if there was danger. I could feel the life force in the
vegetation. There was a living spirit in everything, and I could
feel it humming there.

I didn’t notice those vibrations as much in
more populated areas. They were still there, but somehow harder to
notice. Nature just seemed to have a way of amplifying everything
and making it feel more real. Or maybe it simply made me feel more
real. Whatever it was, I loved it.

Jett slowed as we approached a narrow dirt
lane to the right. Turning, he slowly maneuvered the vehicle over
the uneven road.

“Not exactly built for off-roading, is it?”
Seth joked with a laugh.

“Not even close.” Jett agreed. “But she
looks good no matter what she’s doing.”

“Truth,” Seth replied.

“Why do guys always refer to their cars as
‘she?’” I asked. “My dad does that, too, with all his
motorcycles.”

“Have you seen his bike?” Seth asked,
leaning forward, again, and looking at Jett. “He custom built it
and it’s amazing.”

It was as if I hadn’t even spoken.

“Yeah, I’ve seen it. It’s nice. I’m thinking
I may need to look into getting myself one.”

I wasn’t sure how my dad would feel about
that at all. “One in general, or one from my dad?” I needed
clarification.

“From your dad. I like getting custom-made
things and it looks like he does great work.”

“Well, not to be rude, but you didn’t
exactly make a good first impression on my dad, remember? He
actually warned me to stay away from you.”

“He did? I knew he was upset, but not that
much.”

“So, if you decide to ever really pursue
this motorcycle thing, you need to let me warm him up to you and
get him thinking of you in a different light.”

“Motorcycle or not, I think you should begin
doing that immediately.”

I laughed. “Okay.”

A small cabin appeared in the dark before
us, almost as if it had been conjured by magic. It wasn’t there one
second and then the next it was. Its weather-roughened thick wooden
beams had been squared off and stacked with mudding in between
them. There was no porch—simply the main structure—and beside the
closed door, a shuttered window appeared to be the only other
opening, from my vantage point, at least.

Jett parked the car and I jumped out,
staring at the house as I spoke to Seth. “Can we go inside?” A
slight breeze whipped up the air, causing my hair to blow across my
face and I quickly swiped it away.

“The key is hidden somewhere, but
. . .” As he exited the back seat, he waved his hand
toward the door and it opened with a loud pop, swinging slightly
inward on squeaky hinges. “Lead the way.

Moving closer, I reached out and gently
pushed the door open further. Darkness was all that greeted me and
I hesitated.

“What’s the matter? Are you chicken?” Jett
teased, brushing past me to step inside. “There’s nothing in here
that’s gonna jump out and bite you.” Glancing in my direction, I
could see the slight outline of his white grin and it looked
slightly evil. “Well, unless you count me.”

“And we’re back. If there’s one thing I can
count on from you, Jett, it’s that you’re reliable.”

“Thank you. It
is
a noble trait,
isn’t it?”

“On you? I wouldn’t know. I was referring to
your personal brand of sarcasm. I can always count on it to show
up.”

“Who said I was being sarcastic?” he asked,
moving closer, his face still deep in the shadows. “I meant every
single word.”

“Oh.” It seemed to be all I could grasp onto
in my flustered brain. I was still way too new at this to even
remotely know how to respond to this kind of flirting. It was
painfully obvious that I was out of my league, and equally obvious
that Jett seemed to enjoy taking advantage of that.

“You gonna stand out there all night,
darlin’, or are you coming in?”

Seth slipped his fingers into mine, giving
them a reassuring squeeze. “Come on. This will be fun.”

Calming me like no other, I immediately felt
relief move through my system, warm and comforting, and suddenly I
was very much in the mood to explore this place. Glancing at Seth,
I frowned.

“What?” he asked, appearing confused.

“You’re using magic on me, aren’t you—some
kind of mood enhancer to get me to do what you want? Oh my gosh!”
Wrenching my hand free, I stepped away, glancing between them. “Is
that what you’ve both been doing to me all this time? Have you been
using magic to coerce me into doing things against my will?”

Jett sighed and folded his arms, leaning
against the doorjamb. “Now why would you even say something like
that?”

I shook my head and threw my hands in the
air. “I don’t know, except for the fact that I seem to be agreeing
to things I never dreamed of doing before. Everything is just
so—not normal.”
Gee, I was so eloquent.

“Did you ever stop to consider it isn’t
normal for us, either? What guy wakes up in the morning and thinks
about the girl he likes and then adds, “Hmmm. She’s so awesome, I
think I’ll share her with my best friend.” It’s not even in the
realm of normal. Not for us, at least.”

Seth stepped closer. “Kenna, if this is
making you uncomfortable, we can stop. Both of us can back away
completely and give you the space you need.”

“Speak for yourself,” Jett mumbled, pushing
away from the door and grabbing my hand. “You’ll find Seth is the
nice one. He’s always considerate of others’ feelings. If you
wanted to walk away, he’d let you. He’d hate every second, but he’d
do it because you asked.

“I’m not that nice. I don’t want you to
leave, and I’m willing to use magic or whatever I need to convince
you that right here is where you belong—with me. To answer your
question, no we have not been using magic to persuade you to do
anything. You can rest assured that you agreed to this crazy
arrangement all on your own.”