Destiny Divided (16 page)

Sage’s shower felt
orgasmic after having lived in a cave, even just for a few days. And the fresh clothing she borrowed were equally welcome. The plain blue jeans fit perfectly though she was less pleased with the top.  Black and fitted was good, but the writing was not.

I heart Edward Cullen.

She rolled her eyes. How freakin’ ironic. At least her vampire didn’t sparkle.

Her
vampire? Where on Gaia’s fucked up earth did that come from?

She
bounded down the stairs, feeling refreshed and ready for answers. The witch’s cottage was a cross between Sorority Ave and rustic homey, with a pinch of a gothic vibe.

A
stone hearth smoldered, knit afghans covered old furniture, but when she looked closely, she could see the remnants of drinking games. Clothing and jewelry stuffed into corners reminded her of the group homes she’d lived in, only with a magical feel she couldn’t quite pinpoint. The freaky stone statues on the bookshelves cinched the gothic vibe. On the whole, the place was mysterious yet welcoming.

She settled o
nto a worn-out living room couch that looked like it had been time warped from the seventies. The older witch handed her a mug of hot tea and the girls sat on the edges of their seats all around her.

“I’m Rosemary,” one of the
witches said. She didn’t smile or try to shake Sage’s hand. Dressed like an old-fashioned schoolgirl, she gave off a creepy vibe Sage was happy to steer clear of.

“And I’m Lavender,”
said the girl next to her. The two looked like twins, although one’s hair was dyed a shade lighter and cut a few inches shorter. But they dressed similarly.

She remember
ed they were the ones who were eager for her to strip.

Sage, Lavender, Rosemary…She
hoped she wasn’t related to them.

“Herbal names? Is that a
witch thing?” Sage asked.

Lavender answered, nodding sadly,
“Yes.”

“That and our parents are weird,” Rosemary added.

“I’m Athena,” another girl jumped in. She had chin-length blond hair and bright, cheerful eyes. Dressed in trendy clothing, she was simply adorable.

Sage grimaced. She hated ad
orable.

But
Athena was the one who’d suggested the shower so she supposed being adorable was forgivable.

“She’s half
demigod,” Lavender told her.

Athena rose majestically from the armchair, her arms spread out to the side. “Yes. I am the daughter of the almighty
Zeus,” she said ceremoniously. The girls snickered then Athena plopped back down on the chair. “Not really. Phanes is my grandfather. He's kind of a loser as far as gods go. He’s the god of procreation, which totally bites for me. I can’t so much as look at a boy’s junk without getting pregnant.”

Sage stared, feeling like she’d entered a Twilight Zone episode.

“She’s not the real Athena either,” Rosemary said.

Athena nodded, her hair bobbing with her head. “My dad had a crush on Athena. Lame, right?”

“Mm, lame,” she replied hazily.

T
he last of the young witches introduced herself. “Sam,” the snippy orange-haired girl said, giving a curt nod.

Sage arched a brow. “No herbs for you
?”

“No.” She
shrugged one shoulder. Her delicate features seemed harmless without a sword in her hand. “My mother was human and didn’t like the supernatural world. Well, except for a weakness for a certain warlock. Then out popped me.”

“And I’m
Selene,” the older witch told her as she sat on the couch next to Sage. “I’m their witch guide.”

“Witch guide?”

“Their mentor. All witches live with an older mentor after they finish their regular schooling. I help them with the study of witchcraft. Like young sorcerers do with their teachers.” She paused as Sage nodded that she understood. “You were raised among them then?”

“No, I was raised with regular people.” She almost laughed. Well, regular compared to the supernatural. Even that was debata
ble. “I only found out about my abilities recently. And I’ve been training with…” She trailed off, undecided about how much she should share about herself. “You said you knew my mother. What’s her name?”

Selene
smiled, the lines around her mouth deepening. “Jasmine.”

More herbs?

“We grew up together. We were inseparable as children. She was truly my best friend.”

She didn’t miss the hint of sadness in her voice.
“Can you tell me what happened to her? Please?”

Selene looked down at the mug between her hands.

Sage swallowed a lump in her throat, tempted to say “never mind” and get the hell out of there. But she forced herself to stay. Any information was better than no information, even if it was bad.

“Jasmine was very secretiv
e about you. She wouldn’t tell a soul who your father was. I was surprised she wouldn’t tell me at least, but she took that secret to the grave.” Selene gave her a nervous smile.

So she was
dead. Sage looked down at her hands, feeling guilty that she should feel sad, but didn’t.

“Or wherever she is,”
Selene amended. “She was very young when she got pregnant with you. She was unmarried and going through a…crisis, of sorts. Anyway, after you were born, she insisted on keeping you from anything supernatural. I tried to convince her otherwise. Being a witch is a gift. We could no more ignore that part of us than we can our need to eat and drink. But I guess she didn’t see it that way.” She shrugged half-heartedly as she fumbled with the hem of her floral blouse.

It looked like she was holding something back.

“Anyway, she left you at the hospital, convinced a nice, normal family would adopt you.”

“And
my name?” she asked. If Jasmine was a witch, why would she give her a Welsh name?

“She gave you a Welsh first name because she was in love with a
sorcerer. But I don’t think it was your father,” she said in a rush. “He was her best friend and soul mate.” Selene smiled broadly and Sage got the impression this man had been loved by many.

“But he was forced to marry a
sorceress for…political reasons. But your middle name, which I see is the one you go by, is a witch name of course.” Selene seemed so pleased that Sage used her witch name as her first that she didn’t have the heart to tell her she’d only recently changed it because she’d needed an alias to escape the law.

“After Jasmine gave birth and saw you to safety, she left. I think she wanted to start over and forget the pain of leaving you behind. But ultimately, I think it was the pain that killed her. She said she was going to the live with a coven in Arizona
, but when I called they said she never arrived. I can only assume that means she passed on.” Selene dropped her head and said softly, “I don’t feel her spirit.”

It was qui
et for several moments. Sage stirred her tea. The clinking noise of the spoon against the mug was the only sound in the awkward silence. She had no idea what to say. This was the kind of situation that required a social finesse she didn’t possess.

“Oh!” Lavender’s voice was so sudden it made Sage jump. “I just learned a conjuring spell. I could conjure her spirit for you!”

Sage blinked. “What? No!” Was she insane? Though she was glad for the distraction.

“Good call,” Sam
told her. “Last time, she managed to raise every spirit within a five mile radius. And we live next to a graveyard. It wasn't pretty.”

A couple of the girls giggled. Had
n’t James said the witches were dodgy?

Athena jumped from her seat and ran to the bay window
, facing the driveway. “Umm…we’ve got company.”

An odd sense of dread crept up her spine.

The other girls ran to the window.

“Werewolves,” Rosemary whispered.

In seconds, weapons were pulled out of every nook and cranny in the living room. Selene remained beside Sage, but shuffled her into the hallway, away from windows and doors. And she had a crossbow in her hands.

James be damned.
She
did
like her witch half.

Athena stood
by the window with a set of throwing knives in her hand. Sam flattened herself against the wall behind the front door, a new sword at her side. Lavender and Rosemary flew around the house, checking other windows and entrances.

“The place is locked,” Rosemary
said, panting.

“Magically and physically,” Lavender added. They each grabbed
a pouch off one of the shelves.

Sage could only guess
it had something to do with witch magic, though it wouldn’t surprise her if they were grenades either. They were putting her to shame. Just to feel more significant, she pulled up a lit sword in her hand.

“We have no quarrel with yo
u, witches,” a deep voice boomed from outside. “Send out the girl and we’ll be on our way.”

“Like hell, m
utt!” Athena yelled.

The girls snickered.

Her jaw dropped. Athena looked as harmless as a flighty Sorority girl, the twins prep school girls, and Sam, with her long billowy skirt, could have been a modern hippie. Never in a million years would she have deemed any of them a threat if she’d seen them walking on the street. But now – with weapons in their hands, eerie smiles beaming in the afternoon light, their eyes narrowed with lethal focus, their bodies itching to hurt something – she couldn’t imagine a more menacing sight. And then they’d actually provoked the werewolves.

Selene
slid her gaze to Sage. “Are you always this much trouble?” A smile hinted at her lips.

“Yes. It’s al
right. I’ll go. I’m not afraid of them.” She took a step forward but Selene put an arm in her path.

“No. We t
ake care of our own.” She loaded her crossbow and aimed it at the front door. As dangerous as this group of witches appeared, Sage didn’t feel safe anywhere. Except with James.

Ugh! She wished he’d get out of her head.

Before Sage could insist on leaving, the house shook and the bay window shattered.

“Oh shit! They’ve got some
serious magic,” Athena yelled, already throwing knives at the advancing werewolves.

Sage couldn’t see out of the window enou
gh to know how many there were.

“This
ain’t no typical werewolf stuff,” she said. “They’re getting help from somebody.”

“
Cadmael,” she breathed.

Selene
snapped her head to stare at Sage, but didn’t say anything.

Sam opened the front door and
Selene let loose three arrows. A pained yelp filled the tension-charged air. The witches’ aim was deadly, but their numbers too small.

“
You have to let me go with them,” she told Selene, who was reloading her crossbow. “I won’t get you killed because of me.”

“No
.”

Something flew at Sage and
instinct kicked in. A dart skidded to a stop inches in front of her chest. A tranquilizer? She plucked it out of the air and inspected it.

Selene
’s gaze was fixed on her, her eyes twinkling with curiosity. “You’re full of surprises, aren’t you?”

Sage smirked
and pocketed the dart. “You have no idea.”

But there wasn’t time for more questions
because the werewolves, using magic and brute strength, had quickly descended on the house. She knew the witches, as fierce as they were, wouldn’t be able to hold them back much longer. They knew it too.

“Rose!
” Selene called over the growls and roars.

A
fierce wind whirled outside, rattling the windows with its strength. With the front door wide open and the bay window shattered, it blew through the house, creating a miniature Armegeddon.

“The Concealer!”
Selene yelled when she caught Rosemary’s attention. She threw one of the pouches across the room and Selene caught it in her palm.

Concealer? This was
hardly the time for make-up.

Selene
ripped open the pouch with her teeth, one arm still grasping the crossbow, and poured powder into her hand.

Before Sage could ask what it was,
she blew the loose powder at her face. Sage sneezed then blinked several times to keep her vision from clouding.

“This will make you invis
ible for about three hours,” Selene told her. “You’re going to have to run. There’s a coven in Vermont if you can make it there. They’re bigger and could offer more protection. Here’s my number.” She shoved a slip of paper in Sage’s jeans pocket. “
Please,
call me.” She kissed her cheek then shoved Sage down the basement stairs before she could stutter a thank you. “There’s a secret passageway where you fell in through the trapdoor. Follow the hallway to the storage room. The freezer leads outside.”