Magick (Book 3 in the Coven Series) (8 page)

“Maybe we’ll ask to be able to send a message, but I’m not leaving until this is finished,” Keller says.

I don’t argue with him, and that seems to surprise Toni and Egan. “We’re all in this together, I know that now. I just hope I’m not making a mistake by not insisting you go back to the farm or the cottage, though I guess you really are safer here. But I have no idea what’s in store for Egan and me in the days ahead.”

Keller runs his index finger over the smooth surface of my bracelet. “Whatever it is, we’re going to be here to ground you.”

That, more than anything the Bane can do, may be what gets us through this battle with ourselves.

Toni comes wide-awake. Egan tries to pull her back down with him, but she bats his hands away. As if she feels guilty, she leans over and gives him a quick peck on the cheek.

“First you wake me up in the middle of the night, then you take my girl away,” Egan says. “I’m reassessing our friendship.”

What he says is so typically Egan that I smile. It feels indescribably good to have that sliver of normalcy back. I grab Toni’s hand and drag her toward the door where Keller is peeking out into the hallway.

“It’s clear,” he says.

Before either of us can be tempted to stay longer, I tug Toni out after me, and we hurry down the hall. Only when we’re safely back in our room do we dissolve into giggles on our separate beds.

“I can’t believe we did that,” Toni says. “My mother would faint dead away.”

“I don’t think Rev. Dawes would be terribly happy about it either.”

“Good thing they’re not here to see then.” Toni lifts an eyebrow and smiles a wicked little smile.

“This is what our life should be like,” I say. “Sneaking around with boys, laughing, anticipating the next time we’ll see them.” A bit of reality crashes into me. “Not fate-of-the-world stuff.”

Toni swats my hand where it hangs off the side of my bed. “No gloomies this morning. We’re going to bask in the glow a little bit longer, then we’re going to go all ninja on black magic’s ass.”

I bark out a laugh. “I can just see Sarah if we pull out some ninja moves.”

“You ask me, things need a little livening up around here.”

Sarah does look at us funny half an hour later when we arrive in the dining room and Toni pulls one of those goofy kung fu movie poses, hands at the ready for chopping and her right foot lifted as if in preparation for a kick. I try to stifle a snort but am not very successful.

“You two seem to be in a better mood this morning,” Sarah says. “I told you a good night’s rest would help.” Before she turns away, I think I see a little knowing smirk on her lips and a twinkle in her eyes.

We are crazy to think anything goes on in this facility that Sarah doesn’t know about. Now that I think about it, there are probably hidden cameras everywhere down here. Good to know for future reference.

I’m too anxious to eat much for breakfast. Between the buzz I get when Keller is near me and the fear that’s building regarding accessing my power again, there’s just not much room for food. After picking at my omelet, I push my plate away. I glance over and notice that Egan isn’t faring much better. And that boy not having an appetite says better than anything what we’re about to face.

“Looks like breakfast is the last thing on anyone’s mind this morning,” Sarah says, then pushes her chair away from the table. “Might as well get to work.” She leads us to the room where Egan was held when we first arrived here, but the desk and chair have been cleared away.

Sarah walks to the center of the room and turns toward us. She directs her attention to Keller and Toni. “While we work with Egan and Jax, you’ll be taken to retrieve the rest of your belongings from the farmhouse. You also can call your families to assure them that you’re safe and let them know it might be a while before you check in again.”

“No,” Keller says. “We want to stay here with them.”

“There’s no need,” Sarah says. “Plus, it might be dangerous.”

“We’ve had some success with me being able to keep Jax calm when her magic threatens to get out of control,” he says. “Same with Toni and Egan.”

“Maybe when Jax hadn’t fully released her power,” Sarah says, not swayed.

“It’s okay,” I say as I meet Keller’s gaze. “We’ll be able to concentrate without worrying about hurting you.” When he looks about to object, I smile. “Besides, we need more clothes.”

“And we don’t want to leave our things unattended for someone to find,” Egan says with enough emphasis that I know he means Keller’s cache of weapons, which are hopefully still in his truck near the cemetery.

Keller still doesn’t like the idea, but he relents. “We’ll be back as soon as we can.”

I nod. I don’t realize until he and Toni leave the room just how much I’ve been worrying about their safety this morning. Yes, I’m letting them be part of the planning and prep for the coming confrontation with the covens, but I can’t let go of the fear of hurting them. When I glance at Egan and see him visibly relax as soon as Toni leaves the room, I know I’m not the only one thinking that way.

I turn toward Sarah and notice that Hope and Caren have stayed behind, too. “So, how does this work?”

“We will gradually release the bonds on your magic until you can feel it again and see how it reacts,” Sarah says. “Egan, I’m less concerned about yours, but Jax’s is a different story. Her dark magic was fully engaged when we took her down, so it’s possible that when hers is freed it might surface in the same state.”

Bile rises in my throat. “I’m not so sure this is a good idea.”

“Unless you’re willing to live the rest of your life bound and unable to protect yourself or your friends, then we don’t have a choice.” Sarah watches me, waiting for my decision.

I take a deep breath. “Fine. But I can’t guarantee I can control it. When
 . . .
when I was killing Barrow, I felt like a different person. I did not think like I am right now. I felt no remorse.”

Sarah nods. “We understand what we’re up against.”

Caren and Hope move to stand a few feet in front of Egan and me. “Lift your left arms,” Caren says and gives me an encouraging smile.

Egan and I comply, and the two sisters lift their hands, fingers outstretched toward us. At first, I only feel a slight tingle in my wrist. I meet Egan’s gaze as the skin begins to warm. It feels sort of like the time I got too cold while skiing at Vail and experienced an unpleasant prickly feeling when I came inside to thaw. I flex my fingers and rotate my wrist to try to alleviate the discomfort.

I wince when the first tinge of pain hits me as the skin begins edging back from where it’s attached to the silver. I bite my lip as I remember with vivid clarity how excruciating the pain had been when they’d clamped the bracelet onto me that night next to the cemetery.

Egan grunts beside me, obviously feeling the same thing. I haven’t asked him about when his bracelet was put on, but I can’t imagine it was any more pleasant than my experience.

Suddenly, I gasp as I feel the first hint of my dark magic. “Wait!”

Caren and Hope stop, but the burning sensation in my arm doesn’t.

“We need to keep going,” Sarah says.

“I know.” I rub my hand over my wrist, trying to massage away some of the discomfort. “But I think you should do it separately, only one of us at a time.” I glance at Egan before returning my gaze to Sarah. “My power might have been the only one fully activated that night, but my magic affects Egan’s.”

Since that night we fought my coven, we’ve been able to sense each other’s emotions. If I’m angry, it’s harder for him to keep his anger in check.

“But you didn’t help her kill Barrow,” Hope says.

“No, but I wanted to.” He shakes his head and takes a few steps away from me. “It’s hard to explain, but it was like black flames were licking at me. Honestly, I was on the verge of giving in when you all showed up. As soon as you shot Jax with that poison, the flames went away.” He meets my eyes and before he says another word I know he’s about to reveal something new, something he hasn’t even told me. “I felt her pain when you put her bracelet on, before anyone got near me with one. And then I felt our magic just disappear.”

Caren takes a few steps toward him. “When did you first notice this connection?”

“When I woke up in the hospital after we fought Jax’s coven.”

Caren looks at her sister then Sarah, who has known about us feeling connected but not to this extent. “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”

They both nod.

“They formed a new coven bond,” Sarah says. “That hasn’t happened since the covens were first formed during the witch trials.”

“A coven bond?” I say. “Like what we have with our families?”

“I think so, yes. But different.”

I feel my forehead scrunch as I try to understand.

“You can sense members of your covens, but that’s out of your control,” Sarah says. “That bond formed centuries before you were born. You have no choice in it, and it’s strong. But what you’re describing, it sounds stronger.”

Hope walks toward us and glances first at me then Egan. “Maybe because they chose it, even if it was unconscious.”

“And it’s based on true friendship, a more powerful connection than even genetics,” Caren adds.

I press my palm to my forehead. “Does anyone besides me feel like we’re rewriting witch history here?”

Sarah smiles for the first time since I woke up here in the Bane’s compound. “How’s it feel to be a pioneer?”

“Like my brain is going to melt.”

Sarah claps her hands together. “This calls for some experiments. Let’s start again, but we’ll focus on Egan first since his magic is less likely to be dangerous right out of the gate.”

“Just call me the guinea pig,” he says as he lifts his arm again.

I hold my breath as Hope resumes the process of pulling back the harness on Egan’s magic. Though I only feel the slightest bit of mine, it’s still enough for me to once again feel the connection to Egan. A coven bond that’s still so wild to think about. Even without access to my own magic, already I feel more powerful. My nerves fire at that thought.

“It’s okay,” Sarah says, ever observant. “We’re taking it slow, and you can’t do anything at this point.”

She says that, but as Egan gains more and more access to his power the skin on my wrist feels as if it’s being tugged away from my bracelet. Like the power inside me is fighting to get out.