After leaving the compound I went home because I still believed that was a safe place for me to hide. The Coven knew where Caleb lived but they didn’t know I was right down the street. It’d piss them off to know after looking so hard I was hiding in plain sight. “I need to think.” I told Jared as I locked the front door behind us. I also needed to gain some more energy. I was starting to crash from the magic use. I sat on the couch and rested the urge to start rocking; I felt a million little jumping jacks in my skin.
Jared was still standing. “Do you need something?”
“Probably but I don’t know what. It’s against the rules to use this much magic for a reason. It hurts and feels funny at the same time like when your foot falls asleep.” I leaned my elbows down on my knees and lowered my head. Maybe if I could focus I could put the coming down from the magic far in the back of my mind. “It’ll be better not to acknowledge it. I need to find Kevin. Miranda taunted me saying he was serving punishment at the Coven but I think she was lying.”
“Why?” he sat next to me and immerged in the conversation.
“Because she also said they were watching him to get to me. They knew better then to believe they’d capture me with the first try. He has to still be out there somewhere so they can use him against me.” I explained as I thought it out, finding it made the most plausible sense.
“If that’s the case they’d have him somewhere close to watch his every movement and control how he contacts you.”
“I have to do something. If he would’ve reported when he saw me at the hospital he wouldn’t be in this trouble now. I owe him.” I hated to know he was suffering because of me. He was the only person in my past besides my family I wished no harm.
“I’m glad you know it.”
I jumped up and turned toward the kitchen area. There Kevin stood clutching his left bloody arm. I ran toward him. “Holy crap you just saved me a lot of trouble. I didn’t want to go to the Coven and scope it out.”
“Would you have done that?” he asked with disbelief.
“Yes. How did you find where I live?” I looked him over and except for his arm he looked pretty good considering the world of trouble we were both facing.
“I’ll always know where to find you Evie, we’re connected.” He explained softly with an intense knowing look in his eyes.
I turned away from him, I didn’t like remembering the way things were supposed to be. “This is Jared, you should remember him from the hospital and Jared this is Kevin who we were looking for.” I introduced them as I tried to find my bearings and figure out my next move. “What happened?” I was looking at his arm.
“Miranda can be a sadistic bitch.”
“Didn’t she have a crush on you?” I couldn’t stop myself going back to those days when we’d all hang out together and how she hated my connection to Kevin. She always would say the Elders should’ve picked her for him; they’d make a better couple. As children the Elders would pair children up factoring their powers and age. I was paired with Kevin by the time we were six. When they would officially make a pairing they’d cast a spell that would bind the children together; for life unless broken by the Elders which they’d never do.
“Things change. She and Rex have a place here in town and I was locked up there.”
“And you got away. They don’t know I’m right down the street from Caleb. How much trouble are they giving him for helping me?” I asked while stepping into the kitchen, I had my own first aid kit too. When I stood from the cabinet I noticed Jared had disappeared.
“Not as much as they could be. They believe he helped you dispose of Steven’s body but there isn’t any proof.” He explained while I nudged him over to the table, he sat and I opened my kit. It was pretty old, before Nick hired Coven witches to help him hurt Caleb my life had been pretty boring. “I’ll admit I was pretty happy to see how you kicked their ass.”
“Yeah, now look at me. I used too much and I’m not sure what’s happening.” I cut his shirt away and examined the wound; it was a pretty big cut.
“They always warned us not to use too much magic and how it was against their oaths but they never explained what happened if you did. I don’t know anything, sorry.”
“It’s fine.” He hissed as I put the pad soaked with peroxide to his cut. “Any ideas on what we do next?” it was easier for his pain and mine if we kept talking and didn’t acknowledge it.
“Pray they forget about our betrayals?” he said through clenched teeth. I knew he was in pain from what I was doing but ever the man he was trying to hide it.
“What they consider betrayals. I killed him to survive, I ran because I had to. I know why I did everything that led me to this point but why are you doing this?” I applied some antibiotic cream and then bandaged his arm.
Kevin waited until I was done to answer me. “I’m not going to let them hurt you.” he reached out with his good arm and grabbed my hand. I froze watching his eyes as he stood up and moved closer to me. I opened my mouth but no words came. He kissed me and I couldn’t stop him. We shouldn’t be kissing, we hadn’t seen each other in forever and whatever he was feeling was because of the bond they put on us.
As he kissed me I started to taste his power and moved closer to him. My powers were tapped out and I could feel his, it was strangely very nice.
I was pulling at his power source and he felt it. He pulled away from the kiss and looked at me. “Evie?”
“I’m sorry. You shouldn’t do that.” I took several steps away from him.
“Allowing yourself to kiss me isn’t letting them win Evie.” He sat back down.
“That’s not it.” maybe it was part of my reason but there were many more like that I felt guilty for kissing him back. “It’s complicated.” I thought about Michael, there was a part of me that was still in love with him and probably always would be. I thought of Jared and the way I liked how he could make me laugh and how he’d make me feel good. I couldn’t figure out why the hell I was thinking about Caleb.