Both boys appeared beside me.
“You can’t leave like this,” Jett said, slipping his hand into mine. “We need to figure out a way to work this out.”
“He’s right,” Seth agreed, taking my other hand. “There has to be a way.”
“There is,” Jett said firmly.
“What do you mean?”
A sharp wind swirled around us, whipping my hair around my face, and I briefly saw Jett grab Seth’s free hand and he started chanting.
“Unite us three in power,
“Mind, body, and spirit together,
“Enlighten us in knowledge and strength.”
“What are you doing?” I shouted, recognizing he was working a spell, but for some reason I was unable to break the circle as he continued on.
“Focus and bring the magic within,
“So mote it be and let it begin.”
Instantly, a white light formed in the middle of us, crackling as it grew larger and larger until it became so bright I felt like I was being consumed by it. Enveloping us, the wind grew even stronger and strange sensations, along with unfamiliar powers, began dancing through my body.
“What’s happening?” I yelled, feeling like I was coming apart at the seams.
A thunderous explosion ripped through the air and suddenly I was catapulted backward, slamming heavily into the log wall and slumping to the floor. Gasping for breath, I glanced around the now quiet space, finding Seth looking dazed, too, as he and Jett struggled back to their feet.
“What the hell was that?” I shouted, feeling more than a tiny bit freaked out.
Jett locked gazes with me. “I just bound all our powers together. No matter what happens now, the three of us are in it together—for the rest of our lives.”
“Why? Why would you do this?” I was horrified.
“Because you can’t decide and I can’t let you leave like this.”
“That wasn’t your choice to make, Jett!” Anger infused me. “How dare you! How dare you!” Getting up, I ran out the door, slamming it behind me.
Everything was a complete mess now.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Lying on my bed staring at my ceiling, I felt pouty. I couldn’t sleep because the power thrumming inside me wouldn’t be disregarded. I couldn’t ignore Jett or Seth. They were part of me; and I could feel their powers enhancing mine, making me feel both stronger and scared at the same time.
The ceiling in my room changed, gradually fading away until only the starry night sky was revealed.
“Jett,” I breathed out, knowing he was the one sending the illusion. “You can’t do this kind of stuff.” I couldn’t really speak with him so much as feel an impression of what he was feeling. He was sorry I was upset, but not sorry for what he had done to us.
Seth was strangely quiet, brooding somewhere in the background, and I knew he was just as upset with Jett as I was, but I didn’t reach out to him. I wanted my space from both of them; and yet, space was probably something I’d never have again.
Practicing using my defenses, I focused on those mental walls my dad had worked so hard to teach me to build. I forcefully shoved them up, blocking out Jett so well that the vision faded from my ceiling. Finally, I felt at peace—alone.
But I wasn’t. A white apparition slowly appeared, getting brighter and brighter until Dee Dee was clearly visible.
“This room is full of all kinds of strange energy tonight,” she said softly.
Sighing, I nodded. “Yes, it is.”
“What is happening here?” She floated closer and appeared to sit on the edge of the bed.
“I don’t want to talk about it,” I replied, still feeling moody.
“It is those two boys, is it not?” Her sympathetic expression caused some of my ire to melt away.
I nodded.
“Forget the dark one.”
Gaze narrowing in on her, I spoke. “You don’t like Jett. Why not?”
She shrugged. “It is not a matter of me liking him, only that I feel the other is more your match.”
“Why? What makes Seth better?” Could she really see something I couldn’t?
“His soul is more gentle. The other is filled with all the negative energy.”
“He’s getting better,” I replied, not sure why I suddenly felt so defensive about Jett. Well, he was, I added wryly to myself, but that was before he bound us all together by force. I wondered if there was any way to reverse the spell. Maybe I could ask Bels.
It wasn’t even that I hated the idea of binding our powers. I completely agreed with the fact that there was something special between the three of us. I just didn’t feel that an imposed binding was the right way to keep us together to fix our problem.
Jett, however, was a force to be reckoned with. He was rash and didn’t think things through before he did them. Although, the fact that he knew exactly how to bind our powers without our consent did suggest that he’d been possibly planning this for a while. A fresh onslaught of anger burned through me, fizzing and popping like a bag of Pop Rocks candy dumped into my bloodstream.
“Regardless, the other is the better option.”
I’d almost forgotten Dee Dee was sitting there.
“He loves you.”
I sighed. “They both do. And I love both of them, even if I’m hating on them a bit right now.”
“What has happened?” Again she pressed for answers.
I wasn’t falling for it. “I really don’t want to talk about it.” I was exhausted, both mentally and physically. I simply wanted to sleep, and my eyes were finally growing heavy. “Sorry Dee Dee, I’m just so worn out.”
Her light started to fade away, but I was pretty sure I was gone before she even completely disappeared.
~~~
A full night’s sleep and a hot steaming shower did a lot to improve my mood. The next morning I practically bounded down the stairs to get some breakfast, the smells wafting up from the kitchen making my mouth water.
“Well, look who finally decided to get up?” my mom teased, and my attention immediately focused on the pretty purple pendant hanging around her neck.
“Yeah, last night kind of wore me out.”
“Too much scary at the Corn Maze?” she asked with a laugh.
“Truthfully, yeah.” Only it wasn’t the haunted corn maze that was terrifying me, but two boy’s hell-bent on claiming me.
“I have to say, I’m glad you’re home. It seems like you’re gone all the time these days—with all the games and activities, not to mention those two young men who seem determined to occupy your every waking moment.”
“Well, you don’t have to worry about them today. I have no plans other than spending time with you and dad.” I glanced through the window toward the shop. “Speaking of dad, where is he?”
Mom smiled as she dished a plate of eggs, sausage and toast and slid it across the giant granite bar toward me. “He’s getting a surprise.”
“A surprise?” I asked, my interest piqued.
She glanced toward the giant grandfather clock gracing the nook of one wall. “Just eat. He should be back any moment.”
I took a bite, considering her words, and pointed my fork at her. “You’re being awful sneaky this morning.”
“I thought you liked sneaky people.”
I sat up straighter. “Hey now, what’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means you are always sneaking in and out of here. One second you’re here and the next you’re gone. I’m glad you’re enjoying your new life, but it sure makes me miss getting to see you all the time.”
Oddly, I felt guilty. This was the woman who’d spent most of her life meticulously homeschooling and teaching me about real life. “I’m sorry if I’m gone too much,” I apologized. “I don’t mean to be.”
“I’m not upset about it. I just miss you. It was nice having you home all the time and doing things together.”
“Well, like I said, today I’m all yours. My homew
ork is done for school tomorrow, and I don’t have anything else pressing.”
That wasn’t entirely true. In all reality, I probably should go speak to Jett and Seth, but for some reason I didn’t want to. I was content to let them suffer for a while longer.
“As much as I will enjoy having you around today, I’m afraid I won’t have you all to myself.”
“What do you mean?” I asked, confused.
The sound of car doors slamming and the hum of voices filled the air. “I think your dad is back with your surprise,” Mom said with a smile, wiping her hands on a towel and gesturing for me to join her.
Standing, I glanced toward the back door just as it flew open and Grandma Milly entered the kitchen, followed by my Grandpa Hex and my dad, both carrying luggage.
“Grandma! Grandpa!” I cried, rushing to hug them.
“Aw! There’s my Firecracker!” my great-grandma said, holding out her arms as I flung myself into them. “How’s my girl?”
“Great, now that you’re here,” I replied, smiling as I hugged her tightly.
“I’ve missed you. Now stand back and let me take a look at you.”
I did as she asked and she glanced at my mom, clucking woefully. “You’re every bit as pretty as your momma. Better watch out for this one, Portia. The boys will be running after her.”
Mom laughed. “You’re too late. They already are.”
“Come give me a hug, Lollipop,” Grandma said, calling my mom by the nickname she’d given her.
“Hey there pretty thing,” a deep voice said and I turned to stare at my Haitian step-grandpa who was smiling widely at me.
Moving toward him, he dropped the suitcase he was carrying, catching me in a huge bear hug. “How you doing, sweetheart?”
“I’m just so happy you’re both here.” A thought suddenly struck me and I pulled away, glancing at my dad. “Wait! Does this mean you’re going to try to introduce mom’s magic back to her?”
Dad shook his head. “We aren’t quite ready for that yet, but we are going to try reintroducing the jinn powers. Those particular tests with your mom’s blood went much better than the others.”
I glanced at Mom who looked like a mixture of anticipation and worry. “I’m so excited for you,” I said, going over and linking my arm through hers. “I’ve listened to Dad talk about how amazing you are for all these years, and now I will finally get to see it in action.”
Mom snickered and shook her head. “You’re dad has always exaggerated my abilities. Don’t get your hopes up. I’m positive I will be a little rusty.”
“I don’t even care. I’m excited to get to share this with you. Are we doing it right now?”
Dad chuckled. “How about we get our guests settled in and let them eat some breakfast and get a nap first? They have been on a plane most of the night.”
“Sorry,” I said. “I’m pumped.”
“No need to be sorry. We all are—even me.” Mom smiled.
~~~
“Everything looks good to go,” Grandpa Hex said, taking a turn looking at a slide with Dad and Kyle.
“I agree,” Kyle said, glancing at my mom. “I think we’re ready to try this if you are.”
“I have one request,” Grandma spoke up.
“What’s that?”
“I’d prefer if she was reintroduced in a circle of protection, just to be on the safe side.”
“I think that sounds smart,” Dad replied, glancing around at the others. “Does anyone else have a problem with that?”
No one answered.
“All right. Let’s move this party to the ritual room.”
“How long will it take?” I asked, totally caught up in the excitement.
“It shouldn’t be long,” Grandpa answered. “Last time we did this, your mom was evaporating in the middle of the night, before I even had a chance to run any tests on her.”
“Yeah, she told me that my dad tried to eat her that night.”
Dad grimaced. “In my defense, I wasn’t exactly myself at the time.”
“I know you would never hurt Mom.”
“Do you?” he asked, pointedly.
I held my arms out wide. “I’m still alive, aren’t I? I’d say you have a pretty good track record going.”
“I agree,” Grandma said, smiling at her grandson-in-law. “We’ve all mistakenly judged you in the past, Vance, and you consistently proved us all wrong. I think it’s safe to say you’ve earned our respect and trust.”
Dad seemed surprised at her words. “Well, thank you, Milly. That means a lot.”
The doorbell rang, interrupting our procession to the ritual room.
“I’ve got it.” Jaunting into the large entry hall, I made my way to the massive door, opened it, and found Jett and Seth standing on the other side. “You’ve got to be kidding me,” I muttered under my breath as I stepped outside, shutting the door behind me. “Now is not a good time.”
“Come on, Kenna. You can’t stay mad at me forever,” Jett said.
“You wanna bet?”
“He’s right. We need to figure out how to work around this,” Seth piped up.
“Well, we wouldn’t have to be working around anything had someone bothered to ask for our consent before he stuck the three of us together for eternity, now would we?” I was beyond irritated.
The door opened quickly behind me and I turned to find my dad scowling at the three of us. “What’s going on here?”
“Sorry, Dad. Jett and Seth came over to try and smooth over a disagreement we are having.”
“Vance,” Grandma’s voice floated through the house. “Hex says we need to get this serum going—now that it’s out of the cooler.”
“Be right there,” he called over his shoulder, his gaze never leaving mine. “Now tell me what is going on right this minute.”
“What did you hear?” I asked, knowing that he had to have heard us talking.
“Something about the three of you being stuck together for eternity?” His gaze narrowed as he stared at the guys.
“Well, you see there was this argument last night and the three of us were fighting . . . sorta. I’m not exactly sure if we were fighting or more like just having a disagreement, anyway—.”
“Oh, hell. I so don’t have time for this. All of you get inside. We can discuss this after the ritual with your mother.” He held the door open wider and everyone entered. He turned and stared at the boys. “I’m letting you both join my family for this, but I don’t want any interruptions from either of you. Afterward, we will sit down and the three of you are going to tell me exactly what is going on. Do you understand?”
They both nodded. “Yes, sir,” they replied, almost in unison, and dad looked at me. I nodded, as well.
“Okay. Follow me.”
Entering the ritual room, I realized that with the eight of us here, it was more like we were practicing with a real coven. The solitude we’d lived in for so long hadn’t afforded us that opportunity in the past; so, to me, it seemed weird to do magic rituals with more than one or two people present.
“Your house, your ceremony,” Grandma said, smiling at my dad, and he took his place at the head of the round table covered with the purple tablecloth. A pentagram made out of crystals was formed in the middle of it and a white pillar candle lay in the center.
In each of the corners, more candles were set on large candelabras, each one representing a different element, earth, air, fire, and water, as well as North, South, East and West.
“I call on the Watchers of the North,” Dad said, raising his voice as he called each of the elements. As he did so, each corresponding candelabra burst into flame.
Raising his athame, he walked around everything and everyone in the circle three times, chanting out a cleansing ritual.
“Our powers unite for protection,
“Our powers unite for peace,
“Our powers unite for purification,
“So mote it be.”
When
he was finished, the power in the room hummed strongly between us, and it was easy to feel the heavy influence of magic in the air. For this moment in time, we were all bound together. I couldn’t help glancing at Jett and Seth, wondering if this was my future—to see them ever present across the ritual circle from me for the rest of my life.
“Are you ready?” My dad asked my mom gently, resting a hand on her shoulder.
She nodded. “As ready as I’ll ever be.”
“Just remember, there’s nothing to be afraid of. If you have a bad reaction to it, then I’ll simply suck the power from you. You’re safe here. Nothing can hurt you.”
She nodded. “I know. I trust you.”
“Have a seat over here, then,” Hex said, pointing to the chair that had been brought inside the circle and my mom did as he asked. Hex quickly gathered his medical supplies and began preparing her for the IV he was going to use to administer the jinn cells.
“What’s happening?” Seth asked, scooting closer.
“They’re going to try to reintroduce my mom’s jinn powers to her,” I explained softly. “If this works, they may be able to try giving back her other powers, as well.”
“And if it doesn’t?” Jett asked, joining us.
“Then it’s back to the drawing board.”
“You’re Grandpa is the one with the jinn powers, right?” Seth asked. “Sorry, I’m trying to keep all the facts together that you told me about your family.”
I nodded. “Yes, he is.”
“How’d he get a name like Hex?” Jett added.
I laughed. “Actually, his name is Hezekiah. When he was younger, he fell in with some demons and his family ostracized him when they found out. That was when everyone started calling him Hex. It sort of stuck.”
“Bummer,” Jett said. “It must suck to have people brand you that way.”
“I can’t even imagine what he’s been through.”
If anyone was paying attention to what the three of us were saying, they didn’t comment. Instead all eyes were on my mom, monitoring her every reaction and facial expression.
“Are you okay, Lollipop?” Grandma asked her when she winced as the large needle and catheter went into her arm.