The Uptown Witch Read online

  The Uptown Witch

  The Coven: School of Magical Arts Novella 2

  Chandelle Lavaun

  Contents

  THE COVEN READING ORDER

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  About the Author

  This one is for Deacon.

  THE COVEN READING ORDER

  The Chosen Witch

  The Lost Witch

  The Brave Witch

  The Rebel Witch

  The Broken Witch

  The Eternal Witch

  The Aether Witch

  The Fire Witch

  The Hidden Witch

  The Fallen Witch

  The City Witch

  The Wild Witch

  The Frozen Witch

  The Secret Witch

  *The Uptown Witch*

  Chapter One

  Emersyn

  One day I’ll come here and NOT be nervous.

  One day.

  But today is definitely not that day.

  “Thanks, Stedman,” Deacon said to his butler extraordinaire as the fancy black sedan pulled over to the side of the road. “Please let my mother know we arrived safely.”

  Stedman put the car in park, then spun in his seat and smiled at us. “Of course, Deacon. Your parents said they would be in meetings all day, but should you need them, do not hesitate to ask.”

  My stomach tightened into knots. It’s okay. Heather likes me now. Right?

  “Will do.” Deacon opened the passenger-side door and climbed out. He held his hand out for me, then helped me out of the car.

  Ice-cold air slammed into my face. I shuddered and pulled my wool coat tighter around me. It was lunch time, which meant even on the Upper West Side, the streets of Manhattan looked like one of those ant farms. I sighed and shook myself, then looked up at the building directly in front of us. The stone, brick, and stained-glass combination still took my breath away. It seemed like yesterday since we’d been here, opening up the school, but in reality, it’d been a couple of weeks.

  The stone steps between us and the grand wooden doors were vacant.

  “Thanks, Steds—”

  I gasped and spun around, then leaned down into the open doorway of the car. “Thank you for the ride, Stedman. Much appreciated.”

  “Give them hell, darling.” Stedman winked.

  I grinned and shut the door…and then my nerves tripled. When I spun around, I found Deacon watching me with those gorgeous violet eyes of his and my cheeks warmed.

  “Ready, Butterberry?”

  The sound of my nickname eased the tension in my muscles ever so slightly. I cleared my throat and held my chin high. “Let’s go see how we stand, shall we?”

  “We shall indeed.” Deacon took my hand then led me up the stairs and inside the main doors.

  I smiled. We’d made the right choice in location. This place was gorgeous. The mahogany hardwood floors were shiny and smooth, reflecting the sunlight pouring in through the stained-glass windows. To my surprise, there wasn’t a single student on the couches and lounge chairs, but I was going to take that as a good sign they were enjoying their new school. As we walked up the red velvety carpet and passed by the giant fireplace, I spotted a bright blue mountain sitting in front of the flames.

  The Old Lands cats. A few of them stretched and their golden wings fluttered before they curled back up. I chuckled. Personally, I would’ve loved to go curl up with them by the fire. The warmth of the flames called out to me, begging me to come closer. But I had to focus. I had to have my game face on. This wasn’t Eden. I was in charge here. I represented The Coven.

  “There you are,” a woman said from the top of the stairs.

  I looked up and found Headmaster Muller waiting for us with a warm smile and sharp blue eyes. Her black hair was pulled back tight in a high ponytail, showing off her pretty round face. She wore flat black shoes, yet she still stood two inches taller than my five-foot-eight frame.

  Deacon held his left hand out to her. “Headmaster Muller, nice to see you again.”

  “You as well.” She shook his hand, then mine, before stepping back and smoothing the front of her navy-blue blazer. “Though I have to say, I am shocked you called and gave me warning of your arrival instead of surprising us.”

  “I may be the Devil, but that’s not how I play.” Deacon leaned back on his heels and grinned. “At least not all the time.”

  “We’re here to help, not test.” I glanced around at the empty room. “How is everything going? Where is everyone?”

  “Ahh.” She smiled and gestured for us to follow her down the hall. “You have excellent timing. The high school students are all at lunch right now, so you’ll be able to see all of them together.”

  My stomach dropped.

  She says that like it’s a good thing?

  Is it? Do I want to see everyone all at the same time?

  “Emersyn?”

  Maybe I do? Then I can get an overall sense of morale.

  While everyone is looking at me. Great. Fun.

  I’d rather fight off demons than – wait, what? Who am I?

  Deacon let go of my hand – then smacked my ass lightly.

  I gasped and looked up at him as heat flooded my face. “Deacon.”

  He grinned. “Great. Now that I have your attention, care to move on?”

  “What?” I frowned and glanced around – and my face fell. I’d been so caught up in my inner turmoil I hadn’t noticed we’d walked all the way to the doors of the lunch hall. “Oh. Right. Sorry, I was…thinking.”

  Headmaster Muller smiled, and I prayed she didn’t think I was a complete space cadet. “Let’s go in.” Then she nodded and pushed the double wooden doors open.

  Golden light and dozens of wild voices spilled into the hallway.

  Deacon took my hand back and pulled me toward the doors. “I have to say, I’m surprised by how much you liked that.”

  “Liked what — oh, Deacon.” I smacked his arm playfully, but I knew my face was red.

  We stepped inside the lunch hall – and everyone gasped.

  Silence.

  Hundreds of pairs of eyes snapped right toward us. Conversations died. Food forgotten.

  Okay…this is…fun.

  My stomach tightened into knots. I hated being the center of attention. This was the exact reason I quit being a cheerleader – well, not the exact reason. But one of them. The spotlight was not my domain. I was not my sister.

  “Carry on, everyone,” Headmaster Muller ordered the students. Then she looked back to us with an encouraging smile. “Come, I’d like you to meet the newly elected SOMA Majors.”

  My eyes widened. OH RIGHT. I’d forgotten we’d left them to that task before. I’d been wondering who they were going to select. I was excited to meet the chosen students. It would be important to have their inside scoop on the school. We followed Headmaster Muller straight down the center of the lunch hall as every gaze tracked our movements.

  The room was set up
like Hogwarts, with long running tables that went from one side of the room to the other – except we had at least a dozen of them, compared to the four. We wanted students to have space while remaining together. But unlike Hogwarts, the side walls of the lunch hall were made entirely of glass so that the outside was completely visible. A small layer of snow covered the ground and clung to tree branches. There were tables, though they were also covered in snow.

  As we walked, I hated that I noticed every female gaze lingering on my soulmate. It wasn’t the looking that bothered me, it was how they looked…like they were lionesses on the hunt and he was their next meal. Green jealousy surged inside of me like I was about to become the Hulk. Part of me wanted to mark my territory right then and there, but I had to be better than that. Besides, I wasn’t worried that Deacon would stray. He’d had many chances when we first met to bail on me, but he stayed.

  However, that didn’t stop me from unbuttoning my wool coat and pulling it open so that my soulmate glyph was on full display in my V-neck cashmere sweater.

  The girls closest to us deflated and it made my smile widen.

  That’s right. He’s MINE.

  “Here they are,” Headmaster Muller said, breaking through the monster inside me. She stopped and gestured to the end of the table. “Meet your two SOMA Majors…”

  A big, fluffy blue cat leapt off the bench and into the walkway. I frowned and then spotted a familiar pair of gold and black Chanel boots. I took a deep breath, then looked up.

  Caroline Davenport stood in front of us in her thigh-high Chanel boots – the same pair I had, but fortunately had decided not to wear today – and a skin-tight black velvet jumpsuit. She looked like Catwoman’s sexier, richer sister. Her red hair was pinned up on top of her head in a ballerina-style-bun – not a strand astray. Her lips were painted a bright apple red, and her eyes had the perfect smokey-style makeup.

  My chest tightened.

  Except…not because I was nervous. Or threatened. But because she looked flawless and I had no idea how to manage that on my own.

  Something moved out of the corner of my eye, and then a teeny, tiny blue fuzzy cat landed on Caroline’s shoulder. She didn’t seem to notice. Instead, she grinned at us. “Hi! You’re back!”

  Deacon chuckled. “We are—”

  “Oh, of course. You know each other already.” Headmaster Muller shook her head. “Sorry, I forgot. Caroline is the female SOMA Major and —”

  “And I’M the best one.” Noah Kincaid jumped up behind her and wagged his eyebrows. His green eyes were wild. “Welcome back, D. Miss Em.”

  I laughed. “Hey y’all. So you’re our Majors?”

  Noah draped his arm around Caroline’s shoulders and the little blue cat hopped onto his arm. He grinned. “YUP. Complete with mascots even.”

  Caroline held her arms out in front of her and the bigger, fluffier blue cat leapt into them. She snuggled it close to her chest. “Noah, I said to let me broach that subject tactfully.”

  His cheeks flushed. “Oh. Right. Sorry, babe. It just slipped out.”

  She rolled her eyes but there was a definite smirk on her pretty face. “I’ve heard that before.”

  “Wait. Hold on.” Deacon gestured back and forth between them. “Are you two…a couple?”

  They both beamed. Their eyes lit up and their smiles widened.

  Deacon whistled under his breath. “Very nice.”

  It was nice. Not because I thought Caroline still wanted Deacon. She’d explained that to me, and to my surprise I understood. There was once a time that I’d gotten so caught up in my plan that I didn’t realize I didn’t want it until it was too late – like suddenly Captain of the cheerleading squad and dating the quarterback of the football team. I shuddered at the life I used to live.

  And then their words registered. Mascots.

  I frowned. “Wait, did you say you want the blue cats to be the school mascot?”

  “Well…yeah?” Caroline bit her lip and shrugged, then looked down at the blue cat in her arms. “I mean…this is their home, right? They were here first and they welcomed us. It would be fitting, wouldn’t it?”

  “Besides, have you seen the pile-up by the front fireplace?” Noah laughed and scratched the cat’s head. “Plus, they’re super cute and it just makes sense.”

  I grinned. “It really does, doesn’t it? I love it. Absolutely, yes. Deacon?”

  “SOMA’s mascot will be a blue fluffy cat with gold wings.” Deacon nodded. “It’s like our own inside joke.”

  “YES.” Noah threw his arms up and fist-pumped the air. “Boom.”

  “You know what?” I pursed my lips and glanced around to the students listening in. “As Majors, why don’t you two start a contest for all students and staff. Have them submit concept art for our logo and the actual mascot, ya know?”

  Deacon gasped. “That’s brilliant. We can even put it to a vote. Let the school decide.”

  I nodded. “Right! It’ll be a special thing for everyone who trusted us enough to come here for the first school year.”

  “I love it!” Caroline did a little happy dance. “This is so cool. I’ll start on it today.”

  “Good, because most of the students are listening right now anyway.” Deacon grinned.

  I opened my mouth to speak when the side door of the hall flew open. A kid, who looked to be Bentley’s age, came walking inside – but his toe caught on something and he went flying forward. The whole crowd gasped and spun toward him.

  The poor kid made a little squeak and then light flashed around him. Mid-air, mid-fall, he shifted into a small snow leopard. He landed on all four paws, yet still slid ten feet across the slick hardwood floors. When he stopped moving, he looked at the crowd with his big silver-blue cat eyes. His beautifully spotted fur stood up at all ends. He glanced back and forth, then shook his head. Little lights flashed, but nothing happened.

  Oh no. He’s trying to shift back and can’t. I didn’t know what to do, so I took a step forward – and then he leapt into the air. His cat-form crossed the length of the hall in the blink of an eye, and then he slammed his body into the doors at the other side and barreled back outside.

  At least half of the students in the lunch hall were now on their feet and looking toward the door the boy – snow leopard – had just escaped through. I heard of bunch of whispering and hushed voices, and my heart went out to the kid.

  “Do we not have enough seating inside here?”

  Caroline frowned. “We do. There’s also a balcony level upstairs.”

  Deacon glared out the glass walls to our right. “Then who are all those people sitting outside right now?”

  Noah grimaced. “The shifters.”

  Chapter Two

  Deacon

  “What?!” Emersyn and I both yelled at the same time.

  I blinked and shook my head. “What do you mean…the shifters? Why are they sitting outside?”

  “Because they’re animals,” some guy sitting at the table to my left mumbled.

  Emersyn growled. “AND YOUR POINT IS?” Smoke billowed from her body.

  The guy blanched. “Uh – I – uh – just – uh – you know —”

  “No, I most certainly do NOT know,” Emersyn snapped. She narrowed her now glowing golden eyes at the crowd. “So help me Goddess, are they outside because someone made them?”

  “Whoa, whoa. NO. Definitely not.” Noah waved his arms across body. “No one told them to sit out there…they just…won’t come in.”

  I put my hand on Em’s shoulder and squeezed. “Are we sure? No one here suggested they stayed outdoors like the animals that they are? Because—”

  “No.” Caroline shook her head. “At least, not that Noah or I are aware of. And to be sure, we will talk to everyone.”

  I glared at my old friends. Something wasn’t adding up here. I felt it.

  Caroline sighed and glanced out the glass doors to where all the shifters were sitting at tables. “They just got here la
st Monday…nothing has happened…but…they won’t really come near any of us. They just go to their classes, hide in their dorm building, and sit out there for lunch. I don’t know what to do.”

  “Yeah, and the classes they do share with arcana they all sit in the back and don’t speak.” Noah scowled. “Not gonna lie, it’s kinda creepy. But I can’t blame them.”

  I narrowed my eyes. “Why not?”

  Noah shrugged. “Listen, man, I got nothing against the shifters. I think it’s great they’re here…but like…I’d never even seen a shifter until I started school here. I’m sure it’s the same for pretty much everyone else.”

  Caroline’s eyes turned sad. “Some of the young kids thought shifters were a myth.”

  “A myth?” Emersyn growled again. “Well, these myths saved our lives too many times to count, so every single arcana is going to make sure the shifters feel welcome here or there will be consequences.”

  I bit my lip to stop myself from smiling. I didn’t know what it said about me that I loved to watch Emersyn this…fierce.

  “All right, c’mon, Em.” I slid my hand down to the small of her back. “Let’s go out there and talk to them.”

  “I think, perhaps, it might be best if I don’t accompany you outside. They may feel more comfortable speaking to you without me there.” Headmaster Muller exhaled. “I’m going to check on what the boy tripped on.”

  I nodded, then led Emersyn over to the side door. The glass panels flew open without me touching them, which was a cool touch. The second we stepped outside I felt the overwhelming desire to flee.