The Aether Witch (The Coven: Elemental Magic Book 6) Read online

  Kenneth appeared out of nowhere. His long silver hair glistened in the moonlight as he dove in front of the demon. Bentley flew back and slammed into the wooden garage wall. Kenneth gripped the demon’s throat in both his hands like he was trying to choke it. Silvery-blue magic billowed out of his fingers. I felt a wave of energy that made my heart stop. Kenneth’s desires felt like a knife to my heart. I tried to get there, but Tegan’s portal had dropped me too far away and the world seemed to be moving in slow motion, like trying to run in a dream.

  The spider demon exploded into dust.

  Kenneth crashed to the ground in a motionless heap.

  “Kenny!” Bentley cried and rushed over to him.

  Three more demons dropped out of the sky, blocking my path to Bentley. I cursed and shot my magic into them. Red lightning struck each of their chests and sent them writhing to the ground. I didn’t stop to finish them off. Bentley was unprotected. I leapt over the injured demons then slid to a stop beside our Hierophant. Bentley jumped and scrambled back.

  “It’s me, it’s me,” I said in a rush and put my hand on his little shoulder. “It’s okay.”

  He looked up at me with golden eyes identical to his older sister’s, but his were full of anger and pain. “He is not dead!”

  I dropped to my knees and looked down at Kenneth. His eyes were closed and his body was limp, but when I pressed my fingers to his throat, I felt the soft thumping of his pulse. It wasn’t strong, but it was there. I pressed my palms to his chest and closed my eyes. Goddess, please watch over his soul while we finish this task.

  “Deacon!”

  I looked up and found those three demons back on their feet and limping our way. They hissed and aimed red-eyed lasers at me. A tall figure jumped out of the darkness. All I saw was bright white shining in front of me as he leapt up to the demons and sliced them to pieces with his dagger.

  “Thanks, Tenn—” I gasped as he spun toward me. It wasn’t Tennessee.

  It was the vampire knight of Avolire. Everest. His hair looked like fresh fallen snow and his skin even paler. He wore all white, which outside of their wintery castle just seemed wrong for a vampire. The royal blue rimming his white irises was the only color on him.

  You’re a long way from Avolire, buddy. My heart pounded in my chest.

  Everest cocked his head to the side and arched one black eyebrow. “I’m a little less human, I believe.”

  I licked my lips and tried to keep my breathing normal. He may have been able to hear the panicked beat of my heart, but I didn’t need my voice to betray my confidence. I needed to know why he was here, but more importantly, who he was fighting for. He may have just saved our lives, except that could’ve been an angle. He wanted something, I sensed the desire rushing through him. I just couldn’t pinpoint the what.

  “Everest…”

  “Sorry I’m late,” he said with his musical voice that was both rough and smooth at the same time. Suddenly he was standing right in front of us, holding his dagger that still dripped black demon blood. “He is still alive, but barely.”

  “We can save him,” Bentley snapped through clenched teeth as he clung to Kenneth’s body.

  Everest pursed his lips. “Not if your sisters can’t save all of us.”

  I sighed. “Bentley, this is Everest, the vampire knight of Avolire.”

  “I believe he is aware of such things,” Everest said in his smooth voice. He moved closer then pointed behind him. “Why is it not closed yet?”

  I gasped. Focus, Deacon! I lowered the Book of Shadows from my chest then handed it over to Bentley. “Tegan said that Keltie told her the Gap couldn’t be closed until we performed a spell on Henley. She needs you to find the spell.”

  Bentley’s eyebrows rose. “Did she say what the spell was?”

  “A spell to heal the soul.” I scrubbed my face with my filthy hands and almost gagged at the scent of maple syrup. “She said it’ll be one of the oldest in the Book.”

  Bentley nodded and flipped the Book open. He dove right in, searching each page. A loud shriek echoed through the garage, and the walls rattled. Giant balls of fire slammed into the ground like meteors. The street exploded in clouds of debris. Demons crashed in the Sapien’s driveway and rolled right toward us, snapping and hissing their fangs at us.

  I cursed. We needed backup. Bentley needed to focus on finding the spell, and I needed to make sure nothing happened to him or Kenneth in the meantime.

  “Stay with him,” Everest said from right next to us, then he reappeared at the edge of the garage. He glanced over his shoulder, and the whites of his eyes sparkled like stars in a cloudless black sky. “I’ll kill the demons. You two find that spell.”

  Chapter Fifty-Two

  TENNESSEE

  “Tennessee!”

  I sliced a demon in half then spun toward the sound of my name. Larissa sprinted toward me. Her hazel eyes were wide and her black hair had mostly fallen from its clasp, and the hard set of her jaw told me she was on a mission. I threw both hands up and pushed a gust of wind into the demons blocking her path. Almost everyone else had moved in closer already. The demons outnumbered us, but we had our combined magic on our side.

  A whole line of demons the size of wolves rushed toward me. They snarled and snapped their teeth like they couldn’t wait to sink their fangs into me. I twirled the hilt of my sword in my hand then swung my weapon in an arc and buried the blade in the dirt. The ground broke apart in a jagged line that shot across the street to my left and right. The wolf demons had been moving too fast. They tried to stop, but they all toppled over the edge of the cliff I’d created.

  “Tennessee! Here!” Larissa shouted in my ear and tugged on my leather jacket.

  I looked down and found a vial the size of my thumb in her outstretched hand. White smoke billowed from the top of it. My pulse quickened. “What is this?”

  “Just throw it!” she snapped and pointed toward the army of demons racing toward us.

  OKAY. I pulled my arm back then threw her smoky vial into the air. It sailed across my cliff and dropped right in front of the army of our enemies. The street exploded in chunks. Fire and magic erupted like an atomic bomb. Bright white light flashed, so I turned my face away. Demons hissed and shrieked. Something dark swooped down low and snatched Larissa by the neck of her coat. She screamed as the monster took off with her in its grip.

  Fire shot across the night sky in two perfect beams, and the ground rumbled. Two dragons pounced on the demon carrying Larissa away. The ivory one sank its teeth into the demon’s throat and ripped. Black blood arced across the sky. The charcoal dragon, almost too dark to see, caught Larissa on its back and sped off.

  “TEGAN!”

  I spun at the sound of Deacon’s voice. Tegan threw one hand out toward him, and he disappeared through a white box then landed right behind her. Deacon held the Book of Shadows clutched to his chest. He was panting and covered in black demon blood, and his violet eyes sparkled with excitement.

  I didn’t consciously move, but suddenly I stood right beside them. “Did you find it?”

  Deacon nodded. His breaths were labored and his face looked strained, but he held the Book out with pride. He flipped the Book open and tapped on the page he’d tagged. “It’s right here. He says you should do it!”

  Tegan glanced over her shoulder, her pale green eyes wide with concern. “Ladies, can you hold this?”

  “We’ve got it, Tegan!” Althea yelled.

  “GO!” Emersyn shouted from the other side.

  Without another sound, Tegan spun away from the Gap and took the Book of Shadows from Deacon’s hand. She eyed the page, running her finger along the words. Her lips moved as she read it to herself. When she looked up, there was fire in her gaze that made my heart skip a few beats and the hairs on my arms stand tall.

  She held her palm out and flexed her fingers. Her magic pulsed through the air like a wave of vibration. Henley floated over the ground toward us, completely unawa
re of the world around her.

  Tegan dropped to her knees. There was a flash of golden light, then the Book morphed back into the crystal on a silver chain. I tightened my grip on my weapons and eyed our surroundings. The demons were still trying to figure out a way over my cliff. Koth and his dragons flew over our heads, spitting fire at our enemies with Chutney still shooting her flamed arrows.

  “I dive within your writhing soul,” Tegan shouted at the top of her lungs. She held one palm to Henley’s forehead, the other raised to the moon. “To send the Earth to make you whole!”

  My Coven-mates turned toward us at the sound of the spell. Their eyes were wide with fear. Their faces paled. I understood their concerns, but this wasn’t a time to let our guard down.

  “Stand your ground!” I shouted at them. “Hold them off!”

  Tegan pushed her magic into our Moon Card. Rainbow mist coiled around her arms. “By petals and thorns, leaf and tree, release and shed your pain to me!”

  Thick black smoke shot out of her chest and slammed into Tegan’s hand. She swirled her fingers, and it wrapped around her palm.

  Henley’s eyes widened and she gasped.

  Tegan grinned and flicked her hands toward the Gap. Black smoke shot into the rushing geyser of demons like a rocket. Henley slumped but Deacon caught her in his arms.

  “Twenty minutes!” Cooper shouted from within a sea of demons.

  Emersyn cursed then let out a nasty growl. “TEGAN, WE NEED YOU!”

  Chapter Fifty-Three

  TEGAN

  All of this, and it comes down to twenty whole minutes.

  I reclaimed my place in our circle of four, and a wave of hot, prickly energy slammed into my face. My magic hissed inside me and shot back at the Gap. I threw my hands up and pushed with everything I had. The river of fire splashed and curled into a wave, but that wall of resistance we’d been feeling was gone. I pushed a little more, and the flames sank lower into the opening.

  “Almost there!” Aurelia screamed. “Keep pushing!”

  The fire roared in protest and flicked over the surface.

  Emersyn bared her teeth and growled. “Not today, Satan!”

  I dug down deep into my magic and called on the chilly energy swirling inside. My body lit up like I’d been plugged into a socket. My hands glowed so bright they were solid white. My breath left my lips in a cloud of foggy, shimmering air. My rainbow mist grew denser and thicker, sparkling like stars in the sky. A blizzard poured out of my palms and snowed into the Gap. The river of fire trembled and sank below the opening.

  “Tegan, get the Spirit Stone out!” Althea shouted over the chaos of the raging battle behind us.

  I frowned and looked over to her. “What? Why?”

  She nodded her head toward the Gap in front of her. “That’s how you close it!”

  My stomach dropped. Nothing in any of my notes had alluded to using an Elemental Stone to do the actual closing part.

  “How do you know that?” I shouted back.

  She squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head. “I only wanted to protect us from the other realms. They’re coming for us, Tegan. The Fae. The demons. Hell itself. They’re all waiting and biding their time. I knew this. I felt it. You feel it, too.”

  I blinked and shook my head. “Althea, what are you saying?”

  “Nothing you don’t already feel, Tegan.” She opened her eyes and held my stare. Her amber eyes were dark and sad, but there was a confidence I recognized. “I swear on the magic running in my veins, I only wanted to protect us. Sometimes someone has to be willing to do the dirty work. You understand that now, don’t you?”

  “Yes. Yes, I do.” I glanced up at the Gap then back to her. I didn’t understand why she was telling me this now. We only had minutes left, and it didn’t make sense for her to stall. “We need to close it, Althea. Tell me how to close it!”

  “TWO MINUTES!” Cooper screamed.

  “Tegan, CLOSE IT!” Tennessee shouted with a curse from right behind me.

  My heart pounded in my chest. The thumping in my ears almost drowned out their voices. Focus, Bishop. This is it. You can do this. I yanked one hand away and reached into the inside pocket of my leather jacket…then pulled out the Spirit Stone. It was jet black with a dusting of little sparkles. I waited for the answer to click, but it was stuck on the tip of my tongue. I felt it. I knew it was staring right at me. If it had been a snake, it would’ve already bitten me. But nothing came to me.

  “I found it, Tegan. I messed with magic I didn’t yet understand fully, and I found the Spirit Stone.” Althea groaned and pointed up to the Gap. “It was right there. When I pulled it out, it ripped this hole. By pulling the Spirit Stone out, I created the Gap.”

  My jaw dropped. I looked up at the Gap with wide eyes…and it clicked. The Spirit Stone was the plug. “That’s why I had to reopen it, isn’t it? Because without the Stone, it will never close?”

  “It’s time now, Tegan!” Aurelia shouted from my other side. “Put the Spirit Stone back!”

  “H-how?” Emersyn cried. “Where?”

  “The same way we took it out.” Althea pointed. “Right there.”

  “ONE MINUTE!” Cooper screamed.

  Tennessee moved in right behind me and put his hand on my shoulder. “You can do this, Kitten. You were born for this. Save us.”

  I nodded and stared up at the Gap. Demons poured into our realm like water from a fire hose. It didn’t make any sense. I didn’t see how or where I was supposed to put the Stone. If it was a plug, then there had to be a hole to fit it. Except the entire Gap was a hole…and it was way too big for the Stone. I looked down at the Spirit Stone in my palm and gasped.

  There on one side of the Stone was a shimmering white line, like a neon string of yarn. I’d seen that before. I’d pulled that before. Can it be that simple?

  I threw my hand up and pulled Emersyn toward the center of the Gap. We stood face-to-face directly under the hole in our dimension wall. Above us was the same spot I’d pulled the Gap open from. I forced my brain to block out everything else around us and focused only on the fire in my twin’s golden eyes.

  Emersyn nodded.

  Hold the Stone with me. Give me ALL your magic. Every last ounce. Push it into the Spirit Stone. Okay?

  My twin wrapped her hands around the black Stone without a beat of hesitation. I covered her hands with mine. Heat seeped into my skin and into my bones. I clenched my teeth and pushed with my magic. Rainbow mist and white smoke coiled around the stone like a cyclone.

  NOW!

  Together we shoved the Spirit Stone straight up. Our feet lifted off the ground. Our bodies glowed brighter than the full moon. Bright orange flames shot down our arms. The crystals hanging from my neck lifted into the air like they wanted to go with the Stone. Wild gusts of wind whipped around us, closing us inside a powerful tornado. Lightning flashed in my eyes. The Gap trembled above us. The demons hissed and roared.

  Push harder, Em!

  My magic burned in my gut. It seared through my body and into my hands. The world rumbled around us. Little embers and chunks of pavement swirled through the air. I looked down and found the street several feet below us. It was charred and chopped into pieces. A narrow water cyclone shot out of the ground and soared right between us. It slammed into our hands, and the Spirit Stone sparkled. Lightning flashed from within the Gap, and then it shot out and struck the Stone. An energy force stronger than I’d ever imagined raced down my arms and into my body, vibrating every muscle, bone, and tendon.

  Bright white light flashed—and then the world exploded.

  Chapter Fifty-Four

  TEGAN

  For a moment, I felt nothing at all. The world disappeared into a soundless, sightless black hole. My body was cold and light like a feather.

  And then everything snapped back into place. White and golden light erupted from within the Gap like the biggest, boldest, most insane firework I’d ever seen. I was flying away from the explosio
n like a rocket. I tried to kick my legs out, but my body refused to budge. I called my magic, but it didn’t respond. My body was frozen, my magic locked…and I was soaring toward the ground.

  Panic set in. My pulse skyrocketed. I tried to open a portal, but my rainbow mist only poofed around my fingers. I tried my favorite trick of dissolving into water bubbles, but nothing happened.

  Heat filled my chest like I’d been dumped into a bonfire.

  The smell of fresh rain swept over my face, and then Tennessee’s muscular arms wrapped around my body. I tried to hold on to him, to squeeze his arms and feel his strength, but my body was still locked in place. The air whistled by my ears, and then we slammed into the ground. Tennessee grunted in my ear as we slid across the busted, bumpy pavement.

  I looked up at the Gap—and it was gone.

  The night sky was clear and whole. No shattered glass. No river of fire. No pillar of demons pouring in. Just regular old black night sky and a small sprinkle of twinkling stars. Hope flared in my chest, and my pulse fluttered. Tears stung my eyes. Is it over? Did we win?

  Tennessee cursed in my ear, and then suddenly my face was pressed against the cold street. He buried his face in the crook of my neck. I felt the heat and weight of his arms covering both of our heads. Something large slammed into the ground beside us. The street trembled and groaned in protest. Then I heard a crash, and another. One after another, things smashed into the world around us.

  When Tennessee finally lifted off of me, I picked my head up and looked around. At first, I couldn’t tell what I saw. It looked like a small mountain range of— I gasped. DEMONS! I pushed off the ground and scrambled to my feet…and my jaw dropped. All around us, demon bodies lay in lifeless lumps. How…?