The Secret Witch (The Coven: Academy Magic Book 5) Read online

  “Accurate, obviously. For me, anyways.” I glanced over his body then winked. I tugged his hand and pulled him toward the building. “You’ll do sexy.”

  He nodded as we walked. “Like spandex sexy?”

  I shrugged. “At least the bottom half of you.”

  “And the top half?”

  I grinned. “Totally unnecessary. That’s why it’s legal for you to be shirtless.”

  He chuckled. “We’re going to spend the next six months debating what to dress as, aren’t we?”

  “Oh, I’ve been planning this for years. I have Pinterest boards dedicated to it already.”

  “I am slightly terrified of that.” He laughed harder. “Shall I assume Tegan and Tenn will accompany us?”

  I froze. My eyes widened. “Oh my God. Tenn would make a fantastic Aquaman.”

  He nodded. “Tegan can go as his tattoos.”

  I threw my head back and laughed.

  The doors in front of us opened, so we strolled inside, hand in hand. Lily had her hand wrapped over Easton’s mouth. I chuckled. I knew they had all just been talking about us. I knew they were all staring at us. But I just didn’t give a damn. I’d never felt this happy in my entire life, and I wasn’t going to let anything rain on my parade.

  But thankfully, Tenn cleared his throat and stepped out in front of us. We were back in the front foyer of the school building, with another one of Emersyn’s bonfires. Kessler and Hunter had Ellis on the ground against the wall again. But they didn’t have swords out.

  Tenn looked to Jackson and pointed toward our new friend. “Lancaster, I’d like you to have a talk with this guy here. We need to know if he can be trusted.”

  “All right, I can do that.” Jackson nodded then headed over toward Ellis.

  I was probably supposed to let go of his hand and let him do his job. But there was no way in hell I was letting go of him already. And by the way his fingers tightened on mine, I knew he felt the same way. Fortunately, no one said anything.

  Ellis looked up at Jackson with calm, amber eyes. “You must be the lie detector Trey talked about. The British guy.”

  A wave of cold energy flew out of Jackson, but he kept his cool. His jaw flexed. He took a deep breath, then asked, “What is your name?”

  “Ellis Heath.”

  I couldn’t see the runes that Jackson saw, but he must’ve been satisfied with that answer because he moved on.

  “Are you here to spy on The Coven?”

  Ellis shook his head. “No.”

  “Are you here to hurt anyone in any way?”

  “No,” Ellis said with a firm voice. “I am on The Coven’s side.”

  “Can we trust you?”

  “Yes.”

  Jackson nodded then glanced to his right to Tenn. “Would you like to take over the questioning? And I’ll let you know if he lies?”

  “Sounds good.” Tenn crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back on his heels. “How old are you?”

  “Sixteen, sir.”

  “How old were you when this spell was placed on you?”

  “Four, sir.”

  Tenn arched one eyebrow. “Will I ever get you to stop calling me sir?”

  Ellis smirked. “I will try, sir. I mean…sorry.”

  Jackson chuckled. “Still blue, still true.”

  “All right, Ellis, who are your parents?”

  “John and Rebecca Heath.” Ellis’s whole demeanor remained calm. “My uncle was the former Emperor Julian Calloway.”

  Tenn cocked his head to the side. “Do you know what fate came of Julian?”

  Ellis frowned and shook his head. “No, sir. But I know my mother grieves for him. We assume he died the day you were Marked.”

  “It was worth a try.” Tenn sighed. “Okay, did Joseph send you here to give us information?”

  Ellis shook his head. “No, sir. Joseph does not know I loathe him.”

  Jackson chuckled. I looked up, and the happiness in his face made my heart soar. It was hard to stay focused in this moment, this serious moment. But I had to try. We had a job to do. I squeezed his hand.

  “Have you ever killed anyone?”

  “Not that I am aware of, and certainly not intentionally.”

  Tenn glanced to Jackson. When he nodded, Tenn turned back to Ellis. “Are you trying to help Joseph win this war in any way?”

  “No. I want Joseph to die.”

  Jackson’s eyebrows rose, and he pursed his lips. “He means that.”

  Tenn nodded. “Tell me why you’re here, then, Ellis.”

  “There are a lot of us—innocent people who just happened to have this same tragic spell cast upon us—who do not support Joseph and his vengeance.” Ellis sighed. “We just want to be saved. We want this spell reversed or removed. We want to be normal, like we were before. We want to have our lives back. We want to get out of the shadows.”

  “Does Joseph know anyone is against him?” Jackson asked.

  Ellis shook his head. “No. It is our secret. We have tried to get away from him over the years, but we just can’t.”

  Tenn narrowed his eyes. “Why not?”

  Ellis frowned. “Because we would die without him.”

  “Elaborate.”

  “Okay, so…Joseph is the only one of us who has been able to become corporeal. For twelve years, we have all been shadows. Trapped inside the Old Lands.” Ellis shuddered and his eyes grew dark. “Because of Joseph’s close proximity to Ruth and Micah the moment the spell was placed, he didn’t suffer the fate quite as horribly.”

  “Jeebus,” Easton whispered.

  Ellis nodded. “Joseph was the only one of us who could become corporeal long enough to get back out of the Old Lands. So for twelve years, he has been collecting power for us to live on. He, and he alone has sustained us—”

  “Yet you loathe him and want him to die?”

  “I asked my mother that same question as a young child.” He paused and shook his head. “At first, they did not know that he was killing his energy sources. Once they found that out, everything changed. But we couldn’t live without his help. Those of us who didn’t approve tried to separate ourselves as much as possible without being obvious. We acted the part he wanted to see, then behind his back vowed to only survive off of him long enough to get out and then put an end to him once and for all.”

  Jackson cursed and everyone turned to him. He grimaced. “Sorry, he’s telling the truth. I was just saying…shit.”

  “Where are these other people who are on your side?”

  “They stay in the Old Lands, out of Joseph’s eyesight as much as possible.”

  Tenn narrowed his eyes. “But not you? Why are you on the front lines?”

  “Joseph knows who my uncle was, and he knew my mother was always a gifted Wand. He was convinced that I had more power than the others. Before you ask, I do not know if I do or not. My first time out of the Old Lands was the day…” He sighed and shook his head. “The day he killed Timothy. Now I pretend to be a loyal soldier for his cause so that I could get out and hopefully get help. My mother told me if I could get to The Coven that you all might be able to save us.”

  “You speak of Timothy like you knew him…” Jackson’s voice was low and soft.

  Ellis grimaced. “I am sorry…this won’t feel good to hear…but after…Joseph celebrated. Loudly. And Trey kept the group informed of how much his death hurt you all.”

  “Trey,” Jackson growled and tightened his grip on my hand. “That traitorous bastard. Where is he?”

  “I-I am not one hundred percent sure. Trey does not have to follow Joseph’s rules like we do.”

  “Why? Why Trey?” Jackson snarled. “How long has he had Trey in his back pocket, spying on us?”

  “His whole life?” Ellis frowned and looked around. Then his face fell. “Oh, you don’t know. Interesting.”

  “What? What don’t we know?” Tenn growled.

  “Trey is Joseph’s son.”

  “WH
AT?” Constance, Kessler, Hunter, and Devon all yelled.

  Kessler shook his head. “No, no, I knew Joseph’s wife. She—”

  “Died.” Ellis shrugged. “Trey Wilson is not his real name. It’s Joseph Jr. He is also not the son of Joseph’s wife. He was a secret love child from an affair no one knew about. When the spell happened, Joseph’s wife suffered our same fate. But then she found out about Trey and lost it on him, so Joseph killed her.”

  Kessler cursed.

  Hunter looked sad. “What happened to Trey’s mother?”

  “Joseph killed her a few years back, sucked her dry like all his other victims.” Ellis’s eyes flared with rage. “All because she found out what Joseph was planning and what he had Trey doing. She wanted to stop him, so he removed her from the situation. Somehow brainwashed Trey into thinking she sacrificed herself to give Joseph power or some stupid nonsense.”

  I exhaled. “We did hear that little girl call Joseph Father, and obviously that was Trey…but shit, I didn’t see that coming.”

  Tegan stepped up beside me. “Do you know where Trey is now?”

  “No. Joseph protects him.”

  Tegan held out her hand, and that little wooden treasure chest floated to her palm. She showed it to Ellis. “We tracked Trey down and found him digging this out from the ground. Do you know what this is?”

  Ellis shook his head. “No, I do not know what that is…but…”

  “But?” Tegan narrowed her pale eyes and leaned down to get in his eyesight. “But you know why Trey was digging it up?”

  “I think I do.” Ellis looked to Jackson. “This may not be accurate, but it’s all I know.”

  Tenn nodded. “Tell us.”

  “Okay, so for as long as I can remember, Joseph has talked about some locket. He’s been looking for it since the day the spell went down.” He licked his lips. “Ever since he killed Timothy, Joseph has been screaming at Trey to find the locket. And earlier, Trey came rushing to Joseph saying he thought he found it. So, I am assuming Trey thought the locket would be buried where he found that chest.”

  “He’s telling the truth, as he knows it at least.”

  Tegan arched one eyebrow. “What locket is he looking for?”

  “Ruth’s locket—”

  “Ruth’s locket?” I blinked. “As in Timothy’s sister?”

  Ellis nodded. “My mother told me that Ruth kept all of her spells she created in her locket.”

  Kessler cursed.

  “I’m not sure what he’s planning on doing with it when he finds it, but I don’t think it’s to create an antidote.”

  “Why not?”

  Ellis glanced around. “He wants revenge for what was done to him. For what they lost. He thinks The Coven abandoned us and left us to die.”

  Tenn groaned. “Deacon?”

  Deacon gave a thumbs-up. “His desires are innocent. He means what he says.”

  “So you and Jackson agree.” Tenn exhaled and rubbed his hands together. He looked to his left, across me and Jackson. “Tegan?”

  She nodded. “I’m following your lead, boss.”

  “I believe you, Ellis, but…” Tenn cursed. “But I’m just nervous.”

  “I understand that,” Ellis said softly.

  “However, my Coven-mates seem confident that you are not our enemy. Therefore, I do not feel comfortable putting you in our dungeon. I’m not sure what I want to do with you yet. I need to think.” Tenn looked to Tegan. “Can you secure him to the lower level of Headquarters?”

  Tegan grinned. “You know I can.”

  Chapter Eight

  Jackson

  “Hey, Jackson, can I talk to you for a second?”

  I froze on the front steps to Headquarters and glanced behind me to Bentley. Part of me was ticked off at that wild goose chase this kid had sent me on, and therefore wanted to tell him to buzz off. But the bigger part of me wanted an explanation.

  Bettina tugged on my hand, bringing my eyes back to hers. She smiled then stood up on her tiptoes and pressed her lips to mine. When she pulled away, she said softly, “Hear him out.”

  I kissed her again, then stepped back. “Okay, but I want Bettina to stay.”

  Bentley smiled. “Yeah, fine by me.”

  I pointed toward the house where everyone else had gone inside to set up Ellis’s lockdown. “You sure they don’t need us?”

  He skipped up the steps to join us on the porch then shook his head. “No, Tegan’s doing all the work there. Everyone else is just for intimidation.”

  Bettina chuckled and slipped her other hand in mine then leaned against my chest, and it felt like heaven. It really did.

  “All right, little man, what do you want to say?”

  Bentley’s cheeks flushed. “I wanted to apologize. I know it may not seem that way, but I am sorry about sending you away.”

  I sighed. “Then why did you?”

  “I had done the tracking spell as you asked and found it led to Bettina. Which both Tegan and I had suspected. We knew it wasn’t a good idea to tell you two because it would’ve caused you a lot of stress.” He held his hands up to stop us from asking questions. “Which was proved tonight when you both demanded proof. If we had told you when there was no proof, you wouldn’t have handled it well.”

  I grumbled. He was probably right. The blush on Bettina’s cheeks suggested she knew that too.

  He gripped his Hierophant’s locket. “The Goddess told me to send you, and it is not my place to question her.”

  “And Sam?”

  Bentley frowned. “Is that the girl’s name?”

  I nodded. I felt Bettina’s eyes on me, but I’d tell her about Sam later. In private.

  “I have seen visions of her. She will be an important player in the future.” His frown deepened. “I can’t see what part she’ll play exactly. I just know she will be there. And she’s important. It was imperative that we found her tonight, and the Goddess told me to send you.”

  “That’s kinda ominous,” Bettina said with a scowl.

  Bentley nodded. “You’re tellin’ me. Anyway, it was Tenn who sent you to check on the Tower. He’s really worried about her, and thinks that we’ll need her, so since she was nearby, it was good for his sanity to have you kill two birds with one stone.”

  I sighed. “Yeah. That really bloody sucked. But I guess I understand.”

  Bentley smiled and hopped around us. “You’ve got the girl now, right?”

  I looked down into Bettina’s eyes, and my body filled with warmth. “Yeah. Yeah, I do.”

  She grinned and tangled her fingers with mine. She popped up on her toes and leaned into my mouth. “About damn time, Lancelot.”

  I chuckled against her lips. “I do believe we were waiting on you, Moonshine.”

  Chapter Nine

  Bettina

  When we walked inside Headquarters a few minutes later, we found the rest of our Coven-mates huddled in the living room. Daniel and Mona were passing around cups of tea to help us relax. Mona set two on the coffee table for us, but I didn’t drink it. All of my anxiety had vanished at the arrival of my glyph. I was super relaxed. Now that I knew Jackson was my soulmate, I hadn’t a worry in the world. At least for tonight. Reality would crash down later.

  Once we were inside, Tenn cleared his throat to get everyone’s attention. “All right, we’ve set Ellis up in a room downstairs. Tegan has created barriers to prevent him from leaving this house and from going above this main level. I really do want to trust him, but I want us all to sleepy safely, too.”

  Jackson fiddled with my fingers, and it made heat bloom in my cheeks.

  Willow frowned and raised her hand. “So, we’re all gonna go to sleep right now?”

  “I’m not. I took a spell to stay awake—” Tegan held her palms up when everyone began to panic. “A safe spell this time. It’s Katherine-approved.”

  Everyone calmed.

  I scowled while tangling both of my hands with Jackson’s. “What did
you do, Tegan? Last time. With a sleeping spell?”

  Henley rolled her eyes. “Almost killed herself in sacrifice for us. Honorable, but not favorable.”

  Tenn glared at Tegan. “And she will never, ever, do that again.”

  Tegan kissed his cheek. “We’ve been over this, babe. Never again. Desperate times it was, okay? Besides, that’s not what I took this time. This one is safe. I feel great. Wide awake. Imma sit my happy ass here on the couch and do some research while eating junk food.”

  Tenn shook his head, then looked to the rest of us. “Just go to bed. We’ll discuss everything over lunch.”

  “And BREAK!” Easton yelled then charged up the stairs, dragging Lily behind him.

  Cooper jumped up from the couch and headed toward the stairs. He paused to wink and smile at us then disappeared out of sight.

  I was kind of in a Jackson-induced haze. I wasn’t moving as fast as everyone else was. So by the time I got my feet in motion, Jackson and I were the last ones in the living room.

  “Moonshine?”

  My cheeks warmed, and I knew I was blushing.

  He took both my hands in his then tugged me into his chest. “What are you thinking about?”

  I smiled and looked up to meet his ocean-colored eyes. I shook my head. “Nothing. My brain is absolute mush right now.”

  He hummed then kissed the tip of my nose. “And why is that?”

  I sighed and leaned into him. “I’m just so bloody happy that I can’t function.”

  He threw his head back and groaned. “Goddess, I love when you say bloody.”

  “Well, bloody hell—”

  He bent down and threw me over his shoulder.

  I squealed like a little girl at a Jonas Brothers’ concert. “Lancelot!”

  “Mushy brains can’t be trusted for walking up stairs.”

  I broke into a giggle fit as he carried me up the stairs. My hair dragged on the steps like a veil. I smacked his ass playfully over and over as we went up. “Is this distracting?”

  He chuckled and started up the last stretch of steps. “More so than you intend, love.”

  My face lit on fire, and I bit my bottom lip. Butterflies danced in my stomach. I opened my mouth then shut it. I wasn’t sure what to say to that. My heart was suddenly pounding too hard. I slid my hands into his back pockets.