Mythology Meets Magic

Chapter VII

Jackson

It was just after three in the morning when my truck rolled to a stop in the front parking lot at Edenburg. With the fire wall and the glowing sword, I knew exactly where my Coven-mates were. I pulled back the lever, turning my truck into park, and hopped out. When I slammed my door shut, I saw the flames extinguish.

I sighed with relief when I realized there was no sign of Joseph or his shadows. My Coven-mates stood together, their backs facing me, with about a dozen unfamiliar people, all carrying weapons either bronze or gold colored, although I spotted a sword that was a chilling white...almost like...a bone..?

Then, I noticed what they were looking at, and my jaw dropped. A wall of ice towered over us, effectively blocking the entrance to the Old Lands.

I smiled and shook my head. Bettina had come such a long way from blowing up Dean's house in Charleston just a few short months ago.

No one appeared to have noticed my arrival yet, or they sensed it was just me and therefore weren't concerned. Their energy was tense and sharp. Something had clearly gone down just now.

I glanced around, silently counting all of them in my head to make sure everyone was there. No one seemed to be hurt. Everyone was standing. Tenn, Tegan, Emersyn, and Bettina stood a little bit in front of everyone else.

"If it helps, they were wanting to kill us all," Deacon was saying from up by the building.

"They also killed those humans. Disgusting," an unfamiliar female voice said.

I frowned and looked towards the sound. Kessler was holding a guy down on his knees. He had long, wildly tousled hair not unlike Tenn's. But other than that, I didn't recognize him, or anything about him. I couldn't even see his face. I also didn't understand why Kessler was pinning him down or why my Coven-mates seemed to be standing guard around him.

If it helps, they were wanting to kill us all. Deacon's words registered.

Joseph.

Whatever had just happened, he must've been behind it. I was just glad everyone survived it. I didn't see Daniel or Mona, but Constance and Kessler looked calm—and they wouldn't be if their soulmates were in danger.

I froze a few feet away from my truck.

Soulmate. That was why I'd been called back. That was why I drove over a hundred miles per hour just to get here as quick as possible.

My soulmate was here. That was what Tegan had said.

Except...where is she?

I scanned every face, looking at all the unfamiliar girls in the crowd. I saw a blonde, but she was clinging to a boy with messy hair, so I was assuming they were together. There were several other girls, but I couldn't get a clear view of them.

I started walking toward them again, desperate for answers. I needed to know who she was. I needed to see her face, to see the glyph on her chest that would match mine. I needed to feel—

Fire exploded in my chest. I gasped and stumbled a few feet. The heat grew more and more intense, scorching a path up my throat and melting my insides. I stopped and gripped my chest. It burned against my hand. I clenched my teeth and tried to breathe through it.

Where is she? This pain...this...burning...meant she was nearby.

Bettina sighed and dropped her hands. "Well, at least we know that trick Ellis told us worked—" But then her words cut off, or maybe I was burning too much and my senses were shutting down.