Jinxed | A Halloween Romance | Coven Corner #1

Chapter Ten

A light tap came at Sky's door the next morning. She flung an arm over her eyes and burrowed deeper into the pillows.

Memories flooded back into her consciousness. A perfect kiss with Aiden. Her confession. The gut punch when she found out that she was a diversion, a fling that Aiden found amusing.

"Sky, can we talk?"

Aiden's voice.

"Sweet Nicniven," Sky muttered. She sat bolt upright, her hair tangled in her face, her shirt lop-sided and sliding off of one shoulder. "Go away, go away, go away," she muttered.

"I'm sorry for offending you last night," Aiden continued. His voice was muffled through the door and she could barely hear him.

Sky slipped out of bed and tiptoed to the door. She stood in the hallway but she had no intention of speaking to Aiden or seeing him. At one time, she had wanted him, flustered by his mere presence.

Now she was still flustered by his presence, but in a different way. A potent blend of shame, embarrassment, and guilt swarmed up Sky's spine, heating her face with a brutal flush of anger.

"I know I'm probably the last person you want to see right now," Aiden said.

"You got that right," Sky muttered.

She moved to the back door and snatched her broom from the rack. Before she took off, she heard Aiden's voice one last time, practically a whisper.

"You were never entertainment to me, Sky," he said.

Sky huffed. "How do you expect me to believe you now?"

And she veered into the air.

She knew better than to look back. But she glanced over her shoulder anyway. Aiden was still standing at her door, his forehead pressed to the wood, his hands hanging limp at his sides.

She almost turned around.

Almost.

Then she faced forward again. The wind blew her hair out of her eyes, sending a chill creeping under her clothes. A thick layer of grey clouds had moved in overnight, blanketing Wildemoor in shadows and the threat of thunderstorms, the perfect atmosphere to match Sky's mood.

She fled to Pagan Posies. Half a dozen Torres children were milling around the orchard, cleaning up after the party the previous night. Sky glided to a stop and propped her broom in the crook of her elbow as she spied Seline who was pocketing the remaining caramels from the party.

"Where's your sister?" she said.

Seline pointed to the house.

"She's not awake yet," she said. "She was up late helping Mom with the celebration." Seline squinted at Sky and reached into the bowl that held the last caramel. "You should take this," she said. "You don't look very well and candy always makes everything better."

Sky smiled and stroked Seline's unruly curls.

"Thank you, Seline," she said.

"And I won't tell anyone you had candy for breakfast."

Basil darted up to the table and inspected the empty bowl that had previously held the caramels.

"What happened to the candy?" he said.

Seline cast a sideways glance at Sky as if to say, are you going to tattle on me?

Sky pretended to drag an imaginary zipper across her lips and headed to the house. When she knocked at the door, it swung open and Sky tiptoed inside.