Jinxed | A Halloween Romance | Coven Corner #1

Chapter Thirteen

A tentative truce settled over Wildemoor between Aiden and Sky. Aiden remained close to Spellbound while Sky remained close to Boiled and Brewed. They didn't cross paths very often with each other but when they did, it was civil and polite.

They weren't at odds anymore. But they had lost that familiar easiness Sky had craved in Aiden's company during the Mabon celebration. Aiden always seemed as if he was about to say something more, only to change his mind and walk away instead.

And every time it happened, Sky wanted to call after him. To ask what he was about to say, no matter how bad it might be.

But Sky always remained rooted to the spot, her mouth shut, watching Aiden leave. She wasn't in a position to ask what he wouldn't say. That was reserved for close friends, family...lovers. Those who knew him on a much more intimate level than she did now.

Besides, maybe it was better that she didn't know what he was going to say. She might not like to hear it.

Over the following weeks, Samhain grew steadily closer, turning Wildemoor into a whirlwind of preparation for the holiday.

Samhain marked the darker half of the year, when the days were short, the nights were long, and the earth was at rest from the blossoming harvests of spring and summer. The celebration touched every corner of Wildemoor with sweet treats on doorsteps and candles in windows to ward off the darkness. At the end of Samhain, a massive bonfire would be built at Pagan Posies. The witches and warlocks would gather around it and say their farewell to the year as winter crept in with long, cold fingers.

Sky couldn't help but feel like she was waiting for something. Waiting for Aiden to show his true colors once again, despite the truth she had seen in his eyes at the coven meeting.

I want so badly to make it right, Sky. You deserve that much. And it's got me all tangled up in knots. I can't think of anything else. Just you.

But as the days passed without incident, Aiden remained firmly rooted in the Silver Circle Coven and all she heard were good things about him.

Just last week, Hazel took her class to Spellbound for a visit, to teach them about the healing power of crystals and how to choose which stone for a specific ailment. Hazel had been impressed with how Aiden handled the children, answering their boundless questions, sticky fingers clasping at stones and waving errant wands about.

Two days after the meeting, Mother Hestia praised Aiden to the high heavens for paying her a visit, bearing a brand new scrying bowl, carved from one giant rainbow opal.

"To keep an eye on Wildemoor while I'm enjoying the company of my grandchildren," Mother Hestia had said, her face beaming with delight. "Isn't that so thoughtful of him? I knew I chose the right warlock to join the Silver Circle. We're incredibly lucky to have him."

Even Bryony spoke highly of him, although a bit reluctantly. She was seated on Sky's counter as Sky mixed loose herbs into her tea tin for the day—a pinch of calendula, a generous helping of chamomile, a sprinkle of milk thistle, and a fat tablespoon of dried apple, just for a little autumn flavor.

"So," Bryony said slowly, drawing the one word out. "I suppose you've heard the news going around town."

Sky didn't look up as she measured out the tea she had mixed and poured it into the strainer.

"About Aiden?" she said. "Yes, I have. And you don't have to beat about the bush. You can say his name."

Bryony swung her feet back and forth, her heels drumming against Sky's cabinet in a steady rhythm.