Page 2 of Hexes and Exes

“What?” Bram barks out a laugh, and multiple heads swivel in our direction. His mouth curls up in a smile, and I swear I spot a dimple. I hunch my shoulders, shrinking in on myself.

“No. One of those dolls from the seventies with the huge eyes. Holy Mother, Vandenberg. Where’s your head at?” Bram drags his hand over his face, the rasp of his morning beard scraping against his skin. “Although, you were dancing on a table last night, screaming about how the only person to give you an orgasm was yourself.” Bram chuckles. “That was fun.”

“Kill me, now,” I groan.

Our new ceremonial site is perfectly aligned in the middle of the boundaries that used to separate the two covens’ territories. It’s a circular clearing surrounded by towering trees. Their empty branches clatter in the fierce wind sweeping across the glen on this early winter morning. There’s an altar in the center of the clearing. The two pieces had been separated and used for the two covens before we combined into one happy family. It’s now been returned to its original state from centuries earlier.

With two covens came two leaders, two coven councils, two groups of previously warring witches. Our coven council was combined, and well, let’s just say it’s a work in progress. The distrust is evident in the way that groups huddle together and stick to one side of the clearing or another.

Lucida Ash, who was the leader of the Tenebris coven, is standing next to Selene Nightshade, previously the leader of the Lumen coven. Selene is a rack of bones with gaunt cheeks and a faintly arachnid quality to the way she moves her hands. Lucida is her opposite, with voluptuous hips and curves. The sun rises behind the two of them, making silhouettes out of their bodies, creating shadowy figures without clear features.

Selene runs her hands across the altar before looking up and focusing on the crowd. “I’m so glad to see faces new and old here with us on this dawning day.”

“As if we had a choice,” my brother mumbles under his breath. Odie, another one of Roman’s friends, steps up beside him. She has long blonde hair and the face of a freaking angel. She can’t speak and her hands move in a flurry of motion as she signs something to my brother.

“As we usher in a new year, we must embrace our new coven. Together, we have much to celebrate. Our magic will grow as we learn to work as one cohesive family. Setting aside our differences won’t be easy, but I’m certain we will only become stronger as one unified group.” Selene’s voice is even and calm.

The crowd shifts and heavy winter gear swooshes with their movements. Those sounds are nearly drowned out by the whispers. The horde doesn’t keep their thoughts quiet for long.

“You’ve lied to us.”

“What about their dark magic?” an accusatory voice calls out, setting off a cacophony of shouts that break out across the clearing. I search for the people asking the questions, but the crowd is too big. The sun is only now rising, and everyone is cloaked in the anonymity of darkness.

Growing up, we were always taught the Tenebris coven, who used dark magic, was evil. The Lumen coven was made up of light witches that claimed their magic was purer and somehow better. It’s all a bunch of bullshit. Most of us, with a lick of sense, knew that, but there will always be people who have terrible critical thinking skills.

Selene’s hands lift toward the sky to quiet the frenzied voices. “We are aware that rumors have been spreading. Invading our coven like a sickness.”

I watch Selene. I don’t trust her. You don’t lead a coven council full of awful people like Jo’s mother, and my father,without knowing who they are. Selene knows exactly what Josephine's parents did to her. Yes, she allowed Jo’s youngest sister to come live with her and kicked her mother, Francesca, off the coven council, but I’m not convinced that she has everyone’s best interests at heart.

Lucida watches the crowd as Selene continues. “We know the falsehoods that some witches have been spreading. They are the disturbed and troubling lies of low-powered witches who seek attention. Do not fall prey to their forked tongues.”

“You’ve got to be shitting me. What rumors? Are they talking about us?” I grumble. After the ritual backfired and Josephine's family became cursed, we kept our mouths shut. Jo was worried Selene would change her mind and take her sister Penelope away from her and send her back to her parents. Mystic Hollows is a small town, though. At least when it comes to gossip. People talk. Word has started to spread about the rebounded curse. Is that what Selene is referring to? We haven’t been randomly chatting about it with other coven members, so I have no idea what she’s talking about.

Lucida places one hand over her heart and another lifts toward the sky. “We know this is new territory for all of you. Half of you don’t know anything about me. I understand that it’s difficult to put your trust in the unknown, but I have always put my coven first. Like Selene, I am a descendant of one of the earliest witching families to seek out a home in Mystic Hollows.” She brings her hands together in a prayer gesture. “We have much to learn about being one coven. I have been the leader of the Tenebris coven for over a decade. Selene has guided the Lumen coven for just as long. We are discovering what it means to combine our power. So please be patient with us.”

She turns and smiles at Selene, who returns the expression. Others may not see it, but they can’t completely hide the forced nature of the action from me. My magic allows me to read aurasand emotions. While there are far too many people in the crowd for me to get a direct read on how they’re feeling, their auras are clear as day.

There can be a lot of different interpretations of the color of someone’s aura. Red can be passion or anger, but it can also mean excitement or bursts of energy. The two of them flicker between red and green, leaving a muddy color surrounding them. There’s distrust and a power struggle between them. Interesting.

Selene turns back to the crowd. “To mark this momentous occasion, we want to have a celebration. We will be throwing a masquerade on Lupercalia. This will bring all of us together, renew our magic, and cement our status as one cohesive coven.”

“Lupercalia? Which one is that again?” Ambrose pipes up behind me. Despite having partied as hard as any of us last night, he looks like he just had a facial and is not at all dehydrated. He’s one of those radiant assholes who always has a golden aura and perpetually looks like he’s just come inside from a day of surfing.

“It’s basically Valentine’s Day. It’s a fertility holiday.” Piper frowns and lowers her head as soon as the words come out of her mouth. Piper is the quietest of our friends. You’d think she’d be as outgoing as her ruby red hair, but she’s soft-spoken and introverted.

“Hmm…I like the sexy part. Not so sure about the fertility bit.” Ambrose hums.

“One of these days your dick is going to get you into trouble,” Bram says.

“Sounds like fun.” Ambrose laughs.

“It’s also about the transfer of knowledge from one generation to the next.” Odie signs and rolls her eyes.

“Here’s to the new year. We have much to celebrate. May we find much peace and happiness in the new year,” Lucida calls out, essentially dismissing the crowd.

“That’s it?” Bram grumbles. “Did that really require all of us to tromp out into the woods at this fucking early hour?”

“It’s a power play,” I respond, watching the two coven leaders interact with the coven council. “Oh shit.” I spot Jamie, my cheating ex, heading straight for us. With his intern, aka the woman he fucked in our bed, at his side.

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