Coven

  Studying the slight improvement in his expression, I decided to lead in a different direction. “He told me the reason you trust me with him is because you know he feels the same way about me that you do. Is that true?”

  Some sort of strangled sound escaped him. “He made a play for you, didn’t he? How? Did he beg you? Kiss you? Force himself on you?”

  I was the biggest jerk ever. “He didn’t force me to do anything. He simply asked for five minutes to state his case.”

  Laughing, but not in a good way, I could tell he was trying to hold it together. “If you gave him five minutes, I should probably be asking if you might need a pregnancy test in a few weeks.”

  “Wow, you’re obviously more confident in his seduction skills than my ability to resist them. That makes me feel wonderful.”

  “Did you resist?” he asked pointedly.

  “I’m afraid I failed,” I answered honestly, not missing the pain that shot through his eyes. “But it was just kissing, nothing more,” I hurried to add.

  Dragging a hand through his hair, he shook his head. “That doesn’t help much.” Turning away from me, he hunched over the dresser, leaning on his clenched fists before picking one up and slamming it against the wood. “Damn it!” Some of the items bounced precariously with the strength of his hit, and I was sure there was some magical force behind it.

  “I’m so sorry, Seth. I don’t know what to say. It wasn’t planned and I wanted to call you, but he made my phone disappear.”

  With his back still to me, he sighed heavily. Slowly turning, he faced me, his features totally crestfallen. “Answer me one thing.”

  “Anything.” I simply wanted to make this better, to stop hurting him.

  “Are you attracted to him at all?”

  Swallowing hard, I was pretty sure he knew the answer before I spoke it. “I am.”

  “Shit.” Grabbing his keys off the desk, he headed toward the door.

  “Wait! Where are you going?” Jumping up, I grabbed my purse off the desk and ran after him.

  “To do what you should’ve done. I’m kicking someone’s ass.”

  “Seth, please. You don’t need to do this. He had a good reason for approaching me.”

  Spinning on me, Seth glared. “Seriously? And what reason might that be?”

  “He said premonition is one of his powers and that he dreamed of me before I moved here. He dreamed we were married and that I was his soulmate.”

  Releasing a hard laugh, Seth moved closer. “Did he now?”

  I nodded. Despite my feelings for him, I was discovering he was more than a little scary when he was upset.

  “Did he happen to mention that I had the exact same dream about you?”

  “Wha . . .?” I couldn’t even finish the word, his statement shocked me so.

  “That’s right. Jett knows about my dream. I told him all about it, since it’s not every day that I dream about my future wife. Imagine my surprise when he was able to give detail after detail of his dream—verbatim to my own. The dreams even happened on the same night. We thought it was just some weird coincidence, and then you showed up.”

  “So you both have been talking about me behind my back, comparing notes?”

  “Kind of. You make that sound bad.”

  “It is bad! I’m going nuts here with the two of you constantly trying to pull me in two different directions. Now you’re just confirming what he said, that you know how he feels.”

  “I do. And I’m sorry if we’ve been placing undo pressure on you. I was hoping that . . .” He didn’t finish the sentence.

  “You were hoping he’d back off, weren’t you? How come I’ve only known him all of four days now, and even I know that isn’t a possibility? Come on, Seth! He’s not going to let this go; and if we don’t figure out what is going on between the three of us, then you will both lose me, because I’m going nuts!”

  “Come on,” he said, slipping his hand into mine and practically dragging me down the stairs behind him. “We’re going to get this straightened out right now, once and for all.”

  “What about dinner with your parents?” I protested, not wanting to offend them.

  “I’ll call them and tell them something came up and we had to reschedule. This is more important.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  It may have been the same meadow Jett had brought me to earlier, but it certainly felt a lot more sinister at night. Suddenly it was easy to imagine the wicked history that had taken place on this land, bathing it in the blood of the innocent. I wondered if people had hidden in these very woods, frightened and trying to escape those accusers who had named them as witches.

  There were many theories about what had happened during the Salem Witch Trials, from demonic possession to the possibility that moldy food may have made the people go mad. Much speculation had happened since the time of the horrific events, though I was pretty sure no one but the people that lived it knew the answers.

  It was ironic to me that the very people the law sought so hard to destroy were now the people who flocked to, and even populated, the Salem area. Witches were everywhere you looked, both real and imagined, and Salem had become the mecca for all things related to the Craft.

  Only a sliver of a moon peeked occasionally from behind a heavy set of clouds. The smell in the air promised rain at some point in the near future.

  Seth leaned against the hood of his car, unspeaking, as we waited for Jett to arrive. It wasn’t long before the rumble of an engine could be heard making its way down the dirt road. A few moments later, the sports car came into view, parking beside Seth’s Barracuda, and the engine turned off.

  Jett climbed out of the car, but leaned casually against it. “Wasn’t I just here earlier today? What’s the matter, Kenna? Back for more?”

  Seth bounded away from his vehicle heading straight for Jett, who slammed his door and faced him head on.

  “You lied to her,” Seth hollered. “All so you could seduce her.”

  “I didn’t lie.” Jett responded casually. “I simply didn’t tell her the whole truth.”

  “Why not? To trick her into being with you?”

  “I’m not trying to trick her into anything. Why didn’t you tell her?”

  “Because I didn’t want to scare her away. All of this is new to her.”

  “Quit talking about me like I’m not here. I’m a big girl and totally capable of making a decision on my own without being bamboozled into it,” I interjected, moving closer. “If we’re going to discuss what’s happening, then let’s actually discuss it instead of sitting around throwing accusations at one another.”

  “At least someone is thinking,” Jett said, walking past Seth and coming up beside me. “Close to that stand of trees, on the far side of the meadow, are some tree trunks around a fire pit where kids like to party. Let’s go over there. You can light a fire and we can talk.”

  Glancing at Seth, he nodded, producing some witch light to help us see better as we crossed the meadow. Neither of them touched me or offered to guide me along; instead, both of them fell into step on either side of me.

  In a matter of a couple minutes, we reached the place Jett had suggested and he glanced expectantly at me before nodding to the fire pit. There wasn’t any wood in the ring; but I was a witch, so that didn’t matter.

  Blasting the pit with a fairly large fireball, the ringed area immediately burst into flame and kept burning when I moved away to sit on one of the tree trunks. I couldn’t help tensing when both guys moved to either side of me and sat down, Jett on my right and Seth to my left.

  “That’s pretty cool that you can make it burn without fuel,” Jett said, obviously feeling less tense about this conversation than I did.

  I shrugged. “I never really thought about it, I guess. It’s always worked that way for me.”

  “Well, just to be safe—in case anyone else were to show up out here.” Jett cast his hand toward the flames and immediately the pit was filled
with burning wood.

  “How’d you do that?” I asked, wondering where he’d gotten the wood.

  “It’s just an illusion,” Seth commented. “Remember I told you he can put a glamour on things? This is part of that.”

  “Incredible,” I said, enjoying the chance to get to see powers that others had. While my dad was very gifted, with both natural and acquired magic, no two witches ever had the exact same abilities as another. And just like evolution everywhere, some witches were better than others—either more powerful, more knowledgeable, or both. While I had the chance to regularly study and practice magic with my dad, and occasionally my great grandma, Milly, I really hadn’t been exposed to the powers of many others, beside Dr. Peck.

  His powers were pretty awesome and led him directly to the field of medical research. With the ability to see things down to the molecular level with his normal vision, he was the perfect person to try to unravel medical mysteries. I’d spent many hours with Kyle in my dad’s lab, listening to him explain things that I had no hope of ever really understanding; but still, it was fascinating. I could listen to him go on for hours.

  “So, what do we do about all this?” Seth asked, clearly ready to move on with the rest of the conversation.

  “First we need to figure out what is happening here, before we can decide what to do about it,” Jett replied.

  “And how do we do that?” I asked, feeling more confused than ever.

  “We need to line up the facts. Fact number one, Seth and I both had the same dream implying that you belonged to each of us.”

  “What if the dream is merely a metaphor for something else? Things like dreams and premonitions can often be left open to interpretation. I don’t think whatever you both saw was meant to be taken literally.”

  “That’s what I’m thinking,” Seth agreed. “So if we both aren’t meant to “literally” marry you and take you on a honeymoon—which I have to say would be incredibly awkward—what are we supposed to be uniting then?”

  Just the idea of being married to and physically uniting with both of them had me flushing from head to toe. I was happy for the blazing heat of the fire to help mask my reaction to such an intimate suggestion. In the grand scope of things, I was pretty sure I could find myself tangled up in a lot less pleasant trauma. At least I assumed it would be pleasant, just from the experiences I’d had with each of them, so far. There was no doubt they made my hormones fire from all cylinders.

  “I can think of only one other thing the three of us have in common,” Jett said. “And that’s magic. But I have no idea what that would have to do with anything.”

  Seth sighed heavily. “Which leaves us where we started.”

  “So let’s talk about what we do know,” Jett suggested.

  “Which is what?” I asked, not following.

  “The relationship thing.”

  “Oh.” That was exactly where I didn’t want to go. Just sitting there, between them, was making my insides quiver with desire. But in all honesty, I truly wasn’t sure which one I wanted to be with.

  “How do you feel about it, Kenna?” Seth asked, staring at me. He was so close we were almost touching, but he made no move to further our contact.

  “You’re asking the wrong person. I’m so confused at the moment, I’m not sure which way to go.”

  “I think we should both date you,” Jett piped up, and I was pretty sure he heard the low growl Seth released at the suggestion.

  I laughed. “How would that even work?”

  “It’s easy. You simply wouldn’t be exclusive—at least not with either of us. I’d like you to be exclusive with the two of us.”

  “Are you effing serious?” Seth asked, obviously upset.

  “I am. Think about it, dude. She’s new here. Everything that’s happened up to this point has been a crazy mess.”

  “Only because you’ve made it that way,” Seth pointed out. “We were doing fine without you.”

  “But that’s just it—you weren’t. She’s obviously attracted to both of us. So let’s date her. We can all get to know each other really well and then, as things progress, maybe a clear choice or path will stand out.”

  “The only way I’m remotely agreeing to this is if we set hard boundaries,” Seth replied after a few moments. “For instance, there will be no sex. I know you; and I don’t want you sneaking in for the kill while my back is turned.”

  “As if you wouldn’t do the same. You’ve already proven you’re capable of exactly that.”

  Jumping into the fire was starting to sound like a pretty good option to me at the moment. Too bad it wouldn’t kill me. “Please stop fighting. I can’t take it.” Getting up, I turned to face them both. “If we are going to do this ludicrous dating thing, then we will do it on my terms, not yours.” There was no way I’d be able to handle the constant bickering between these two, but I couldn’t choose between them at this point, either. Even thinking about trying made me feel sick.

  “What do you suggest then?” Seth asked.

  “I agree to date you both; but I want it to happen naturally. If one of you wants to kiss me, then do it. If you want to hold my hand, then do it, but no more fighting about it. If we have all these rules then we are always risking crossing lines and hurting someone. So my rule is no rules. I want us to be able to relax around each other—whether I’m out with one or both of you, and not constantly worry about how something I do might be crossing someone else’s line. Time will tell if this is going to help or not. Let’s work on building the friendship and see where things go from there.

  “And try not to make it awkward for me—in public, at least. I don’t need to be walking down the sidewalk and trying to beat you both off with a stick. I just want to find a way to happily exist here. If my dad thinks things aren’t going well or that there is some sort of threat, he will yank me out of here so fast that neither of you will know what happened to me. Trust me when I say he’s an expert at laying false trails and hiding his family. I can’t go back to that, so you’re both going to have to keep your cool in public around me. I can’t have gossip getting back to him that will cause him alarm; and I’m pretty sure finding out his daughter is dating two different guys isn’t going to help his nerves at all. My dad is jumpy—constantly ready to flee. I can’t hide anymore. I need a life—even if it’s this crazy one.”

  I quit speaking and silence ensued between us, with Jett and Seth glancing at each other as if they were trying to gage the other one’s reaction.

  “Why don’t I give you two a minute to discuss my, uh, terms,” I said, still feeling flushed over the idea of even trying to agree to something like this. I’d never even had one boyfriend in my life, and now, suddenly, it looked like I had two.

  Walking toward the tree line, I turned back to observe them once I entered the cover of darkness. I’d never felt so strangely conflicted or euphoric in my life. I wasn’t sure what the intense pull I felt for these two meant. I only knew I wanted—no, I needed—them both in my life right now. It made no sense, but it was something I felt deep inside me. It irritated me because it wasn’t fair to any of us, but none of us seemed able to walk away.

  From my hidden spot, I watched as the two of them spoke to each other—unable to hear what they were saying, but able to clearly read their body language as it slowly changed from stiff postures to more relaxed positions the longer they spoke.

  Gaze drifting between the two, I pondered over their similarities and their differences. Both were around the same height, six foot two inches would be my guess. While they were both fairly tan, Jett was all dark good looks. There was something hidden and mysterious about him, like he had secrets I needed to find out. Sex appeal practically oozed from every pore, and that killer body of his was enough to bring a girl to her knees. I was certain many a girl had lost her heart to him in the past. He looked like a heartbreaker—that hot playboy who could have any girl he wanted and did, frequently.

  Seth, on the other
hand, was like this golden Greek god or something. While he didn’t have that air of mystery around him that Jett did, he had a different kind of sex appeal that was just as consuming. I liked that I always knew where I stood with Seth, and that he went out of his way to make things nice for me. And when we were together, something happened that sent sparks flying like mad.

  Of course all of my “experience” with guys basically boiled down to books, television, and whatever bits and pieces of their relationship my parents had chosen to share with me.

  Even though Seth and Jett appeared to have come to some sort of an agreement, my breath still caught and my heart rate picked up when they sought me out. Watching as they approached my position, I tried to gauge their moods by reading their auras and found them both surrounded by colors suggesting nervous excitement.

  Immediately, that put me on my guard. “Well?” I asked as they got closer, my eyes drifting from one handsome face to another.

  “We agree to your terms,” Jett said, staring at me heatedly.

  Glancing at Seth for confirmation, he nodded. I could hardly believe it. There was no way I thought they’d actually follow through with this ludicrous suggestion. I figured they’d be duking it out, for real, about right now.

  “No rules?” I asked, not wanting to be backed into a corner by either of them.

  “No rules,” Jett said, moving closer and capturing me by the hand. He dragged me against him and his mouth descended to mine in a crushing, needy kiss. I was stiff in his grasp as I felt Seth move behind me, his hand brushing my hair away from neck as he bent to kiss me there, sucking lightly.

  Heat exploded through me, and I went weak in the knees, feeling like I was going to pass out.

  Holy hell, what have I done? The weight of my decision settled heavily on me. Had I somehow just agreed to be part of a threesome, of sorts? Who did stuff like that? I started to tremble, both from fear and from what they were doing to me with their lips.

  Oh, if my dad could see me now, I’d never see the light of day, again.