The Coven

Solstice: Chapter 16

Lincoln was staring at her, as though his eyes were piercing her. Lilly gulped and moved her hands behind her back. He noticed and smiled, "Amazing how you got past the guards, that Mr. Avery had a moment on the dance floor."

Lilly nodded her head and wished she had some sort of hex bag to call for help. Why didn't she get a god damn hex bag?

Lincoln continued, "I have to ask why you're up here, Miss. Neace."

"Peeing." Lilly felt her face grow hot with embarrassment.

Lincoln raised an eyebrow, "Peeing?"

She had to keep going with it, "Yeah. Peeing in a toilet. The champagne went right through me so I had to empty my bladder, into a toilet, and yeah. Peeing." She smiled at him, "But then I got lost and I thought that because I went down stairs to the ball room maybe I had to go upstairs to get back."

"Well you were mistaken." He grinned and held out his hand to her, "Can I escort you back?"

Slowly Lilly took his arm and he lead her back down a series of hallways and through doors into the ball room. Everyone was dancing, talking and drinking like twenty minutes ago someone wasn't dragged out, probably yelling.

Lincoln stopped at the edge of the dance floor and turned to her, "Miss. Neace, I would be thrilled to have this dance with you." Without a word from her, he took her into the middle of the dance floor and twirled her.

Slowly he pulled her back in, placing his hand in hers and the other on her back. He was leading her in the middle of the group, not saying a word. People were watching, smiling and talking. Eventually people became bored with the hosts dance moves and went back to their dates and dancing.

"Miss. Neace I don't know what you and your Coven are doing but I urge you to stop."

She frowned, "Stop? Stop what? We're here to have fun at a ball."

She caught his eyes staring into her again, "You know what I am talking about. Now I don't know what you're up to but please, just trust me when-"

"You want to me trust you?" Her voice was a harsh whisper, "After everything that you have done to us? We're not doing anything-"

"Lilly please." There was a desperation in his voice she had never heard from him, he had also never called her by her name before, "Whatever it is you have gotten yourself into just know it is beyond you. Let me help you it's why I'm here."

"You're not here to help us, you're here to stop us."

"Stop you from making mistakes." He inhaled deeply and looked around, "Look all around you Lilly, everyone from the Authority is here in Willow Creek. Why here?"

She shrugged, "Because you're here."

"Yes. And why am I here?"

"To watch us." She rolled her eyes and tried to pull away from him but his grip on her was too tight, "I already know all of this what is your point?"

"My point is everyone is here for you and your Coven. Most of these people don't know your parentage and I want to keep it that way. Norah was always a person of interest, even as a child and we lost you right after you were born. Your Coven is already on the Authority's radar, add in your secret and you're going to be disbanded."

Disbanded? They weren't the ones causing problems in their Coven, it was all Norah and whatever it was after them now. They were just innocent bystanders, how could Lincoln and the Authority want to disband them?

Lilly pulled away from him, staring back into his eyes with confidence she didn't know she had, "We haven't done anything wrong ever." Hopefully he will ignore the fact that Norah used her as a pawn to witness a bunch of murders in order for a dark spell to work, "We use our affinities to aid us in life just as you do."