Will of the Witch [Legacy, BK 2 - Completed]

Chapter 12.2

John

I glanced over our group as the lights from Ezra's power flashed with the opening of the portal. Hunter took my hand and I looked into his worried eyes. Even though we'd spoken most of the night about my power and what it would mean about my future, we were both still unsure about what we both wanted out of life and relationships. We weren't perfect. We weren't a match made in heaven, but we had come to one solid agreement. That whatever we faced, we'd face together as long as we were both willing to work this spark that burned between us.

"Come on," Hunter said. "It's our turn."

He tugged on my hand, and together we followed Anissa and Tessa through the portal.

The trip was the same rush, twist, and quick turn of vertigo I was starting to have a love-hate relationship with. But a mere moment later, I stepped free of the other side, and into the slightly cooler, dry heat of the Texas air. Avery's family had sold their horse ranch after Nathan had kidnapped Thea and it'd become clear that Liam was working with him. The Manser's new house was in a more suburban area that Avery said her mother hated and Ezra had opened the portal right in the middle of their backyard.

Hunter and I moved out of the way quickly so that Benji and Kaylee wouldn't run into us.

"This house is insane," Hunter said, looking at the backside of the Mansor's place. We might have been in the suburbs, but there wasn't a lot lacking with the house or the expansive space between the houses of the 'neighborhood'.

The backslider to the living room opened and Ezra's dad was the first to step outside to greet us, but the others weren't far behind him. I stood off to the side awkwardly with Hunter as the family reunion took place.

"How are you feeling?"

I turned to find Thea sitting at a patio set. She had a blanket wrapped around her shoulders and a book on the table as if she'd been reading by the light of the full moon overhead.

"I'm better," I said, hesitated to lie to the younger girl because she'd see right through it in a heartbeat.

Thea stood quickly, pulling the blanket with her, and came over to throw her arms around me in a tight hug. "I'm so sorry."

Hunter looked at me with confusion, but I focused on Thea first. "That's no something that you have to be sorry for, Thea,"

"You weren't the one to hurt him," Hunter added.

Thea shook her head against my chest.

A slow dread filled my heart. "Did you see something?"

She was still a moment, then nodded. Pulling away from me, she wrapped her arms and the blanket around her tighter. "I'm not supposed to tell people about what I see, especially deaths, but,-"

I held my hand up to stop her. I'd been through hell these last few weeks. More so than I'd ever thought I'd have to go through. I did not need to know that it wasn't about to get better any time soon. "Don't tell me, Thea, I really don't want to know."

A tear escaped down her cheek, and she closed her eyes. "Okay."

Trying to think of something to distract her from whatever she'd seen, I caught sight of Benji and Kaylee standing on the outskirts of the group and motioned to them. "I want you to meet someone,"

Thea's eyes shifted over to Benji and Kaylee as they came up to us, but it was Kaylee that caught her attention and held it.

"Thea, I want you to meet Kaylee and her dad, Benji. And, " I took Hunter's hand into my own, pulling him closer. "This is Hunter."

I could have been speaking another language, Thea wasn't paying me any attention at all. She and Kaylee were solely focused on one another. I shared a look with Benji and Hunter, not entirely sure what was going on until aI felt a spark of energy between the two girls.

Focusing on the power between them, I found that I could see it all clearly. It was like looking at two sides of the same coin. Kaylee's witch's power and Thea's Necromancy.

It was all the same.

It really was the exact same thing. All that was different was how the individuals used and tapped into it.

Silence stretched on between us until I realized that it wasn't just the five of us staring at each other. We had everybody else's attention as well.

Ezra and Avery came over, Avery reaching out to touch her sister. The contact seemed to startle Thea and break whatever trance had taken over the two girls.

"Are you okay?" Avery asked.

Thea nodded without looking away from Kaylee. "Do you want to come inside?"

"That's probably a good idea, we don't want to attract attention out here." Ezra's dad said.

Everyone started to move inside, but Hunter hung back, pulling out his phone.

"I'm going to call my Dad. Just to let him know that I'm ok."

My heart stopped, even though I smiled and gave him a nod before following everyone else into the house. I didn't want to be jealous of the fact that he still had a connection to his family.

Ezra's mother fussed over me as soon as I got in the door, insisting on asking me a million questions at once about how I was feeling and if I was better. William clapped me on my shoulder as I'd seen him do with Ezra all summer.

Looking around as everyone gathered in the Manser's kitchen and open living room, I realized something. That even if I didn't speak to my parents or sisters again, Poe was right. I still had a family. 

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Hi friends! Hopefully, this update isn't too rough. It's been a hard week here. 

I will be LIVE on my Youtube Channel Sunday at 1:00 pm EST if anyone is interested in hanging out.  I like to talk about what I've accomplished writing-wise over the week and would like to answer any questions you have about my stories! 

Hope to see you there!