Coven - Book I

☆ 15

☆ fifteen
(photo of Alec's diadem)

"Here," Alec said. Chloe felt her cheeks flame up when he handed her his own diadem, the solid gold band heavy in her hands. His was beautifully decorated; the red crystal shone brightly in the moonlight, and she turned it in her hands to look at the engravings. It had small, rose gold stars scattered across it to form constellations. "The last person to receive their diadem does the honors for the head of the circle." His words were spoken low, like he was giving his undivided attention to her, and Chloe's heard thudded in her chest as she raised she circlet and set it on top of his head. His dark, unruly hair brushed her fingers, and his golden eyes sparkled at her. Chloe felt her breath hitch in her throat as they locked eyes. It felt like nobody breathed for a second, and then Meredith cleared her throat, effectively ending the moment. "Say his name, dumbass," She breathed. She was standing at least five feet away, yet her whisper carried over the wind into Chloe's ears. She hastily pulled her hands away from Alec's hair and mumbled, "Alec Blackwell." He pursed his lips the moment she moved away. He quickly turned and pushed through the water back to the center of the circle. Chloe took a moment to look around at everyone; she was awestruck by the pure sight of them. Even though most of them were watching Alec, there were proud smiles gracing their faces and the diadems seemed to glow in the moonlight. "Tonight we worship Hecate, the mother of magic and witchcraft. We ask the moon to witness our full Coven." Rose produced a silver dagger from some pocket on her cargo shorts, handing it to Alec. He held it in the air before turning toward Nick. "South, for water. East, for wind. West, for earth. North, for fire." Chloe gasped in astonishment. As he called water, the waves began to ripple beneath them. The wind picked up, but it was a warm gust, reminding her of summer heat and freshly mowed grass. Speaking of grass. . . Her toes tickled. Chloe glanced down just like everyone else was doing, and grinned excitedly. Instead of standing on the soft sand, a ring of grass was inside the circle, cushioning their feet. Everyone was giggling. Even Nick was smiling. Heat blazed around them and Chloe's whole world seemed perfect and at ease. She was in the water, going for a swim on a very hot day. The cool blue of the ocean was illuminated through her eyes, even though it must've been just past one in the morning. So this was what a group of witches could do. "The Goddess has acknowledged us as a full coven. She's honoring us." Even Alec, who was stone-faced ninety percent of the time, was awestruck. Chloe couldn't believe this was all because of her. All because she'd joined them, they were able to experience this amazing feeling. She almost couldn't believe she'd almost said no. She was filled with a warmth that seemed to seep from every pore; every joint in her body was graceful, and she felt like she could run a marathon without breaking a sweat. So this is what it's like to be a witch. I'm a witch. The thoughts coursed through her head quickly. "Thank you for recognizing us as your daughters and sons, Mother Hecate." Alec's teeth gleamed in the moonlight as he grinned with his head tilted toward the sky. His forehead puckered for a moment while the rest of the coven waited for him; his hands were splayed out, palms up, as he mumbled into the air around them. Then he smiled once more. "Black Wisteria," he said, louder. Rose nodded the moment the words left his lips. "Close friendship. It's perfect," Eden shook the hands of the members on either side of her and grinned. "As your group of faithful witches, we would like you to grant us permission to become a true coven. We will abide to the name Black Wisteria, for close friendship. No kinship can compare to that of two witches." Suddenly everything stopped. The light that glowed from the water dissipated and left them in black, and suddenly Chloe's toes were digging into sand and she was shivering in her cotton pajama shorts. "It worked!" Dean cheered. "In the name of Hecate, I close this circle." Alec pointed the dagger once more in the compass points, bidding the elements good-bye. Everyone dropped their hands, most members grimacing at the sweaty feeling and either rubbing them off on their clothes or sticking them in the ocean. Chloe let her fingers linger in the water a moment before wading back to shore. Water dripped off her knees as she hastily pulled her sneakers back on, stuffing her socks in her bag. Nick strolled toward her from the other side, Vans held loosely in one hand. "Ready to go?" He asked. She nodded tiredly. Being a witch really was something.

The lights remained off inside Chloe's house as Nick's motorcycle pulled up a few houses down. She was praying to Hecate that her father hadn't noticed her absence when she stopped and began to giggle. She'd only known she was a witch for a few weeks and already she was speaking like she'd been one her entire life. Well, you have been. You just didn't know about it, she reminded herself. Nick pulled his black helmet off and craned his neck to look at her. "Something funny, Clo?" Chloe blinked at him. Clo? Where had that come from? Nick's tousled hair and lazy, green eyes probed at her, as if asking her permission to give her a nickname. Chloe felt her insides distinctly turn to mush, but she was too busy staring back into his eyes. They were silvery green, almost like a jungle cat. Nick was sleek and dangerous, yet she knew he'd never hurt her. With a shaky hand, she reached up and brushed a strand of silvery hair out of his eye. Her other hand gripped her motorcycle helmet almost frantically; it felt like she'd be in a different world if she didn't hold onto something. "Chloe. . ." His voice was hoarse. Chloe didn't dare blink. She couldn't even if she wanted to; and she really didn't want to. His hand touched her cheek briefly before sliding into her hair. Butterflies bounced off the walls of her tummy. And then he was leaning in, and before Chloe could even breathe, his lips were pressed to hers.