The Dark Side of Family (The Dark Side, Book 1)

The Others

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Adrianna couldn't stop pacing. She was worried about Spencer - somehow, she knew something was going to go terribly wrong. All she could do was hope he didn't get himself killed trying to save that damn girl, Kylie. Adrianna still couldn't understand why he's always been so obsessed with her - sure, she's a fellow witch, and sure, she took a little longer to come into her powers than most of our kind do...but he'd never even met her before, for God's sake!

"Adrianna?" called a voice from outside. It was followed by a knock on the front door.

"Coming!" she shouted, jaw still clenched at the thought of her brother's psychological love affair with Kylie Ryan.

"Hey," Tyler said as she opened the door. He was leaning casually against the doorjamb while his girlfriend, Natalie, sat on the porch swing.

"Hey, Ty. Nat," she added, nodding towards the girl. "What are you two doing here?"

"Didn't Spence tell you? He invited us over. I told him not to forget," he said, rolling his eyes theatrically.

"No, he didn't tell me...he's not here."

"When will he be back?"

"I don't know. For all I know, he may never come back."

"What do you mean?" asked Natalie, her perpetually dazed expression finally turning to one of mild interest and severe confusion.

"He left a few hours ago. Kylie..." she said, trailing off.

Tyler's face darkened, Natalie's brows furrowed. "Who's Kylie?" she asked.

Natalie was fairly new to the coven, and while it irked Adrianna that she hadn't paid enough attention to catch the various discussions they'd had about Kylie, she couldn't exactly blame her. Chatter about witches or wizards expected to join the coven dies down a great deal for the first couple of months after a new member joins -- that was the case with Natalie. "She's a witch that Spencer has been keeping his eye on for a eighteen years. She's supposed to become one of our members."

"A natural-born member?" Natalie inquired, now genuinely curious.

"Yes," Adrianna said sourly. "There's been a huge controversy about her since the day she was born. Some people in the coven don't feel she should be allowed to join."

"Like you," Tyler said.

"Yes, Tyler. Like me."

"Why don't you think she should be allowed to join?" Natalie asked, perplexed. She was a pretty girl - petite and blonde - but not very quick-witted.

"I'll field this question, Adri," Tyler interjected. "You're biased."

"Fine," Adrianna grumbled, crossing her arms to show her displeasure. "I'd prefer you both come inside first, though."

"Good idea," Tyler said, grinning at her the way he had when they were teenagers. It still made her heart flutter.

"Okay, so. Tell me why people don't think she should be allowed to join, Ty," Natalie said once they were all seated around the kitchen table.

"Well - let me start here. Isaac was married to a woman named Raina. She was to be betrothed to the next leader of the coven - when Isaac took over, she became his future-bride. She was fifteen years younger than he was, and she didn't want to be married --  especially not to Isaac. She hated him with a passion."