Twisted Magic (Book 2 of the Ink Series)

Panic

I was sandwiched between Slade and Audrey. Not the place I wanted to be in. Even with the circumstances I couldn't help but wonder about their relationship, I knew Audrey's feelings toward Slade, she made them very clear all the time.

But the idea Slade enjoyed being around Audrey was hard to believe. Audrey was everything Slade seemed to hate. She was obnoxious, territorial and demanding—not to mention a psycho.

Audrey and Slade came to a stop in the sand. The dark lit beach coupled with the music, and candles placed an eerie presence on everything. Soft chatter and laughter flowed toward us as we watched the large crowd. It didn't seem like the party was dying down anytime soon.

Slade kicked at the sand with the toe of his boot, "so what's your idea?"

Audrey ignored his inquiry and kept taking it all in. I stared at the large sign introducing the church to the citizens of Cherry. A family posed with bright and smiling faces smiled upon everything below. And the saying in a shiny gold scrawl read: We take the bad out of everything and make it good again.

I wasn't sure what it even meant, but I knew enough about churches to know that this wasn't one of them. It was a ploy to gain compassion. It was a way to get the entire town on their side.

"I'm going to go get a feel of things. You hang back with Hope." Audrey instructed not wasting any time. She hurried across the sand, fluffing her hair and smoothing down her white dress.

I glanced in Slade's direction. We were alone for once. However, I wasn't sure I wanted to talk. It was strange.

He let out an audible sigh watching Audrey. "Not the way I saw my night going down."

I scoffed. "I'm sorry to have ruined your rendezvous with Audrey." I crossed my arms looking at the water.

"Ouch, harsh words. Why don't you tell me how you really feel?" He laughed, amused with my sarcasm.

"I believe I already did. It seems you're the one that has the problem doing that." I snapped.

"We communicated just fine last summer." Slade turned, locking his eyes on me. I kept my eyes glued to the water.

"If sex is considered communication, sure, we communicated just fine." I sighed. The whole back and forth wasn't getting us anywhere. It was the perfect opportunity to get some answers.

"Sex was great," he said.

I could feel his eyes. I looked up fighting the smirk trying so hard to escape my lips. It sent a shiver down my spine to look at him.

"Do you really like her?" I asked. My voice came out a whisper. I just wanted him to be honest with me for once. It wasn't that I thought Slade was lying to me. It was more he was hiding a lot from me. And I didn't understand why.

Slade looked toward the sands for any sign of Audrey. And then he looked back at me. "I would think it was fucking obvious."

I raised an eyebrow in irritation. "You don't have to be so—

"No, I don't like her. I don't want anything to do with her." He grabbed me by the wrist. My eyes fell on his grip. My heart plunked about in my chest.

"Those weren't the words I expected to hear." I pursed my lips, closing my eyes trying to fight the overwhelming emotions ready to pour out of them. Slade touched my face.

"The last thing I wanted to do was lie to you all summer. But once again, another part of this coven comes along and screws everything up." Slade released his hold on me and concentrated on the party. Audrey still was nowhere in sight.

"We made it through Ezra." I shrugged; maybe there was a way to make it through Audrey too. I reached out and touched his shoulder. "Wouldn't it be better to try?"

Slade pulled away, "If only everything was as simple as you seem to think it is in your world. If Audrey wants something gone, she will get her way. I've been playing nice all summer to keep you safe. Maybe one day you will thank me and stop being so resentful."

I swallowed. "Don't you see how amazing you are?"

Slade shot me a confused look. "Did you hear anything I just said?"

I ignored his comment. "Nobody wants to let you go because they see your worth; they see how amazing you are. The only problem, all the people who want you are evil." I moved closer. "But I'm not. And you're not either."

"You don't know the first thing about me. You know what I let you see. What I was willing to tell you." Slade turned away from me as Audrey approached. He crossed his arms. "You're better off finding a way out of this mess. Nature boy seems to be more your style."

I bit my lip in anger. He knew nothing about my style. Or who was right for me. And it wasn't his job to tell me what to do next. "I saw everything. I know who the real Slade is. He's the guy who puts everyone else first before himself." I hurried to push the last word out before Audrey was close enough to overhear.

"Just like the night the coven changed all of you. I don't need to be saved. All I need is for you to be honest and tell me what you want."

Slade whirled around in an instant. He grabbed me by the shoulders; his finger's digging into my flesh. His lips close to mine, but his eyes were frantic. "I'll always want you," he said. He shoved me, sending me backwards into the sand.

Audrey giggled in pleasure at Slade's behavior. She brought her hand to her hip. "We need to get our hands on the mayor's kid."

My mouth dropped. "There's no way."

She stared down at me, giving me a pathetic grin. "There's always a way."

Slade grabbed me by the arm lifting me back up off the ground. He shoved me toward the party. I was confused.

"What are you doing?" I asked, begging Slade to stop tugging me toward the mess about to take place.

"You're going to lure him away from the party, let him know you are ready to come clean." Slade explained. "He's dying to hear it. They are all dying to hear someone say so."

Audrey nodded. "And we will do the rest."