Coven (11 page)

“Hmmm. Our family has worked with small
numbers my whole life—just the three of us. Occasionally we would
join in with my parents’ old coven for big events and holiday
celebrations, like Thanksgiving and Christmas.”

“Are you Christian witches?” Seth asked,
looking surprised.

I nodded. “Yeah, though we pretty much
believe there is truth in all religions, magic, and legends. I’ve
never really attended any spiritual services outside of our
personal worship, though. My dad has always been more of a commune
with nature versus a sit in a pew kind of guy.”

“I get that. My family has always leaned
more to the Pagan side of things, and the ancient old ways. There
are so many different sects of witchcraft, especially around here,
those who worship the Goddess, and those who don’t. Jett’s family
worships the God and Goddess and all the lesser deities. His dad is
also the leader of their coven. My family has always been more
matriarchal, with my mom being the high priestess.”

“Speaking of your family . . .
since you did just agree to be my boyfriend, I should probably get
to know more about them, don’t you think? We kind of did this all
backward.”

Laughing, Seth nodded. “We did, didn’t we?
What do you want to know? I’m an open book.”

Grinning I stared at him. “Sounds like a
book I really want to read.”

“Back atcha, hottie. Maybe you can keep me
on your bedside table, in case you get bored at night.”

The teacher chose that moment to walk in,
and I had to swallow back a burst of laughter. “I should give you
fair warning. If my dad ever caught you in my room, you’d spend the
rest of your life missing a certain appendage.”

I wasn’t sure if it was intentional or
simply a gut reaction, but his hand dropped to cover himself there.
“Well then, let’s abort that plan. You can be the book on
my
nightstand.”

Giggling softly, I shook my head. “That
would probably land you in the same boat. What about your parents?
Wouldn’t they be upset if you had a girl in your room?”

“No. My dad would probably high five me,
actually. He likes seeing his son do “manly” things like playing
sports and dragging females around by the hair.”

I snorted. “By the hair?”

“Yes. We’re very caveman-like at our house.
Hey, since we’re having dinner at your place, tonight, you should
come over and eat with us tomorrow night. You can meet my family,
too, and I’ll even show you my nightstand. You can try it on for
size.”

Bumping my shoulder into his, I laughed.
“That sounds fun. We can totally do that. If you survive tonight,
that is.”

“Is it going to be that bad? Does your dad
honestly hate me already?”

“I don’t think he hates you at all. I think
he simply is distrustful of guys, in general. My parents are very
. . . close . . . physically.”

“I should hope so,” Seth replied with a
laugh.

“No, I mean like, all the time. It’s like
they’re on their own island and forget that other people are
around. They’re really into each other, literally.”

“Okay, and what does that have to do with
me?”

“Well, putting it bluntly, my dad thinks all
guys just want to get in my pants, because that’s how he always
thinks about my mom.”

Seth glanced down at my jeans. “Sounds like
he’s a smart guy; and I agree, your pants are awesome. Designer? I
have to say they look a bit too feminine for my taste and
definitely too small. Yeah, I think your pants are safe from
me.”

Rolling my eyes, I giggled and leaned
closer. “I’ll be sure to tell my dad that. He’ll rest so much
easier.”

Seth stared at my lips, suddenly cupping my
chin and pulling me closer, briefly pressing his lips against mine
and I sighed as the tiny sparks fluttered through me.

“What was that for?” I asked, our lips still
merely a breath apart.

“Because I like you.” He pressed his lips
against mine again. “A lot,” he added afterward.

“I like that you like me ‘a lot’,” I
replied, leaning in to capture his lips this time.

“Mr. Masterson and Ms. Mangum, please save
it for later. Class, open your books to chapter two and let’s
discuss proper sentence structure.”

Seth and I broke apart, but as soon as our
books were open he slipped his hand into mine under the table.

I couldn’t help smiling. Things between us
were off to a good start and I was anxious to get to know him
better.

Chapter Ten

Lunch and practice weren’t too brutal,
actually. Jett invited me to sit by him at the restaurant, earning
me a hateful stare from Megan, but Seth made a big show of scooting
into the booth before me so he was next to Jett. Since everyone
else was around, the conversation never got awkward. Mostly
everyone was teasing Jett about my kicking his butt. I wanted to
tell them that he’d thrown the fight, but I knew that could cause
problems for people who’d bet on him, so I kept my mouth shut.

Cheer practice went well after school and
I’d even stayed after an extra hour to work with Stephanie.
Apparently my years of dance lessons were paying off because I
seemed to be grasping everything fairly easily.

Glancing at the clock on my desk, I wrapped
my towel tighter around me and made my way over to the closet,
hoping to find something that looked incredibly amazing without
seeming too fancy or like I was trying too hard. My parents would
catch onto that immediately and I’d never hear the end of it.

The “incredible” outfit ended up being a
pair of designer jeans and a form fitted pink tee that showed off
my curves. Next, I carefully did my makeup and styled my hair in
loose waves before bounding down the stairs to the kitchen.

“Don’t you look nice?” my mom said,
smiling.

“Thanks. What can I help with?”

“I’m just finishing up with the food. If
you’d like to set the table, that would be great.

Feeling pretty awesome, I snapped my fingers
and the silverware drawer popped open. Quirking my index finger at
the eating utensils they raised from the drawer.

“Magic to set the table? I haven’t seen you
do that in a while,” Mom said.

“Do you think Seth would still want to date
me if he knew I had a whole Beauty and the Beast magical plate and
utensil routine like the Disney movie? I could be the floor show
for dinner.”

“I think the routine is cute. I loved when
you reenacted it for me when you were younger.”

“Sadly, I don’t think he’d be that
impressed, seeing how he’s a warlock and all. He could probably do
the same thing himself.”

“Maybe he already does!” my mom said in a
shocked sounding whisper and we both laughed.

“Actually, I think we’d be more likely to
catch my new friend, Frankie, doing it than Seth. Frankie is much
more flamboyant, although I’d pay to see Seth do something like
it.”

“You really like him, don’t you?” There was
a knowing look in Mom’s eyes.

I shrugged, trying to play it cool. “I
barely know him; but what I do know, I really like. He’s
considerate, and funny.” I glanced at her. “And a really good
kisser—but don’t tell Dad!”

“He’s kissed you already?” I couldn’t tell
if she was horrified or excited.

“Yeah, but it wasn’t really a planned thing.
He was kind of having a disagreement with his friend who sort of
likes me, too. I think he did it just to piss him off, initially;
but then it was just like . . . I don’t know
. . .
Wow!
It was really good.”

“No wonder you’ve been beaming. That’s your
first kiss, isn’t it?”

“Well, unlike Sleeping Beauty, I never
happened to come across a handsome prince while I was being hidden
in a cabin in the woods. So, yes.”

“Oh my goodness.” Mom’s hand fluttered to
her chest. “My little girl is growing up.”

“Little, my eye. I’m taller than you are,
Shorty.”

Mom laughed. “Barely, by like half an inch.
People probably don’t even notice.”

“They don’t,” I agreed. “All they see is how
gorgeous you are—and how young you look. Everyone thinks you’re my
sister. It’s the same with dad. And can I just say how gross it is
to have girls my age tell me how hot my dad is? Ew.”

Mom laughed. “Your dad is extremely good
looking. It’s hard for women not to notice. From the time I first
met your father, I was amazed at how women constantly ogled him. He
doesn’t even notice it, but I do.”

“I get it. I just don’t like it.”

“Well you should, because so many of your
wonderful traits come from him.”

“Yes, I will forever more be the queen of
the barbecue.” I briefly let a fireball dance in my hand before
extinguishing it.

Laughing, Mom shook her head. “Such high
ambitions.”

“Don’t you know it? So, how are you enjoying
your new job at the clinic?”

“I actually like it a lot. It’s different
than working shifts at a hospital, but I do like the hours much
better. It works out for me to be off work by the time you’re done
with cheer and whatnot. Plus, it’s fun to work in a pediatric
office.”

“You’ve always enjoyed children.”

“Yes, I have.”

“How come you and Dad never had more?”

Moving to rinse her hands in the sink, she
shrugged as she dried them on a towel. “I think we spent so much
time worrying about exposure after we had you—it concerned us that
we might have another baby who could potentially manifest powers at
such a young age. It’s hard to be out in public with a child who
keeps spontaneously bursting into flames. After you were in control
of your powers, then your dad became obsessed about teaching you
how to protect yourself. I guess no time seemed like a good time.
Why? Did you want a sibling?”

“I don’t know. Sometimes I think it would’ve
been nice to have someone closer to my age to hang around with. But
I love being with you and Dad. At least I do when the two of you
aren’t plastered all over each other—which is all the time.” I
rolled my eyes.

“What can I say? When it comes to sex, your
dad . . .”

“You can just stop right there,” I replied,
holding my palm out. “If you continue on with that sentence, I may
have to kill myself to cleanse my mind.”

Coming up beside me, she laughed and put her
arms around my shoulders, squeezing me to her. “I wasn’t going to
say anything that would scar you. Just that he’s really good.”

“Ugh, Mom. That’s plenty of scarring right
there and definitely more than I need to know.” I hugged her
back.

“You should be happy about that. All that
love created you.”

“By accident,” I added, knowing I was an
unplanned pregnancy.

“By accident or not, it doesn’t mean any
less love was used in your creation.”

Pulling away, I stared at her. “What was it
like to fall in love so young?”

Mom smiled. “It was both wonderful and
scary, and most certainly difficult at times. So many things were
going on.”

“If you had to do it all over again, would
you?”

“In a heartbeat. That’s what your dad
doesn’t understand. He feels he failed me somehow, that he took
away my life. He doesn’t realize that it’s because of him I have a
life worth living. He’s everything to me—my world—both of you. I
will always be perfectly happy as long as I have the two of you.
Vance mistakenly believes he owes me something—that he still needs
to atone for past sins. I disagree. Yes, we had some really tough
times, but we stood by each other and made it through. That’s all
that matters—that through everything that was thrown at us, our
love for each other never died. I don’t get how he doesn’t see
that.”

“Mom, I know you used to have a mental
connection with him, like he does with me. You should know, there
are times he lets his guard down—times I hear the thoughts he
thinks about you.”

“And what do you hear?” she asked, staring
softly into my eyes.

“Let me put it this way . . .
someday I hope a man will love me like that. He misses you, Mom—the
whole you, I mean. Guilt eats at him to the core. He hates that he
led you down a road that eventually resulted in the loss of your
magic. The feeling that was between you—that bond, both magical and
mental—healed something inside him. When he lost that connection
with you, he felt like he lost his stability.”

“Why has he never shared this with me?”

“Because he doesn’t know how to repair it,
and he doesn’t want you to think you’re somehow “less” in his eyes.
He still loves you as much as ever, but this wound inside him has
never healed and the pain of it only grows stronger. He loves you,
Mom . . . all of you. And wants you back—just the way you
were. I don’t think he can rest until he finds a way to make that
happen.”

Tears welled in her eyes. “I don’t want him
to hurt, Kenna. I want him to be at peace. The poor man has hardly
known a moment of calm in his life since he went on the run with
your grandma, Krista. I just want him to be happy—truly happy.”

“Then encourage him in finding a way to
reintroduce your magic to you. You know he would never risk
anything that would bring your demonic attributes back to the
surface. Plus, I think it would be fun to get to know my mother,
the witch.”

“I’ve always been a witch, just not one with
powers.”

“I know, but I want to actually practice
with you. Wouldn’t that be fun?”

Smiling, she hugged me again. “I think it
would be.”

~~~

“Dinner was delicious, Mrs. Mangum. Thank
you,” Seth said politely, folding his napkin and dropping it beside
his plate.

“Please, Seth, call us both by our first
names, Vance and Portia. We aren’t very formal around here.”

Seth cast a semi-nervous glance at my dad
who, in turn, was shooting daggers at my mom. She was obviously
unaware that Dad had insisted on being called Mr. Mangum. It was
hard not to laugh.