The more immediate question for me was—what other witches were we going to get? Especially if we’ve been blacklisted. “We need two more witches for the spell. Where are we going to find them? Discuss,” I said, before shoving another bite in my mouth.
“I have a friend coming,” Shane said. “I wasn’t always welcomed at the covens, but I found one more open-minded coven that managed to stay on the light side of things. I met a guy there that—”
Adrian dropped his fork, cutting Shane off. “Excuse me,” Adrian said as he pushed his chair back to get up.
“It’s not like that. He’s just a friend.”
Adrian crossed his arms and I could almost see the fight he was having with himself.
Shane watched him, waiting for Adrian to say or do anything, but when Adrian stayed staring straight ahead, his shoulders crumpled. “Anyway. I was actually on my way back here. My friend—River—convinced me that running wasn’t doing any good. That I needed to reconnect with Claudia and the friends I’d made here.” He looked down for a second. “I was staying at a hotel in Austin, trying to get up the nerve to come back, when Adrian called.”
This caught Adrian’s attention, and I grinned. Maybe there was something good coming out of all this drama.
“You were?” Adrian asked softly.
“Yes.” There was a moment of quiet as the two stared at each other, before a knock sounded at the door. “This should be him.” Shane got up quickly, retreating from the room.
Adrian seemed calmer when he heard that Shane was already back in Texas. I didn’t want to assume that it was because Shane wanted to get back together with Adrian, but I was sure it had at least partially to do with their relationship. At last that’s what I was hoping.
Shane came back in with a guy trailing behind him. He had long hair, tied back in a messy bun. A few pieces had escaped it and he tucked them behind his ear as he checked out each of us. He was short, maybe only a few inches taller than me, and he was a little too thin for me. But then again, Dastien was pretty thick with muscle.
And that’s a bad thing?
No. It’s an amazing thing. Have you seen your abs?
He shook his hea
d at me, and I went back to my assessment of the witch. His heather gray T-shirt had holes along the collar and his jeans had a tear in them at the knee, but it looked like from actual wear and tear, not for style. Maybe it was the height and the lack of visible muscles, but something about him just didn’t scream that he was ready to take on one of the Evil Trinity and his army of demons.
He shoved the sleeves of his faded black hoodie up around his elbows, revealing some crystals tied on with thin pieces of leather around his wrists. “I hear you’re in need of a witch for some sort of a spell?” He asked.
“Riverdream?” Claudia said.
The guy scanned the room, and grinned brighter when he saw my cousin. “Claudia de Santos, right?”
She nodded.
“I just go by River now.”
Her chair screeched as she got up. “It’s been forever.”
“I know. That whole your-coven-is-evil thing?” He winced. “Not good. Huh?”
Claudia laughed as she gave him a big hug. “It’s good to see you.” She pulled back, but held on to his hand. “Do you want to sit? Are you hungry? It’s a long drive from Alabama.”
“Nah. I’m good. Been sitting too long.”
“Riverdream?” I asked as Claudia went back to her chair.
“River.” His gaze found mine and he didn’t look away, which I liked. I knew witches didn’t have dominance displays like werewolves did, so it had nothing to do with power. But I actually missed people looking me in the eyes.
River’s green eyes were bright as he took me in. “Thanks for coming,” I stood from my spot. “I hope we’re not putting you in a bad spot with your coven, though.”
“No worries on that. My coven is a bit more progressive than others. Our magic is subtle and nature-based, and we don’t mind sharing our stuff with outsiders. Plus, you’ve caused quite the stir in the witch community. It’s nice to meet you, Teresa McCaide.” He held out his hand and I took it.
“Tessa. Tessa Laurent,” I said, correcting him. The sound of saying my name—my new name—gave me a zing of energy in my soul.
River’s palm was rough, but he had a firm handshake and his gaze never left mine, which meant he was confident in who he was. A glimmer of light caught my eye. One of the crystals on River’s wrist was glowing.