The Coven Read Free Page B

my mom that I’m a blood witch, so she must be, and my dad, and my sister. They said no, it wasn’t true. So I ran downstairs to see my birth certificate, and it had another woman’s name—not my mother’s.”
    I started crying again, even though I was embarrassed to have him see me like this. He pulled me closer and held my head to his shoulder. It was so comforting that I stopped crying again almost immediately.
    “That’s a hard way to find out.” He kissed my temple, and a tiny shiver of pleasure raced up my spine. It’s a miracle, I thought: He still loves me, even today. It wasn’t a dream.
    He pulled back, and we looked at each other in the hazy light. I couldn’t get over how beautiful he was. His skin was smooth and tan, even in November. His hair was thick beneath my fingers, dark and streaked with warm shades the color of walnuts. His eyes were surrounded by blunt, black lashes, with irises of a gold so fiery, they almost seemed to radiate heat.
    I felt self-conscious as I realized he was examining me the same way I examined him. A tiny smile quirked the corner of his lips. “Left in a hurry, did you?”
    That was when I realized I was still in my oversize football jersey and an ancient pair of my dad’s long johns, complete with flap in front. A large pair of brown, furry bear-feet slippers were on my feet. Cal reached down and tickled their claws. I thought about the silky matching outfits that Bree wears to sleep in, and with a pang and an indrawn breath I remembered she’d told me that she and Cal had gone to bed. I searched his eyes, wondering if it was true, wondering if I could bear knowing for sure.
    But he was here now.With me.
    “You’re the best thing I’ve seen all morning,” Cal said softly, stroking my arm. “I’m glad you called me. I missed you last night, after I went home.”
    I looked down, thinking of him lying in his big, romantic bed, with curtains fluttering and candles flickering all around. He had been thinking of me as he lay there.
    “Listen—how did you know how to call me? Did you read about it in a book?”
    “No,” I said, thinking back.“I don’t think so. I was just sitting here, miserable, and I thought if you were here, I’d feel better, and then this little rhyme came into my head, so I said it.”
    “Huh,” Cal said thoughtfully.
    “Was I not supposed to?” I asked, confused. “Sometimes things just come into my head like that.”
    “No, it’s okay,” said Cal. “It just means you’re strong. You have ancestral memories of spells. Not every witch does.” He nodded, thinking.
    “So tell me more,” he said. “Your parents never told you about this before, your being adopted?” He kept his arm on the back of the seat, smoothing my hair and rubbing my neck.
    “No.” I shook my head. “Never. And you’d think they would have—I’m so different from them.”
    Cal cocked his head, looking at me. “I’ve never met your folks,” he said. “But you don’t look much like your sister; that’s true. Mary K. looks sweet.” He smiled. “She’s pretty.”
    A hot jealousy started to burn in my chest.
    “You don’t look sweet,” Cal went on. “You look serious. Deep. Like you’re thinking. And you’re more striking than pretty.You’re the kind of girl that you don’t notice is beautiful until you get real close.” His voice trailed off, and he brought his head closer to mine. “And then all of a sudden it hits you,” he whispered.“And you think, Goddess, make her mine.”
    His lips touched mine again, and my thoughts whirled. I wrapped my arms around Cal’s shoulders and kissed him as deeply as I knew how, pulling him closer. All I wanted was to be with him, to never be apart.
    Minutes passed in which I heard only our breathing, our lips coming together and parting, the crinkle of the vinyl seat as we moved to be closer. Soon Cal was lying on top of me, his weight pressing me into the seat. His hand was stroking up and down my