Something Witchy This Way Comes (40 page)

“Yes, Your Highness. I’m instructed to remind you that you have someone waiting to see you. But your grandmother has ordered that you replenish yourself first.” Joshua thrust the tray at me. “The sooner you eat, the sooner you can reunite with your sister.”

Zoe. My stomach jolted in anticipation. I couldn’t wait to see her. “Thank you.” I nodded and relieved him of the food, then sat to eat, with Chait and Hayden forever shadowing me. “Are you guys my bodyguards now or what?” I asked, sampling the entrée.

Chait kneeled in front of me. “That’s a serious question?”

I frowned and took another bite of some of the best Mexican food I’d ever eaten.

“You bumped off the enemy — an extremely powerful man,” Chait said. “That makes you a target. From now on, anyone thinking of taking over knows they’ll have to contend with you.” He exchanged looks with Hayden. “Not to mention, if anything happens to Queen Jane, barring a successful hostile takeover, the throne probably falls to Zoe or you.”

“Thanks for that, Chait. Imagine me as ruler.” I shuddered.

“I can totally imagine it,” Hayden said.

My head snapped to him. He didn’t look like he was being sarcastic. “Well, I can’t. Besides, being a witch isn’t normally hereditary, so the throne wouldn’t be passed on that way. Kings or Queens in the sorcerer world rule by force.”

“Other than Jane, who’s more powerful than you?” Hayden asked.

I choked, dropping the fork on the tray. Just because I’d be a legal adult in a matter of weeks didn’t mean I
felt
like an adult. Maybe I could handle the job, maybe not. But what if I screwed up? I could barely raise Bree, much less keep thousands of witches in line. “Here, you guys finish it off. I’m far too queasy now.”

Chait chuckled. “C’mon, let’s go meet your sister.”

* * * *

My clever grandmother had checked into a hotel. I didn’t know how she snuck an unconscious girl into the room but she’d found a way.

“Who would’ve thought to look for the missing queen here?” Chait asked with a grin.

“Although renting out the most expensive suite isn’t exactly lying low.” Hayden pressed the Up button at the elevator and the doors opened.

Grandma smiled as she stepped inside and pushed the penthouse button. “Exactly. They’d never look for me here. Too obvious.”

I laid my hand over my chest. I was anxious to see my sister, but worried she wouldn’t remember everything. Would she be damaged? Would she still love me?

“Don’t be nervous.” Grandma held my hand. “She can’t wait to see you.”

I nodded, my eyes pooling.

“Bree’s already up there. I wanted to introduce Zoe to her little sister myself. I thought it would be nice for each of you to have your own time with your long-lost sister.”

“Thank you, Grandma.” I leaned toward her to kiss her on the cheek.

The elevator door opened. I spotted Zoe and gasped. Seeing her was like traveling back in time. Her years in the grave had left her looking the same as I remembered.

Her face lit up and she hastened toward us. I met her half way, burying my face in her shoulder, the world and everyone in it vanishing for that moment.

She winced. “Careful.”

“I’m so sorry.” I loosened my death-grip, remembering she was still fragile.

 “No, it’s okay. Totally worth it.” She smiled weakly, studying my face. “My little sister, all grown up.”

“You look exactly the same.” Most of the gray in her skin had been replaced by pink. She wasn’t all the way better, but she was alive and aware. I stroked her hair and tears leaked from my eyes. “I’ve missed you so much. I don’t want to think about what you’ve been through.”

Zoe winced, her eyes clouding over. “I-I can’t talk about
it.”

“Shh. You don’t have to.” I hugged her again, but more gently. I’d hoped she’d been unconscious with no memory of being trapped in the ground. One day, she’d want to tell me what happened and I’d listen. But a big part of me didn’t want to know what it was like being buried alive.

Zoe’s eyelids drooped and she swayed. My arm shot out to restore balance.

“You should sit,” I said.

“I’m fine. Look at you. It’s so weird to have you all of a sudden my age.” She smiled, her eyes glistening. “Don’t forget I’m still older than you.”

If her being older meant she was next in line to rule, that was fine by me. I gingerly leaned over and hugged her again, not caring if I looked over-the-top clingy. I felt another arm around my shoulder and an orange blossom scent tickled my nose. Another arm wrapped around my hip and with it came the scent of bubble gum. Bree. I picked her up and sandwiched her between us.

* * * *

With Boris dead, Jane’s need to live in secrecy abated. She rented an elegant Tuscan-style home big enough for her family and most trusted staff — with a few rooms leftover. It boasted, among other things, a pool, sprawling gardens and a guesthouse.

Grandma offered the guesthouse to Chait and Hayden in exchange for protection services. Chait accepted, but Hayden declined in favor of staying home to keep an eye on his mother. He wanted to make sure she made it through the divorce and that Sam didn’t try to hurt her. Hayden had missed being a real part of her life over the recent years and this was his chance to reconnect with her.

I opened a permanent post office box, so my parents could always contact us. It’s not as if I could ever give them our real address, since I lived with two people who were supposed to be dead.

Queen Jane gained control, but many of Boris’s men were still loyal to his cause. They couldn’t be set free to cause trouble later. I never knew what happened to the men we’d fought in the gym, whether they were tossed in a deep, dark dungeon or if they’d been killed. I didn’t want to know either.

Boris’s other followers were directionless. Over the next month, they came to us in droves and offered allegiance. Grandma insisted it was only temporary. Soon, in a week or a year, someone would replace Boris and the battle would resume. In the meantime, Bree, Zoe and I were under the protection of Queen Jane.

My parents, knowing I’d be eighteen soon, didn’t squawk over our leaving, even though my birthday hadn’t yet arrived. Then my birthday came and went without so much as a card from them, as if I’d never existed. They were probably relieved to be free of the bur
den and all reminders of the child they’d lost.

I didn’t tell them Zoe was alive. Even if I had, they couldn’t handle the fact that we looked the same age. For all intents and purposes, we
were
the same, because Zoe had been seventeen the day they’d buried her. She remained pale, her face drawn and tired, but seemed stronger with each passing day.

Bree had witnessed too much in Hayden’s gym and refused to sleep in the dark or alone. She’d grow out of it eventually, I hoped, and
want to sleep by herself. Until then, Zoe and I were perfectly happy to coddle and cuddle her. The king-sized bed provided ample room for all three of us. She’d only be five years old once.

During the day, we went everywhere accompanied by bodyguards, including school. I didn’t mind the extra eyes and ears watching out for us though sometimes I missed the old days when I came and went as I pleased. One day, someone like Boris would rise up and I’d be grateful as hell for the backup.

“Princess Tessa, I’ll walk you in.”

“Chait, I told you to quit calling me that.”

He chuckled. “You’re my Queen’s granddaughter and second in line to rule. You
are
a princess. Get used to it.” His face grew serious. “And after what you did, you earned the title.”

I rolled my eyes and exited the limo, automatically searching for Hayden. I hadn’t seen him in days — the longest I’d been without him since he’d begun working as Her Majesty’s personal trainer. It felt like a lifetime. God, I missed him. I ached for him.

And there he was. Hayden leaned against his car, watching me. My grandmother had assigned him two guards as well. He’d protested. Overruled. No way would she allow the boy who’d taken such good care of me — crashed through a window to save me, no less — to remain unprotected.

I smiled, overjoyed to see him, but did my best to hide my enthusiasm. Did I really want the guy who dumped me to know how much I needed and wanted him or that I thought about him almost every minute of every day?

No.

“How was your weekend?” I asked him, keeping my voice light.

“Why don’t I walk her in?” Hayden asked Chait.

“Sure,” Chait answered. “I’ll meet you here after school, Tessa.”

I nodded and glanced at Hayden. He looked like he itched to say something.

“I was wondering if you wanted to catch a movie Friday night,” he said once we’d created distance from Chait.

My mouth dropped open, legs halting mid-step. Why on earth would he want to go out with
me
? He’d been there and already dumped me. There had to be a catch. Maybe he wanted another chance to sleep with me. Or maybe he found the whole princess thing intriguing.

My eyes narrowed. “You must be still traumatized by the Boris battle and forgotten we were stuck together for a brief moment in time, not because you
wanted
to be with me. It’s over now and you can move on.”

 I resumed walking toward the building and he followed.

“I’m asking because I want to spend time with you.”

“You’re only talking to me, because you figure it’s easier if we’re getting along. We’re both freaks in this school, so maybe you feel a connection. Or you think you can beat your friends to sleeping with me. But they’re only interested because they thought
you
were. You weren’t and aren’t.”

“What if it’s real though? What if I’m asking you out because I
want
to?” Hayden asked.

He’d finally lost it. And once I walked away, he’d remember all the reasons he didn’t want to associate with a girl like me. I turned to go. “Get a grip.”

Hayden yanked my upper arm, dragging me back to face him. He swooped and my entire body sizzled when his lips touched mine. He plummeted, looted, stole while securing me firmly against him.

Sadly, the thought of resisting him never crossed my mind. I dug my fingers into his shoulders and clung to him. His grip tightened, his hand at my back almost lifting me up and molding me to him.

I don’t know how long we kissed. I’d lost track of time, lost track of everything.

He let go and I relinquished my hold. As his body slowly got further away, I became aware of what happened. I’d kissed him again.

And I liked it more than ever.

Damn. Without a word, I spun and raced to my class.

Chapter Thirty-nine

Hayden

Every time I looked at Tessa, I remembered how I’d given her up. How I lost her. We still had all the same classes together, which made her hard to avoid. For four weeks, I tried to forget her and failed — probably because I didn’t really want to.

She was a good sport, always ready with a smile. But that was Tessa — kind to everyone even if they didn’t deserve it. Deep down, it terrified me to think she thought I was a creep for forcing a kiss on her earlier. I shouldn’t have even asked her to the movies. It was stupid. It’s not like she would’ve thought I was sincere, not after my stellar performance that showed her what a parasite I was. Maybe once school was over, months from now when we saw each other less often, I’d eventually get over her.

Maybe not.

School had become brutal without her to talk to and laugh with. Even if I couldn’t have Tessa the way I wanted her, it was still easier being around her than not. At least I got to see her now and then, when I trained Queen Jane and a select few others part time. The queen had offered me a full-time position, which would throw Tessa and me together more often in the long term. I seriously considered saying yes.

Since I suggested to Brad and Skyler that they stop picking on little people and grow up, they seemed to have matured somewhat. Today, however, was not one of those days and they jabbered endlessly about girls. I doubted there were many who could plunge to their depths of crassness.

Me, on other hand… I couldn’t indulge in that sort of thing, especially about Tessa. I hadn’t been with anyone else nor did I want to be. I just wanted Tessa back. To the guys, I could act like she wasn’t worth talking to, but I knew the truth. She deserved better than any of us.

During lunch, I sat where I could watch her, thinking about the kiss I’d laid on her that morning.

“I heard some of the guys talking about Tessa,” Skyler began. “Apparently they’ve got a pool going to see who hooks up with her next. I’m going to put twenty on Joey. I think he’s got the best chance since he’s got that clean-cut thing going on.”

“They’re taking bets, huh?” I asked. “Well, do me a favor and spread the word — first guy that goes near Tessa is going to get his ass beat. Tessa is off limits to every guy in this school. Got it?” I patted Skyler on the back. “I saved you twenty bucks.”