“Sweet dreams,Jewels.”
“You,too,Anna.”
* * *
She should have called Dalton.From the minute they’d appeared in Jezebel’s shop, her mind was screaming at her to call him, but she didn’t. Now as she lay there with no distractions, she was able to dissect the reason behind heractions.
She knew if she called him he might figure out just how not okay she really was. She was able to fake it in front of the others, even Anna, but with him, she wouldn’t. He had the ability to rip her open because she longed for that connection with him. She wanted the intimacy of knowing his deepest thoughts and fears and of him knowing hers. But she couldn’t tell him this. She couldn’t tell him the darkness inside of her far outweighed what little lightwasleft.
As the night wore on and sleep continued to evade her, Jewel fought the whispers in her mind. She knew it was Volcan’s magic. She knew the magic spouted lies, or at least she hoped they were lies. Maybe they weren’t. Maybe if she did go out and do what the magic was put inside of her to do—make witches—she would find some relief from the relentless onslaught of darkness. She felt as though the sun had been turned off. One second it was there, and the next a switch had been flipped, and suddenly she found herself surrounded by the absence of light. Some might call it darkness but, honestly, the absence of light was more than just darkness. It was also the loss of one’s way. The absence of light removed the path that had been in front of her, and she only knew up from down because her feet were on the ground. Everything elsewaslost.
Without really making a conscious decision, which wasn’t odd considering that ninety percent of a person’s decisions are made by the subconscious mind, she sat up and turned to check that Anna wasasleep.
“Anna?” she whispered and then said it a little louder. When her friend didn’t stir, she stood up, slipped her shoes on, and flashed fromtheroom.
She pictured in her mind an alley and specified that it needed to be in New Orleans. When her feet were again on solid ground, she opened her eyes and looked around. It was definitely an alley based on the less-than-appealing smells and large dumpsters pushed up against the buildings. With the magic driving her, she moved quickly to the street and found what she was looking for. There were several bars along the strip. Jewel headed toward them with one goal in mind, to makewitches.
She walked into the first establishment she came to, and her eyes landed on a woman sitting at the far end of the bar. Jewel made eye contact with the woman and smiled. Her feet moved of their own accord as she held the woman’s stare. She was sure that Volcan’s magic was at work, though she wasn’t sure what it was doing. Jewel let it continue to take over, guiding her actions and even herwords.
“What if I told you I could give you power beyond your imagining?” Jewel whispered near the woman’s ear. “Any problems you might have now can be gone in the blink of an eye because you will have the power to fix them. If you’re interested, follow me.” She turned and headed toward the back of the bar, assuming there would be a rearentrance.
Jewel could feel the woman’s stare on her back and knew the lady was right behind her. When she stepped out into the back of yet another alley, she immediately turned and watched as the woman shut the doorbehindthem.
“Are you talking about some kind of new drug?” the womanasked.
Jewel laughed, and she noticed that it didn’t sound like her normal voice. The laugh was sultry and wicked. “Better than any drug.Yourname?”
“Connie.”
“Conniewhat?”
“ConnieJones.”
Jewel’s brow quirked. “How utterly plain,” she said. “Lucky for you I’m about to make you anything but plain.” Jewel took Connie’s hand. Using one of the sharp fingernails that instantly appeared on her own, she sliced the woman’s hand open, then did the same toherself.
“What the hell,” Connie said and started to pull herhandback.
Jewel held on tight and shushed her. “Trust me.” The words held a hint of magic that seemed to calm the woman. Jewel pressed their hands together and then began tospeak.
“Wind, Water, Earth,andFire,
Hear my voice, obey mydesire.
Welcome us withopenarms.
Teach us of power and ofcharms.
The craft has calledtous.
Fate haschosenus.
Now we come,embraceus.
Here we stand,protectus.
Fire, Earth, Water,andWind,
Pour your power deepwithin.
