3. Ethan

Chapter 3

Ethan

Someone dabs at my forehead, and I fight my way to consciousness. The fast beat of wings buzzes in my ears. So familiar . Sharp pain rattles around in my head like I’m a pinball machine. A moan escapes my lips and I chew on my cheek, trying to keep the sounds at bay. My eyes refuse to open, the dream still too tempting.

That beautiful demon, with horns gleaming in the sunlight, grins at me. Their mouth moves, but I can’t hear them. Why can’t I hear them? They’re telling me something and smirks, then turns and disappears.

“Don’t go!” I gasp awake, reaching for the demon.

“Oh, thank fuck,” Florence says beside me. They keep dabbing at my forehead with a cool cloth. Tears fill their big blue eyes. “I thought we lost you a few times.”

Vi, my hummingbird familiar, buzzes into my vision, wings flapping frantically. Waves of sadness flow from her tiny body. Even her iridescent violet chest feathers are dull compared to usual. I’d done that to her. Our connection had to have been weak as I fought off the magic trying to drag me down and destroy me.

I grab Flo’s hand and press a kiss to their knuckles. “Sorry I scared you both.”

Vi titters and her tiny head wiggles as she sasses me in her own way. I’m glad I had her off on a task and not in the classroom at the time of the disaster.

Flo laughs and shakes their head. “We should have known better. You’re too stubborn to let memories steal you away.”

“I’m not so sure.” I squeeze their hand and let them go. “This demon from my dreams. I need to find them. They know something.” And until this moment, I truly thought they could have been a figment of my imagination. But since they came while I was under the influence of cavenlock hallowroot, I know they’re real.

Cavenlock hallowroot digs in and tries to tear you apart with your memories and negative thoughts. This time all I had was dreams of that demon, but I wanted to follow them into darkness where it’s just the two of us. I wasn’t dosed enough to cause real damage, just try to scare me and it didn’t work this time.

“Sounds like a birthday mission.” Flo wiggles their brows.

I push up to my elbows. “I’ve been working on the next version of?—”

“Lie down.” Florence gently pushes me back into the pillow. “You’ll probably still have nightmares for a few nights.”

“I don’t think I had any . They were all dreams of the demon.”

“All of them?” Flo’s eyes grow big. “How? Last time you got dosed, you had nightmares for three weeks.”

I suck in a breath. “How long was I out this time?”

Flo nibbles their bottom lip. “Finals are tomorrow.”

I stare at the ceiling and pick at the sheet below me. “I was out that long?”

“Yeah, and get this. Cordia expelled Lettie and Kayla, then bound their magic for five years. They wouldn’t say who hired them to rig Tanner’s potion, and that was the best she could do without bringing in the council. She doesn’t want anyone to know what happened. She even sealed their tongues to keep them from speaking about it.”

I sigh and scrub at my face. “What a shit show everything is this year.”

“Understatement of the month.” Florence’s lips tip to a smirk.

October has been a mess. The closer it gets to our wedding at the end of November, the more unhinged the other covens get. They’re desperate for me to marry into either the Belladonna or Levona covens. They’re trying to scare us into breaking the arrangement. But if we’re forced to marry, we’d rather marry each other. Florence knows I’ll never touch them.

Florence smooths a hand over my forehead with a warm, wet cloth and I lean into their soft touch. Vi titters on the headboard as Squid, Florence’s squirrel familiar, dashes into the room from the hallway and scuttles up their shoulder. Squid is a plump gray squirrel with the bushiest tail I’ve ever seen.

We’re our own little family, just the four of us, Florence, Squid, Vi, and me.

I finally take in my surroundings. The old blue gray wallpaper with lines of roses tells me I’m in my former bedroom of my grandmother’s mansion instead of my studio apartment on campus. My bed is still comfortable at least. The floral scent that seems to permeate every wall of the house starts to seep through my senses and I have to breathe through my mouth to get away from it.

“I might have a way to get out into Hex proper,” I whisper, not sure if my grandmother rigged surveillance in my room or not. She used to.

Florence leans their head closer. “Yeah? Last time…” They look away from me and wring the wash cloth.

“The cloaking crystals didn’t work because they just cloaked our physical bodies. Knowing that, I think the perimeter spells are linked to our essence.”

“We can’t change our essence. It’s who we are.”

“True, but we can mask it.”

The telltale clip of my grandmother’s heels comes from the hallway. I shut my eyes and settle into the bed, acting like I’m still asleep. The door creaks open and the shuffle of her long skirt fills the room as she makes her way to me. Her bracelets jangle as she lifts a warm hand to press against my cheek when she leans in and softly kisses my forehead.

“Still not awake?” she asks.

“Not yet,” Florence sighs and dabs at my skin.

“My poor sweet grandbaby,” grandmother murmurs. “I came to tell you I won’t be able to come in tonight. I called a meeting of the covens and the only time everyone can meet is tonight. Do you mind staying?” She squeezes my hand.

“Not at all.” Another dab to my cheek.

“Thank you. I should be able to relieve you in the morning.”

“It’s my pleasure.”

Grandmother’s skirts swish as she turns and leaves the room, snicking the door shut behind her. I push back to my elbows and grin at my best friend. I couldn’t have planned the meeting better myself.

Florence leans in. “How do we mask our very essence?”

I look around and my grin grows wider. “We play dress up.”

Florence cocks a brow. “Wearing your grandmother’s clothes?—”

“We shower, dress in something we don’t own, infuse a crystal with that essence, and we should be good. It’ll confuse the perimeter spells at the very least.”

“It’s risky. When I said we should go to the party, I just meant you could ask Cordia for a day pass for your birthday.”

I shrug. “We could do that. I’m sure it’d be a hard sell, especially after…” I wave my hand over myself. “The poisoning.”

She snorts. “We’re not calling it that.”

“The disaster.”

“You are so dramatic, Ethan.”

“You have met my grandmother.” That woman has the flare for dramatics, and she raised me since I was ten. We both snort.

Florence squeezes my hand. “Okay, but you still need rest. You just woke up.”

“I feel fine. And I really need a shower. Do you smell me?” I wave my hand over to them and they just shake their head.

“Your grandmother has been here just as much as I have. She’s worried about you.”

“Of course she is,” I mumble as I sit up all the way.

Florence hands me a water bottle and I drink, not realizing how dry my mouth is.

“Not too much.” They pat my hand, and I set the bottle on the nightstand beside me.

I love my grandmother, I truly do. But there’s something I’ve never told Florence. The reason I’m so damn stupidly powerful and why I need to be married or otherwise bound to someone before I turn twenty-five. And I’m not sure I can forgive my grandmother for it.

“I want to test my theory.”

“Tonight?”

“Yep.” I push off the bed and strip off my shirt at the same time. “That way we know now if it works and we can enjoy my birthday even more.”

“And how will we sneak out for your birthday?”

“We’ll create a distraction at the university.”

“So you’ve thought of everything.” Florence grins as they follow me down the hall.

“Of course.” I wink as I slide into the bathroom.

Ethan—Age 9

“What do you mean, I have to marry a girl?” I ask.

“You like Florence, right?” Memaw says as she pushes me towards the dining room.

“Yeah.” I dig my heels into the carpet, trying to stop.

“Ethan, my sweet grandbaby, please cooperate.”

“Why?” I cross my arms and pout. I just wanna go play in the rain, but papa says playing in the rain is bad.

“Because I gave up everything to give you power. The least you can do is what I ask.” Memaw smooths down my collar and I drop my arms.

“How long do I have to be married to a girl for because I like someone else more? A lot more.” But I keep quiet that it’s my friend Liam. Papa didn’t like it when I said I wanted to cuddle Superman because he looks cuddly. I don’t think he likes that I like boys instead of girls.

“Sweetie, you have to marry Florence forever. You have to have lots of little babies too.”

“Ew. I don’t like babies.”

“You’re practically still a baby yourself, Ethan. Come on. It’s not so bad to marry someone you don’t love.” Memaw tugs my hand, and I don’t wanna go. Tears well in my eyes.

“I do love Florence. She’s my bestest best friend in the whole wide world.”

“See, it’s a good match.” Memaw pats my cheek and my hands fist.

“No! Florry wants a pet dog and to live in the forest. I don’t even want a pet. I want my books and that’s it.” I stomp my foot.

Memaw rears to face me again, and her face is scrunched in her angry look that scares me. “Listen here. I gave up my soul years before you were born, just to have a grandchild that was stronger than either of my idiot sons. I will not let you squander that sacrifice nor end the Speller line. You will marry Florence and you will produce heirs. Spellers will rule the tri-state covens for generations to come and it starts with you.” Her grip on my hand tightens, and she drags me to the dining room.

“No. Let me go!”

“Ethan!” Florence runs to us and embraces me. She’s two years older than I am, but we’ve been inseparable since we’ve met. “I don’t want to marry you.” Tears stream down her face. “I don’t wanna marry anyone. But if I must, then I’m glad it’s you.”

“Good riddance. The two of you always bring drama into everything, don’t you?” Florence’s dad says behind her.

“Maybe,” Florence says as she releases me and turns towards the man. “If you let us have any choice in our lives, it’d be different. But you both want power.”

I squeeze her hand. “I’ll find a way out of this and you can’t stop me.”

“Exactly. We won’t cooperate.”

Her dad pinches the bridge of his nose. “You two are ridiculous. We’re having the formal announcement in the coven papers this weekend. And we’ll have a formal engagement party when you’re older. If you’re not on your best behaviors until then, you’ll be sorry.”

Florence rolls her eyes. “Oh, I’m so scared.”

We both stick out our tongues, but Memaw snaps and our tongues stay that way. My heart pounds and I don’t want to be a brat anymore.

“They’ll stay that way until you decide to have some manners.”

Florence’s eyes go wide and she shakes her head. “I’ll be good,” she tries to say, but it’s jumbled because of her tongue.

“Good. And you?” Memaw turns to me. My shoulders drop and I agree to be agreeable for the moment.