Chapter 15

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

FRANKIE

"Trust me, we want to be fashionably late." Esther chuckled as she buckled her seatbelt in the passenger seat. "This way everyone else has settled in and will be chillin' by the time we get there. Then we can slip in unnoticed, and I can give you the tea on everyone before you meet them."

Archie leaned forward between the front seats. "Yeah, the last thing you want is everyone to arrive and see the new girl standing there. It'll be like a stream of awkward introductions."

We all shuddered.

Great, now I AM nervous. I wasn't before, not really.

"Archie sit back. It's not safe like this." Esther playfully swatted at him. "We're small, we have to be buckled in so we don't fly out if some jackass hits us."

"I appreciate that your default is to assume someone else would be hitting us and not that I'd be a bad driver." I winked at her as we rolled to a stop sign.

"Please, only someone with fast as fuck reflexes could handle Aaron and Jacob the way you did on the field. I'm not worried about you. Archie, on the other hand?—"

"I just want to hear what you're saying."

"I'll turn, see? This better?" Esther turned sideways in her seat. "Now we're all buckled and secure."

Archie chuckled and shook his head, but in the rearview I saw the sparkle in his eyes. "You're the mother of the group, you know that, right?"

"Someone has to be." She stuck her tongue out at him. "Also, I'm glad you're both introverts like me and shudder at the idea of a processional line of introductions."

I shuddered again at the mere idea of it. "So how late are we?"

"About fifteen minutes, but Birdie is gonna tell me when everyone else is there so we can arrive." Esther pointed to a gas station on our right. "Stop there?"

"Did we forget something? Were we supposed to bring stuff?"

"No, Jo and Madge are hosting this party, figuratively of course."

Esther wrinkled her nose. "Jo isn't always the most willing to bring junk food. And while I appreciate her European viewpoint on diet, at a beach bonfire, I want to eat like a toddler."

I laughed and pulled into the station. "Well, I'll go ahead and fill up while we're here if you guys wanna grab the snacks?"

"Sounds good."

My gas tank was on the passenger side, so I pulled up to the backside of the front pumps with a straight shot view of the store so I could keep an eye on them and they could watch for me. I frowned. Why am I so worried about this right now? I shook those intrusive thoughts away and looked up to the store. "Oh, it's a 7-Eleven? Noice. I need a big, giant Slurpee the size of my head."

Archie was already out of the car. "Shit, now I do too. Coke flavor, Franks?"

I smiled. Franks. Now three people called me that. But Archie and Esther were my favorites already in Tampa. There was just something about their energy that made me feel welcome and comfortable. "With a splash of cherry on top, if they have it."

"That sounds delicious," Esther grumbled. "Screw it, I need one too. Let's raid ‘em, Archibald."

"Ya know, the name is growing me lately," Archie mumbled as he walked away with Esther.

I chuckled and climbed out of the car with my credit card in hand. The tank was only half empty, but it made sense to go ahead and fill up while I was here. I locked my car behind me, then walked around to the pump. I was barely paying attention to the machine as I typed in my zip code because some creepy white dude with serial killer style aviator glasses from the ‘70s was headed right for me. His mustache was black but definitely had crumbs in his hair from the bag of Cheetos in his hand. I wasn't sure what was greasier: the sweat on his bald head or the few strands of black hair clinging to the side of his temples. He wore cargo pants and a white tank top with neon-orange fingerprint stains from where he'd rubbed his Cheeto fingers.

His bloodshot eyes were locked on me. When he licked his lips, my stomach rolled. I knew he was watching me. I knew he was going to approach me and say something. There was something about his aura that made me pull my cellphone out of my back pocket. That bat sticker was right there for me if I needed it. Creepy men were like wild big cats in the forest, make too quick of a movement and they were prone to strike. So, with quick but steady movements, I pulled the pump out of my tank and sat it back on the hook where it went. I didn't take my eyes off the creep, not even as I hit no receipt on the machine. I glanced quickly over to the store doors and spotted Esther and Archie hurrying toward me, both of their gazes locked on the creep, and despite the unease in my gut, this almost made me smile.

"Hey there, blue eyes." The creep stopped at the front of my car and leaned against it. A cold chill slid down my spine. There was no way I was moving closer to him to get into my car. I'd climb in the backseat if I had to. He ran his tongue over his top teeth, and his thoughts were practically written on his forehead. "You by yourself, pretty lady?"

"No, my boyfriend is here," I said without hesitation.

It was always my immediate answer. My fake boyfriend. I'd created a whole fake backstory and everything and practiced it so it felt natural. And that spoke volumes as to what it was like being a woman. I never felt safe. And after what happened on Halloween, I knew most friends couldn't be trusted either.

The creep gave me a sideways grin that sent a cold chill down my spine. "Where is he?"

I looked him dead in the eye and arched one eyebrow. "In the trunk," I said with my coldest voice possible, then stared at him like I wanted him to be my next victim.

The creep looked to the trunk, then back to me. I didn't take my eyes off of his. I stared without blinking. He frowned and looked to my trunk again, then back to me.

I tapped my fingers on my car. " Wanna see? " I whispered.

He scowled and then scurried away, glancing back at me like he wanted to make sure I wasn't following him. I kept my eyes on him until he got in his beat-up truck and sped off. Behind me, Esther and Archie cracked up laughing.

"Franks, that was iconic."Esther clapped her hands slowly, the bags of snacks hanging from her arms. "Impressive."

Archie held all three of our Slurpees so he just nodded with a grin. "That worked surprisingly well."

I pointed to my face "You've gotta have that crazy, deranged, raging bitch face that makes them think you might actually have a person in the trunk. Go full serial killer mode, scares the creeps away."

We all laughed and climbed back in the car to head to the beach. Esther flipped the mirror down and started practicing her serial killer faces. Archie was laughing so hard at her failed attempts that his whole face was red and his body shook.

"Oh, you think it's so funny?" Esther wiped tears out of her eyes and turned around to look at him. "Let's see your murder face, Arch?"

He was still trying to stop laughing long enough to make a serious face when I pulled into the beach parking lot. They were both laughing so hard they made no sound except for the occasional hiss or snort, so I parked and took the moment with them distracted to survey the situation in front of me. The parking lot was full, and I took relief in the fact that I recognized most of them from the school parking lot. I'd parked in the last spot on the front row so the only thing between us and the party were the dunes, and that was both good and bad. Good, because it meant no one on the beach could easily see the look of panic I knew was on my face. Bad, because it meant I couldn't easily see the faces of everyone on the beach. I turned the car off immediately and shut off the lights, but I knew our arrival hadn't gone unnoticed. Two beams of light streaking across a beach were gonna stand out. Shit, why did I park in the front?

"Hey, existential crisis girl." Esther snapped her fingers in front of my face. "Breathe dude."

I took a deep breath, then let it out. "I'm fine. It's fine. We're all fine."

"You see the bonfire? Well, on the right side of that, sitting on a purple blanket, is our group. The people you met at lunch today. So, strap on a slightly less murderous expression than you gave that gas station creep and head straight for them. You'll see Rootbeer. She lays upside down on the sand and refuses to move unless Seamus calls her."

I frowned. "Is the beach another off-work zone for her?"

Archie snort-laughed. "Rootbeer is never off work. She's always listening. Always."

"Don't mistake her closed eyes and belly-up pose as distracted." Esther grinned and threw her door open. "Come on, you've got this. Everyone else is harmless, except for Aaron and Jacob."

I jumped out of the car and hurried over to Esther. She stepped over the foot-high wooden fence and headed into the valley of the dunes, then stopped to wait for us. I stopped beside her and turned just in time to watch Archie close my car door on his button-down shirt and then try to walk forward only to be yanked backwards. He didn't curse or yell out in pain as his spine hit the doorframe. He just sighed and hung his head. With a roll of his eyes, he pulled the door open and it slammed into his knees. He grimaced and grabbed his shirt, then slammed my car door closed.

Esther didn't laugh at him. Neither did I. Actually, I was starting to worry about just how clumsy he was. Perhaps he needed to ask a doctor about his equilibrium or something. He looked up at us and smirked as he shrugged his shoulder and stepped over the fence—his right foot caught the edge of the wood and he face-planted into the sand with a thud .

We both cursed and leapt toward him.

"I'm okay," he said with a laugh. "I've had worse."

I scowled. "I am worried about what happened to you in Eden, Archie. You keep saying I've had worse. "

He got to his feet, then brushed sand off his clothes. "I'm durable."

"Come on," Esther said with a chuckle. "Archie, take her other side so we're a barrier, and maybe they'll assume you're Madge or Jo."

"I'd be flattered." But I didn't resist when they flanked my sides, I appreciated the show of support, especially once we walked onto the beach and away from the privacy of the dunes. I didn't count but there seemed to be about two dozen people on the beach, which wasn't a lot, but it wasn't nothing either. I cleared my throat but kept my chin held high. "Okay, gimme the tea. Who's who?"

"Right. Where should I start," Esther mumbled to herself.

Just then a girl about fifteen feet ahead looked up and gave me a snarl. Her hair was light-blonde and pinned up on top of her head. Those dark eyes were downright glaring at me. I nudged Esther's arm. "How about her? She seems less than friendly."

"Oh, she's the Pits, man. Just taking her misery and trauma out on everyone else." Esther sighed. "Aside from dirty looks and occasionally snark remarks, she's harmless."

"Why's she miserable?"

"Her parents moved her out of Edenburg a couple years ago," Archie whispered back. "Her name is Lauren Pitts, hence the nickname."

"Yeah, and then Tennessee straight up told her he wasn't attracted to her and she needed to back off." Esther shrugged. "The cherry on top of her misery milkshake."

"That seems harsh," Archie whispered. "He said it like that?"

"Who knows? She was rather insistent. Like a gnat. So, he probably snapped."

I smiled. "He's human. I'm sure he has his moments."

"Actually, I'm not so sure how human that boy is." Esther snickered. "But that's a discussion for another time. We're talking about our crew."

"Right. Yes. So those four girls huddled together are the Ah'- Queens, nicknamed as such because all their names end in ah. Hanna, Amanda, Sierra, and Kara. They're into makeup, like really into it. And really good at it. If you make eye contact for too long, they will beg you to let them do your makeup. Which sounds fun but . . . it feels more like punishment once they're done." I must've made a face because she grimaced. "Or maybe I'm just insecure and always feel worse about myself after they're done."

I smiled. "That's relatable. I'll heed your warning and treat them like bears—avoid eye contact. Is that bears you're supposed to do that with? Screw it, you know what I mean."

Although, as I watched them closer, I kind of wanted to get their advice. I'd never been a makeup girl. Elizabeth and I always struggled with it. Aunt Kimmy wasn't much help nor was Elizabeth's mom. These four girls looked magazine-ready. And they were all different skin tones and complexions, so there was a wealth of knowledge and how-to there.

"And the guy they're all ogling is Brody." Archie pointed to a guy with dark hair buzzed so short he was almost bald. He wore no shirt or shoes, and his cargo shorts were stained, ripped, and potentially sprinkled with blood. "He's an art kid. He likes to make weapons, but he also makes everyone's talismans. Truly giftedi."

My eyes widened. "Whoa, that's badass. What's he making now?"

"Me nervous," Esther grumbled. "Like, okay, we don't need to be welding at the beach at a party. Where are the safety goggles? Where's the?—"

"It's okay, Esther," Archie said in a calm voice as he reached over me to grab her hand. "He knows what he's doing, and the ocean is right there to put out any runaway flames. Right?"

She nodded as we kept walking. "Right, so the two playing hacky sack? That's Lucas and Marina. They're a couple. Both upperclassmen. She's a soccer player who's being recruited by the University of Florida?—"

"Oh hell yeah. Get it, girl," I said before I could stop myself. "And him? He seems coordinated."

"Varsity basketball. He's graduating this year, going to UF as well."

"That's so cute, they're going to college together— oh. Those are kids." I nodded my head toward the three kids who couldn't have been more than eight or nine. "Wait, you said Coven-members had younger siblings, right?"

"Yep. That's Kaelynn, Ryan, and Sean. But they like to not be known as the little siblings." Archie grimaced. "Where's Aspen?"

"She's up there with the boys." Esther pointed up ahead to where Peabo and Atley were playing with glowing lightsabers with two girls. "The little one with the side braid is Aspen. The other is Lesleigh?—"

"Birdie's younger sister?"

Esther grinned. "Look at you. That's some memory. Yes, exactly."

I looked around to see if we'd missed anybody besides our group of friends on that purple blanket in front of us when I spotted Rootbeer, the golden retriever, lying belly-up in the sand just beside Seamus. She was the same color as the sand, so without the purple harness, she was damn near camouflaged. I giggled and shook my head—and Rootbeer's tail wagged, whipping sand onto everyone on the blanket.

" Rootbeer, no! Stop! " Seamus cackled and pinned her tail to the sand. "Can you at least turn your butt away from us?"

She jumped up and sat on her haunches, then put her paw on his arm.

"Oh." Seamus turned around with a guarded expression, then smiled. "Good girl, Rootbeer. Our friends are here. Go ahead, go say hi."

That was all the warning I had. The next thing I knew, I had a full-grown golden retriever covered in sand in my face. I laughed and caught her in my arms. "Hi, pretty girl."

" Rootbeer! " Seamus scrambled to his feet, then took her from me but was careful not to sit her back down. "Sorry, Frankie. She never acts like this."

"I'm not mad about it." I laughed and waved to the group. "Though next time I'll have to bring my boys with me."

"What kind of dogs do you have?" Seamus moved the big bowl of fruit over so I could sit.

I took the empty seat and sat down. "Three beagles. They wanted to come tonight, but I wanted to meet everyone first."

"That's fair."

"What's fair is that you move over." Tomás pushed Seamus to the side, then slid in between us. "Since he has a girlfriend and I . . . do not."

" Hi, Tomás. "

" Buenas noches, guapa ," he said with a dimpled grin and wag of his eyebrows. "It's nice to see you again."

"Tomás!" Birdie smacked him on the back of the head as she walked by to sit across from me. "Behave yourself or I will call your grandmother."

Tomás gasped. "?Mi abuela?"

"Sí, tu abuela." She then slid her hand in front of her throat without breaking eye contact. "Your choice."

Tomás made the cross motion with his hands with a frown. Then he turned to me and smiled. "I fear no one more than mi abuela. I will move to a safe distance away from you, because I am a good boy."

I patted the top of his head like he was a dog. "That's a very good boy."

And then he jumped up and moved to sit next to Birdie. I laughed and looked around at the group. Archie had sat down on the other side of Seamus so that he could pull both Rootbeer and Float into his lap. All three of them looked stupid content with this. Ava was taking pictures of it.

" Mais c'est très mauvais pour toi !" I looked toward the sound of Jo's French and found her looking down at Esther's haul of snacks with disgust. "C'est de la malbouffe. Ce sont des déchets. "

Madge rolled her eyes and tucked her black hair behind her ears. "Yes, they know it's junk food, love. That's kind of the point."

Esther sat down with a grin. "You don't have to eat it, Jo. Promise."

She narrowed her eyes at the bags of chips, then nodded. " D'accord. "

Madge wagged her eyebrows. " C'est dommage ? —"

" Hey, I know that one," I blurted before I could stop myself. "Means that's too bad , right?"

Jo's dark eyes sparkled with delight. "Yes! Très bien ."

Madge took Jo's face in her hands and kissed her lips. "You are adorable. I love you."

"You guys are a couple." I shook my head. "That makes sense. You look so good together."

Madge frowned. "I told you she was my soulmate?"

"Yeah, but like I thought maybe?—"

"Soulmates are a real thing," Esther said softly. "The marks on their arms, with the crystals, those are not tattoos. It's the physical manifestation that they're soulmates."

My eyes widened. "Wait . . . what?"

Archie looked down at his bare hand that had no markings. "It's really something amazing to be marked like that. To know you've met your other half."

"For arcana, two people who are soulmates were originally one soul split into two. So, it's not a figurative statement." Esther beamed at her friends. "It's why they look so damn perfect together, because they are."

Jo blushed and leaned into Madge who kissed her forehead.

I opened my mouth to ask more about this whole soulmates thing when I spotted four girls sitting in a circle with books open in their laps. They sat between the bonfire and the ocean, and they were so serious I thought they might've been doing a ritual or seance or something.

Esther followed my stare. "Oh, those are our little nerds. We love them."

"They're not doing witchcraft?"

"Pretty sure they're doing chemistry." Esther chuckled, then popped a chip into her mouth. "The one facing the bonfire with her back to the water? That's Caitlin. She's a senior and valedictorian of her class. Also, she's a Pentacle."

" Also, she's going to an Ivy League university next year up north." Madge grabbed the bag of Tostitos and frowned. She looked over her shoulder and shouted, "Yo, Cunningham."

Caitlin looked up from her book. "What?"

"Where you going next year?"

Caitlin rolled her eyes. "You ask me this every other day, Madge. I'm going to Brown in Rhode Island."

Madge snapped her fingers and nodded. "Right, right, right. Different color. Thanks, boo. We're so proud of you."

Caitlin smirked. "Shut up, butthead."

"The other three girls are Barb Angstrom, Ruby Nam, and Patti Leek." Ava crawled into Seamus's lap so she was the little spoon. "They wanna go to the New York next school year, so they're parents said they had to get straight A's and all kinds of other shit to prove they can handle living on their own."

"Are they seniors?"

"Nah, they're freshmen."

I frowned. "I'm missing something. What's in New York?"

"The School of Magical Arts," they all said in perfect unison, then laughed.

Archie leaned over Rootbeer's head to meet my eyes. "There's always only been one magic school for witches to attend. That's Edenburg in Eden. It's a prep school kind of thing where students live on campus like college."

"But Tennessee opened up the first magic school outside of Eden ever. It's located right in the heart of Manhattan." Ava reached up and ran her hands through Seamus's red hair. "They also welcome shifters there, which I personally think would be so cool to see."

Seamus rested his chin on top of Ava's head. They were quite adorable all cuddled up together, looking like complete opposites. "It's cool because you're still living in New York among the humans and the normal world."

"That's true, Eden gets a little . . ." Archie frowned. "Lost in their own heads sometimes?"

"That makes sense."

"So, Frankie . . ." Birdie leaned forward, her gold pentacle talisman dangling from her wrist. "What do you think of our little community so far?"

"I'm basically obsessed?" I laughed and gestured around us. "I mean, It's a Monday night and I'm at a party on the beach. Can't beat that. I actually came here last night with my aunt and uncle. I didn't know this was your hangout spot."

Esther grimaced. "It's actually The Coven's spot but we use it now?—"

"Kinda like their lunch spot?" I arched one eyebrow.

Archie chuckled. "Babysitting this spot too?"

"Well . . . yeah. I don't know how to explain it, it's just . . ." Esther pursed her lips and looked around like she was searching for her words.

Birdie frowned and nodded along with her. "You haven't met them yet, but . . . their magic and their aura . . . it leaves like an effect in the air. It's . . . it's . . ."

"Home." Esther smiled softly, her cheeks flushing. She tried to hide her blush beneath the curtain of black curls, but I saw it. Her gray eyes sparkled like lightning in a thundercloud. "It feels like home."

Everyone was silent.

"Is that what it is?" Archie whispered.

" Oui, " Jo whispered back. " Voilà ce que c'est."

"That's what it is." Madge nodded her head to her soulmate. "I've never been able to find the right word but leave it to an Irit to find it."

Esther tucked her curls behind her ears. She opened her mouth to say something when Rootbeer jumped to attention. She barked once, then sat in front of Seamus and put her paw on him. She was alerting him, though to what I didn't know. Seamus sighed and seemed to brace himself.

"You shouldn't be here," a voice I recognized too well said from behind me. "Leave."

I looked over my shoulder to find Aaron and Jacob behind us. Ah. She was warning him they were coming. I jumped to my feet because under zero circumstances was I knowingly going to give them the upper hand. They'd given me no reason to doubt they'd attack me. The others also all got up, and that told me more about these two bullies than anything else. But I faced them anyways.

"I said leave," Jacob snapped again.

" No?"

Aaron balled his hands into fists at his sides. "You don't belong here. This is a private beach."

"First of all, it's literally a public beach." I pointed to the signs up by the parking lot. "And funny enough, it doesn't say your name anywhere up there."

"This is our beach?—"

"Please, they just told me this was The Coven's spot before they left. You gotta be better with your lies."

They lunged forward but Esther moved in front of me with her wand out. "Let's not do this."

Aaron pulled out his wand from his back pocket and twirled it around. There was a wild, manic sort of expression in those hazel eyes. "Really, Esther? You are gonna challenge literally anyone with a Wand?"

Jacob laughed. "Yeah, what are you gonna do with it? Get us out of class? Fix our grades? Please."

I frowned. There was something I definitely didn't know about Esther, but I already knew these dicks deserved to get a taste of their own medicine.

Tomás jumped between us. "Stop. C'mon. Mis amigos, relájate, por favor. We're on the same team?—"

Aaron leaned closer to Tomás. "Listen, pretty boy, just because you're sweet on the new bitch in town doesn't mean she's one of us , so stay out of this before I wreck that pretty smile of yours."

"Careful, all those muscles from the volleyball team are going to hurt us." Jacob flapped his arms like they were chicken wings. "Don't be ridiculous, amigo. You're a Pentacle. What are you gonna do? Birdie's the one who does all the heavy lifting in that department anyways, so move or we rearrange your teeth, chicken legs."

Seamus gripped Tomás by the back of the shirt and pulled him backwards, then slid into that spot. He didn't speak. He just stepped forward until his chest was pressed against Aaron's. I hadn't realized just how big Seamus was until that moment. He was about two inches taller than Aaron, another inch or two taller than Jacob, and he had to be at least fifty pounds heavier than both of them. His biceps were so much bigger than I'd realized at school. Granted, tonight he wore a tank top that left little to the imagination when it came to his muscular frame.

Aaron's upper lip curled back. "There's still two of us?—"

"And two of us, " Atley slid in between them as if he was six-foot-seven instead five-foot-seven. All four of the guys were taller and bigger. Hell, they'd all finished puberty. Atley was only thirteen. His voice still had some deepening to do.

Peabo walked up beside him all nonchalant like they were discussing breakfast. He pulled a curved dagger out of nowhere and flipped it in his hand. "I'd love to demonstrate how much size doesn't matter."

Aaron and Jacob paled a little and took a step back with their hands raised as if the two young teens held them at gunpoint.

Atley reached down to his left leg to where a blood-red serrated dagger sat snug in a holster thing. Oh, Peabo probably had one of those too. He pulled the dagger out, then scratched the side of his jaw with the tip of his blade. It was such a badass ballsy move and something about those bands on his wrists told me he could back it up.

"What? No threats for us?" Atley pointed to Peabo with his dagger, then back to himself. "‘Cause we sure as shit aren't as big or as tall as you two dumb fucks. Let's hear your mouths run now. Really, let's have it."

When they said nothing, Peabo chuckled, and I had to give him credit for how menacing it sounded coming from such a young kid. "Do you wanna see who goes down first? Us with our blades or you with your precious little wands that you use to pick your noses with?"

Archie snort-laughed.

Aaron snarled in his direction. "Who you think you're laughing at, strawberry shortcake?"

Seamus's golden retriever Rootbeer jumped in front of Archie and growled, the fur on her back standing tall. Aaron narrowed his eyes at the dog and lowered his wand as if he was going to do something to her when Seamus fisted Aaron's shirt and hauled him up to his own chest.

" Threaten my dog one more time, and I will pour poison down your throat in your sleep and peel your bones from your flesh for her to chew on, " Seamus said with a growl.

Jacob grabbed Aaron's arm and yanked him backwards to stand beside him. "No one's going to hurt your dog, O'Brien. Take a deep breath and listen."

He did not just take a jab at him being hard of hearing.

Jacob pointed to Archie with one hand and me with the other. "What have these two done to warrant such loyalty?"

"What did Archie do to warrant such betrayal?" Esther snarled. "Frankie defended him, a perfect stranger, when you two were throwing him into the lockers. And that stunt on the baseball field? You're heathens."

"You little mouse?—"

"Did you know Royce is in town?" Peabo cocked his head to the side and flipped his curved dagger in his hand, catching the hilt with ease. "Thiago is here with him too. Two Cards right around the corner . . . Shall I call them?"

Aaron and Jacob scowled and exchanged nervous glances.

"We're all a little sick of your shit," Seamus said with a snarl. "We've let it go on too long."

"We should have reported you to The Coven months ago." Tomás sighed and shook his head. "We kept hoping you'd calm down. But this is too much."

"You're right, it is." Atley pulled his cellphone out of his pocket and held it out for everyone to see. "Hey, Siri. Call Tennessee Wildes on speakerphone."

It rang once. Not even a full ring, really, before a deep, velvety voice answered with a growl. "Are you in immediate danger?"

"No."

"Good, hold on so I can kill this spider-demon."

The line went quiet.

No one on the beach made a sound for at least ten seconds but then Esther stepped up between Atley and Peabo and pointed to the phone in Atley's hand. "Ever since he left, you two have been picking on everyone here. Verbally, emotionally, mentally, and physically. You've even been bullying humans. We've all been letting it slide."

"You're lucky The Coven has been busy with the war and Lilith." Peabo lowered his dagger and shook his head. "Everyone else in town may have been too nervous to call and pester them about something so pathetic as two jackasses on a power trip, but we have no problem calling."

"Tenn kills demons fast." Atley held his phone higher. "He'll be back any second now."

"Aaron, Jacob?" Esther cleared her throat and crossed her arms over her chest. "What will it be, boys? Are we telling Tennessee what you've been up to, or are you gonna cut the shit and behave? Choice is yours."

I was starting to realize Esther was somewhat of a leader of this little community, and it left me with more questions. She had a commanding presence, but it was somehow still subtle. When she spoke, the others listened. Yet these guys openly mocked her as weak with a wand in front of everyone, and no one responded as if it weren't true. Which suggested that it was such a ridiculous thought that no one felt they needed to justify it . . . or it was true. I had questions.

"Sorry, Atley," Tennessee's deep, velvety voice rumbled through the phone. "I'm back."

Aaron and Jacob held their hands up in surrender and backed away. Quickly. They grumbled, then spun and basically sprinted off the beach.

"Sorry, Tenn." Atley cleared his throat. "We, uh, well?—"

"What did they decide?"

Atley flinched ever so slightly. "W-what?"

"Aaron and Jacob."

Everyone gasped.

"I . . ." Atley scowled. "I thought you put me on hold?"

"That is not the answer to my question," Tennessee growled.

Atley sighed. "Yeah, they left. But listen, I, uh, I wasn't actually gonna snitch on them."

"You just wanted to use me as intimidation?"

He chuckled nervously. "Yeah?"

Silence.

He chuckled very softly. "Let me know if you get to the stitches part."

"Thanks, Tenn."

The line went dead.

Atley shoved his phone in his pocket, then sheathed his dagger. "He said hold on , didn't he?"

Peabo chuckled. "Knowing Tenn, he just forgot to hit the hold button and accidentally heard everything. Ya know how he forgets to put shirts and shoes on all the time?"

This seemed to calm Atley's nerves as he smiled and nodded. It was only at that moment I realized everyone else had come closer to watch the confrontation. Everyone looked to each other with nods and unspoken understanding, then turned and went back to what they were doing.

A warm arm wrapped around my shoulders. "You all right, Frankie?"

"Yeah." I looked up into Tomás's eyes and smiled. "I just hate that I'm new here and already have enemies. I hate what they've made me into."

"They're not worthy of your sympathy." He squeezed my shoulder, then dropped his arm and stepped back, holding his hand out to me. "Come, let us put our toes in the water and wash away the bad vibes."

With a grin, I kicked off my flip-flops and put my hand in his. The smile he gave me was truly beautiful in the way it lit up his face. I wanted to like him, wanted to feel the butterflies of attraction, but nothing came. It was just frustrating like that. Granted, I couldn't remember the last boy I actually had a crush on.

But as the ocean swept over my bare feet, I took my first deep breath since arriving at the beach. The breeze sliding off the water was crisp and cool, carrying that scent of salt in the air that I loved. My mind wandered to Elizabeth. I wondered what she was doing in China, how she was doing in China. Had she made any new friends like I was? Would it bother me if she had? What would I tell her about all this when she got back?

"Tomás, I do think you were warned."

I frowned and looked over my shoulder to find Esther standing right behind us. "What's that?"

"Your abuela is still awake at this time of night."

"I was behaving!" Tomás threw his hands up in surrender and backed away from me. "We were just chatting. Being friendly."

Esther arched one eyebrow and crossed her arms over her chest. "Give her some breathing room."

He turned to me, pressed his hand to his stomach, and bowed dramatically. "I shall be with the others."

I watched him run away from us back to the blanket and sit beside Ava and Seamus. "Thanks? I think? He seems harmless."

"He's a total sweetheart." Esther sat down on the sand, then patted the spot next to her. Once I sat down, she chuckled softly. "I only came over because I knew you'd totally zoned out on him and hadn't heard a word he was saying."

My eyes widened. "He was talking that whole time?"

She threw her head back and laughed, then covered her mouth with her hand.

"Fucking hell. I feel awful. I didn't mean to space out."

"I know, I know." She wiped her eyes and sighed. "That's why I decided to play it off like he was being too forward with his flirting. That way he wouldn't know you weren't actually listening."

I bit my bottom lip and knew I was blushing. "Thank you. I'm trying to keep up."

"It's a lot, I know." She glanced over her shoulder to the group. "We may not be The Coven, but we're our own little coven. We look out for each other. We help each other."

"Are you like . . . the leader of the group? It seems like everyone follows your lead."

"Ah, the perks of being a member of a founding family." She laughed humorlessly. "You'll see. Why do you think they're all so protective of you?"

"Because my last name is Proctor?" I frowned. "That's weird, dude."

"You're not wrong. I've always been grateful for my dad's last name of Goldstein. People have to actually get to know me to know I'm an Irit."

"Right, and Irit is one of the founding families?" When she nodded, I just shook my head. "What are the others?"

She frowned. "I don't know all of them, and that's intentional from The Coven. They try to protect them from all this pressure we live with."

"Why aren't they all protected?"

"Well, the Lancasters were the first arcana, birthed from the angel Jophiel's womb. The Bishop family has the most magical power and strength. Proctors have always been the best warriors. The Irits have always had the best intuition. Many of us have been Hierophants in The Coven because psychic abilities are prevalent in our blood."

I had no idea what Hierophant meant, but I was going to circle back to that question.

"Then there are families like the Putnams who had been successfully hidden, but the first set of twins were born from the Putnam line and that made the whole family infamous. Most of them went into hiding after Salem and never came out, though Paulina Putnam was Death for years and lived her in Tampa. She told me once the Putnam line had always had a close connection with darkness." Esther shivered. "Which makes sense considering the twins."

Death? Another word I don't know the meaning of here.

"And of course the English family?—"

"OH, I've heard of them. They started the shipping company and are like the richest witches ever."

"I'm not surprised you've heard of them." She laughed. "Deacon English is the Devil now. He lived in Tampa briefly before the whole Coven left for Salem. They're stupid, stupid rich, but Deacon doesn't show it."

Devil? Okay, these words definitely connect to each other and this Coven. But how?

"The other founding families . . . I'm not sure. I've heard a few names be rumored but nothing concrete. If I ever have a chance to talk to Tegan Bishop, the High Priestess, I definitely want to ask. It'd be nice to know if you and I are the only ones out here from these lines that aren't in The Coven."

Make that four words.

"It's weird to me to be told two Proctors are in The Coven and not know them, to never have known them."

"There's more than just you three too." She held two fingers up, then lifted another finger as she counted. "There's also Kenneth Proctor, who retired from The Coven recently. Then Saraphina Proctor, also used to be Coven, and her mother, Myrtle Proctor, who is the Lead Crone."

"Yeah, that helps reduce some pressure."

She snickered. "Sorry. But I get it . . . more than you do actually. I want to say you get used to it, the pressure from the others, but you don't. It's actually getting worse with the war. I have this sinking, gnawing suspicion those of us from the twenty lines aren't going to get to remain on the sidelines for the main event."

"You mean like fight in the war?" My stomach turned.

"Yes." Her voice was low and uneven. "Which . . . fine. Fair. It's just, can't they bring us in now so we have time to train and prepare? Every time my phone rings I'm waiting for it to be them. It's why my parents live in Tampa, because they do. Mom also is expecting to be dragged into the war."

"You think it's inevitable." I glanced back to the group to make sure no one was close, then asked what I'd wanted to earlier. "What did the dickwads mean about your magic?"

"You caught that, eh? I'm not surprised. You're quick." She wrung her hands together. "My family, the Irit line I mean, used to be majorly involved. We used to always be members of The Coven or work alongside them. Half of Crone Island are Irits. But my magic is weak. I can't do most spells and things other Wands can do. It's frustrating."

"Why not? Did something happen to cause it?"

She nodded. "Centuries ago, an angel entrusted my grandmother—obviously many times removed—with an object. This angel told her to protect it with her life, to keep it safe until the right person came to reclaim it. It's been passed down from mother to daughter since."

"Do you have it?"

She nodded. "Yeah."

"Who are you holding it for?"

"Absolutely no idea." She chuckled. "But when the Hierophant was living here in the fall, I asked him for guidance. That's when he told me that the reason the Irit bloodline has had such weak magic is because our magic is too busy protecting what the angel gave us. He says we'll know the person when it happens and to trust our intuition."

I shivered. "That's intense."

"Very." She cleared her throat. "Anyhoo, that's why it seems like I'm the leader of this group. Fair warning, it's probably going to be you they look to soon."

"Oh, something to look forward to."

"C'mon, let's rejoin the group and relax. Have some fun. We're gonna read tarot cards and play with our pendulums." I must've made a face because she chuckled and shook her head. "Don't worry. You can just watch."

"Thank God," I mumbled as we both stood back up and walked over to the group.

Tomás looked up at me with a grin far too wide for comfort. "Frankie, we have made a decision."

"Oh boy. I'm scared." I sat back down beside Archie.

Birdie gave me a wicked smirk. "We're going to figure out which Suit you are by having you try all of them."

My eyes widened. I froze with my hand on the bag of Skittles. "What does that mean?"

"You'll see."