Lonely Souls (13 page)

“We should probably eat a little and get back for your birthday dinner. Your aunt will kill me if we miss it,” he said, sitting back filling the void I was unable to. He knew exactly when not to press me, but I wanted something more.

I still didn’t know what to say and unfortunately that didn’t stop me from talking.

“Logan, those are the sweetest words anyone has ever spoken near me, let alone
to
me. I’m at a loss for words. I’m worried I won’t be able to give you what you’re looking for, not because I don’t want to, but because I can’t. Not right now anyway.” My voice was a notch above a whisper. I didn’t want to look up at him.

“Triss, I’m in no hurry. I wasn’t kidding. You are one of a kind and worth waiting for,” he replied, matter-of-factly.

“It’s still hard to believe that you didn’t have girls beating down your door,” I teased, hoping to lighten the mood.

Catching my attempt, he scooted forward and moved his legs while he grabbed one of the sandwiches. His body seemed so long laid out like that on his side. I knew he was tall, but this was pretty impressive. Balancing on his elbow, he looked up at me with a wide smile and shook his head.

“I didn’t say they
weren’t
beating my door down, I just said I didn’t notice,” he laughed.

“Nice,” I said, reaching for a sandwich. “You’re pretty incredible, and I thank you for sharing your awesomeness with me.”

He started laughing harder and threw the empty baggie at me, but the wind picked it up and carried it a small distance, dropping it on the buttercups that had made a home mixed in with the tall grass.

“You suck at flowery romance, Triss,” he grinned.

“Maybe you’re too smooth. Have you thought of that?” I asked, internally scolding myself. I would be heartbroken if he lost any of his kindness. I looked over at him, and his lips tugged into a smile as soon as our eyes met. He certainly wasn’t one to be kept down long.

I grabbed one of the baggies that held the chocolate goodness, and silence fell between us once more. Weeks had gone by since my mom’s disappearance, yet I felt like it had been years in some aspects and only minutes in others.

“Are you going to be okay at the Witch Avenue Ceremony? Did you let them know you’re going to participate after all?” he asked.

My heart fell a little, but I did my best to lift my own spirits. I did have to still live in the harsh reality that wasn’t meant to be mine.

“Yeah, I emailed them and one of the elders, Brenda, replied back. They’ve been holding a spot for me.” A lump began forming in my throat, and I refused to give in.

“Well, as a friend, I’ll be there every step of the way. Anything you need, I want to help. One more thing though before we head back.” He grabbed his leather journal again, flipping to a different section.

“Oh no, not again!” I teased, and he couldn’t hide his grin.

“Okay, found them. I’ve got four different type of conjured souls traced out here. I actually traced them out of a spell book, so they should hopefully resemble reality a little better than the stick figures I insulted you with earlier. I was kinda curious if any of them matched what you saw in the floral shop.” He spun the journal for me to see.

The images, although different, all had a similarity to them that was frightening. The first image I saw definitely wasn’t like the one in the floral shop. First of all, it looked completely human and had feet. The next one was closer and looked like it was supposed to be transparent, but the head wasn’t right. The third one, however, was exactly like it. I didn’t even bother with the fourth. The head in the third image was distorted with a jaw that didn’t seem attached and looked as frightening in the drawing as in person.

“That’s the one,” I said, pointing at the image that gave me shivers even in the drawing. Anxiety started building in my abdomen, and I tried hard to push it aside. There was a question I wanted to ask, but I doubted it would be one that he wanted to answer. I’d never been one to hold back my feelings or concerns and I shouldn’t start now.

“Have you conjured up these beings, Logan? Is that why you have the images in your book?” I stared at him, hoping the answer he gave me would make it easy to dismiss him. Maybe that was my out. I’d find out something so horrendous that it would be impossible to have feelings for him. The silence continued. He wasn’t answering me.

Finally, he nodded.

“Why?” I asked.

“My mom’s car got broken into repeatedly, and I knew who kept doing it. The police couldn’t charge them because of lack of evidence, so I took the matter into my own hands. After my father’s death, I felt like I had to do things to protect my mom, to protect us. In my eyes, I was the head of the household. I knew I could scare them just enough. And it worked.” His lips twitched a little as he remembered.

How could I be angry with that for a reason? Even when I think he’ll provide me with an out to rid myself of these feelings for him, he comes off as even more likeable. A sigh escaped.

“Are you upset with me?” he asked.

I shook my head and Logan’s finger quickly touched my lips sending a shock through my system.

“You’ve got a bit of chocolate,” he murmured, his fingertips gently tracing my lips.

My own plan was failing me AGAIN.

“Thank you,” I uttered.

“Let’s get off this mountain and count our victories. Nothing was torched or destroyed,” Logan said, dropping his fingers and hopping up from the ground.

He knew what he was doing, and it was working.

Chapter 13

The Witch Avenue covenstead was bustling with people. The parking lot was full, and everyone was dressed beautifully. They rolled out the cobalt-blue carpet onto the sidewalk. Huge flower arrangements were placed all along the pathway leading to the front of the stone building. The arrangements were full of roses, delphiniums, Bells of Ireland, and daisies. No doubt Meredith had kept herself busy at the floral shop. She even managed to create a potted row of forget-me-nots in between all the arrangements. I knew she made the arrangements extra special since I was taking part in the ceremony. I was relieved to have that kind of support. I couldn’t wait to see what the inside looked like. I had stopped by earlier in the morning, and nothing was set up yet so it would be interesting.

My nerves started working overtime and I wasn’t sure why. Logan put his hand on my shoulder as we made our way from the car. I smoothed out my ivory lace dress and took my hair down from the ponytail I had it in. I couldn’t make up my mind how I wanted my hair. These bangs were starting to get frustrating.

“There’s nothing to be worried about, Triss. You’ll do amazing,” he whispered, his breath skated over my neck, creating more confusion for me.

I turned to look at him and smiled. No words came out.

Aunt Vieta and Ellsy came to our side. They came in a different car. We had made our way to the beginning of the blue carpet and Logan, Ellsy, and my aunt stopped and motioned for me to continue down the path by myself. The elders were lined up waiting to greet all of us who were about to enter the Witch Avenue Coven. There were eleven of us entering this year.

“Beatrice,” Frank bowed his head and stuck out his hand, “we are so grateful you are joining us today. We were worried.”

Nobody called me Beatrice. Most people didn’t even know that was my name. I did my finest not to cringe as I took his hand. It was a limp handshake at best. His hand was cold and clammy. It wasn’t the best start to my journey down the carpet. I waited till his eyes came back up to greet mine. Frank was more of an acquaintance. He had been with the order longer than I was alive, but our family never seemed to intermingle with his. His black and grey hair was plastered back with shiny hair gel. I really wanted to get on to the next person.

“Thank you for understanding, Frank. I appreciate you allowing me to change my mind so many times. I know it couldn’t have been easy with planning,” I said, my voice flat.

“No issue at all. We knew you’d come around eventually,” he replied, letting go of my hand not nearly soon enough. “We all loved your mom. She will be missed. These things happen though.”

“Thank you,” I muttered and stepped back, looking into Frank’s eyes, for what, I didn’t know. He smiled at me, and then turned to speak with another.

‘These things happen?’ It’s not like someone accidentally hit a squirrel in a car.

The nausea overtook me, and I suddenly found myself glancing back at Logan and everyone. Logan, Aunt Vieta, and Ellsy were standing in front of the rhododendrons chatting with some of the other attendees. Logan looked over at me, sensing my glare, and threw a tight-lipped grin at me. I was certain he was close enough to have heard Frank’s words. I tried to smile back at him, but it wouldn’t come. Logan nodded at me and excused himself from the group he was with.

Logan’s stride was quick and deliberate, getting to me in only a few seconds.

“Are you okay?” Logan asked, his brows furrowed in disgust.

I shook my head.

“Do you want to go home?” His voice was stern.

I shook my head again. I glanced up the carpet to see seven other elders waiting to greet me.

“Will you walk up the rest of the way with me?” I asked.

“I don’t think that’s customary. But I think under the circumstances, they’ll have to get over it, won’t they?” He smiled at me, taking my hand.

“Thanks,” I whispered, stepping back into reality. I was strong enough to get through this.

Jenna was the next elder I had to greet and was only about five feet up the carpet. She was always full of grace and calmness. Her white hair cascaded down her long purple dress. She looked radiant. Her face was far younger than what the whiteness of her hair signaled. Jenna had accompanied my mom and me on some of our gathering trips, and I always enjoyed her company. I was relieved she was the next one I was to meet with.

“You know her?” Logan asked quietly in my ear.

I nodded and smiled back at him.

“My lovely Triss,” Jenna spoke in her usual way, pronouncing every syllable with purpose. She reached out her long, tapered fingers to mine. “You look beautiful.”

“Thank you,” I muttered. “I couldn’t let this dress go to waste that my mom and I picked out.”

Jenna glanced at Logan and back at me.

“This is Logan,” I said quickly. “I decided I needed a support system after greeting Frank first.”

I was shocked those words came pouring out to Jenna. I usually censored myself so much better.

“Oh no. I’m sorry, Triss. He seems preoccupied of late, and I’ve noticed a bluntness with him too.”

“Apparently,” I spoke, trying to dismiss whatever my subconscious wanted to bring up.

Logan grasped my hand a little tighter.

“Will you be staying for the Litha celebration after the ceremony?” she asked.

“For a little while,” I replied, wishing that we weren’t.

“Good, honey. I hope to visit more with you,” she replied.

I smiled at her and moved on down the line.

I had gotten through the next several elder meetings with little problem and was relieved that I was almost through the agonizing blue-carpet arrival. I was so thankful Logan was willing to tag along with me.

Brenda was the next to last elder whom I was familiar with. She was finishing up with one of the others, which gave me time to ponder what I was really doing here. It didn’t seem possible that I would be able to find out anything from the members. If someone wanted to keep a secret, that’s not a hard thing to do, and if there was any sort of information about my mom that one of these witches had, I’m sure that it wouldn’t be shared with anyone.

“Hey, don’t overanalyze right now,” Logan teased, touching my chin with his knuckle lightly. “I know it’s not how you wanted it but enjoy this as best you can.”

I looked into his blue eyes that were, for once, completely void of darkness. His guard was totally down.

“You look beautiful and your mom would be proud, especially with me by your side,” he joked.

I closed my eyes and couldn’t help but smile. Somehow, I had a feeling he was right.

“Thank you,” I muttered.

“Triss,” Brenda’s voice sang through the air. “I have something for you.”

I scurried over to her, completely baffled. Brenda and my mom had a long history together, but she was never really around much. I think she was someone my mom used to hang around with more when she was younger. Brenda was about fifteen years older than my mom was but didn’t look it. She had beautiful black hair that was cut in a bob, and a pretty turquoise necklace she was wearing accentuated her ice-blue eyes.

Logan let go of my hand and followed behind me.

Brenda reached down into her bag and pulled out a grey jewelry box.

“I doubt this is an appropriate time, but it doesn’t seem like there will ever be one,” she said.

I stood staring at her in complete surprise.

“This is from your mom. She had me custom design this based on a drawing she’d given me. Her plan was to give this to you today. I wanted to make sure you got it.”

My mouth felt as if someone placed a ton of cotton balls inside it. My hands were shaking as she gave me the little box.

“You don’t have to open it now. I just wanted to make sure you had it before you left,” Brenda said.

Logan placed his hand on my back. I think he sensed that I was about to lose it.

“Thank you, Brenda.” I smiled as best I could.

“She’d be proud of you. We all are. If there’s anything you need just let us know.” Brenda was doing her best not to let any emotions show.

I wanted to open up the box but was afraid that I wouldn’t be able to regain my composure for the ceremony. I looked up at Logan, and he held out his hand where I laid the tiny box. His hand closed up over it, and he placed it in his pocket.

“I’ll keep an eye on this for you. Just let me know when you’re ready,” his voice was full of understanding.

I moved to the last elder. Thankfully, he was kind and had no big surprises in store for me. It was time to go into the building where the ceremony was going to be held. I could hear my aunt talking with someone behind me. Everyone must be slowly making their way to the building.