Consumed (14 page)

“Yeah. My parents are paying for it, just as long as I keep my grades up.” Lauren touched the doorframe. “I really didn’t want to live in a dorm.”

“No, you really don’t!” Anna called, her voice muffled from the blanket.

“Her roommate is a drunk,” Keegan clarified, and Lauren nodded sagely.

“My bedroom is across the hall, and the bathroom is right next door. Do you guys need anything right now?”

“Something to drink would be great,” Keegan answered as she realized she was thirsty.

Lauren nodded. “I got juice and stuff.” She glanced over at Anna. “Are you going to get ready to do the ritual?”

“Yeah. I’ll meet you guys out there in two minutes.”

Anna hadn’t brought her robe from home, so she felt a little naked as she set the living room for the ritual. She made do with a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt made of cotton—natural materials that wouldn’t stunt the use of her magic.

“Lauren, can you turn the lights down?” she asked when she was done arranging her tools.

Lauren nodded and killed the lights. The wall of windows let in just enough of the slowly disappearing daylight.

Anna took a deep breath, standing before the coffee table—her impromptu altar. “I need complete silence for this to work.”

She walked around with her pocket compass to locate North, where she placed a bowl of salt. To the East, a burning stick of Sandlewood incense. At the South, Anna set a white votive candle, and to the West, a small cup of water. She took out a photo of Donald and placed it on the altar, along with a black onyx crystal. She knelt down before the table, closed her eyes, and began to chant.

Keeper of Donald, hear me now…open your ears.

Find for me where we need to be

By moon, sun, earth, air, fire and sea.

Someone I lost I need to find,

By the power of three this spell I bind.

Anna said the chant three times. When she was done, she focused on the energy that surrounded her and concentrated on Donald with her eyes tightly shut. At first, she saw nothing but the darkness of her eyelids and was worried the spell wouldn’t work.

Take deep breaths
, she heard the voice of her old teacher, Magdalena, echo in her mind. Anna relaxed and pictured Donald’s face: his bright blue eyes and crooked smile. The haze started to fade away. A tiger formed in her mind’s eye; he was laying on a patch of pillowy grass in a forest. He looked around, as if he knew someone was there. The tiger yawned and stretched to a standing position, and then took off in a sprint.

Anna followed him through the woods, her astral body easily keeping up. When he shifted to his human form, Anna had to suppress a laugh—he was naked. She could see why Keegan had been attracted to him. She watched his muscular frame as he walked behind a tree and grabbed a bag he had obviously placed there earlier. He walked back out in jeans and a flannel shirt. With his hands shoved deep in his pockets and his orange hair reflecting the evening sun, Donald walked over a hill and down into a clearing with Anna on his tail.

Before long, Anna saw a sign that said Arcata.

The room was eerily silent as Anna’s eyes opened. She sat stoically, watching the candle melt till nothing was left. She felt Lauren and Anna’s eyes on her. Finally, she rose to her feet. “I know where he is.”

“Where?” Keegan asked.

Anna looked over her shoulder. Her friends were nearly invisible—it had gotten dark since she started the ritual. “Arcata. It’s beautiful there.”

Lauren looked puzzled. “That’s over four hours away by car.”

Anna shrugged. “All I know is that’s where he is, and he’s walking through town now.”

“I’ll call Calvron and tell him,” Lauren said, pulling out her cell phone.

Keegan pushed herself from the floor and dusted off her hands. “I hope this works.”

The girls climbed into Lauren’s silver Prius and started the four-hour journey in search of Donald. Calvron and the guys would be meeting them in Arcata.

Keegan turned sideways to look at Lauren. “So, tell us. Are you seeing anyone?”

Lauren grinned slyly. “Actually, I recently met a guy. He is the hottest guy I’ve ever laid eyes on.” She paused dramatically. “And he’s a dark fairy.”

Keegan and Anna’s eyes widened in surprise. Anna gasped, “A dark fairy? Is that even allowed?”

Lauren shrugged. “I’ve never heard of it before. I Googled it, but you know what info on the internet is like.”

“Yeah. Elves live at the North Pole with Santa,” Keegan said wryly.

“Exactly.” Lauren shrugged. “From what I can tell, it’s kinda like the dark and light elves, Keegan. Not so much an ‘evil’ thing, just…
different
.”

“I know what you mean,” Keegan responded, touching Lauren’s arm. “My dad is friends with the leader of the dark elves now. It’s still weird.”

Lauren nodded. “Yeah, that is weird. Anyway, I just can’t resist him. Grab my phone and open the pictures, you’ll see him.”

Anna reached forward and grabbed Lauren’s phone from the center console. She pecked at the screen, opening up the images, and said, “Wow! He is hot! I guess I can’t blame you.”

Keegan turned towards the back and reached for the phone. “Hotter than Rourk?”

Anna looked back down at the photo. “Much hotter.”

“Let me see that.” Keegan grabbed the phone from Anna. She stared down into the face of a striking young man. He had olive skin, high cheek bones, a perfect nose, and the palest green eyes she had ever seen on a person. He was beautiful. “He doesn’t look evil.”

Lauren grabbed the phone from her and glanced down quickly to smile at the picture. She turned her eyes back to the road. “He isn’t evil,” she said indignantly. “Tristen is the most thoughtful, intelligent man I have ever met. You’ll see when you meet him.”

Chapter 14

T
hey reached Arcata before night fell completely.

The town was not a large one, so they drove around in hopes of spotting Donald—with no luck. Old-fashioned mom-and-pop stores lined the streets. There was a good crowd on the sidewalks: couples out for evening strolls and smiling shoppers walking in and out of the stores.

Calvron called Keegan’s cell after about an hour. “Anything?”

“No, nothing,” Keegan said, dejected.

“Figures.” He sighed through the phone line. “Alright, well, we’re hungry. You want to take a break for dinner?”

“Sounds good.”

“There’s a great place called Bertha’s—Lauren knows it. We’ll meet you there.”

“The guys wanna eat. Bertha’s?”

“Yeah, it’s their favorite,” Lauren answered, making a U-turn and heading back in the other direction.

A loud bell chimed as they walked through the door at the diner, startling Keegan. She was on edge because of Donald, but she hadn’t realized how famished she was. It had been a long time since she and Anna had eaten lunch at the airport. The smell of pot roast made her stomach growl.

Calvron asked the employees if anyone had seen an orange-haired guy lately. One of the waitress said she saw him earlier that day, walking down the street.

“I stopped and asked if he wanted a ride and he refused.” She shrugged her shoulders and went on to the next table.

After dinner, they ended up getting a couple of rooms at a small hotel, deciding they would start the search fresh in the morning. The room was smelled clean, and the bed looked soft and inviting. The girls dropped their bags on the ground. Keegan threw herself on the bed, Anna went to the bathroom, and Lauren pulled out her phone to text her boyfriend.

Her legs crossed at the ankles and her hands behind her head, Keegan stared at the ceiling and thought of Donald. She hoped they found him soon; in two days Rourk was supposed to be visiting her in Alaska.

Keegan ran her fingers over the stones on her necklace and smiled. She had grown attached to the ugly necklace because it reminded her of her bond with Rourk. She loved knowing that he knew when she was thinking of him. They had texted back and forth a few times while she was searching earlier, and she was anxious to see him on Friday. She also checked on him throughout the day with her mind’s eye; she couldn’t seem to stop herself. She was addicted to him.

Keegan woke up to the sound of Lauren and Anna laughing. They were already up and dressed. Sometimes, she really wished she were a morning person.

“I need coffee,” Keegan groaned from the bed.

Her friends turned and looked at her.

“It’s about time,” Anna teased with one eyebrow raised.

“We’ve been waiting for hours for you to wake up,” Lauren said.

Keegan threw the blankets to the side and swung her feet to the ground. Rubbing her eyes, she walked to the bathroom. “I’ll be ready soon. Can someone get me some coffee?”

The girls glanced at each other and Lauren said, “Sure. There’s a coffee shop down the street. We’ll be back in a bit.”

When Lauren and Anna walked through the door of the coffee shop, they found Donald sitting at a table in the corner. His bright orange hair would stand out anywhere. He looked up when he heard the bell chime; his body stiffened when he saw them.

Lauren slid into the booth and Anna followed. They stared across at him, not sure what to say.

“What are you doing here?” Donald said gruffly.

“We’re here to help you.” Lauren reached over to grab his hand.

“I don’t need any help.” He pulled his hand back.

“Keegan is here.” Anna said softly.

Pain flashed across his face. He turned away, his eyes studying the people hurrying past outside the window “Why?”

“She said you haven’t returned her calls or texts, so she was worried about you,” Lauren said quietly.

“Where is she?”

“She’s back at the hotel. She slept in so she sent us for coffee.”

The corner of his mouth quirked up as if her were going to smile and stopped himself. “Tell her to go home. I don’t want to see her, and I don’t need your help.” He stood up, threw a $20 bill on the table, and walked out.

“Well that went well.” Anna reached over and grabbed a slice of toast from his plate while Lauren rolled her eyes.

They ordered their coffees and went back to the hotel. The guys were already waiting in the lobby, so they filled them in on the exchange.

Calvron narrowed his eyes and tapped a finger on his chin. “I could probably track him if he changed into his tiger form.”

Spencer and Sam exchanged looks, and the three guys bolted out of the hotel, hoping to catch Donald before he got too far.

Anna handed Keegan her coffee as she came out of the bathroom still wrapped in a towel.

“We saw Donald at the coffee shop,” she said with a frown.

Keegan stopped, clutching the towel at her chest. “What?”

“Yeah. He was sitting inside. We talked to him.”

“I’m sorry Keegan, but I really think he doesn’t want to see you,” Lauren cut in as she sat on the bed.

“I didn’t think he would.” Proof that he didn’t filled her with sadness. She hated that she had caused his unhappiness. “But, Calvron asked me to try, so I have to.”

Calvron, Spencer, and Sam showed up a couple of hours later and knocked on the girls’ door.

“Hey,” Keegan said when she opened it. “Did you find him?”

Spencer shook his head. “No. He’s gone.”

“Again,” Calvron said disgustedly.

Anna grabbed her bag and started setting up her altar. “If you guys can step out really quick, I’ll track him.”

Keegan watched in awe as Anna’s movements were sure and quick. She had turned into a completely different person. Gone was the quirky, awkward girl Keegan had grown up with. She had been replaced by a beautiful, confident—and powerful—witch.

Anna eventually turned towards them and motioned for Keegan to let the guys back in. “Maybe we should just leave him alone. He really doesn’t want to be found, and I don’t think he’s ready for our help.”

Calvron stepped towards her. “What did you see? Where is he?’

“He’s not far from here. He’s in the woods. Watching us.” Anna sighed and began to put away her crystals.

Keegan looked up from the bed. “He’s close?”

“Yes. He’s behind the hotel in the woods.” Anna started picking up her things. She held onto her crystal for a few minutes and closed her eyes, smiling.

“I think I should go talk to him by myself.” Keegan walked over and grabbed her coat. She needed to at least
try
to speak to him. Alone.

Sam spoke up. “I don’t think that is a great idea. We should all go together. He’s made it obvious he doesn’t want to see you. You’ll probably make him run.”

Keegan zipped her jacket. “I’m going. Don’t follow me.” She walked out the door and didn’t look back.

The woods weren’t that far away. She thought about Donald as she walked, and all the good times they had shared together. He was her rock when she was dealing with her emotions of coming back to life from the black magic. She wasn’t sure what would have happened to her had it not been for him. Every time the darkness came to her, he had been there to push it back. She owed him.