Frog Hollow (Witches of Sanctuary Book 1) (25 page)

“Drink your vial of Witchy Whiskey,” Jade says, and I pull the vial from my pocket where I stuck it for safekeeping.

I wince before I even taste it, because this time I know what to expect. I don’t dare look around, even though I know no one will be glowing yet. The women continue to sing, but I am too nervous to understand the words. I’m sure I will have to learn them later anyway. I keep a constant eye on the clouds. My stomach churns in knots as Sera explains the importance of the ceremony.

“Each Innocent is destined to have an equal counterpart. Though often a complete opposite of herself, they will be bonded always and their magic most powerful when performed together.”

The clouds begin to move above my head, swirling in all directions. It isn’t until I see Jade lift her hands in the air that I realize she is moving them to reveal the moon.

My hands clench at my sides as the light of the moon streaks down upon us, and I see the green glow begin to radiate from my body. There are loud gasps all around the outer circle, and I desperately want to look behind me until I remember Sera’s instructions. I watch her closely, but her expression remains unchanged.

“When I call your name, please stand, step through the fire, and come to me,” she says and then pauses. “Liliana Gardneir.”

There is movement to my right, and a short redheaded girl glowing a beautiful pale pink steps through the fire. She walks toward Sera where they place a wreath of pink roses around her head. Sera holds her hand as she announces the second name. “Celeste Monte.”

A second girl, glowing the same color pink, steps through the fire to take Sera’s other hand. The girls grin happily at each other as Sera introduces them. Liliana then places a wreath on top of Celeste’s head, claiming her as her moon. I am almost panting by the time they take their place in the larger circle, and I admit I am sorely disappointed when the next Moon child called isn’t me but instead Sabel Jones, who now glows an angelic white.

I try to remain calm as the ceremony proceeds, two more sets of girls being introduced and accepted into the circle. I begin to daze out, other thoughts and worries creeping their way back into my mind space.

“Wilhelmina Daniels.”

The fog in my eyes scatters at the sound of my name, and I jolt back into the present. I stare straight ahead at Sera, and she motions me forward. I stand slowly, my knees more than a little weak and shaky. I falter only a moment at the fire, knowing it won’t burn me, but I cautiously step through it, nonetheless.

I grab Sera’s hand with such intensity I think I might break it if I don’t calm my emotions, which are spiraling wildly out of control. I’ve been waiting so long for this moment, to finally find the person who I’ll be eternally linked with, the missing piece of myself.

Sera’s thumb runs over the top of my glowing hand as I turn to face the circle, to face the girl who will be my other half.

No one is left.

I swallow hard. I look at a now frowning Sera. “I am sorry, Wilhelmina,” she says. “But it seems that your sun has not yet revealed herself or is still too young to take part in the ceremony.” Tears swell in my eyes as Sera’s voice breaks. “I’m sure we will find her next time.”

I tense my entire body to keep the tears from spilling over. I stand silently at Sera’s side, still clasping her hand in mine as she completes the closing words of the ceremony and extinguishes the light of the fiery circle.

Then she takes me in her arms, and I let my disappointment take me. Others try to console me as well. I manage to assure them all I am fine. My family knows me too well to believe it. They hurry the celebrations along as fast as they can, promising another meeting or party soon so we can all catch up again.

I sit in the grass, facing the house with my head in my hands. I curse the green light emitting from my body, wishing it would go away so I won’t have to be reminded I am alone.

Abby and Sadie try their best to convince me it isn’t that big a deal, especially since I have both of them to rely on anyway. “We can share Abby,” Sadie says, hugging me tightly.

“I am a pretty bright and shining sun,” Abby says, trying to lift my face.

I fake a smile, assuring them both I love them and I will be okay. It’s just hard to explain to them the intensity of my disappointment. It’s not that I didn’t find my sun but that she didn’t find me when I need her most.

“I just need some time alone,” I say, trying to keep my emotions in check long enough to make them think I can manage a few moments by myself. I want some time to clear my head, to formulate a plan and come to terms with everything.

They reluctantly leave me sitting alone in the back yard, the moon still shining brightly down on me. I cry, letting loose all the pent-up emotion I’ve been trying to avoid for the past two weeks.

I sob with such fierce exuberance that I almost lose my breath and my sanity. I cry for not only things I know will come but things I have already lost. I cry for the loss of my mother, the stolen time I will never get with her. I never admitted to anyone, or even myself, but a part of me secretly hoped I would somehow find her alive.

I cry for Zeke as well, whose life was much too short for someone so special and loved by so many. I’ll never be able to forget him or his sacrifice, and I will spend the rest of my time here on earth trying to live up to the expectation he had of me.

Then I cry for Julien, because his eyes will never shine with happiness or adoration for me ever again. I will miss that genuinely good person who always made me laugh and my heart race wildly out of control. I will make myself remember the boy who taught me to live freely, absent of fear and loss, and not the monster that haunts me.

Lastly, I cry for the simple fact I wasn’t strong enough to save any of them from their fate.

“Hey.” I look up through my swollen eyes to see Reid sitting on the steps of the back porch.

“Hey,” I say back with a hiccup.

He frowns at me, resting his chin in the palm of his hand. “So, I heard.”

More tears roll down my flushed cheeks. I wonder if they will ever end.

“I know you really wanted to find her tonight,” he says. “I’m sorry.”

I attempt to shrug it off, but my pain is obvious.

“Maybe it’s for the best,” he says. “Maybe if you would have found out, you would have been even more disappointed.”

I give him a look that begs him to please stop trying to make this better for me, because he sucks at it.

He sighs again, frustrated with himself. “I really hate seeing you unhappy.”

“That makes two of us.” I try to wipe my eyes.

“Why do you want to find her so badly?” he asks. “I proved to you that you can be just as powerful by yourself.”

I stare down at the ground in front of me. “You don’t understand.”

“Make me.”

I roll my eyes, because I’m not in the mood to argue with him, especially about this. “It’s not just the power thing, though I do believe it couldn’t hurt.” I take in a deep breath and decide to lay it all out. I’m purging all my other pent-up emotions, so I might as well finish it off. “I mostly just want the company, someone I can share the burden of this life I chose, because it’s not fair to ask Abby and Sadie to risk their life for me again when Julien comes looking for me. I can’t do it.”

Reid squats in front of me, his finger brushing across my cheek. He pulls back to display a single tear on the tip of his finger, and it glows as green as my face. I snort at the silliness of it. Even my tears glow.

Then I realize it isn’t just the tear, but Reid’s entire finger. I lean back to adjust my eyes to see I’m mistaken again. Reid’s entire body is glowing green.

I gasp, scrambling back in the grass as if he just transformed into a giant three-headed monster. “You’re glowing!” I throw my hands over my mouth. “You’re glowing green!”

He smiles. “You’re quick.” He reaches in his back pocket to pull out an empty vial and throws it to me. “I told you that you might be more disappointed if you actually found out the truth.”

I gape blankly at him. “What are you trying to say? That you are my sun?”

He laughs, displaying his glowing body like a prize. “I’m green, aren’t I?”

“But…” I pause, trying to find a way to delicately say it. “You’re a boy!”

He shrugs, smirking wickedly at me. “Again. Technicality.”

I frantically shake my head, because I refuse to believe it. “Boys can’t be one of us.”

It’s a simple fact. A fact I relied upon.

“I’m not going to sit here and act like I know how it happened, Wilhelmina. Maybe it’s because Abby and I are twins? I’ve spent my entire life denying it, pretending like the things I can do were just accidents. That’s until your mother caught me.”

I stare at him, still unwilling to believe what I see. “My mother knew?”

“Yep.” He laughs at the absurdity of it. “That’s the real reason she wanted to bring you back here. That’s the other secret I’ve been keeping from you. As soon as Abby was paired with Sadie, Fiona knew I’d be paired with you. She knew we would need each other, though I don’t think she realized how much.”

I shake my head, expecting the contents to start rattling. Of all the things I’ve learned since arriving in Frog Hollow, Reid being destined to be my sun is the craziest thing yet. “You’re really an Innocent?”

He smiles sheepishly at me, biting his lip.

I laugh, the shock of it completely overwhelming. “I just don’t know what to say,” I admit.

“How about, ‘I’m so happy, Reid?’ Or, ‘I’m so excited it’s you I could burst inside?’ Hell, I’ll take a simple, ‘Well, at least now I know.’ Just tell me anything, Willa, as long as it means you’re okay and you won’t hate me forever for keeping it a secret.”

The worry creases his eyes.

“I can’t believe you’ve known this entire time.” I purse my lips at him. “No wonder we shock each other all the time.”

He smiles. It’s still deadly, at least to my heart. “I have trouble controlling myself around you.”

I narrow my eyes at him. “You had me convinced it was all me.”

“Well—not every time.”

“And you had me believing it was my temper influencing my power, but really it was just because you were helping me!”

“I did nothing to help you, Wilhelmina,” he says. “I only tried to teach you that you didn’t need me.”

“You wanted me to stop looking for you,” I cry as the truth starts to come out.

“No.” He grimaces and tries again. “Okay, maybe yes. It’s only because I was scared. I was afraid of admitting what I am, afraid others won’t accept me, and most importantly that you wouldn’t accept me.”

My face softens to match that slow ache Reid always manages to cause my heart. “But you are my sun, Reid.”

“Your complete opposite.”

“My perfect match,” I counter, holding out my hand.

He takes it, and we both stand to face each other. I smile as I look at him. He looks so incredibly vulnerable with his little, green-tinted face. It’s a look I thought impossible for him.

As I think, it makes sense that Reid is my sun, because he is everything I am not. He’s my strength, the one constant, stable force whenever my world turned upside down. When I look at him now, I feel a calmness inside myself I thought I might never feel again.

“I am so happy it is you,” I say finally. “So happy I could burst.”

He smiles, relief washing over him. “You mean that?”

I step forward, cupping his glowing face in my hands, and tiptoe until I can gently kiss his cheek. “Promise.”

He blushes, attempting to hide the smile that beams across his face. “I’m glad you stayed,” he says.

I hug him, placing my face on his shoulder as I squeeze him so tightly my muscles ache from the force. “Me too.”

I start to relax until he jerks back, a new streak of panic in his eyes. “Can we wait a few days before we tell Abby and Sadie about this?” he asks timidly. “I still feel weird having people know about it, and heaven knows Grady will never let me live it down.”

I stifle a laugh as I imagine their reaction. “On one condition,” I say. “Promise me no more secrets.”

“I swear.” He holds up his hands. “I’m completely out.”

“And,” I add, biting my lip because I don’t know how he will react to this particular request, “you will move in with me?”

His eyes round, but he tries to recover quickly. “That is two conditions,” he points out, his voice huskier and more strained than before.

“I’m scared,” I confess. “That house is too big for just me and Romeo, and Julien is still out there somewhere. I keep imagining faces in the windows, and—”

His lips catch mine. I gasp into his mouth as he kisses me. He’s gentle, yet passionate, each brush of his lips a constant reminder of the way he feels for me. “I don’t need convincing,” he says against my skin. “We’ll go pack my stuff tonight.”

I look at his emerald green eyes, remembering the first time I stared into them. I’d been angry with him, prepared to beat him senseless for breaking into my house, and now here I am inviting him to live with me.

I can’t lie to myself and say I did it solely because I am scared to be alone. I did it for the simple fact that I only ever feel that faint sense of normalcy again when I am near him.