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“
No, I thought
I would ask Ember,” Ayden laughed.

“
Fine, ask
Ember, but I’m sure one of us really should start learning to make
pizzas.”

“
You’re the one
with the newer kitchen, Cora, you should learn,” Clay told
her.

“
We live in the
same house, Clay, you learn,” she retorted quickly.

Clay shrugged
his shoulders, obviously beaten by her quick wit.

“
I will ask
her,” Ayden announced to the cheer of the men. He grinned as he
passed her and gently touched her arm.

The shop door
opened and the bell sounded. Cora turned and saw Alex enter. He
made it to the second step before he stopped. A gun was raised in
his hand, a gun that was aimed at Cora.

The world
suddenly slowed for Cora. She saw everyone charge towards her. Saw
the fear in Jack’s eyes as he rushed to her. Ayden reached her
first. The blow from his body as it collided with hers, knocked the
breath out of her.

The world
surged back to real time. The noise attacked her ears.

Ayden’s body
covered hers on the floor. Jack scrambled forward. Cora couldn’t
focus. People were shouting at each other to get down. Others were
shouting to Alex, trying to contain the situation. Jack screamed
her name. Her blood pulsed in her head.

But she heard
the shot. It sounded like a dull pop.

One pop that
instantly created silence. There were no more shouts. She could
hear the tussle as everyone descended on Alex. She pushed at Ayden
who was covering her body. She saw Clay wrestle Alex to the floor.
She could no longer see a gun.

Jack lay at
her feet, unmoving.

“
Jack!” she
screamed and started to push away from Ayden.

Bile rushed in
her throat as she scrambled to him on her knees.

Ayden rolled
Jack over onto his back, trying to assess the situation. His eyes
were closed. His face was white, lips already turning blue. Cora
tried not to focus on the blood that pumped out of the wound, a
hole that seemed to sink right into his chest and out the other
side. Tabitha could help them if there was still life...Jack wasn’t
breathing...she couldn’t stop this from happening.

It already
felt like he was no longer here. She could no longer feel that
safety, that knowledge he was around her, always there. Her heart
knew he’d left her. Her soul felt cold, but the reality of this
hadn’t hit her yet.

Tears spilled
over her cheeks, knowing she would never hear his laugh, never see
his dimples that popped in his cheeks. They’d gone with him. Now
all she saw was what remained.

Still.
Unmoving...gone...

Her hand
touched his cheek, she felt her heart crumble, it had already
started to cool.

Tears streamed
down her face as she sobbed whilst clutching him.

4
3

THE END

Ayden grabbed
Jack’s t-shirt and ripped it clean off his body so he could get a
better look at the wound.

“
No. No. No.
No,” Cora muttered repeatedly. It made it real. She couldn’t take
her eyes of the wound.

She couldn’t
lose him. He couldn’t leave her. They had the chance to start their
new beginning together; this couldn’t be the end of it
already.

“
You bastard!”
Clay shouted as his fist attacked Alex’s face for what seemed like
the hundredth time.

Alex was
barely conscious. His head hung limp as Tommy held him up for
another beating.

“
No!” Ayden
cried out as he punched Jack’s chest, trying to revive
him.

Cora turned
her attention to Jack. She was shaking her head, the tears rolled
over her cheeks. Her throat ached as she held back yet another sob.
Cora slumped down, her head touching Jack’s chest. The cooling
blood ran into her hair.

“
Jack? Don’t
leave me, please don’t leave me... I can’t live without you...”
Cora whispered as her fingers brushed against his chest.

“
Cora,
sweetheart,” Iona soothed and pulled Cora into her.

Tears blurred
her vision. He was her soul mate. Leaning over him, she pushed her
fingers through his hair, feeling the softness caress her heart.
Her fingers moved down, traced his cheeks, his lips. She moved
closer to him, closed her eyes and brushed her lips over his. She
could taste the salt of her tears on his lips. She tried to ignore
how cool they felt against hers. She screamed in anguish, the
realisation of it all making her body shake. She pulled away from
Iona and stood, the wind surging madly around her body. Her heart
beat painfully. Her teeth ground together as her head
throbbed.

“
Clay, stand
back!” she ordered.

Clay stumbled
off Alex, lost in his own grief as he made his way to Jack. The
tears were falling down his face.

The tornado
she unleashed flew towards Alex, lifting him and spinning him. Cora
let her element consume her, let it take away every emotion. Alex’s
mouth opened and closed. The rush of wind made sure he couldn’t
breathe. She could do one better than that. She wanted him to
die.

She focused,
maintained the tornado as she guided the snakes of wind to travel
towards Alex. The snakes latched onto Alex’s body, travelling until
they reached his neck. Cora cried out and lifted her hands, pushing
the vines to pull tighter around his throat. Alex was gasping, his
hands clawing at the vines that were fastened around his neck. A
hand filled hers. Cora snarled and turned to see Adanna.

“
Cora. Stop
this!”

Cora shook her
head. “No!” Her throat was raw with emotion. She couldn’t breathe.
But she knew one thing, Alex had to die for what he’d
done.

Cora’s tornado
died the second she felt the spark hit her. Adanna had silenced her
gift by making it her own.

“
What the hell
are you doing?!” Cora exclaimed.

Adanna pushed
Cora’s element back into her. She felt the wind pulse around her as
Alex landed on the floor, gasping for breath. Adanna stepped toward
Alex and lifted her hand, taking away Alex’s ability.

“
Cora?”

Cora’s heart
stopped beating as his voice washed over her. She turned and saw
Jack sitting up with Ayden’s help.

Jack.

The breath
left her as she sobbed and she ran to him. She fell to her knees
and flew into his waiting arms.

“
I’m here,”
Jack soothed her. He moved back, looking at her before kissing her
cheeks as her tears fell. His lips brushed over her nose before
resting on her lips and then her forehead.

“
I
thought-”

“
No, Cora.” He
pulled back.

She soaked it
all in, appreciating every little thing. His eyes, his smile, the
dimples she feared she would never see again, they were all here.
She cried, unable to stop herself.

“
Alex has the
power of illusion,” Adanna informed them.

Cora looked at
Jack’s chest, her fingers brushing over where the wound had been.
“But he has hurt us before, he stabbed Ember.”

“
I’m not sure
why he chose now to use his gift if he has done this before,”
Adanna murmured.

“
I’m glad he
has,” Cora protested as her hands brushed over his chest
again.

“
Do we need to
find a room, babe?” Jack whispered seductively.

Cora sobbed
before wiping her nose on her sleeve. She didn’t look very
attractive at the moment. Jack didn’t seem to care as his lips
fused to hers. He pulled back and smiled. She rested her forehead
against his. “I love you.”

“
Love you
too.”

“
I had five
minutes where I thought I’d lost you forever. I never want to feel
like that again.”

Jack’s lips
brushed up against hers again before he stood, helping Cora to her
feet. Jack looked at Alex and growled as he held her hand and
walked with her. The relief made her legs weak.

“
Do you think
you can come in here and pretend to shoot me?!” Jack
hissed.

“
I...I...”

“
Who sent you?”
Tommy asked.

“
No one,” Alex
gasped.

“
Why did you do
it?” Tabitha asked.

“
You killed our
leader.”

“
I’m your new
leader,” Cora hissed. “And you were willing to kill me!”

Alex hung his
head. He obviously realised what he had done wrong. He was very hot
tempered. They knew this from their last encounter.

Three witches,
ones she recognised from their last meet in the front of her house,
stepped into the shop and instantly everyone surged towards
them.

“
Please, we
mean no harm,” a man said. He was on the thicker side with sunken
eyes over big busy brows. Those grey eyes pleaded with
them.

“
Your coven
leader is in some serious trouble,” Ayden growled.

“
We didn’t know
what he had planned,” a small mouse- like woman told
them.

“
Why had you
remained outside? Did you not hear the commotion?” Ember
asked.

“
We heard it,”
the first man spoke again.

“
And?” Cora
asked, “Are you so stupid you didn’t think to come in and help? We
had this problem last time and still you haven’t learnt from
it.”

“
I thought he
would be in trouble...We’ve not approved some of his methods in the
past...”

“
Are you
telling me that you would give up your leader?” Cora
asked.

“
Yes,” the
woman answered quickly.

Cora accepted
this. She picked Alex up off the floor. “Take him. You will hear
from me, and keep him out of trouble. Otherwise, you will feel the
keen sting of my element.”

They nodded
and led Alex out.

“
Okay, we need
to clean up again,” Iona said.

“
And lock the
damn door,” Flynn grunted.

Cora walked to
Jack, her head resting on his shoulder. Her hand brushed against
his chest. She couldn’t shake the image of the bullet
hole.

“
You like me
shirtless?” Jack teased.

“
Well, it’s not
too bad to look at,” she murmured.

Jack looked
down at her, his eyes a deep chocolate that she lost herself
in.

“
Don’t worry,
I’m not going anywhere. But be warned, I will always protect you. I
will do what it takes to make sure you live-”

“
But I can’t
allow yo-”

“
Cora.” Jack
hushed her by placing his finger over her lips. “Whether you allow
it or not, I love you so much that if someone thought of hurting
you, I would do everything I could to save you, to attack that
person and pull them apart. If that means dying, I will do that,
beautiful.”

“
And you need
to remember that I will do the same for you.”

Jack smiled
and rested his forehead against hers. “Fine, but it won’t come to
that. Nothing is ever going to happen to me. Unfortunately for you,
you will have me for eternity,” Jack promised.

“
I wouldn’t
want you anywhere else,” she sighed, loving the feel of his arms,
his lean frame, holding her close.

4
4

COTTAGE

Their hands
were held between them as they walked along the new path that now
led to the training ground. The grey stone didn’t interfere with
the natural landscape, and the undergrowth had already leeched its
way over the stone. It just made things easier when winter rounded
the corner. They listened to the sound of the birds as they walked.
Silent moments like this were few and far between, so they savoured
them when they came.

As they
entered the area, a new sight greeted them. A new, purpose built
meeting home that she’d nicknamed the Coven Cottage, had been
constructed. It had taken a little over a month to build. It was
pure luck that it had been completed, but the witches Tommy knew in
Leeds were great builders.

The cottage
was similar in appearance to that of a log cabin found in the
mountains nestled amongst trees and snow. Even the chimney was
steadily puffing smoke. It may be May, but the shield of trees held
off any kind of warmth.

“
Everyone will
be arriving soon,” Jack told her, looking at his watch. “Do you
know what you are going to say?”

Cora shrugged
as they walked to the main entrance. The porch had been Ember’s
idea. The chairs and pots of colourful flowers gave the cottage a
finished touch. The tall wooden doors were partially open which
meant people, her people, were already inside.

“
I will do what
I usually do, go with the flow,” she said as Jack grinned at her.
“That means making it up.”

She pushed the
door and took a deep breath as she stepped into the entrance. The
smell of the wood and the fresh paint overwhelmed her. To her left
were the full length windows that allowed light to stream in on the
informal sitting room. Jack had wanted soft brown leather sofas, so
this is what they had.