Spellbinder Page 14
Several hours later, Miranda woke up and found Tabitha sitting up, just staring at the wall.
“You okay?” Miranda asked.
“Yeah. I just … I feel sorry for Sienna,” Tabitha said.
“Me, too.” Miranda rolled over and looked at her half-sister.
“Do you think her mom will ever get out of prison?”
“I doubt it,” Miranda said. “She killed Roni Force and Cindy Bryant. And she’d have killed us if Chase and the others hadn’t gotten to us. And just to make sure her daughter was high priestess.”
“I know. It’s just … I keep thinking about how Sienna feels. She can’t help it that her mother is a lunatic.”
Miranda nodded, thinking of her own parents’ sins. “I guess no one should feel guilty about what their parents do.”
From Tabitha’s expression, she knew exactly what Miranda meant. She leaned back on the bed and stared up at the ceiling. “I still think they could have told us, or done things differently.”
“Me, too,” Miranda agreed. “It’s so screwed up.”
“It’s love,” Tabitha said. “Love screws with your head and your heart.”
Miranda considered how she felt about Perry. It felt sort of screwed-up, too.
“But…” Tabitha continued. I still love our dad and my mom.”
“Me, too. They’re our parents. We have to love them.”
Tabitha rolled to her side and put her face in her hand. “Do you think we look alike?”
“Everyone says we do,” Miranda answered.
“I like that,” Tabitha said.
“Me, too.” Something shifted at the window and caught Miranda’s gaze. A bird sat on the sill, looking inside. It was raining and the bird’s feathers were ruffled. The animal looked cold and pathetic. It looked lost.
“I think that’s Perry,” Tabitha said. “He’s been out there since I woke up.” Her sister got out of bed. “Why don’t I leave and let you two talk?”
The idea made her nervous, but it was time. Miranda nodded. “Thanks.”
Tabitha got to the door and then turned around. “I won’t eavesdrop this time.”
Miranda smiled. “I appreciate that.”
Tabitha turned to leave then stopped and glanced back over her shoulder. “You’ll tell me what happens, right? Now that … that we’re okay with being sisters.”
“Yeah,” Miranda said, knowing she and Tabitha were going to be okay. They were sisters and while the circumstances felt wrong, it felt right, too.
If only everything felt that way, she thought, and glanced back at Perry.
Chapter Nineteen
Perry flew in as soon as she opened the window. Wings out, he landed on the bed. In mere seconds he’d returned to human form. He still looked cold and pathetic. His hair was damp; his pale yellow T-shirt clung to him. His eyes were clouded with guilt.
“I’m sorry,” he said before she could open her mouth.
“Perry, you didn’t—”
“I left you up there. I didn’t know there were more rogues around. I swear, I’d die before I let anyone—”
“Stop,” Miranda demanded. “You didn’t do anything wrong.”
“If I hadn’t left you, he wouldn’t have gotten you. You wouldn’t have had to endure any of that.” He sat up. “You could have died, and—”
“Stop! If you hadn’t left me when you did, my sister would be dead. I didn’t know I had a sister for all these years and if I’d lost her now, I would … I couldn’t have stood that. I’m not mad at you. I owe you.”
She went and sat down beside him, then hugged him. “Thank you.”
She felt him bury his face in her hair. The embrace of gratitude slowly changed to something more. Something soft and romantic.
Closing her eyes, she savored his scent, the safe feel of his arms around her.
“I love you,” he said, pulling her a little closer.
She recalled Tabitha’s words. Love screws with your head and your heart.
Pulling back, she gazed up into his eyes. She knew he ached to hear her say everything was okay, but God help her, she was afraid. Afraid to give herself to the emotion when … when she could see how love had messed up her entire family.
He sighed as if her silence spoke louder than words. “I won’t give up.”
She nodded and for some reason she liked hearing that. Maybe, all she needed was time. Then she leaned back against him and just let him hold her. For now, wasn’t that enough?
* * *
The next day, around noon, Miranda stood in a circle of five witches in the large auditorium, bracketed between the two twins. Her palms were sweating. Sienna had dropped out of the competition, so the council had flown in the runner-up.
Tabitha had come to see her in her dressing room right before the competition started. Her words rang in Miranda’s ear. As long as one of us wins, I’ll be happy. Tabitha had hugged her and wished her good luck. The honesty in her sister’s eyes told Miranda her sister meant it.
The meeting her dad had been intent on having yesterday had taken place this morning. It had been short and sweet. Their father had basically repeated what he’d told her earlier, and asked both girls’ forgiveness for handling things poorly.
Miranda’s mom had sat quietly, tears in her eyes, the whole time. Mary Esther, sitting in the opposite corner with her daughter, had looked hurt. Hearing her husband confess his love to Miranda’s mom must have been hard. The same look was reflected in Tabitha’s eyes. Yup, love could really screw people up.
Afterward, the two moms agreed to at least try to be civil to each other. It was more than Miranda expected. Especially from Mary Esther. Tabitha was right, it seemed clear that the woman still cared about their father.
After the meeting, they had all come to the auditorium together. Miranda hadn’t said much to either of her parents. Not that it stopped her mom from visiting Miranda before Tabitha had showed up.
Her mom had hugged her, told her how proud she was of her, and that she was certain Miranda would win this competition. “It’s in your blood.” She had raised Miranda’s chin and looked her right in the eyes. “You realize this is it. You’ll be eighteen in a few months. You can’t enter this competition again. Win this for your mama.”
As her mom started out, Miranda asked, “Did you know?”
“Know what?” her mom asked.
“Know Dad was married?”
She blinked, and then answered. “Not at first.”
“Don’t lie to me,” Miranda said, noting the guilt in her mom’s eyes.
Her mom frowned. “I was suspicious, but I didn’t know for sure.” She sighed. “I guess I should have been more inquisitive.”
“Yeah,” Miranda answered.
“Sometimes it’s easier to see only what you want to see,” her mom had continued with sadness in her eyes.
“Tabitha Evans,” the reigning high priestess called out. Hearing her sister’s name pulled Miranda out of her thoughts and back to the present—back to the competition. She and her sister were the last two to perform in the U.S. part of the competition. Miranda watched with pride as her sister stepped up and moved the flame from the fireplace to the candle, earning herself the complete hundred points for the spell.
Tabitha and Miranda were tied before this last challenge. If Miranda got the entire hundred points, the council would use the score from the last competition to break the tie. And since she’d beaten Tabitha, the tie would rule in Miranda’s favor.
All she had to do was to complete this last little spell without a hitch, and she would be high priestess. Then she’d have to do one more competition with the other foreign contestants. But even if she flunked that round, she’d still be high priestess for the U.S. She’d have made her mother one happy woman. She would have finally made her mother proud.
“Miranda Cane.” The speaker of the council called her name.
Miranda moved to the front and gazed at the audience. Perry stood i
n the back watching her. A soft smile in his eyes—patience in his expression.
Shawn stood by Burnett. She didn’t have a clue what she was going to do about him. But seeing his warm gaze just made her feel worse.
Shifting her focus up to the front of the crowd, she saw her mom, her eyes so full of hope and pride, and holding tight to her father’s hand. Mary Esther sat three seats away. Alone. The seat next to her was empty.
Shifting ever so slightly, Miranda cut her eyes to Tabitha. Her half-sister stared into the audience. Her expression the same as it had been during the meeting—disillusioned. Was she thinking about her mom?
“You can begin,” the announcer’s voice rang loud. Taking a deep breath, unsure she could do this, Miranda extended her hand. “Fire to flame. Smaller but the same. I move thee to the wick in the Goddess’s name.”
The spark rose from the fire, a perfect little spark, red with tiny streaks of blue. It moved slowly to the candle and hung above it for several seconds. Finally it lowered. The warm glow touched the wick and … vanished. A small puff of smoke snaked up to the ceiling, taking with it Miranda’s dreams. Her mother’s dreams.
She heard the crowd moan in disappointment. While it might have been impossible, she could swear she had heard the sound of her mom’s soft sad sigh. Her dream for her daughter gone.
“Our winner, Tabitha Evans,” the council announced and the sound of the applause rang too loudly in Miranda’s ears. A feeling she’d known too often filled her chest and twisted her stomach. The one associated with losing. The one she’d felt so often, having to face the disappointment in her mother’s eyes.
Head held high, refusing to show emotion, she walked over to her half-sister. Tabitha stood in blissful shock. Miranda hugged her. Tight. “Congratulations.”
Taking a deep breath, and trying not to look at her mom, Miranda darted to her dressing room. Her chest felt heavy. She’d let her mom down. Let her down so badly.
“Miranda?” she heard someone call her name. She didn’t stop. Moving faster, she longed for solitude. She made it inside of her small dressing room, took one deep gulp of oxygen, and then another. The door behind her swished open, slamming against the wall.
Miranda turned, expecting to see her mom, dreading the discontent she’d see in her mother’s eyes, but it wasn’t her mom perched in the doorway.
Tabitha, her cheeks bright, anger in her eyes, stood in the doorway. “You purposefully lost to me, didn’t you?”
Miranda rolled her eyes. “Please. I wanted this as bad as you did. For me. For my mom. You know how much my mom wanted this. You won fair and square. And don’t gloat about it. Just leave.” She gripped her hands into tight fists.
“I don’t believe you,” her half-sister said.
“Well, what do you want me to do? Take a lie detector test? Sign me up!”
“Tabitha,” Mary Esther’s voice called out. “You need to give a speech.”
“Go,” Miranda said and gave Tabitha a nudge out the door. “Go before my mother shows up and our moms get into another fight.”
“Are you sure?” Tabitha asked. “You didn’t do this on purpose?”
“I’m sure.” She gave her sister a quick hug. “Now go, before I get jealous and give you pimples or something.”
Tabitha grinned and then took off. And that’s when Miranda saw Della and Kylie standing there in the hall. Their expressions showed they knew.
Miranda waited until her sister had turned the corner and couldn’t hear. Crossing the hall, she faced her two best friends. “Never tell a soul. Promise me.”
They looked at each other and then said in unison, “Promise.”
“But why?” Kylie asked. “You’ve wanted this. I know you wanted this. Your mom groomed you for this all your life. Making your mom proud meant so much to you. Why throw it away?”
Miranda put her hand over her lips as tears slipped from her lashes. Then she wiped them away. As much as it stung, she’d done the right thing.
“Tabitha deserves it.”
“More than you?” Della snapped. “How the hell did you come up with that theory? I swear, I do not understand nice people.”
Miranda took in another deep breath. “My dad loves my mom. Not hers. And Mary Esther had him first. That’s wrong.”
“That sucks. And I don’t think that’s a good enough reason,” Della said. “The sins of the mother are not supposed to climb down the generation ladder.”
“Well, they do,” Miranda said. “And yes, it sucks.” She held out her arms. “So much so I … Can I have a hug?” They both walked into Miranda’s embrace.
And there in Paris, her dream of making high priestess forever vanished, Miranda knew that as uncertain as some things were in life—things like love—she would always have her two best friends.
Don’t miss all of
Shadow Falls
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Shadow Falls: After Dark
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About the Author
Photograph courtesy of Leah Fortney
C. C. HUNTER lives in Spring, Texas, where she’s at work on her next novel. To learn more, visit her on the Web at www.cchunterbooks.com. You can sign up for email updates here.
Also by C. C. Hunter
Born at Midnight
Awake at Dawn
Taken at Dusk
Whispers at Moonrise
Chosen at Nightfall
Reborn
Eternal
Novellas
Turned at Dark
Saved at Sunrise
Unbreakable
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Contents
Title Page
Copyright Notice
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
About the Author
Also by C. C. Hunter
Copyright
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
SPELLBINDER. Copyright © 2015 by Christie Craig. All rights reserved. For information, address St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010.
www.stmartins.com
Cover design by Elsie Lyons
eBooks may be purchased for business or promotional use. For information on bulk purchases, please contact Macmillan Corporate and Premium Sales Department by writing to MacmillanSpecialMarkets@macmillan.com.
e-ISBN 9781466891326
First Edition: June 2015
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