Chapter 3 - Adalyn
“Wow,” I breathed, looking around Harper’s cottage several hours later. “Its… Homely.”
When she had come to the island, Harper had taken up the abandoned cottage my grandmother owned. It had been the place where she had raised my mom before she moved to live above the store. Now Harper was settled, and she and Alex were making this place a proper home.
“It was before,” Harper laughed.
“Yeah, but not like this.”
Despite both of them being tidy there was a homely messiness to the cottage now. A mess that said a family lives here . Toys and children’s books were scattered across surfaces. Laundry was hanging out to dry on a rack in the kitchen. There was a distinct smell of tomato and garlic as if somebody had cooked that afternoon. The walls were now decorated with not only pictures of Harper and the children but also of Alex and the triplets, Alex and Harper, and, of course, the group he had arrived in Azure Cove with.
I turned my gaze away from one of Alex and Zephyr on quad bikes in a desert with huge sunglasses shielding their faces, their smiles bright. Behind that smile was the venomous man I had dealt with in the store.
“I burned Zephyr’s hands today,” I announced to Harper.
“You what ?”
She stared at me, mouth agape, from her spot on the sofa. Her sweatpants-clad legs were curled up beneath her, her hands cupping a mug of tea. She looked soft and comfortable in one of Alex’s hoodies, a less stressed version of the woman I had known these past four years. Maybe finding love did soften a person.
I didn’t want to be soft. Not if it meant giving up everything I had worked for.
“He insulted me,” I told her. “And he insulted my abilities, so I gave him a taste of what witches can do.”
Harper blinked. “You’re terrifying.”
I grinned before joining her on the sofa. “Hopefully, he won’t tell Alex. I don’t want the big bad alpha on my case about hurting one of his guys.”
“Oh, Alex won’t. There are probably times he wants to drag Zephyr out by the scruff of his neck and teach him a lesson. He always says Zephyr talks too much without thinking about what he says.”
“That’s for sure,” I muttered. “ But , anyway.” I held out my hand. “Show me the ring again.”
Harper’s face broke into a grin as she flourished her left hand, showing off the gorgeous, sparkling diamond Alex had presented her with. The whole gesture of his proposing had been small and intimate. He’d gotten down on one knee during a family day out on the mainland one day a month ago.
“I’m still sort of bitter I wasn’t there to take at least one picture,” I laughed.
“You’ll get plenty of opportunity next week at the engagement party,” Harper assured me. “Maybe I’ll even get you and Zephyr in one together.”
I snorted. “I don’t want him anywhere near me if I can help it.”
“Who?” Alex asked, walking into the living room.
“Nobody,” I muttered, not wanting to offend him, despite Harper’s assurances earlier, but she just tossed her red hair over her shoulder, smiling up at her fiancé.
“Zephyr,” she answered. I shot her a look, but she pretended not to see anything.
“Oh, I thought you two were…” Alex grimaced. “Not on civil terms.”
“Is that what he said?” I asked, my voice flat. Alex just shrugged and wandered into the kitchen to brew some coffee. As soon as he left, there was a rush of three sets of footsteps thundering down the stairs, squealing.
“Auntie Addie!” Hallie cried, scrambling over the back of the sofa and into my arms. I laughed, scooping her up properly to spin her around.
“Hi, baby,” I cooed at her. Her tiny teeth flashed as she grinned at me. “What did you get up to today?”
“Daddy took us swimming!” Marie cried. “He put rubbers on us.”
“Rubber bands,” Harper filled in quickly when I gave her a look of concern.
“We sort of floated with him, but he said one day, when we’re big, we will swim like he can!” Hallie said. I set her down next to her sister. Joseph climbed up to sit alongside them, with Alex coming over to sit next to Harper. The five of them all huddled close, a family that had gone through their fair share of trials and come through it so much stronger.
“Daddy said there is a lot we will do when we’re bigger,” Joseph mumbled. “But when is bigger?”
I chuckled, ruffling his fine, red hair. “Don’t wish your childhood away so quickly, kid. When you are big, you’ll just want to grow back down again.”
“You can’t grow back down!” Hallie cried.
“Hey, listen to this,” Alex said to me, grinning. “Joseph, what will you sound like when you’re older?”
Joseph got to his feet on the couch and inhaled deeply. His tiny chest puffed out, and his small hands clenched into fists. His head tipped back, and he let out the tiniest, cutest howl. Alex beamed as Harper clapped, cheering for him. In tandem, Hallie and Marie joined in with softer howls, all three of them grouping together.
“The Garson pack is on its way to being complete,” Alex said proudly. “I even bought Harper some running shoes so she can keep up with us.” Harper snorted, waving him off as she brought the triplets closer to her.
“It wouldn’t be a full pack without the best uncle, though, would it?”
The new male voice broke the peaceful family moment and turned my mood sour immediately. Zephyr strolled through the front door, inviting himself in. As soon as he saw me, he paused.
His eyes narrowed, his lip curling. “I can’t get away from you today, can I?” he muttered, quiet enough to almost be to himself.
What in the hell did that mean? Seeing each other in passing twice wasn’t unusual. If anything, I could not.
“Says you,” I hissed. “You just can’t bear to leave me alone, can you?”
“Don’t flatter yourself,” he snapped.
“Okay!” Harper said loudly. “Children here who do not need to witness their auntie and uncle having an argument.”
“Don’t worry,” I sighed. “They won’t. I’m out of here.”
“Oh, no, I hope I don’t make the superior all-knowing witch feel as though she has to leave for my benefit.” Zephyr’s smirk crawled beneath my skin, all smug and irritating. I wondered if I could burn it off the way I had with the top layer of his palms.
“Can’t you two try to get along again? The party is next week, and I still have parts of it to plan. Not to mention, I don’t want any drama during the party itself.” Harper’s distress almost made me cave, but I couldn’t. I would not submit to civility to a man like Zephyr—he was arrogant and rude, inconsiderate of what I actually did for this island. He had disrespected me, my coven, and my abilities. Added onto that, he thought he was superior. That wolves were the saviors of this island when witches had been protecting it defensively for years.
“She’s a witch,” Zephyr snapped while I cried, “He’s a wolf!”
We both glared at each other. Alex coughed into his fist, but I saw the hint of his smile.
“Sounds like a great pair,” Harper chirped. “And a great way to show small children that we can all get along, no?”
Zephyr snorted. “Sorry, Harper. I’d lay down my life if you asked me to but be civil with a witch who is actually a bitch—”
“Language!” Alex called.
“Oh, c’mon, I’ve heard you say worse around the kids,” Zephyr complained.
“Well, if you’ll excuse this bi— witch —I have work to do.” I stood up, hating that I would have to shoulder past Zephyr on my way out of the door.
“Wait, but—”
“I’m sorry, Harp.” And I really was apologetic. I knew I shouldn’t let mine and the wolf’s issues get in the way of being a good friend, but the longer he remained in the room with me, the longer I would be antagonized. I had lost my cool with him in the store when I shouldn’t have. But he was haunting my dreams; that left me on edge.
I stalked across the living room. When I got closer to Zephyr, I could feel the heat radiating from his body. Shifters always ran at a high temperature, and had he been a nice guy, I’d have made some sort of line to win him over.
But he was the last damn person I wanted to be looking in my direction in any way. Once, I had found him handsome, gorgeous, a mysterious, talkative man draped in dark aesthetics that matched mine. Tattoos and piercings, the dark hair, the bright eyes, the smile that tugged his full mouth so alluringly…
“Don’t let the wolves bite you on the way out,” Zephyr drawled.
It was the final reminder I needed that he was the last man I would ever be interested in. I scowled at him, sent a blast of wind to knock him sideways, satisfied at his stumbling and cursing, and left the cottage.
***
On the waterfall trail in the woods, where I had once hiked with the shifters and the triplets and Harper, peace and energy abound. I always came here whenever I felt low—both in powers and spirit. Whenever I had been torn up about something, the water energized me. It was no wonder this exact scene was sneaking its way into my dreams. They were a sign, a realization that I needed to spend more time here than I had been.
I sighed, letting my bare feet submerge where the rocks met the pool at the waterfall's base. The water was chilly at this time of the evening. I didn’t realize it had gotten so dark, but that had never scared me. I drew further inspiration from the night hours, when the moon was out. My powers only heightened during those times.
I basked in the peace I found without slipping fully into the pool. That felt too much like the dreams I was trying to escape. Once my energy felt settled, with no lingering uneasiness from Zephyr’s barbs, I turned around, intent to start on my shields. They had begun to take shape—one singular line that would eventually form a circle around the island's perimeter. To look at it would be like looking at the haze above a flame, a slight shimmer of air but nothing too noticeable.
I had started on the beach, along the shoreline, as most demons had come up from the ocean, but I needed to work inland soon. I wanted to find a better spell—something bigger. Something that might even bury shields into the roots of the very island to protect any portals from being opened anywhere.
The slower I worked, the longer another part of the island was defenseless. I hated that the demons lay claim to the Cove. This was my home. A home so many people—humans and witches alike—shared. The Hellspawn had no right to threaten that peace and safety.
I had to get to work. One day, the demons would be banished for good. My role was to do more to protect Azure Cove and encourage more witches to enlist their coven’s help, too.
Just as I went to slip my feet back into my sandals, I heard a voice. It was a ghostly, eerie echo drifting through the trees.
Adalyn.
I straightened, righting myself. My eyes went wide as I searched the dark woods. A blue glow that was what Hector had told me to look out for. I knew that anyway, but he had gathered as much intel as I had, and we had been conferring data.
Adalyn. We know you can see us, Adalyn. Come out to play, little witch.
My heart rate increased, and I shuddered, listening to the eerie tune. Demons. I knew it. I braced for an attack, fear pulsing through me. My palms grew clammy, and the back of my neck prickled. My power built in my chest, ready to be unleashed at the first sight of blue.
But it never came.
There was no blue portal, demon, or weapon slicing through the air. No faces staring back at me from the pool.
Nothing. They were just taunts. Soon, a silence settled, replacing the whispers.
When I did one last scour of the trees, I finally saw something. But it wasn’t the blue of demon portal lights. No, it was the bright green eyes that had plagued my dreams—and my days. A deep growl reverberated through the woods.
I gasped, not wanting to wait for whatever was in there to come out for me first. I could fight— should have fought —but I didn’t have enough amplification on my person. A rookie mistake. I had some spells that would have felled demons, but I couldn’t fight a wolf. I didn’t even know if I could outrun one, but I tried.
Nothing followed me as I sprinted back down the trail, towards town. I didn’t stop running until I reached the front door of my apartment and shoved my way in.
My heart pounding, I slid down against the door. I was brave and strong—a powerful enough witch, but the threat of both wolf and demon out there was enough to shake me. I let my body go limp as I stumbled towards my bed. I collapsed on top of the sheets, suddenly drained of the energy the waterfall pool had given me.
My dreams found me quickly, as if they had pulled me into sleep themselves.
In my dreams, I was levitating above a sandy road. A car door was open, and blood trailed out of it, across the road. I tracked it until I saw bigger pools of red at my feet. Only then did I see the blood coating my hands.
I gasped. Several feet in front of me, a huge wolf lay dead, its dark fur red and sticky with blood. What had happened? Had I killed the animal? Had I tried to save it? Its eyes were closed. If I pulled back the beast’s eyelids, would I see dead, green eyes? I was too scared to do it.
But then blue started slipping into my dream. More voices came together in an eerie song.
We were always meant to reunite our bloodlines, Adalyn. But you killed mine. You killed mine. You killed mine.
The demon chorus got higher and higher, piercing my dream until I woke with a cry.
I gasped awake, my hair and skin drenched in sweat.
Demons. Demons . That was the true threat.
But…
You killed mine . Those words were partially from my past dream. Zephyr’s proclamation echoed in the demon’s voices. But I hadn’t killed any demons, not properly, nor had I killed any wolves.
What was going on?
My eyes drooped once more. I still had hours to go until sunrise. Despite not wanting to sleep anymore, I pulled the sheets back over myself and closed my eyes. I could handle this. Zephyr was getting into my head.
All I needed to do was ignore him.
I could do that.