48. Cori
Cori
C ori’s eyes adjusted to the dim light of the early morning, peeking through the heavy curtains. Adrian was still asleep beside her, wrapped in the stiff sheets, his chest rising and falling heavily and peacefully. From across the room, Seth snored softly from his bed. Alfie shifted around restlessly from the floor.
Seth and Alfie had arm-wrestled the night before over who would win the bed, as had become the custom, and Seth had won for the first time since they arrived three days ago. Although she was glad Seth was catching up on much needed rest, Cori was sure that they would all pay the price for Alfie’s lack of sleep.
Prudence and Zion had stayed back with Lionel in the Airstream at a campsite on the outskirts of town while the rest of their group had found a decent motel near Salem Harbor. It was central to town so the Gray witches could patrol the city without being noticed.
Cori wasn’t sure what to expect from the town of Salem. After all, this was the place where the Covenant was made, a previous hub of witchcraft, and home to several of the largest covens in the country. She felt connected to this place, even though she had never physically stepped foot in the town itself.
They had headed straight for the motel upon arrival. Cori had decided to stay hidden from the LARC until the moment was right. She could glean from the others that the town was mostly touristy and full of fake witchcraft shops and character actors. There were so many witches—true and false alike—wandering around, it was easy to blend in.
Alfie and Prudence determined that several members of Calvin’s coven had been spotted in town. The local Charms coven was large and active in the community, but Zion had wisely connected with the local Gray coven before their arrival. Per report, there was plenty of dark magic to worry about in this town.
Most of it was attributed to history and the fact that many dark relics were hidden in and around Salem. It was common that the Gray coven would end up policing witches traveling from out of town, drawn to the history of the witch trials.
Despite being stuck in the motel, one thing she could sense beyond the walls of their room was an incredible amount of spiritual energy in the town. On the drive to the motel, she had seen more spirits from the road than she had ever seen in one place before. Cold magic lingered on her breath and clung to the hairs on her skin, reminiscent of the chill she usually felt from spirits roaming the Earth.
Light grew brighter behind the curtain, and a shiver ran through her at the thought of how many witches had died here. And for what?
Fear. Power that was out of control.
So many humans had become fearful of the dark elements of witchcraft that even those who had not practiced dark magic were burned. Innocent witches and many humans who were falsely accused. If magic was shared through the Other—like she had always been taught—what had happened while so many witches were being burned through Europe and the colonies? What was magic like before it became vilified? What would it be like after the solstice?
On the ride to Salem, she had asked Zion about the Other and how it was differently interpreted between the sects of magic. Of course, he had studied it extensively. She replayed their conversation in her mind.
“It wasn’t until I met Adrian that I realized Elemental witches don’t think about the Other the same way Charms witches do,” she had explained to him.
“Of course, they don’t,” he shrugged matter-of-factly. “Elemental witches don’t rely on other witches like a Charms witch does. As Charms witches, your mom and Enzo rely on the members of the coven for unique skills. To them, the Other is the community that strengthens their magic.”
“What do Gray witches consider the Other to be?” she had asked with curiosity.
“Gray witches consider magic to have multiple layers. There is magic, and then there is the Other. The Other is all things that have the potential to have magic.”
Her head spun as she recalled his explanation. “So, you consider the Other to be the lack of magic?”
“No.” He shook his head. “Not the lack of it, but the potential for it. That's why Gray witches use so many magical relics.” He pulled out the veiling stone from his bag. She recalled how her skin had tingled as he placed the stone in her hand. “This once was an ordinary object, but it carried energy. Gray witches know how to use this energy and channel it into magic.
Before the Covenant, Charms witches used to do the same thing, but they used a combination of the dark and light element from the object. It was much more powerful.” He shook his head. “But it was much more dangerous. Our ability to control dark and light energy makes us Gray witches. The energy we channel the magic through is the Other.”
After their conversation, Cori had felt dizzy. She wanted to learn more about how different witches interpreted magic. Zion had given her a few of his favorite books on magical theory.
During her time in the motel room, she had studied them with Adrian. They had learned that most witches differed little on how they viewed the Mother and the Giver. The Other was up to interpretation .
The solstice was only two days away, but she still did not know what her words meant.
All those who have borrowed from the betrayal will weaken through the Other.
How would they weaken? Would it depend on how they interpreted the Other? Maybe a Water Elemental who used dark magic would be less connected to the magic of the water. Maybe a Gray witch who used the dark elements in making their relics could not connect to the magic in objects. Would her connection to the spirit realm be weakened? If a Celestial could read emotions through the aura, would her connection become clouded?
The more she read, the more she realized the Charms witches had the most to lose from her prophecy. She remembered how her mother had been the go-to person for healing charms in their coven. She had shared so much magic with her fellow witches. What would happen if those witches could no longer share? It was no wonder that most of the witches who were trying to stop her were from Charms covens, and that her own coven had betrayed her in the end.
She squeezed her eyes shut and tried to slow the turning cogwheels in her mind. Sleep had been evading her since leaving the cottage on the cliffside. Thinking of the cottage made her heart ache. She had never felt so at peace as she did there.
With Adrian.
She let her mind swim into the memory of what it felt like to wake up in Adrian’s arms, warm and skin to skin under the thick blankets. They had not been in a rush to wake in the mornings, feeling as though they were tucked away from the rest of the world. No lobster to catch. No data to collect.
She would awaken to his touch before the sun fully rose and they would get lost in each other before she even fully opened her eyes. The room was cold and dry each morning but became warm and humid with Adrian’s magic as their bodies joined.
She smiled to herself at the memory of hot, thick air around her. He claimed he couldn’t control the way his body reacted to the surrounding atmosphere .
In the cottage's isolation, surrounded by the sea and protected by the rocky cliff, Cori had felt blissfully free to give in without restraint and make the air heavy all day long. Her skin flushed, wishing she could relive those mornings again.
She wasn’t sure she would ever feel that free again—or that she could ever return to the little cottage where she had told Adrian that she loved him. The place where their bond had been irrevocably woven.
Adrian shifted on his side and wrapped his arm around her, as though he was drawn to the quickening of her pulse. She draped her leg over his hip, leaning against the hardness of him as she drew him closer. He moaned a bit in his sleep, and she kissed him silently. She felt his lips curve upward against her own as he slid his hand to her thighs, grazing her skin as he pressed closer. She gasped at the contact, only to hear Alfie’s agitated voice from the floor.
“If you guys are going to fuck, at least have the decency to warn the other people sleeping in the room,” he gritted out.
“Shh, Cori I think they can hear us,” Adrian whispered loudly.
“Don’t worry,” she reassured Alfie. “That’s not my kind of thing.”
“What’s not your kind of thing?” Seth asked as he stretched luxuriously on his bed.
“Exhibitionism,” she said as she reluctantly pushed Adrian’s hand from straying up her thigh.
Seth stretched as he sat up in bed. “Alfie, damn. Nobody likes a cockblocker.”
Her skin flushed with embarrassment. “He’s not being a cockblocker.” She sat up and swung her legs over the side of the bed.
“I disagree,” Adrian said grumpily as he pulled the covers back over his head.
“Alfie’s just jealous,” Seth teased. “He misses his boyfriend.”
Alfie groaned. “I cannot believe I was na?ve enough to tell either of you any information about my love life,” he said, rolling his eyes. Jordan and Alfie had been spending more time together before they were called away to Salem. Alfie had finally admitted they officially started dating.
“I think you forget sometimes. You’ve been hanging out with a Celestial witch for the past couple of months,” Adrian said, raising his brow. “I’m pretty sure we would have figured it out eventually.”
Cori nodded in agreement as she pulled on her wool socks and fleece sweater. “Yeah, I saw that relationship coming from a mile away.”
“I thought you didn’t like exhibitionism,” Alfie retorted.
“More like voyeurism. It’s not my fault I can sense your aura.” She shrugged, pulling on her thick fleece sweater.
“What does my aura look like right now?” he asked her, frowning.
She opened her mouth to answer, but Seth beat her to it. “Your aura looks permanently pissed off to me.”
“Agreed,” Adrian said. “I’m also picking up a strong ‘superior British douche’ vibe.”
Alfie glared at them as he pulled on his sweater. Two nipple rings adorned his heavily muscled chest. She bit back a laugh, wondering if Jordan knew this piece of information about his new boyfriend, but made a mental note to tease him about it the next time she saw him.
“Not my fault I’m surrounded by a bunch of American assholes all day,” he retorted.
Cori rolled her eyes. It was very early in the day for this kind of bickering. “I’m starving,” she said, changing the subject.
Seth stood up. “I thought I saw hunger in your aura,” he said, raising his hand. “I volunteer to fetch the bagels.”
“As much as I would love to accompany you, I just got instructions from Prudence,” Alfie said, scrolling through his phone. “The local Gray coven has decided to hold an emergency meeting about the increased dark activity in town expected in the few days before the prophecy.”
Cori shivered. She was sure that Calvin was not the only witch who practiced dark magic that was making a pilgrimage to the birthplace of the Covenant this week.
Alfie and Seth hastily got dressed and left for their various tasks as Cori sat perched on the edge of the bed. She absent-mindedly twirled her charm bracelet and bit her lip as she considered the reality that droves of witches in this town likely wanted her dead.
The click of the door snapped her back to reality. She turned her head and saw Adrian stretching as he rose from the bed. Her anxiety melted away at the sight of him, her eyes trailing over the swell of his shoulders, the black ink of his tattoos that seemed to curve perfectly around the muscles of his back. A strand of dark chestnut hair, mussed from sleep, fell in front of his face as he bent to pull on his shirt.
“Looks like we’re alone for a few minutes,” she mused, tipping up her shoulder. She tossed her hair to one side, tilting her head up expectantly.
He dragged his thumb over her lower lip. “What I want to do with you would take more than a few minutes,” he replied. Smoky red heat rose in the surrounding air, and she knew he was thinking about exactly what he wanted to do.
Her cheeks flushed as she rose to her knees. He stood next to the bed as she reached for his waist and pulled him to her. “What does that mean?” She trailed kisses down his collarbone. His muscles tensed in response to her touch as a frustrated groan escaped his lips.
He wrapped his hands in her hair, tilting her head back. His lips grazed hers as he spoke, “It’s been days since I was last inside you, and it would take time to make up for how much I missed you.”
The evidence of just how much he missed her pressed up against her abdomen, and she couldn’t stop her hand from tracing the muscles of his chest. A deep breath of annoyance puffed out of his lips as his phone illuminated on the bedside table.
“Who is it?” Cori asked as he glanced down at the screen .
His lip curled with a smile as he read the text message. “It’s from Seth.”
He tilted the phone to her so she could read the message.
Bagels obtained. I’m going to take the long route back and then sit in the lobby. You guys come find me when you’re ready.
The promise of borrowed time flashed in his eyes. “Come to think of it, I’m not all that hungry,” she said with a shrug.
“Speak for yourself,” he laughed, as he lifted her off the bed.
It had been only a few days, but what he said was true, and she felt it, too. She felt empty without him, without the feeling of his body moving inside her, like the tide pulled by the force of the moon. Their magic was desperate for a connection, and the air around them thickened with humidity.
She angled her head against his, grazing his ear with her mouth as she whispered to him. “I just want to lie next to you for a little while.”
What she needed, more than anything, was to feel that peace again. The way it felt to lie in his arms with no agenda and no ticking clock, the way it had been at the cottage.
He nodded, the muscles in his shoulders relaxing. She laid down and he pulled the blanket around them. He settled behind her, curling his arm over her waist. Cori listened to Adrian’s breaths as the surrounding air morphed into cool blue contentment.
He scooped the hair away from her back, the humidity dissipating as he willed the water out of the surrounding atmosphere. She shivered, the cold air stark against her skin. If she died, he would never feel that connection with her—with anyone—ever again.