Nova

Nova looked out the window, watching the green of the pine trees pass by her. There was still snow on the ground, and she wouldn’t miss it. She was happy to go back south, where it was warm year-round and she would be with her family. Maxine was gone, and whatever kind of crazy magic she was trying to do was dead. Juliet was the new leader of the coven and had made Nova a promise that she wouldn’t touch her family. Everything seemed right in the world once again.

She looked over at Dax, who was driving her to the train station. She knew she should say something to him, even a simple thank you for helping her, but she just couldn’t do it.

“So as soon as you get on the train, the treaty goes back into effect. Your family stays out of Crescent Valley and keeps the drama with them, right?”

She raised an eyebrow at him. “Why do we even have the stupid treaty? Our families haven’t fought in years.”

“Because your father saw fit to attempt to take over Crescent Valley. Where my family has been settled for over a century.”

“Well, you have to admit he was kind of successful, I mean the winery is doing amazingly well.”

“Yes. We agreed that he could keep his business in the area, but the rest of you have to go. Wherever you are, Nova, trouble follows.”

She crossed her arms, rolling her eyes at him. “Whatever, Dax.”

“Are you forgetting that Marcus tried to convince the City Council to give him young humans as slave labor? Or about the last fight we all had? Someone died Nova, don’t you forget that.”

She didn’t respond. That was a dark time in their family’s history, right after her mother had passed. Her father became unhinged to say the least, and she knew he was in the wrong, but she would never admit that front of Dax. It was one of the reasons that the romance had fizzled out probably for the tenth time. They just weren’t meant to be together, no matter how attractive he was. And since then, things between them were… strained.

They were traveling down a winding mountain road nearing the highway when suddenly Nova felt the world begin to spin.

“Pull over!”

Dax looked at her, puzzled. “What?”

“I said pull over! I’m going to be sick!” Dax swerved to the side of the road, hitting the brakes. She heard the tires squeal beneath them. She opened the door and immediately began vomiting. She was scratching at her skin like she felt like it was crawling on her. What the hell was going on?

“Nova? What’s the matter with you?”

She shook her head before vomiting again, scratching her arms so fiercely that she drew blood with one of her nails. “Where are we?”

“What?”

“Where the hell are we, Dax?” she shouted at him.

“Just outside of Crescent Valley. Why?”

“It was something that bitch Maxine said. That she was leaving, but I wasn’t. Turn around and take me back!”

She shut the door, wiping vomit from below her lip, and Dax spun the car around, driving about fifty feet. Immediately, she felt better. Shit. What the hell was this?

“What’s going on, Nova?”

“I don’t know! It’s like I can’t leave. Can you call Juliet? Find out what she knows?”

Dax pulled out his cell phone and pulled over once again on the side of the road, this time within Crescent Valley’s border. Nova opened her door and got out, breathing in some of the fresh mountain air. As she took a deep breath, she felt like her head had stopped swimming and her arms stopped itching. Suddenly, she once again felt alive. She looked out into the valley, seeing the lake that the town was named for. It really was in the perfect shape of a crescent moon. She heard the car door close behind her and swung around to see Dax standing next to the vehicle.

“What did Juliet say?”

Dax shook his head. “She thinks that Maxine cursed you, that you can’t leave the town’s borders. If you do, you could die.”

So she wasn’t going home after all.

Nova ran her hands through her dark blonde hair. “Fuck! You’re kidding, right? How are we supposed to maintain the treaty if I’m stuck here? Not to mention I don’t want to be in this little town anymore. I haven’t missed it at all,” she spat back at him.

“I’m not joking. So what do you want to do?”

She rolled her eyes. “I’ll call Julius. We’ll figure this out. But in the meantime, I guess take me to the winery. I’m not going to live at the bed-and-breakfast downtown when I own a property, that’s just stupid.”

“Fine. Get in.”

They didn’t speak as they drove through winding hills out towards the winery at the base of the mountain. It wasn’t located on the same side as the Bradwick Castle; the mountain was divided into the two properties. Nova’s head was spinning with thoughts of never being able to leave Crescent Valley as they turned onto a dirt road and bumped along up into the winery fields. They got to the gate and Dax stopped the car.

“I can’t go any further. It’s against the clan’s rules.”

“You mean to tell me that you haven’t stepped foot on Windego winery territory since the treaty? Even though we’ve been away?”

Dax shook his head. “We’ve maintained our part of the treaty just as you have. We’re not breaking that now.”

Nova tossed her hair and grabbed her bag from the back seat. “Fine. I guess I’ll see you around.”

Just as she was about to exit the car, Dax grabbed her hand. “Give us a heads up when Julius is in town, would you? The last time he was here, six of our bears got into a fight.”

She sighed heavily, knowing full well that that fight was completely Julius’s fault. “Fine. But you can’t touch him.”

“Why would I…”

“I don’t know. Just leave him alone. Leave us both alone.”

She slammed the door and heard the car reverse behind her as she opened up the gate to continue down the dirt road towards the winery. They had several other buildings on the property that she could stay in. Plus their family home that was now offices. She swung her bag over her shoulder and continued to kick rocks with her shoes as she walked down the road. She never thought she’d be returning here. Where her mother had died. Where this all began. She was home. Stuck here for all the worst reasons.

She would get revenge on Maxine eventually, wherever that little bitch ended up. She hoped it was Hell. Because that was what she felt like she was in.

Tiny town Hell.

Crescent Valley had sucked her back in.

She was a lone wolf among the bears. Among the magic.

And for the first time ever, she prayed the treaty would hold. Because without it, she was in the biggest trouble of her life.