HALLOWEEN, BABY!” WINSTON YELLED AND pulled me into his arms planting a loud, theatrical kiss on my lips. He wore a yellow and orange feathered mask. I wasn’t sure if he was supposed to be a lion or a chicken.

I laughed at his carefree antics.

Adelaide shook her head, which sent her black curls flinging around her shoulders. Her mask was pale blue with sapphires and it made the blue of her eyes pop.

“Here you go, Mara.” She handed me a teal mask with tiny little lights that flickered to look like fireflies. I couldn’t help fingering the necklace that never left my body. The enchanted firefly darted around inside the glass.

I slipped the mask over my head and struck a pose. “How do I look?”

“Gorgeous.” Winston kissed me again before putting his arm around me.

I leaned into his side and soaked in his warmth. After that night with Theo four months ago I had thrown myself into my relationship with Winston. I genuinely enjoyed spending time with him and because I loved him but wasn’t in love with him I could never have my heart broken. I never wanted to experience that broken-hearted feeling ever again. It was too painful.

Theo sulked in the corner of the hallway dressed all in black with a black mask fixed over the top half of his face.

Apparently, it was tradition for everyone to wear masks on Halloween. Since it was Thursday, most of us had classes but the masks added a tiny bit of fun and eased the pressure.

“Ready for breakfast?” Winston asked me.

I grabbed my rumbling stomach. “I’m starving.”

His crooked teeth flashed with a smile and he kissed my cheek. “Breakfast it is then.”

I laughed out loud when I reached the buffet set up. There was toast cut into the shape of bats, Boo Berry cereal and even Count Chocula, the pancakes and waffles were in the shapes of ghosts, bats, and witches. Everyone found the witch shaped ones hilarious.

Owen, a guy my age who lived here because his family had been separated for their protection, tapped me on the shoulder and held one of the witch pancakes aloft. “Do you have a wart on your nose, Mara? Do you ride on a broom and brew potions in a big pot?”

“All the time.” I giggled at the ridiculousness.

He took a big bite out of the pancake. “Not anymore. I just ate you,” he said around his mouthful of food. “I’ll see you,” he called over his shoulder as he went to sit at a table with another guy.

I made myself an egg sandwich that came out a bit lopsided due to the bat shaped toast. The top piece teetered a bit and I held the plate in one hand so I could steady my sandwich with the other.

Winston and I sat down together and Theo took his position at the end of the table. Ever since my birthday he’d been keeping his distance and acting even more like a bodyguard than usual. In the hallways, there was always a bubble of space around me thanks to Theo’s menacing glare. The only ones who dared break the bubble were Adelaide and Winston. Even Ethan seemed to stay clear of Theo now.

Winston held my hand underneath the table and made funny faces to try and get me to laugh.

These past few months our relationship had really progressed. I found myself opening up to him. He understood what I was feeling with being sent away from home and the pressure of being a Chosen One.

I got a lot of flak because I was a Chosen One and Chosen Ones are supposed to be these amazing enchanters. Despite being pretty good at most of the spells, there were still times when I struggled. Winston didn’t experience this to the extent that I did since his status as a Chosen One was hidden from the teachers and students. But the Committee did call him to their office once a month to demonstrate how he was doing. Apparently, the Committee could be rather cruel if he did something wrong or was too slow in performing a spell.

One thing, a major thing that I hadn’t shared with Winston, was the fact that both my parents were Chosen Ones and my dad was now the leader of The Iniquitous. I was afraid he’d judge me based off that information and think I was like my dad, a man I’d never met. I would always remember Steven Pryce as my real dad, and I hoped one day I would have the chance to see him again and thank him.

“You seem lost in your thoughts.” Winston took a bite of his toast and jam.

“Sorry.” I shook my head free of my negative thoughts. “Just thinking about my dad.”

“Och, I’m sorry, love.” He slung his arm over my shoulders.

I had told Winston I had lived with my dad in the human world before coming here and my mom was a Chosen One and had been killed. So, I wasn’t lying, at least not completely. I was only omitting bits and pieces of the truth. It was totally different than lying.

I shrugged. “I’m okay. I just miss him is all.”

My eyes met Theo’s at the end of the table. He quickly flicked his gaze away and stared at the wood grains of the table. He made me feel like I wasn’t allowed to even look at him. He acted as if I was the one who mauled him when it was, in fact, him doing the mauling. He told me he loved me and now he acted as if I had a disease. It was completely unfair and every day I felt my heart crumble a bit more. Right now, Winston was the tape holding the pieces together.

“Finished?” Winston pointed to my plate.

I hadn’t eaten much, maybe two bites, and had begun to pick apart my sandwich.

“Uh, yeah.” I handed my plate to him and he devoured it quickly.

I slung my messenger bag over my shoulder and waited for Winston. “Thank you for being my rock,” I told him, and I meant it. He truly was a great guy and I was lucky to have him.

He kissed the top of my head. “Thank you for knocking me down in the hallway.”

I laughed. “You’re never going to let that go, are you?”

“No. Never.” He smirked.

We stopped outside of Donovan’s room to say goodbye. He cupped my cheeks between his hands and looked into my eyes like he was searching for the answers to all the world’s questions. One of the feathers from his mask floated down to the floor and away.

He brushed my cheeks with his thumbs. “I’m worried about you. You’re … I don’t know. Depressed or something. You barely eat and look like you’ve lost ten pounds, and if these circles under your eyes are any indication, then you’re not getting much sleep either.”

“I’m fine.” I rested my hand on his, over my cheek. “I’m stressed about all this magic stuff. It’s a lot to process.”

“No, that’s not it.” He shook his head with a sigh, clearly disappointed in me for lying. “I want you to be honest with me, Mara.”

I plastered on the biggest smile I could muster, just like I’d been doing for the last four months. “I’m tired, that’s all. I’ll try to go to bed early tonight.”

“Do you want to study tonight?”

“Can we do it tomorrow?” I asked and bit my lip. Winston had been helping me in the evenings to perfect spells so I didn’t feel as behind as the others. While we didn’t come into our powers until eighteen, most still had a leg up on me since they grew up in enchanter families. They heard the spells and saw the signals whereas everything was entirely new for me.

“Sure.” He kissed me quickly. “I’ll see you at lunch?”

“Of course.” I smiled.

He grinned one last time, but his eyes reflected worry, and disappeared around the corner to head to his room or whatever it was he did during the day.

“You’re going to be late if you keep standing there,” Theo said from beside me.

I threw my hands in the air. “He speaks!”

He rolled his eyes and motioned for me to enter the room.

“Bossy,” I snapped.

Adelaide was already sitting down so I slid in beside her. Donovan was sitting on his desk with his legs swinging back and forth. His eerily-pale green eyes surveyed the room.

“Today,” his voice rumbled, “we are going to learn about the origins of The Iniquitous.”

He turned and wrote the words on the chalkboard.

Origins of The Iniquitous

“Many have always argued as long as there is good then there must be evil to counteract it. Some of you have been led to believe that The Iniquitous are separate magical beings from enchanters. That is not so. The Iniquitous are enchanters, they are our brothers and sisters, they are you. The Iniquitous were first formed by a Chosen One.”

Every head in the room turned to me as if I was suddenly going to sprout horns and a tail and kill them all.

Donovan cleared his throat to gain the attention of the students again.

“Powell Schwartz, the Chosen One I was referring to, craved more power and he felt the only way to gain it would be to experiment with dark magic.”

“Do you mean the devil?” Owen raised his hand. Donovan glared at him. “Uh … Donovan … Sir.”

“Yes, Owen, I am referring to the devil. Powell sold his soul to the devil for more power and immortality.”

“Immortality? Donovan, how is that possible?”

“It’s not,” he snapped. “The devil did not grant Powell immortality, but he did grant him more power. Powell was a born leader and soon many of the finest enchanters were joining him and thus The Iniquitous was born.”

“What happened to Powell, Donovan?” Meredith asked.

“He died, and a new leader took his place.”

“Who leads The Iniquitous now, Professor?”

“Thaddeus Lucero,” Donovan answered and looked right at me.

He knows.

My jaw clenched against my will and my chest tightened but I refused to give Donovan the reaction he so clearly wanted.

Luckily, our time was up. Donovan’s lessons had never passed so quickly and I was thankful.

I practically ran to the botany room. I passed Winston in the hall but ignored him. He sent me a bewildered look but I didn’t have the time to feel guilty. The botany room was a greenhouse but it was attached to the manor so we never left the building.

Being stuck inside these walls twenty-four seven wasn’t easy. I’d grown up being able to go and do what I wanted. Now, I felt trapped, in more ways than one.

I hung my messenger bag up on a hook, grabbed an apron, and pulled on some gloves. I was ready to be up to my elbows in dirt.

“What’s wrong with you?” Adelaide asked breathlessly as she entered the room. “You ran out of Donovan’s room like your ass was on fire.”

“Sorry,” I said, but my tone implied I was anything but.

I pulled my hair back into a ponytail, messing with the silly fly-aways.

She quirked a dark brow. “Sorry? You’re not going to explain your actions to me?”

Theo refused to meet my gaze but he was the only one who understood my behavior. No one else knew who my parents were except for the Committee and him.

“Nope,” I said and popped the p dramatically.

“Really, Mara?” She rolled her eyes. “You’re so strange.”

“Like I haven’t been told that before,” I snapped as Owen, Meredith, and a few others trickled in.

I hadn’t really gotten to know many of them. Most of them gave me a wide berth. I was learning my title as a Chosen One meant people feared you. I didn’t know if it was because they were afraid of what I could do, or what I might attract.

Our botany teacher came in from the outside garden and hung up her rain jacket.

“Good morning,” she said and made sure her bun was still in place. “I’m sure you’re all very excited to get your hands dirty.” She placed her hands on her hips and peered around the room. She was tiny and with her wispy hair I often found myself comparing her to a bird. Her clothes were always gray and brown from repeatedly being covered in dirt. The only color that ever seemed to adorn her was her vibrant red hair that was far too bright to be natural.

“Today,” she began, “we are going to learn about different human plants that contain healing properties. I suggest you pay close attention, many of these plants could one day save your life.”

She pointed to a few purple sprigs. “This is lavender. Although lavender is most associated with its specific aroma it also is known to have anti-inflammatory and antiseptic properties. It can also be used to help relieve anxiety, depression, insomnia, and even migraines.”

A girl named Kasey raised her hand. “But how do you use it? Do you use the petals? Or the leaves? Or—”

“Excellent question,” Diana said, smiling brightly. “You use the oils. Also, the petals work as well if you crush them.” She looked around to see if anyone else had a question.

“Continuing on,” she said and pointed to a green prickly plant. “The clear gel that Aloe Vera oozes is most commonly known to be used for treating burns, cuts, and infections. But the inside lining can also be used to relieve heartburn. Lemon thyme—” she pointed to a tall green plant with a hint of yellow on its leaves “—can be used to relieve an upset stomach and as an antibiotic. Sunflowers are known to reduce fevers and treat colds and coughs. Peppermint—” she pointed to a spriggy green plant “—can soothe headaches, nausea, pain, and aid in digestion because it helps to calm the stomach.”

She moved to another table and pointed to yet another plant. This one was dark green with spiky, pointed, leaves. “Catnip can do far more than make a cat happy. Chewing on the leaves can reduce a toothache and it can make you sweat which could greatly reduce a spiking fever. It’s also been known to work as a mild sedative in humans.” A piece of bright hair escaped her impeccable bun and she quickly fixed it. “And, lastly, we have sweet basil.” The leaves were large, pale green, and soft looking. “Sweet basil is an excellent insect repellant and the ancient Greeks used it to counteract poisoning.”

When she finally finished speaking, she appeared a bit winded.

“Whew,” she chuckled. “I want you all to go around and study the different plants, touch them, memorize them. You need to remember them. I’d also like for you to sketch each plant and tonight I want you to pick three of these plants to write a one-page paper for each due tomorrow. In your paper, you’ll include the plant’s name, what it does, and a possible scenario in which you could use it. Get to work.” She scampered away over to another section of the greenhouse to tend to some plants.

“Ugh, homework,” Adelaide groaned. “I absolutely loathe homework.”

I laughed. “Yeah, you and the rest of the world.”

She stuck her tongue out at me.

I pulled out my sketchbook and went to work recreating the different plants. I found the motions relaxing. I shaded and blended until the drawings were exact replicas of the flowers and plants before me and then I carefully labeled each so I wouldn’t get confused later.

Adelaide punched me in the arm and pointed to my drawings. “How do you draw like that? Look at mine.” She indicated her own crude drawings.

I snorted. “Those are horrible.”

“Thanks for the vote of confidence, Mara,” she grumbled. “I’m going to get so confused later when I have to do this stupid homework. Besides, I thought this was botany, not art class.” Her sketchbook slammed down on the table with a thwack.

I rolled my eyes. “How are you supposed to recognize them if you don’t have an example to look at?”

“A textbook,” she replied. “Textbooks usually have pictures.”

“But you only look at the pictures. If you actually have to draw, then you’re engaging with the plant.”

“You’re starting to sound like Jessamine,” she snapped at me before breaking her pencil in half.

“Delusional?”

“Exactly.” She cracked a smile, her eyes twinkling with mischief.

I rolled my eyes yet again. “How about we work on the homework together?”

She instantly brightened. “My room?”

“Sure. Doesn’t matter to me.”

Adelaide grabbed another pencil and furiously erased her drawing. “Why do we even need to know this?” she grumbled. “I don’t think a plant is going to help me defeat an Iniquitous if I cross paths with one.”

Diana glared at Adelaide. “Plants can be very helpful. The Iniquitous like to toy with their victims. They’d love to leave you an inch from death in an open field and watch you struggle. These plants might help heal you one day. You never know.”

“But healing takes time and The Iniquitous aren’t going to give you time to survive,” Adelaide argued defiantly.

“There are spells you can perform on plants that would speed up the healing process but that’s a lesson for another day,” Diana barked haughtily, walking away with a huff.

“I think you made her mad.” I giggled.

Adelaide laughed too. “I just wondered. I mean—” she pointed to the sprigs of lavender “—that isn’t going to help me kill one.”

“Are we going to be killing any, though? It’s like they’re preparing us for some big battle, like we’re going to be sent to war.”

Adelaide tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. “The Iniquitous can sense us, hunt us out, it’s safer for us out in the real world if we know how to protect ourselves. That’s all.”

“You sure?”

She nodded. “The Iniquitous take pleasure in the hunt. And I don’t think they’d ever start a war and enchanters wouldn’t want to take the risk. There aren’t many of us left. A war would mean even fewer of us.”

“It shouldn’t be that way. We should fight,” I argued.

The idea of always having the threat of them hanging over your head didn’t appeal to me at all. If they were dead—gone—there would be no worry. Wouldn’t that be a fight worth taking?

Adelaide snorted. “You sound like Theodore.” She glanced at him, standing sullenly in the corner of the room. “You two are so much alike.”

“We are nothing alike,” I snapped.

Adelaide turned wide eyes to me. “Whoa, a bit touchy when it comes to my brother, are we?”

“No … not at all.” My cheeks burned and I refused to look in his direction or even at hers.

She looked back and forth between the two of us. “I wish you guys would just do it already. Release this sexual tension I’ve been around for months. It’s making me sick.”

“There is no sexual tension between us. None.”

“And who are you trying to convince? Me or you?” she argued with a defiant smile.

She knew we could pretend all we wanted there was nothing between us—but that didn’t make it any less real.

“Just draw your plants, Adelaide.”

She smirked. “You know I’m right.”

I narrowed my eyes and shaded a leaf, smudging the charcoal color with my thumb. I was the picture of ease. I would not let her words bother me. And yet, my eyes drifted up to meet gray ones. My throat thickened, and my mouth dried up. My heart was a thudding drum in my chest.

Theo, regardless of what had been said, still affected me. It was sad but true.

Despite his words, ‘…the kiss… Mara, I’m sorry but… it doesn’t change anything…’, I couldn’t help the way I felt. Feelings aren’t something you can turn on and off. You have them and they are what they are. My feelings for Theo would always be more than what they should be. Even though half the time I hated him, I still trusted him, I knew he’d never let any harm come to me, and I couldn’t help but love him a little bit for that.

Mara, you know you love him more than a little bit, you love him a lot. More than you should. Even though he’s pushed you away, you want nothing more than to be with him.

I looked away from his stormy gaze and fixed my eyes on the Aloe Vera.

I would not let Theodore Meyers affect me.

* * *

We sat on the mats in Beauregard’s training room. Theo sat beside me, picking a hole in the mat. This class was always awkward since I had Theo as my partner. It was just about the only time he touched or even talked to me. And I usually walked away with bruises and a perpetual scowl on my face.

“You know what to do.” Beauregard snapped his fingers, his signal to get to it.

As a group, we all hopped up and found our partners

“Ready to feel me up, doll face?” He smirked cockily at me, like I was so lucky to have the opportunity to touch him.

“Don’t flatter yourself, Theodore,” I sneered, glaring at him.

“Oh, I’m Theodore now?” he quirked a brow, the picture of ease. He always was when we had to spar, which irritated me to no end.

“Theo,” I amended with a glower.

He only smiled.

“That’s better, doll face.” He bounced on the toes of his feet.

I clenched my fists. He was getting under my skin. That was the point of this exercise, to provoke, but I knew Theo enjoyed irritating me. I think it made it easier for him to ignore the feelings between us. At least I was allowed to annoy him too. It made the whole thing so much more tolerable.

I flexed my fingers and took a deep breath. I would not explode today.

Would. Not. Explode.

“How’re things with Churchill? Huh? You two seem more like friends than lovers.” He circled me. His breath stirred my hair. I clenched my jaw. I had to keep it together. “There’s no passion between you … no sparks.” He held out his hand and vibrant orange and red sparks jumped up and around his hand for emphasis. “Are you okay with that? It seems to me like you’re the type to want more than easy or normal.”

I swallowed. I could feel the power surging from my middle. In a matter of seconds, it would burst through.

“Answer me.”

I exploded.

The surge of power coursed from my body and knocked down Owen, Kasey, and a guy named Peter who stood around us, blew out the lights, and toppled Beauregard out of his chair.

“Ah, doll face, we can’t have that.” Theo smirked but there was something else in his eyes—approval or appreciation, I couldn’t tell.

But anger eclipsed my common sense and I held my hands out. A large gust of air filled the room before heading straight toward Theo. It hit him right in the chest. He went flying across the room, hit the back wall, and fell to the floor.

He looked up at me, a stunned expression on his face. He reached around to feel the back of his head. His fingers came away bright red.

“Oh, no you don’t,” he growled angrily and jumped up in a lithe movement.

Before I had time to react, he was running full force at me. He crashed into me. I fell down on the mat with the air knocked out of my lungs. I tried to fight back but Theo was too strong, too heavy. He straddled me and held my hands above my head.

“You’re a cheater. This is hand-to-hand combat, not magical. Therefore, I win.” He tilted his head, appraising me with a challenging smile.

“The lesson isn’t over yet.” I lifted my head and spat on his shirt.

He looked down at the wet spot, his jaw clenching. “Oh, you really want to pick a fight today, don’t you?”

“You started it.” I glared at him, bucking against his hold on me.

He licked his lips and leaned closer to me. My breath quickened. I hated what he did to me. I hated how he made my pulse quicken. I hated how I wanted it. I hated him.

“You’re supposed to fight back, Mara, but for some reason, you must like the feel of me on top,” he whispered seductively in my ear.

That was it.

I twisted in his grasp, startling him, and kicked his chest. He grunted and let go enough for me to get away.

I was pissed the only time he touched me and talked to me was in this class. It wasn’t fair. I used my anger to my advantage and swung around, kicking his feet out from under him just when he stood. He fell onto his bottom.

“Mara,” he hissed. His nostrils flared and his gray eyes darkened to black.

I raised a brow. “Is that all you got, Theo? Bested by a girl? Huh, you must be losing your touch,” I taunted him.

He narrowed his eyes, my words having their intended mark. “Or I just don’t want to injure my psychotic charge.”

I laughed under my breath. “I don’t know how I ended up with you as my protector. It seems like they could’ve assigned me someone a lot better than you.”

His face emptied of expression.

Oh, shit. I’d hit a nerve and that was never good where Theo was concerned.

Before I could see what was happening he stood in front of me, shoving me into the wall with controlled grace. He was so close to me that you couldn’t have slid a piece of paper between us.

His eyes flickered back and forth between colors. They finally settled on black and I knew that wasn’t good.

“I think the better question is, how did I get stuck protecting you?”

That hurt. I think I would’ve rather had him hit me. I swallowed and fought back the tears his words had produced.

“Let go of me,” I warned, the words biting out between my teeth. I shook my arms against his hold, but he didn’t let go.

“Or what?”

I zapped him. It was a useful tool I had learned on my own. I didn’t know if it was something all enchanters could do, just Chosen Ones, or only me.

Theo fell to his back. He was stunned for three seconds before he slowly stood in obvious pain. He grabbed his back and hunched over. “What the hell was that?” he snapped, anger contorting his face.

“I told you to let go and you didn’t.”

He smiled which surprised me. “Looks like you’re starting to get some special powers. I don’t know whether to congratulate or kick you.”

“Stick with the congratulations,” I deadpanned. I wasn’t in the mood to deal with his moods.

* * *

We sparred some more and finally were dismissed. I changed quickly and followed Adelaide to her room. Theo sulked outside the door.

“Ugh,” Adelaide groaned and tossed her backpack on her desk. “You and Mr. Donnie Downer are driving me nuts.”

I rolled my eyes. “I’m here to work on botany. Not listen to you complain about me and your brother.”

“Fine.” She forcefully opened her bag and yanked out her sketchbook. “Help me then.”

I sat down on Adelaide’s hot pink bedspread. Her walls were painted a bright cobalt blue that made my eyes hurt.

I spread my sketchbook out on the bed so we could both use my illustrations instead of Adelaide’s stick-figure-looking ones.

Adelaide grabbed her laptop and turned it on.

I pulled some notebook paper out and began to write my papers. We were quiet, and I enjoyed the easy silence. The silence I endured with Theo was anything but enjoyable. I finished my papers before Adelaide who kept groaning under her breath.

“Done.” She finally shoved the computer away.

“About time,” I joked.

She stuck her tongue out. “What is up with you and my brother?” she asked softly.

I peeled the mask off my face, having forgotten it was even there, and toyed with it. “I don’t know,” I hedged.

It wasn’t the first time she asked this, and I usually changed the subject or avoided it all together, but I didn’t feel like brushing her off anymore. I could tell I was pushing her away, and she was one of the few people I trusted. I couldn’t lose her and Theo.

“Really? You’ve both been really weird for months but I can still sense the sexual chemistry so I’m assuming you didn’t sleep together and that’s the issue. Or maybe it’s the lack of sex that’s the issue.”

I laughed under my breath. “You’re so weird, Adelaide. Do you really want to know if your best friend slept with your brother? I mean, he’s your brother.”

“What?” she shrugged. “I’m not stupid. I know Theodore’s far from innocent.”

I clenched my teeth in anger. It shouldn’t matter to me how many girls Theo had been with and yet it did. I was messed up.

“We didn’t sleep together,” I finally supplied.

“Something happened,” she stated. When I didn’t say anything, she sighed. “Theodore’s my brother and you’re my best friend. I hate seeing you both miserable like this when there’s an easy solution to the problem.”

“Adelaide—” I warned.

She held up a hand. “I want to see you both happy and I think that’s with you both together.”

“We hate each other.”

Adelaide laughed and asked again, “Who are you trying to convince? Me or you?” She bit her lip, obviously toying with something. “Do you know why Theodore’s your protector?”

“No.” I shook my head. “Is it some sort of punishment?”

“Shut up,” Adelaide snapped and pulled the mask out of my hands so I would stop playing with it. She tossed it over her shoulder and it landed with a soft thud on her pillow. “Listen to me very carefully, Mara. I mean it.”

I sat up straight. “I’m listening.”

“Protectors are rarer than the Chosen. Protectors can’t be assigned. They’re born. Theodore is your protector because his soul is tied to yours. Some divine being out there—” she waved her hands about “—chose him to protect you because he’s your perfect half. You’re connected.”

I swallowed. “It sounds like you’re talking about soul mates.”

“No.” She shook her head. “Maybe … I don’t know. I think it’s more than that. What I do know is Theodore isn’t your protector by chance. It’s fate.”

“You said we’re connected. What does that mean?”

“I don’t know the specifics, you’d have to ask him. But there is one thing I do know,” she said softly, her eyes growing sad.

“What?” I asked, dreading her answer.

“His life is tied to yours.” She swallowed thickly and hesitated before adding, “If you die, so does he.”