She stood and paced, each step sharp against the wood.Her reflection in the darkened window startled her—eyes too wide, skin pale, the faint shimmer of purple light dancing across her fingertips.Her magic stirred uneasily, awakened by the nightmare.
She clenched her fists until the glow faded, muttering, “Not now.Not yet.”
Her gaze slid to the window again, where the city lights glittered like stars.The contrast between centuries weighed heavy on her.In 1813, the world had burned.In 2025, it still trembled with danger.The Council hadn’t stopped.The battles weren’t over.And the memories clawing their way back through her dreams were reminders of just how high the cost could be.
She whispered into the empty room, her voice shaking.“I can’t lose them again.”
She pressed her palm to the wall, feeling the faint hum of power woven into the wards she, Saffie, and Ursula had laid together.The strength of their bond steadied her heartbeat, but only barely.Memories of Libby’s lifeless eyes, of Ryan and Alaric falling, of Ursula’s desperate sobs clung to her skin like smoke.She wiped her tears roughly with the back of her hand, determination flickering through the fear.
She knew what she had to do.She needed her coven.She needed to share this vision before it was too late.
****
Lennox was fourteenthe first time he realized he wasn’t just angry—he was dangerous.
It was 2011, ten years after the world had stolen his parents.Hunter had grown hard and protective in those years, his shoulders carrying the weight for both of them.But Lennox?He had grown wild, reckless, his temper like tinder waiting for the spark.
That afternoon, the spark came.Again.
He and Hunter were walking home from school when three older boys cornered them behind the gym.The boys were taller, stronger, meaner—the kind who thought it was sport to hunt the younger ones.Hunter shoved Lennox behind him, squaring up with the biggest.“Go home,” Hunter growled over his shoulder.“I’ll deal with this.”
But Lennox couldn’t just walk away.Not when he’d seen those same bastards cornering a girl from their class earlier, their hands grabbing where they didn’t belong.He’d yanked her free, shouting at them, reckless and loud.That was why they were here now.Because of him.
“You should’ve kept your mouth shut, you little prick,” one of the boys sneered at Lennox before slamming Hunter back against the wall.
Hunter didn’t flinch.“Touch him, and I’ll kill you.”
The fight exploded fast.Two of the older boys swung for Hunter, fists cracking against his ribs, his jaw.He fought back, wild but outmatched.Lennox tried to help, but the third boy slammed him down, knees pinning his shoulders.Rage clawed through Lennox as he thrashed beneath the weight.
He could only watch as Hunter stumbled, blood spilling from his split lip, as one kick drove the air from his lungs.Hunter went down hard, curling around the blows.
Something inside Lennox snapped.
A roar tore from his throat as power surged through his body.He thrust upward with a strength he didn’t know he had, throwing the boy off him like he was made of paper.Lennox scrambled to his feet, chest heaving, fists clenched.The bully lunged again, but Lennox was faster this time.He slammed his fist into the boy’s face, once, twice, until he sagged to the ground, dazed and unmoving.
The sight of Hunter being kicked lit a deeper fury.Lennox leapt onto one of the boys, dragging him down with a scream of triumph.His fists pummeled, fueled by years of grief and rage.Hunter, bloodied but still standing, caught the last boy by the collar and slammed his head into the wall.The fight turned fast.The predators were running, scattering with curses, leaving only the two brothers standing in the wreckage.
Lennox’s hands trembled, blood on his knuckles, breath tearing in and out.Hunter’s left eye was swelling shut, his lip split wide, but his voice came low and sharp.“You dumbass.Three against two?Were you trying to get yourself killed?”
Lennox spat blood onto the ground, defiant.“They were touching a girl in my class.I wasn’t gonna let them get away with it.”
Hunter stared at him for a long moment.Then he nodded once.“Yeah.They deserved it.”
They limped home together, blood drying on their faces.Lennox’s anger simmered into exhaustion, the ache in his knuckles a reminder of both his victory and his mistake.He dreaded the look Aunt Jenny would give them, the disappointment mixed with worry.They had been in too many fights already.
But when they turned the corner, the world shifted again.
An ambulance sat in their driveway, its lights flashing silently.Lennox’s stomach dropped.He broke into a sprint, Hunter right beside him.Inside, chaos reigned.Paramedics crowded around Aunt Jenny, her face pale, her body convulsing.Electrodes dotted her chest as the machine screamed its warning.A neighbor stood wringing her hands in the doorway, her eyes wet.She pulled the boys back, arms wrapping around their shoulders, whispering lies meant to soothe.“It’ll be okay, boys.Jenny will be okay.”
But it didn’t look okay.One of the medics straddled her, pressing his palms against her chest, counting, shouting.Another squeezed the bag over her mouth.Hunter gripped Lennox’s hand so hard it hurt, both of them frozen as they watched the only family they had left slip away.
“No, no, no...”Lennox muttered, his voice cracking.His body shook, the wild strength from earlier gone, replaced by raw terror.“She can’t—she can’t leave us.”
The medic shouted, “Clear!”A shock jolted Aunt Jenny’s body.Nothing.Another round of compressions.Another shock.Still nothing.
Hunter’s face was white, his jaw clenched so hard Lennox thought his teeth might break.“She’s not dying,” Hunter said, his voice like stone.“She’s not.”
“Clear!”