1 The Storm

Rain tapped against the window pane as I looked on into the stormy night. I leaned against the wall and drew a star on the glass as it fogged from the rain. The storm reminded me of the night of my thirteenth birthday. The last night I was a normal girl. Before that night a storm was just a storm, lightning was merely lightning and magic was only in stories.

Now, the storm filled me with excitement and lightning brought a surge of power through my body. I could feel the secret messages that Mother Nature kept deep in my bones. Tonight, the storm had an ominous message of something or someone coming.

"Just like that night." I said aloud to myself.

"Yes, I feel it too."

I turned with surprise at my grandmothers voice. She stood right beside me, her long, silvery hair flowing down her back and her own grey eyes fixed on the storm outside.

"Gram, when did you come in." I questioned, still shocked she had snuck up on me. She had not been able to sneak up on me since my powers had been awakened. Part of my gifts was a heightened awareness of my surroundings. The coven believes in the time of the great wars it was the ability that was used to save the coven from extinction.

Gram gave me a questioning look "Rachel, what are you talking about. I've been standing here with you this whole time."

"What? Gram, no you-" I was cut off by a great flash of lightning and loud thunder. The power in the house suddenly went out and I reached out for my grandmother's hand instinctually like a child but I couldn't find it. Panicked, I swung my arms around looking for her, running into the antique coffee table and a lamp, I nearly fell over.

"Hello?!" I called out. I was confused, I was not use to being so unaware of my surroundings as I was. I couldn't find my grandmother anywhere. Finally I heard her rocking chair creaking in the corner behind me. I smiled as I turned to see her.

"There you are!" I said, relieved.

However, when I looked, in place of my grandmother's petite frame was the form of a large, muscular man with long wavy hair shadowing his face, except his eyes. They were a dark and beautiful emerald green. And though I should be scared, they filled me with a sweet, warm feeling in my soul and simply mesmerized me as I looked into them. I could not look away.

"Who are you?" He asked with a thick brogue.

His voice was deep and slightly raspy, and left tingles down my neck and arms. I walked around the room, my eyes still locked with his as he watched me move he stood and came towards me. I stepped back instinctually but still, I felt no fear of this bear of a man.

"I asked you, a question lass." He growled, "Who are you?"

His tone began to get on my nerves. I pulled back my dark hair defiantly, ready to fight off this intruder as I retorted "Who am I? Who are you? You're the one in my parlor!"

I saw annoyance flash in his eyes at my response. He took another step towards me as I again stepped back while maintaining a fight ready stance.

"Listen here witch, I wouldn't be here if you hadn't summoned me. Now who are you?" His accent was thickened as he raised his voice.

Just then, I heard a loud beeping noise but could not pin point where it was coming from. The man broke his gaze from me as he looked for the source of the noise himself.

"Rachel," I heard my grandmother's voice in the distance.

"Gram!" I ran for the the foyer to look for my grandmother but quickly felt a hand wrap my wrist and spin me back around. I came face to face with the face attached to the emerald eyes. He was beautiful. He had a small beard contouring his cheeks and thick brows that matched his fiery locks.

"Just tell me who ya are." He demanded.

I jerked my arm away and felt his nails scratch my wrist as I fell backwards and another flash of lightning blinded me. I closed my eyes in shock then opened them back up.

I was no longer in the parlor and it was no longer dark and storming. I blinked in surprise as I stared at my bedroom ceiling.

My alarm beeped annoyingly at my bedside table as my grandmother walked around my room collecting my laundry.

"Honestly Rachel, what is even the point of that thing if it doesn't even wake you up." She teased me as I sat up in bed. " hurry up now, Jana is already here."

I nodded and as she left the room I began to get dressed. A burning sensation on my wrist caught my attention as I pulled my arm through my sleeve. I was shocked to see a scratch right where I had been grabbed in my dream.

"Why wasn't I scared of those emerald eyes?" I thought aloud to myself, "and how had he been able to scratch me in my dream?"