Chapter 9

When Maya finally arrived home, she threw her bag to the ground and headed straight for her parents' room, hesitating only for a second before hurrying in. She meticulously noted where everything was so she could put it back exactly before her father returned late that night. She was in the middle of pulling books from her father's private collection off his bookshelf when someone knocked on the open bedroom door.

"Usually, it's the parents digging through the kid's room."

Maya shrieked and spun around to find Austen James leaning in the doorway. "How'd you get in the house?"

He chuckled. "I'm staying the night. Your father lent me the spare key. I was sleeping in the guest room when I heard the noise and came to investigate."

She flinched, glancing around her. "You're probably wondering what I'm doing."

"I can guess." He pushed away from the doorway and went to sit on the bed. "But I don't think your mother would have hidden her family's book in plain sight."

Maya felt a mix of relief and shock. "So, you do know."

"Takes one to know one."

Her eyes widened. "I knew it! You're a witch too!" She then frowned, biting her bottom lip. "You say witch when it's a guy too, right? I'm still really new at this."

"Yes, we're called witches as well." Austen chuckled, clearly amused by her questions. "So, I'm guessing the local coven has zeroed in on you now that your powers have manifested."

"Yeah, they say they're the children of my mom's old coven."

"Ah, so the Woods, Stiles, Turners, and Jacksons had children then." Austen kept proving himself with every word, and honestly, he was much more likable than Clarissa Jackson.

"Is it true that Harper Medley's family is one of the most powerful witch families?" Maya asked, seating herself cross-legged on the floor.

Austen groaned, palming his face. "Is Clarissa still bragging to everyone about that Countess of hers?"

"Pretty much, yeah." Maya grinned, enjoying his reaction, which mirrored her own feelings.

"Don't get me wrong, the Dupont lineage isn't something to scoff at, and Victoria was a hell of a witch if the ancient archives can be believed." Austen finally removed his hand from his face, shaking his head. "But there were other families much stronger than the Duponts. They weren't the all-powerful leaders that Clarissa and her family like everyone to believe. They usually lead their covens, that's true, but that's because they're very controlling. Clarissa especially exhibited that trait. She always found ways to manipulate those in her coven to do as she wanted. It annoyed your mother to no small degree."

Finally, something she had in common with Gale Burns.

Maya eyed the man before her, a whirlwind of questions in her mind. She had always resented her mother for leaving her, but that resentment was tenfold now, knowing her mother had known that Maya would come into her powers and have only Clarissa Jackson to go to. Yet, she'd left without so much as a letter to explain things for her only child. "Do you know where my mother is now?"

Austen's smile faded slightly as he shook his head. "Sorry, but I don't."

"I-I'd thought maybe she had sent you," Maya admitted, feeling foolish. "When we touched this morning, you weren't surprised by the magic shock. It was a confirmation of something you already knew." She shrugged. "I guess I figured that maybe my mother knew I was awakening and had sent you here to help me."

Austen eyed her in silence, continuing to shake his head. "I haven't seen Gale since your birth."

"Then why are you here now?" Maya demanded, pushing up to her feet.

He ran a hand over his hair, looking at her thoughtfully. "We have a lot to talk about, Maya, and I know you're going to have even more questions by the time we're finished."

"I find that hard to believe," she muttered, unable to imagine having more questions than the millions already clogging her mind. One of those questions bubbled up and spewed from her lips before she could stop it. "What does it mean to bind a coven?"

His expression immediately turned grave. "Clarissa wants you to bind the coven?"

"Yeah." Maya nodded, feeling uneasy with his reaction. "She says it's for our protection because of Witch-Hunters, but I feel like she's not telling us everything."

"There is protection in a coven, but you also become vulnerable and dependent on your coven members." Austen frowned.

"Dependent?" Maya flinched at the word. "In what way exactly?"

"Many ways, but the one that matters most—you can't do magic unless you're in close proximity with someone from your coven."

She drew back at the very thought. Magic might be new to her, and she might have only done one spell, but the thought of this power being limited, of having its access restricted like that, felt like the possibility of losing a limb.

"Exactly." Austen seemed to understand her, nodding.

"So, you're not bound to a coven?" Maya asked curiously, knowing so little about this mystery man standing before her who promised more answers than she had questions.

Austen didn't answer, but suddenly everything around them started floating.

"Wow..." Maya grinned brightly, looking around her. "So, you can do magic without saying spells?"

"Of course I can, and so can you." He assured her with patience and a hint of a smile. "It's a little harder to do, but with strong instincts and determination—and knowing what you really want—you could be invincible."

She pondered the notion, raising her hand toward one of the pens floating in the air. She tried concentrating, tried bringing it toward her without a spell, but it twirled slowly in the air and never followed her mental commands.

Austen chuckled, shaking his head. "I never said you'd be able to do it right away."

"But I was able to do the spell to make my fake butterflies fly on the first try," Maya countered, letting out a little growl. "Even though the spell was dumb. There wasn't even Latin involved."

He found her extremely amusing. "You've only known about your powers for a day, Maya. Give it a little more time. You'll be surprised at how powerful you really are and how quickly your strength will increase."

She sent him a curious look, noting the many times he'd hinted at her becoming a force to reckon with, something she admittedly liked the thought of. "Are the Burns a powerful family then?"

He paused, considering, before giving a slow nod. "You come from an extremely powerful bloodline, and you're the firstborn girl. That's important in magical families. All of your family is important, but you hold a special position."

"Firstborn, period," she repeated, pondering this "position." "I don't have any other siblings."

He paused, eyeing her thoughtfully before taking a deep breath. "As a Firstborn and a woman, you will find that you have a certain pull on male witches, especially if they do magic with you."

Maya's eyes widened, recalling the incidents with Angelo and Dawson. "I see this has already started," Austen remarked, frowning as he leaned his chin on his hand. "Who?"

"Angelo Stiles kissed me to shock my powers into activating. He said it was his magic entering me and connecting with mine... and he's been unusually flirty ever since." Maya still couldn't quite process the thought of a flirty Angelo and the possibility that she might have unintentionally cast some kind of magical charm on him. "And then last night, after performing magic together, Dawson Woods, who's been my best friend for years, suddenly seemed to notice I was a girl. He was about to kiss me when his dad called and interrupted us."

There was a peculiar glint in Austen's eyes as he listened. He opened his mouth, closed it, and then opened it again, leaning heavily against the wall. "There is a lot I have to tell you, Maya. But to convey it all properly would take days. I wish I could stay longer to start your instruction now, but I'm unfortunately pressed for time." He leaned forward, his gaze intense. "Just know that you're stronger than you or your coven—or especially Clarissa Jackson—realize. And it's better if they, especially her, remain in the dark about you and about my visit."

"You don't trust her," Maya said, latching onto that because she didn't trust the older woman either. She preferred to trust the man whom her father allowed to stay the night in their home. She trusted her father's judgment, even if he didn't know Austen was a witch.

"I don't want to hurt your feelings, but those boys aren't reacting to you because they have genuine romantic feelings. It's something they can't understand or control either. You're going to have to take control of the situation. That's something you'll have to get used to—taking over, taking control. It will come naturally to you soon, especially now that you've awoken, both as a woman and as a witch." Austen's voice and expression were serious. "While I don't have time to sit down and explain your role and your particular gifts, I need to warn you about this... effect you're having on those poor boys. If their magic has connected with yours, it's going to subconsciously urge them to seek you out and find opportunities to connect your magic—such as performing spells together or more... physical ways."

Maya went scarlet but refused to let her embarrassment keep her from asking questions. "Does this happen with every female witch from powerful bloodlines?"

"Firstborn females. And only from the most powerful bloodlines." He emphasized this again, which was fascinating because Clarissa had never made the Burns seem particularly powerful, especially not in comparison to the DuPonts. "You have to limit the magic you do with others because your bloodline is very old and very powerful. Some witches could get a high off it... and you don't want people developing an addiction where you're the fix."

Suddenly, being from a powerful bloodline seemed more like a curse than a blessing.