Chapter Seven

Emira

I hold out my hand to Kalum, and he takes it without hesitation.

"I told you that I would win!" I say as I pull him up, with a lot of help from him, and he wraps his arm around my shoulders. His sweet summer rain scent washes over me and I relax into him. He places a kiss on my head.

"Well done Em. You're not as rusty as I expected." I smack his chest.

"Rusty?" I gape at him. His eyes tell me that he knows he messed up. He opens his mouth to speak but I cut him off with a chuckle. Natsuko, Stella and Hanna join in. I stand on my toes and kiss his cheek. He visibly relaxes and I laugh harder. Alex walks over and silence falls over us.

"Team Two wins as Emira beat Kalum." Cheers erupt from my team. The other team claps sadly. "Alright, for round two-"

"Kids!" All heads turn to the voice that calls from the edge of the field. Luna. The serious look on her face kills our celebrations. We run to meet her. Ben runs the fastest and grabs one of his mother's hands.

"Luna, what's wrong?" I ask. Luna looks at us each and takes a deep breath.

"As you know, every coven in the world is led by a Fifteen and these Fifteen gather to discuss demons, laws and a thousand other things that we don't have the time to discuss." She waves her hands. "Last year, they were supposed to gather here in White Cove. But due to the demon attacks and the fact that we had to send Emira away, they never came. This angered some of them as they felt cheated out of meeting the Aether Witch, which is done when the Aether Witch comes of age." All eyes turn to me. I take Kalum's hand. I think they want to do more than just meet me.

"Why do I feel like they want to do more than just meet Emira?" Kalum speaks my exact thoughts though I know I didn't tell him that telepathically. Luna looks at me with worried eyes.

"Because the coven that got the most upset is the Salem Coven from Massachusetts. And they have a history of kidnapping past Aether Witches and trying to steal their magic, a process that usually ends up with the witch dead." Kalum's grip on me turns to iron. "Since this coven comes from Salem, they claim that they have the strongest claim to the Aether Witch as that was where the first Aether Witch was born. As everyone knows, Salem is full to the brim with the spirits of the deceased. Most of these spirits are deceased witches. The oldest and strongest of those witches have joined with the now living witches of Salem, making them incredibly powerful."

"Ok, but why are you telling us this now?" Hanna steps up next to me.

"Because they are here now."

"WHAT?!" Everyone stares at auntLuna with our jaws touching the ground.

"And they have demanded a meeting with the White Cove Coven Fifteen." I take a deep breath and meet Luna's gaze.

"Then it's best we not keep them waiting."

"Are you insane?!" Kalum spins me around to face him. "The Salem Coven is known for kidnapping and killing Aether Witches. And now you want to go meet them?! You're not going anywhere near them!"

"I am not insane." I keep my voice level and calm. "And you are not incharge of me, Kal."

"Maybe not, but forgive me if I don't want to lose my soulmate again after just getting you back!" Kalum exclaims. I squeeze his hand.

I know, I say into his mind. I don't want to lose you either, but you won't lose me. I promise.

"You can't promise that." He whispers.

"I know, but you are forgetting that we have incredibly powerful friends and family. I won't stay hidden. But I won't go take unnecessary risks." I look at my friends, all of which have concerned looks on their faces. "You heard what Luna said. They got angry because they couldn't meet me. So let's not make the same mistake twice." My friends look at each other, then back at me. I sigh and look up at Kalum, his ocean colored eyes are full of concern. "I promise to be careful and to not go anywhere without a member of the White Cove Coven." He look at me with worried eyes. I sigh. "I, Emira Spring, Aether Witch, swear it by the power in my blood and the Goddess' Grace." He looks at me for a good three seconds then nods, accepting my vow. I nod back and look at Luna. She nods and turns around, leading the group out of the field. I start to follow but Kalum pulls me back to him.

"I have something for you." He holds out his palm and in it lies a small golden seashell on a golden chain. I take it out of his hand and hold it up so it glistens in the sunlight. "I found it a year ago and made it into a protection charm. I was going to give it to you on your birthday but then everything happened all at once and it was too late. Now you need it." I clasped it shut behind my neck and let it hang next to my crystal necklace that contained the Book of Shadows.

"Kal, I love it. Thank-" He crushes his lips onto mine and kisses me like I am the air he needs to breathe. Fireworks explode inside of me and I melt into him. His lips devour mine and he tips my head back to deepen our kiss. A fire burns in my lungs as they start to protest the lack of oxygen in them. Kalum pulls his head back and I suck in as much air as I can. He leans his forehead against mine. I close my eyes and listen to us panting.

"Don't leave me, Emira. I can't bear to lose you again."