The Promise (Book 1, The Coven Series)

Chapter Eight

I ended up choosing my cream colored dress with long, fitted sleeves. A pair of black, strappy Stuart Weitzman heels completed my ensemble. Thank the Fates Macy's had opened at the Northlake Mall in Charlotte. My shoe obsession could now be supported with relative ease. Mostly. Now, if I could only get my parents to see my passion for shoes as the vital necessity it was, life would be good. I had my eye on the cutest pair of Chloe boots, but so far, no such luck on that front.

After I stuffed my dress and shoes in my back pack, I glanced at the clock. 6:15 p.m. I needed to get a move on if I wanted to be ready on time. Mom had already left to help set up, so all I needed to do was get past Dad. I found him propped up in his easy chair watching ESPN, a

bowl of popcorn balanced precariously on his knee. He held a can of Coke in one hand and the remote in the other.

"Dad, I'm going out for a while. Do you need anything?"

Please don't ask where I'm going, please don't ask where I'm going, please...

"No, but I do need to talk to you." He looked up from the TV and motioned for me to sit on the couch.

"Sure, Dad." He's not drunk, I reminded myself. Still, I sat as far from him as possible. I didn't blame him for what had happened, but I was a little wary of him. Regret flared in his eyes and I felt guilty, but I couldn't bring myself to move any closer.

"CJ, I need to apologize for what I did to you," he said in a rough, scratchy voice. "There's no excuse for it and I promise you, honey, it will never happen again. I didn't mean to do it, Cassie Jayne."

"I know, Daddy."

"You're all I have left, the most important thing in my life. I haven't touched a drink since and I promise you, I won't ever again. I love you too much to ever hurt you again. All I ever wanted was to keep you safe."

To keep you safe. Words any parent might say, but in my dad's voice, there was whole world of implications. What did he know?

"Will you tell me the truth if I ask a question?"

"If I can."

"Why is it so important to you that I stay away from the Coven?"

His golden eyes looked at me, shrewd and assessing. "The Coven is not always what it seems."

"That's not an answer." Anger laced my words. My stomach started to hurt. He knew something, maybe everything, but wasn't going to tell me. "Why did you flip out? What scared you so much it made you lose control?"

"I was drunk, and thinking about Emily. I don't even remember what I said."

His bottom lip quivered. Crap. At least I knew where I got it from.

"You're lying."

"It's all I can tell you, CJ. Please, honey, just stay away from them. I don't want to lose you too."

"Lose me how?" I jumped up, frustrated. "You're not making sense!"

He turned back to the TV. "I'm sorry. I can't tell you anything else. Won't you just trust me?"

Trust me. There it was again. Ethan had said to trust him, too. Both of them were lying and it was really pissing me off.

"Fine. Whatever. I'm leaving."

He nodded, focused on the sports announcer droning on in a monotone.

I made it to the front door.

"Where are you going, CJ?"

"Just out for a while. I have a date."

It wasn't lying, not really. I did have a date with Ethan.