Burned » Kai Parker

2

Unsurprisingly, it only took a mere two hours of being in Portland, Oregon–stomping grounds of the freakshow coven–for me to start counting down to the end of the weekend.

Well, that isn't technically true. Because I started counting down the moment we set foot in the airport back in Sacramento. I just didn't start counting out loud, much to my brother's irritation, until we'd been in Portland long enough for my brain to start screaming.

"Less than three days until we're free of this shithole," I announced enthusiastically, just to appear lighthearted despite the bleakness of my statement. Maybe fake it 'till you make it was key here.

My mother shot me a disapproving glare from the front seat of the Uber. Her hair was smoothly pulled back into a tight bun and she was wearing one of her best, elegantly professional looks: a long, black pencil skirt with a white blouse tucked into it, secured by a black belt with gold metal fastened in the middle. She was dressed to kill, alright. Kill the Five Covens with her professionalism and charm, that is.

When her mind was put to it, there was little that Amy Rodriguez couldn't accomplish. Still, I wasn't blind to the way her workaholic nature kicked up several notches when my father passed away. Protecting and leading the coven became her lifejacket, in a world that seemed to lose clarity without her partner beside her. Sam and I were the anchors that could occasionally manage to bring her away from it, if only for a fleeting moment, and have her spend time with us as a mother, not a coven leader.

"Portland treating ya that bad, huh?" The driver wondered, seeming more amused than offended at my comment.

"Not so much the city," I replied, staring flatly out the window at the urban scenery that downtown had to offer. "More like the people."

"Flights make her cranky," Sam offered on my behalf, awkwardly fiddling with the water bottle that he plucked from the basket of snacks and refreshments our driver stocked his interior with.

Twenty minutes later, we arrived at our dreaded destination and were promptly met with a swarm of witches, both individuals from the covens that currently resided in the famed alliance and newcomers that were willing to give their all to snatch the open spot.

I peered up at the massive building that had been addressed in the emailed invite my mother received days ago. It was gated off from idle pedestrians, who might simply perceive it as an ostentatious office holding from the outside looking in. Everyone in attendance today knew better, though. This was the Gemini headquarters, in all its obnoxiously extravagant glory.

Being that they were the original founders of the Five Covens, the Geminis oversaw all main events involving the alliance in their own territory. The headquarters doubled as a base for the Gemini coven and the Five Covens. I'd been here in the past, for various occasions, but it seemed that some dramatic renovations had been made to the place.

"Come on." My mother ushered Sam and I along through the throng of people chatting before the meeting commenced. We found our way into the lobby, past a large front desk where a polite woman was directing the witches.

"Excuse me, do you know where we can find the–"

"Amy!" The male voice makes my mother pause in brief surprise before turning around with a gracious smile to greet him.

Joshua Parker stood before us, his appearance clarifying the retired Gemini patriarch that he'd been reduced to recently, with his dominantly gray hair and wrinkled visage.

I clenched my jaw, feeling my fingers twitch at my side. No, I can't hex him right now, Mama would freak out...even though I really, really want to.