Fuel to Fire

chapter seventeen

NOVA DECIDED TO GIVE us a small history lesson on the Abner family. She started off by saying Lennox's ancestors were one of the founding members of the Coven. At first, they seemed like normal people but the other members began to get worried when they revealed they practiced dark magic. Speed forward a couple years and the Abner witches kill all of the remaining founding members leaving themselves to be the unofficial rulers. She says they have been the leaders since then. They placed restrictive laws and put out hunts to kill their equals: elemental wolves. Speed forward again to when they found out Alec's parents were elemental wolves. Lennox's father set out to end them, claiming they were an abomination and a threat to witches all around. We know how that ended. We stayed silent for a while until Arden spoke up, "And how do you know all of this?"

Nova kept a blank face. "I know all of this, because I grew up with him". This was a surprise, especially for Dominic and I. When we were kids and had our parents together, Nova was always alone. She'd never met her parents. They were killed for trying to start an uprising to remove Lennox's family from the coven. When word got out of this, Lennox's father had them killed. Kira tried to take her in but because she was stripped of her powers, they no longer considered her part of their kind and shunned her. Nova was taken to live in the Covens quarters down in New Orleans. It's partly why she and Dominic aren't that close. I knew she had grown up with other witches in the coven, I just didn't know that Lennox was there with her.

"Don't worry, it's an advantage. Everything he knows, so do I. The only difference is that he practices dark magic. He is pretty ruthless with it, but it's nothing I can't handle". Personally, I find it tacky.

"How do we know he won't see the linking spell coming? Won't he use a truth serum on me?" Alec speaks up and makes a point.

"If there's one thing you guys need to know about, it's that Lennox is practically in love with me. He has this idea that we'd be perfect for each other and blah blah blah. I'll make sure he doesn't ask for a truth serum". I smirk, Nova is pretty clever when it comes to using things or in this case, people to her advantage.

"What you should be worried about is mastering your water and earth elements. They're fairly easier than the other two. They take less strain mentally".

We'd be leaving tomorrow so I left Alec to practice with Nova. I made the preparations to travel to New Orleans. We'd be bringing Dominic for backup and Kira for the linking spell. The palace was situated in Washington. The closest human neighboring town was Forks. It was gonna take us about 6 hours to get there by plane. Lennox and the coven have offered to pay for our flights as a gesture of peace. I prepared my belongings hoping the trip would go smoothly.

~

I'd been in a meeting with the council for the rest of the day. When I came back from New Orleans we'd be hosting the annual mating ball. It seemed fitting to have a celebration after overcoming some tough hardships. When I left the meeting Alec mind linked me and told me to meet him in the training room. I went down the steps and opened the door to see him holding water in the air. I couldn't even describe what I saw as I was shocked. Nova seemed proud and told me to come closer. I stepped under the wave of water and could see through it.

"Oh my moon goddess, this is amazing!"

Alec smiled proudly and was able to move the water back into the cup that was sitting on the desk. Nova proceeded to grab a plant that seemed like there was no saving it. The leaves were crumbling off and there was no color on it. She brought it in front of him and he cradled it with the palms of his hands. In seconds the plant was vividly green and far from crumbling. Alec was finally able to control all four elements on his own.

Nova pushed her hair to the side and smiled, "I think we're ready."

The rest of the night was spent with the chefs of the palace making a big feast. Alec wanted to help but the staff refused. I shrugged telling him they were just busy. He ignored their protests and lit each candle with a flick of his finger. He was getting more comfortable and nothing made me happy than to see him expressing himself.

We all boarded the plane the next morning. I sat with Alec in the front while the other three took seats behind us. It was gonna take us six hours to get to New Orleans. I turned around to see Dominic and Nova catching up, things were looking good. I snuggled up against Alec and slept until we arrived in New Orleans. Lennox had someone waiting for us at the airport to take us to the institute. Nova scoffed when the driver passed her a note

I walked up to her. "What does it say?"

She handed me the note and I swear I felt the energy shift around us. The note said,

I can't wait to see you. Hopefully you'll stay and we can catch up.

      -Lennox

"Ew, that's so creepy". I crumple the note and pull my duffle over my shoulder. I grab her hand, "Don't worry, I'll kick his ass if he comes near you".

She laughs, "If he comes near me, I'll do a lot worse than kick his ass."

The drive to the institute didn't take long and before we knew it we were standing outside the building.

I see Nova take a deep breath and close her eyes before she pulls the door open. Her eyes hold hatred and sadness. There had to be more to the story that we didn't know.  We all follow her and hope for the best.