Page 19 of Cursed Sight
He took in his surroundings as the room quieted. A black circle scorched the ground where Serena had dropped the cloves. Brandy and Ryan graced him with bright eyes and face-splitting smiles. The others looked on with reverence, but a strange pulse of energy emitted from somewhere in the room. Although the sage was burning, Ethan noted a heaviness slithering through the peaceful calm.
Serena began to chant, drawing his attention back to the ceremony, the odd feeling forgotten. The way she watched him made his chest fill with pride.
An invisible tether tugged on him to go toward her. He took one hesitant step, and when she only looked on with surprise, he continued until a space was made at her side.
“You belong at her side,” a woman whispered in his ear.
When he turned to face the owner of the voice, his brows knit at Cable, the male witch who represented fire.
Ethan missed the rest of the ceremony and closing. He did his best to look present and not sway from his spot. His head swam, and his body still vibrated.
“E? Are you okay?” Brandy asked, her eyes bright with concern.
Ryan chuckled. “Feel that? I don’t think he’s ever going to be okay again.”
Brandy studied him as she raised a hand. “Whoa, how did I not notice that immediately?”
“My grandmother used to tell me being an oracle was to vibrate at a different frequency than the rest of us. It’s how they are so in tune with the ancestors,” Serena told them and raised her face toward his. “You okay?” she whispered.
His gaze dropped to her lips, and the same tether from before tugged again. He slid a hand into the hair at the nape of her neck and pulled her mouth to his. Their lips sparked on contact, a tickle that disappeared the moment he kissed her firmly. The world around them faded as his heart took off in a sprint.
Serena’s hand rested on his chest and warmth seeped through the fabric, branding him with her touch. Ethan had never experienced such a heady sensation before.
Before he could truly taste her, a giggle and someone clearing their throat gave him pause. Their lips parted, and he could feel the puffs of air she emitted along his cheek when he met Brandy’s wide eyes peeking from between her fingers.
“Umm, E?” she managed to say between uncomfortable giggles.
The artery on his neck pounded against his skin, but he forced himself to focus on whatever Brandy was trying to convey.
Serena gasped, and he noted he was shirtless. He shifted his gaze, and his mouth went dry at the sight of her in a bra and skirt. She crossed her arms over her state of undress before he pulled her into him and gave Brandy and Ryan his back.
Ethan cleared his throat. “Could you guys give us a minute?”
“Gladly,” Ryan stated.
Ethan waited until their shuffle of feet on the stairs stopped. He did not want to let her go. She was warm and soft, soothing something inside him he could not explain. The voice he had heard earlier came to mind, but he pushed aside the memory as quickly as it had come.
He glanced down and found Serena’s top. He released her, then shook it free of dirt before handing it to her. Neither spoke as Ethan repeated the same action with his own discarded shirt.
Serena blew out the remaining candles after turning on the sole light downstairs. Ethan watched her, feeling helpless as to what he should say. Apologizing felt wrong, as it meant he regretted kissing her, and he did not. If he regretted anything, it was being interrupted before he could truly taste her.
“Can you carry the rosemary upstairs?” she asked as she collected the candles from around the room.
The tension and questions surrounding their kiss floated between them. Their unspoken words threatened to suck the breath right out of him.
Until that night, he had managed to keep his growing feelings in check, with the exception of their near kiss a couple of weeks ago. What force was pulling him to her? He wondered why the voice had told him he belonged at Serena’s side.
Questions filled him as he climbed the stairs. Emerging from the floor, his gaze met his family’s. Unable to answer any of the questions floating in their eyes, he brought the plant into the shop. After looking around, he decided it was best near the center of the room.
“Everything okay?” Brandy whispered from behind him.
His shoulders tensed before he exhaled in frustration. Ethan ran a hand through his hair, tugging on the strands along the way. He dropped his arm to his side and sighed. He did not know what to say to her. He knew his sister worried about him, but he couldn’t explain something he didn’t understand.
Brandy moved to him and wrapped her arms around his waist. She pressed her cheek to his chest. “It’s okay. It will be okay. I love you.” Each statement was followed by a squeeze meant to make him feel better.
Ethan lowered his chin to the top of her head and closed his eyes. Her comfort wrapped around him and soothed his confused heart and mind.
“May first,” he blurted without thought.
