The Darkness Within Read Online Free Page B

make me melt. “Ladies first.” He motioned for me to sit in front of the wheel. As soon as I did, he slid in behind me, wrapping his arms around me and resting his chin on my shoulder. I breathed him in, filling my senses with his scent. His spearmint gum sent chills down my spine as his lips grazed my ear.
    “Are you trying to start something?” I turned and flashed him a smile. “Because two can play this game, and I know your willpower is no match for mine.” Although mine was seriously depleting right now.
    “Ooh, challenge accepted.” He leaned down, placing soft kisses on my neck. Oh, crap. I was a goner. “Are those goose bumps on your arms?”
    “Funny, but I’m wearing long sleeves.”
    “Are you denying the goose bumps?” He reached for my sleeve and tugged it up. I pulled my arm away before he could confirm his suspicion.
    I summoned the magic inside and touched my finger to his cheek. Electricity gently sparked between us. “Check your arms.”
    “Using magic is cheating,” he whispered in my ear.
    Maybe, but everything Ethan did was like magic to me. I was only leveling the playing field.
    “Um, are we still deciding what to make?” Ms. Matthews’s voice shattered our competition.
    “Kind of.” I shrugged a shoulder.
    “Well, maybe you should let someone else have a turn on the wheel while you two decide.” She turned to walk away but stopped. “It might also help if you two put this game on hold for a more suitable time and place.”
    Ethan’s face turned all different shades of red, and I was sure mine was no better. “Yes, Ms. Matthews.”
    “I just thought of what we can make,” I blurted out, not wanting to give up our spot at the wheel or return to the table with Beth and her oversensitive ears.
    “Then do get to work,” Ms. Matthews said, eying us one last time before moving on.
    “Do you really have an idea?” Ethan asked.
    “Yeah. I think we should make a bowl.”
    “A bowl?”
    I looked around, making sure no one—mainly Beth—was eavesdropping. “For when we need herbs to do spells. Dylan and Shannon were nice enough to take us in after everything…” My voice trailed off as images of Rebecca, Ben, and even Nora floated through my mind. Ethan opened his mouth, but before he could try to console me, I added, “It would be nice to make something the whole coven could use.”
    Ethan nodded. He knew me well enough to know I didn’t want to talk about what had happened last month. It wasn’t a topic he particularly liked, either. I mean, he’d died, come back a monster,and killed a witch, too. He’d been through the same things I had, just on a smaller scale.
    I grabbed a lump of clay and turned on the wheel. We weaved our fingers together and manipulated the clay. Sure, we could magically make a bowl in a matter of seconds, but this way was much better, more intimate. Ethan’s fingers lightly tickled mine. It was subtle at first, and for a moment I thought it was the clay making the tingling sensation on my hands. But then I saw the slight smile on Ethan’s face. He was using magic.
    The clay formed a perfect bowl, round and large enough to hold several herbs and the occasional fire needed for our joint spells. Even though our fingers were still intertwined and should have made ripples along the outside of the bowl, the clay was as smooth as could be. Being a witch, I could see the faint gold glow of the magic swirling around the clay.
    “You’re getting really good.” I leaned back so Ethan’s chest was pressed firmly against my back.
    He didn’t answer, so I assumed he was busy concentrating on the spell. He was taking longer to adjust to the magic than I had. But then again, I’d had to get a crash course in magic while we were battling Nora at the diner. Learn quickly or die. That had been enough motivation for me.
    The tingling in my hands increased, and Ethan’s fingers gripped mine. Was he losing control of the spell? Struggling to keep it