Declan

Declan pulled the door closed behind him and turned to see Lux propping up the wall. "What are you still doing up?"

She rubbed her eyes and gave a shoulder shrug. He noticed the circles beneath her eyes were lighter than they'd been just hours ago, something that shouldn't be possible considering the amount of power she'd used to save their friends.

"I wanted to make sure they were going to be okay."

He drew her close and pressed a kiss on her forehead. She smelled of earth and oranges and sugary magic. Perfection.

"They're going to be fine. You were amazing," he said. "And you can tell me all about how you did what you did after you get a full night's rest."

Somewhere in the house, a clock struck the hour, the chimes tolling through the rooms and stirring up ghosts. He almost expected to see Mrs. Godelieve gliding down the stairs, her lace peignoir trailing behind her, as she called her daughters to bed.

"Well goodnight," Lux said, pulling away and heading to the second floor.

"Wait," he said, catching her by the hand. She stepped forward after a moment's hesitation, a question in her thundercloud eyes. He dipped his head, intent on capturing her lips, but a flat palm against his chest stopped him. "What's wrong?"

"What's wrong is that you lied to me."

"What are you talking about?" Declan asked, letting go of her and stepping back. Lightning was flashing in those gray depths now.

"You told me you never had feelings for Leora, and yet you slept with her!"

He placed a hand against the wall to remain upright as the room tilted. "Where did you get such a ludicrous idea from?"

"She wrote in her diary. The night the demon tried to kill her- she said it happened after that."

"Lux, she's lying."

"You're telling me that nothing happened between you two? She just made it up for her diary that no one but herself was supposed to read?"

Betrayal gutted him. Why would Leora write something like that? And why would Lux readily believe it? "We kissed that night. You know how it is when magic is sizzling in your veins and coupled with the adrenaline from the fight...It was a mistake, and once I came to my senses, I pulled away. You really don't know me at all if you think I would've taken advantage of that situation."

"That's the thing," she began, wiping tears from her cheeks, "I don't know if I do know you. We've only known each other a month, and it's been a roller coaster from the beginning. What if what's between us is just compatible magic?"

"Speaking of magic- you two need to come in here," Gideon called out from the kitchen.

"Come on," he commanded when Lux's chin lifted and her eyes narrowed. "Defying them right now isn't going to get you anywhere, and this conversation is not over."

The adults were sitting around the kitchen table, much like they'd been when he'd bolted from the room to find Lux earlier. Phoebe gestured to the seats beside her. He settled himself in one while Lux continued standing.

"Sit, Lux," Gideon said. "This may take awhile."

"I'm good with standing right now," she replied, her hand going to her chest and wrapping around the channeling stone she'd acquired. They'd not had a chance to discuss it yet, but from the determined look on the faces around him, Declan was certain that was the conversation that was about to take place.

"Do you know what material that is?" Gideon asked.

"No," his daughter answered. "Just that the woman who gave it to me told me I needed something stronger than anything I'd tried before."

Bella hissed. "What woman Lux?"

"I didn't really catch her name. I was more concerned about the possible concussion I'd received."

"When did you become so smart mouthed?" Phoebe asked. He'd never noticed before how much Phoebe favored Daphne, but he saw it now- in the lines of sadness on her face. Lines that were etched in Daphne's face the day she came to say goodbye to him.

Lux exhaled and brushed a dark strand of hair behind her ear. "When I got tired of trying to be so damn perfect for people who couldn't be honest with me." Her gaze settled on Declan making his shoulder blades itch.

"That's understandable," Gideon interjected, "But if you value honesty so much, then we need the same from you. May I please examine your stone?"

Lux's knuckles turned white around the necklace, but she lifted it over her head and passed it to her father. He took it from her, letting his hand linger on hers. Tears pooled in his eyes, and Declan realized this was the first time father and daughter had touched. He turned his eyes away, feeling as if he were intruding on their moment.

"It's as I suspected. This is angel quartz."

"Quartz?" Phoebe squeaked, "I've never heard of any witch being able to use quartz without another stone to buffer it."

"What do you mean?" Lux asked, her fingers twitching in front of her and her never moving from Gideon's hand.

"Some stones are amplifiers. Witches with particularly strong magic add them to their channeling stones, but they're almost always specific to the element. Quartz has no elemental tie. Not that I know of," Lux's grandmother explained.

"The human half of witches is what causes your magic to be tied to the elements, but the angels are not bound in such a manner. Quartz is the only conduit for angelic power in its pure form. That's because quartz is all elements."

Everyone turned to stare at Lux. She, in turn, sat down in the chair between Declan and Phoebe with a plunk, her mouth agape. "But how? If that was possible wouldn't the first witches have used the quartz stones? They're just as much angel as I am."

"Not really," Gideon mused, "You're a little bit more, but not much."

Declan spoke up. "Then how does any of this make sense?"

"What if it's because of what we discussed earlier?" Everyone turned to look at Bella. She was

staring into her coffee up, her fingers tapping on the ceramic in a steady rhythm. "How many witches do you know of who have the same human and angelic soulmates?"

"Soulmates?" The word quivered in the air, full of sadness and longing. He couldn't make himself turn to look at her, too terrified to see rejection in her expression.

"There's something else," Gideon continued.

Phoebe rolled her eyes. "Isn't there always?"

"This stone wasn't just randomly fashioned as a key. It's the key that unlocks the gateways; it's a key to the underworld."

                         *****************************************************

Lux

Fog spooled over the lawn, a crown of mist on top of the long, green grass stems. It's silver tendrils coiled around tree trunks and traveled down the long dirt road that led out to the main highway. Chirps and twitters broke up the quiet, and the morning light crept over the horizon, pushing up the veil of night minute by minute. Far too fast, in Lux's opinion. She looked down at the key dangling around her neck, its warmth against her chest comforting and silencing the ache. How sad that feeling whole had become a foreign sensation to her, but she'd never take it for granted again.

"Lux, what are you doing up so early?"

She turned to see Kitty stepping through the mist. Her blonde hair was a puff of ratted curls, and red lines were hatch marked across her cheek. The sight turned Lux's lips up into a soft smile. It was so familiar, and it wasn't until this moment that Lux realized just how thankful she was to have her best friend on this journey with her.

"I never really got to sleep."

"You've never had trouble sleeping. Waking up, yes. Sleeping, no." Kitty popped her hands on her hips and raised a thin brow. "Who are you? Are you an imposter?"

"I just have so much energy. I don't know what to do with myself."

Kitty drew her into a hug. Her long tan arms crossed behind her neck, and the two friends stayed that way until the golden circle of the sun broke free from the horizon. "I feel like I haven't been there for you the way I should have been."

"No," Lux insisted, cupping the girl's face in her hands. A single tear trickled over Kitty's bottom lashes and splashed onto Lux's thumb. "I was the one who was pulling away. I was jealous and scared, and you had what I wanted. It was easier to keep my nose in that journal than to talk to my friends."

Kitty glanced down, her gaze locking on the clear stone. "I heard them say that was a key to the Gateways."

They drew apart, and Lux nodded. "It's a master key, I suppose. I think Gideon wanted to scare me, but what better place to be than in the hands of a High Priestess of the First Circle?"

Kitty didn't look so certain. "What now?"

"Now, we need to come together as a complete Circle and reinforce the Gateways. Once we cross that bridge, we can hone our craft. Become the best damn witches ever."

A bright smile made Kitty's blue eyes sparkle. "Ah, hell yeah. This is going to be so awesome."

Lux's stomach rumbled. "Ugh, okay, maybe we can eat first."

"There's my friend. If she's not sleeping, she's eating," Kitty said, her voice wistful.

"Ha. Ha. Let's see if we can sneak into the kitchen without waking anyone. I didn't see the girls in the parlor this morning."

"Yeah, no. The slumber party bit got old after awhile, and Sara Elizabeth snores like a freight train. Travis's words, not mine. Everyone found a room. This place is awesome."

Lux stared up at the antebellum home. The front was aglow, the only darkness remaining was in the windows where people were still sleeping. "It is, but I miss home."

They walked up steps and went into the house. The screen door squealed, and both girls winced. Pausing, they waited for the shuffling of feet to come down the stairs, but only the muted ticking of the clock in the parlor reached their ears.

"Thank goodness there aren't any bedrooms next to the kitchen. Everything squeaks in here," Kitty whispered.

The girls went with the least complicated thing available, pop tarts. Savoring the strawberry sweetness on her tongue, Lux exhaled. Food no longer tasted like sawdust, and her stomach didn't fight every swallow. She grabbed another foil pack, earning a wide-eyed look from her friend, and motioned to the front of the house. "Let's go to the porch."

"Sure. Hey," Kitty grabbed her arm. "Would you be willing to let me see the journal? I know they're your ancestors, but I'd love to read anything about being a witch at our age."

Lux hesitated. There were so many things in that diary that connected to present day life. Declan's betrayal, for instance, but she could ask Kitty to skip it. Her friend was respectful.

"Yeah, wait for me. I'll be right back."

She left Kitty in the foyer and tiptoed down the hallway, maneuvering around the loudest boards. The hidden door opened without a sound, and she raced up the narrow staircase, taking the steps two at a time. But she jolted to a stop as soon as her bare toes touched the rug. Someone had been in the room.

Her senses, which had always been heightened, tingled with warning. The stone around her neck heated, and it grew warmer as she neared her bed. To the casual observer, nothing was amiss. But Lux knew the pillow covering the journal was too smooth, too plump. She'd not touched it after rising from her restless sleep.

Reaching out with trembling fingers, she took a deep breath before lifting the pillow. No sign of the leather book remained, and while she wasn't surprised, another emotion filled her. Dread curled in the pit of her stomach. She'd not finished reading Leora's entries. What secrets had the girl inked into those pages? What secrets were worth stealing?

And who in the house was a thief?