Caged in Darkness (Caged #1)(38)

“What happened?” Isis proposed the question all of us were afraid to ask.

“I don’t even like Savannah and that scared the hell out of me. You okay? You look like death.” I looked up at Griffin's voice and tried to allay his fears with a forced smile.

“I’m fine. I don’t know what that was, but I have never heard of something like that happening during an ascension.” I looked over at Willow, who was staring at the house with wide eyes. “Willow, she’ll be okay.” I grabbed her hand to offer comfort and she looked down at me in grief.

“What if she’s not f-ine? What if what happened to her has changed her somehow?” Willow’s voice broke several times, but I understood her fear.

A short while later Maye exited the house with Savannah at her side. Luckily, Savannah was clothed in a sundress that hid her body, but I knew it would be engraved on my mind for the rest of my life. The problem was that I knew it would stay with every guy in the coven too.

Savannah offered us a smile, as she entered the circle. Willow ran and threw her arms around Savannah; nearly knocking her over in the process. Savannah pulled Willow back, “I’m okay, really.” She then wiped the tears from Willows cheeks and sat on the stool someone had placed in the center of the circle. The inscriptions had been washed from her skin, but it still glowed with an inner light.

Matthew, who was Josephine’s husband, came to sit behind Savannah, while Josephine brought him a kit. He took the objects out and placed them on a cloth. The objects were to give a witch the symbol of her lineage on the day of her ascension. Today, Savannah would receive a permanent tattoo that only a member of the Cross family was allowed to wear. Matthew would use the ink that I had taken from the passageway. It was a mixture of blood from the founders of the Cross family and some other ingredients, which only a member of the Cross family was allowed to know.

Savannah didn’t flinch when the boned needle pricked her flesh. She remained with her head slightly bent forward, and her hair tossed over her shoulder, while the symbol was tattooed onto the back of her neck. When Matthew was finished, Maye came forward to perform a healing spell to seal in the ink and prevent infection.





10: Summoning


SAVANNAH





Willow wanted to perform the summoning a few days after my ascension, but I didn’t feel up to it. Instead, I lazed around the house reading and practicing my magic. Now that I was more powerful, I needed to be more subtle when I tried to do something or I risked it spiraling out of control.

Liam came over every day to bring flowers, chocolates, and entertainment to keep me from boredom. While I appreciated Liam's efforts, whenever Ash saw him in the house, he went to Griffins. This meant I barely saw Ash, while I recovered from my ascension.

Willow and Izzy frequently dropped by after my ascension. Willow was filled with energy at solving my parents’ mystery, but Izzy looked exhausted. I used deductive reasoning and figured Izzy was tired of Willow’s enthusiasm. It wasn’t exactly something to be excited over.

The night before the ritual would take place, I had a terrible dream. The demon was there. When he touched my skin, I could feel my essence flowing into him, while I became weaker and weaker. I was grateful when my cell phone woke me up. The clock said it was two in the morning, but I didn’t care. Whoever was calling at this hour had saved me from a horrific nightmare.

“Hello.” My voice was groggy, but I pushed to remain awake and sound coherent.

“Sa-van-nah…” The voice on the other end was pushing through tears. The sobs were loud and heavy.

“Izzy, what’s wrong?”

“My mom died tonight.” My entire world came crashing down in that moment.

“Are you at home?”

“Yeah…” The sobs continued. I climbed out of bed with the phone to my ear and threw on some clothes. I then walked through the bathroom to bang loudly on Ash’s door.

The door clicked and Ash looked around it. “What is it?” He sounded concerned and then confused when he noticed the cell at my ear.

“I need you to drive me to Izzy’s. Her mom passed away.” He nodded and closed the door.

“Iz, I am coming over okay? Call Willow and stay on the line with her until I get there, okay?” Izzy was silent. “Promise me you will call Willow.”

“Promise.” The sobs had abated, but Izzy’s voice sounded dead.

Ash was determined to get me to Izzy’s as quickly as possible; he ran stop signs, the occasional light, and went 15 over the speed limit. He asked if I wanted him to come in with me, but I told him it was better if I went alone.

I thanked him and rushed to the door of the apartment building. I climbed the stairs and opened the door to Izzy’s apartment. Once inside, I stopped in confusion. The apartment was unnaturally quiet. Izzy lay alone on the sofa, with the phone against her ear.

“Where is everyone?”

Izzy sat up with her arms tucked around her knees. “Take your pick; Dad’s at the hospital filling out paperwork and Aunt Jen took the others back to her place. I didn’t want to go anywhere until I got a chance to talk to you.”

I nodded and sat beside her. She turned to sit with her back propped against the arm of the sofa. I could tell she had something important to say, but was reluctant.