Betrothed

The large fire burning precariously in the middle of the wooded cover was the least of Aria’s concerns as she paced the grounds. She was easily more distracted by the staggering number of drunk teens around her as it was clear they’d be here all night, if allowed.

The small brunette glanced briefly up toward the star-ridden sky, a worry line forming between her thick brows. Of all the nights to throw a party in the forest, it just had to be the night of the full moon. And, of course, the coven had made it her duty to disperse the crowd before midnight. Damn it. 

Feeling annoyed, she brought her focus back to the party going on around her. She knew most of the students attending, but not well enough that they would end the night at her request. 

She kicked a clump of dirt loose at her feet; her version of a small tantrum at the impossibility of the coven’s request. 

“You know, you can use magic to get rid of these...humans.” Connor appeared at her side, a smug smile playing at his full lips. 

Aria scoffed.

“I’m not going to hurt them.” She replied, glaring at the tall boy next to her. 

She couldn’t believe that this was the same Connor who had come to her rescue so many times before. The Connor who had defended her on countless occasions from the other witches in the coven who teased her for living amongst humans. 

But then again, since he’d become Eva’s lover, he wasn’t the same Connor. Not at all. 

A lump gathered in her throat as the memories of her own time with him played through her mind. 

“Stop.” His words came in a hushed tone, warning her to control her thoughts. He was reading her mind again.

“You promised you wouldn’t do that...not to me.” She could hardly contain the tremor in her voice as the words passed her lips. Connor sighed quietly and, in that moment, she longed for nothing more than to reach out and touch his hand. But she couldn’t, as it was no longer her place to comfort him.

“Aria...” 

If he had meant for the words to sound like a warning, he had failed terribly for his tone was more sad than anything. But there was nothing more that could be said between them on this matter now that he was betrothed. 

“Let me help you send them home.” He surveyed the crowd around them, gauging their best option to shut down the party. “I mean, it is because of me that you have to do this.”

He was right. 

Tonight’s gathering was all about his and Eva’s wedding. The coven was set to perform a binding ritual under the full moon, and then they would be partners for eternity. But if Aria was going to be able to do her part in making sure that this ceremony would happen without issue, she couldn’t allow herself to think about that fact. 

Instead, she gazed around the dark wood as well, weighing her options. There was one spell that she knew would surely end the night, but it would do so for everyone. The coven included. 

“You can’t rain out the party.” Connor answered her thoughts with a smirk. 

She offered a mostly-fake pout before pulling out the small grimoire that she kept in her bag. Fully-aware that nobody here was sober enough to worry about what she was doing, Aria leafed through the hand-written pages of spells, potions and other significant notes that she liked to keep by her side. 

“You are the only witch I know who keeps a regular grimoire and a travel grimoire.” Connor mused, glancing curiously over her shoulder at the decorated pages.

“It comes in handy.” She replied, absentmindedly, still scouring her notes.

  Aria’s dark eyes moved steadily back and forth over the pages as she flipped through, until she finally stopped on one entry in particular. 

“What about this one?” She asked, and handed over the book. 

The binding looked especially tiny in Connor’s hands as his green eyes scanned the page. He considered it briefly and then nodded. 

“Perfect.” He smiled and handed over the book. 

Aria tucked the small notebook safely away and then the pair began to make their way around the clearing, preparing the spell. 

“Go over there and then give me a thumbs up so we can start the first part together.” Aria instructed, pointing to the further end of the space. 

Instinctively, she glanced around, hoping they were being inconspicuous, but nobody seemed to notice anything going on outside of their own conversations.

A quick glance at the time on her phone indicated that they were running incredibly low on time. It was 11:00 PM on the dot. The coven would be arriving within the hour to prepare. They had to hurry. 

Connor signaled her silently as he approached the east point. Aria nodded for him to begin and then started to chant, each making their way clockwise around the circle: 

Where night is day

And day is night 

Your time has passed 

So, say goodnight 

From West to East

And North to South

Trespassers be gone 

Goddess see them out 

The words had hardly passed their lips when the sky began to change within the circle they’d created. Midnight faded to a soft pink and then to a sky blue. The fire at the center of the group simmered down to ash, as if it’d been burning overnight, and the crowd began to sober up, as if they’d had all night to do so. 

Connor made his way back to her side and the pair watched in awe at the stark difference between the enchanted area and the real world just outside its barrier. Aria’s classmates made their way back toward their respective vehicles and disappeared, leaving the woods empty within minutes. 

“It worked!” 

Two deep dimples appeared in Connor’s cheeks as he turned to face her. Aria couldn’t help but laugh along in her excitement at how well her spell had worked. 

“I made that spell myself!” She exclaimed, glancing quickly at the slowly darkening space around them. 

“Badass.” He replied, his voice hushed. 

Their eyes met, sending a blush up Aria’s tanned cheeks. She realized then that they were standing dangerously close, his chest mere centimeters from her own. Aria knew better than to be this close to him, but could bring herself to move away. Her thoughts raced wildly through her head, against her better judgment, every memory coming in crystal clear. And she knew he could see them too. 

“I -.” 

“Well, well, well...” 

Eva’s raspy voice cut through the night air, interrupting Aria’s words. Words she realized she would have regretted saying once they’d left her lips. 

The pair jumped apart, turning to face the tall, leggy redhead as she approached, flanked closely by the remainder of the coven. 

“Impressive job, Aria.” She smiled. And she did look genuinely impressed with their work. 

“Thank you.“ Aria eyes fell guiltily to her feet.

If how they were gazing at each other looked half as bad as she felt it did once she’d realized they were being watched, she was in trouble. The coven was well aware of her and Connor’s history, but Eva and Connor’s families had already chosen the pair from birth. And so it was set. 

But if they had noticed, nobody said anything. Instead, they all quickly set to work enchanting the space once more so that any passing humans would only see an empty field, and would not be able to pass through it even if they tried.

With their numbers, the work was quick, and it wasn’t long before the field was blooming with lavender and completely hidden from the non-magic world. 

After the set-up had been completed, Eva and Connor headed in separate directions to dress. 

Aria took her spot to the far left of the wooden platform that had appeared at the front of the ceremony. She made quick work of smoothing out the wrinkles in her black, lace dress and then waited for it to begin. 

As the clock struck midnight, Eva and Connor appeared once more, only this time they were both dressed in white cotton. Falling in line at the end of the aisle, they were approached by an elder who then wrapped their wrists in a red cord, the first part of the binding. 

Aria struggled to fight the tears that threatened to form in the corners of her eyes and decided instead to focus on the tall lavender all around her. 

She left her focus there for the remainder of the ceremony, doing everything in her power to distract herself from the fact that she was losing Connor forever. 

“So mote it be.” 

Eva’s voice brought Aria’s attention back to the ceremony. These were the final words before the binding would be complete. And then there was no going back. 

The men and women of the coven all leaned in expectantly, waiting for Connor to repeat the phrase that would solidify their union. 

Aria’s heart pounded loudly in her chest. Every part of her being begged for her to say something to put a stop to this. Anything that would bring him back to her. But she remained silent, knowing that if he spoke those words, it would be his choice. She could not force him to go against the coven and choose her. 

  She dared to look up, his silence giving her hope. Honey-brown eyes met emerald green ones, and she knew instantly that he did not want this. But still, it would have to be his choice.

Aria held her breath, the last of her willpower held in with it. Connor’s eyes flickered briefly to Eva who stared with anticipation back at him, and then he looked back to Aria. 

“I...” He looked around nervously, and the crowd began to stir. Nobody was used to hesitation when it came to these things. 

“I can’t.” 

His words brought a deafening silence. Every pair of eyes within the coven widened in confusion. This has never happened before and nobody knew how to react.

“I’m sorry, but I just can’t do this. I can’t marry Eva. Not when I…” His eyes fell back on Aria who was struggling to hide her smile. 

Connor stepped cautiously off of the platform and then made his way to her. The tears that she had been holding in all evening began to spill over as the lump in her throat dissolved into relief. 

Aria looked quickly to heavens above, whispering a thank you to the Goddess, and then let herself melt into Connor’s arms. 

And as their lips met, they both knew that no matter the consequences, this was exactly where they wanted to be.