From her front porch, Cassie could see the flickering blue of the television flashing like a strobe light in a haunted house. Her mother must be waiting up for her.
"I should go right in," Cassie said, gripping the door handle. "She's up."
"Not yet." Adam reached for her hand and squeezed it.
"With everything going on," he said, "and everything that's happened, I want you to know that we'll get through it."
"I know," Cassie said.
"Are you sure?" He leaned in for a kiss, but he stopped just shy of her lips.
Cassie could feel his breath on her skin and the warmth of his body so close to hers. She held his gaze, and her heart pounded heavily in her chest.
"I'm positive." She pulled him in toward her, meeting his soft lips with hers. With a wild abandon she had forgotten, she and Adam melded into one, and she let herself be swept away.
They kissed like that until they were both heated and flushed. Cassie allowed her breathing to slow and her heart to settle. Then she stared up at him, captivated for a moment by the course of life pulsing between them. The silver cord, she thought, the mystifying bond that had connected her to him from the beginning, and always would. It was stronger now than ever. After the wild mix of would. It was stronger now than ever. After the wild mix of emotions Cassie had experienced these past few weeks, one thing emerged solid and bright. She realized in a whole new way just how lucky she was to have Adam by her side.
"I love you," she said.
He smiled brightly. "And I love you."
She kissed him once more, tenderly, and inhaled a full breath of him. "I really love you," she said.
His blue eyes sparkled, and he laughed aloud. "We can play this game all night."
"Or our whole lives," Cassie said, beaming back at him.
She found she couldn't take her eyes from his. They drew her closer and closer in.
"Maybe even longer."
When Cassie finally made her way into the house, she shut the front door behind her and paused. Her mother looked almost like a ghost, and about as frightened as if she'd seen one. Cassie felt awful she'd caused her to worry so much. Her mother had every right to be angry with her.
"Mom," she said. "I am so sorry."
When her mother made no response, she added, "I needed to go to Cape Cod; it was an emergency. And then - "
"Forget about the car," her mother said. "Are you okay?" Cassie nodded and dropped her bag at the door. When she reached her mother's arms, she looked up at her, hoping to see a sign of reprieve in her eyes. But instead, a saddened expression passed over her mother's face, like a massive wave of pain.
"Mom?" Cassie asked, not even sure what to say.
Her mother's large black eyes, shadowed by dark circles, filled with tears. "I thought you ran away," she said.
"And then I thought you were dead. I swear I could feel your pain."
She spoke quietly and regretfully, and Cassie realized her mother probably could feel when she was in pain. They were connected, and she was a witch, after all.
"You seem to be pulling away from me, just when I thought we were becoming closer," her mother said. "Was it something I did or said that upset you? Tell me." When Cassie found out her mother kept Scarlett a secret, it seemed like such a betrayal, like the worst secret in the world to keep hidden for her entire life. But now, looking at her mother's frail, penitent face, Cassie realized she'd done it to protect her. She must have known Scarlett was evil.
"Oh, Mom," Cassie said. "I wasn't angry, just confused. I was confused about so much."
After everything that had happened, Cassie realized it was time to finally tell her mom the truth.
"I have so much to tell you," Cassie said.
Cassie didn't even know where to begin, but she did her best to speak evenly and not leave anything out. She dug her nails into her palms and went on, uninterrupted, for what felt like forever. Then her mother took a shallow breath in and shut her eyes. Cassie knew it was time to be quiet and let her speak.
"Scarlett's mother didn't shy away from the dark side of Black John either," she said. "She'd been banned from our Circle for performing dark magic. But I'd hoped those days were behind us now. That's why I never mentioned Scarlett."