The last story I wrote (which I have recently deleted) was written when I was a sophomore in high school, and it's been 6 years since then.I recently started writing again and have decided to post some of my stories (much to my worry and my boyfriend's encouragement). We'll see where this goes.
This story was inspired by tenshi noyo Ryu Taiga's story The Witch Uniter and her portrayal of the Covenant characters. It's AMAZING, go check it out!
Disclaimer: I DO NOT own anything, but the plot and any unrecognizable OCs!
Chapter one
"Hello, Caleb." Her British accent was unforgettable.
"Jenny?" Caleb asked in disbelief as he stared into her bright blue eyes. He was the only one that called her that. Everyone else called her by her second name: Riley.
"The one and only!" She grinned and Caleb ran to her, scooping her up in his arms.
"I can't believe it's you!" He smiled down at her, after putting her down, but keeping his arms around her waist. "You dropped off the face of the planet for almost 2 years… Does Reid know you're back?" He asked, knowing that Reid had been in love with her since he was 14 and they even dated for a year and a half before she left.
Granted, all the boys loved her. Tyler and Pogue had always loved her like a sister, even though she was Pogue's cousin on his mother's side. Reid had been in love with her nearly all his life. And Caleb? Well his feelings for Jennifer Riley Marie Lawrence were always all over the place; they'd always had a special friendship. But regardless, she'd grown up with them, she was considered by all a Daughter of Ipswich, even if she didn't have powers or was truly related to that side of the family. The boys refused to acknowledge her as anything less.
"No." She shook her head.
"Pogue?" He asked, knowing she would've gone to see him.
"No." She repeated. "I came to see you first."
"Why?" He asked.
"Because…" She turned her back to him and took a breath. "I had to tell you first… You're the leader of the Covenant."
Her vague answer only increased his confusion. "What does that have to do with anything?" He furrowed his eyebrows.
"Cale…" She sighed heavily. "Do you remember the story about the Daughters of Salem?" She glanced back at him.
"Yes, all of them died. All of the family members of the Covenant of Salem were killed. Those that had returned to England were killed in up until the sixties even though it was in secret." He answered.
"All but one." She corrected, turning around completely to face him.
"What?" His eyes widened.
"Marie Riley escaped that day." She fingered her silver necklace, which held a simple sapphire pendant. "She was my grandmother." She locked her crystal blue eyes with his chocolate ones.
"So what does this have to do with anything?" He ran a hand through his hair in confusion. Before Riley could answer, Evelyn walked in with a tray.
"Riley dear, it's so good to have you back." She smiled setting it down on the large round table. "I brought you some snacks. I'm heading to bed, but I'll see you tomorrow?" She smiled sweetly and tiredly.
"Yes, Aunt Evelyn." Riley returned the smile and Evelyn placed a hand on Caleb's shoulder before walking out.
"Ok, now answer my question." Caleb said once his mother was gone.
"Alright, oh fearless leader." She smirked.
Caleb chuckled and rolled his eyes. This was why she and Reid fit, and there was also the fact that she was Pogue's cousin. So the sarcasm never ended.
"Ok, smartass." He smirked.
"Do remember when I had to leave?" She asked softly, looking away.
"Yes." He answered instantly. "Your dad gave you a week to pack before you had to go to Boston…" Caleb remembered when he heard the news that she had to go live with her father.
It had broken his heart to see his best friend leave. She'd grown up with them, and then, when she was 9, her mother died. At first the boys thought they were going to lose her, but when Benjamin Lawrence, her father, said that she could live in Ipswich with her Aunt Katherine, they were ecstatic. Then when she was 15, six months before her 16th birthday, he demanded that she go live with him after practically ignoring her since her mother's death.
Tyler and Pogue were devastated. Reid was heartbroken. And Caleb was shattered, although he never admitted it to anyone. Not even to himself.
"I hated him, Cale…" She mumbled, but Caleb smiled at her nickname for him. "I hated him every day he ignored me since mom died, and I hated him more while I was living with him. He refused to let me contact anyone from Ipswich, except Aunt Katherine, and he'd sworn her to secrecy about speaking to me. But I had to go, and even though I hated being there with him, it was good for me." She gave a small smile.
"How, Jenny?" Caleb's eyes narrowed. "He was an asshole to you after Aunt Victoria died! He let himself die with her and ignored you for six and a half years after she died! Then he ripped you away from us! The people who truly love you!" He stood and yelled, letting his anger take over him. He turned his back to her.
"Caleb." She whispered placing her hand on his shoulders. She'd never seen the cool, calm, and collected Caleb Danvers like this before in her entire life. "I learned about my mother's family with him, something that I wouldn't have been able to grasp completely here."
"Then elaborate on how being with him was good, please." He sighed, turning to look at her.
"Do remember when you all got your powers and I was insanely jealous?" She asked with a little smirk.
"Yeah," He chuckled. "You wanted to be a witch and you dressed up like one every year for Halloween after that."
"Well, I don't have to dress up anymore." She smirked and shrugged, turning back to sit on the chaise. "Because I've officially joined the team." She smiled and turned to face him as she sat down, and her cerulean eyes were black as night.
"Holy shit…" Caleb's eyes widened. "How?"
"My grandmother, Marie Riley, later Marie James, was a witch. My mother Victoria Riley James, later Victoria Lawrence, was a witch and now I, Jennifer Riley Marie Lawrence, am a witch." She shrugged nonchalantly as if she weren't revealing a huge secret and returned her eyes to their natural color.
"So Aunt Katherine, Pogue's mom-?" He began to ask, but she cut him off.
"Nope, she was the second born, even if it was 7 minutes, and the power goes to the first born, but she does know about me and all that history." She explained. "The difference is that we, Daughters of Salem, are gifted with part of our power at 16 and we Ascend at 18 like you. My dad promised my mother on her deathbed that he'd help me through this transition. That's why he took me away, but he promised if I was able to learn everything that I needed to by my 17th birthday, I could come home." She smiled.
"Your birthday was last week." He smirked.
"Well, I had to get all my shit together though." She rolled her eyes.
"Welcome home then." He pulled her into a hug and he felt her bury her face in his chest as he buried his in her wavy raven locks. "By the way, you're not a Daughter of Salem. You're a Daughter of Ipswich." He whispered into her ear. His deep voice nearly making her shiver, even if he didn't notice.
She simply nodded in return.
'It's good to be home.' Jennifer thought to herself as she laid in bed in a guest room at the Danvers' Manor.
Seeing Caleb had gone a bit differently than she'd expected. He was different, more adult. He was no longer just a boy, but a man. She loved Caleb, she always had. He was her best friend, but seeing him today had stirred something in her. Something she hadn't felt in a long time, but stronger. He had been more than a best friend to her while growing up. Every time something was wrong with her, Caleb was the only one that knew what to do. She didn't know why, it seemed to come to him like an instinct.
He was wearing a leather jacket over a grey hoodie and a white V-neck t-shirt and perfectly fitted jeans. He'd grown more muscular since she'd last seen him; even with all those layers she could see that.
She wondered about Reid, and how much he'd changed. Once upon a time, she'd loved Reid Garwin more than anything. They played pranks together at school and on the other Sons. He'd been her first boyfriend and first kiss at 14, then she had to leave and they broke up. She still loved him but wondered if it would still be the same kind of love, because she had let go of that kind of love for Reid while living with her father.
Then there was Pogue, or Pogo, her cousin and one of her best friends. He was more like a brother than anything. She was born and lived in Ipswich nearly her entire life. Every time her mother had to travel for her job, she stayed at Pogue's house, where her Aunt Katherine would take care of her since her dad was always back and forth between Ipswich and Boston. The 2 were inseparable and as she was with the rest of the boys.
Lastly there was Tyler; he was always trying to keep her and Reid out of trouble or talk with her about Shakespeare, which none of the other boys were fans of and always laughed when the 2 of them got into a debate. He was also like a brother to her, always ready to be by her side and protect her. He always covered for her when she did something she wasn't supposed to and was always there to talk her through her issues with Reid because he was the one who understood him best.
She never had many girlfriends because they all were jealous of the only girl included in the group of the Sons of Ipswich. If they tried to be her friend it was because they were trying to get to one of the guys so she just stopped trying to be friends with all the girls. They were her boys, she'd missed them and now she was just happy to be home.
As tired as he was, Caleb couldn't sleep because he couldn't stop thinking about the raven haired girl in the room across from his.
She'd changed so much in a year. She was taller, but not much. She was probably around 5'6 to his 6'1 now. She was definitely curvier and in all the right places. He couldn't help but noticed how her black denim pants fit her legs and ass so perfectly or how the camisole she'd been wearing under her leather jacket accentuated her well-endowed cleavage, or how the light from the fire made her fair, porcelain skin glow so beautifully.
He shook his head. He couldn't think about her that way. He knew, for a fact, that even though Reid slept around, deep down he was still in love with Jenny.
But he had missed her so much…
He's missed her laugh and how her nose scrunched up when she was angry. He missed seeing that mischievous glint in her eyes when she was up to something and he missed holding her while she cried.
When her mother passed away, she refused to let anyone near her at the funeral except him. She didn't speak for a month afterwards, but she cried every night and every night he snuck into her room to hold her even though he was only 10 and she was 9. She never let anyone close to her like that. Not even Reid when they'd started dating, though on her 10th birthday she vowed she'd never cry again. She did though, once as far as he knew. On the day she left, she'd hugged him last and he felt her silent tears fall on his shirt, and when she pulled back her face was blank of all emotions.
She'd always brought his protective side, ever since they were little. It was instinct to take care of her, something he couldn't explain. She had always been fiery to defend herself though, and stubborn. She never let anyone or anything get in her way. She was always confident and that was one of the many things he loved about her.
But the thing that he loved most right now was that she was finally home.
Jennifer awoke with a smile on her face for the first time in a year and a half. She stretched lazily, did her morning routine and checked the time on her phone. It was 10:30am. She changed into tight, distressed jeans and kept the plain black t-shirt that Caleb had let her borrow to sleep in, since she'd forgotten to grab another shirt and only grabbed some jeans as the rest of her things would be arriving today at her aunt's, and hung loosely on her body.
Caleb was probably already up and from the voices she heard downstairs she could tell that the others were here.
"Reid, no." She heard Caleb say as she heard footsteps coming up the stairs. "Let her sleep! She got in late last night and we talked for a while! Leave her be!" She heard Caleb whisper-yell at her ex just before he burst through the door and the other 3 followed.
"Riley." He said in a barely audible voice as if he didn't believe she was standing there.
"In the flesh." She smirked and shrugged casually.
"Holy shit!" He yelled and pulled her into a hug. "I can't believe it's you! You're home!"
She laughed. "I'm home and now you're all stuck with me!" She grinned mischievously.
"Get off my cousin, Reid!" Pogue yelled. "It's my turn!" He pushed Reid out of the way and pulled her into his arms. "I missed you, Riles."
"I missed you too, Pogo." She returned the hug.
"You're coming back home right?" He asked.
"Yeah, my stuff will be getting there today." She smiled. "My room had better be in tact!" She narrowed her eyes.
The 4 Sons laughed. "Mom made sure it stayed clean and the way you like it." Pogue answered.
"Good." She grinned.
"Ok, now it's my turn." Tyler made his way over hugging the girl he considered a little sister. "Missed you, little sister."
"Missed you too, Baby Boy." She grinned at him.
"No way!" He protested. "You can't call me that, I'm older than you! Not cool, Riley!" He pouted, trying to hide his smile.
Riley and the others laughed at Tyler's indignation. "I can't help it!" She smiled. "It is your nickname."
"It's good to have you back, Jenny." Caleb said with a smile, putting his arm around her shoulders. "You hungry? I made breakfast."
"Yum, that sounds good." She smiled at him. "Bring on the grub!" She yelled as the group made their way downstairs laughing and joking.
"You're wearing Caleb's shirt." Reid stated staring at the shirt as Riley, Pogue and Tyler began filling their plates.
"Yeah." She said simply as she continued putting the pancakes, bacon and eggs on her plate.
"Why?" He asked with a slightly jealous edge in his voice.
"I slept in it." She answered taking her seat at the island, Pogue taking the seat next to her and Tyler the one next to him.
"You slept in it?" His blue eyes narrowed.
"Yeah, I forgot to pack pajamas in my overnight bag and I only grabbed a pair of jeans to wear today so Caleb gave me a shirt to sleep in. What's the big deal?" She looked over at him.
"Well…" He began trying to figure out the right words to say, but he remembered that she was no longer his girlfriend so he couldn't say anything yet. But she would be again. "Never mind," He said walking to get his food behind Caleb.
"It's a shirt, Reid." She rolled her eyes as Caleb sat next to her. "Let it the fuck go. It's not like Caleb and I had hot, wild, passionate sex all night, damn." She said making Caleb choke on his food and Pogue and Tyler laugh. "Plus, we're not together anymore, Reid, so it wouldn't matter if I did." She shrugged.
"Yeah, I know." He shrugged as if he didn't care, but the other boys could see that he did, and he sat next to Caleb.
"I also think Sarah would mind if her boyfriend was sleeping with another girl." Tyler said with a laugh.
"Sarah?" Riley asked, confused.
"Yeah, Sarah is my girlfriend." Caleb answered awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck with his hand.
"If she's not good enough for you, I'm kicking her arse." Riley threatened in a disgustingly sweet voice as knots formed in her stomach at the thought of Caleb with some girl.
The boys laughed at her way of delivering a threat. "Especially now that you're one of us, according to Caleb," Pogue said proudly.
"Yep, and the rule still stands now more than ever. If you Use on me I'll make you regret it in ways you can't begin to imagine." She grinned evilly.
"I bet you will." Reid smirked. "You can punish me all you want." He winked at her.
"Seriously?" She arched an eyebrow. "I know you were good with the ladies back in the day, but seriously?"
"It's only gotten worse." Pogue chuckled. "Meet the playboy slash man-whore of Spencer Academy."
"Playboy slash man-whore, huh?" Riley asked with a smirk. "Good to know."
"Yeah," Reid smiled. "No girl can resist me. Sooner or later they all give in, Riles."
"Only in your dreams, Reid," She rolled her eyes. "Been there, done that."
"You 2…?" Caleb began but couldn't finish. He refused to think that Jenny had given herself to anyone, even Reid.
"Hell no!" She answered with a laugh. "We never went quite that far." They all laughed as relief hit Caleb at the fact, and regret hit Reid because though he'd been with plenty of girls there was no girl he wanted to be with more than Riley. "So anyone else got a girlfriend that I don't know about?" She asked as they all finished their breakfasts.
"Pogue." Tyler, Reid and Caleb answered in unison.
"Oh really?" She smiled at her cousin. "I definitely want to meet her."
"Only if you promise to be nice." Pogue narrowed his eyes.
"Oh, I'll be a perfect sweetheart." She said innocently. "As long as she's not a bitch," She added under her breath and only Caleb heard her.
He turned to her with a smirk and shook his head. "I'm glad you're back, Jenny." He whispered so only she could hear and a blush graced her cheeks.
"Me too, Cale." She whispered back. "So!" She turned, slamming her hands on the table. "Caleb made breakfast so Pogue, you're washing the dishes. Reid, you're drying them. Baby boy, you're putting them away." She ordered with a smirk.
"And what the hell are you gonna do?" Reid asked crossing his arms across his chest.
"I'm supervising." She said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"Well that's not fair." Tyler grumbled.
"Tell me about it." Pogue mumbled.
"She's been back 5 minutes and is already telling us what to do." Reid added, but even though they disagreed, they knew better than to argue with Riley. Especially now that she had Power just as they did.
"You haven't lost your magic touch." Caleb chuckled, putting his arm around her shoulder.
"Oh you have no idea how magical my touch can be, Cale." She whispered very closely to his ear, her hot breath sending shivers down his spine.
'Did she just flirt with me?' Caleb thought to himself, but refused to show her that she affected him. "Maybe one day you can show me, Jennifer." He whispered huskily back in her ear.
Riley's heart hammered in her chest at the way Caleb had just spoken to her. The way he'd said her full name had completely melted her brain. He flirted back. But he had a girlfriend! He was just playing along because there was no way Caleb was attracted to her. Right?
"I'm starting back at Spencer on Monday, so can I have a ride?" She asked, her eyes still on Caleb.
"Sure." He smiled.
"You can go with me, Baby Girl." Pogue said, using the Sons' nickname for her.
"Pogo, you know that I love your bike, but there's no way I'm riding it in a skirt when it's practically December. Unlike you, I don't have the desire to die of pneumonia." She smirked.
"Alright, smartass," Pogue smirked. "I can't wait till you're back home though. Does mom know?"
"Yeah, she was the only one I was allowed to stay in contact with. Since I'm the last of the Daughters of Salem-" She began but was cut off by Caleb.
"But you're a Daughter of Ipswich." He smirked.
"Whatever." She rolled her eyes with a smile. "I had to study my family books alone and I also have all the books that were rescued by the Covenant of Salem. No one outside of my family or Coven can see it, unless I align myself to another Covenant by marriage, then the Head of the coven may have access to them and share the contents, but if I'm inducted under a different rule, which there isn't that many of, the coven can access them too."
"So it's possible that one day, Caleb will have access to those books." Tyler said with a smile.
Caleb's eyes widened at the thought.
"How?" Reid asked, narrowing his eyes.
"He's the Head of the Covenant." Tyler stated, rolling his eyes.
"But then you'd be implying that Riles is going to marry one of us." Pogue reminded.
"Exactly." Tyler smiled, locking his blue eyes with Riley's lighter crystal blue ones.
Reid smiled at the thought of being Riley's husband one day. They had worked so well together, they only broke up because they had to, not because they wanted to. "We all know who that's gonna be." Reid wiggled his eyebrows.
"It could be Chase for all we know." Pogue stated with a smirk, quickly popping Reid's bubble. The look on Reid's face had given it away what he was thinking.
"Whoever it is," Caleb stated, swallowing the lump in his throat. "We will support Jenny's decision." He said firmly, his authority showing in every word, but deep down his heart clenched at Jenny marrying outside the Covenant because he wasn't sure anyone other than his brothers would understand their special friendship, her need to lean on him and his instinct to take care of her. And he wasn't too keen on her marrying one of his brothers either.
The other Sons nodded in agreement, although Reid did so more hesitantly than the other 2. 'I'm going to get her back. She will be mine again, as soon as I figure out how.' He promised himself.
"Who's Chase?" Riley asked, furrowing her eyebrows in confusion.
"Chase Collins is the descendant of John Putnam's bastard son, Hagan Goodwin-Pope. He's the fifth Son. He was adopted, but his birth name is Chase Goodwin-Pope." Caleb answered, rubbing his temples. Just the thought of dealing with Chase gave him a headache.
"How'd you meet him?"
"Well, he came to Ipswich looking for us. He'd found his birth father who told him what he knew about the history of the Covenant. He didn't know about the side effects. Chase became addicted and he thought by us willing him our Powers, he could stop the affect it was having on his body." Tyler explained.
"He was stronger than us because his father willed him his Power and he came looking for me first. We fought on the night I Ascended. I wasn't strong enough to beat him alone so…" Caleb explained and took a deep breath. "My mother convinced my father to Will me his Power. Then I was able to restrain him as the 4 of us bound his Power, and then he decided it was just better to align himself with the Covenant instead of fighting against it."
"Oh Cale…" Riley stood on her toes and wrapped her arms around his shoulders as tightly as she could. "It's not your fault." She said softly, her face buried in the crook of his neck. "It's a way to see that your father loved you more than the Power. Even though he died, he beat the addiction because of his love for you." She whispered comfortingly in his ear and Caleb wrapped his arms tightly around her waist, keeping her close.
The others just stood by and watched the exchange between the 2. It had always been this way with them, ever since they were children. They had the ability to comfort each other in a way the others couldn't. It was as natural as breathing for them. To anyone else it may have been odd, even Reid while he and Riley dated, accepted the bond that they had.
Suddenly the sound of a cellphone ringing broke the silence that had overwhelmed the kitchen and everyone looked at Pogue.
"Mom?" Pogue answered, running a hand through his long shaggy hair.
"Tell Jennifer that I'm expecting her in 10 minutes. Don't be late." Katherine Parry said and hung up before her son could reply.
"Uh…" He stared at his phone then turned to his brothers and sister. "Mom said she's expecting us there in 10 minutes and to not be late. I guess she really wants to see you." He chuckled.
"Then let's go." She grinned, going and taking her cousin's hand.
"I'm gonna get my jacket upstairs and I'll grab your bag, ok?" Caleb shot her a small smile and walked out.
"You being here is really good for him." Pogue said softly so that Caleb wouldn't hear.
"He's been blaming himself for Uncle William's death." Tyler said shaking his head.
"He bottled up his feelings and today was the first time I've seen him let out his sadness." Pogue smiled somewhat sadly.
"It doesn't help that Aunt Evie is still drinking…" Reid added in a whisper with a glare.
"He's been feeling like he has to be strong for us and won't talk to us about how hard it's been. Especially since now he's officially the Head of the Covenant." Pogue explained.
"Then there's the temptation that the Power brings and he has twice as much temptation." Tyler added.
"The person that should be helping him is too busy getting fucking drunk every day." Reid gritted through his teeth.
"Aunt Evie is mourning." Tyler defended.
"But drinking and ignoring her son isn't the bloody way to do it, Ty!" Riley yelled in a whisper as they heard Caleb's footsteps coming back down the stairs.
"Here, Jenny." Caleb handed her the leather biker jacket that she'd been wearing the night before. "I got your bag." He held up her black duffle bag.
"Let's go before Aunt Kat has a bloody heart attack." Riley said putting on her jacket making the boys chuckle, and they all made their way out. "Pogo, I'm riding with Caleb." She walked over to Caleb's silver Mustang as he unlocked it through the remote. Before she could open the passenger door herself, Caleb did it for her. "Always the gentleman." She smiled and shook her head.
"Milady." He smirked and winked making her chuckle.
"Thank you, my good sir." She exaggerated her British accent to make it sound snooty and got in.
Caleb laughed as he closed her door and walked around getting in and putting her bag in the back.
"Shit." She mumbled as the sun blinded her and she put her hand up to cover her eyes.
"What?"
"I've got to grab something." She turned around in her seat and reached into the back, her ass in the air. And Caleb couldn't help but admire the view that she was inadvertently giving to him.
"What the hell are you doing, Jenny?" His tone was amused, but he couldn't keep his eyes off of her.
"Got 'em." She sat back down and put on her black Ray Ban Wayfarer sunglasses. She turned and grinned at him.
Caleb simply shook his head as he put on his Aviators and started the car. They drove in comfortable silence for a few minutes until Riley broke the silence.
"When do I get to meet Chase?"
Caleb gripped the steering will so hard, his knuckles were white. Just the thought of Chase made him want to Use. The thought of Riley in the same room as him made it worse. "When he's better… he's an addict right now, suffering the withdrawals. He's dangerous." He answered after taking a deep breath.
"I can take care of myself, Cale." She rolled her eyes. "Especially now that I have Power too."
"But you don't need to be given a reason to use it, Jenny." He glared at her from the corner of his eye.
"Is it that bad?" She asked in a concerned voice. "The temptation?" She placed a hand on his shoulder and he relaxed a bit.
"It's hell." He sighed heavily. "Every day, every moment it's there. It's almost as if it's calling to me, begging me to Use. It's like humming right under my skin, surging through my body." He explained. "I hate it… I hate feeling like I can lose control." His voice was barely audible. "I don't want to end up like him, Jenny. I don't." He turned, taking off his sunglasses making his deep brown eyes to meet with her sparkling blue ones as she also removed her sunglasses, and she could see the fear in them.
"You won't, Caleb." She said with conviction. "You're stronger than that, you're stronger than him."
"How do you know that?" He turned back to face the road.
"Because I know you," She said simply with a smile. "You've already proven that you're stronger than he was, Caleb. You have twice the power inside of you and you wake up every day, and you fight it, you resist it. You're better and stronger than your father was. You have a big heart and people to always remind you that that they love you, and will always be there to remind you that their love for you is worth more than the feeling that Using gives you." She took one of his hands her own, much smaller one.
"Always?" He glanced at her with a smirk.
"Always." She smiled, rolled her eyes and put her sunglasses back on. Caleb simply chuckled and did the same.
They pulled in front of the Parry Manor a few minutes later and Caleb skid the car to a stop and he saw Riley's breath hitch in her throat.
"You ok?" He asked turning off the car and removing his sunglasses.
"Yeah," she turned and smiled. "It's just good to be back." She sighed and got out of the car.
Caleb followed in suit as Katherine Parry rushed out of the house. She was dressed in a lavender blouse, tailored khaki dress pants and nude pumps.
Her hair was in an elegant French twist.
"Jennifer Riley Marie, get over here right now." She ordered with tears in her eyes and held her arms open.
Riley laughed, she did as she was told, and hugged her aunt. "Hi, Aunt Kat."
Katherine wrapped her arms around her niece, the girl she raised as her own since her twin sister had died.
"Welcome home, sweetheart." She whispered her accent identical to her niece's.
"Thanks, Aunt Kat. " She pulled back smiling. "It's nice to be home."
"You look just like Victoria." Katherine sighed heavily at the thought of her twin sister. "She'd be so proud of you."
Riley was the spitting image of her mother, and to a certain extent, her aunt. The only difference was that instead of blue eyes, Katherine had hazel eyes and Katherine was 5'4 instead of 5'6. That had made huge difference between the 2 sisters while they grew up.
"I'd like to think so." She smiled sadly and felt someone take her hand. She looked up and saw Caleb smiling at her.
"All your things have arrived safely." Katherine said, changing the subject. She knew how much Victoria's death had affected Riley. At that moment the other 3 Sons arrived to provide a distraction.
"Thank God!" Reid announced. "Because carrying boxes full of Riley's shit is not my thing."
"Yeah, me either." Tyler agreed.
"The possibility of seeing my cousin's private undies?" Pogue shook his head. "No thanks."
"Although… now that doesn't seem like too bad of an idea." Reid wiggled his eyebrows at Riley.
"Not even in your dreams, Reid." She smirked.
"Oh, definitely in my dreams, Baby Girl." He smirked back.
"Alright, I'd rather not know about my niece's under-things, or your inappropriate dreams about her, so shut up Reid." Raymond Parry said walking out dressed in a tailored light blue dress shirt and gray trousers, making everyone laugh. "Jennifer." He smiled at her opening his arms and she ran into them.
"Uncle Ray." She hugged the man that had become more of a father to her, than her own.
"It's good to have you back, Jennifer." He smiled at her. "Now it's time for your birthday present."
"What?" Her eyes widened.
"Well we did miss your 16th and 17th birthdays, so we got you a gift that would cover for both." Katherine pointed into the garage.
All of a sudden a 2012 black Mercedes SLK came out and stopped halfway out of the driveway. "What do you think, Baby Girl?" Pogue asked, getting out of the car.
"It's bloody amazing!" She squealed. "How did you guys know that I wanted a car? This is too much!"
"Well, Reid suggested a car, Tyler suggested a Mercedes, Caleb picked the color, Pogue picked out the car itself, and we pitched in on the price tag." Katherine explained.
"Thank you all so much!" She hugged her aunt and uncle. Then turned to the boys and smiled. "You guys are the best." They all hugged her at once. "I can't wait to drive it to school on Monday!" She grinned cheekily.
"Absolutely not." Raymond said with a shake of the head. "You've got to get your license first. Since you were away for a year and a half, you didn't get it on your 16th so you'll take Driver's Ed to get it."
"Aw man…"She pouted and crossed her arms. The boys all laughed. "There's another reason why spending time with that bastard ruined everything."
"You can still ride with me, Jenny." Caleb nudged her playfully.
"Can I drive? I have my permit." She used the innocent puppy dog pout on him.
"Uh…" He seemed to ponder for a moment. "Nope." He grinned at her.
"You're an arse." She narrowed her eyes.
"But you love me anyways." He chuckled.
"Now let's go inside." Katherine said ushering them all in. "It's getting chilly."
They all made their way to the living room and sat down.
"You're officially part of the Covenant now, Jennifer." Raymond said as he placed his arm around his wife.
"Well not officially." Riley shrugged.
"Only if she marries one of us, since she's not actually related to that side of the family." Reid winked at her and she rolled her eyes.
"Well I'm her cousin, so no thanks." Pogue grimaced.
"That leaves me, Caleb and Tyler." Reid smirked. "Not too much completion."
"And Chase." Tyler reminded, making Reid glare and Caleb furrow his brow.
"As if Riley would ever go for that creep," Reid snapped.
"Where is this Chase guy anyways?" She asked looking around.
"He stays in the pool house here on weekends and stays in a dorm during the week." Caleb answered. "But he's been dedicating his time to studying his family's books and the other books the Covenant have to offer."
"He goes places only if one of us is with him." Tyler added. "That was the deal."
"Caleb picks him up for school every Monday since he's the only one that can deal with the little prick." Reid explained.
"So you were on your way here anyways on Monday?" Riley turned to Caleb and he nodded. "Why doesn't Pogo take him?"
"Because I will not have a dude riding bitch." Pogue said in a duh tone.
Riley laughed. "I see that."
"Just be careful with him around here, Jenny." Caleb said locking his eyes with hers.
"Don't worry." She smiled confidently. "I can handle myself, especially since his Power is bound, right? Mine aren't. He tries anything, I'll Use on him faster than he can learn my name." She winked.
"Jenny, you can't just Use like that." Caleb narrowed his eyes. "Isn't it addicting to witches as well?"
"Yeah, but not nearly as much as it is to Warlocks." She answered. "To you all it's like being addicted to a drug, to me it's like being addicted to chocolate. After a certain amount of Using, I'll want a fix randomly. When the need hits? I'll want to give in, like a craving to a pregnant lady. We also don't have the aging side effect."
"Jennifer…" Katherine began to reprimand, but Riley held up her hand.
"I get it, Aunt Kat. I won't Use frivolously and risk our discovery." She rolled her eyes. "I'll be very careful." She locked her blue eyes with her aunt's brown ones, an unspoken conversation going on between the 2.
"Well, I'm glad that you understand the seriousness of the situation, Jenny." Caleb let out a breath of relief.
Riley, out of all people, knew best how much William Danvers' addiction affected Caleb and she knew his fear of becoming like him, or having to lose his brothers the way he'd lost his father. She wasn't planning on disappointing him.
"So do you all have any plans tonight?" Katherine asked, knowing that they would all be up to something.
"Yep." Riley said before the boys could say anything. "We're going to Nicky's, and I'm meeting Pogue and Caleb's girlfriends." Her eyes twinkled mischievously.
"And she said she'd be nice." Pogue reminded, narrowing his eyes at her. "Nicky has spiced the place up a bit since you left. Recently he gave it more of a club type of vibe to keep up with the times."
"Cool," she smiled. "And you think I'm capable of being anything other than the epitome of kindness and sweetness?" She asked innocently, with mock offense.
"You? Sweet?" Tyler asked with a laugh. "I'll have to see it to believe it."
"Tell me about it…" Caleb laughed. "My wrists still hurt from the time you handcuffed me to the pool table at Nicky's for losing a CD of yours."
"Or the time you dyed my uniform pink and Mom still made me wear it to school." Pogue added as everyone laughed, even Raymond and Katherine.
"That was brilliant." She said cockily.
"So was the time you cut the pockets out of Reid's pants and he went to school mooning everyone because he'd gone commando." Pogue laughed.
"That was one of my favorites." Riley said between laughs.
"See?" Tyler asked. "Nice and sweet isn't really your thing." He chuckled.
"As long as they deserve my niceness, they'll get it." She crossed her arms and shrugged. "Now let's go up to my room! I missed it." She jumped up and ran upstairs. The boys all followed.