Chapter 1 Dark as Night, Bright as Day

"Angelica? What are you doing here?" I walk into the apartment I share with my twin and see her sitting on the couch...next to my boyfriend. Orion was supposed to meet me here later, and as far as I know, Angelica had plans with her friends. She wasn't supposed to be here at all.

"I'm comforting your boyfriend," she says, beautiful as always with her long, blond hair back in a messy bun, "or should I say, ex-boyfriend." She pats his shoulder, consoling him. Her eyes are drawn together, and she looks genuinely concerned. But he glares at me in a way I've never seen before. With hatred. Orion is a tall guy-6'4"-so even when he's sitting, seeing him simmer with rage is genuinely terrifying.

"What? Why?! Orion, can we talk about this?" I throw my purse on the ground and start walking over to them, but he stands up from the couch and stares me down. I stop, cold. Frozen in place. The mistrust and anger in his eyes make him look like a stranger.

"You know why," he spits out. "How long?" He glares down at me.

I don't know what he means. How long for what? I shake my head, confused. I can feel the fluttering of my black, wispy bangs as I shake my head.

"How long has this shit been going on?!" He grabs Angelica's phone out of her hand and starts flipping through photos of me...me and that man from a few days ago! That's what he's so furious about? Relief washes through me: it's all just a misunderstanding!

A single, accidental bubble of laughter rips out of me in relief.

"Him-he-I was helping him! I know it looks bad, but it's honestly not what it looks like. If you'd just let me explain-"

"No, Jezzie," Orion says, and his face crumples. "Angelica told me everything. The pictures were just the final piece of the puzzle."

WHAT?

My blood runs cold. I have always been faithful to Orion, always. Whatever Angelica told him was a bunch of lies. The pictures were lies, too-probably a setup! Clearly, it was no use trying to convince him of my innocence right now, because he's already made up his mind that I was guilty. He'd already decided, before I'd even walked through the door.

The tears start to silently fall down my face. Orion walks past me towards the door. I hear it open and slam shut. Through blurry eyes, I notice that Angelica quietly follows him. The door opens and shuts much more quietly...but not any less ominously.

Now, why in Nine Hells would my sister be following my boyfriend out the door, unless she was up to no good? I sniff, trying to will back the tears, and failing miserably. This was hardly the first thing that has gone horribly wrong lately. Losing friends, my family's trust, and even my company, it makes sense that Orion is only the latest among several awful events.

Because I realize who has been involved in every single one of these things...the common factor, the connecting force. It's Angelica. My own twin. I've had my suspicions, but there is absolutely no room for doubt any longer.

Why she decided to take everything from me might not be something I'll ever understand, but first things first: I'll be DAMNED if I'll let her take Orion from me.

And once I get him back...well, I heard payback's a witch.

* * *

CHAPTER ONE BEGINS

Mother always used to call me her little moon, and Angelica was her little sun. Even though we are twins, since we are fraternal twins we look different. I have dark hair and dark green eyes, despite my fair skin, and Angelica has light golden-blonde hair with hazel eyes. She has always been able to get more of a tan during the summer months, too, only adding to her "little sun" nickname.

We were born into a legacy witching family dating back to the time of the first continental settlers. Back then, our family survived solely due to strict rules and secrecy. Otherwise, we would've hung from the gallows and been burned at the stake, like all too many of our ancestors. The Wildspark family might not be here today if not for those rules.

Some of those rules survive to this day...but more about that later.

Needless to say, Angelica and I grew up surrounded by the craft. We were both expected to inherit our mother's witches' blood and get witchmarks of our own on our twenty-first birthdays. It was supposed to be the happiest day of our lives as twins and young witches .

But as the moon rose that night, and it was an auspicious Blood Moon, too, I was the only one to feel the searing pain of the witchmark burning into the flesh on the nape or my neck. My body was the only one that lit up in the dark night.

Angelica felt nothing. We saw nothing. We waited, thinking it might be possible it could be delayed since she was born a few minutes after me, but minutes stretched into a half-hour, into an hour, until finally Gramma Gemma Wildspark called an end to the ceremony.

"I'm sorry, child," she said, coming up to Angelica, "but it does not appear the path of the witch is your destiny."

Angelica nodded, but I could see the shimmer of tears down her face, reflecting in the moonlight.

"My little sun," my mother crooned, going up to embrace her. Angelica's blonde hair easily stood out against Mom's black hair and black dress.

"Don't call me that!" Angelica suddenly snapped. "And maybe if you'd never called me that, you wouldn't have jinxed me!"

Then, she turned and ran out of the clearing, her long, wispy black dress trailing behind her. Her golden hair was the last thing to disappear amongst the dark trees.

"Angelica!" Mother called after her. "Angelica!!"

"Let her go, Agatha," Grandma Gemma said to her daughter. "Let her grieve in her own way. You know she didn't mean what she said."

Mother didn't look convinced. The other aunts, cousins, and community witches looked on in sympathy, talking quietly, until one brave soul stepped forward. She seemed to remember that it was still my birthday, and there was still something for me to celebrate.

"Despite the disappointment we might feel for Angelica, we still have a new witch to welcome to our ranks tonight!" she said, doing her utmost to bring cheer to the now-somber gathering. "We welcome you, Jezebelle, to the most sacred of sisterhoods. May you never walk this path alone."

"For we are here at your side, evermore," the group of women said together.

Chills erupted all over my body as their solemn declaration sank into my body and soul. I couldn't help but think about Angelica at that moment- was she destined for a lonely life now that she failed to get her witchmark?

'No,' I silently vowed, 'she will always have me. Always.'