Angelica ran and ran until she was out of breath. Her lungs and legs were on fire, and her feet were blistered thanks to the poor choice of shoes for running. Yet none of that mattered.

Part of her had expected something like this to happen tonight. After all, Jezebelle had always gotten everything she wanted....but Angelica didn't. This had been the story of Angelica's life, though she was the only one who seemed to know it. And even though their mother said she loved the two twins equally, Angelica always felt like she was in Jezebelle's shadow, craving warmth and attention.

So when she'd waited in the glowing orange moonlight for a mark that would never appear, it wasn't heartbreak she felt as the minutes ticked by. No, it was just the dawning realization that another disappointing expectation had come to pass. She was used to feeling this way.

It was actually the sympathy in Gramma's and mother's eyes that had pushed her over the edge.

'Oh,' she thought bitterly, 'NOW you care?'

They'd never looked beneath her surface before now, never looked past the "sunny disposition" she always projected to give them the impression that everything was fine. Yet now, in front of the coven, they wanted to appear like they cared about her?

Angelica sat on a fallen log, her panting breaths creating clouds in the dark night air. She'd yelled at her mother. But...it had felt good to get that truth off her chest. She hated being called her "little sun."

Witches didn't care as much about the sun as they cared about the moon. At least not the witches she grew up around, anyway. So, she'd always felt like an outsider whenever her mother called her that. It probably wasn't intentional...honestly, it was probably just a cutesy-wutesy way to tell baby twins apart, but in a way that made it worse. How...original.

It didn't matter that her hair was golden blonde or that her eyes were a golden hazel—she literally looked like a little, yellow piece of sunshine—she felt like her mother had somehow jinxed her existence.

Jezebelle, on the other hand, was made for the night. She was perfect. She looked like the perfect witch. She had a perfect, dreamy boyfriend who had loved her for years, just as long as she'd loved him. She was intelligent, musically gifted, beautiful, and she looked like a carbon copy of their mother.

Angelica knew she looked like their dad, who had passed away when she was a child....but he had been an ordinary man. There hadn't been anything special about him, so resembling him didn't mean much to her.

"Why does Belle get everything?" she asked the night sky. "Why isn't anything ever fair?"

"Fair?" asked a creaky voice from behind a tree. Angelica jumped. "Fairness is an illusion, my dear girl."

An old woman came out from behind the tree. A witch—an ancient witch.

"Who...are you?" Angelica whispered. "I've never seen you before."

"If you find out, do let me know, dear," she cackled. "I can't seem to remember my name, though I'm sure it will come to me eventually. But I do know that your future was stolen from you tonight."

"Stolen? What do you mean by stolen? You mean I was supposed to get a witchmark?"

The old witch's eyes were like two shiny jet pebbles, glinting in the moonglow. She nodded.

Angelica gasped. "Really?" She placed a hand over her thundering heart. Could this finally be the moment she's been waiting for, the moment where she'd catch up to Jezebelle?

"Aye. Now come along with me, my dear, and I'll help you get that mark you deserve. It must be done before the moon sets."

Angelica did not hesitate as she followed the old witch deeper into the forest, into an ancient cave decorated with bones dangling from the ceiling.

Bones of all shapes and sizes...Angelica did not look up.

Starting the twenty-first birthday celebration at midnight left me exhausted by the time mom brought me home, early in the morning. I think both of us were hoping Angelica would already be there waiting for us.

But she wasn't.

"Don't worry about her," Mom said, masking her nervousness with a warm smile that didn't reach her light green eyes. "She'll come back when she's ready. I know she will."

I nodded, returning her weak smile, and went up to my old room. Angelica and I still had bedrooms at our parent's house, even though we also had an apartment we shared closer to the company we own together downtown. It was moments like this one that I was grateful mom always kept an inviting space for me to return to: despite the worry and sadness I felt towards my twin, I was able to sink straight into sleep.

* * *

"Happy birthday, babygirl," a familiar voice says softly, close to my face, gently drawing me out of my dreams.

Orion!

My eyes open with a smile already on my face.

"Beloved!" I tell him, wrapping my arms around his neck and pulling him down onto the bed with me. He pulls me close and holds me tightly in his arms before attacking my face all over with light kisses.

Muah! Muah! Muah! 

"Orion!" I giggle. But then his mouth is on mine, his hot, sweet mouth, and I forget everything else around us. His hands start to roam and I feel him groan into my mouth when he realizes there's nothing underneath the baggy t-shirt I threw on to sleep in.

One hand heads to my breast, where he pinches my nipple—I arch my back in response. Damn! That little shock of pleasure gets me every single time. He knows just where to touch me…

His other hand heads between my legs, where he slides his middle finger along my slick entrance. He groans again as he pushes his finger inside me, and soon I'm moaning. 

"Shhh, baby," Orion whispers after breaking our kiss. "You don't want to get caught here, do you?" 

I bite my lower lip and shake my head, 'no.' He slowly pushes a second finger inside me... 

Orion is the only man I've ever been with. He is my first and only love. He took my virginity, and I took his, the summer after we graduated high school. We know each other's bodies intimately, inside and out. 

So, I know he must be painfully hard by now. 

I grab him by the shoulders, and he lets me toss him underneath me—otherwise, there would be no way I could budge his 6'4" built frame. He thinks it's cute when I try to, though. His blue eyes sparkle while he watches me, excited to see what I’ll do. 

Once he's under me, I undo his jeans and slide them off, then his boxers. He understands the assignment and rips his shirt off. Sure enough, his huge dick is rock hard and glistening with precum. My mouth waters—I love how he tastes!

I can't help it. I lick my open lips and bend over to take him in my mouth, and the next moment, he's the one biting his lip to keep his moans in check. 

He doesn't let me suck him for long. Orion pulls my shirt over my head and grabs my waist to lift me over his cock, all so I can slowly slide down on him. Inch by agonizingly delicious inch. And it feels fucking amazing! 

It’s been over a week since we’ve slept together, and I absolutely love it when our bodies join back together like this. Like two pieces finally becoming whole again. He just feels so RIGHT when he’s inside me, like he belongs there.

We lock lips while I ride him, trying to keep as quiet as possible. Who knew trying to stay so silent was such a turn-on? But just when I feel that glorious orgasm about to burst within me, I break away so I can whisper in his ear, "I'm gonna cum! Please cum with me..."

Orion groans and grips my hips, then slams his cock deep inside me one, two, three times before I feel his hot cum at the same time as my orgasm takes over. I grab a fistful of my sheets and cover my mouth since it's impossible to stop the sounds I'm making. At the peak, I’m pretty sure I shove a fistful of sheet inside my mouth to bite down on. 

Orion buries his face in my hair and grabs my butt, gently rocking my hips so I can ride out my orgasm. He calls them my “aftershocks.”

"I love you," I say to him, kissing his cheek, "I love you so much."

"Mmm," he growls into my messy hair, then kisses my temple. "I love you, too, babygirl." 

He pulls me tightly into his arms. “Happy birthday, Jezzie.”

"Angelica! You're back!" Agatha Wildspark dried off her hands on a towel and tried to give her daughter a hug, but Angelica dodged her. "Angelica? Did something happen?"

"You mean aside from that nightmare last night? What else could be more wrong than that?"

"Sweetie..." her mom said. "Whether you're a witch or not doesn't matter to me. You will always be my daughter, and you will always be a Wildspark. You are not the first to not receive a witchmark, nor will you be the last."

"But why, mom? It's not fair! I'd always counted on becoming a witch and getting my powers. I don't have a backup plan!"

"Sweetie..." her mom said again. "When you have one mortal parent, like you and Jezebelle, there's always a chance the witchmark won't manifest. Nine Hells, even with two witch parents, there is a chance it won't manifest. As for the rest--we'll help you figure that out. There's no rush."

Why did it feel like her mom was downplaying what happened? Didn't she care at all that her daughter's life was ruined?

Well...it would've been ruined if that old witch hadn't intervened. But that wasn't something Angelica could ever tell her mother.

Unlike the silvery witchmark on the nape of Jezebelle's neck, Angelica's witchmark needed to be kept hidden. The inky mark was on her left breast and would only be visible to anyone who saw her topless--which would never include her sister or mother, not if she could help it.

She would also have to be careful about how she used her magic, since she wasn't supposed to have any. Thankfully, the old witch had woven in a concealment charm into the witchmark to help make everything she did less noticeable, but it wasn't absolutely foolproof.

But, at least now she wasn't powerless. At least now she could fight for what she wanted, and she could get back at those who had wronged her. Jezebelle, for one, will soon learn what it feels like when things don't go her way for once. She'll learn what it feels like to be an outsider in their very own family.

Did Angelica hate Jezebelle? No...she didn't think it was hate. Resentment, possibly. Maybe even some jealousy.

After all, Jezebelle was dating THE Orion Locklear, the guy Angelica had crushed on even longer than her sister had, Jezebelle didn't have to study and cram for hours to get mediocre grades--she was a naturally gifted academic, nor did she struggle to make (and keep) friends.

Not only that, but their company, Twin-Z's, had been her brainchild. Angelica knew her only value to the company was being the twin of the creator: without her, there would be no 'twin' in Twin-Z's. It went without saying that Jezebelle certainly didn't need her brains to keep things operational. Still, she was nice enough to create a position that somewhat catered to Angelica's strengths, making her feel like a somewhat capable and responsible Co-CEO.

But all of that was going to start changing very, very soon.