Witchcraft

By Emma Mills

Jess is no ordinary vampire. Protected by the Manchester vampire clan, and initiated by her family’s east coast American coven, she is sought after by every dark witch and warring vampire faction. Jess must fight if she wants to keep hold of her friends, her sanity and finally her existence.
As the dead bodies of human girls begin to stack up, and her recently accepted vampire boyfriend, Daniel, finds himself in prison, Jess goes on a crazy, forbidden trip to London, racing against time to save an old friend and solve the mystery behind Daniel’s incarceration. In battling new enemies and finding new friends, Jess’s confidence finds room to grow, but who will she lose along the way?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Emma Mills
• Release date: Jun 15, 2012
• ISBN: 9781476367644

Emma Mills

Emma Mills is the author of First & Then, This Adventure Ends, Foolish Hearts, Famous in a Small Town, and Lucky Caller. Having recently completed her Ph.D. in cell biology, she currently resides in St. Louis, Missouri.

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Witchcraft

By Emma Mills

Smashwords Edition

Copyright © 2012 Emma Mills

All Rights Reserved

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be resold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales or organisations are entirely coincidental.

Witchcraft

Copyright © 2012 Emma Mills

www.witchbloodthenovel.com

www.twitter.com/EmmaMwriter

Cover Image : Laura Zalenga

www.laurazalenga.de

Acknowledgments

Once again, huge thanks to my mum and my proof reader, Lynne Poulson for managing to make my imaginative ramblings into coherent sentences. Big thanks to my great friends, both new and old who have been great guinea pigs and put up with my incessant facebook updates with enthusiasm and support, along with the great new book blogging friends who have hosted me and praised my debut novel, Witchblood. Finally, and most importantly, I just want to say Thank you and I love you to my husband who has supported me, boosted me and chivvied me along, and who over the past few weeks has worked tirelessly in the office and at home, whilst nursing me through viral meningitis AND looking after the children. Tom Mills, you are a star!

Thanks also to Holland House who did the final edit, although let it be noted that some UK/US discrepancies may not have been altered to US taste! I am a UK author with UK characters and the language sometimes illustrates that!

Chapter One

I guess it’s easy to say in retrospect, but I probably shouldn’t have answered the door. Nevertheless, the incessant banging was rudely interrupting my daydreaming.

The hammering on the door paused, and my eyes flicked over to an old, leather bound book sitting on the dresser, confirming that my dreams were actually based upon truth, and I wasn’t going quietly mad. The book had come from Eva, presented to me only minutes after returning to Daniel’s house, the night of my brief but terrifying adventures in Sebastian’s cells. I frowned remembering her words of caution…

‘What is it Eva?’ I’d whispered, as Eva had handed me a rather battered looking book, which was brown with age and had lost its slip cover, if it ever had one. The embossed design was faded and flattened, and the spine was damaged beyond repair. Yet despite all this it was beautiful, and it drew me in as if calling to me. I held out my hands, a feeling of yearning welling up, and a look of frustration flickering in my eyes, as she held it out of reach, a half-smile dancing about her face.

‘It’s a book of shadows,’ Eva had told me. ‘A very old one, and if you’re not hunted down for your half-witch, half-vamp status, you’ll be hunted down for owning this book. So don’t mention it or show it to anyone. This is possibly the only copy in the whole of the UK.’

‘You’re joking, right?’ I’d asked nervously, my hands still itching to get a hold of it.

‘When have you ever known me to joke, Jess? This book is worth a small fortune. Even Sebastian couldn’t afford it. Luckily I had a favour to call in.’

What kind of favour would buy that? I’d wondered.

‘It’s fine, sorted,’ she said. ‘Anyway, it’s yours now. Take it,’ she added, passing me the beautiful book.

The hammering on the door had started up again. It obviously wasn’t some sales rep, and whoever it was clearly had no intention of leaving without giving me a headache, but I’d been forbidden from opening the door or leaving the house…all the usual rules an untrained half-vampire, teen witch had to deal with.

I climbed off my bed and paused by the dresser, my hands drifting towards the book again. In an instant, all my questions were forgotten as my hands touched its leather cover. It felt heavy and somehow warm and after glancing at the embossed pentagram I quickly opened the book to have a quick flick through. A gush of air lifted the hair away from my face, as if someone had opened a window on a breezy day, or maybe a breezy day in Florida, as the air felt warm on my cheeks and stung my eyes.

After a couple of seconds, the wind dropped until it felt like a comforting breeze, making single hairs lift up and tickle my cheeks. I felt calm and in control. I let my eyes delight in the intricate patterns drawn on the title page. My fingers traced a repetition of the same pentagram from the cover, but this one had entwined branches delicately drawn through its lines, and tiny leaves which seemed to dance in the very same breeze I was caught up in. I focused my eyes and stared at them and they immediately stilled, but if I let my eyes wander away from them, I could see them fluttering in the breeze. I loved this book!

The visitor’s incessant banging started up again. Damn it! What was I going to do? It freaked me out a little. I mean, in the couple of months I’d been living here, the door had only ever rung a handful of times. Now here I was on my own, a rare occurrence, as I was not often left unguarded. So my curiosity was aroused and suddenly I felt the need to prove to Daniel that I could do something normal, like answer a door. I closed the book, placed it back on the dresser and ran down the stairs at vampire speed.

In my head I had it all planned out. It would be easy. If it was a vamp, I’d just say Daniel and Eva were at the club. No vamp would mess with me after recent rumours had gotten around about Aaron’s unlucky demotion. If it was a human, I’d simply tell them to call by for Eva or Daniel later, and if it was the gas meter man, I was going to say that I didn’t own the house and could he come another time. On no account was I going to let anyone in. Easy! Except it wasn’t a vampire, a human or the gas man. It was a witch!

I smelled her as soon as I opened the door, so forgive my confusion, but she smelled human and rather tasty at that. But of course, witches are the only supernatural kind with human DNA. However, my questions on her identity were clarified as soon as she opened her mouth.

‘Hi, you must be the lovely Jess?’ she asked with a strong American accent. This confirmed her identity as the witch sent over to meet me; a representative of my new found family clan in Boston.

‘Ehm, yes, I am. Daniel and Eva have gone to meet you at the club. Didn’t you get the message?’ I asked, wondering what on earth to do with her and knowing Daniel would have a fit if I asked her in.

‘Oh silly me! I thought I was to meet you here and go and see the mighty Sebastian later?’ she asked her vivid green eyes sparkling with mischief. She opened her mouth in a wide smile and offered her hand to me. ‘I’m Susannah from the Malden coven. I guess I must be your cousin, as your mother was my mother’s sister. It’s nice to meet you at last.’

I paused for a second, looking at this woman who seemed so ready to offer me a new family. She didn’t look at all as I expected. I thought they were sending an older woman and I’d imagined a greying spinster, but the woman opposite me was in her twenties, with beautiful green eyes and shiny black hair swinging down her slender back. She grinned at me again before cutting into my thoughts.

‘Well, are we going to stand here on the doorstep all day? I could really do with a drink, although maybe you don’t have anything suitable?’ she asked, her smile faltering a little.

‘Oh, I’m sorry. Maybe I should just give Daniel a quick ring and let them know you’re here. I don’t think they wanted me to meet you on my own,’ I answered, taking a step back.

‘Well it’s a bit late for that now, isn’t it? You’ve met me already and I’m hardly a threat. It’s not like you’re a feeble little human, is it Jess? I heard all about Aaron. We all have.’

I realised this little speech was entirely conceived in order to big up my ego, but after all, what could I do? I could hardly leave her standing on the doorstep for an hour, could I? She was right, I thought, after all I am a vampire. I am strong and fast enough to throw a human twelve feet down a dirty alleyway, I can self heal and I’ve levitated a powerful vamp in the air when he tried to attack me. It would be fine, apart from Daniel being pissed at me when he found out.

‘Ok, come on in. I think we’ve got some coffee somewhere,’ I said, as I led her into the hallway, and down towards the kitchen.

‘Great, I’m gasping. I hate the airline coffee you get. It really sucks. I don’t suppose you’ve got any real coffee have you?’ she asked.

‘It’s unlikely, but hell, who knows? Daniel keeps the kitchen stocked up for appearances mainly. We had one of the students from next door drop in yesterday. I think she fancies him,’ I said, rummaging around the kitchen cupboards until I found one with an unopened pack of fresh coffee in it. I spent the next five minutes looking for a cafetière, which was still in its box, and on finding the milk was five days old, Susannah wisely decided to take it black.

‘Right. I’ll just go and give Daniel a ring. They must be wondering where you are,’ I said, as I placed the mug in front of her and got a delicious whiff of human. Maybe they didn’t want me to be on my own with her because I was the threat, not her. They still didn’t trust me around humans, even though I’d so far resisted even a taste of human blood… well, apart from the processed gloop that came in neat refrigerated packs.

‘Sure. Can you direct me to the bathroom? I could do with freshening up after my trip,’ she said, following me out of the room.

I took her upstairs to the immaculate bathroom, and returned downstairs to make the call. As I held the handset I desperately tried to recall Daniel’s mobile number. Why was it I’d completely lost the ability to remember phone numbers since I’d owned a mobile? Eventually I started tapping it in, and then I realised something was wrong. I brought the receiver to my ear but it was silent. No ringtone. I replaced the handset and checked the power cord. It all seemed to be plugged in fine, so I picked it up and listened again. Nothing. Damn! I’d been complaining to Eva only that week about the shaky broadband connection. It was always timing out on me and now it seemed the landline had died as well.

As I was wondering what to do, I heard the shrill peal of the old pay-as-you-go mobile Daniel had given me a couple of months earlier. Of course! I raced up the stairs, silent and effortlessly, and came to a sudden halt in the doorway to my room. Susannah was standing by my dressing table when I entered the room, and a grim expression flitted across her face as she quickly picked up the mobile and switched it off. A second later she turned around, her surprise at seeing me quickly masked by a wide smile.

‘Oooh, hi! You gave me a fright there,’ she said.

‘Ehm, sorry. Is that my phone you just switched off?’ I asked.

‘Yes, but I knew you were using the downstairs phone and I guessed you wouldn’t be able to get through to him, if he was calling you on this. I didn’t want to answer it, because I thought it best coming from you. I’m sorry. Have I done the wrong thing?’ she asked, looking confused.

‘No, no, that’s fine,’ I said, walking towards her for the phone.

Before I could take the phone, she swivelled round to face my dresser again and I froze. I watched her fingertips gently trace the outline of the pentagram on my book, Eva’s words filling my head for the second time that afternoon.

‘if you’re not hunted down for your half-witch, half-vamp status, you’ll be hunted down for owning this book.’

Too late, I thought miserably as I saw wonder and desire glint in her eyes ever so briefly, before she looked up at me and smiled again.

‘So, you have the family book already. That will please the elders. Do the leaves blow in an imaginary breeze for you?’ She asked.

‘Yes, they do. I thought I was seeing things at first. Is it a family book then?’ I asked, relief washing over me, that finally someone understood me and didn’t think I was hallucinating. Eva and Daniel never saw the leaves move, not the slightest bit.

‘Oh yes, it goes back to the very first coven leader in New England. We have another copy of this at home. We thought this one was lost. How did you get it?’ she asked, and again I thought I noticed a hard cold rush of emotion clouding her eyes, but it was gone instantly.

‘It was given it as a gift,’ I said, not wanting to get Eva in any trouble with the coven.

I walked the last couple of steps towards the dresser and went to pick the book up. It felt dangerous and exposed lying within her reach, and I felt a need to hold it close. Protect it. My hands went out, but she got there at the same time.

Simultaneously, she started muttering something quickly and quietly under her breath and immediately my bedroom ceiling turned into a black thunderous vortex, spinning and swirling its snake-like tail down towards us.

‘What the hell?’ I shouted, trying to pull the book from her grasp, as she hung on.

‘I’m sorry Jess, but the white witches of Malden cannot claim you, especially now that you have this. We’ve sought this book for hundreds of years and now we have one who can engage with it. Only direct family members can make the leaves dance. You will join us. It’s your destiny.’

All at once several things happened. The black vortex hovered over our heads as Susannah shouted out a final command. I used all my vampire strength available, and yanking the book from her grasp, turned to run when I heard the front door bang. Mere seconds later, Daniel and Eva shot into the room, but it was too late. Susannah’s hand hooked around my neck, her long, purple painted nails breaking my skin. Her other arm wrapped around me from behind and with our bodies glued together, the vortex descended and sucked us up into a vast dark nothingness.

Chapter Two

My survival instinct kicked in and I struggled to release myself from her grasp. I wriggled and kicked, but she held on fiercely and yelled into my ear.

‘Don’t be stupid Jess, you don’t know where you’ll end up if you fall from the ley lines mid-stream. We don’t want to harm you.’

I couldn’t take that chance. I didn’t have a clue who she was, but I knew for sure that she wasn’t who she said she was. She wasn’t my cousin. She wasn’t from Malden, and if she wasn’t a white witch, then presumably she must be a dark witch from a coven that wanted my Book of Shadows.

I felt an encouraging tingle of electricity start to bubble under the surface of my skin, a familiar low humming in my head, as everything began to spin out of control. As I felt my power hum beneath the surface, waiting for an outlet, I scrunched up my eyes and holding firmly to the book, bucked with all my might and sent my elbow ramming into the witch behind me. I wrenched my neck from her hand, feeling her nails leave deep welts across my skin, and threw myself to the side of the vortex. Suddenly I was free falling, plummeting towards a green field, and seconds later I landed with a bone crunching thud as my head spun and I blacked out.

I awoke to find myself lying under the shade of an old oak, its dark green leaves shading the late spring sun from my sensitive skin. I quickly sat up and looked around me. The witch was sitting watching me, cradling my book in her hands.

‘Now look what you’ve done. We’ll have to wait here for my sisters to join us. They won’t be long,’ she said, before adding ‘You might want to sort your arm out. It’s making me queasy just looking at you.’

At her strange comment, I looked down and flinched. My arm was hanging down at a strange angle, and the bone just above my wrist was jutting out of the broken skin, my dark, almost black blood congealing around it. As my eyes followed the broken arm upwards, I winced again as I took in the strange angle of my shoulder joint, as it pushed forward, straining against the tight, pale skin. All I could feel was a dull throb in my shoulder and a slight burning sensation around my wrist, but I couldn’t blame the witch for her queasiness, as looking at it made me heave uncontrollably.

‘Oh, for goodness sake! You’re a vampire aren’t you? Just pop your shoulder back in and push that bone back into your arm. Otherwise they’ll heal like that and Carrigan will only make you break them again,’ she said, looking up at the sky quickly.

I followed her eyes, but could see nothing. She was right, I needed to sort my arm out, but I also needed to get my book back and fast, if we were about to be joined by the rest of her coven. For the first time since I’d woken, I looked around us. We’d landed in some farm fields and all I could see were miles of yellowish, square patterned, rolling hills. On the brow of the next hill, I could make out a farm and a track winding down to a busy main road. I wondered how long it would take me to run for the house; five minutes, maybe less. I could easily pretend to be a human girl, then they’d take me in, but they’d also be bound to call an ambulance and ask questions. All I needed was a phone to call Daniel. Maybe if I got my arm fixed first I could escape their inevitable questions. I looked down at my arm again and gulping back retches, tried to push the bone back in, but it seemed stuck, and tears sprang to my eyes. I was useless, pathetic! I couldn’t even mend myself properly. I couldn’t cast spells. I couldn’t bring myself to bite people and defend myself. I was nothing, neither a vampire nor a witch.

‘Are you crying?’ Her surprised voice cut into my thoughts and I glanced up quickly, wiping the tears away. ‘Oh my! You are, aren’t you. I never knew vampires could cry. Well, aren’t you an interesting find!’

Anger surged within me, a maelstrom of emotions giving me the strength I needed. I jumped to my feet and found to my surprise that my arm still worked. I punched forward and then brought it back, swinging it round until, with a sickening crack it found its rightful place in my shoulder joint once again. The bone would just have to wait, as the witch was already clambering hurriedly to her feet, my book clasped to her chest. She had hastily dug deep in her pocket and withdrawn a handful of salt, and was pouring it out on the floor in a circle around her, chanting as she moved.

‘I conjure thee, O Circle of Power. A boundary between...’

‘Oh no you don’t!’ I cried, leaping out of the shade of the old oak and into the bright sunshine. My