Bella's Magic: Books 4-6: The Daughters of the Warlocks Box-sets, #2

By Maggie Shaw and Amelia Shaw

Maggie Shaw brings you the second trilogy in the Daughters of the Warlock series, a paranormal fantasy series in one box-set.

 

★★★★★ "This is an urban fantasy series. As part of a second arc we get a well developed and detailed world with an excellent cast of characters. Even if you have not read the initial trilogy, most of the essentials are presented early on. The plot is fast paced and grabs your attention early on and doesn't let up. The story is well written and I really like the depth of the story and our characters which really make for a solid read. I have found this series to be highly addictive and eagerly await the next book."

 

Boxset Includes:

Book 4: Hidden Sister

Book 5: Forbidden Love

Book 6: Arcane Magic

 

'Charmed' meets 'Shadow Hunters' in this fast paced, exciting paranormal fantasy series that will keep you hooked to the very end.

 

*** Maggie Shaw is a new low heat pen name for Amelia Shaw

• Language: English
• Publisher: Harley Romance Publishing
• Release date: Oct 12, 2022
• ISBN: 9798215857649

Book preview

CHAPTER 1

Istared at the hole I’d just created in the wooden floor beneath my feet. Damn it. That was sloppy.

I glanced around, and after seeing no-one, I flicked my wrist. The hole dissipated, fixed instantly thanks to the magic that burned through my veins. I tapped my foot. I wasn’t the sort to mess up magic spells, especially with a book that told me exactly what to do.

Then I remembered the walls I’d created around my bedroom were soundproof. My shoulders sagged with relief. My sister hadn’t heard me. 

I grabbed the spell book off the table and sat back in my chair with it in my lap once again.

If there was such a thing as a black sheep in our family…it was me. The middle child. The ugly duckling. The one who didn’t fit in with the others.

My mother, may her soul rest, was the most beautiful, vivacious, strong-willed, talkative woman to ever walk this earth—not that I had a huge spectrum of reference, having lived in a magical void for most of my life. But, going on pure factual speculation, no-one could out-talk my mother.

Well, almost no one.

My sister, Ava, came close, and there were times I thought she purposefully gave herself the task of doing just that. If only to finally best Mother at something.

Courtney, my younger sister, on the other hand, was less tolerant. Less talkative. Less blonde. But goodness me, she was a force to be reckoned with; a tornado in intensity.

I flipped a page of the book, my fingers skimming the words as if they wanted to read them the way my eyes did.

I wasn’t like my sisters. I was a bookworm. I was happy at home, in this realm of solitude. If I didn’t have to talk to another living soul for a week, or more, all the better. Talking was not my strong suit.

Not like reading, understanding literature, and putting magic into practice. Those things were easy.

I stood again, taking the book in my arms. Even though I was sure Courtney had soundproofed her walls as well – she preferred sleeping in to waking up – I didn’t want her to get up before she was ready. A cranky Courtney was not a Courtney I enjoyed being around. So, I tiptoed down the hall and stepped into the bright living room we’d created in the house.

Our house.

The one Courtney and I had built after our mother died. After we’d learned that our mother had created everything we’d ever owned with her magic. Our clothes, our food, even my books. The life we’d known wasn’t real; it was a figment of her design. As such, when she’d passed, we lost everything.

It had been devastating to lose our whole lives worth of possessions and memories, and heartbreaking to watch our mother disappear. We hadn’t expected it. She had been young, and the picture of health.

But she had slipped away suddenly, without warning, and we were confronted with the notion that we really weren’t prepared for her to be gone. Rebuilding was our only option.

As I took a seat in the comfortable leather settee, I couldn’t help but look around. I’d thought rebuilding was going to be difficult. But it wasn’t. If anything, creating a new home, especially without Ava – our oldest sister – watching over us, had been liberating in lots of ways.

I sighed and put my book on the table, then glanced outside. The sun was rising over the landscape, casting shadows as the sky lit up with oranges and purple. What a beautiful day it was shaping up to be.

However, as I thought about Ava, I felt restless and alone in this world of ours. I missed my meddling older sister.

I looked down the hallway, half expecting to hear the music that would normally come from Courtney’s room, assaulting my ears and rocking me to my core.

But there was nothing.

Nothing but the sound of our small house in its silence.

The house phone rang with a melodic shrill.

My heart leapt as I raced for the phone. Only one person called that line—the person it had been created by.

I picked up the old-fashioned red phone and put the receiver to my ear.

Ava! I exclaimed, giddy with excitement.

My sister laughed. You knew it was me?

I chuckled and sat down at the kitchen counter, happiness skittling through me and making me grin.

You know you’re the only one with this number, I reminded her. How’ve you been? It’s been ages since you called!

It hadn’t been that long, of course, but with our self-imposed exile in the realm, having only my sister Courtney for company grew thin quickly.

I’m sorry, Bella, she said. It’s all been so crazy with the shifter war we’ve been fighting. It’s ridiculous. These stupid laws, and the hypocrisy of it all. Once they settle down, we need to set up some better standards…or something.

I frowned at her tone. She sounded frustrated—and that was putting it lightly—but as Courtney and I had been kept out of the loop, quite on purpose, I really couldn’t comment. There was part of me that wanted to, though.

Well, I’m sorry to hear things are going badly, but are you coming to visit anytime soon? I asked. I tried to control my eagerness, but I liked seeing her and making sure she was all right. We miss you.

I glanced around the empty kitchen, realizing the ‘we’ was being generous.

Ava cleared her throat. That’s actually why I’m calling. There was hesitation in her tone. That, and disappointment. I don’t think I’ll be able to visit for a while. Tavlor and I are going undercover in one of the Fae realms to unearth some bad happenings that have been reported. I won’t be contactable for ages, so I wanted to let you know.

I bit my lip. I hated it when I couldn’t contact Ava.

Well, at least you’ll be with your husband, I said, trying to see the bright side. I could tell Ava felt guilty about what she was telling me, but I didn’t want her to worry.

She laughed. You know he would never let anything happen to me.

I smiled to myself. I didn’t have to vocalize my concern for her to be able to read it, and know that I was upset.

Yeah. I know. I’d met Tavlor three times. Twice when he’d come to see Ava here in our realm, and once at their wedding. Every time I’d met him, he’d been as impressive and ferocious as I’d expected him to be. Half-warlock, half-Fae, he was a warrior of the highest kind.

And there was no-one I would trust with Ava more. But even so…

I sighed. I couldn’t tell her I was still concerned about her safety and what the Council would do to her tomorrow. To us. I didn’t want her to feel even more guilty than she already did about the choices she’d made to enter the Magic Realm.

Well, thanks for letting me know, Ava, I said. You know I worry.

I do, and I’m really hoping that the next time I come home, we can bring you across to the Council and finally introduce you to everyone, she said.

I could tell by her inflection that she meant every word. The problem was, I didn’t think that ‘introduction’ would happen as easily as she made it sound.

Even if it did, the thought of meeting the Council made me shiver. I still had nightmares about what they’d done to Ava when they first found out who she was. Or more, what she was—the illegitimate daughter of the High Warlock.

We were all threats to the Council and the flimsy rules their world was built upon. Courtney and I were just as much of a threat as Ava was to them.

The difference was, the Council didn’t know about us yet.

I cleared my throat. Well, I can’t say I’m dying to join you, Ava, I admitted, but it would be nice to spend more time with you and our…father.

I’d met Matlock at the wedding, too. But it had been a stilted moment, not at all what I’d expected it to be like the first time I saw my father.

Ava had worked an enchantment to make us unrecognizable at the wedding. She didn’t want anyone knowing who we were until the new laws about illegitimacy were finalized, not to mention succession agreed upon.

High Warlock families generally only sired one child. A male. To say our mother had bucked tradition was an understatement. I didn’t know if she purposefully chose our gender—if her magic could even do something as powerful as that. Knowing her, I wouldn’t be surprised if that was the case. Our mother had been as strong and stubborn as Ava and Courtney put together, and when the Council demanded a male heir of the High Warlock, she would have taken pleasure in producing the opposite.

Mother had birthed all three of us, all daughters, in secret. The mistress to the High Warlock. And no one had known about us, until Ava had taken it upon herself to meet our father.

Lucky for Ava, the High Warlock had never had a child by his legal wife, and the Council was finally coming around to the idea of naming her as the heir. Even if she was illegitimate and a woman.

I can’t wait to show you all the beauty of the Magic Realm, Bella, she continued, breaking me out of my musings. You will love it, I promise. I just need to make sure it’s safe for you. I’d never forgive myself if anything happened to either of you.

I raised my eyebrows and played with the ends of my hair. I know, Ava.

It wasn’t as though I didn’t believe her. The problem I had was that she kept telling us the same thing over and over. I didn’t necessarily want to go to the Magic Realm, not when I had my books and my solitude. But I did wish the danger gone.

There was a pause, then she asked, What’s our little sister up to? Is she even awake?

I laughed, despite myself. Ava knew the rebel sister too well.

She’s good, I replied. Not sure if she’s awake or not, but she’s good.

Really? Ava asked, her tone dripping with sarcasm.

I chuckled again, standing up to grab a drink from the fridge. You know Courtney. She’s been chomping at the bit to get out into the world since she turned sixteen. Courtney was a safe subject for us to discuss, and I was glad to be on it. Waiting here while you gallivant all over the universe is hard for her. Especially when she insists she’s ready for the world.

Ava sighed heavily.

I felt her pain as though she’d sliced through my heart.

Oh! I didn’t mean to make you feel guilty, I said, shutting my eyes. I had been so careful when the conversation had involved me that I’d forgotten to do the same when discussing Courtney. I, for one, am happy to stay in my little library forever, but Court is, well…she’s Courtney.

What else could I say? Ava had to understand. Surely.

Is she still going to the human village? Ava asked.

The question made my stomach tighten. Yes, she is.

She’d gone out last night and, as usual, I’d been worried for her safety until I’d heard the front door open and Court bumble her way to her bedroom to pass out.

Only then had I managed to get a good night’s sleep.

Bella… Ava’s warning tone was obvious.

I rolled my eyes. As much as I understood and even agreed with my older sister, it wasn’t exactly fair to assign me the role of Courtney’s keeper.

I can’t keep her locked up forever, Ava, I said. She’s twenty-one years old and bored out of her mind here with me.

I wanted to stop her. I had tried to reason with her. But Courtney didn’t reason. She just dove in, driven by her feelings and her passion. She didn’t bother to think first.

It isn’t safe, Ava said, as though I didn’t know that.

"Then you tell her!" I didn’t like that Courtney didn’t listen to me, that she didn’t respect me the same way she respected Ava. My cheeks burned with anger, and my nostrils flared as I took in a deep breath.

There was silence on the end of the line, and I realized I’d probably been too harsh, or my tone had been, anyway. But I was sick of feeling guilty because I couldn’t control my sister.

Sorry, Bella, Ava finally said. I know this must be hard for you, to just…wait.

Ava’s apology had my anger deflating as fast as it had risen.

I stopped fiddling with my hair and glanced back at Courtney’s door.

It isn’t that hard, not for me, I said. But for Court, well, yeah. She would love to come to you this very minute and start helping out. Fight the bad guys, all that jazz.

Me? Leave me in my library forever and I’ll be happy. I’m not a fighter. Never have been. Never will be.

I’m working on it, Ava said.

She sounded frustrated again, and not because of me. I knew she was frustrated because she couldn’t get us where she wanted us, and, of course, she blamed herself for it.

As soon as we’re home, I’ll approach the Council. I have no idea how they’re going to respond to two more heirs turning up, but hey, it can’t be worse than how they dealt with me, right? Ava tried to laugh, but the sound was thin.

The Council had charged her with treason, sentenced her to death, then chased her all over the universe to neutralize her as the threat they perceived her to be.

She’d won that fight, but it had taken everything she had to win. Quite frankly, I wasn’t sure it was worth actually admitting there were more of us.

I swallowed hard, deciding to keep my opinion to myself. I’d love to come see your new life, Ava, I said.

That much was honest. I did want to visit her. Not because I was curious about the Magic Realm—though a part of me was—but because I wanted to see if this life suited her. If she was happy there.

There was another awkward silence, and again I wished for the life we’d once had: a time when my sisters and I were so close it had been hard to ever think we would be apart. When I knew what Courtney was doing even though I couldn’t hear her and I knew what Ava was thinking even when she was trying to shield me from something.

We’d been a united front against our mother, and each other’s support teams. And although my love for my sisters had not diminished in the slightest, it seemed that life had changed us.

I’d better go, Bella, Ava said, her voice touching on regret. It’s getting a little crazy here, but please know that I love you, and can’t wait to see you again.

I love you too, Ava, I said. I wanted to tell her to stay, not to go, not to continue to put herself at risk, but I bit my tongue. And I’ll tell Courtney you called.

I closed my eyes. I hoped she couldn’t hear my voice crack. I was trying so hard not to make her feel bad. I didn’t want her to worry. Not when she was in so much danger already.

Please do, Ava said, after a moment’s pause. Send my love, too.

We hung up and I sighed. I hated not knowing what the future held, or where our lives were going. I thought she was going to call me out for holding back on her. I thought she was going to ask what was wrong.

If she had done that, I wouldn’t have been able to hold on to all the things that were troubling me.

And Courtney’s attitude was the most worrying thing of all.

CHAPTER 2

Isighed as I hung up the phone, a wave of melancholy passing over me at having to sever the connection I had to my oldest sister. And according to her it could be an age until we spoke again.

Ava was fighting in a shifter war. I couldn’t imagine that whatsoever. Ava. She was spunky and stubborn, sure, but a warrior? A leader? The future High Warlock of all the magical realms?

Seemed… impossible somehow.

Of course, I believed in my sister. That much was true. Ava was so stubborn, she would do whatever she set her mind to, even if it was just to prove she could do it. But this? I never expected this from her and it made me realize that I didn’t know my sister the way I thought I did.

I shook my head at my ridiculousness. I liked to think I knew more than my sisters. My knowledge was something I prided myself on. But now, in this moment, I felt helpless. I felt like all my knowledge didn’t amount to anything because I didn’t know what was going on, and that was more important.

I let out a shaky breath, tears rolling down my face at the emotions churning through me. I quickly wiped them away and shook my head. I had no control over what was going on.

"Just focus on what you can do," I muttered, hoping to snap out of the downward spiral of thoughts going through my mind.

I forced myself to head out into the garden. A nice walk would help me clear my head and get rid of the self-doubt that had so strongly taken hold. It was roughly eight in the morning, the sunrise bleeding out into the bright blue sky. It was surprisingly cloudy for a summer day, but I welcomed the cooler weather. The crisp air pinched my cheeks, doing its best to reassure me, to calm me down.

I walked through the garden, glad to have the opportunity to focus on something other than Ava, other than all she was doing for her realm and how worried I was for her and how it reminded me I was doing nothing but hiding away in a realm that belonged to just me and Courtney. Instead, I focused on the beauty that surrounded me, the bright colorful flowers.

I knelt in the dirt and began to pull up and snap off some herbs for Courtney. She would wake up with a headache, encased in her hungover body.

Part of me considered letting her deal with the pain without the remedy. Punish her for putting herself at risk. I understood she was hurting. Between our mother’s passing, then being left in this realm to rot, while our sister traipsed all over the known universe without us.

I understood that this was her way to cope. She thought she was rebelling against Ava and her strict rules of staying in this secret realm until she was safe.

But still.

She was putting herself and me at risk. She was pushing things to a limit I wasn’t comfortable with. I wanted to talk to her about it—I should talk to her about it—but not now.

Courtney was hurting on the inside, and instead of communicating, she was poisoning her body with enough alcohol until she was hurting on the outside as well. Yes, I was upset with her. But I also felt bad for her. So, when she got her hangovers, I would conjure something for her.

At least I had a remedy for that.

Granted, my sympathy extended only so far.

I didn’t feel bad for her but I would help her recover. A cranky Courtney wasn’t one I wanted to deal with, not with my emotions already in a tizzy. In a way, I was healing Courtney more for my peace of mind, rather than for her. If I could keep the peace between us so there wasn’t tension toward each other, I was doing my job. The problem was, if Courtney was upset about anything, she had a tendency to take it out on anyone in her vicinity. I wasn’t immune to her outbursts, and they only increased when she was in pain.

When I finished collecting what I needed, I stood up and brushed the dirt from my knees. I took the herbs and strolled back to the house, letting myself enjoy the sunlight as it fought to break through the clouds in the sky. Being outside quieted my sorrow and I held onto that as much as I could.

When I was inside, I took the herbs to the kitchen. I mixed and crushed the leaves and steeped them in hot water.

I glanced at the clock. How was she not up by now? Had she partied too hard? Drank too much?

There was no way she could have met someone and brought him back here, could she? We’d been told that it was almost impossible for a non-Melfi bloodline member to enter our realm. Though Tavlor had managed it, so I suppose it was possible.

The problem with Courtney was I never knew what she was capable of. There was so much trouble she could get into that the possibilities were endless. Heck, Courtney could challenge herself to do something different each time she went out, just to keep things interesting. She did have a tendency to get bored easily.

Stop, I said to myself as my heart rate began to increase. You’re not helping things when you work yourself into a tizzy.

At that moment, my stomach rumbled.

I made myself something to eat, and wandered back around our small garden, picking the coriander and basil leaves I liked in my salads. It got my feet moving and kept me from lingering on thoughts I didn’t want to have.

Despite our endless supply of magic, there was something so… earthy, so human, about growing our own food. I loved it. And I would hate to create every single thing I ate from my own magic. It would seem… strange. And hardly nutritious.

A memory of my mother swam up inside my head. I pushed it down. My mother had died from over-using her magic. From sustaining a large house, servants, material possessions. It hadn’t been necessary, and yet she’d done it. Why, I still wasn’t sure. If I had to guess, I would say she did it to protect us, but surely she understood the consequences? She knew she couldn’t sustain her magic. What would happen to us when she was gone?

Ava left. Ava left to find out who our father was all because Mother never prepared us for anything. She kept us sheltered our entire life. And Courtney was finding herself in trouble because of it.

I would not make the same mistake. As soon as we knew it was one hundred per cent safe to move into the human village, I would. I would live in a real house, cook with real food. Conserve my magic as much as possible. It was the only logical choice I could come up with. I would miss my peace, but I hoped to purchase a cottage somewhere quiet that would help maintain a semblance of it.

I walked inside. Courtney was clattering around inside her room. I refrained from rolling my eyes. I didn’t want to turn petulant, even though I was annoyed by her immature, selfish behavior. Instead, I cleared my throat.

Brunch is ready, I called out, and was greeted by another crash bang.

I narrowed my eyes as I looked toward her room. What was going on in there? She was clumsy, especially after a night of debauchery, but it sounded like she was running into the walls. Did she need help? Was she okay? I frowned. Strange.

Is she still drunk?

I stilled. That would make sense, to be honest. Maybe she drank so much, she hadn’t gotten it out of her system yet.

Part of me wanted to go check on her, but I knew better than to go charging into my sister’s room without permission. She was the only one out of the three of us that cared about privacy. I didn’t want to intrude on that. However, if she kept bumping into things up there, I would have no choice but to check on her and ensure that she wasn’t hurt.

Then there was glass shattering. I stilled. If she wasn’t out in the next ten seconds, I’d be forced to act.

Her door crashed open.

Hey! Are you okay? I called out, walking toward her room.

The noises were louder this morning than normal. Something must have happened. But what?

I took a step back, expecting Courtney to rush out as she always did and ask about food. But she didn’t come. Finally, I picked up footsteps, soft as her bare feet made their way out of her room.

Bella…I don’t feel right, Courtney managed to say as she staggered toward me down the hallway.

I narrowed my eyes, trying to gauge if there was something I needed to be worried about. It was obvious something wasn’t quite right with her, but was she just hungover?

I did a quick assessment. Her skin was pale, slightly gray actually, and she was still wearing the tight, barely-there outfit she’d worn when she’d gone out last night.

Hungover. Clearly.

Have a seat, I said crisply. I made you the anti-alcohol remedy.

I hurried back to the kitchen to stir the drink I’d made for her on the kitchen counter.

The thump behind me was so loud I jumped. What had she knocked over now?

Courtney! I exclaimed, getting annoyed as I turned to see what she’d done.

My eyes widened.

Oh, my God!

I raced over to where my sister lay on the ground, foaming at the mouth, her eyes rolling back in her head. My annoyance disappeared as fear slipped into its place. I turned her to her side and made sure she wouldn’t choke on her own vomit.

What’s happened? I demanded. What did they give you?

A low gurgling was the only noise that came from her. My shoulders hunched up next to my ears and I nearly threw up myself. I didn’t like that noise, and I especially didn’t like it coming out of my sister.

She began to shudder and shake like she was having some sort of convulsion. I magicked up a pillow under her head and lay my hands on her face, feeling for a temperature. It was hard to get a steady grip on her due to her shaking and I didn’t want to hold her too tight. Finally, I managed to pick up something.

Cold as ice to the touch, but there was something else beneath the sickness. Something I couldn’t easily identify.

I closed my eyes and began to chant, focusing on diagnosing what was going on inside my sister’s body. She was burning up inside and there was a poison in her bloodstream, one I’d never come across before.

I conjured a blanket, threw it over her, and jumped to my feet.

She needed a healing tonic made by a proper healer. Unfortunately, Mother hadn’t taught us how to heal anything more than a broken nail. Which meant helping Courtney was near impossible unless I figured out something now.

Looks like she’s gonna have to settle for the best remedy I can make.

My heart hammered in my chest as I tore at my hair. What was I going to do? I couldn’t go for help; there was no-one to go to.

Courtney continued to shudder and convulse and I took a steadying breath. My sister was going to die if I didn’t diagnose her properly and find a way to heal her. That much was clear, and the thought made my blood run cold.

Focus, Bella, I told myself. Focus.

She’d been poisoned, that was obvious. And what was also obvious, was that it was intentional. You couldn’t poison a witch as strong as Courtney unless you knew how to do it. And although I couldn’t dwell on that now, it would be the focus of my future thoughts.

I jumped up and grabbed for the book I’d been studying only this morning.

I flicked over page after page, and not finding what I needed, I ran to my library and put out my hands, casting a spell for the remedy that would heal my poisoned sister. I hoped it would work. My fingers didn’t want to slow down and my eyes couldn’t keep up.

Two books flew at me, landing heavily in my outstretched hands. Grateful for that trick my mother had taught me long ago, I raced back into the kitchen with the books. Why I didn’t use that first, I don’t know. I must be so scared with whatever else was going on, I didn’t think to do it until now.

I put them down in front of me and cast more spells. They flew open and the pages spun by, the books looking for the right spell for me.

When the pages stopped flipping, I grabbed the book closest to me. It was a stabilizing spell. To stop her from getting any worse. This was what I needed right away.

Good idea. I couldn’t see the harm in casting that one.

I turned to my sister, put my hand over her body, and began to speak the ancient words the book instructed me to do. I hoped I pronounced them correctly. I hoped it would work. It wasn’t as though I had much time to practice.

White light shimmered in my palm. I closed my eyes as I pushed out with my magic, wrapping the spell around my sister’s body over and over again. I focused on the white light I saw in my mind, the silver threads, incasing her in a protective cocoon of sorts.

When I was done, I opened my eyes and assessed my patient. She didn’t seem to have improved. She was still ashen gray and frothing from her mouth, the edges of her lips turning blood red. Her eyes were staring up at nothing, the color going from a vivid, bright blue to milky.

However, she didn’t seem to be getting any worse. So, that was good. She also wasn’t shuddering as much.

I put a hand to her forehead and found her burning with fever.

Oh, no… please, Courtney. Don’t you leave me now!

I grabbed for the second book, the other one who’d come to me when I’d asked for guidance. It was a book on magical remedies. Healer potions.

I loved potion-making—it was one of my fortes—but I’d never had any real experience in healing anyone. We rarely got sick, and if we did, our mother had sorted us out faster than you could say, ‘help me’.

Now, I realized that what she should have done was aid us while also teaching us how we could help ourselves. There were times I could swear my mother was too overprotective. It was as though she wanted us to learn but she also wanted us to stay helpless so we would always need her.

I put my hand over the closed book and concentrated on Courtney’s symptoms, asking the book for a shortcut. I didn’t have time to do everything the long way today.

When I opened my eyes, the pages were flipping slowly, back and forth to different sections, as though the book itself was thinking about which potion would be best.

I glanced down at my sister who was still passed out, still pale, but alive.

When I looked back, the pages had settled. I picked up the book quickly.

The spell was a ‘cure all’ for when a practitioner didn’t know what the poison was.

I frowned, my stomach twisting into knots.

I had no way of diagnosing her properly, and from the look of this page, the book didn’t, either.

I knew that giving her the wrong potion could be deadly, so I supposed the book was right. This was the next best thing, until I could get the help Courtney required.

I sucked in a breath. Did I want to risk using a spell I’d never tried before at a time like this? My sisters trusted me when it came to the tattoos on their stomach, the ones that were for protection.

I was sure that this was our only bet given our situation, but I didn’t like how it was more of a band aid rather than a specific cure. How was I to know how to prevent this from happening again if I didn’t know what had actually poisoned Courtney?

I raced to the pantry and pulled out everything the spell needed.

Thankfully, there was no day-long steeping. This potion was fast, and dirty. No finesse required.

Tears tingled in my eyes as I sent out a prayer of gratitude to the book that was helping me in my hour of need.

I wiped the sweat off my brow with the back of my hand and put everything I’d gathered from the pantry, down in front of me on the counter.

I worked as fast as I could, crushing, weighing, blending and mixing. I followed the instructions to the letter, then poured boiling water into the bowl. My fingers shook, and there were times I had to physically stop and stretch my fingers, hoping it would cause them to stop jerking around.

Does she need to drink it or… I said aloud, my body trembling.

I quickly read further down the page. Some potions were ingested, and others were placed on the site of injury. But I didn’t trust my usually logical brain to come up with the right answer at the moment. I was too hot, sweating like I’d run a marathon, and my heart hurt in my chest.

Come on, come on, I chanted, looking for better instructions. Ah! I pointed to the words on the page with a shaky finger.

Potion should be drunk by the poisoned, and if unconscious, also spill potion over face and chest.

Okay! That covered all the bases.

I poured the hot mixture through a sieve and into a large glass. Then I forced a hint of cooling magic through it to make it drinkable.

I tested the temperature with my finger to make sure I wasn’t about to scald my sister’s skin or throat. When I found the potion to be temperate, I knelt and pulled Courtney’s head into my lap.

You need to drink this, sweetheart. Please.

I used my free hand to open her lips and tip the potion into her mouth. It mostly ran out the sides of her lips, but I figured that was like dousing her face. Which was a good thing. Maybe it would bring her back from this. I would deal with her fury later, when she was better.

I tried again, tipping her head up even more, and it looked like some of the potion went down her throat.

I turned my attention to her chest and poured some of the murky green potion down her neck, over her sternum, watching the inky mix cover her pink top. I kept pouring, trickling it over her heart and then her stomach.

I glanced at her face.

Bad luck for her perfect red hair now.

I poured some of the mixture on the crown of her head. She shivered.

Hope filtered into my heart. That was a good sign. She could feel it. Was it making her cold? Was that good?

I massaged the potion into her scalp and checked the volume in the potion glass. I still had about half left.

I tipped some more onto her face, letting it run off her cheeks and into my skirt.

Come on. You need to drink some now. I knew the probability of her hearing me was low, but I couldn’t stop myself from talking to her.

I tried to make my unconscious sister drink some of the potion. When it didn’t work, I rubbed more and more on her face and neck, just like the instructions stated.

Surely getting it into her stomach was the most effective way of treating the poison. Assuming the poison had come through a food.

Or a drink.

Which was more likely than anything else, considering she’d spent last night drinking in the village with God knew who.

Whoever had done this to her, I was determined to find out.

CHAPTER 3

The potion and the binding spell weren’t working. At least, it didn’t seem like it was working. She wasn’t responding the way I thought she might. She was still unconscious.

I sighed in frustration as I administered the last of the potion to my unresponsive sister. Slowly, her skin grew pink and she felt less hot under the coolness of the water. That had to be a good sign.

But I didn’t know for sure.

God, Courtney, what did you get yourself into? I muttered, shaking my head.

Courtney had been rebelling for months now, ever since Ava had left us here to find our father and take her place in the Magic Realm. At first, I thought maybe letting her do what she wanted was a way for her to get it out of her system. A couple of drunken nights at a club couldn’t be so fun that it had to happen every night, could it?

I didn’t think so. Then again, I wasn’t the type of person who had much experience with rebelling. I kept my head down, I did what was expected of me, and I took the initiative and taught myself things I wanted to know. I didn’t go out. I had no desire to know my father, or any of the rest of my family. I just wanted to learn.

But Ava and Courtney were different. They couldn’t be expected to simply do what was asked of them, even if it was my mother’s last wish before she passed. Once Ava left, I knew it was only a matter of time before Courtney did the same thing.

It had only been small things at first. She would step out of the house and go for long walks. I’d always assumed she stuck to our fields in our realm because there had been no signs she’d left.

Then, when Ava had been forced into hiding from the Magic Realm and came back to stay with us, Courtney had stopped going out again. Which was odd, because Courtney didn’t see Ava as a parental figure either, though I knew there was a kinship between them I would never understand, only because I didn’t feel the same intensity they felt to get up and leave this place.

I couldn’t be sure, but she seemed too scared to venture out once she learnt the truth about our enemies, and that had suited me fine.

It relieved me, actually, knowing that Courtney was here and safe. I didn’t have to worry about when she would be home and how long she would be gone or what she could possibly encounter out there. I knew she was home, even if she didn’t want to be.

But then things changed. Ava stepped up, fought the Council, and married Tavlor. All things that required courage, intelligence, and true spirit. All the things Courtney probably wished she had the opportunity to participate in herself, if only to do something productive instead of waiting around.

Well, that had lit Courtney’s fire because soon she was going into the local human village and gallivanting around. It was as though she was rebelling against Ava’s happy ending, as though she had grown bitter because Ava shirked the rules and nothing bad had happened to her.

The problem was, Courtney didn’t realize how at-risk Ava was the entire time she did all of that. Ava would never tell us, of course. She was just as stubborn as all of us, in her own way, and I knew she didn’t want to worry us. But that didn’t take away the fact that she was in grave danger just being over there, being with Tavlor, wanting to be with our father, stepping into the position of heir.

And somehow, by some miracle, it worked out for her.

I swirled the glass around, making sure the potion was mixed properly. One thing I did know about potions was that if it wasn’t stirred enough, it could cause the intended effect to do something entirely different based on the molecules and properties of the magic and the composition of the ingredients. Magic was a science.

I continued to stir, just to make sure.

To start with, despite my fears, Courtney’s explorations through the village had seemed harmless enough. She’d brought back food, and plants, and things that were fun to have and not created with our magic.

I’d even gone out once, just to see the local market, and loved the seedlings I’d been able to buy for the house.

But soon enough, Courtney had not been happy to simply visit during the day. She began going out at night. First for dinner, and then she started to go ‘out’.

I sighed, setting down the empty container. I couldn’t do anything right now except wait for Courtney to respond to the potion. I flicked my gaze over at my sister. There was a run in her stockings and her dress was wrinkled. Part of me wanted to reach for her, to pull her into my arms and rock her back and forth and tell her just how much I cared about her and that she didn’t have to keep running away.

But I knew she wouldn’t listen. I knew it wouldn’t be enough for her. She needed to feel as though she was actively rebelling against something. It made her feel alive. It made her feel like she was in control. It didn’t matter that she put herself—and me, to a degree—in danger, not when she was getting what she wanted out of it.

I knew what going out meant. I knew there was much more opportunity for her to get into trouble going out than there was if she just popped over to get lunch.

She would eat dinner with me, then come out of her room again as I was going to bed, dressed in the shortest, tightest clothes I could imagine.

I couldn’t stop her from following through with her plan, no matter what I said or did. I didn’t want to parent her. She’d had enough from our mother and now Ava was adding to it. The last thing she needed was yet another voice telling her what to do.

I glanced down at my sister, who was slack in my arms.

Now this is the result. Bloody stubborn.

This sick sister of mine had obviously met someone, or something, that had majorly disagreed with her.

Had it been intentional? This poison that had obviously meant to kill my extremely powerful witch of a sister. Or was this the effect of some human date-rape drug gone wrong? Or maybe Court wasn’t the intended target but got caught up in whatever was going on accidentally?

No one knew that Courtney was a daughter of the High Warlock and sister to his recently appointed heir. Ava had made sure we were kept out of the Council drama.

Unless someone had found out about Courtney, about us, and was now trying to retaliate.

Then it hit me. The Council. Could they have discovered us? Was this an intentional sabotage to us, the heirs of the High Warlock?

I didn’t want to think about that—it seemed too paranoid, too far-fetched—but the more I thought about it, the more I worried.

Was it possible? Surely not…

I didn’t want to admit it, but right now, it was the only thing that made sense. Why else would someone go out of their way to hurt Courtney? Granted, that was assuming this toxic poison inside of her right now was intentional, and judging by its effects, I assumed it was.

I pushed all thoughts aside as I focused on my sister, pouring the last trickles of the potion across her throat and lips.

Was it enough though? Had I done everything in my power to ensure she was okay?

I placed a hand on her cheek, then checked her forehead as well. No, this wasn’t enough. Not by a long shot. But at least her fever had subsided, and her shaking seemed to be completely gone, but this potion was only to stabilize her until the true cure could be found. Which meant we still weren’t out of the woods yet.

I managed to get Courtney up off the floor. I muttered a spell that helped me ease her body into my arms. She was slender but she felt like a leaden boulder when completely unconscious and as much as I prided myself on being fit, even confined to a house, I couldn’t carry her with ease. With the aid of my magic, I tucked her beneath the blankets.

Once she seemed stable, I walked back to the kitchen and got myself a fortifying drink, a wine that my mother had always liked. Then I sat by Courtney’s bedside with a dozen healer books to read.

I wasn’t planning on leaving her side any time soon. I didn’t know how the poison was going to affect her and I didn’t know if this temporary cure was going to fail at some point. I needed to be here in case something happened.

Damn poison… If it had been a physical attack, the magical tattoo I’d branded on all three of us, would have kicked in and protected her. But with this sort of attack—an internal poison—the tattoo and spell did not protect us.

I spent all day researching poisons used on witches, hoping my sister would wake up, at least long enough to tell me what she’d drunk, or eaten. I had nothing else to go on.

It had to be in a drink. We’d eaten dinner together then she’d said she was going out dancing. Humans drank alcohol at bars and clubs, right? She was barely twenty-one, but I was sure that wouldn’t have stopped her. And Lord knew, she wanted to numb the pain she was feeling at being told yet again what to do.

I blinked back the sudden tears in my eyes. I didn’t know