Night Fury: A Young Adult Fantasy Romance Standalone

By E. G. Sparks

Vampires slaughtered her family. Vengeance consumes her heart. The truth will shatter her soul.

 

Sixteen-year-old witch Meadow loses everything when vampires invade her home, murder her parents, and her brother mysteriously disappears. Hunted by bloodthirsty beasts, she accidentally wields the wild warlock magic—a punishable offense for a witch.

 

Forced to enter warlock training at the Arcana Institute, Meadow vows to master her new powers and avenge her family. But when sinister secrets unravel, she begins to question everything and everyone, including one of the most powerful warlocks and the son of the Institute's dean, Zyron.

 

As betrayal shadows her every step, can Meadow grasp justice before the truth destroys her?

 

Night Fury is a standalone Young Adult Fantasy Romance. If you like tales of magic, betrayal, and the enduring power of sisterly love and ultimate sacrifice, then you'll love E. G. Sparks' intriguing story.

 

Get Night Fury today and unveil a realm where magic breathes, hearts are tested, and the truth possesses the power to change everything.

• Language: English
• Publisher: E. G. Sparks
• Release date: May 9, 2024
• ISBN: 9798224131099

Book preview

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Copyright © 2024 by E. G. Sparks

All rights reserved.

No portion of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher or author, except as permitted by U.S. copyright law.

This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, organizations, places, and events in this book are the products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any similarity to real persons living or dead is coincidental and not intended by the author.

Cover Design: Getcovers

Copy Editing: Lisa Fox

Proofreading: Lisa Fox

Contents

1.One

2.Two

3.Three

4.Four

5.Five

6.Six

7.Seven

8.Eight

9.Nine

10.Ten

11.Eleven

12.Twelve

13.Thirteen

14.Fourteen

15.Fifteen

16.Sixteen

17.Seventeen

18.Eighteen

19.Nineteen

20.Twenty

21.Twenty-One

22.Twenty-Two

23.Twenty-Three

24.Twenty-Four

25.Twenty-Five

26.Twenty-Six

27.Twenty-Seven

28.Epilogue

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One

Itraced my fingers along the book spines, taking comfort in the aged paper scent. I breathed in and sighed. The Pine Public Library was my sanctuary—a stark contrast to my chaotic life as a teenage witch in the city of Guardia.

I pushed the tottering return cart in front of me. The front wheel had loosened again, and I’d already written a sticky note for the head librarian to add it to his repair list. Volunteering here counted as my extracurricular at Enchantra High—a typical high school for witches with a sprinkle of magical subjects.

But the true reason I volunteered was to meet humans, as in non-magicals. Their lives were so much simpler. They didn’t carry the burden of power and the knowledge of danger coexisting within the city limits. Heck, most of them didn’t even know we, the magicals, existed. Each year, a group of the most powerful witches called the Lunar Circle enforced an illusion over the city. Only the human government and police remained in the know. It was safer that way.

My violet hair fell over my shoulders as I bent down to reshelve a book in its proper place. The green tie I wore over the white blouse of my school uniform creased. I patted it down to smooth the end against my chest. The green wasn’t my color. I mean, my hair was violet and my eyes shone with a powder-blue hue. I couldn’t match with a green even if I tried. At least the uniform skirt was classic black.

I wiggled the cart under the counter, content after a peaceful day of work. The large wall clock struck nine in the evening—the end of my shift. The other volunteer working the front desk had already left. Unlike me, he hated this job, and since it was rare for a patron to come in this late, I never complained about his desertion.

I retrieved my backpack from a closet behind my desk and pulled out my cell phone. The screen automatically lit up with six missed calls from my brother, Kai. What the hell? The last time he blew up my phone like that, it was two in the morning and he was shitfaced. Nine o’clock was a bit early…

My hand trembled. But this was silly; nothing was wrong. Just as I was about to swipe across Kai’s name for a callback, the entrance bell chimed. I switched off the phone and mustered a smile as I raised my gaze. Two young men walked in. Their appearance stroked a balance between brawny and bewitching. They wore jeans, runners, and t-shirts with sleeves that squeezed their bulging biceps. I didn’t see guys like that in here…ever. Perhaps they had mistaken the library for a gym?

I cleared my throat.

Welcome to the Pine Public Library. Can I help you? The cheer in my voice plateaued into a monotone. I narrowed my eyes as my witchy senses alerted me to a predator’s energy. It cut through the library’s tranquility to my bones. Their dark eyes pierced the space between us and never once blinked.

The men strode toward the counter with measured steps. I glanced at the security officer’s post with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the library, but he wasn’t there. My hand naturally inched toward the amethyst bracelet on my other wrist—the only protection charm a teenage witch could wear in human territory.

Actually, I just finished for the day. But you can return tomorrow. We open at six, I said, standing taller.

Oh, is that so? one man asked with a raised eyebrow. He perched one elbow on the counter. Too close.

You wouldn’t know a guide on the best ways to drain a delicious morsel-like witch? his companion asked. I flinched and swayed backward, losing the ability to speak. Vampires! What were they doing here without their identification bands? The different magical factions in Guardia claimed parts of the city as their protected territories. With the vampires posing the highest threat to others, our codex required them to wear an enchanted thirst-reducing silver band outside their district.

Since a mysterious disease called the frenzy had begun spreading among the vampires, the identification had proven extremely useful. The infected would fall into a zombie-like state at sundown and hunt down and drain anyone close by until the effect wore off. It was like a spell that turned off their consciousness and dialed up their primal instincts.

These guys weren’t infected. But a vampire was still a dangerous creature. A hunter from nightmares. I forced myself to swallow through a dry throat.

Guess you’ll have to do, Meadow…

I froze in shock upon hearing my name. The first vamp lunged at me across the counter, his fangs descending in a sinister snarl.

I darted through the copier room behind me, my mind racing. I’d heard stories about rogue vampires, but they’d never come into a public space. And they knew my name. The sound of my breathing and the pounding of my heart filled my ears as I weaved through the aisles, avoiding dead ends. Bookshelves came down, crashing around me with loud thuds against the carpeted floor. I found a narrow alcove and squeezed into it, holding my breath.

When the sounds of books being thrown and desks crashing carried further away from me, I slid out and eased open an emergency door to the staircase. I loped down the steps to the ground level where the archives and media center were.

Darkness ensconced the vast space at the far ends since lights here auto-shut-off after prolonged inactivity. Running through and activating the lights one by one was a surefire way to draw attention to me, so my options were limited.

I inspected the magazine stand to my left and yelped when a hand clamped over my mouth. Someone dragged me behind the first row.

Shh, Kai sent me, the stranger said. Hearing my brother’s name gave me a pinch of reassurance. I stopped kicking. He released me and I crouched by his side, studying his profile. Who was he? I couldn’t place him among Kai’s friends, and I thought I knew them all…

The stranger appeared to be around my brother’s age, in his early twenties. His loose blond waves reached just past his defined chin, framing a masculine, pale face. There was an otherworldly beauty about him that captivated my addled brain.

They’re coming down. We have to move, he said. His gaze connected with mine and I gasped. Red pupils shone in the dimness. The night vision served well for vampires who were allergic to sunlight.

Stay back! I scooted away from him, falling to my butt and trapping my hands underneath in the process. He was one of them. The red-eyed bogeymen kids sang rhymes about at the playground. I freed my hands and involuntarily grasped my neck where a boy in the first grade had bitten me to show others how vampires ended little witches.

Stop. Listen. There was an attack at your family’s home, and your brother sent me here to take you to safety, the vamp said.

My brother would never work with a vampire, and he certainly wouldn’t have befriended one, I said with a hiss. The witch and warlock community didn’t mingle with the local vampires. Most vamps couldn’t resist the magic-induced blood running in our veins. And, well, they were bottom-feeders on the magical hierarchy. I despised them all.

My gaze dropped to his arm. No sign of the enchanted band, just like the other vamps chasing after me.

I scooted to the end of the aisle, hesitating about what to do next. The blondie didn’t move, but his expression hardened.

Not everything is black and white. You’ll do well to get that into your pretentious head. His nose wrinkled into a sneer.

Pretentious!?

Listen, you bottom-feeder—

Oh, save me that ‘I’m better than anyone else because of who my mommy and daddy are.’ Your brother saved my life once and I will repay him… He lunged for me, but I had already unclasped my bracelet. I flung it at his feet, activating it with a one-word command I’d practiced at school. A surge of energy wrapped around him, trapping him in an invisible box. He scowled at me through the soundproof barrier. My brows furrowed. The vampire remained oddly composed, as though he understood the workings of charms. Most vampires thrashed against witches’ spells, never taking time to learn basic Enchantia principles, one of them being temporal. Only warlocks wielded magic immune to time.

He noticed my hesitation and tapped one finger on his wristwatch. Rude! If I’d had more charms with me, I’d have flung an arsenal at him. The charm would hold him for about five more minutes.

Without hesitation, I darted around the aisle and past the staircase. The emergency door banged against the wall as two angry figures filed out. The red in their eyes activated and their sharp fangs lowered. My knees wobbled, rooting me in place.

Stay away from me! I said, my voice barely a whisper. The two vamps shook their heads, leering at me. They’d come for blood. My blood.

As my back hit a wall, my eyes grew hot. Was this how my Mimi felt when the vamps attacked her? No, Dad said she’d fought them. But I’d already used my only charm.

The vamps paused before me, relishing my fear. I lifted my arms in the last effort to fend them off. The closest vamp ran a tongue over his sharp incisors and I stared as if hypnotized. As he inched closer, bumping into my outstretched arms, warmth gathered in the center of my palms and an innate instinct took over.

Luminis ardentis! Luminis ardentis. Luminis ardentis… As I spoke the words I’d heard my brother utter when he practiced