The Queen of Witches Read online

  “What do you mean?”

  “Both of my parents lost their lives because of a key they were entrusted with. My dad was the Werewolf King. He almost flaunted the key, along with his power, because he assumed that no one would be crazy enough to come for it. He was wrong. Because of his misjudgment, both of my parents are dead. Now, I’m here after a key, and I can’t help but wonder if it’s the one he lost all of those years ago.”

  I laid my head on his chest. No matter how many years ago his parents were buried, he was still raw over their death. Maybe that was the connection I felt to him? Either way, I could hear the hurt in his voice, and it was killing me.

  “The reason I can help you with your powers is because when my mother was unable to have children, she went to Ariana for help. Ariana granted her wish and gave her two boys, but we wouldn’t be just werewolves. Mom carried us in her womb but Ariana created us. She gave us powers and senses that belong to other supernaturals. The speed of a vampire, intuition of a witch, and strength of a werewolf. Like I told you earlier, my brother and I are hybrids. In my heart, I believe I won’t make the same mistakes as my father. Just because I’m stronger and more powerful than him doesn’t mean I can protect the key. His arrogance, trusting the wrong people, and selfishness got him and my mother killed. Being wary of others is what has kept me alive this long. So if I am a little apprehensive of Talon and his need to help, I have my reasons.”

  My gut reared its ugly head again. “There is more to that story, isn’t there?”

  He draped an arm around me and kissed the top of my head as I listened to his heartbeat. “I have no proof, but I think it was Talon’s uncle who led the rouge werewolves to my parents’ house all those years ago.”

  That was a pretty heavy accusation, but I knew he believed what he was saying. I didn’t know if it was fair, though, to blame Talon for his uncle’s evil doings. Especially since there was no proof his uncle even committed the crime. “Well, then, I understand why you have reservations about him, but he’s leaving today, so that’s one less worry you will have. We need to be focusing on finding your key.”

  “What I'm looking for is dangerous, and there’s a good chance that whoever has the key knows I’m here. If you’re going to continue to help me find it, you need to tap into your powers and learn to control them so that you can protect yourself.” He stood up and offered me a hand. “Do you know what this farm has? More than a hundred acres. This is the perfect place for you to practice.”

  “Yeah, but even though it’s an abandoned property, it’s not ours. What if I set the woods on fire?”

  He pulled me down the steps. “I actually bought this place today, and since the new owner happens to like you, I think it’ll be okay if you practice.”

  Wait. What? “You bought this place?”

  He gave a little shrug as if it was no big deal. Who was this guy? I followed him around the huge house and to an open field. He gave my hand one final squeeze. “Have at it.”

  Talk about performance anxiety. My hands immediately began to sweat.

  “Um, I’m not sure if—”

  He gave me a sexy smile. “Tell me you need help creating wind. I would be happy to volunteer my services.”

  I rolled my eyes and turned my back on him, so I wouldn’t be tempted. My hormones were all over the place. With my luck, I would kiss him once, and the wind would be so strong it would bring his newly acquired house down. So, no to wind. But what did I want to create? Or better yet, what did I think I could create?

  I walked a small distance to a creek bed running adjacent to the old farmhouse. Kneeling down, I let the water flow over my hand. Creating power the only way I knew how, I let my emotions float to the surface. I closed my eyes and remembered. My parents loved this old farmhouse. They often talked about how if they had enough money, they would buy the property and give it a makeover. Put some horses in the old barn out back. Mom had said she would have a vegetable garden. Man, I missed them terribly. As the first tear trailed down my hand, I heard clapping. Opening my eyes, I saw that I had turned three feet of the creek to ice.

  Jamison helped me to my feet. He softly cupped my face in his hands. His lips touched mine in the barest of whispers. “You did well. It hurts when you make ice. I would rather see you make wind.” Then he kissed me, and the bite of the wind never felt so good.

  Chapter Eleven

  Later that night, I sat on my couch with Tandi. I had just gotten off the phone with Wes, who was in overprotective brother mode. Because I skipped class, and the school notified him he was all of a sudden having doubts about leaving his younger sister at home and wanted to know if I could go stay with Tandi and her parents until he returned. I politely declined. Tandi’s parents were horrible people. They were rude, arrogant, and condescending. Yeah, that was a big no thanks. But I did tell him that I would ask Tandi to spend the night with me.

  After I hung up, she said, “So, you don’t think big brother has powers?” I shook my head. “Which would mean that one of your parents were human?”

  “Yeah, I don’t think the starving artist has powers.”

  “But he’s so freaking hot. Like hawt.”

  “Gross. He’s my brother. Cut it out.” I threw a couch pillow at her. “You want to watch a movie?”

  “I guess. Are you and Jamison like an established couple or what?”

  “I don’t know exactly what we are.” Kissing partners? Makers of wind? “I know I think about him way more than I should.”

  She started to say something when the doorbell rang. I gave her a puzzled look before I got up to answer it. Talon stood there with all of his pretty-boy charms. You have got to be freaking kidding me.

  Tandi gave him a finger wave. “Hey, Face. What’s up?” She mumbled out of the corner of her mouth, “Stalk much lately?”

  One of his eyebrows arched up to his hairline. “Um, hey?”

  “I thought you left town already,” I said.

  “That was the plan, but then I came across someone that used to know your parents, and I figured you probably didn’t know who your parents really were, considering you can’t control your fog.” He gave me a sheepish look. “No offense. Anyways, I came to make you a final offer. Just come and look at the training camp with me. You don’t have to stay. I just want you to see what you’re going to miss out on.” He gave me a wink. “It’s the weekend; you won’t miss any classes. View the training camp and Juan. He’s the guy who knew your parents. I bet he could answer a lot of questions that probably have been swirling around in that head of yours.”

  My heart leaped in excitement before I realized that Talon was waving a carrot in front of my face and I was the donkey. He came here with a plan and he was hoping I would buy it. Hook, line, and sinker. Would it be an answer to my prayers if this man, Juan, could tell me everything I wanted to know? Absolutely? Does Talon know that? Probably. Would I have answers for Wes when he came home. Yep, and things were always easier to handle when you knew the answers to why things were happening but Talon showing up at my door with promises… too convenient. My gut was telling me that this was my fate though. I needed to go to that camp. So I would pretend to get along with Talon… for the time being. I needed to find out why he was so highly motivated to get me to this camp.

  The decision was made. I felt good about it until Tandi said, “Can I come?”

  “Sorry. No,” Talon said with a shake of his head. “The supernatural community has lots of laws on how humans can’t know about us. To be honest, if some of the higher-ups knew that you were privy to some of the stuff that you already know, it wouldn’t be good for you Tandi.”

  Tandi came to stand next to me at the door. “This training camp, it’s for witches?”

  “Yes.”

  “So, is there anyone there that can sniff me out?”

  “I don’t really know what you’re—”

  Tandi was just too smart for him. She knew that his impromptu visit was shady as hell too
. It seems he might’ve underestimated us both. “I can pretend to be a low-level witch just for the short time we’re there?”

  I gave my friend a pointed look. “I would prefer that you didn’t come.”

  “Yeah, well I am. So get over it.”

  I glared at her. This was too dangerous. I didn’t want to risk her. “We’re not staying the night. We’ll go and visit the camp, check the place out, and then talk to Juan. After that, we will come back home.”

  Poor Talon piped up like he had any say so in the matter. “I guess it’s possible she can come with you, as long as she doesn’t talk to anyone, but the nearest training facility is more than two hundred miles from here. We wouldn’t get there until late tonight, so it wouldn’t be until tomorrow when we could have a look at the camp.”

  I didn’t want to stay at his camp, and I definitely didn’t trust him but knowledge was everything. My gut was telling me I would find some missing pieces to the puzzle if I went.

  I gave him a nod. “Give me the location, and we will meet you there.”

  He handed me a folded-up piece of paper.

  Tandi peered over my shoulder. “Um, it’s blank.”

  “The directions are on the flyer. The paper holds a lot of magic, so only witches can read it.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Got your own secret society and everything. I need to go and pack an overnight bag. It’s one thing if we're staying here. I don’t mind sleeping in the nude, but I can’t be showing off the goodies to a whole bunch of witches. Swing by and pick me up?”

  “Duh.”

  Tandi gave me a concerned look, and I knew that she had a bad feeling about all of this too, but she was unwilling to let me go by myself. She clapped her hands. “Come on, Face, you can walk me out.” She didn’t wait for him to follow her.

  Talon shook his head. “Why does she call me Face?” I just shrugged. “Okay, so I’ll see you later tonight?”

  “Yes. Tell Juan to be ready.”

  I watched both of them hop into their cars before I shut the door. I didn’t have time to make it up the stairs to pack my own bag before there was a knock on the door. What now?

  I was a little shocked to see Jamison on the other side. He didn’t wait for an invitation; he just strolled right in. “Before you ask me if I was spying, I was. When I realized that Talon hadn’t left town like he originally told you, I started following him around.”

  “He came back because—”

  He waved a hand. “Yes, yes, I heard. Great hearing, remember? This is a trap. You can’t go.”

  “Yes, I know.”

  He talked right over me. “Think about it,” he said, pacing in my living room. “This town isn’t that big. I have picked up on no other supernaturals other than Talon. Ariana sent me here, so we also know that the key is here, but who has it? He has to be the one. And I know that you want information about your parents, but have you thought about why he wants you so badly?”

  Talon thought that I could make fog. A pretty useless gift when it came to creating elements. Unless he knew that I lied. But I think there is something we are missing. That’s why I need to go.

  “You didn’t hear me. I agree with you. I think this is a lure of some sort.”

  That got his attention. He stopped pacing as a scowl appeared on his face. “Then why the hell would you agree to go?” Honey swirled in his blue eyes. His beast wasn’t happy either.

  “Because there are answers that I need.” Not to mention that it felt right to go. Dang gut better not be faulty. “Why do you think he wants me so badly?”

  “I think it’s because he knows you’re my—” His words were cut off as he just gave me a blank stare.

  “I’m your what?” He sighed, and I knew he wasn’t going to finish his sentence. Was he going to say girlfriend? What was the big deal? Did he have commitment issues? I found myself getting mad. My hands heated but I ignored them. If he didn’t want to be my boyfriend, then why was he constantly hanging out with me? Kissing me? Was I just another girl?

  “You know what? I’m going. Whatever his reasons are, I’ll find them out eventually.”

  “Did you not hear me? I think he has the key. Which means he is—”

  A cloud of gray fog swirled in the middle of my living room. The fog was coming from someone, but it wasn’t me. As quickly as it came, it disappeared. An old woman stood five feet in front of me. She had long, thin, grey hair and a wrinkled face that put her age somewhere between Ebenezer Scrooge and Methuselah. If I had to guess, I would say she was at least a hundred years past the date of her death. Maybe she was a zombie. Her completely white eyes rolled to me. Was she blind?

  I started to wave a hand in front of her face when Jamison asked, “Ariana, what are you doing here?”

  There went my zombie theory.

  She shuffled her feet to him. “Would you believe I just missed you?”

  He gathered her up in a hug. “No, Noni, I wouldn’t.”

  “Then I guess it doesn’t matter what I have to say.” She turned towards me. “And this is the beautiful Charlize. It is a pleasure to meet you, child.”

  I was still weirded out, but I found myself extending a hand. “Nice to meet you, too. Jamison has spoken highly of you.”

  She laughed. “That’s because he knows I would know if he didn’t.” Jamison gave her an endearing smile filled with love. “I needed to pop over and give some advice.”

  “Let me guess, I was veering off the path?”

  “You mean if you actually went through with your plan of tying her to a chair until she agreed to listen to reason, then, yes, you would have definitely stepped off the path.”

  My mouth dropped open. “You were thinking about keeping me a prisoner in my own home?”

  “That can’t be proven.” He looked over at Ariana. “Tell me that you came here to reason with her.”

  “Sorry, my dear boy. She needs to go. It’s part of her destiny. Everything will change if she does not go tonight, and not for the better. I can promise you I will be unable to fix what the outcome will be. So yes, she must go.” She straightened her hunched shoulders to the best of her ability, as if she was gearing up for a fight. “And she must do it without you.”

  “What? No! You’ve lost your mind.”

  “I know what you’re thinking. I see far and wide. This is the only way. You can slay someone’s dragons, or you can teach them to slay.” She patted his cheek. “Nothing will happen to your—your friend. I’m sure you will think of a way to keep tabs on her should she need your assistance.”

  The woman turned to me once again. “Find your powers, child, and wield them to win the battle and help find the key.” Her eyes darted left to right. “Hold on… something is coming in.” What was she talking about? After a couple of seconds, she said, “Sorry, the Undertaker is keeping me on my toes. I have to go. Charlie, you control your emotions. They don’t control you. Remember that.”

  “It was nice meeting—” Fog quickly circled around Ariana, and she disappeared from my house as quickly as she’d entered.

  Jamison stood there, clenching his jaw. I walked around him and up the steps to pack a bag, knowing he would follow me. “Look, my gut is telling me that you believe Talon has the key, but isn’t that what we’re looking for?”

  He stood in the doorway while I shoved some clothes into a duffel bag. “I don’t like this at all. If Ariana says you will be fine, then you will be, but that doesn’t mean that I have to like it. She also hinted that I should mark you.”

  I stopped packing. “Was that attached tothe group email because I must have missed the memo. When did she say that, and what do you mean by mark?”

  “She said I would find a way to you if you needed my help. The only way I can do that is by marking you.” He came into the room. “This might just save you and your friend's life.”

  I had more to worry about than just myself. I couldn’t bring Tandi into a dangerous situation without a plan. “What do I ne
ed to do?”

  “I’m going to bite you on your shoulder blade. It won’t hurt, and no one will be able to see the mark unless they are a werewolf. It connects us on a deeper level. It’s how my kind become mated.”

  “Mated?”

  “Sort of like how humans get married. But we won’t be mated unless we vow to be each other’s mate now and forever. Also, we would have to mingle our blood together. So I can promise you this is just one step in a process, so we won’t be mated.”

  My gut roared to life with that one word. Mated. Heat swirled in my abdomen and spread throughout my body. “How long will I have the mark for?”

  He gave a shrug that wasn’t too reassuring. “Does it really matter?” When I didn’t say anything, he threw up both hands in aggravation. “How about as soon as Ariana tells me to, I will have it removed?”

  Something told me not to fight this. “Well, then, in that case, mark away.”

  He closed the distance between us in two steps. He draped my hair to one side and twined his large hand into my locks as they hung over my shoulder. At his light touch, goose bumps popped up all over my arms. He pulled my sweater along with my bra strap down my shoulder.

  I watched in fascination as his canines lengthened. His lips kissed me above my collar bone right before he bit down. I felt a sharp stinging sensation before my body grew warm all over. Towards the end, I was almost purring as he let me go.

  He smiled down at me like he was about to devour me, and some part of me knew that if he tried, I would let him, so I took a step back until my legs hit the bed. “You lied. You said it wouldn’t hurt.”

  His smile dropped. “Did it hurt?”

  “Only right at first.”

  “Sorry. I didn’t know that it would hurt because you are the first person I’ve ever marked.”

  My belly tightened at his words. “Oh.” I moved around him to go look in the vanity mirror. I studied my shoulder. “I can’t see a thing.”

  He came to stand behind me. His finger traced an outline of something. “I can. It’s my wolf’s mark. They are like zebra stripes. They are all different. The edges of the mark are light blue, and the center is a golden hue.”