Witch Wars (Society of Ancient Magic Book 3)

by Fiona Starr

  Witch Wars

  Society of Ancient Magic, Book Three

  Fiona Starr

  Witch Wars: Society of Ancient Magic, Book Three

  Copyright © 2021 by Fiona Starr

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Cover by: Raquel Lyon, Crooked Sixpence

  Created with Vellum

  Society of Ancient Magic

  Three wolf shifters tormented by a deadly secret.

  Two worlds torn by a twisted legacy.

  One girl determined to choose her own fate.

  Fall in love with Joely and her men!

  Book 1 - Dark Arts

  Book 2 - Over Hexed

  Book 3 - Witch Wars

  Book 4 - Cursed Souls

  Dear Reader,

  Welcome back to the world of Joely and her men…

  Fall in love! xx

  Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  About Fiona Starr

  Also by Fiona Starr

  Chapter One

  JOELY

  When my magic sparked, it felt like it should have been a happy surprise, not the unraveling of a terrible secret. And yet I find myself in the middle of two awful conspiracies that have made me question everything I thought I knew.

  “I wish you would just come home, Joely. You should be here.” My sister’s voice is soft through the phone.

  Kate has no idea what’s been going on. All she knows is that I went from being her non-mage sister to a witch with powerful Ancient Magic, and in the process I managed to drive a mysterious wedge between me and the rest of our family. I wish I could tell her what’s happening, but I just can’t see my way through explaining any of it without wrecking her life—and the lives of several other people who don’t deserve it—in the process.

  I play it out in my head over and over, every single day, each time trying to separate the pieces so I can give her only what she needs to know, but that unravels pretty quickly because it doesn’t really work that way. I’d love to tell her that my magic didn’t just spark suddenly on its own; I unlocked it. I happened to remove a powerful block that was placed on me when I was born. An illegal block that wasn’t supposed to come undone. Not ever.

  She was never supposed to be a mage.

  When I first heard my father say those words, I couldn’t have imagined at the time what they meant. Not really. But now…

  Snow crunches under my boots as I walk the path behind the house toward the forest. I wish I had grabbed my coat. I left the house to take Kate’s call, hurrying outside so I wouldn’t wake the guys. I feel a smile spread across my face with the thought of them.

  The guys. My guys. My wolves.

  Of all the things that have changed since my magic sparked, finding my guys has been the most amazing—even more amazing than my magical ability, and that’s saying something. When I gained my magic, I lost a lot—too much, but I also found Angus, Marco, and Van. Van and I are… well, let’s just say we’re still trying to figure things out, but Angus and Marco… just thinking about them makes my skin go hot. I feel my face flush in the frigid air.

  “Joely? Are you even listening to me?” Kate asks.

  I close my eyes and bring myself back to the moment, pressing the phone to my ear. “Sorry, Kate. I’m here. I’m listening.”

  She blows out her breath in a huff. “Look, I know we haven’t always been close. I am not trying to erase the past. It’s just… you have magic now. Magic, Joely! You’re one of us…”

  I know she means to make me feel good, but her words slice right through my heart. You’re one of us? Only now, I am one of them? And that wasn’t the case when I was just her sister? I’ve spent my entire life living parallel to my family. Growing up without magic meant I was destined to live in a different world from them, but I never felt like that divide existed within our family. I guess all that time I spent trying to impress and being the good daughter was truly misguided. I don’t even know where to begin with my family. I have lived with the feeling of not being good enough for most of my life, and now I’ve become acceptable? It doesn’t sit right with me. And I don’t know how to get past it.

  Kate continues, “You haven’t shown your face at all over Midwinter break.”

  “I know,” I say, glancing up at the trees where a pair of large black birds have landed. One of them watches me as I step through the snow, its dark eyes blinking as it quirks its head.

  “It’s Solstice Eve, Joely. Mom and Eliza and I are getting everything ready for tomorrow. Aunt Cecely and Uncle Drake are coming for the Yule celebration. And Nessa’s been asking about you.”

  I know she’s trying to entice me, and part of me wishes I could close off my mind to the horrible things I now know. I’d love to celebrate the holidays like we used to, but…

  “I can’t, Kate. I just can’t.” My words trail off as I try to formulate the reasons I won’t be coming home. Not today. Not tomorrow. Not ever.

  I could just blurt it out, rip it off like a bandage. I imagine the words in my head and pretend I have the courage to tell her. Would I scream it? Or would I be calm and matter of fact?

  Part of me wants to just do it. Flay her open and do to her what she’s just done to me. Show her that things aren’t as they appear.

  I’m not really your sister, Kate. We aren’t even related. Dad swapped me with another baby from another magical family for reasons I have yet to understand fully, and oh, by the way… your boyfriend? He’s actually my biological brother. But don’t tell anyone, okay?

  I drop my shoulders and let go. I won’t tell her. I can’t; I don’t have it in me to inflict that kind of damage to her. I’m one of them now, right? Despite the huge fight that has yet to be resolved between Eliza and me—I notice Kate doesn’t mention that.

  “Who will make your cardamom cake?” she asks, the twinge of sadness coming through in her words. Wow, she really wants me to be there.

  “I’m going to stay here,” I say.

  “You can’t stay at school over break. Nobody’s there. You shouldn’t be alone over the holiday. You should be home with your family.”

  Home. Family. Of all the things in the world, I never questioned…

  “I can’t,” I say, feeling my voice begin to shake. Damn it. I am not going to get upset by this. Not now. My true family is here.

  Kate doesn’t let up. It’s like she can sense my weakness. She goes in for the kill. “Don’t be silly. Of course, you can. Whatever is going on with you and mom, we can figure it out together. Just come home. We can work through this. It isn’t the same without you here.”

  I shake my head, knowing she can’t see me. “You don’t understand. I—”

  “Of course, I don’t understand. You won’t tell me anything!” She takes a breath and blows it out
audibly. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to yell at you. I’m just… it’s a stressful time. I can’t talk to you. Mom and Dad are fighting. Sebastian’s dad is finally out of the hospital and…”

  Mention of her boyfriend’s father sends a shot of ice down my spine.

  So, he’s alive after all.

  “What happened to Mr. Allbright?” I ask, trying hard to keep my voice even and my curiosity detached, even though I know perfectly well what happened. Because I was there. He tried to kill me, and he would have succeeded had I not cracked his skull with a freaking rock. I thought I had killed him. But Kate doesn’t know anything about that. Nobody does. It’s just one more thing that I can’t tell anyone.

  “They’re saying he was attacked. By a wolf!” Kate whispers that last part like it’s a dirty secret.

  “I’m sorry, what?” My entire body stiffens as I take that information in. I replay that night in my mind, and there is no way Porter Allbright saw a wolf; Marco came to me in his human form. He was even wearing clothes.

  Kate continues, “I don’t have all the details yet. Sebastian says they are still investigating. But they found tracks in the woods leading up to where Mr. Allbright was attacked. Big tracks. Shifter tracks. They even found some fur in the snow.” As Kate drops the information, my head reels.

  Porter Allbright wasn’t attacked by a wolf. He wasn’t attacked by anyone. Porter Allbright attacked me, and I acted in self-defense. Marco didn’t arrive until after it was done. My wolf came to help me because he felt my fear. He knew that I was in danger. And because of that, he might be exposed. All of them could be in danger. Oh no.

  “I didn’t think we had any shifters at Blakeborne,” I say, trying to fill the silence.

  “Yeah, can you believe it?” Kate says. “That’s another reason why you should come home. I don’t like the thought of you alone there. It isn’t safe if there’s a wolf prowling around.”

  If she only knew.

  “I have to go.” I hang up before she can start up again with her arguments because there’s nothing she can say to convince me. I am not going home. It’s not possible. I don’t have a choice about that, and if there is one thing I am not in danger from, it’s wolves. I need to think.

  Why would Allbright pretend he was attacked by a wolf? I mean, it would change the focus of his bogus attack entirely, which makes sense for him, I guess. But shit. This is bad news.

  My phone pings as I slip it in my pocket. I pull it out and see a text from Kate.

  Please don’t do this.

  I wish I could tell her. I really do. But I don’t want to hurt her, and I don’t want to wreck her relationship with Sebastian. They are really good together, and he’s such a nice guy. It kills me that my silence protects two men who don’t deserve a shield. Porter Allbright and the man I thought was my father? They deserve to be exposed for what they did. But exposure would be like throwing a grenade into two families who have no idea anything is wrong.

  Sebastian Allbright is a classmate of mine. He isn’t anything like his father. He’s a good guy, and he also happens to be dating my sister, Kate. From what I can tell, my other sister, Eliza, is also in the dark. She’s super angry about my being here, and unable to hide her jealousy about me being inducted into the Society of Ancient Magic, but no matter how much she tries to fight with me, I try not to hold it against her. Though right now, I’m finding it especially difficult.

  My mother may not have known anything at the start of all of this, but based on our conversation when I saw her a couple of weeks ago, she has definitely been brought up to speed. Her words echo through my memory.

  I’m not your mother.

  She’d looked at me with utter disgust.

  I don’t know who you are, Joely. But you don’t belong to me.

  I ball my hands into fists, fighting back tears.

  My phone pings again. I don’t pull it out of my pocket. I know my sister means well, but holy hell, she has to let this go. I have to clear my head. I continue walking and think about my wolves, following the path they usually take when they run, imagining a brisk wind on my face the way it feels when I’m running with them. The six inches of fresh snow muffles all sounds and lends a quiet feel to the crisp, clear air. It’s perfect for thinking and getting lost in, which is exactly what I need right now.

  A low croak echoes through the trees, drawing my eyes up. The ravens land on a branch about five trees ahead of me, the pair of them staring at me as if waiting for me to join them.

  “What?” I call out to them. “Tell me what I am supposed to do!” Warm tears fill my eyes. “I don’t know what I am supposed to do!” I shout up at the black birds as if they have the answers. I am tired on not knowing what I am supposed to do. I have no idea what the future holds. I don’t know what I want.

  Well, that’s not entirely true. I want my mother to still be my mother. I want my sisters to accept me for who I am, and I want the fact that my real father and my secret adoptive father arranged for me to be taken from my birth family and exchanged with someone else to be completely erased. I want to be Joely Everstar, daughter of Ulysses and Layla, sister to Kate and Eliza. I want all of that still to be true, without giving up the rest. I want to be who I was while keeping my magic and my men.

  But deep down, I know that isn’t possible. My magic brought me here, to Blakeborne, and to the Society of Ancient Magic, and then it brought me to Angus, and Marco, and Van. My presence here is part of some larger thing—a prophecy Van has been trying to solve for hundreds of years.

  Just thinking about my guys warms my body. I can feel them with me right now, even though I know they are back at the house, content and happy. Angus’s energy is earthy and grounding. The simple act of focusing on him makes everything feel better. Marco is airy and light, like the floaty feeling you get after laughing really hard. Van’s is cool and flowing like a river wrapping itself around me, with him it’s like he’s holding me safe as he pushes the rest of the world away.

  I try to ignore Van’s fluid nature as it wafts around the periphery of my awareness. It doesn’t seem fair to draw his essence to me, to enjoy the feel of him, when he’s made it abundantly clear that he doesn’t want me.

  Van doesn’t want me.

  The ache that brings on takes my breath away. It is one of the reasons I’m here walking instead of curled up in bed next to Angus and Marco. Even after a night full of their loving touch and their obviously ravenous sexual desire, I find myself wanting more. I am falling so hard for those two men, and it isn’t enough. Angus and Marco aren’t enough; I want Van too.

  The ravens drop to the ground, strutting across the path as if to keep me from walking on. I stop and watch them, feeling a chill creep down my spine under their stares. I’ve always loved the large black birds, but ever since my magic sparked, leaving me with a raven mark on my chest, I’ve had this eerie sense of connection with them.

  My phone pings again, but I don’t even look at it. There’s nothing I can say to my sister that will satisfy her, and I won’t make up excuses or a fake story to make her feel better. No matter what happens with all of this, I will not lie to protect my father or Porter Allbright. Neither of them deserves that. Not from me.

  What if Kate learns the truth and then turns her back on me like my mother did? Like my father did. I know that if Kate finds out the truth, she won’t feel the same way about me that she does now. She isn’t going to text me asking me to join the family for the holidays.

  I’d rather stay right here. I’d rather exist in this moment where this terrible secret is still contained. I’m separating myself, sure, but that’s my choice, right? And it’s for the best. My truth has the potential to ruin not only her life, but her boyfriend’s life too. I’m not going to tell her. Right now, she wants me in her life. Why speed up the process and position myself to be shut out by yet another person?

  Chapter Two

  JOELY

  I spot the guys as I leave the woods on my way bac
k to the house. The three of them are heading in my direction. Marco smiles and Van scowls as Angus jogs toward me with my coat in his hand.

  “You must be frozen.” Angus holds my coat open for me to slide inside. Then he pulls my knit hat out of his pocket and pulls it down onto my head, holding my head still so he can kiss me. His mouth is warm against my frozen face.

  “Hey you,” Angus says.

  “Hey you,” I whisper.

  Angus holds my gaze for a moment, his blue eyes reflecting the brightness of the snow as he rubs the tip of his nose against mine. “You’ve been crying. Is everything all right?”

  An electric streak of fear courses through me. I don’t want him to know. I don’t want any of my men to know. What if they realize I am not who I am supposed to be and they push me away? “It’s nothing. I’m okay. Just family stuff.”

  Angus presses his fingers into my hips, pulling my body toward him. “I missed waking up to you this morning.”

  Marco flashes me a playful grin as he wraps his arm around my waist and peels me away from Angus. “Yeah. Where’d you run off to? You didn’t answer my texts.” He kisses me quickly, his fingers gripping the hair at the back of my head. He pulls away, still smiling. “I love my brother, but having you there is the only thing that makes sleeping with him okay.”

  Angus shrugs. “Yeah, right. Like you weren’t enjoying being the little spoon all morning.”

  “Whatever.” Marco shakes his head, trying and failing to hide his red face under his shaggy dark hair.