Before Dawn

by Olivia Hutchinson

  “You’re kidding. There’s no way I’m cutting myself with that.”

  “I don’t have any diseases,” Carey said, again thrusting the handle of the knife in her direction.

  “That’s not the point.”

  “Oh, come on and just do it so we can get this over with,” Natalie groaned. She wasn’t too keen on the idea of cutting herself, but her head was starting to pulse again. If nicking their palms meant speeding this up, then she’d do it.

  Sighing, Maggie took the knife from Carey and made the smallest cuts she could before passing it along to Heidi.

  Heidi made the incisions without a second’s hesitation, slicing through the flesh of her palms before slapping the knife handle in Lila’s hand. Lila dragged the small knife across her palm the same way the others had before passing it to Andrea, who took a deep breath and did the same. Around the table the knife went, each woman making the same cuts.

  When it came to Natalie, she made a small laceration, wincing at the sharp sting before handing the blade back to Carey. When Carey grasped her hand, she reached for Beth to do the same.

  The seven women held hands, blood sticky between their palms. Carey raised their clasped hands in the air, looked up at Lila’s ceiling fan and began chanting something no one except Carey could understand.

  An icy chill curled up Natalie’s spine, goosebumps raised on her arms, and the hair on the back of her neck stood on end as Carey spoke the words. Her voice had changed, it sounded deeper somehow.

  A shiver went through her body when she felt a light cold breeze float around her. It seemed to have come from nowhere. The jokes stopped and so did the laughter. The pulsing in her head turned into a steady, mind-numbing throb that made her feel as if her eyes would erupt from her skull.

  As Carey’s voice rose in intensity, the candles and the fire suddenly roared to life, fully illuminating the room and making six of the women jump. Carey didn’t appear phased in the slightest, her eyes lifted toward the ceiling and her feet planted firmly on the floor.

  Natalie's ears were humming as the energy seemed to build in the room. Her heart hammered in her chest, and the blood pounded in her veins as she stifled a painful groan. Closing her eyes, she willed the growing pain to fade.

  Someone gasped, and just like that, the pounding in Natalie's head was gone. When she opened her eyes, she was greeted by darkness. The lights were out. Carey let go of her hand and slowly walked around the table, opening the circle again. Taking a deep breath, Natalie blinked twice, marveling at the migraine's sudden disappearance.

  When Carey flipped on the light and smiled, Natalie looked around the room. They were all spooked by the strangeness of the ritual. No one seemed to know what to say, and Natalie grappled for a moment, trying to figure out how to break the silence.

  Beth spoke up first. “Fuck this. I need another drink.”

  Miles and miles away, a lone figure walked through the darkness shrouded in a black cloak. His body still hummed from the power stolen from the little witch bitch. He could feel her strength pulsing through his veins, still hear the pleading screams she had let loose from her heart-shaped lips.

  She had begged for her life before he had stripped her of her power. His knife found that tender spot below her breast and he buried the blade to the hilt, one slow inch at a time. He kept her power firmly locked within him as he extinguished the light from her warm brown eyes.

  He had wanted her body in the haze of raping the power from her. His cock was still stiff thinking about it, but he had known he couldn't risk spoiling her. She had what was left of the coven's power within her, and he couldn't risk tainting it, no matter how much his body demanded it of him. He wished now that he hadn't saved her for last. He could have at least played with her a little bit then.

  Only a handful more, he thought, then he would have enough power and strength to continue with his plan. Of course now that so many had already been killed and drained, it was becoming increasingly difficult to find more of them, but he didn't let that slow him down. The world would be a better place without their naiveté. Magic was a powerful gift they could never master or comprehend as he could.

  This is what Fate had shown him. This was his destiny. He would take his place as leader when the time was right. He would have enough power to truly be a force to be reckoned with. He would be the one to bring the world to its knees.

  He debated where to look next as he walked back to the manor house from the crypt. It was nearly impossible to wipe out the witches without bringing attention to himself, but so far he had been successful. The most powerful covens of Louisiana and Virginia were gone. Unfortunately, he couldn’t touch the most powerful coven in Massachusetts without the notice of the Netherworld Council, but one day that would change. For now he needed somewhere else to search.

  He was running out of places to look as the majority of the witches had gone underground after the disappearance of so many of their sisters and brothers. They knew. They knew he was coming for them. He may be able to deny it to the rest of the Netherworld, but the witches always knew when another light was extinguished.

  He would call upon the Warriors of Locke in the morning and they could resume their endless searching. Until then he would crawl into his bed with the little solitary witch his warriors had delivered to him earlier that afternoon. He would use her to help ease the ache created by the now slaughtered witch’s luscious curves and red, pouting lips.

  When the trees rustled in a nonexistent breeze and that familiar sense of warmth slithered up the back of his neck, a slow smile unfurled beneath his hawk-like nose. This was turning into a good night indeed.

  The ripples in the atmosphere from the magic that was currently being created filled him with excitement as he walked through the brown blades of grass. Any magic that was created called out to him like a beacon in the cold night. And this particular beacon burned brighter than any he’d seen in a long, long time.

  The distance between himself and the Ultimate Power was growing shorter by the second, but it could wait for one more night. Tomorrow would be different. Tomorrow the warriors would go hunting.

  1

  “I wish you would just move back home,” Nikki Everhart said.

  The thought sometimes tempted Natalie, but overall the resounding answer to that was always no. Her sister liked to remind her occasionally about how she would be more likely to settle down if she moved back to North Carolina, but Natalie liked Maine. She loved her friends, she loved her jobs; she just didn't enjoy being single.

  “I like it here,” Natalie tried again. “Moving isn’t gonna change anything. It won’t bring me a husband.”

  “It might. You never know.”

  Natalie was unable to hide the irritation in her voice, even over the phone. “If that were the case you wouldn’t be single.”

  “I’m single because I want to be, not because I can’t find someone to get along with.”

  That was probably true. Nikki always stuck to herself with just her dog for company. She never liked outside interference, making the Appalachian Mountains a suitable retreat for her. She was ten minutes from their parents on foot through the woods, but she still had several acres to seclude herself from the rest of the world.

  “What are you doing today?” Her sister asked her when she went quiet.

  Natalie cleared her throat. “I have a date, actually.”

  “Oh yeah? Good prospect?”

  “Eh,” Natalie said. “We’ll see. To be honest, I’m not overly excited.”

  "Well, that doesn't bode well."

  “Nope. I’m debating canceling.”

  “That really doesn’t bode well.” There was a half second pause over the line before Nikki said, “Tell me what’s really going on, Nat.”

  Staring at herself in the full-length mirror, Natalie hardly recognized herself. Her dark brown hair was pulled back, and she wore the cutest skinny jeans she owned, but she had this far-away look on her face. Wha
t was wrong with her?

  “I’m tired,” she said, not even realizing the answer until she said it.

  “If you’re tired then take a nap.”

  “No, not like that.”

  “Then like what?”

  Natalie flung herself onto her bed. It was like high school again, only her sister was a thousand miles away instead of lecturing her from across the room, demanding answers she didn’t want to give but that Nikki would get out of her anyway. “I just thought my life would be different by now, you know?”

  “No, I don’t know. Explain it to me.”

  “I expected to be settled down with babies, planning birthdays and holidays. And here I am, unable to get through a date with someone because they’re boring.”

  Nikki laughed. “You know what your problem is?”

  “What?”

  “You are the one who’s bored. And yet, here you are, wanting the epitome of a boring life and sulking because you can’t have it. Natalie, you’d never be happy with what you described. Never.”

  “I’d be happy with a husband and kids!”

  "Of course you would, but being a stay-at-home mom? That may be for some women out there, but that's not you. You require at least a tiny bit of adventure to keep you interested and happy," Nikki said. “You want to know how to find a man? And a good man, too. The right man?”

  Natalie rolled her eyes. “How?”

  “STOP LOOKING!”

  Natalie pulled her phone away from her ear, only to put it back when Nikki stopped yelling on the other end. “You think I should cancel my date?”

  “Absolutely. Cancel all your dates, especially with idiots who don’t even really appeal to you, and only go out with someone who actually interests you. Hell, Nat, have a little adventure. Go and have fun with your life before you settle down with a boring man and have boring babies and be miserable. Maybe you’ll actually meet the right one.”

  She groaned. “Maybe you’re right.” She could picture her sister’s smirk.

  “Naturally. What’s the guy’s name who you’re supposed to go out with today?”

  “Stewart.”

  Natalie could almost hear her sister’s eyes roll. “Even his name sounds boring. Where did you meet him?”

  “Work.”

  “Work? So Lila and Carey know him?”

  “Yup.”

  “What do they think of him?”

  Natalie hesitated. “They don’t like him.”

  “Whoa, girl. Big red flag.”

  Maybe her sister had a point. Since trying to force a relationship wasn't working out for her, perhaps the best thing she could do would be to stop. Stop looking and start enjoying the life she had. Damn Nikki for always being right. “I’m fixin’ to cancel it.”

  “You’ll meet the right one when the time is right.”

  Her phone beeped, and when she looked at the screen, Lila's name popped up. "Hey, I gotta go. Lila's calling."

  “Okay. Love you and tell Lila I said hey.”

  “Will do. Love you, too.”

  Natalie disconnected with her sister and sat up in the bed. “Hey.”

  “What are you doing right now?” Lila asked her.

  “Sitting here.”

  “I need you to come over. Like now.”

  The urgency in Lila’s voice made Natalie wary. “What’s going on?”

  “I’ll tell you when you get here. Beth is already on her way.”

  “Beth is coming too?” Natalie asked, jumping up to pull her boots on. “You’re making me nervous.”

  “I’ll explain it all whenever you get here. Just hurry.”

  “Okay.” The phone went dead as soon as the word left her mouth. She didn’t know what was going on with Lila, but she was going to find out.

  Natalie bounced off the bed, snagged her purse, and was out the front door in a matter of minutes. She climbed behind the wheel of her red Toyota Corolla and quickly texted Stewart before starting the car, almost thankful she had a legitimate excuse to cancel on him.

  Gotta cancel today. Something came up. Sorry! Send.

  She opened up her thread of texts with Beth next, using one hand to control the phone while jabbing her keys into the ignition. Are you going to Lila’s? What’s going on?

  Natalie didn’t wait for a response. She pulled out of her parking space in front of the rented townhouse and headed toward Lila’s. She was almost there when her phone vibrated on her lap. She glanced down at Beth’s reply when it popped up as a preview on the screen. I’m at Lila’s. She brought the friendly neighborhood bartenders home with her. We’re staging an intervention.

  Natalie stopped at the red light before the turnoff to Lila's, using the opportunity to text Beth back, her fingers flying over the screen. We’re not really having an intervention, are we? She made it sound important.

  The light turned green. Natalie dropped the phone on her lap and drove, ignoring the vibration until she turned into Lila’s driveway. Beth’s blue Volkswagen was parked next to Lila’s red Jeep she just bought from Andrea, but there was also a green pickup parked off to the side.

  She hopped out of the car, leaving her purse on the passenger seat, but taking her phone with her. I’m here, she texted back as she climbed the porch stairs. The screen door opened before she had a chance to knock.

  Gabriel stood just inside the entrance, holding the door open for her. Natalie glanced between him and his brother Kaleb, who was also standing just inside the door. Seeing the two bartenders at Lila’s home wasn’t what she expected. Beth warned her, but it was still odd to see them, especially seeing Gabriel open the door as if he was completely comfortable in the space and had done it a million times.

  Pushing her shoulders back, she searched out Lila and Beth. Both women were in the kitchen. Natalie pushed past the men and beelined for her friends, trying to keep her voice and smile light. “Are we having an intervention?” She hopped up on the kitchen counter.

  “No! Why do you guys think I need an intervention?” Lila asked, setting a steaming cup of coffee on the counter that Beth then grabbed.

  Messing with Lila was always fun. She was far from an alcoholic, but she never hid the fact that she pretty regularly liked to toss a few back. Their joking and teasing kept Lila aware of how much she was taking in and typically stopped her from going overboard when she easily could. That addictive personality was in her and Andrea's family tree to be sure. Lila's father was a drunk, and Andrea's mother had been addicted to all sorts of drugs before she overdosed when Andrea was still a child.

  “You do like to drink,” she tried.

  Lila glared at Beth. “You told her to ask that when she came in, didn’t you?”

  Beth didn’t reply. She just sipped her coffee and feigned innocence. Natalie grinned then, unable to help herself. “So, what’s all this madness about?” she asked, pulling Lila’s attention away from Beth. “You sounded all ‘life-and-death’ on the phone creeping me out. Not to mention I had to cancel my date with this really gorgeous doctor who had plans to take me bowling at three.”

  It was true, she just didn’t mention the part about being relieved to not be going out with Stewart. He hadn’t replied to her text message yet, either.

  Beth choked on her coffee. “Bowling. Seriously?”

  Natalie touched her chest, offended. “Yes. What’s wrong with bowling?”

  “Nothing,” Beth said quickly.

  Of course, Beth would think there was something wrong with bowling. It was a good time and didn't involve her going to work. "It's fun!"

  “I’m sure it is.”

  Natalie suppressed her desire to roll her eyes. "Oh, be quiet," she said before turning back to Lila. Her friend had scared her earlier, and she got the impression that there was something important going on, although it wasn't as life-threatening as she imagined when Lila had first called her. "Tell me why I'm here. Not that I don't love hanging with you Lila, but you know, I have places to go, people to see…"

>   “Let’s go sit down,” Lila said, pouring two more cups of coffee. She met Natalie’s eyes as if to silently ask if she wanted a cup of coffee, but Natalie shook her head once and jumped off the counter.

  Natalie watched Lila go into the living room and hand Gabriel a cup of coffee. It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out Lila wanted her a piece of the bartender. She was pretty sure Lila didn’t even realize how often she touched Gabriel. One brush of his arm here, the lingering of fingertips there. Oh yeah, Lila had it bad.

  “Kaleb, do you want coffee?” Beth asked from where she stood next to Natalie in the kitchen. Natalie glanced from her other friend to Kaleb, who was perusing the shelves in Lila’s living room.

  “I’m good.”

  Oh, now that’s interesting. She never thought Beth would be attracted to a man like Kaleb, but apparently, she was wrong. Beth was clearly uncomfortable, which was very unlike her. Natalie couldn’t help but be amused at her discomfort. The amount of suppressed sexual tension in the room made her want to laugh out loud. What was more amusing was the fact that she was pretty sure she was the only one to see it.

  This was turning into an exciting afternoon.

  Kaleb switched off the television in the living room, and when Beth went to the armchair, Natalie followed. She leaned on the chairs armrest, glancing from person to person, trying to figure out what they were going to tell her. Considering how close Lila was to Gabriel, all pressed up against his side, she was wondering if she was about to announce an engagement or something? Maybe she was pregnant?

  Surely not pregnant. Lila would’ve said something before now and she wouldn’t have gotten shit-faced last weekend.

  “Can we get some kind of explanation now?” Beth asked. “This emergency of yours is taking forever.”

  Lila took a deep breath, and Natalie leaned forward, waiting for the explanation and readying herself in case she needed to be supportive.

  "Last night I stopped for gas, and when I was about to get back in my Jeep, I heard something," Lila said, her voice trembling slightly. This definitely wasn't pregnancy news. "Well, I went to look, and here I find Gabriel being beaten to a pulp over by the dumpsters."