Charmed Souls (Black Souls Book 1)

by Abbi Glines

  Her eyes flared wide, and she pointed at the distance. “Just go. Far away from here. Don’t return. Zephyr has Leanne with him until you are cleared out and gone.”

  I stood there, staring at my mother, seeing no emotion other than fear in her expression. There was no sadness, no pain, no concern for me, no love. Nothing. I’d always thought maybe deep down she had some form of motherly affection for me. She’d never told me she loved me, but then she’d never said that to my sisters either. I just thought she had to care for us somewhere under it all. It seemed she did for Leanne and probably for Geneva… but not me. I was being tossed out. I had tried way too hard in this life to get any connection from this family. Nothing but pain came from being here. Hanging onto a hope that I might belong somewhere was a childish dream that I had let go of mentally but not physically. This place held memories of my father. Leaving that behind would hurt, but leaving the emptiness would be easy. She was demanding I leave, and she was right. It was time. We no longer needed each other.

  “Mea est enim omnis,” I called out.

  I didn’t want to see my bedroom again. I didn’t want to see Annabelle and have to explain things to her. She had lost so many already. There was no need for me to revisit a place that had long since been a home. My things didn’t need me to collect and move. They’d come to me like I had commanded.

  I began walking toward my mother, just to watch her back away from me. It was bizarre to see her cower away from me. As a child, she’d treated me in ways that made me feel weak, unwanted, hated. I was savoring the fear in her eyes, and I knew the darkness inside me was roaring through my veins. It wanted me to cause pain; yet, until this moment, I’d never had the urge. Or the temptation.

  “It’s done. I’m gone. Thank you mother for nothing in this life.” I expected a sharp pang of guilt when I said those words aloud but I felt nothing. As it should be. I had been her dissapointment and she’d been sure that I knew it.

  “You should have never been born,” her voice trembled slightly as she said the words.

  I agreed with her. I didn’t wish my life on anyone. “Agreed,” I replied.

  “Don’t go to Duely. Leave him alone,” she added to hurt me.

  The only blood relative that cared for me, she wanted me to also leave alone. Even now, she was trying to control me. She may be disowning me but I was still a Kamlock. That she couldn’t change. “That’s up to Duely,” I told her.

  She raised a hand to me as if to protect herself, but she said nothing. I rolled my eyes. This was the most ridiculous thing that I’d ever experienced with this woman, and I’d been through a lot. I thought the time she locked me in a car in the heat of the summer at the age of ten as a test after the casting lessons she’d given us was bad. My sisters hadn’t been testedlike that. Just me. I’d passed the test with ease. It had seemed cruel but this topped that by far.

  “You’ve been trying to get rid of me since I was child,” I said wondering if the tests she’d given me my entire life had been her trying to kill me.

  She didn’t argue with me. She didn’t deny it. I was stunned. Duely was right. I was naive. Terribly naive. This was the end of that though. Today would change me more than anything else she’d ever done.

  “Goodbye, Mother,” I said not wanting to spend one more moment near her. I had no idea what I was going to do or where I was going to go. All I had was the items that belonged to me. Whatever was in that house that was deemed as mine would be sitting on the front porch waiting on me. I’d been clear when I had spoken the words to conjure them.

  She didn’t move. She stayed there, watching me as if I might transform into a demon at any moment and she might need to use magic to protect herself. I didn’t know this woman at all and I knew she didn’t know me either. How a woman could give a child life and live with them for twenty years yet feel nothing for them was its own evil.

  The sun was still two hours away from rising as I walked in the moonlight around the house. The darkness continued to give me peace at a time I should have none. I was unsure where I would go or what I would do, but none of it worried me. The three suitcases sitting on the front porch held what the house deemed as mine. It was more than I expected since there was little I had bought for myself. Anything provided by my father’s money was still my mothers since his money had been left to her alone.

  The money I’d been saving, so that I could leave here, would be with my things. If I could get a job quickly then I could use that money to find an affordable place to live. I had no desire to go back on that porch or near it’s entrance. I held my hand, and with a flick, the suitcases lifted and moved without my help to the car. The trunk popped open and all three bags fit inside when there should only be room for one. I waited until it closed, then without a backward glance, I climbed inside and drove away.

  Eighteen

  The Chat

  This was how I knew my mother was wrong about me. If I was the evil monster she seemed to think I was then I wouldn’t be feeling the sorrow that was creeping in at the loss of the only home I’d known. With each mile I put between me and that house emotion clogged my throat. I fought it off. I didn’t want to feel anything. The loneliness was more overwhleming now than it had ever been before. After last night’s rejection from Rathe and this morning’s eviction from my mother, I couldn’t feel more unwanted than I did now.

  I’d driven back into Savannah with no real destination in mind. I had nowhere to go and I wasn’t sure where to start. What to do first. I could call Margo, but going there meant facing Rathe. I expected a call from Heath soon. He’d wake up and find out I was gone. Possibly find out that I left in the middle of the night. He would be worried and call me right away. Margo would sleep later than Heath. She’d track my location then call me. I could expect Duely to text at some point today, too. He wasn’t worried about me last night. He had more faith in my safety than I did.

  Pulling into the almost empty parking lot of a shopping center, I parked the car. The few cars here had been parked for awhile. They had frost on them and were empty. The city wasn’t awake at this hour. It would slowly start to come alive within the next hour. I had no reason for being parked here. The stores weren’t open yet, but driving around wasting gas wasn’t helping anything. I needed a plan. Continuing to dwell on the events of the past twenty four hours wasn’t helping me focus on the issue at hand. I had no time to feel sorry for myself. I had to figure out where I was going to work, sleep, bathe.

  I glanced down at my wrinkled clothing. I couldn’t do much looking like this. I would need to clean up before I began going into businesses applying for jobs. No one was going to hire someone who looked as if she’d slept in her clothing, possibly on a bench, in a park all night. I did a quick check in the mirror to see my hair wasn’t any better than my clothing. There was a leaf stuck in the tangled strands. I plucked it out. I had no where to take a shower or even a place to change clothes. My friends’ apartment was a major- no way in hell - for me. Rathe was the last person I wanted to see today.

  What was so wrong with me? I had worked hard to be good. I didn’t abuse my powers. I tried my best to live a regular life. One that wasn’t one big easy ride due to magic. I didn’t want to be charmed yet I was. I was different than my family and different from my friends. I fit in nowhere.

  I was back to feeling sorry for myself. I didn’t do self pity. It was weak and a waste of time. I had to figure out how to clean up. That was my first plan of action. I lifted my eyes to look in the mirror again and frowned. “You are making this more difficult than it has to be,” I said to the hot mess looking back at me.

  There was an easy answer to fixing my appearance. I had practiced living normal for so long it was never my first choice to cast spells for simple things- like making myself look presentable. When magic was used in getting dressed there was a enhancment that came with it. I didn’t like to use magic this way
because it was unfair to those around me. They were affected by something that wasn’t entirely real.

  Persephone was convinced I was beyond evil, which was absurd. I didn’t even like to use a simple enchantment to fix my appearance. I was half my father. Half of me was good. She was the villian. I wasn’t going to let her words bother me any longer.

  Regardless of the nonesense she had spewed, I knew who I was. I liked who I was. Pretending to be normal had gained me nothing in life, but it had possibly been the balance that kept me from becoming my mother. If my using magic wasn’t to hurt anyone then I saw no point in making it an issue. The next few weeks I’d need it more than I ever had if I was going to get my life balanced again. Once I had a job, place to live, and possibly a hope in being enrolled in nursing school then I’d stop using it for the little things. Live like I had been living before.

  Coming to that decision, I glanced around to make sure there had been no new additions to the parking lot and I confirmed it was still me and the empty vehicles. Although there was a bit more traffic on the road, the parking lot was still dead. No one here.

  It had been a long time since I used this particular incantation. The last time had been Junior year prom. I’d wanted to impress Cody. That had been a disaster. Not only had Cody been enamored with me, so had most of the other males at the dance and a few females. After making an enemy out of every straight female there but Margo, I had decided to never do that again. Yet here I was about to do it again. I wouldn’t go all out this time. It would be simpler. The bare minimum if that was possible. I’d do the best I could.

  “quam alii perfect me” The words rolled from my tongue easily. The bite of energy that touched me was similar to an electric charge. A shimmer covered me so briefly the human eye wouldn’t catch it. I felt dread in the pit of my stomach, praying I wasn’t going too far. I didn’t want to deal with the kind of male attention this had caused last time. My eyes were squeezed shut and I was afraid to open them. Taking a deep breath, I forced myself to look. The sunvisor was still down with the mirror in front of me.

  My reflection was what I had expected. The Kamlock beauty stared back at me. The gleam of perfection that came from magic alone. Natural beauty was required, but the use of magic enhanced it. This was going to be a nuisance today. I wouldn’t be able to fade into the background looking like this. It had been the easiest answer to the least of my issues this morning and I had to get over my dislike of drawing attention to myself for today at least.

  A singular tap on the driver’s side window was not expected and my hand flew to my mouth to smother my squeal. Swinging my head to see who was out there I went from being startled to mildly panicked. It was a brief moment of panic though. He had shown up at the wrong time. I wasn’t in the mood for taking anymore shit from people, family, or strange stalking warlocks. I wasn’t weak, and if he tested me I’d prove it to him.

  I took a deep breath and reached for the door knob to open it with more force than necessary, causing mister wanna be rock star to move back with a swiftness I hadn’t expected. I’d hoped to hit him with my door. I stared him down, while stepping out of the car. He wasn’t going to see fear in my eyes. He held a small grin as he stood there watching me with one hand in his jean pocket. Even though he never gave a sinister look, you knew there was danger. I would get answers before he disappeared into thin air this time around. I really wasn’t sure at this point just how powerful he was. He may be here to kill me. Oddly that was the least of my concerns this morning.

  “Good morning, Catalina. You appear to be jolly.” The way he spoke to me sounded as if we were friends. Like this was a planned visit.

  “Who are you and why are you following me?” I wasn’t doing small talk with him. He wasn’t stalking me for small talk. He needed to get to the point.

  He pulled a cigarette from the front pocket of his jacket and offered it to me. “Would you like one? You seem in need of something to take the edge off.” Cigarettes were a common addiction with casters. Especially warlocks.

  “I hate cigarettes. What do you want?” I repeated.

  He didn’t snap his fingers the way my mother did to light her cigarettes. It simply lit as he placed it to his lips. Although I’d not seen one lit that way, it still reminded me of a parlor trick meant to impress. I wasn’t impressed. His vanishing was impressive but not that.

  “I was curious as to why you were sitting alone in an empty parking lot this early in the morning,” he replied.

  This was not happening again. He was going to give me real answers. Not talk around me in a circle that only he understood. “Until you give me answers, I’m not giving you any.” If he was curious about my actions then he needed to talk.

  He didn’t seem to be in a hurry to say anything.

  “You’ve got some tough shit about you. I like it. You don’t use the Kamlock charm to get your way. Kudos to you,” he said, then took the cigarette from his mouth. I waited because I was looking for answers, not compliments, if that was what you could even call it. “She kicked you out.” He wasn’t asking. It was a statement. I waited to see if he’d say more. He stood there relaxed as if he had all day for me to respond. I, however, didn’t have all day.

  “If you mean my psychotic mother then yes,” I replied.

  He laughed, as if that pleased him. I was glad someone was happy to see me homeless. My scowl deepened, and I crossed my arms over my chest to wait him out. I was tired of being followed. His showing up here in an empty parking lot was the last drop.

  “Good for you,” he said then took a deep drag off his cigarette.

  “Funny you should see it that way,” I drawled. “Since I’m without a home or job. You can see why I wouldn’t be as pleased as you seem to be.”

  He lifted his chin and let the smoke out in perfect rings. With a sigh, he lifted his left shoulder in a shrug while his left hand remained tucked in his front jean pocket. He looked like he didn’t have a worry in the world. “You don’t need the Kamlocks. You’re not like them.”

  I opened my mouth to say I didn’t need to be kicked out while I was jobless but his last sentence stopped me. “How long have you been following me?” I asked. I didn’t like it. The idea of being watched gave me the creeps.

  “You’ve got things figured out,” he said, waving his hand and cigarette at me. “You’re ready to go find a job. May I suggest you shoot for something that pays better than a food server.”

  He was ignoring my question, and I didn’t need his opinions on my next job. “How long have you been watching me and why?” I said, in what I thought was a very intimidating voice.

  He sighed as if that question was silly. Instead of answering he took another pull from his smoke stick. He either wasn’t going to answer me or he was taking his own sweet time just to be annoying. I opened my mouth to attempt at being more demanding when he pointed off to my left. “This is about to get interesting.” I followed the direction he was pointing to see a black Dodge Charger coming our way in the otherwise almost vacant parking lot.

  “Do you know them?” I asked, not sure if I should be worried for whoever was driving that car or concerned because I was about to be outnumbered. I didn’t take my eyes off the car trying to prepare mentally for whatever scenario that was about to go down here.

  “I believe you do,” was his reply.

  The rising sunlight hit the front window as the car pulled to a quick stop to our left. It was a face I didn’t want to see for many reasons but right now I didn’t want to see him because this wasn’t safe. I was dealing with a psycho warlock who had some strange obsession with me, and Rathe was no match for him.

  “Shit,” I muttered under my breath then did the first thing that came to my mind. “et oblinito ianuam” I said holding my hand out as if to physically hold the door closed then dropped it quickly and turned to glare at the warlock in front of me. “Listen, get to th
e point. Why are you here? I don’t have time for this or patience for games.”

  He laughed with the cigarette still between his lips. “You locked him inside the car. Fucking hilarious.”

  “Sure, this is a riot. Just one more thing I have to deal with today. Talk or go away. Just don’t vanish. I can’t explain that away when Ra- he sees it,” I replied, bitterly catching myself before I could say Rathe’s name. He may have hurt me, but I didn’t want him in danger. He was no part of this. The fact he was here had to be Margo’s fault. She and I were going to have a talk about this tracking stuff she was doing. Better yet, I would block her from seeing my location.

  “Talk, now. He’s going to call my friends and my cousin. They’ll all show up here, and I just don’t need this today. What is it you want?” Figuring this creeper out wasn’t happening this time. Rathe had ended that. One more thing to hold against Rathe.

  “You know how to survive without the Kamlocks. It was time you broke free from that insane bunch of bitches. Use your fucking witchery voodoo and stop trying to be so motherfucking human. It exhausts me,” he said then tossed his cigarette down. It never hit the ground. It just evaporated into thin air much like he had done before. This time he winked at me “I’m not a fan of polluting the earth.” Then he turned and walked away. I watched him wanting to call out and ask him to tell me who he was and to stop stalking me. But I didn’t want Rathe to hear me. Damn Rathe.

  I glanced back at his car and lifted my fingers from my side subtly. “Resigno,” I whispered, without moving my lips. Then I checked back to my departing pain in the ass. He was crossing the four lane still visible and normal in appearance. I got very little from that conversation. I knew he would show back up but I was almost positive he meant me no harm. He was currently just a weird creeper who I wished would leave me alone.