The Windhaven Witches Omnibus Edition : Complete Paranormal Suspense Series, Books 1-4

by Carissa Andrews

Suddenly, the air in the space around me is extremely suffocating.

  “Do you mind?” I say, thrusting an arm out to keep him at bay.

  He chuckles. “Ah, playing hard to get, huh?”

  “What in the hell are you even talking about? The only one playing at something is you,” I spit.

  “Oh, come on,” he snickers. “Don’t be like that.”

  There’s a heady sort of energy surrounding him and despite myself, I can’t help but want to lean into it. It’s almost as if he’s drawing me closer with just a look. Somewhere in the back of my mind, music radiates, like something from a different time in history.

  Shaking my head, I gather my headspace and let it wash off me without sticking.

  “I know it was you,” I say, jutting out my chin.

  He shrugs nonchalantly. “So what if it was?”

  “Why?”

  He arcs a perfectly trimmed white eyebrow. “That’s for me to know and you to…well, you know the rest.”

  I roll my eyes.

  “You don’t even know me. We hadn’t even met. Why did you target my car? You know I have to have the back end repainted now, right? You’re gonna have to pay for it,” I say, clutching the school map in my right fist.

  “Oh, I do, do I? Who’s gonna prove it was me?”

  “Really? That’s how you wanna play this? My boyfriend was there and saw you, too. Are you really that much of an entitled ass? You think you can just do stuff and never pay the price?” I say, taking my own step toward him. Anger wells in my gut and I want nothing more than to make this creep cry ‘uncle,’ regardless of how unlikely it might be.

  His eyes widen for a split second, almost as if something I said actually hit its mark.

  “Look, Autumn, it might do you a little good to worry less about me and about, well, what I carved said it all,” he says, his voice dropping to practically a whisper.

  “How did you know my name?” I say through clenched teeth.

  He grins. “Just follow the message. It has meaning.”

  “The truth shall set you free? What truth?” I fire back.

  “Ah, so you did your homework?” Dominic says, leaning back in surprise.

  “Of course I did,” I spit back.

  “Good,” he says, nodding.

  “Would you stop with the cryptic and explain what in the hell you’re getting at?”

  The hallways start to clear around us.

  “Shit. I gotta get to Astral Projection,” Dominic says, twisting around toward the main hallway before turning back to me. “Look, meet me at the back of the cafeteria at lunch.”

  “And why in the hell would I do that?” I say indignantly.

  “Because if you wanna know why, you’ll be there,” he says, flicking his eyebrows in acknowledgment.

  With that, he’s gone—racing down the corridor with expert precision.

  Finding my classes throughout the rest of the morning is tedious, at best. But, regardless, it flies by, despite my constant state of confusion. Before I know it, lunchtime has rolled around.

  “So, whatcha gonna do?” Cat says, meeting me outside History of Supernaturals.

  I hike my backpack up and shake my head. “Go talk to Dominic, obviously. I need answers…”

  “Just…be careful, okay?” Cat says, tipping her head toward the salad bar as we reach the cafeteria.

  My eye catches Dominic’s white head of hair in the back of the cafeteria and we lock gazes. For a moment, it’s like the entire roomful of people fades away and zooms out. Or like he’s managed to use a homing beacon and is calling me in. He waves an arm, trying to coax me toward him.

  “I—I think I’m gonna…” I begin, starting to make my way toward Dominic.

  “What about lunch?” Cat says, frantically trying to pull me back. “You’ll miss it.”

  Twisting back around, I glance at her ebony hand clutched around my forearm and she tries to pull me back. “It’s okay. I won’t starve. I’m just going to talk with him and then I’ll get food. Now, are you coming or not?”

  I spin around, making my way to Dominic. Behind me, Cat whimpers, but I’m positive she’s right on my heels. Making my way through the crowd, all eyes feel like they’re on us as we beeline to Dominic’s table. But I don’t care. I barely take my eyes off of him the entire time, and oddly enough, he does the same. There’s a weird magnetic energy between us and, for whatever reason, I don’t think I could make another decision if I tried. Perhaps it’s part of his power Cat tried to warn me about. Instead, I follow its lead and come to a screeching halt opposite him at the table.

  “So, you wanna talk? Talk,” I fire at him.

  His blue eyes widen, but he leans back in his chair. “Ladies, so nice to see you again,” he says, drawing out his words as he splays his arms across the chairs beside him.

  “Come on, Dom. Just tell Autumn what she came here for so we can go grab a bite to eat,” Cat mutters, looking over her shoulder longingly at the salad bar.

  I cock an eyebrow and rest my hands on the back of the seat in front of me.

  “Well, see, this could take a while,” he says, smirking. “Might as well grab a seat.”

  Chapter 14

  I Just Hope You're Ready

  Who the hell does this guy think he is?

  “I’m not here to socialize,” I spit. “Are you gonna fill me in on what the hell I’m supposed to be aware of? Or are you just gonna jerk my chain for the rest of the lunch period? Pretty sure Cat here wants to get some food.”

  Cat snickers beside me, and I know instantly she’s impressed with my bravado, or perhaps stupidity. Maybe both.

  “Trust me, it’s not something you want me calling out across the table. If you’d just sit down—” he says, eyeing the seat beside him.

  I have the sudden urge to sit, but I fight it and stay on my feet.

  “Anything you gotta say to me, you can say in front of Cat,” I mutter, clutching the back of the chair harder, and refusing to give into his mental suggestions.

  “I ain’t talking about Cat.” His eyes flit around the space of the cafeteria.

  My eyebrows tug in, and alarm bells blare in the back of my mind.

  “What in the hell is going on here? I mean seriously. I just moved here, and I get the distinct impression there’s more going on behind the scenes than I have a clue about,” I say through clenched teeth.

  “What gave it away? Was it what I carved in the back of your car?” he says, arching a knowing eyebrow.

  “So it was you?” Cat says, leaning in. “Dammit, Dominic…”

  “Of course it was me, Cat. For the love,” he says, rolling his eyes. “You of all people should know why she—”

  Cat’s eyes widen and she shakes her head in the slightest of ways.

  “What’s he talking about?” I say, rounding on her.

  “N-nothing. I don’t know, Autumn,” she sputters.

  “Come on, Cat,” Dominic warns.

  “If you’re talking about what I think you are, this isn’t the time and place for this,” Cat says, her eyes wide and nostrils flaring. “I know what you’re trying to do, but this isn’t the way.”

  Dominic snorts.

  My stomach clenches and I’m overcome with the need to either hear something useful or go find somewhere quiet to think. Too bad the cemetery isn’t closer.

  “You know what? Screw you. Keep your secrets, both of you. I’m…I’m out,” I sputter.

  Spinning around, I push my way past the gawking spectators and out into the hallway. I continue walking, allowing my feet to take me wherever they like, as long as it’s far, far away from the mind funk that is Dominic and Cat.

  Here I thought I might actually learn something about what’s really going on. Stupid.

  Pushing open the doors to the school’s courtyard, I walk out into the cool, crisp autumn air. I don’t stop walking until I reach the edge of the football field, and I do what I would have done back at Mistwood High. I make my
way to a quiet spot under the empty bleachers.

  To my surprise, the space isn’t empty at all. Instead, Colton drops the sandwich he was about to bring to his lips and shoves a book to the side.

  “Well, hey. I wasn’t expecting… What are you doing here?” I say, trying to sound like I’m not as surprised as I feel.

  His eyebrows tug in and he wipes at his mouth with the back of his hand. “I was going to say the same thing about you.”

  I take a deep, cleansing breath, swiping at the air and taking a seat opposite him on the ground.

  “Yeah, it was kind of impromptu. Dominic’s messing with my head. And your sister—” I shake my head.

  Colton watches me intensely, but doesn’t say a word. It’s the first time where I felt like he’s actually seen me, not just a brief glance so he can run off.

  “I’ve only been in this school for two days and I already feel like I’m going crazy. I mean, there’s a lot of weird nuances here and I feel like I must have stepped into some cluster of a dynamic. You know?” I admit, eyeing the book he was reading.

  He nods, but shifts the book behind his back so I can’t see the title.

  I narrow my gaze.

  “So, what’s your deal?” I ask, tipping my chin up.

  His eyebrows skirt his hairline, but he says, “Deal? What do you mean?”

  “I dunno. You’re kinda quiet, and a little weird,” I chuckle.

  “I’m not a huge…people fan, I guess,” he offers.

  I shift around so I can lean my back against the chain-link fence to the left of us and nod. “I totally get that.”

  “You do?” he says, surprise painting his face.

  “Uh, duh. Yes. People suck. Did you not just hear about Dominic?” I chuckle.

  Colton snickers, glancing down at the sandwich in his hand.

  “Can I ask you a question?” I say, shooting him another significant look.

  He shrugs.

  I take a quick beat, trying to decide what it really is I want to ask.

  “Do you know why Dominic would have written ‘The Truth Shall Set You Free’ in Latin on my car? I tried to get it out of him just now in the cafeteria, but all I got was the runaround.”

  Colton taps his lips, but nods.

  “You do?” I say, tucking my legs in tighter so I can sit up straighter.

  “Yeah. Everybody does,” he whispers. “Well, pretty much everybody.”

  “You’ve got to be kidding me,” I say, leaning closer.

  He scratches at his left eyebrow for a moment before finally saying, “I dunno if it’s really any of our business, to be honest. It really should be something your…” His voice trails off.

  I roll my eyes. “Not you, too. Your sister tried the same line of B.S. Come on, throw me a bone, would you? This is killing me.”

  Colton’s eyes widen, but he clears his throat and puts his sandwich back into his lunch sack.

  “How much do you know about the history here in Windhaven?” he finally asks.

  “Erm, I know this school is a big deal and my dad lives here…” I pause, thinking. “Yep, that’s about the gist.”

  His face tightens as he winces.

  “Well, if I were you…I would start there,” he says, holding my gaze. The significance in this simple gesture makes the hairs on my arm and neck stand on end. “It will shed a new light on things. Then we can talk more.”

  Exhaling slowly, I nod and pull my knees up toward my body. Wrapping my arms around my legs, I bite the inside of my cheek. “Fine,” I say, a bit more tersely than originally intended.

  “I know this is all really confusing. I just don’t feel like it’s my place to—really, you should talk to your Dad… Or do some digging on your own. But don’t rely on Google. It won’t help. You’ll wanna go down to the county library if you’re going to look to external sources.”

  I gawk at him. “I don’t even know where the county library is.”

  “I can…uh, show you sometime,” he says, looking at his lap. “I mean, if you want.”

  I nod. “Yeah, that would be great.”

  Watching him closely, I can’t help but feel a certain amount of connection with him. He clearly has his own thing he’s into, but others don’t understand. It actually makes me want to get to know him a bit better.

  “So, come on. Whatcha reading?” I ask, trying to get a glimpse of the cover.

  Colton stares at me like a deer in headlights.

  I narrow my eyes.

  “Come on, it can’t be that bad,” I laugh, pushing my way around him.

  After a little bit of a struggle, I pull the book from behind his back.

  “Oh, Frankenstein,” I say, clutching the cover and sitting back down. “Well, I mean, sure—”

  “Yeah, I’m—”

  “I get it. You’re one of those kids,” I laugh, handing it back.

  “And what kind is that?”

  “The kind who reads ancient stories the rest of the school wouldn’t dream of touching, of course,” I laugh.

  “Ah,” he nods. “Yeah, I guess I am.”

  I shrug. “Yeah, me too. At least to a degree. I haven’t read this one, but I have seen the movie, obviously.”

  “It’s totally different,” he says.

  “Of that, I’m not surprised,” I say.

  We sit in silence for a minute, listening to the sounds of birds and mostly peaceful quiet. It’s a blissful break when there are no kids outside. They’re all enjoying their lunches, or still in class. And for whatever reason, no one is using the field.

  “You know, this whole move has been nothing but a weird, confusing mess. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I kinda like here better than I expected. But it’s just been so weird,” I say, talking to myself more than anything.

  “Yup,” he agrees.

  “How would you know?” I ask, chuckling to myself.

  For the first time that I can remember, Colton actually smiles.

  “Wow, he does have a grin,” I say, pointing.

  He laughs quietly, “Yeah, well…don’t get too used to it.”

  I snort, shaking my head. “In all honesty, you should do it more often. It suits you.”

  For the briefest of moments, I swear Colton’s face flushes—but in the darker light under the bleachers, it’s hard to tell.

  He clears his throat, grabbing his lunch sack, and pushing to a stand. He holds out his free hand to me. “Lunch is nearly over. I’ll walk you to your next class. You know, if you want.”

  Nodding, I smile at him. “Yeah, I’d like that.”

  I take his offering, and he pulls me to a stand.

  Together, we walk back to the school in a strange, comfortable silence. Oddly enough, I’m overcome by this strange sensation, like I’ve known him forever. Despite barely saying two words to one another before today, there’s just something familiar about him. Maybe it’s because I’m already sorta used to his sister?

  When we get to the doors leading inside, Colton turns to me and says, “You have Spellcasting Basics next, right?”

  “Wow. Uh, how’d you know that?” I say, turning to him in surprise.

  He runs his hand across the back of his neck. “I uh…”

  I pull up short, “Have you been…keeping tabs on me?”

  “Well, when you say it like that…” he begins.

  My mouth drops open, “Oh my god, you have—”

  “Really, it’s not as creepy as it sounds,” he says, waving his hands in front of his body. “I just know where Cat is and since she’s with you…”

  I narrow my eyes at him. “Oh, right.”

  He shifts uncomfortably and nods his head. “Really, I’m totally not stalking you. I just noticed is all. Promise.”

  He crosses his heart with a pointer finger.

  “Hmmm,” I say, a small laugh bleeding through my façade. “All right, all right. Don’t get your panties in a bunch. I believe you.”

  A relieved smile breaks across his
face, lighting up his brown eyes.

  “Well, I better—uh, I gotta go,” I say, pointing down the hall to nowhere in particular.

  “Still want me to walk you to class? Or do you remember how to get there?” he asks, biting on the inside of his cheek.

  “Oh, right. Yeah, yeah. Lead the way,” I mutter, thrusting my hand out to suggest he move out in front.

  We walk the hallway in silence as students flood the halls, disrupting the awkwardness between us.

  “So, how are you liking Spellcasting?” Colt asks.

  I shrug. “I have no idea. It’s only been one day. I wish I understood more. This whole supernatural thing is new to me.”

  “Oh, right,” he says, scrunching his face.

  “Hey, you two,” Cat says, bounding down the hall and pushing her way between us.

  “Hey,” I say, trying not to let the ice in my voice turn too frigid.

  “Oh, come on. You’re not mad at me, are you?” she says, her forehead wrinkling. “Honestly, I only have your best interests at heart, Autumn. I really wish you knew that.”

  “I’m not mad, but I am a little busy. Right, Colt?” I say, twisting to him.

  He shoots an apologetic glance at Cat and nods to me. “Oh. Yeah, okay.”

  Cat’s mouth pops open as I take his arm, practically pulling him down the hallway.

  After a second, Colt leans close and says, “You know we’re heading the wrong way, right?”

  I exhale and roll my eyes. “Of course we are.”

  “Want me to take you on the scenic route so we don’t have to double back?”

  “That would be lovely, yes,” I nod. “Anything to allow me to save face.”

  His laugh sounds like music as he relaxes. “You know, she really does mean well.”

  “I know. I just gotta give it a little time before I can let it slide. You know? I don’t like being yanked around. I appreciate you at least pointing me in a direction. I hope you know that,” I say, shooting him a sideways glance.

  He grins. “Sure.”

  After walking around in circles—at least, that’s how it feels, we finally end up back at the Spellcasting hallway.

  “And now, I’m thoroughly lost,” I laugh. “I have no chance of finding my way back here tomorrow.”