The Cursed Witch
The Coven: Fae Magic Book 1
Chandelle Lavaun
For Savvy and Grace,
2020 has been an insane year, one that has been trying to take me down every step of the way…but despite all the stress, the pandemic, mercury retrograde, and the diet that just won’t stick around… fans like you two keep me going. So thank you. Your support has been…..inspiring
P.S. The book gets real good after chapter seven ;)
Contents
THE COVEN READING ORDER
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
About the Author
THE COVEN READING ORDER
The Chosen Witch
The Lost Witch
The Brave Witch
The Rebel Witch
The Broken Witch
The Eternal Witch
The Aether Witch
The Fire Witch
The Hidden Witch
The Fallen Witch
The City Witch
The Wild Witch
The Frozen Witch
The Secret Witch
The Uptown Witch
The Empire Witch
The Cursed Witch
Chapter One
Saffie
December 5th 2018 – present day
“Wake up, Saffie.”
I groaned and wrapped my arms around my body tighter, feeling the goosebumps covering my bare, freezing skin. The wind howled in the distance, and I huddled in on myself to fight the cold. The sloshing of water and crashing waves filled my ears, yet my eyes remained sealed shut.
“Saffie, it is time to wake.”
I frowned and shook my head. It was too cold to get up.
“Wake up, Saraphina. Now.”
My eyes flew open…and my gaze found a black sky that looked soft to the touch. Stars twinkled down at me like they were begging for my attention. And with the moon a mere sliver of a crescent, there was no competition. It was so beautiful and serene, I could’ve laid there forever just looking at it if my skin wasn’t stinging from the cold air. I needed to get up and find some warmth but my body felt heavy and locked to the ground. I took a deep breath and let the salty ocean breeze wash over me.
“Saraphina, you must move now,” that same soft voice urged.
I rubbed my eyes then sat up. “Why, what’s going—”
There was no one there.
“—on…hello? Is someone there?” I shouted.
But only silence greeted me.
Someone had just spoken. I knew they had. I glanced all around me…and found not a single person. I was alone. What just happened?
The foggy haze of sleep vanished in an instant and my heart fluttered. There was no one in sight. I looked left and right, over and over, but all I saw was the soft ripple of waves on a dark body of water and boats floating in the distance. I couldn’t see a difference between land, sea, or sky. Everything was black. There were flickers of golden light but they served only like beacons far in the distance. In front of me there was a short, pale colored lighthouse, but it was dark like no one had ever been inside.
“Who’s there?” I said a little louder in a shaky voice. “Anyone?”
Nothing.
My chest tightened. What is happening? I know I heard someone. I pushed up and flipped onto my knees – and sharp pain shot up my legs. The ground beneath me was some kind of gravel made from dark, rough rocks and crumbled stone. Some of it had a frosty white color, like they were frozen solid.
Ice-cold wind slammed into my back, sending sharp pain down my spine. My whole body trembled violently. It felt like I was about to rip in half. My teeth chattered together. I hissed and wrapped my arms around myself, my breath coming out in a puff of white smoke. I stood up and my feet burned. Looking down, my jaw dropped.
I was barefoot.
And the ground beneath my feet was glittery gold.
My breath left me in a rush, and this time it was just as shimmery gold as the ground.
My heart thundered through my veins. I wrapped my arms around myself again. This is – what is that?
And I only wore a thin, sleeveless lavender dress that stopped half way down my thighs. My pulse quickened. Why am I dressed like this? Where are my shoes? I took a step forward and my toes felt like they were on fire, yet no flames were present. In fact, they looked kind of blue. How long have I been out here? I took another step, then another…everywhere my feet touched the gravel turned gold. What’s happening here?
Wait.
Here? I don’t remember coming here. WHERE am I?
My heart shot up my throat and my legs shook. I spun in a circle, looking for something I recognized…but there wasn’t a single thing. I didn’t know this place. My stomach tightened into knots. What is this place?
I took a few steps forward, leaving a glittery trail behind me. “Hello? Anyone there?”
No answer. The wind still roared and howled. The waves on the water rolled by, crashing into the rocks on both sides of me. Something dark moved out of the corner of my eye – I spun toward it but there was nothing. No one. I was still alone. Time to go, time to go. I hurried forward, trying to ignore the golden glittery footsteps in my wake. I looked left and right again. Still nothing but shadows. I was on a narrow strip of land that stretched out into the water and ended with the lighthouse that was now behind me. But up ahead, there was a single building on my left, and I prayed someone was there, though there wasn’t a single light on.
I need help. Someone help me.
I’d heard someone speaking to me, and with every step I took I felt like someone was watching me more and more. I didn’t like it. My feet screamed in protest, but I sprinted forward anyway. I had to keep moving. I had to get out of here. A shadow danced by me and I spun toward it yet found only ocean waves. I cried out and hot tears stung the backs of my eyes. A gust of wind ripped across the water, blowing my hair into my face. I went to push my hair back and froze. Golden, shimmery mist spilled from my hands. My pulse shot up.
What is that? What IS that?
Over the tips o
f my fingers, red lights flashed from beneath the surface of the frothy water. I gasped and dropped my hands. My eyes widened. Two glowing red balls sat unmoving just off the shore. I squeezed my eyes shut and shook my head. I opened my eyes and shrieked. There were dozens of them now. I stumbled back a few steps then glanced over my shoulder and gasped. There were more red glowing balls on the other side, too.
My body trembled. They’re not watching me. They’re not watching me. They’re not — I leapt a few feet over and those red balls moved with me. I screamed then slammed my hand over my mouth. And then the water moved. But not with the waves. Something darker than the black water moved beneath the surface, swirling and swimming — I gasped.
No, no, no, no, no.
I have to go. I have to GO. Run, run, RUN!
I pushed off the ground in a glittery gold cloud and sprinted away. I had only one option…to go straight. There was some sort of town up ahead. If I could just get up there — and what? Tell someone what happened? I don’t know what happened! I don’t know how I got here.
Wait…
I don’t know how I got here.
I don’t know where here is.
My steps faltered and then I froze. My chest was tight and my throat burned from the cold air I’d sucked in. I didn’t know where I was or how I got there. How do I not remember? How do I not know how I got here?
My mind spun, the wheels were turning yet nothing was happening. I was just…blank. Empty. Vacant. I had nothing. What the hell happened? Why don’t I remember? I can’t just not remember anything…can I?
No, just think. I have to remember something. Anything. Come on, Saffie —I gasped. Saffie. That was my name. No, wait. Something flickered in the back of my mind then words rushed to the surface. Saffie was a nickname, something friends called me. My real name was Saraphina. I had nothing else to grab ahold of. Just my name, Saraphina Proctor.
The world around me spun and I wobbled. Pressure pressed into my shoulders, like someone was trying to pin me down to the ground. My body felt numb. My heart plummeted and tears stung my eyes. This can’t be real. This can’t be happening.
I needed to get…someone. Somewhere. I needed help. Someone had to be in one of those buildings. There had to be someone who could help me. My back tingled as a sharp chill slithered down my spine. I glanced over my shoulder, but no one was there. I have to get out of here.
I pushed my shoulders back and sprinted down the narrow path again. I didn’t slow down until I got to a three-story brown wooden building. I ran around to the front and up to the big door. My fingers were definitely blue and trembling, but I balled my fist and slammed it into the door.
Nothing.
Just more silence.
I backed up a bit and saw there were no lights coming from the two rows of windows. Above the door was a sign that read Salem, Mass but I didn’t know what that meant. My stomach tightened and flipped. I spun around with my heart in my throat and froze. There it was again, that feeling of eyes on me. Straight back, on the front stoop of a red brick home, was a wide staircase made of stone…and it wasn’t empty.
A person sat halfway up the steps. I couldn’t see their face but their shoulders were wide and their legs were long. My gut told me it was a man, but he had a black hood pulled over his head, casting his face in shadow. I knew I needed to find help, but there was something about him that screamed at me to stay away.
I turned and walked to the right, toward an empty field, but in my peripheral vision I saw him move. My steps slowed. His hooded head followed my movement. I peeked over just as a wild, strong gust of wind slammed into him and blew the black hood off of his head…golden eyes sparkled in the dark…and they were looking right at me.
My heart stopped. My feet froze.
Oh, God. Oh, God. Oh, God. I spun around and started in the other direction. He jumped to his feet. I felt the heat of his gaze on the side of my face from fifty feet away.
I walked a few steps…and so did he.
I stopped. He stopped. I bit down on my bottom lip to stop myself from crying out in fear. Bile rose in my throat. I couldn’t play this game. I needed to get somewhere warm and safe before he approached me. I wrapped my arms around me tighter and shivered through the cold air.
I took another step, so did he.
I walked a few feet, he walked at least ten.
It was probably a bad instinct, but I ran.
Chapter Two
Saffie
The red brick sidewalk felt like ice under my bare feet, yet it burned with every step I took. My legs were shaky and starting to go numb, but I pushed harder and faster. I ran up to the first building I saw and pulled on the door handle. It didn’t budge.
“No, no, no, come on. Please,” I begged. I slammed my fists on the door a few times as hard as I could muster, gold glitter exploded under my hand each time but I just had to ignore that for now or I was going to lose my mind. “Hello? Anyone there?”
Please. Please, someone be here.
Nothing. Just the whistle of the wind blowing by my ears and whipping my hair around. I tucked the long, wild red strands behind my ears then glanced over my shoulder – and gasped.
My stomach sank. The hectic patter of my heart skipped a few beats then picked up speed.
That guy in the black hooded jacket was strolling down the sidewalk in front of a white picket fence. He wasn’t moving fast or even looking in my direction yet I still felt his golden eyes on me. He’s not following you. He’s not following you. He’s not following you
With my heart lodged in my throat, I spun and sprinted under some trees with a few straggling leaves, the red brick path quickly guiding me to the next building. This one was newer looking, with big glass windows taller than my body and fancy wooden tables inside. There were a couple low lights on in the back, so I ran to the door – but it felt glued shut. I tugged and tugged. Still didn’t open. I pressed my face to the glass, while I slammed my palm on it over and over.
No movement of any kind. No sounds.
No one was in there.
Tears stung the backs of my eyes. I pushed my hair back from my face. Wild tremors tore through my body as my shivering got worse. I had to get inside. I had to find warmth. I sniffled and stumbled back a few steps until I spotted him through the reflection in this store’s glass window. He was ahead of me now, standing on the corner in front of a liquor store. I didn’t like the way he lingered.
Think, Saffie. Think.
I was running out of time before this cold air was going to hurt me. I felt it like a ticking time bomb in the back of my mind. I looked to my left, back toward the way I’d just come…it was almost pitch black. Yet to my right I found a soft golden glow and taller buildings that made me think town had to be that way. Except I didn’t want the guy in the hood to see which way I was going. I needed to lose him first.
Just then, the guy spun and walked into the liquor store.
YES. MOVE! I turned left down a side street then took off running down the middle of the road. I leapt around the corner — and screamed. I slid to a stop and threw myself back but my feet slipped out from under me and I crashed to the cold brick sidewalk. I gasped and scrambled backwards on my hands and feet like an upside-down crab.
WHAT IS THAT?
There in the middle of the road was a massive wolf-like animal that had to be taller than me – while on all four legs. It was as dark as night itself, almost blending in with the shadows of the trees. Its head snapped around to me and big, beady red eyes that glowed like embers in a fire pit stared me down. It growled and the ground rumbled. I slammed my hands over my mouth and golden glitter clouded my vision. My body rattled. I took a step back and it snapped its razor-sharp teeth at me. The four in the front were longer than my fingers and dripping a glowing orange goo.
No, no, no, no, no.
I started to take another step back when something moved in the corner of my eye. I froze in place, bracing myself for an attack but it w
as just a person. I didn’t look over, I didn’t want to take my eyes off the wolf-thing. But relief prickled down my spine as a person emerged from between two buildings and stepped into the street, right into my line of view — I gasped.
NO.
It was HIM.
The guy from the steps and the liquor store. The guy in the black hooded jacket. He didn’t look over at me or at the wolf, he just walked straight across the street, between me and the monster, with his hands shoved in his jacket pockets. He didn’t make a sound, yet the wolf-monster hissed and slid back into the shadows across the street. The guy disappeared too, moving into an alley to my right, a tall, terrifying shadow receding from sight. But how did he get here? I didn’t know where he’d just come from. He’d just gone in the liquor store, how could he be here now?
No, no, no.
This isn’t happening.
I flipped over and found myself in a puddle of golden glitter. What IS this? But I couldn’t dissect it, I had to get moving before that monster came back for me. I jumped to my feet and sprinted away in a blind, wild dash. My breath left me in clouds of white and gold smoke as I struggled to breathe and run. I peeked over my shoulder without stopping and my stomach tightened into knots.
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