“I missed my witch. I love you, Tessa.”
Okay, he could have the last word after all.
I curled my fingers into his collar and pulled his lips back to mine. It was ages before I remembered he’d mentioned another case.
“Derrick,” I murmured while he was dropping a kiss against my neck.
“Yeah?”
“About the new case…”
His soft laugh fanned my skin. “Took you long enough.”
“Aren’t you going to tell me the details?”
He groaned and braced his fists on the desk to keep me trapped. Not that I was going anywhere.
Derrick leaned in. “This one’s a doozy. A body was found in the woods. At first glance, it appears to have been an animal attack. Then, they found a second body, inside a shop, doors locked, same claw markings.”
“So, we’re not dealing with an animal?”
“Not exactly. I hope one of your magical books has a section on werewolves. We’re going to need it.” His mouth lifted in a half-smile. “Ready to hunt killers with me again?”
I grinned. “Always.”
***
Thank you so much for reading Spellbound After Midnight! I hope you enjoyed the first book in the Ever Dark, Ever Deadly series. If you'd like to share your thoughts with other readers, please consider leaving a review on Amazon or Goodreads.
Want to read Vivian's story? Book 2, titled Wolfish Charms is available to purchase here! And keep reading for a sneak peek at chapter 1!
For more content, join my newsletter to receive info about new releases, discounts, and bonus material.
Follow me on Amazon
Follow me on Bookbub
https://jennacollettauthor.wordpress.com/
Til next time, happy reading!
-Jenna Collett
And now... a preview of Wolfish Charms.
The wolves are at her door, but can she trust the villain offering her salvation?
Vivian James took seeing ghosts for granted until the day they vanished along with the person she cared about most. Now, plagued with visions of the future, all she wants is revenge on the creature that destroyed her life.
Even a devil's mask can slip.
Argus Ward is hunting the creature wreaking havoc in the kingdom. He used the kingdom's oracle to track its movement, but now that the oracle is dead, he'll need to use Vivian. She might be a fool to put her trust in a gangster, but there's something about him that keeps drawing her in.
Their partnership is straightforward, find the beast and get revenge. But, things are never that simple when love, murder, and werewolves get in the way.
Chapter One
ARGUS
Deep in the woods
The Kingdom of Ever
The old woman smacked my hand with a wooden spoon. “Don’t touch those. They’re for my granddaughter.”
Shaking off the sting across my knuckles, I eyed the fresh scones cooling on the counter, then flicked my gaze to the offending spoon. Winifred lifted her brow, daring me to try again. She was enjoying our stalemate, taking pleasure in my hesitation. It must run in the family. Her granddaughter had the same devilish nature.
My fingers hovered over the scones so close their heat grazed my skin. “Vivian and I have met. She won’t mind.”
Winifred grunted. “According to my granddaughter, you’re not well-liked. She’ll mind.”
“Ah, Winnie, your words wound me.”
She narrowed her eyes and took a creaking step in my direction. Her bony finger jabbed my chest with surprising force. “It’s Oracle James to you.”
Shadows danced over the long, silky strands of white hair that fell to her waist. Everything about her was pale and in stark contrast to the black sheath hanging from her slender frame. Only her lips were colored, painted red like blood from an open gash. Her eyes were gray as if the years had washed away their pigment. I guessed knowing the future did that to a person. I might have seen a fair share of horrors in my life, but at least I hadn’t been able to see them coming.
Leaving the scones untouched, I circled the dim cottage. Outside, the wind dragged bare branches across the windowpanes, and the shutters rattled on their hinges. A fire crackled in the hearth, doing its best to ward off the winter chill. I added another log to the flames, causing sparks to spit into the grate.
Winifred insisted on a balmy temperature before she performed her work. According to her, the cold made it hard to read the future. I wasn’t convinced; it seemed like a ploy to get me to chop wood. I caught her watching me from the window once, a wicked smile plastered on her face as I swung the axe, splitting the log in two.
There was always something that needed fixing before the future became clear. But manipulation was a trait I could respect, and it was another thing grandmother and granddaughter had in common.
The last time I saw Vivian, she was with the witch trying to scam information out of me. I still remember the challenge in her brown eyes as she downed my best bourbon. She’d labeled me a haunted man, and she wasn’t wrong. You don’t go from gutter rat to kingpin by only making friends. Since that night, my past wasn’t the only thing that haunted me. Sometimes, I closed my eyes and saw thick, glossy hair spilling over her slender shoulders as she leaned forward, her mouth set in a devious red smirk that promised defiance. Defiance in my men wasn’t tolerated, but hers might be the exception.
Satisfied with the temperature, I examined the large mirror hanging next to the hearth. The glass had splintered at the center, creating a spiderweb of fissures that spread outward. My fragmented reflection stared back as I traced a finger over a crevice.
“Visions getting the better of you, Winnie?”
She moved behind me, the top of her head barely reaching my shoulder. “Only when I look into your future. The mirrors can’t handle it.”
I grinned, the smile a crooked slash in the mirror’s shattered surface. “You need better mirrors.”
“No. I need clients who aren’t gangsters and thieves. Though, you pay better than most.” She popped half a scone into her mouth and dotted the corner of her lips with a napkin, clearly pretending she hadn’t just scolded me for trying to take one.
“I’ll buy you a new mirror.” It was the least I could do. She’d broken three in the last week alone, and we weren’t any closer to finding the Grimm’s blade. At the rate things were going, we’d go through every mirror in the kingdom and still need to import a batch from overseas.
Winifred cocked her head and began to name kingdoms with the best mirrors on her skeletal fingers. “Don’t overlook the Thistleton Empire. Their craftsmanship is exquisite. They come highly recommended and rarely shatter during transit.”
“They’re overpriced,” I grumbled. Winifred spared no expense when it was my money on the line.
“You can afford it. Except for your half-sister, you’re all alone in that giant mansion built for ten times as many. A man your age should get married and start a family, but since your line of work attracts only less than desirable matches, someone else has to spend your blood money. Might as well be me.”
Her sarcastic barb hit closer to home than she knew. I scowled at my reflection, seeing exactly what everyone around me saw. Take a word and add less: ruthless, reckless, heartless. They all fit like a second skin, and even masks can become permanent if you wear them long enough.
“I’ll send a ship in the morning. You’ll be up to your ears in plated glass in less than a month. Courtesy of my blood money.”
The light faded from Winifred’s eyes, and she drew a wheezy breath. “A month? Argus…” Her voice weakened, and she dropped her gaze to the floor. Whenever her eyes turned shifty, I knew she was remembering one of her visions. She’d grown more secretive lately, reluctant to share everything she saw. My gut told me it meant trouble, but seeing as how I was already neck-deep in that very thing, a little more didn’t seem like a big deal.
“What is it, Winnie? Change your mind about
Thistleton glass? Not expensive enough for you?”
She shook her head, sending her white hair swinging like a pendulum, then focused her gray eyes on me. Their intensity made unease expand behind my rib cage.
“Argus, you made me a promise when we started this search. I need to hear you say it again.”
I froze, the mirth dying on my lips. What had she seen? My gaze darted to the cracked mirror, and guilt uncoiled in my stomach. I smothered it like a tiny flame deprived of oxygen. There was no place for guilt in our transaction. I paid her well. Whatever she saw in the mirror was insignificant if it meant finding the Grimm’s blade. Nothing mattered more than that. It was my last chance to fix things.
Still, I had agreed to her promise and intended to keep it.
“You can rest easy, Winnie. I’ll keep my word.”
Worry deepened the lines on her face. My vow did little to relieve her tension. But what did I expect? When the devil makes you a promise, you don’t smile.
“It’s getting late. We should get started.” Crossing the room, she lifted an oval mirror from the wall and placed it flat on her worktable. Candlelight illuminated her features as she leaned over the glass, staring into its depths.
I settled in a chair across from her and gazed into the mirror, wondering what it would be like to see more than my face. Nerves churned in my stomach as they always did while I waited for her visions to manifest. I might control the shadowy underworld in the kingdom of Ever, but I didn’t control the future. No one could.
It still wouldn’t stop me from trying.
Her hands trembled as she placed them palms-down on the glass. The room grew silent, and the walls seemed to close in. Outside, the branches increased their rhythmic thumping against the windows. Waves of heat scorched my back, and beads of sweat broke out on my skin. It was bloody hot in here!
“Do you see anything?” I asked, impatience thick in my tone. I tugged at my neckline, desperate for a cool breeze.
“Hush.” Winifred’s eyes snapped open, and she flattened her lips into a frown. “I’m working here.”
“Please, continue,” I grumbled, waving her on with my hand. “Time isn’t of the essence or anything.”
She ground her teeth and muttered under her breath. I couldn’t make out the words, but it wasn’t necessary. I’d provoked the soothsayer. Not ideal.
Refocusing her attention on the mirror, Winifred began to chant. The chilling cadence of her words rose the hair on my neck. A minute passed, then two. The wind battered the cabin, trying to break inside as if it too wanted a glimpse of the future.
Tension clenched my muscles when her chanting ceased and she stared transfixed into the glass. The wind grew still. It felt wrong to breathe, the natural reflex too much of a disturbance in the soundless moment.
Winifred gasped. Her bony hands curled into fists, and her mouth went slack. Emotion welled in her eyes, and for a second, they flashed blue, then green, then back to gray. Her shoulders slumped, and she inhaled a harsh breath.
The mirror splintered.
A giant crack raced from one end to the other. She flinched and cried out, her voice ricocheting into the rafters.
“What is it? What do you see?” I leaned forward and caught her cold hand in mine. The iciness spread up my arm, dousing the heat radiating from the hearth. We were so close. Whatever she’d seen, I knew it was vital to the search.
Winifred tried to drag her hand away, but I tightened my grip, refusing to let her retreat inside her mind. She’d told me once, the only safe place from her visions was behind the barriers she’d created in her head. Those walls couldn’t be breached. It could be hours, maybe days, before she clawed her way back out.
I squeezed warmth back into her fingers. “What did you see?”
Her skin was deathly pale. She parted her lips, and I inched closer to hear her rasp, “You must keep your promise.”
My brow creased. I already said I would. What did my promise have to do with her vision? She rambled the words again, her eyes losing focus. I snapped my fingers in front of her face.
“Winnie, what are you talking about?”
She straightened, altering her hold until she grasped my wrist. Her blunt fingers dug into my skin. “Keep your promise to me!” Fear overflowed in her gaze, and her breath hitched. “I’m so sorry, child,” she moaned as her head lolled to the side, her body going limp.
I lurched from my chair, catching her before she hit the floor. Her white hair fanned around her like a soft blanket. Something resembling resignation filtered over her features. I’d never seen her like this.
“Argus…” she whispered.
“What can I do?”
Winifred rested her head on my knee. Her breath shallow, she said, “There’s nothing you can do.” She gave a weak cough, and her eyes fluttered shut. “It’s already too late. The wolves are coming.”
CONTINUE READING
Books In This Series
Ever Dark, Ever Deadly
Spellbound After Midnight
Wolfish Charms
Edge of Wonder
Spellbound After Midnight (Ever Dark, Ever Deadly Book 1) Page 29
