FIRST MOON
A Reverse Harem Tale
Lovin' the Coven Series, book 1
by
Jacquelyn Faye
FIRST MOON
A Reverse Harem Tale
All Rights Reserved
Copyright © 2019 by Jacquelyn Faye
Cover Design © 2019 by Sean Hayden
Cover Photo © 2019 by Depositphotos/inarik
Cover Photo © 2019 by Depositphotos/mshake
All rights Reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Names, characters, places, and incidents are the products of the author's imagination and or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Published by Untold Press LLC
114 NE Estia Lane
Port St Lucie, FL 34983
www.untoldpress.com
PRODUCED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Dedication
For my mother, whom I was named after. She had all the talent to be an author but sacrificed everything for her family.
I love you, Mom. And I miss you.
Chapter 1
"Are you sure about this, Dorothea?"
"I am. We've been over this a hundred times, Mother."
"I know, but you were always supposed to stay in Ashville. You were supposed to become high priestess when I answered the Call of our Lady."
"Mother, you are six-hundred years old." I finished stuffing the last of my robes and jeans into my suitcase. My bags were packed. I just needed to stuff my laptop into my backpack and load everything into my car. "You won't get the call for at least another four-hundred-years."
"And by then, you will have been forgotten by your coven. How could you expect to become high priestess if that happens?"
"It's not like I'm not going to come visit. I've known these people all my life. But, Mother, this is something I need to do. I can feel it."
"The Ninety-Ninth Year Itch is an old wives' tale."
"I'm not so sure." I zipped up my bag and sat on my bed next to it. I'd lived in the homey bedroom since the 1900s. Ninety-Ninth Year Itch or not, it was time for me to move out of my mother's house. Damn near a hundred years was too long. My mother wasn't the easiest person in the realms to live with. If I had to stay even one more year, they might find her stuffed in her cauldron…
"You're being pulled, aren't you?"
I nodded. I couldn't explain it. My birthday had come and gone two days ago. It started as an idea in my head. Then it became a want. Then it turned into a soul ripping need. I needed to move. Someone or something was pushing me to go north. Straight north and settle there. I couldn't even pinpoint my destination on a map. I'd know it when I saw it. "I can't explain it, Mother. I just need to do this."
"I know. The part about the old wives' tale was bullshit. It's how we ended up here, thanks to your grandmother. Lady rest her soul."
"Gramma's not dead. You really need to quit saying that."
"She will be if she keeps critiquing my spells in front of the coven."
"Well, Mayor McGillis won the election. Even with the equine rectum that mysteriously sprouted from his forehead."
"Say it for what it was, dear. A horse's ass."
"And you felt that would stop him from getting elected how?"
"I just wanted the good constituents of this town to know that he is full of shit."
"You're insane."
"I know, baby," she cackled.
I sighed. As much as I bitched about living with her. I would miss her. Sometimes. I looked at her and gave her a sad smile, feeling the waterworks coming. I was going to miss her face, a face that didn't look much older than mine. Her cascading red hair. Her mole right above the dimple on her left cheek…
"You have a piece of chocolate on your face, Mother."
She reached up and wiped the spot off. I was still going to miss her dimple.
"I'm worried about you, you know. Witches, real honest-to-goodness witches have been living in Ashville since…well, forever. People know about us and accept us. The rest of the country…not so much. I don't want to see you burned at the stake, Dorothea."
I sighed. Everybody in Ashville called me Dot. My mother absolutely refused to call me anything other than by the goddess-given name she had anointed me with. "I'm not going to be burned at the stake, Mother. If anybody tries, I'll just turn them into a plague of frogs."
"Just be careful."
"I'm not going alone."
"That's what I'm afraid of. Josie isn't exactly… safe."
"Two witches are better than one. She'll have my back and I'll have hers. Plus, rent will be half as expensive."
"You have more money than most banks, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't be frugal. I'm proud of you."
She kissed the top of my head.
"It's time." Standing, I walked over to my dresser and opened the lid on my tiny hope chest. I picked it up, set it on the floor next to my bed, and kneeled on the polished wooden floor next to it. The tiny mirror inside the lid reflected my eye as I whispered to it. "Bhailiú go léir mo rudaí."
I stepped back as light flared from the foot-long box, grabbing the suitcase from my bed and stuffing my laptop in my backpack. I slung it over my shoulder and walked toward the door. My mother had already exited the room.
Closing the door, I put my back to it, and waited. The sound of sliding furniture and thunder echoed from behind it. Light flashed through the tiny gap under the door. When the theatrics died down, I opened the door and picked up the chest.
"Laghdaigh." The chest shook in my hand and shrank down to the size of a quarter. I stuck it in my front pocket, looking around the room to make sure it had gotten everything. It did. The only things left were the dresser, my small bed, and the dust bunnies that had been hiding under everything. My mother refused to part with any of them. I reached down and petted one of them. "Thank you, guys."
They scampered off and headed toward my mother's room. They were probably going to get fat living in there. She never cleaned anything.
I grabbed my suitcase and headed downstairs. Mother waited for me by the door. "Are you picking Josie up?"
"Yeah."
"I'll inform Miranda that you are on your way."
"Um. Don't do that."
"Why on earth not?"
"Josie hasn't told her mother that she's moving out yet."
"When was she planning on doing so?"
"When it was safe."
"I see. And did you consider not telling me?"
"Maaaybe…"
"Well, thank you from sparing me the embarrassment. And giving me a chance to say goodbye."
"It's not goodbye, Mother! It's I'll see you soon."
"Very well. Be home for Yule."
"Wouldn't miss it."
My mother rarely hugged me, so it was a bit of a surprise when she wrapped me in her arms and squeezed me tightly. "I'm moderately fond of you, daughter. Be safe."
"I love you, too." I awkwardly hugged her with the arm holding my backpack from sliding off my shoulder.
The front door opened. I pulled back from her embrace. "See? Even house is telling me to get the hell out." The light in the hallway flickered.
"Goodbye, Dorothea."
"Bye, Mother."
I pulled my suitcase through the door and let it bump bump bump down the three stone steps. The early November breeze sent a chill through me a
s I looked over my shoulder at my home. Mother had yet to take down the Samhain decorations. A few days before the start of yule, she'd probably be outside panicking, casting decorations all over it until it looked like a Pinterest page.
"Oscailte," I called out to my little Kia Soul. The trunk popped open, and I put my suitcase in and set my backpack on top of it.
"You had better send me a post when you get settled. Let me know where you are!"
"There's these things called cell phones, Mother. You should get one."
"That technology you're so fond of will take centuries off your life. How many times have I told you that?"
"Bye!" I got in my car and shut my door. My mother, Madeline, was a bit of a technophobe. It was one of her least endearing qualities. Most witches were. Josie would use them, but she had tech-tarded tendencies. I was obsessive compulsive. I bought all the shinies. Human technology fascinated me.
I started the engine and headed toward Josie's house. I texted and drove, shame on me, but being immortal had its perks.
On my way.
KK. Usual Spot.
All Ok?
Nay. IF u see mom, keep driving.
I laughed and touched my phone to the holder. It grabbed it from my hand and pointed the screen toward me. My phone screen faded, and faint blue lines began to glow on the screen. They moved as I passed the streets of Ashville. A wiggling pink dot appeared at the top. That would be my best friend, Josephine. I'd known her since we'd been born on the same day almost a century ago. She was my twin from another witch. Two witches born on All Hallows Eve had caused quite the stir in our sleepy little town.
The pink dot moved closer to the glowing blue dot. I was that dot. Magic GPS. Needed no updates, used zero data, and wasn't reliant on human satellites. If I could market it, I'd be a billionaire. My mother would probably kill me for outing witches worldwide, but I still felt half-tempted.
I saw Josie standing beside the road across from her house. She had an anxious look on her face and was nearly bouncing where she stood, glancing nervously at her house. I slowed down, and she tossed her bag in the back and nearly jumped in the front seat.
"Go!"
I gave the car a little gas and we were off.
"Do you see her anywhere?"
I glanced out the window and in the mirrors. "Negative, Pink-rider. The pattern is clear."
"You are so weird."
"Says the expert."
"So where are we heading?"
"North."
"Did you make a playlist?"
"Does my mother smell like mothballs?"
"Put it on! Road. Trip!"
∞ ∞ ∞
The sun breached the horizon and burned my retinas. Not really, but it felt like it. Grabbing my sunglasses out of the center console, I slipped them on. I turned up the music a little to drown out the sounds of Josie's snoring.
The Devil Went Down to Georgia, started and I found myself singing along. Okay, talking really fast along, since there wasn't really any singing. "Country rap," I said and turned it up a little more.
We had crossed the border into Pennsylvania a few hours ago. I felt the pull to go farther west and just followed my gut, ignoring my GPS. The sunlight illuminated the valley nestled well below the highway we were traveling. I gave a little gasp. I'd never seen anything quite like it before. It was my first time in the mountains.
"We're getting closer, " I said to myself, since my best friend was in no condition to have a conversation. When she slept, you could set off small explosions by her head and she wouldn't wake up. Literally. I had to bespell her hair back to normal and ended up grounded for a few months, but it had been totally worth it.
Blue flashing lights flickered to life behind me, and a siren started wailing. I sighed, glancing down at my speed. I was only doing five above the speed limit. I slowed down and tried to find a place to pull over, but the road edged right up to the mountain. I kept going for a mile or so until it opened back up. The police officer pulled in behind me.
I shut my car off and rolled down my window.
"Evening Miss. License and registration, please?"
I opened the glove compartment and snagged my registration. Handing both to him, I nervously placed my hands on the wheel and stared out the windshield, Josie's snores filling the vehicle.
"Your friend seems kind of out of it. Late night?"
I looked up at the officer. His blue eyes were framed by light brown lashes, just a shade darker than the gorgeous set of hair on his head. I briefly wondered what it would take to get him to put me in handcuffs…
"Yeah. We've been driving all night."
"Where are you headed?"
"North."
"Canada?"
"Maybe. I'll know when I get there," I said with a small smile.
"Well, get some rest. You were swerving, that's why I pulled you over. You haven't been drinking, have you?"
"No, sir."
"Should I do a field sobriety test?"
"Z-y-x-w-v-u-t-s-r-q-p-o-n-m-l-k-j-i-h-g-f-e-d-c-b-a."
"Whoa."
"Just one of my many talents."
He paused a moment and handed me my license and registration. "Any others I should know about?"
"I could turn you into a toad."
His laugh sent a small shiver down my spine. "Well, we wouldn't want that, ma'am. Hard to pull over pretty ladies for swerving in the mountains when you're a frog."
"Toad."
"That, too. Be careful. There's a hotel a few miles up the road. Pull in there and get some sleep."
"I will. Or I'll wake my lethargic friend up and make her drive."
He tipped his hat and walked back to his car. I almost sighed in disappointment. The officer wasn't your average cop. In fact, I didn't even know hot cops actually existed. We didn't have a decent looking one in Ashville, but the entire police force consisted of the chief and four other officers…
I felt an unfamiliar tugging in my chest. "Don't tell me I'm already homesick," I said to myself in the rearview mirror.
"He was cute."
"You were awake?" I pulled back onto the highway.
"For most of it. I see you stunned him with your reverse alphabet memorization. I told you that would come in handy one day."
"He probably just thinks I'm a smartass."
"He called you pretty…"
"So? Did you want me to offer myself to him in the back of my Kia? In front of my friend?"
"I wouldn't have minded watching…"
"You're a perv."
"Ha. It's been longer for me than you. What was it? 1997?"
"Yeah. About then."
"This is why I agreed to move with you. Living with my parents…"
"Witches on the loose." I held up my fist and Josie didn't leave me hanging.
"So, where the hell are we?"
"Almost to New York."
"City?"
"State."
"That's much less exiting. How long until we get to the city?"
"We're not. We're going way west of there."
"Well turn east. I wanna see the city."
"You knew we were following my itch. I don't have any control of the destination."
"Then turn around. The cop is back there. I'm sure he can quell your itch…"
"Perv."
"We already established that fact."
I caught a quick glance at one of the blue information signs on the side of the road. We were only eight miles from the New York Welcome Center. "Feel like driving?"
"You tired?"
"Apparently. I didn't even realize I was swerving back there."
"You sure you were? Sometimes cops just like to pull over pretty young ladies."
"Uh huh. Sure they do."
"Saw it on a video."
"Maybe in a porn movie. Plumbers aren't that attractive either… Stick to reality, Josie."
"That's no fun."
Josie cranked the speakers and we sang until we pull
ed off into the rest area. "I gotta pee."
"Me, too."
The place was nearly deserted. Only a couple of semis littered the large parking area reserved for them, and one motor home. In the car area it was just us and a blue pickup. Two guys sat on a picnic table in front of it, smoking cigarettes and leaning back. I parked as close to the entrance as possible.
"Do you want your jacket?"
I shook my head. It was warm enough in the car, but New York in November wasn't exactly pleasant. It wasn't worth the effort to put it on just to run into the rest area.
"Okay," she said and didn't grab hers either. I could hear the don't let me hear you bitch about how cold it is in her voice though.
I practically ran. Maybe I should have grabbed my jacket. My long-sleeved T-shirt and jeans did nothing to stop the cold wind from stealing the breath from my lungs.
"It's like twenty degrees colder than when we left."
"Well, we have been going north. What were you expecting?"
"Palm trees and margaritas."
"That's the other way."
"I know. I was hoping to find a tropical themed bar."
I opened the door, not even holding it for Josie. She could fend for herself. I heard her curse my name as I ran for the bathroom.
"That wasn't very nice. Ahhh. At least it's warm in here."
"It is." I closed the door on the stall and did my business. "I'm going to grab a map," I called out as I washed my hands after I finished.
"Okay."
I left her in the bathroom. She was probably playing on her phone in the stall. The welcome portion of the center was gorgeous. The back wall was mostly glass wall, overlooking the valley. Stylish sofas were placed all over, giving drivers a place to relax and enjoy the scenery. I didn't feel like doing either, so I headed for the information desk.
The maps were lined neatly in wooden holders by the front. Nobody was manning the desk,so I grabbed one and flipped it open, hoping to get maybe an inkling of where we were headed. The highway we were on ultimately passed through Syracuse before heading into Canada.
First Moon : A Reverse Harem Tale (Lovin' the Coven Book 1) Page 1
