Forgotten Witch : A Lia Miller Series

by Sara Stone

  “It’s fine now; I got it all fixed up.” I tried to hide my snark, but I didn’t do a particularly good job.

  “Next time, call me, and I will come to fix it for you,” he said, laying a sincere smile on me so that I forgot the sexist comment. His smile was perfect, like a toothpaste commercial, all straight and pearly white. It was disarming.

  “I appreciate that, but I have a handyman for that,” I said, blurting out my answer before thinking it through.

  His smile disappeared, clearly showing he was jealous. He clenched his hands in fists, leaning forward as if to intimidate me a little.

  “Do you now?” he said, his mouth smirked up in a grin. His attractive features had been replaced instantly with that ugly sneer. I couldn’t help but feel surprised that it had happened so quickly.

  “Well, it is an old house and all. I can’t take care of it all myself,” I said, trying to play it cool by using his earlier comments against him.

  In a blink of an eye, his face transformed back to the suave, handsome guy who asked me out. His moods were mercurial, sending a big red flag up. It could just be the added work stress he had before I had shown up, at least I hoped anyway.

  “That’s true, but seriously next time, call me. You don’t need to pay a handyman. I would love to help you out.”

  He didn’t give off the fix-it type vibe. I could see him paying someone to work, not fixing it himself. I glanced at my phone and decided it would be best to get going. The mood was somewhat ruined by his apparent jealousy, made clear by his unneeded handyman comment. I wasn’t into games or men marking their territory because they are insecure. I shook my head slightly, wondering why I had even brought it up.

  “Let me walk you to your car.” He waved the waitress down and paid the bill adding a hefty tip. The brownie points came back out. Most men I had been out with tended to be on the stingy side, not tipping well, ending the date with a splash of cold water on whatever heat had been there. You could tell a lot about a man who treated customer service workers with respect.

  Walking out to the parking lot, Brad held my hand. I made sure to keep him on the side with no marks, although he had already seen it. I didn’t want a recap of the pain. An anxious feeling hit me as we got to my car. I knew he was going to try to kiss me as his confidence seemed to soar. He had the look of the cat catching the mouse on his face again. He licked his lips like he was about to have a second dessert. What should have been a scorching hot moment was soured. I couldn’t shake the odd feeling. He must have read my body language as he lightly kissed me on the lips instead of pushing for a make out session.

  “Take me home with you.” There was no doubt behind his words. He fully intended for me to say yes.

  “What?” I asked, bewildered.

  “We can go have coffee at your place.” I knew he didn’t mean coffee.

  “Um...I actually have a lot of work I need to catch up on. Raincheck?” I wasn’t ready to take that step with him. He was handsome and everything, but I didn’t want to rush into anything. Something was holding me back, but I couldn’t quite put my finger on why.

  He didn’t seem upset or surprised by my comment deflating his ego just a bit; instead, he nodded with a sad smile and strolled over to his car. I felt slightly giddy that more than one date had gone well enough. I thought I was doing rather well keeping the chaos of magic hidden while doing something so normal with someone who was considered normal.

  Driving along the main street, the road was empty. It wasn’t late, but being the middle of the week, people were already at home preparing for the next workday as the sun had just set. I was enjoying a song on the radio, singing off-key along with it. Singing car karaoke was just how I rolled. If you rode with me, you would have to put up with my not so extraordinary singing voice as I belted out tunes. I thought about how Hattie would expect juicy texts following the date with Brad. No doubt she would then wonder why I didn’t take him home for the night. I was a bit more reserved than she was.

  I made the turn onto my street, still feeling the giddiness of the date, when someone ran out in front of me. I slammed on my breaks to avoid the hooded figure. My heart thundered in my chest as I tried to hold it as it felt like it would explode. The man slammed on my hood, creating craters with his fists, causing me to jump in my seat. I had almost hit him, but that didn’t mean he could act like a moron. I started yelling as my hands tingled with my magic as my spark burned to life, my body now acting on instinct to defend myself. Ulric would be proud and yet horrified that I couldn’t control it in everyday situations. If I had blasted that man, I would be in some serious trouble. He had just ruined my car with his bare hands. I panicked and locked the doors, not thinking about the sheer fact if he could do that, he could easily take my door off.

  He was yelling in an indecipherable tone as I struggled to hear him behind the glass of my windshield. I was entirely distracted by the scene in front of me. I didn’t see the other three people pop out of nowhere, effectively surrounding my car and eliciting a horrified scream when I finally noticed. They were all chanting the same thing. I fumbled around for my phone, knocking it to the floor of the car and too scared to take my eyes off the scene as it unfolded before me.

  The noise coming from them was haunting. The chanting grew in volume as they swept back their hoods, revealing their pasty white skin and hollow looking eyes. Son of a b! Whatever they had planned for me was not good. I couldn’t just mow them down with my car, although the severity of the situation had me fighting my common sense not to make such a move. I called my magic back up and started chanting myself.

  “Goddess of the moon, hear my plea, cover my car in protection, so mote it be.” I chanted and chanted with everything I had, using the rhythm of the crazies surrounding me as my focal point. I had no idea if I was supposed to use herbs or bow my head like a prayer, so I was just yelling it as my shaking hands gripped my steering wheel. A vibration buzz overwhelmed my senses before my car started to glow as a purple haze sizzled along the metal. I watched as the men in hoods circled the car from a greater distance, cowering from the light.

  I hastily grabbed my phone and dialed Ulric as I used their space to speed away. My shaking fingers barely hit the call button. I swerved into my driveway and sat there with the car running, too scared to leave the safety of it.

  Chapter Seven

  Ulric finally picked up the phone after it went to voicemail a few times as I called repeatedly. I would call Judson, but I ended up needing his help far too often. Even in my panic, my ego got in the way. I didn't want him to come running any time I had no idea what was going on. After the last time ending with him spending the night, I wasn't quite ready to evaluate how that made me feel. It effectively had me wanting anyone, literally anyone else's help.

  "Hello Lia, how can I...."

  "Ulric, I see dead people! I got attacked by a bunch of zombies!" I yelled into the phone, no doubt splitting his eardrums. I couldn't help throwing that quote out there, which, of course, went right over his head. Apparently, I was the one with no life enough to watch all these movies and quote their best lines. It was slightly depressing, but nothing to get caught upon.

  There was no response. He had hung up on me. I slammed my hands onto the steering wheel. I dialed Rose, but no answer, and this was not the time to leave a voicemail. I was utterly and totally alone. Stuck in my car, in my driveway, like an idiot. How did I get myself into this mess?

  My phone rang, and I picked it up without checking the caller ID.

  "H-hello?" I asked with a shaky voice.

  "Hey, gorgeous." Really? Why hadn't I looked? This was not the time for idle chat.

  "H-hey Brad," I said, trying to hide the tremor in my voice and failing miserably. I was lucky I wasn't an aspiring actress because that performance would have been my last.

  "I just wanted to tell you good night."

  Well, that was sweet, but being I was completely shaken up, I couldn't entirely focus on
it. I sounded lame and uninterested.

  "Oh, uh, thanks."

  "What's wrong? Are you okay?" he asked, his voice filled with concern.

  "Uh yeah, I just scared myself, is all...." I didn't know what else to say.

  "Do you want me to come over? I can help you relax." His smooth confidence made me want to agree for half a second until I realized I wouldn't be able to explain why I was spellbound to the inside of my car.

  I saw shadows outside of my car, sending me into another panic. My heart had already been racing, now it thundered in my chest as I screamed.

  "Oh, for cripes sake!" I almost jumped into my passenger seat. They were hovering around without touching it. These seemed more significant than the ones that had confronted me in the middle of the street. I was at my wit's end, but there was nothing I could do. So much for being safe in my car. I waited to die like a coward.

  "Lia? Are you alright?" Brad was yelling, and it was barely a mumble over the speaker on the phone that I was clutching like a life preserver.

  I looked up to see Judson and Ulric standing there in my driveway. My heart didn't get the memo and continued to pound painfully, but relief came over me as I took them in. I knew I was dramatic, even for the evening's events.

  "Yeah, sorry. My…uh…cat jumped out at me." I laughed, or tried to anyway. It came out robotic and stiff.

  "Cats are foul creatures. I'm surprised you have one," he said. His tone had an edge to it that hadn't been there before. I couldn't sit there figuring it out. He probably just wasn't a fan of cats.

  "Can I text you later?" I asked, looking into Judson's impatient face.

  "Yes, no problem. I will talk to you later, Beautiful." The panic was gone, and so was he.

  "Lia? What did you do to the car? We can't touch it, or we'll get fired. I can see the magic coursing over it," Ulric questioned me. He looked intrigued.

  "I don't know! I was attacked in the middle of the neighborhood and asked for protection!" I was irritated, and they weren't helping.

  "I think you should try to exit your car," he said, looking less than confident in what he was saying.

  Before I could grab the handle and exit the car, Judson grabbed the handle on the outside. He was blown across the yard with a blast of light. He flew like a ragdoll, landing with a heavy thud in the grass. He laid sprawled out and unmoving. Without thinking, I opened my door and ran over to him. Nothing happened to me, but then again, the spell was on the outside of my car, keeping people from getting in.

  "Judson! Wake up!" I leaned over him, trying not to touch him if he were injured somewhere I couldn't see. Ulric was standing behind me as I kneeled in the wet grass beside him.

  "Mmmmm," he moaned in response to me yelling at him.

  "I don't see any actual damage. It could be the shock along with the fall that stunned him," Ulric said, placing a hand on my shoulder as I continued to try to wake Judson.

  His eyes opened a tiny bit, but it was clear he was still not fully conscious. He lifted his head up as he pulled mine down to whisper to me.

  "You should have called me," His breath tickled my ear as he spoke, raising goosebumps on my arms.

  "You should have waited for me to get out of the car," I admonished. I almost, almost wanted him to lean in and kiss me. I couldn't tell if it was the whispering in my ear or that he was so close to me. I cleared the thought quickly from my mind. Ugh. My mind was leaning one way, and I was trying to fight it. He dropped his head back, shutting his eyes tightly.

  "Judson...Judson...you need to get up!" I started shaking him. I didn't like that he was hurt, but I wanted to get inside after the issues I had with the weird pasty people.

  He started to mumble something that sounded surprisingly like a joke, and I just about laughed out loud. I couldn't remember him making a joke since I had met him. He was always very stoic.

  "Ulric, we need to get him inside," I looked up at him, catching a hint of a smile on his lips before he bent down to help me get him up.

  We both struggled to support his weight as we dragged him up the steps of the house. I glanced behind me and screeched as I saw more hooded figures looming in the dark. They were just outside the wards of the house. I had forgotten that they protected the yard, which included the driveway, so I had been safe as soon as I pulled in. Ulric looked towards what I was seeing and cursed. I couldn't help but hear Gram asking if he would kiss his mama with that mouth as he hustled us inside.

  After we deposited Judson on my couch, Ulric began flitting about getting him some supplements to help him recover and then said a small incantation for him to snap out of it. Ulric had gone from calm to urgently needing Judson back to his usual self, which said something considering their occasionally tense relationship.

  A minute after Ulric cast the incantation on him, Judson sat up and was raving mad.

  "What the hell just happened to me?" he asked, looking between us.

  "You got thrown across the yard by touching Lia’s car," Ulric said dryly.

  His cheeks turned a bit red as he avoided eye contact. He was obviously embarrassed at being knocked out for his rash decision to power through the spell.

  "As much as I would love to analyze why you felt the need to touch my car while it was lit up like a live wire, you two came over for a reason." I was getting impatient. I had been attacked, and now that I knew Judson was alright, it was time to figure out what those things were.

  "Those are not your average goons," Ulric said, pacing the window, peeping out every now and then. His pacing was making me antsy.

  "Would you like to fill me in on how an average sized zombie put fist sized dents into the hood of my car?" The fact that he used his bare hands was terrifying.

  "Lia, those aren't zombies," Ulric said, shaking his head putting his fingers to the bridge of his nose in irritation.

  "With all the recent craziness in my life, I would have thought zombies could be real," I chuckled dryly.

  "Those are vampires. They are clearly working for someone to attack so openly. The only time you will ever see one is right before you they kill you."

  Wait, what? Vampires as in drink my blood, can't eat garlic bread, and stay out of churches vampires? We were a long way from Transylvania. I must have heard him wrong. Things like this didn't exist in my world. The soulless black eyes, with gray mealy skin and sunken in cheeks was something I hoped I wouldn't encounter ever again.

  "I am getting really tired of learning about these things after being attacked or when something bad happens. I have an idea. Let's just have a chat about all the things that aren't just a figment of my imagination!"

  "After we destroy those things, I will sit you down and explain all the supernatural beings to you." Ulric gave me a look as if to ask me if I was ready. Um, not. I had been surrounded by them without knowing what they were, and he wanted my novice self to go out there acting like Buffy?

  "We as in you two or we as in us three? I don't think I have had enough practice to go vampire slaying."

  "There is no way Judson and I can take all of them. Last time I checked, there were at least eight."

  "I don't even know what to do! This is suicide! I regularly get hurt during training, and that’s with you taking it easy on me!" My voice was becoming shrill as I got more and more upset. My palms started to sweat as my heart kicked up. If my adrenaline kept doing this daily, I was going to keel over from a heart attack. I jumped up and started pacing around with him.

  "She's right. We need to handle this one on our own," Judson added. He had been reticent.

  "If she doesn't start fighting now, when will she be ready? She is the leader of a coven and doesn't have room to be afraid anymore." Ulric's tone was harsh, as were his words. He was right. Gram had passed it to me, knowing at some point I would be capable. I didn't want to hide, but I would be lying if I said I wasn't shaking in my boots. I realized I was still dressed for my date with Brad. I turned and ran up the stairs without explaining myself. I gr
abbed a pair of jeans out of the closet door and tugged them up my legs. I was stuck jumping around, pulling them up over my thighs, when there was a knock.

  "Hold on a minute," I called. I finally got the jeans up and sat on the bed to slip on my sneakers. The knocking persisted as it turned into a high-pitched scraping noise. I thought one of the guys was being funny when it hit me that the sound was coming from my window and not the bedroom door.

  I screamed with everything I had when the light hit the sunken face of the man thing that floated outside my second story bedroom. I threw a fireball instinctively towards it, shattering the window in the process. The fire hit it in the face, knocking him down into the warded area of the yard. The body instantly turned into ashes. Holy guacamole! That was intense. How did he touch my window if everything had been warded by Gram?

  "Lia, are you alright?" Judson yelled as he ran into my room, slamming the door into the wall in the process with a loud bang. I had unknowingly walked to the window to stare at where the body had fallen. He put his hand gently on my shoulder as I saw the pile of ashes below swirling around with a slight breeze.

  "We need to get out there before they bring the fight in to us. They have found a way to break down the wards, and it won't be long before they make their way into your house. Only a few parts are still holding," he said, trying to pull me out of my shock. I was stuck on mute, only capable of responding with a slight nod before following him downstairs. That thing had gotten past the wards. There was no better time than now to take these things out or die trying, and I seriously hoped it wouldn't be the latter.

  "We will go out there on the count of three. Lia, you need to use fire or icicles to the heart—otherwise, you will only piss them off," Ulric was explaining it all clinically, putting on a front of pure calm. I was all but calm. I had my hands clenched at my sides so they wouldn't see them shaking.

  "Fire or ice to the heart. Got it." Really, I didn't, but it's not like I could just opt out and call it a day. If I could do that, I wouldn't have even thought twice when all this craziness started. My life had done a 180 into a universe I didn't understand, and I was struggling to be a part of it.