“Close your eyes!”
I jumped at her tone. Lexie was bossy. I closed my eyes. She took my hands in her. Her skin was so soft.
“You have very soft hands.”
“Shh. Concentrate. Breathe in, breathe out. Slowly. Picture the air filling your lungs. Block out everything else in your mind and focus on releasing all of your energy into this candle.”
We stayed like that for what had to be ten minutes. Maybe more. I honestly lost track of time in the quietness of the room.
“Now, picture the candle. Picture the flame igniting. Focus all of your energy on the flame. Harness that energy and focus it onto the wick of the candle.”
This was bizarre. I felt insane. There was no way I was going to get this candle to light up with just my mind.
I suddenly felt a rush of heat in front of me. We both opened our eyes and jumped back. The candle wasn’t the only thing on fire. There was a fire in the center of us.
“Oh my God.”
Lexie jumped up and looked shocked. “What the hell did you do?”
“I did what you told me to do!”
She waved her hand over the fire and it created a wind strong enough to put the fire out. She looked at me and then down at the scorch mark on the floor. “The candle. I said to light the candle. Not the area around it.”
The candle was in perfect condition. The floor around it, not so much. “I am so sorry.”
She sighed. “My mom is going to kill me.”
“I am.”
She jumped and looked at the door. A woman, I assumed her mother, was standing there with her arms folded across her chest. She glared at Lexie. “Lexie, what is going on here?”
“Mom,” she said, chuckling nervously. “You’re home early.”
“To what exactly?” She looked at me. She was very pretty. Lexie looked a lot like her, except her mother had blue eyes and Lexie had brown. “Who is this?”
“This is Hope.”
She looked at me for a moment. “You’re Melinda’s daughter.”
I refrained from rolling my eyes. “Let me guess, you knew my mother.”
“I did.” She smiled sadly at me. “I’m sorry you lost her. She was a great woman.”
I smiled. “Yeah, she was.”
She came further into the attic and looked at the scorch mark on the floor. “She was good with fire spells too.”
“Oh, no. I’m not good at fire spells. I didn’t even mean to do that.” I was terrible at being a witch, just like I thought I would be.
“Learning to control your powers is going to take a lot of practice. Magic is dangerous stuff. Isn’t that right Lexie?” She smiled at her daughter.
Lexie smiled sheepishly. “Sorry Mom.”
“That’s okay. But let’s not perform any more fire spells. Especially not in my attic. I’d prefer we didn’t have to find a new place to live.”
“Got it,” Lexie said.
“Is Hope staying for dinner?”
“Thanks, but I should be getting home. My aunt doesn’t exactly know about this.”
She tilted her head at that. “Gemma is a very powerful witch. She’s one of the best. If you’re really interested in honing your craft, you should talk with her.”
“Like you said. Dangerous stuff.”
She nodded her head. She seemed to understand where I was coming from. “Let me give you something.”
She went to one of the bookshelves and looked through the books. There had to be hundreds. She pulled one from the shelf and handed it to me. It looked like a journal of some sort. “This is one of my family’s grimoires. It covers some of the basics. If you really want to embrace your witch heritage, you should probably do some reading before you jump into the heavy lifting.”
I looked over the book before smiling at her. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome Hope. Don’t worry. You’ll get the hang of everything quickly. Your mother was a natural, and I’m sure you are too.”
I wasn’t so sure about that. But I hoped she was right.
Chapter 40: Hope
I wanted to tell Gemma about all of this, but even if I wasn’t worried for her safety, I wouldn’t. I got the feeling she didn’t want anything to do with witchcraft. Whatever happened when she was younger must have really done a number on her.
When I got home, Knight was sitting on the front steps next door. I smiled and walked over to him.
“Sup.” I sat down next to him on the steps.
“Sup.”
“You okay?”
“Yeah, I’m okay. You?”
I smiled to myself. “I’m actually great for once in a long time.”
I was in a place where I felt safe for once. Well, maybe safe wasn’t the best word. There were still vampires coming after me. I guess a better way to put it was I felt like I was home. I had a home for the first time in seven years and it felt amazing.
I had friends. I was even warming up to Lexie being a friend and she was teaching me this whole new part of me. A part of me that I got from my mother. The werewolf part was a bit of a downer, but that was only because I didn’t know much about it yet. Maybe being a werewolf-witch-hybrid was going to be the best thing that ever happened to me.
Maybe.
“What has you in such a good mood?”
“I just did magic for the first time and it was incredible. I mean, I totally sucked and could have burned Lexie’s house to the ground, but I did it. And now I just want to learn everything I can about being a witch. I even want to know about my werewolf side.”
He smiled. “That’s great Hope. I’m happy for you. You deserve all the happiness in the world after everything you’ve been through.”
“You do too.”
We looked into each other’s eyes. There were only two more things that would make me the happiest girl in the world. My mother being alive. And kissing Knight.
“You’re an amazing person Hope. You’re beautiful, kind, special. You’re the best person I’ve ever met.”
I couldn’t take it anymore. I brushed my lips against Knight’s. It was a quick peck, but it sent a jolt of electricity through my body. I needed more of Knight.
“I…”
Knight pressed his lips to mine. This kiss was different. It was so gentle and yet so full of passion and heat that I felt like my insides were about to explode.
I dragged my fingers through his bushy brown locks. We were right outside and anyone could have seen us, but I couldn’t seem to get myself to care. I kissed Knight like my life depended on it.
I felt completely in sync with Knight. Like I was discovering a whole part of myself that I never realized was missing.
Knight suddenly pulled away. “I’m sorry.”
I wiped my lips with my thumb. He was sorry. Was he sorry for kissing me? Did that mean he regretted it? Oh God. He regretted kissing me.
“No, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done that.” I got up from the steps.
“Wait, no Hope. That’s not what I meant.”
“You don’t have to explain.”
He was following me back to my house. I ran up the steps and started trying to get the front door unlocked.
“I just still don’t know what to do about the whole Hayden thing.”
“I get it. No need to explain.”
“Hope…”
“I’ll see you later Knight.”
I closed the front door and leaned against the door. I closed my eyes. So stupid. You are so stupid Hope. My friendship with Knight was ruined and it was all my fault. I shouldn’t have kissed him.
Now that I’d had Knight’s lips pressed against mine, it was the only thing I could think about. I wanted so much more of Knight. There was only one problem with that. He wasn’t mine to have.
Chapter 41: Wyatt
What a stupid werewolf. That kid was a fool. He had Hope and he was tossing her aside for some bitch.
I watched the dog walk back to his house with his tail between his
legs. Good for you Hope. I liked that she wasn’t begging him to choose her. There should be no choice. A girl like Hope. It was a no brainer. You didn’t give up the opportunity of being loved by a girl like Hope.
I turned around to head home and was met with a man. I assumed Kane based on the description from my brother.
He grabbed my shirt and took off with me. I didn’t even have the chance to try to fight him. He was strong, and fast.
When we got to the woods he pulled me closer to him and glared at me. I snickered. “If you wanted a kiss, all you had to do was ask.”
He punched me across the face. Hard. I felt the blood trickling down from my nose and my lip was busted in half. It would be healed in a few moments, but it pissed me the hell off.
I glared daggers at him. All signs of humor gone. “You mother…”
He punched me again, this time sending me flying into a tree. My body slammed into it and then onto the ground. I got up quickly and spit the blood pooling in my mouth out onto the ground. “Kane, I presume.”
“Stay away from Hope.”
I laughed.
“I wasn’t joking.”
“I don’t take orders from anyone. I’m not my little brother. I’m not weak.”
He fixed his shirt and took a handkerchief out of his pocket. He cleaned his knuckles off of the remnants of my blood. “You might not be weak, but you’ll never be stronger than me.”
I lunged at him, but he managed to wrap his arms around my neck and spin me around into a chokehold. He held down on my neck until I couldn’t breathe. “Keep your distance from Hope or I will end you and your pathetic family. You infants have nothing on me.”
He let me go and threw me onto the ground. I got up right away, taking deep breaths. “Does Hope know you’re trying to control who’s in her life?”
“Let’s get something straight, Wyatt. As long as Hope is in Salem Point, I’m the vampire in charge. You want to live here, I’d learn to show some respect, young one.” He grinned at me. He fixed his shirt again before turning around and starting to walk away. “I won’t warn you again. Next time I’ll just kill you.”
“Don’t you want to know what I found out about our girl?”
I heard him growl. He spun around and looked at me with hate. “She’s not your girl. If you were smart, you’d stay away from her.”
“Maybe you should take your own advice. After all, we may have an alpha on our hands.”
He tilted his head and walked back towards me. “What are you talking about?”
I wiped my lip, which was now practically fully healed. “It’s a small town. And a lot of them are easy to compel. Want to know who Hope’s mommy had a little fling with in high school?”
“If you know something spit it out.”
“I’ll give you a hint. His wife sits at the head of the town council.”
He narrowed his eyes. “Caleb Wilson.”
“Also known as the alpha of the Bloodmoon pack.”
“Are you certain?”
I scoffed and rolled my eyes. “No, I can’t be certain unless I take some of Hope’s and papa wolf’s DNA. Seeing as I’d like to stay living, I figured I’d just pass the message along to you.”
He started walking out of the woods again.
“You’re welcome!”
“Stay away from Hope.”
I should probably listen to him. But I wouldn’t.
Kane couldn’t be with Hope at all times. Christian wouldn’t admit he needed human blood for strength and the werewolf was a walking teenage disaster. That left me.
Hope was a nice girl. Feisty at times, which I admired about her.
I wasn’t going to leave her life in the hands of these morons.
Chapter 42: Kane
I had to figure out a way to get Caleb’s DNA. Getting Hope’s DNA would be easy enough. I could probably just steal it off of her with how fast I was. Caleb was another story.
He was a powerful alpha. I’m sure he could tell I was a vampire from a mile away. They had an incredible sense of smell. Sometimes even better than a vampire.
If Hope was Caleb’s daughter, I needed to know and she needed to know. Being the daughter of a pack leader meant she’d have the protection of an entire pack. The Bloodmoon pack was powerful and huge. There were members throughout the world, not just in Salem Point.
I wouldn’t have to worry about Hope as much anymore. She’d always be protected. If this was true, my father had no idea what he was up against. It wasn’t just Hope he had to be worried about. She had a whole pack that would be behind her one day. Especially if she was the alpha like I was predicting.
Today I was planning to go meet with Caleb. I thought it was best if I just explained the situation to him. He seemed like a decent enough guy. I wasn’t so sure how he was going to take me. Or how he was going to take the news that he had another daughter. Breaking this kind of news to a wolf alpha wasn’t something I ever thought I’d have to do.
I was doing a lot that I never thought I’d do. These past few years have been all about Hope. She was all that mattered. I had to keep her safe. She was sixteen now. Two more years and she’d be an adult. But that didn’t mean she was going to be in any less danger. If anything it would be worse. She would be free to do whatever she wanted. I’d have no control over where she went or who she chose to associate with.
I know I sounded like a control freak, but she was important to me. I just felt responsible for the life she had. She would still have her mother if it weren’t for my family.
I went into the foyer and froze. I listened to the silence that surrounded me. Someone was in the house and I knew exactly who it was. I would know her scent anywhere.
I walked into the living room and sure enough my sister was sitting on the sofa. She had a glass of scotch in her hand. She smiled at me. “Brother, it’s been far too long.”
“Francesca.”
“Kane, it is so good to see you.”
“It’s good to see you too. Though, I have to say, I’m quite surprised. I thought you said you’d never return to the states.”
Francesca left for Europe a century ago. She hated our father with a passion. Perhaps even more than me.
“Yes, well things change. People change. Like you for instance.”
“I wasn’t aware that I had changed.”
“You’ve changed the most. According to Father, you aren’t the doting son he always thought you were. He feels betrayed.”
My body tensed. She’d been in contact with our father. This was worse than bad. She was up to something. “You’ve spoken with Father?”
“Yes. I even saw him. Our relationship is stronger than it’s ever been.”
I glared at her. “Francesca, what did you do?”
She sneered. “Made a deal with the devil.” She downed her drink and got up from the sofa. She placed the glass on the coffee table and walked closer to me. “He’s going to give me my mother’s remains so that I can have Teresa bring her back. There’s just one thing he wants in return. The girl.”
I went to grab her, but she grabbed my arm and flipped me over onto the floor. Francesca looked the same age as me, but she was three centuries older than me. Aside from being an older, stronger vampire, she was also trained by some of the best martial artists the world has ever seen. She smiled down at me.
“Francesca, don’t do this. Don’t become like him.”
“I’m nothing like him. But I will do what I have to do to get back what he stole from me.”
“She’s sixteen. He stole her mother from her as well. She’s just like you. Can you really kill an innocent girl that hasn’t even had a chance to live yet?”
She smiled. “Don’t worry brother. Father has had time to reconsider. He wants her alive now. He’s got great plans for Hope.”
I growled at her. “You’re never going to get your hands on her.”
She grabbed hold of my neck. “There’s a vampire grabbing her as we speak. Nigh
ty, night, little brother.”
I tried to fight her grasp, but it was too late. Darkness overtook me, the last image in my head was Hope.
Chapter 43: Hope
I wasn’t expecting that kiss. Neither was Knight. It shouldn’t have happened. Now I was avoiding him.
We hadn’t spoken to each other since it happened.
It was a mistake and I was afraid that it ruined our friendship. I’d rather have Knight in my life as a friend than to not have him in my life at all. I had to fix things with him. I just didn’t know how.
I think the kiss was just from the excitement I had from using magic for the first time. It was in the heat of the moment. That was all. I had to tell Knight that and make sure we could still be friends.
Hayden was his mate and I had to accept that.
Right now probably wasn’t the best time for me to be seeing anyone anyway. I had a lot on my plate right now.
I walked out of line with my slice of pizza and was surprised to see Jade sitting at one of the tables. I went to her. “I thought you spent lunch in the library.”
She shrugged. “I figured you could use my company.”
I smiled and sat down. “I could always use your company.”
Jade was such an amazing friend. I really hoped this new part of my life wasn’t going to affect my friendship with her. She was the first person I ever felt comfortable calling my friend. Maybe even my best friend.
“Don’t look now, but the pretty kids are looking at you.”
I knew right away who she was talking about. Christian and Elizabeth. I smiled, knowing they probably heard her call them pretty.
I chanced a look at Christian. He smiled at me. I guess I was lucky. Yeah, there was a vampire after me, but at least I had three guys in my life that were there to protect me. Kane, unfortunately included.
I just didn’t like feeling like I was weak. Having to have them fight my battles for me made me have anxiety.
But that didn’t mean I wasn’t grateful for their protection. Mostly because it meant that they were watching over the people in my life too. Mainly Gemma and Jade.
Protecting Hope: A Reverse Harem Paranormal Romance (Bloodmoon Series Book 1) Page 13
