The Queen of Witches

by Brandi Elledge

  “Something… different.” I shrugged my shoulders, trying to act like all of this was completely normal. “I don't know. A psychic?”

  “Nope.” He started laughing and my face flamed. “Sorry. That’s hilarious.”

  Great, he was laughing at me. He probably thought I was crazy. Maybe I was insane. Ever since I turned eighteen, I knew there was a good chance I would end up in an insane asylum. I was still debating my sanity when he said, “I’m a werewolf.”

  The hell you say. “I’m sorry; what was that?”

  Forget me being crazy—this lunatic in front of me was the real deal. I started gauging the distance between me and the door. If I was fast, I could possibly be out the door and halfway through the shop before he began to chase me.

  “I'm a fast runner, love. Now, that we’ve started this conversation, I aim to finish it.”

  And he said he wasn’t a psychic!

  “Sure.” I gulped. Maybe I could entertain him enough with this crazy conversation until the opportunity came to escape. Trying to fake calmness, I asked, “So, when you say werewolf, do you mean turning into a wolf during the full moon and howling, or what?”

  “I’m one of the two most powerful werewolves in the world. I have been genetically altered, so my full wolf form is not like other werewolves, or what has been portrayed on the movie screens. Think more Hulk and less hair. My brother’s body and mine enlarge along with our canines. We have an abundance of strength, speed, and are immortal. Our senses… well, they’re all extremely heightened. For example, I can sense your fear right now, but I swear to you that you have nothing to be afraid of.”

  I swallowed a lump forming in my throat. “I guess I’ll have to take your word on that. So, you’re suggesting that the world has werewolves?”

  “Not suggesting, love. I’m telling you there are werewolves—packs of them, and you have a live one right in front of you.” He raked a hand through his shaggy hair. “Would you like to know what you are?”

  Did I? Here was the moment I’d been waiting for, and yet I found myself panicking. There would be no turning back after this conversation. Stalling the only way I knew how, I asked, “How old are you exactly? Nineteen? Twenty?”

  “Are you going to freak out if I tell you I’m one thousand, six hundred and eighty-four?”

  Freak out? I was still digesting the werewolf thing. “Maybe.”

  “Okay, then. I’m twenty.”

  “My brain is having a hard time processing all of this.”

  “Maybe if I showed you what I am, it would help?” At my nod, his blue eyes turned a rich copper color, and his body seemed to grow. I watched in shock as his wide shoulders became even larger. Then in an instant, like a balloon that had been popped, his eyes were back to blue, and there was a grin on his face. “I can demonstrate more if you would like?”

  I could feel myself starting to panic; he scooted over on the couch and laid a hand on my shoulder. A calmness overcame me. My eyes jerked to his. “Are you doing this?”

  “Yes. Another talent of mine.”

  “A walking bottle of Valium.”

  “Do you mind? I can stop.”

  “No, keep the happy juice flowing.” I took a couple of deep breaths. “All right, so you’re a genetically altered werewolf.” Not going to lie. Didn’t see that coming. “What am I?”

  I made a mental promise to myself that whatever his next few words were, I wouldn’t freak out. I hated making promises I couldn’t keep.

  Chapter Five

  “You are a witch.”

  Ha! That was funny. A witch? Like, burn me at the stake witch? Or like warts on my nose witch? I tuned back into what he was saying.

  “The witch family host many different breeds. The psychic you accused me of being falls under the witch category, along with mind readers and telekinetics. Only the strongest of the witches are presumed to have some sort of royalty in them. Your powers are extreme. There is no doubt when your body is fully done transitioning, you will be a powerful witch.”

  “Why would you think I’m a witch?”

  “Well, you don’t look like a demon, and your ears aren’t pointed like the fae. Plus, you have the smell of witchery, and I can tell by the energy leaking out of your pores.” At my look, he said, “Maybe that was too much at once.”

  “Yeah, maybe. It’s like there is a whole new world of beings out there. I thought I was just born with an extra sense, or maybe a gene was mutated, but what you’re suggesting makes me sound like I am a part of a whole different race.” This was crazy. Ludicrous. I felt like I was losing some of my sanity by just thinking what he said could be true.

  Taking another sip of his coffee, he studied me. “Being a witch is hereditary, like so many other unworldly beings. Meaning that one of your parents would have to be a witch.”

  “Well, both of my parents are dead, so there’s no way I can fact check that tidbit of info you just gave me.” Rubbing my forehead, I asked, “What else you got?”

  His lips raised in an amused smile. “Being a witch can’t be too far of a stretch of your imagination, can it? If you think back all the way from childhood, I’m sure you can come up with numerous incidents that just didn’t add up.”

  Well, I would give him that. “There were a few times when I noticed something different in me. Sometimes, things would happen that a… normal person shouldn’t have been able to do. But since I turned eighteen, things have gone from weird to scary.”

  His voice was quiet, as if I was a rabbit he didn’t want to scare away. “Like what things?”

  “When I was little, my brother noticed I had a crazy intuition. I’ve also never been sick. But then after I turned eighteen, I’ve been able to create things. Like fog, ice, and fire.” Just saying it out loud to someone other than Tandi made me want to vomit. “I thought it was something to do with the temperature in my body being abnormal.”

  “Is there anything else?” he asked.

  Was he serious? That was quite a lot of eccentric abilities I just listed and if anyone else were sitting there, they would have called the psych ward and had me locked up.

  I inwardly groaned. “Maybe. I found a lost kid once. But I haven’t really ‘found’ anything since then. Then tonight, something new happened.” I explained to him about Brandon. His nose flaring a couple of times was the only sign of emotion he gave.

  He placed his mug on my glass coffee table. “How many people have seen or know of your powers?”

  That word “power” was still giving me a hard time. “Tandi—she knows that there’s… something different about me.” We’d been friends since kindergarten, and despite the way Tandi flounced around, she was a borderline genius. It didn’t take her long to start giving me the calculating look she doles out.

  I didn’t mention the fact Tandi was convinced I had some kind of superhero powers currently dormant and when they awoke, she was going to open up her own circus ring and make me the main attraction. She swore we could travel the world and make money, and me being me, I hated to burst her bubble, so I just went with it. She was going to be so disappointed when she learned that there was a cap to my abilities and I couldn’t sprout wings and fly or shoot fire from my mouth. Who was I kidding? Knowing Tandi, she would still find a way to capitalize off of my freakish abilities.

  “Then Talon approached me earlier today and now you.”

  Suspicion colored his voice. “Let me guess; he is here to offer you a spot in his training camp?”

  “Yes.”

  He mumbled something under his breath about another pawn. “You claimed to have a strong intuition. What do you think of Talon?”

  I thought back to the young, handsome boy. “He knows what he wants and how to get it. There is a darkness in him, but I’m not sure how deep it goes.” To be fair, there was darkness in all of us. “He gave me an ultimatum earlier. He said I needed to make a decision quick, and then the offer would be off the table. That was a lie.”

  �
�Charlie, tell me this; what’s your gut saying to you right now? About me?”

  There was no need to think about my answer. “It’s telling me you’ve been speaking the truth, but you’re full of secrets.”

  “Then know that I speak the truth when I say you would be making a horrible mistake to trust Talon. He will only lead you down a path of destruction.”

  My gut was saying that I could trust him. But my gut didn’t say not to trust Talon. Ugh.

  One thing at a time. “Let’s back up to the demon part. You’re saying these actually exist, also? As in red people with black horns?”

  One massive shoulder hiked up. “Maybe the baby demons, but the older ones… the ones that are centuries old; they can take on any form.” A frown marred his striking features. “Those are the dangerous ones because they could be a baseball coach, a preacher, or your neighbor.”

  I glanced down at my faded blue jeans and cowgirl boots. Maybe I wasn’t ready for this world. But I knew there was no chance I could leave this room as the same girl who’d entered. I took a shaky breath. “I always just assumed that there was something wrong with me. I’ve spent the last couple months of my life trying to act normal, afraid I was two steps away from the looney bin. It was impossible to talk to my brother.”

  Jamison’s eyebrows shot up. “And why is that, Charlie?”

  “We’ve been through a lot since our parents died. He has taken on a ton of responsibilities, including being my guardian. I couldn’t talk to him about this.”

  “You do realize there is a good chance your brother is a witch. The only way he could escape that fate is if one of your parents was human, some other kind of supernatural, or he was adopted. Or maybe you were adopted?”

  No. I looked like my mother, and my brother looked exactly like my father. My brother couldn’t be a witch. He would have told me. There was no way.

  Rubbing my sweaty palms down my jeans, I stood up from the couch, putting some distance between us. The second I didn’t feel his touch anymore, all calmness left my body, and nervous energy replaced it. I sat on top of my desk, facing Jamison.

  “When I first touched you, it was like you electrocuted me. A jolt ran up my arm. Did you feel it?”

  He shook his head. “Can’t say that I did.”

  “Hmm. I told you I hated lies.”

  His eyebrows rose, but he didn’t dispute his last comment. After everything he had told me, why would he lie about something like this? I tilted my head, studying him. There was something pretentious about his relaxed pose on the couch. He was so tightly coiled, as if he was ready to pounce. He came off as primitive and wild. A being that could never be tamed, and his last sentence sat false in my stomach. But again, why would he lie?

  “Is there anything else you can tell me about witches?”

  I tried not to notice how he relaxed as I changed the subject. “Most witches are not immortal, but they live hundreds of years.” Shrugging his massive shoulders, he added, “Also, most witches live in communities together. That’s when they are the strongest. Your parents, for whatever reason, decided to move away from their community to here, where they were more vulnerable. It’s strange.”

  What he wasn’t saying left me feeling sick to my stomach. Was it possible that my parents weren’t killed in a random act of violence? I was taking too much information in at one time, and this was something I was going to have to shelve and come back to at a later date. If I thought of their death right now, I would be done for the rest of the day. Those memories sent me spiraling down into a world of depression that was too hard to fight my way through. It was like a tidal wave crashing against the rocks and if I wasn’t careful, my memories would drown me.

  As if he could sense my turmoil, his lips turned down in a frown. “What is it that your brother does?”

  “Wes is an artist. He used to be a struggling one until here recently. He got noticed by some big-wig up North and is now selling his paintings in an art gallery.” He was always traveling, and I missed the big lug.

  He ran a hand down his face, releasing a loud sigh. “I don’t want to freak you out more than you already are, but I need you to know that you’re probably not safe here. Especially if Talon has already sought you out.”

  “What are you suggesting?”

  “I’m just giving you options. You don’t have to take Talon up on his offer. Gather all the information you can, then make your decision. I would like to put an offer on the table as well. I could train you. Teach you about the supernatural community.”

  Oh, but my gut told me he had an ulterior motive. “Yeah, and what do you get out of it?”

  “Besides your time?” His expression makes me blush. His eyes seem to be scorching my skin. “You will help me locate that object I was telling you about.”

  My eyes narrowed. He was speaking the truth, but I wasn’t getting all of it. “If I decide that I don’t want this… can you take my powers away from me?”

  “No. And why would you want that? But I can teach you how to control them.”

  I was confused. “But Talon said that he could take away my powers if should decide to go that route.”

  His attitude changed instantly and his voice became almost stern. “The only way someone could release you of your powers is if they were a power eliminator which I assure you he is not or if they killed you. Do not ever trust Talon.”

  I hold his gaze for several moments before nodding. My gut said to trust Jamison.

  Hopping off the desk, I went to grab his empty cup from him but instead found my hand entrapped by his warm one. Jamison gave my hand a gentle squeeze before asking, “So, are you willing to use your powers again to help me find what I'm looking for?”

  Staring at our clasped hands, I thought of everything he had just told me. There was a good chance that I could learn how to control these powers, and there was an even better chance that if I didn’t figure out how to use my powers soon, I could hurt someone.

  I looked into his blue eyes, and I answered with my gut. “Yes.” In a lighter tone, I said, “I help you and you help me.”

  “Yes, a give and take.” There was amusement in his voice. Were we still talking about the same thing? His sexy smirk implied not. Oh, boy. He gently pulled me down onto the couch beside him. My palms began to sweat at his proximity. “What I’m seeking is very dangerous, but I can make a promise to you that as long as you stick close by me, no harm will come to you.”

  “Got it. Close to you.” Did that come out squeaky?

  His lips turned up into a smile as he gripped my hand and leaned forward. I sit frozen in place as he tucks my hair behind my ear. “Yep. Super close. We will be like glue before it’s all said and done.” The thrill his words create in me have me panicking and I find myself comically launching back from him. He gives me a wolfish smile letting me know that this boy whole-heartedly understands the impact he has on the fairer sex.

  I needed space. After I disentangled my hand I cleared my throat. “Give me some background info on what I’ll be looking for.”

  “Not tonight. You’re about to overload as it is. Tomorrow, we will start with your training and searching for the object I need. But since I have nowhere that I would rather be, we can get to know one another on a more personal level.” His eyebrows wiggle causing me to laugh.

  “Sorry, that’s not going to happen.” I was proud of myself. My voice came out steady and I was showing self-control around the hottest male I’ve ever seen. I should win a prize. Maybe the Nobel one.

  He stood up to his full height which put me eye level with his stomach and stretched. Like a creeper I watched him. Just because I had restraint didn’t mean I was blind. I wanted to demand that we finish this conversation. I wanted to know what I was getting into before it was too late to back out, but the words died on my tongue as his shirt rode up, showing a perfect, flat belly with chiseled muscles. How did one even know which exercises to perform to get those kinds of muscles? No one should be
that beautiful; it just wasn’t right.

  Before he headed out the door, he said, “Oh, and Charlie, one more thing. You better hope that your persuasion over Brandon holds because if it doesn’t, I’ll handle him.” My stomach clenched with worry and something else that made me feel confused and excited at the same time. “See you tomorrow night.”

  Chapter Six

  The next morning, I lay in bed way after my alarm clock went off, having a “how the hell did I end up here?” moment. I got good grades in school, flossed my teeth once a day, and said my prayers every night before I went to sleep. Now, I’d verbally agreed to work with a werewolf—a freaking real-life werewolf—to find a secret object. My mind had gone rampant last night thinking of what Jamison could possibly be after. I seriously doubted it was an antique lamp. With the way my luck had been going, I wouldn’t be surprised if it was Pandora’s box. I could hear the kids at school now, “Hey Charlie what’s up? What did you do over the holiday break?” Then I would have to answer, “oh, nothing much. Just unleashing hell to poor innocents.” Yeah, no. I should have found out what he was searching for before agreeing to help him.

  I finally climbed out of bed as my cell phone pinged yet again. I grabbed it off the nightstand to see that Talon had not only figured out a way to get my cell, but he had texted me more than fifteen messages. Well, that’s not creepy or anything. Maybe I should be totally excited someone was trying to recruit me so hard, considering that no sports scouts in their right mind would ever give me any attention. On the athletic scale, I was somewhere in the negative range. However, his tenacity didn’t make me feel like Serena Williams, it made me want to close the blinds. I decided not to respond. Maybe he would take the hint and chill.

  Thirty minutes later, I had showered, dressed, and was pulling into my school. The student parking section was tiny, so all the good spots were already taken. I parked my family-sized sedan next to the dumpster and made a run for class. I really couldn’t afford to be late twice in a row.