The bookshelf that served as the door to her back room hung ajar on its hinges after her hurried chase through the store. Tori paused before crossing the threshold, running her fingers through her short, blond hair and taking a deep breath. Once she’d collected herself, she joined her guests who looked eager to hear the outcome.
“I didn’t get to her in time. We’ll have to deal with her another way,” Tori said to the three women standing around the table that sat in the middle of the space, its centerpiece their altar honoring Morrighan. The women made up her inner circle, as the rest of the coven had taken to calling them.
As High Priestess of Sherwood coven, Tori led dozens of powerful witches. Since beginning her reign seven years earlier, she’d more than tripled their ranks, giving her the power base needed to accomplish their goal. The unexpected visitor she’d caught snooping around that morning could put an end to her plan. She couldn’t let that happen, not when they were so close to completion.
“Um, was that Gracey?” Joy Remson looked ready to throw up. Her bright and cheerful blue eyes no longer held their usual sparkle, and her skin had turned sallow.
“Yes, but that doesn’t change anything. We’ll deal with her just as we would any other coven member. Am I clear?” Tori stared down each woman until they nodded in agreement. “We don’t have much time. As far as we know, Gracey could be calling the authorities right now.”
“We could use the cerritus spell.” Liza Sims stood strong as she waited for a response. As the most loyal and unabashed of the three, she’d become Tori’s right hand and closest confidant.
Joy all but collapsed into her chair at the suggestion. “We can’t do that. Gracey’s a direct descendant of the founder.” Although loyal to a fault, her soft heart often got in the way.
The third and final member of the inner circle, Nicole Burns, took a tentative step backward, as though putting physical space between her and Joy would somehow show her allegiance to her coven leader.
Tori placed a sympathetic smile on her face and sauntered over to the table. “I understand your reticence but, regardless of her bloodline, she needs to be stopped.” She pulled her hand from her pocket and gently rubbed the back of Joy’s neck, soothing her.
Until Joy’s eyes shot open and she bolted from her chair. “Wha—?” she choked out. Her hands clasped round her throat in a futile effort to open her airways. Eyes that once shone bright bulged from their sockets, blood already ringing their edges as she sank to her knees.
“I am your high priestess, Joy. Do not question me.” Tori had neither the time nor the inclination to talk through any reservations that might be lingering among her inner circle. The time for dissension had passed. Now, with things already underway, her people needed to fall in line.
Tori allowed Joy to suffer long enough for the skin on her cheeks to turn purple. Once she felt her point made, she reached into her pocket and pulled out a small mojo bag. Placing it on the table, Tori untied the ribbon until its four corners flopped open. Fine powder plumed and hung in the air, causing both Liza and Nicole to recoil.
Tori used her manicured nail to push aside the rosemary and bone meal, then picked up the agate crystal slice and crushed it between her fingers. With the crystal destroyed, the mojo bag became no more than a collection of herbs and bone dust.
Joy gasped, dragging air into her aching lungs. Tears streamed down her cheeks where a healthy rouge began to return. “I’m …” she swallowed to clear her raspy voice. “I’m sorry.”
Nicole handed her a tissue and helped her into the chair.
“Liza, grab what we need for the cerritus spell. Quickly.” Tori took her place at the head of the table. Neither Joy nor Nicole would hold her eye contact for more than a moment. Good, she thought.
When Liza returned, they made quick work of the spell. The ingredients included some of the most dangerous herbs of all—the baneful ones—and they were careful to keep those a safe distance from the altar. Foxglove, jimsonweed, and belladonna were pulverized with a charmed mortar and pestle, while inscribed candles burned. As soon as they finished, they poured the powder into a small jar.
“I’ll do it,” Joy said, obviously trying to win back Tori’s favor.
“Thank you for offering, but I’ll take care of this myself.” A moment later, a frumpy older lady stood where Tori had been. Glamour spells were one of her specialties. “I’ll be back shortly.”
To purchase the next installment in the Omega Group series, click below.
Chaos (Book 4)
A Note from the Author
Thank you so very much for spending your time with Pandora. I hope you enjoyed reading the story as much as I enjoyed creating it.
If I could make one request of you … Please take a moment to write a review of this book on Amazon. Your comments will not only help me improve this series, but they will also have a huge impact on the success of it. A few minutes of your time will make an enormous difference. Click HERE to post your review, and thank you.
Now for the fun stuff. Pandora was a bit of a departure for me. Although the Greek gods have been part of the Omega Group stories from the beginning, they didn’t spend much time in the spotlight. I wanted to change that for this book, and thank you for allowing me to do so.
There are many interpretations of Greek Mythology out there, some fascinating and some downright creepy. I hope I was able to ride that fine line, while still staying true to the tales we all know and love. Obviously, some of my gods and goddesses make a departure from their commonly accepted roles, and I hope you will forgive that latitude.
It might interest you to know that Flip really is any ancient Greek name and, yes, it does mean “friends with horses.” He was not, as far as I know, an actual god. But with a name like that, I would expect that, had he been a deity, his existence would have been as unfortunate as our Flip’s.
And, speaking of names, we had more winners in my Name a Character After Me contest. As most every character in this story was based on Greek Mythology, I was only able to draw two winners. Jill Gulick, our government liaison who swept Flip off his feet, and Danica Dumore, our new CNN anchor whose predecessor just couldn’t handle the stress. I’m sure Danica will hold up much better. If you’d like your name to be used in my next novel, visit my website at www.AndreaDomanski.com and click on “Contest.”
There are some amazing people that I really need to thank. The members of the WorldWiseWriters group are a constant source of support (and laughs, and more laughs). They are Rowanna Green, Hannah Sullivan, JD Faulkner, Jacky Gray, and SM Freedman. Without their wisdom, generosity, and eagle eyes, this journey wouldn’t be nearly as enjoyable.
Tom Haase and Pat Mason also deserve a big thank you. Our weekly coffee meetings keep me writing. Bouncing ideas off of one another and pointing out each other’s writing quirks (who knew I used the word “was” too much?) makes me a better writer, and I can’t express how much that means to me.
And, of course, my wonderfully accepting husband and our two brilliant children. The torment I put them through every time I get stuck on a plot point (it happens more often than I’d like to admit) must drive them crazy. Yet they stand by me, full of unconditional love and support.
As I’m sure you deduced from the last “teaser” line in the epilogue, the next book in the Omega Group series is already in the works. To find out about new releases, sign up for my newsletter by visiting my website or clicking HERE.
Thank you again for reading Pandora. I can’t wait to read your review on Amazon and see your name in the Character Contest. Who knows, maybe I’ll even get to read an email from you at [email protected]. Looking forward to it.
Web Info
www.AndreaDomanski.com
www.Facebook.com/AndreaDomanskiAuthor
www.Amazon.com/Author/AndreaDomanski
https://twitter.com/andrea_domanski
The Omega Group Series
Crossfire (Book 1)
Greco
(Book 1.5)
Rogue (Book 2)
Pandora (Book 3)
Chaos (Book 4)
About the Author
Born and raised near Toronto, Canada, Andrea Domanski moved south to get away from the snow and cold when she was 24 years old. She now lives in Savannah, Georgia with her husband Mark, their two children, and their goldendoodle.
After selling her business in 2012, Andrea focused her energies on raising her two children and finding a new career path that excited her. It wasn’t long before she decided that writing a novel—something she’d always wanted to do—would be her next big adventure.
Andrea is a member of the WorldWiseWriters group and is currently working on the next book in her Omega Group series.
Table of Contents
Introduction
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Epilogue
A Note from the Author
About the Author
Pandora (Book 3) (The Omega Group) Page 21
