Shadow Witch (The Witches of Hollow Cove Book 1)

by Richardson, Kim

  “Martha!” I yelled, and the witch turned around when she reached the other side.

  “Yes, hon? Did you want to book an appointment?” she asked, her face hopeful.

  I shook my head. “No, thank you.” At the slight disappointment on the woman’s features, I added. “Do you know where Ronin lives or where I can find him?”

  “Upstairs from Gilbert’s grocery store.” Martha waved at me and was off marching toward her shop.

  Huh. I’d never even noticed there was an apartment up there.

  I made it to Gilbert’s grocery store in less than three minutes. What can I say? I’m a fast walker. I stood in front of the shop, glancing past the large glass windows and looking for another entrance. I didn’t want to have to go in there, especially not now that Gilbert had spotted me. He walked to the glass window. His face pinched in a grimace, making his eyes into tiny slits and causing his mouth to disappear into a thin line.

  I let out a breath and turned—

  And bumped into Ronin.

  “Weird. That’s twice today,” I said, stepping back.

  “What’s twice today?” asked Ronin.

  “Never mind.” I looked at the tall vampire. “I came looking for you. Martha says you live here, but I can’t see a side entrance.”

  Ronin jabbed his hands in his front pockets. “You have to go through the alley here. The entrance to my apartment is at the back. Why were you looking for me?”

  He’d lost some of his flare, his cunning, his smiling face. I could tell he was still bothered by what had happened yesterday.

  “You want to go for a walk?” I didn’t want to have this conversation here while Gilbert was still giving me the “evil eye” on the other side of the glass.

  Ronin lifted his shoulders. “Sure.”

  We walked in silence for a moment. Ronin’s gait was stiff, and I knew he knew what I was about to ask. We strolled over to the town square.

  “Here.” I gestured with my hand to the nearest bench. “Let’s sit.” I plopped myself first and waited for Ronin to sit next to me. He wouldn’t make eye contact. My heart tugged at the visible pain on his face.

  “You told me Hollow Cove is made up of rejects and those who’d been exiled by their communities,” I started. Nope. Still not looking at me.

  Ronin hunched his shoulders, staring at his slick pair of black sneakers.

  I laughed. “It’s a strange town, I’ll admit. But there’s a real sense of family here. It’s special. And the people of Hollow Cove protect their own. And that’s what I want to do. Protect those who matter.”

  “Sure,” muttered Ronin.

  “I’m going to have to beat it out of you. Aren’t I?”

  Ronin looked at me. “What?”

  “Look. You’re my only friend in this town, apart from my aunts, and I don’t enjoy seeing you like this. I want to help you if I can.”

  Ronin looked away. “You can’t.”

  “Look, Ronin,” I shifted on the bench. “I know this is none of my business, but seeing as we fought—not one but two demons—I thought that made us friends. And friends help each other out. Can you at least tell me why you ran off like that last night? What are these sorcerers to you?”

  It was a long while before Ronin answered. He exhaled and looked out toward the street. “Sorcerers killed my family. No. That’s not exactly right. Sorcerers abducted and put my much younger two half-brothers and half-sister into slavery, torturing them for years before they were killed.”

  I felt the blood leave my face and end up in a pool around my feet somewhere. “I’m so sorry, Ronin.”

  “They killed my father and stepmother first. They only wanted the younger vampires. The older the vampire, the harder to break.”

  “Why?”

  “They wanted an army of vampires to control, to kill for them.”

  “And did they?”

  A dark cast covered Ronin’s face. “The only reason I wasn’t killed, because they wouldn’t want a half-vampire, was because I was in LA, partying with some humans. When I heard from a friend what had happened, I came home to Chicago. But I was too late.”

  “So what happened?”

  His expression grew distant and pensive. “I looked for them for five years. My mom died in childbirth, so they were my only family left. I searched everywhere for these bastard sorcerers. There were rumors of this church down in New Orleans, a group of sorcerers that had vampires working for them. I went. And when I found them…” Ronin’s face hardened until I barely recognized him. “They were beasts—my brothers and sister. I didn’t even recognize them. Their bodies were twisted, corrupted. There was nothing left of them. They were gone. And in their place were monsters. They looked like demons, Tess.”

  I swallowed hard. “That’s sick. I’m so sorry.”

  Ronin shook his head. “They turned on me. My own family tried to kill me. I barely got out of there alive. I ran away and never looked back.”

  “Could you not report it to your Head vampire? I’m sure you guys have one in Chicago.”

  Ronin gave out a bitter laugh. “Please. Why would they want to help me? A half-human vampire vegetarian who doesn’t drink blood? They hate me. To them, I don’t exist.”

  My stomach did a neat little rollover. “And so you came here.”

  “And so I came here.”

  I couldn’t even imagine what that must have been like, to witness your family turned into creatures, into things, and then have them turn on you. Ronin had been through hell. It made sense now why he’d taken off like that. I would have done the same.

  “Well,” I sighed. “It’s payback time.”

  Ronin stared at me. “What are you talking about?”

  I flashed him my teeth. “Revenge, baby. That’s what I’m talking about. Maybe these are not the same sorcerers who murdered your parents and manipulated your siblings, but hey, that’s all I got.”

  Ronin raised a skeptical brow, and a tiny smile curled the edges of his lips. “You’re speaking in riddles again, Obi-Wan.”

  “I need you for a job tonight, you big dumbass,” I teased.

  Ronin watched me, his eyes narrowed in suspicion. “You do? Why?”

  “Because, bloodsucker,” I said, though I knew technically he wasn’t. “Tonight, you and I are going to keep watch on one of the wards. And when those sorcerers show up… we’re going to smoke ’em.”

  19

  I must have walked this bridge hundreds of times as a kid, and not once did I notice the ward carved into one of the large wooden planks.

  It sort of made sense when I thought about it. Hollow Cove Bridge was the only access into Hollow Cove, apart from flying in, if you had wings, or rowing your way here from the mainland. A ward right at the entrance was smart and essential. It might have stopped a demon from wandering in, but now with the three other wards down, the remaining two were weak, and I had the horrible feeling the bridge was a free pass for the wandering and hungry demon.

  I was really hoping Ruth’s and Beverly’s magic mojo would fix that. Sorcerers used similar magic to witches. It shouldn’t have been that hard to remove whatever spell they put on the wards. Right?

  I pulled my phone from my bag. The clock said it was five past midnight and so far, no sorcerers. No demons. Nada.

  “Maybe they’re off tonight,” said Ronin, sitting above the bridge’s handrail. “Maybe they’re too busy worshiping Satan.”

  I dropped my phone in my bag. “They don’t worship a fallen angel. They worship Nyx, the goddess of night.”

  The vampire snorted. “Yeah. Because that’s better.”

  I stood over the plank staring down at the ward, my eyes tracing the runes and sigils inside and around the triangle within a circle. A warm pulsing came from it, rhythmic, like the beating of a heart, as currents of power moved and dispersed. It was the opposite of what I’d felt from the ward in the library.

  Satisfied the ward was sealed and strong, I moved over to the railing
and climbed up next to Ronin. “Thanks for coming.” I dug my heels into the bottom rail and balanced myself. I knew coming here would be hard for him, probably excruciating for the vampire. And even so, he’d come.

  The vampire rolled his shoulders. “Karen broke our date tonight. She didn’t like it when I called her Katie by accident. Karen… Katie… they’re practically the same. I don’t know why she got all angry. So, I’m all yours, baby.”

  I laughed. “Maybe you’ll wish she hadn’t if nothing happens.”

  “Nah. Don’t worry about it. It’s Lucy tomorrow night. Can’t get that one mixed up. And then there’s Stephanie the night after that.”

  I turned to look at his face. Seeing how handsome he was, no doubt many women would agree. “How many women are you dating?” I couldn’t imagine dating more than one guy at a time. One was enough, thank you very much.

  Ronin raked his fingers through his hair. “Depends on the week. This week it was three—two now that Karen canceled.”

  “You’re insane,” I laughed, shaking my head. “Only an insane vampire would date more than one woman at a time.”

  “What about you? How long has it been since John dumped you? You should be dating by now. Get back in the saddle. Ride that pony, baby—”

  “Okay. Thanks for the visuals.” Heat spiraled through me and I whirled on him, pointing a finger. “Who told you that?”

  Ronin raised his hands in surrender. “Please don’t shoot. It was Martha. Your aunts told her.”

  I lowered my finger. “Sorry. I don’t know why it still bothers me. Guess it’s a pride thing. And it really hasn’t been that long. I’m not ready for anything right now. I need to take care of me.”

  Ronin was silent. “What do you think of Marcus?”

  If I had any food in my mouth, it would have gone spewing across the bridge.

  My eyes widened, and I turned to him again. “Marcus? Are you serious? The guy would send me off packing if he could. He hates me, remember? You saw the way he looks at me.”

  “Which is why I’m saying this,” continued Ronin. “He is looking at you. A lot.”

  I pressed my lips together in anger. “I know he’s looking. He’s imagining ways to remove my ass from here. Possibly in a body bag.”

  Ronin shook his head. “No. That’s not what I’m getting from him at all.”

  Body tense, I stared at the vampire. “What are you talking about?” Maybe vampires had some special intuitive skill at sensing people’s feelings and moods. Even then, why should I care what Marcus thought of me? He’d gone too far with what he said about my mother. I could never forget or forgive him. Some things you just didn’t cross, especially dealing with a stranger. Which was exactly who I was to him on the night we met.

  “Yes, the guy was a total jackass that first night,” Ronin began. “He shouldn’t have said those things about your mom.”

  “No. He shouldn’t.”

  “But… he’s a dude… you’re a girl.” He raised his brows at me suggestively.

  “And you’re about to get your ass kicked if you don’t drop the subject.”

  “Fine.” Ronin gripped the railing with his hands. “He might have suffered from a giant brain fart when you two met. But he’s looking at you differently. That’s all I’m going to say.”

  My jaw tightened as emotions swung from one extreme to the next. Adrenaline coursed to settle deep. My thoughts moved upon both how alluring and how darkly terrifying it would be to date Marcus. Yes, he pissed me off more times than not, and he knew how to press all my buttons. And yet… something about him made him very attractive. I’d be a fool if I didn’t admit that part of Marcus’s allure was the mix of the dark handsome stranger with a little bad boy. Yeah, I was stupid, and that kind of thinking had gotten me into trouble in the past.

  I shook my head of all thoughts and focused on the job at hand. Even if I wasn’t going to get paid for it, it needed to be done.

  Ronin whistled low and my head snapped up.

  “It’s the masked police,” he said loudly. “Praise the Gods. We are saved.”

  I scowled as two of the Unseen hit the bridge on the north end and started for us. Their golden masks reflected the yellow from the few lights on the bridge, casting weird shadows and making it seem like their masks were shifting with expressions. The smallest of the pair, with a thin frame, I recognized as the only female of the Unseen faction. The other, dressed in all black, with a cape billowing behind his big frame, and the tuffs of red beard beneath his mask, was none other than their leader, Emmet.

  I smiled. This was going to be fun.

  “I was hoping for a little action,” I muttered, not caring to hide the grin on my face.

  “Me too.” Ronin leaped off the railing and landed on the bridge without making a sound. “Wrong kind of action, though.”

  My grin widened, and I jumped off and landed next to him. I searched behind them, half expecting to see Marcus. He wasn’t there, and I was a little disappointed.

  I moved quickly to stand in front of the ward, shielding it with my body. I didn’t know these Unseen, and I didn’t trust them.

  Emmet planted his larger-than-life body right in front of me. “What’s a witchling and a vampire bastard doing near my mark. Are you lost?” he said, making his partner laugh.

  I gave them my best smile as I looked to the ground and then back up at Emmet. “Oh, sorry. Did you say you peed here?”

  Ronin snorted. “Yeah. He kinda did. That’s pretty crude coming from an older, much larger gentleman, such as you.” He tutted. “Manners.”

  Emmet lifted his chin. “My mark,” he said again, slowly, as though we were simpletons. “Mine.”

  I rolled my eyes, getting annoyed talking to a mask. “The mask thing is really getting old.”

  “It’s like a cheap version of Eyes Wide Shut without all the sex,” said Ronin, pushing in behind me.

  “I mean. We all saw your face,” I added. “Wearing a mask defeats the purpose now that we’ve seen your face. Get it?”

  Emmet reached up and removed his mask, surprising the hell out of me—especially when his sidekick followed his example. Turns out, she was Asian, her black hair pulled back into a long braid. A dark scar traced her face from her right eyebrow to her chin. She saw me looking and smiled, like noticing it was a giant compliment. With her golden mask tied to a thin strip of leather, she swung it around her back, wearing it down like you would a hood.

  She had paired her black pants with flat boots. A weapons belt equipped with a multitude of blades hung on her hips, just below her leather jacket. Witches didn’t carry weapons like that. Their magic was their weapons, their minds their ammunition. When she turned her head slightly, her pointy ears caught the light from the bridge. I only knew two races of half-breeds with ears like that. She was faerie or elf. I just couldn’t figure out which.

  I opened my mouth to ask what they were doing here, but then, I just couldn’t help myself. “What’s up with the cape?” I mused, my eyes on Emmet. “Halloween’s not for another five months.”

  Ronin burst out laughing, winning a growl from Emmet that sounded curiously like a werewolf’s.

  “The Unseen always dress for the occasion,” answered the beefy witch, lifting the cape with his arms proudly and making wings.

  I didn’t want to have to tell him his cape would only get in the way in a fight, and it was a great weapon for his enemy to use against him. But then again, who was I to judge? He was the professional, right?

  “What are you doing here?” I asked instead, my gaze darting from Emmet to the female Unseen.

  Emmet’s light eyes moved on the ground behind me. “To protect the ward you’re trying to hide and doing a piss-poor job of, witchling.”

  I cocked my hip. “That’s why we’re here.”

  Emmet took a step forward, and I had no choice but to look up. He was a big sonofabitch, especially for a witch. If it weren’t for the small pulsing of magic that rippled
from him, he could have easily passed for a werewolf.

  “No,” said Emmet, his bushy red eyebrows high on his forehead. “That’s why we’re here.”

  Anger swelled inside me. “Wrong. My aunts put up these wards. The Merlin Group. I’m part of the Merlin Group, which means this ward is my responsibility. My property.”

  At that, both Emmet and his sidekick howled in laughter. Emmet wiped his eyes after a moment. Yes, there were actual tears.

  “Yeah, laugh it up.” I wondered how fast Emmet’s hair would burn if I tested it with my newest power word.

  Ronin leaned in. “Can’t you just spell them or something?” he asked, reading my mind. “The big one smells.”

  Of course, I could. But unless he struck first, hitting him with my magic would surely land me in one of Marcus’s jail cells. Right now, he was the last person I wanted to see.

  My aunts would have never told the Unseen where the wards were, which meant the only other person who could have told them was...

  “Marcus,” I hissed, the certainty of it making my blood pressure rise. “He told you. Didn’t he?” Of course, he did. Seeing as he was the chief, he would know where the protection wards were.

  Emmet flashed me a false smile. “You should try smiling more. Your pretty face is ruined with all those anger wrinkles and creases. Makes you look like a dude.”

  “Where is he?” So I could go kick his ass. I couldn’t believe he would do this.

  “He’s with that really tall witch and three of my Unseen,” said Emmet. “He wants us to protect the last two wards.” He hit his large chest. “We’re here to protect this one.” He watched me for a moment and then dismissed me with a swipe of his hand. “Why don’t you go home, witchling, and let the Unseen do their jobs.”

  I sucked in a breath through my teeth. His belief that we were both idiots and incompetent was making me see red—and Emmet’s dead body at my feet.

  “I was here first,” I told them, not knowing what else to say. Really lame, but it was the first thing that popped into my head.

  “Good one, Tess,” murmured Ronin, and I scowled at him.