Bitten
Nicole Coverdale
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Bitten
Copyright © 2020 by Nicole Coverdale
Cover art Copyright © KILA Designs
This book is protected under the copyright laws of the United States of America. Any reproduction or other unauthorized use of the material or artwork here is prohibited without the express written permission of the author.
Printed in the United States of America
www.nicolecoverdale.com
“Some people search their whole lives, waiting for that perfect moment to happen. That familiar spark. That moment of pure happiness… but when you find it… never let it go.”
Also by Nicole Coverdale
The Wiccan Way Series
Destiny Awaits
Once Upon a Hallow’s Eve
Crossroads
Shattered Dimensions
Bound by Magic
Anarchy Rising
The Randolph Saga
Fearless
Dark Revelations
Tis the Season
Chapter 1
“Jade! You’re going to be late!”
“I know!” Jade shouted, giggling, as Ashwin wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her back onto the bed. “Ashwin!”
“Jade!”
She groaned, throwing an arm over her face, turning to look at Ashwin. “I am so sorry.”
“What are you sorry about?”
“My sisters,” Jade said, sighing. “Don’t get me wrong, I love them to death, but living with them…”
“Doesn’t give you very much privacy,” Ashwin said, grinning, as he hovered over her. “I get it.” He ducked down, brushing his lips over hers.
“Ashwin…”
“So,” Ashwin said, in between kisses. “Have you ever thought about getting your own place?” he asked, pulling back and tucking a lock of her dark hair behind her ear.
“Ashwin, you know I can’t,” Jade whispered, shoving him off of her and sitting up on the bed. She reached for her robe, shrugging into it, and tying the sash. “With what we face on a daily basis, it’s better if we’re together.”
Ashwin sighed, nodding as he rose from the bed. He strode toward her, wrapping his hands around her waist and pulling her close. “You’re right,” he whispered, resting his forehead against hers. “I do know that, and I’m glad you guys are being safe. That’s all I want. For all of you to be safe.”
“You’re sweet,” Jade said, giggling, a small noise escaping her throat as he pressed kisses down the side of her neck. “Ashwin. I have to go take a shower.”
“We could always take one together.”
“And you know what would happen if we did,” Jade informed him, shoving him away. “But it is very tempting.” She laughed, giving his arm a light squeeze, before hurrying toward the bathroom.
“Spoilsport!”
Jade laughed, glancing back at him. “Always.” She disappeared into the bathroom, slamming the door shut. She laughed, holding a hand to her mouth, beyond thrilled that she had let Ashwin into her life, and into her heart. How long has it been since I’ve been this happy? she wondered, but she knew the answer to that question. Never. Not even with Tony.
She sighed, shoving the thoughts away, and turning on the shower. She stepped in, the hot water beating down on her, and she sighed again, thinking about how perfect her life had been the last several weeks since they’d returned from the wasteland. It was perfect… except for Sky that was.
A stab of pain struck her in the chest, as she thought of Sky. The man, who had taken Jasmine’s heart. A man, who she saw as a brother, and a man who was missing from their lives. She sniffed, wiping a tear from the corner of her eye, thinking of how much things had changed since Sky had first entered their lives. She’d been so wary of him! So mean! Now, she couldn’t bear the thought of him not being in their lives.
“Why do you look so sad?”
Ashwin’s voice whispered in her ear, and she sighed, as he wrapped his arms around her. She turned, gazing up at him. “I was thinking about Sky.”
“Jade…”
“I know, but I can’t help myself, Ashwin. Here I am, so happy with you, and Jasmine is so broken! It breaks my heart.”
“You know, that’s one of the things I like most about you, Jade,” Ashwin whispered, as he drew her close. “How much you care about your family, but you can’t control this, Jade. As much as you want to ease Jasmine’s pain, whatever is meant to happen, will happen, and you deserve to be happy. You’ve already put so much on hold for your family already. You need to live your life too.”
“I know,” Jade whispered. She laid her head against his shoulder, breathing in the scent of him, then stepped back, shoving him. “Hey! I told you no shower!”
“I didn’t think you actually meant it.”
“Well I did,” Jade informed him. “Ashwin, you have to get out of here! I’m running late!”
“You’re going to be the death of me, woman,” Ashwin said, pressing a kiss to her nose. “Fine. I’m going.” He pulled her close, planting one last kiss on her lips before stepping out of the shower. “But I will get you back for this.”
“You can try,” Jade told him, laughing. The door slammed shut, and she hummed out a tune, reaching for the soap.
“Jade…”
The soft voice rippled through the air, and she frowned. “Ashwin, is that you?”
“Jade…”
Again the voice sounded, and she stuck her head out of the shower, scanning the small room. “Ashwin?”
“You did this to me!”
She screamed, as a woman with dark, red hair suddenly appeared out of nowhere, racing toward her.
“Ahh!”
She screamed again, stumbling back, her body tumbling back into the shower with a loud thump.
“Jade?”
The door flung open, Ashwin racing inside.
“Stay away from me!” Jade shouted, raising her hands, and shaking her head. “Please! I didn’t do anything to you!”
“Jade! It’s me!”
Ashwin climbed into the shower, hunching down next to her, wrapping his strong arms around her. “It’s me, Jade. I got you. It’s okay. I promise.”
“Ashwin?”
Jade blinked, staring up into his familiar face as the water beat down on them. “What are you doing in here?”
“Checking on you. I heard you scream,” Ashwin whispered, tightening his arms around her. “What happened, baby? What’s wrong?”
“I don’t know,” Jade whispered, her voice breaking as she thought of what had just happened. “I don’t quite understand it myself.”
“Try to explain it to me.”
“I heard a voice,” Jade whispered, her voice still shaking. She shivered, huddling closer to Ashwin. “It was… so full of hate, and then all of a sudden there was a woman rushing toward me. A red haired woman with eyes as black as the night sky. She looked just like Josslyn!” She blew out a breath. “It scared me. I slipped, and fell backward into the shower.” She winced, glancing at the bruise starting to show on her thigh. “Ouch.”
“I agree. Ouch,” Ashwin said, gathering her up in his arms and stepping out from the shower. “Come on. Let’s get you out of here.”
“But Ashwin. The water…”
“Don’t worry about the water. I’ll get it in a minute,” Ashwin told her, as he wrapped her up in a towel and lead her toward the bed
. “Stay here,” he said, pressing a kiss to her head and hurrying back into the bathroom.
“Ashwin!”
Jade sat there, biting her lip, lifting her head at the sound of the shower shutting off, staring at Ashwin as he walked back into the room. “Well?”
“Well, whatever you saw, isn’t in there anymore.”
“But I saw it!”
“And I believe you,” Ashwin told her, squeezing her hand. “But whatever it was, you’ll find out what it is soon enough. You know what you always say…”
“Trouble always finds us. One way or another.” Jade nodded, drawing in a deep breath, and rising to her feet. She crossed to her closet, quickly dressing into a green blouse and jeans. “Right.” She glanced over her shoulder. “Thanks for coming to my rescue.”
“I’ll always come to your rescue,” Ashwin said, winking at her, as he watched her brush her hair and apply her make up. “You’re important to me, Jade. I hope you know that.”
“I do know that,” Jade whispered. “And you’re important to me too.”
Boom!
The loud noise suddenly blew through the house, and Jade gasped. She grabbed the edge of the dresser, as the floor shook, her eyes wide as she stared at Ashwin. “What the hell was that?”
“Beats me!” Ashwin cried, grabbing her by the hand and racing out of the room. “Come on! I think it came from the attic!”
“Attic. Right!”
Jade hurried up the steps after him, racing through the door. “Oh my God! Julie!” She raced forward, hunching next to her sister as she lay on the floor. “Good God! You scared the bejesus out of me! What happened?”
“What happened?” Julie laughed, shoving Jade away. “The potion knocked me on my ass! That’s what happened!” She laughed again, coughing, as she waved away the smoke. “Goodness! If that’s not strong enough to break through that protection spell I don’t know what is.”
“You’re still trying to get into the underworld?”
“Well, yeah! I want to know what’s going on down there.”
“Julie…”
“So help me, if you tell me to be careful one more time I am going to punch you.”
Jade narrowed her eyes on Julie, rising to her feet and propping her hands on her hips. “Julie Marie Morgan! You are my sister, and you are pregnant! I am damned well going to worry about you. For goodness sakes, you have a child inside of you, you need to think about. Where the hell is Elijah, anyways?”
“Getting my morning treat.” She smiled. “I wonder what it’ll be this time. He got me a cinnamon roll yesterday.”
“That brother of mine is spoiling you,” Ashwin said, crossing his arms in front of his chest. “But Jade’s right, Julie. You need to be more careful.”
“Jade!”
“I’m coming!” Jade shouted, sighing, as she looked from Julie and Ashwin. “I have to go. Jasmine and Jorja are waiting for me. We’re going to go look at this house I found after we drop the girl off at school. After that, I’ve got a full day ahead of me with the restaurant opening soon.”
“They finished the construction?”
Jade nodded. “Yup. I’m so excited!”
“You should be!” Julie cried, gripping Jade’s hands, her eyes bright with excitement. “You’re finally living your dream, Jade! Not to mention the hot vampire you get to come home to ever night,” she added, winking at Jade.
“Julie!”
“What? I’m just saying.” She lowered her voice. “And you might want to remember, that we have thin walls in this house, Jade.” She winked. “I heard you guys last night.”
“Julie!” Jade held a hand to her mouth, blushing. “Oh my God!”
“Chill, Jade. I’m happy for you,” Julie told her, looping her arm through Jade’s as they started down the stairs. “You deserve to be happy, after everything you’ve gone through.”
“So do you,” Jade whispered. “How are things with Elijah, anyways?”
“So good!” Julie cried. “He’s been so sweet, but he’s starting to make me feel a little claustrophobic. He’s always there! Always there checking up on me. Worrying about me. He’s really come around, but I’m so scared everything’s going to fall apart, Jade! Elijah has a history of letting people down. I mean, look at what he did to Josslyn. He abandoned her just when she needed him most. He turned to the dark side. He nearly turned me evil. He nearly turned me against you guys. Will I ever, fully be able to trust him? Will I ever get past all the pain? The anger? The fear?”
“Honestly, no,” Ashwin whispered from behind them.
“No?” Julie glanced over her shoulder at Ashwin. “That’s not exactly making me feel better, Ashwin.”
“Would you listen for a moment?” Ashwin asked, rolling his eyes. “What I mean, is that there is no way you can ever truly forget what happened. Trust me, I’ve been there, Julie. Remember, he betrayed me and my family in the most horrific of ways. I hated him for the longest time, for centuries, but he’s still my brother, and he’s still the man you fell in love with. He’s trying, Julie, that has to account for something, right?”
“Well yeah.”
“Then give him the benefit of the doubt,” Ashwin said. “And give yourself time to heal. Time to get used to him being around, time to figure out all the crap you’ve both gone through. It’ll still be there, no matter what you do, but somehow you’ll both come out stronger because of it.”
“You know, he’s kind of wise,” Julie said, elbowing Jade.
“Well, I hope so,” Jade said, as they rounded the corner. “He’s only been alive for 200 years!”
“Well, finally!” Jorja cried, propping her hands on her hips and glaring at Jade as she walked into the kitchen. “We’ve been waiting forever for you!” Her eyes trailed to Ashwin, and a mischievous grin crossed her lips. “But I have a feeling I know what was keeping you.”
“Jorja!”
“What? I’m happy for you!”
“Can everyone quit saying they're happy for me?” Jade asked, pinching the bridge of her nose, and closing her eyes. “Jeesh, it’s not like I’m some sort of a prude!” She opened her eyes, staring at her sisters standing in the room. “Okay. I’m just going to say this once. Yes. I’m having sex. Yes, it’s amazing, and yes, I feel a hundred times better. Are you happy now?”
“Jade…” Ashwin turned away, blushing.
“Eww!”
Jami cupped her hands over her ears, making a face. “Jade, that’s gross! I did not need to hear that!”
“Whoops. Sorry, Jami. I didn’t know you were there,” Jade said, sending an apologetic smile to her niece, glancing at Jasmine and Jorja. “So, is everyone ready?”
“Yup! And take these.” Jasmine shoved a basket of muffins in her hands.
“You’re baking now?” Jade asked, peering under the cloth, laughing. “Ooh. You made poppyseed!”
“I figured we could use a snack on the way,” Jasmine said, shrugging, as she slipped into her coat. “Plus, it keeps my mind off of thinking about Sky.”
“I know, Jas,” Jade said, tugging her sister close and embracing her. “And I’m sorry for what you’re going through.” She turned. “Josi! Jessi! Jordyn! We’re leaving!”
“We’re coming!”
Footsteps sounded on the stairs, the three girls appearing around the corner, holding their school bags.
“I don’t want to go,” Josi said, crossing her arms in front of her chest. “I hate school!”
“I think you secretly love it,” Jessi said, elbowing her. “After all, you get to see Stephen again!”
“And I’m still trying to figure out what to tell everyone,” Jordyn said, sighing. “I’ve been in school for weeks now, and I can’t think of a single thing to say to explain the years of school I’ve missed out on! I mean, I can’t very tell everyone I was kidnapped by a demon now, right?”
“Absolutely, not,” Jordyn told her. “Remember, this is a secret we have to keep among ourselves. If anyone foun
d out we were witches, we…”
“Would be in very serious trouble. I know,” Jordyn said. “I know, Mom. I’m not stupid. But that still doesn’t answer my question. What do I tell people?”
“Do you even have to tell them anything?” Jami asked, as she stuffed the last of the muffin in her mouth and picked her bag up off the table. “Being mysterious can be pretty fun.”
“Or you could just tell them that you were in an accident,” Jorja informed her.
“For three years? Come on, Mom!”
“Or you could have been traveling,” Jade offered.
“Traveling? For three years?” Jordyn stared at her in dismay. “Jade! You’re just as bad at this as Mom is!”
“Or you could just say that you were visiting your dad, who’s been stationed overseas,” Josslyn said, as she raced down the steps. She stopped next to the coffee maker, pouring the coffee into a thermostat and twisting the lid on. “I mean, no one can really prove that, right?”
“I guess,” Jordyn said, biting her lip. She narrowed her eyes on Josslyn. “Where are you off to in such a hurry?”
“The office! It’s the big day!”
“Oh, that’s right! You’re opening your P.I. firm today!” Jade cried, grinning. “Josslyn, that’s huge!”
“It is,” Josslyn said, as she raced out the door. “Hey, Elijah! Bye Elijah.”
“Well, hello to you too, Josslyn,” Elijah said, rolling his eyes as he stepped into the house. He paused, leaning down to press a kiss to Julie’s cheek. “Morning, Babe. I think you’ve been waiting for this,” he said, holding the paper bag out to her.
“Hell yeah, I have!” Julie cried, taking the bag and pulling the goody out. “Ooh! An apple fritter! Hmm.” She took a bite, moaning. “Oh, this is so good! Thank you!”
“Aww. Aren’t you two just the cutest thing,” Jorja said, rolling her eyes. “Come on, guys. Let’s get out of here.”
“Yes. Let’s,” Jade said, nodding to Julie. “Bye Julie. Bye Elijah. We’ll see you tonight.” Her gaze connected with Ashwin’s, and she giggled, as he wrapped an arm around her. “Yes, I’ll see you later too,” she whispered, as he ducked his head, brushing a kiss across her lips.
Bitten (The Wiccan Way Book 7) Page 1
