Bitten (The Wiccan Way Book 7)

by Nicole Coverdale

  “Sky…”

  “No. Just leave me alone!” Sky cried, lifting his hand. “I need some space. Some time alone to figure out what I want.”

  “But Sky…”

  “No. Just go.”

  Lexi narrowed her eyes on him. “It’s that girl, isn’t it? That girl you were talking to? What did she say to you?”

  “It’s not what she said. It’s…”

  “I don’t care. You’re mine, Sky! You don’t even know her!”

  “Actually, I think I do,” Sky said, swallowing at the look of rage in her eyes. Oh crap. What have I done? “I think I know the entire family, and I think, they might be the key to unlocking my memories.”

  Lexi scowled. “So you’re going to choose the possibility of getting your memories back, over me?” She snorted. “You’re going to regret this, Sky. Mark my words!” She spun on her heel and stormed out of the house, the slam of the front door slamming shut echoing through the house.

  “I warned you,” Stella said, biting back a laugh, as she turned to look at Sky. “I warned you she’s a weird one. She’s always been possessive. Overbearing, but you said you could handle her. You said, that you wanted to give it a try. That you liked her.” She pulled out a chair, pointing next to her. “Now sit. Tell me about this house you went to.”

  Sky laughed, shaking his head, and taking a seat next to her. “It was… interesting,” he said, thinking back to the people he’d met and the things he’d learned. “And I think I found Jade.”

  “Wait. The Jade?” Stella asked, her eyes widening. “The Jade you vaguely remembered?”

  “The one and the same,” Sky said, smiling. “And I think I figured out who that blonde girl is in my dreams.”

  “Oh?” Stella leaned forward, her eyes bright with excitement. “Who?”

  “Jasmine.” Sky smiled, thinking of the woman he had met earlier. “She’s a bit of a firecracker, and has no problem saying what’s on her mind.”

  “Ooh. I like her already!”

  “She said that we were together.”

  “Sky!” Stella leaned forward, clamping her hands over his. “That’s great! It’s an improvement. You’re finally getting answers!”

  “Yeah, but at what cost?’ Sky asked. “Stella, I have a life here. I have a job on that construction crew. I have a girlfriend. Do I really throw it all away, just because of the possibility of getting my memories back?”

  “I think you’ll regret it if you don’t take the chance,” Stella said, rising to her feet and striding back into the kitchen. She poured a cup of tea, sliding it in front of Sky. “Here.”

  “What’s this for?”

  “To help you relax,” Stella informed him.

  “You really think I should do this?” Sky asked, raising a brow at Stella.

  “If it keeps you away from that minx of a girlfriend, hell yes!” Stella shook her head. “I don’t even know why I introduced you to her. I don’t even like her!”

  “You were trying to get me out of the house,” Sky said, as he took a sip of the tea. “Which in all honesty, I did need to do.” He sighed, leaning back.

  “Just relax, bro,” Stella said, squeezing his hand. “You know what you have to do.”

  “Yeah, but what if I don’t like what I find out?”

  “Somehow, I think you’ll be just fine.”

  Chapter 16

  “You have got to be kidding me!” Jade’s eyes narrowed as she stared at Jorja, her eyes flashing with anger. “He said that! That no good, blasted angel! I could kick his ass right now!”

  “Jade.” Ashwin laid a hand on her shoulder. “He doesn’t remember who he is, remember? You can’t be mad at him.”

  “The hell I can’t! He broke her heart!” Jade snapped.

  “Is your family always like this?” Matthew asked, leaning forward and whispering in Josslyn’s ear.

  “Yeah. Pretty much,” Josslyn said, pressing her lips together to keep from laughing at the whole situation. It wasn’t cool what Sky had done, but Jade’s anger was always comical. “But you never did answer my question,” she said, glancing over at Matthew. “Who are you? Why did you come to me of all people, and, did you know about me and my sisters?”

  “Of course I did,” Matthew said, leaning back against the couch, his eyes connecting with hers. “How could I not. You’re the Chosen Ones! The most powerful witches to ever step foot on this earth. Why wouldn’t I come to you? You’re my best chance at getting my daughter back!”

  “So you are magical.”

  “Yes,” Matthew said, sighing. He leaned forward, twiddling his thumbs, avoiding her gaze. Finally, he lifted his head to look at her once more. “I’m a bounty hunter, Josslyn.”

  “A what?” Jorja jerked around to stare at him. “What the hell is a damned bounty hunter!”

  “Someone who hunts down Rogue witches and brings them to the Gods,” Elijah said, from where he was sitting next to Julie. “But if the Gods are gone…”

  “I have no job,” Matthew said, sighing. “Not that I really mind. Now I can focus on my real job.”

  “What’s that?”

  Matthew grinned, winking at Josslyn. “I’m a chef.”

  “You’re a chef?” Jade asked, whipping toward him, her eyes wide. “No way! I’ve been looking for a chef for my new restaurant!”

  “Jade.” Ashwin gave her a look. “Do you really think now’s the time?”

  Jade blushed. “Right. Sorry.”

  “No you’re not,” Josslyn muttered.

  Jade stuck her tongue out at her.

  “So, you look like that and you can cook,” Josslyn said, batting her eyes at Matthew. “That’s kind of hot.”

  Matthew grinned, leaning in close. “You like what you see, love?”

  Josslyn rolled her eyes. “No!” She punched him in the arm. “Going back to your revelation. If you’re a bounty hunter, why do you need my help finding your daughter? Don’t you have ways of finding people yourself?”

  “Of course I do, but that’s only because the Gods allow me to,” Mathew said, pointing to the watch on his wrist. “Whenever a witch has gone Rogue, I get an alert, which then allows me to track them, but I can’t track my own daughter. It’s not allowed.”

  “It’s not allowed?”

  “One of the rules of being a bounty hunter.”

  “But you have powers, right?”

  “Of course,” Matthew said, winking at her. “And one of these days, I’ll share them with you.”

  “You are such a flirt,” Josslyn said, rolling her eyes. She turned back to her sisters. “So, what’s the plan? What do we do?”

  “Well, first, we have to get into contact with the circle,” Jorja said, glancing over at Ashwin. “Right?”

  Ashwin nodded. “Yes. We need to protect those rings. The last thing we want is for this curse to be broken.”

  “But how do we find them?”

  “I have my ways,” Ashwin told her, rising to his feet. He glanced over at Matthew. “I do have a question for you though.”

  “I might have an answer.”

  “Will you stop!” Josslyn cried.

  Matthew ignored her. “What is it, Ashwin?”

  “How did you end up marrying Jax?” Ashwin asked, regarding the man. “Talia was determined to bring her up as one of her own. Tainting her with the ways of the underworld. How on earth did she meet you?”

  “In college, before I knew about my calling as a bounty hunter,” Matthew said.

  “Jax went to college?”

  Matthew nodded. “It was her way of getting in with the human world, so she could find more souls to bring back to Talia. Or at least, I’m pretty sure that’s why she was there.”

  “Seems like something Talia would do,” Julie muttered, scowling. “I hate that damned vampire!”

  “You and me both,” Elijah said, wrapping his arm around her and pulling her close. He frowned. “You’re tense, hon.”

  “Really? You think?” Jul
ie snapped. “Do you hear everything that’s going on here! My family is… insane!”

  “Yes. I know,” Elijah whispered, pressing a kiss to her temple. “But it’s part of your charm.”

  “Hmph.” She turned back to Matthew. “So, what did she study?”

  “Biology,” Matthew said, answering her question. “The Jax I knew, was obsessed with science, and she wanted to help make the world a better place. She wanted to help rid the world of cancer, and other horrific diseases. It was the whole reason I fell in love with her.”

  Love. Josslyn sighed. Well, that settled that. Matthew was in love with Jax. She wasn’t really upset about it. It wasn’t like she felt any sort of real chemistry with Matthew. Sure, he was hot, and he got on her nerves, but that was as far as her feelings went. But she was sure he’d wanted to feel something. She wondered why. What did he get, for denying his feelings for a woman he obviously still had feelings for? “So Jax is your ex-wife then?”

  Matthew nodded. “Yes. She’s also the mother of our daughter.”

  “Which means we have another niece!” Julie cried.

  “Ugh. I know!” Jade cried. “You know, I’m getting really tired of our family expanding like this.”

  “Oh, Jade, it’s fun!” Julie cried. She turned to Matthew. “What’s her name?”

  “Jezebel.”

  “Another J, go figure,” Josslyn whispered, rubbing her temples again. Man! I am getting a headache! “So, what do we need to do to find this circle of yours, Ashwin?”

  “You don’t do anything. I do,” Ashwin told her, closing his eyes. He held his hand up, Latin spewing from his lips, and a rush of wind suddenly rushed through the house.

  “Ah. The master of portals,” Jade said, rising to her feet and glancing over at him. “Where are we going?”

  “Your guess is as good as mine,” Ashwin said, grabbing her by the hand. “Come on”

  “Wait!” Jorja stopped, turning to look at Josslyn. “What about the girls? Should we go get them?”

  Josslyn shook her head. “No way! They deserve a normal day of school, without some sort of demon interfering.”

  “And what about Jasmine?”

  “I think she’s had more than enough excitement for one day,” Jade said. “Don’t you think she should sit this one out?”

  They all nodded in agreement.

  “Good! Now let’s get this show on the road!” Julie cried, looping her arm through Elijah’s.

  “Oh, I don’t think so,” Elijah said, narrowing his eyes on Julie. “I think you’re going to sit this one out.”

  “But why?”

  “Because you are six months pregnant,” Jade told her. “I’m with Elijah on this one. You should stay home, put your feet up, and relax.”

  “But…”

  “Sorry, Jules, but we’re not budging on this one,” Jorja told her. “And majority rules, right?”

  “I hate all of you!” Julie cried as they disappeared through the portal. She sighed, watching as it closed, before turning and making her way up the steps. “Fine. You guys go on your little scavenger hunt. I, on the other hand, am going to continue reading my steamy romance novel.” She curled up on the sofa in the attic, reaching for the book.

  “Julie…”

  The soft, feminine voice echoed through the air, and she frowned, her eyes scanning the room. “Is someone there?”

  “Julie…”

  Again the voice sounded, and she jerked her head around. She screamed, as a short-haired, red-headed woman suddenly appeared out of nowhere, rushing toward her.

  “Aah!”

  She screamed, ducking, watching as the woman disappeared into thin air.

  Was that Jax? she wondered, holding a hand to her heart, her heartbeat thumping in her ears. Was that what Jade had seen earlier? Was that Jax’s soul trying to reach out to them?

  “So much for reading my steamy, romance novel,” she muttered, rising to her feet and reaching for the spell book. “Looks like I’m reading up on ghosts and spirits.”

  Lord knew they were probably going to need it for whatever was to come.

  Chapter 17

  “Sweet, sweet, Jax.” Talia sighed, tapping her foot anxiously as she stared at the woman inside the coffin, something inside her clenching as she gazed at her. I raised her. I trained her. I don’t know what I’ll do if something happens to her. She’s the only thing I have, to help me with my plans. She swallowed, glancing over her shoulder at Alana. “Do you think we’ll be able to fix her?”

  “Not without an antidote,” Alana said, bleakly, as she stared at the woman inside the coffin, her gaze going to Talia, a bit surprised that she was so emotional about the woman. “You really care about her, don’t you?”

  “Of course I care about her!”

  “It’s kind of weird. You don’t really care about people, Talia. You just…”

  “Want what’s mine. Yes,” Talia said, nodding. “But Jax. I raised her, Alana when nobody else wanted her. I taught her the way of the demons. Of the vampires. I taught her how to use black magic. I even gave her the most rarest of things!”

  “The vampire and werewolf blood?”

  “Yes.” Talia stepped forward, touching Jax’s cheek. “She was my fiercest warrior, Alana. She did everything I asked of her, and she learned everything. She’s been my soldier for the last several years. Bringing me souls of the young. Souls of white magic, so I can finally lift this curse, but now, she’s dying and I don’t understand why!”

  “It’s the blood inside of her,” Alana whispered. “It’s fighting with one another, that combined with the witch inside of her is a deadly combination. I told you what we need to save her.”

  “Yes, I know. The rings from the members of the circle,” Talia said, nodding. “Have we found them yet?”

  “No. Not yet.”

  “Then they need to find them! Time is running out!” Talia shouted. She sighed, drawing in a deep breath. “What about Liam? Have we heard from him yet?”

  “No. He’s in hiding, tending to his wounds after what the witches did to him.”

  “I owe him a great deal, after all he helped me get for her.” She glanced over at Jax. “The mermaid scales. The luck. They’re all going to help with your potion?”

  “Yes.” Alana paused, glancing at Talia once more. “But you know they’re going to be coming for you, right?”

  “The witches?” Talia laughed, her lip curling. “I wouldn’t expect anything less. After all, I’m sure Ashwin as told them all about Jax by now.”

  “He never was very good at keeping secrets,” Alana muttered. “Especially when he’s plagued with guilt. I’m sure it’s been eating him up inside, that he wasn’t able to save Jax.”

  “Oh yes. That look in his eyes, that defeated puppy look, it was priceless,” Talia said, chuckling, as she remembered the moment Ashwin had barged into the underworld and the shock that had been plastered across his face when he’d realized he was too late. That Jax was one of them now.

  She stepped forward. “Jax. Can you hear me?”

  “Yes, Mother,” Jax whispered, her eyes fluttering open to stare at her. “I can year you.”

  “Thank goodness.” Talia sighed. “Oh, Jax.” She raised a hand, cupping her chin and staring into her dark eyes. “You’re weak.”

  “For now,” Jax said, her voice so quiet Talia could barely hear her. “But I’ll get better. I promise. I won’t let you down.”

  “Of course you won’t, and when you do get better…”

  “I’ll kill them. I’ll kill them all.”

  Chapter 18

  Dusk was setting in over the city of St. Paul, as Jami, Josslyn, Josi, and Jordyn trotted up the steps of the house

  “Where is everyone?” Jami asked, frowning, as she shoved the door open, staring around the foyer. “It’s so quiet!”

  “Do you think they had an emergency?” Jordyn asked as she followed Jami inside, dropping her bag on the floor.

  “You m
ean a demonic emergency?” Jessi asked, eyeing her sisters and cousin. “Wouldn’t they have told us?”

  “If they did have some sort of demonic emergency, maybe they wanted to keep us out of it for once,” Josi said, as she pulled her phone from her pocket. She frowned. “Hey. Did any of you happen to look at your phone?”

  They all shook their heads.

  “Well, Mom sent us a text. Look.” She held up her phone. “It says that they had to leave to take care of something and that they should be back soon.” She raised her head, thinking. “Wait a minute. We have the house to ourselves! You know what that means, right?”

  “Josi, no.”

  “We’ve gotta have a party!” Josi cried, her eyes shining brightly as she grinned at the girls standing in the foyer with her. She scrolled through her contacts on her phone. “And I am calling everyone I have ever met right now!”

  “Josi, no!” Jessi reached forward, wrapping her hand around Josi’s phone. “We can’t have a party! We don’t even know when they’ll be home. What if we get caught?”

  “Oh, Jessi, would you stop worrying and live a little?” Jami asked, rolling her eyes. “We never do anything fun! All we do these days is get kidnapped, nearly die, and go to school. It’s time to unwind. To let loose. Plus, we are such losers at school! This party… it might be exactly what we need to look cool. Jordyn, what do you think?”

  Jordyn cocked her head to the side, thinking. She glanced from one triplet to the other. “I think… Jami might be right.”

  “Jordyn!”

  “No. Hear me out,” Jordyn said, holding up a hand, interrupting Jessi’s protest. “For the past several years, I have spent every moment of my life scared to death. I was kidnapped by a demon. Bid on like I was some sort of trophy and nearly killed by a psychotic God. Now that I’m finally home with my Mom, my aunts, my cousins I feel like I’m finally at a place I can be comfortable with. I love my life. I love where I live. I love going to school, but I’ve missed out on so much. I’ve never been to a party. I’ve never hosted a party. Hell, I’ve never danced. Never kissed a boy. Never drank. I want to have some fun!”