Wicked Legends: A Dystopian Paranormal Romance and Urban Fantasy Collection

by hamilton, rebecca

  “How do I know it’s his book and not yours? All you do is lie and keep secrets, and I’m sick of it. I’m nineteen now. I can legally do what the hell I want.”

  “That’s quite enough.” Grandma Jo entered the room and walked between them. “You have every right to be upset, Callie.” Her eyes radiated sympathy, and she placed a hand on Callie’s arm. “Try to calm down a little and let her explain.”

  Callie plopped on the sofa, the condemning book clasped against her chest. She wanted answers, and it seemed like she was finally going to get some. “Okay, I’m listening.”

  Grandma Jo nodded and went to the window, fixing her gaze outside while Mom talked.

  “I met your father when I was your age,” she began in a soft voice. “I left home for the first time to go to school at Piedmont College. Lucas was a thirty-one-year-old grad student, but the age difference didn’t worry me. We both attended a new age kind of study group off campus with some other students. He was very charming back then, and so I confessed to him I was a witch. I expected him to be leery of me after that, but he pursued me harder.” She hesitated, and Callie braced herself for the rest.

  “Things got serious fast. He knew I was a witch, and it excited him. So, despite objections from my parents, we married within a few months and—”

  “Wait. Why did he like you being a witch?” That was weird.

  “Because he had an ulterior motive. Turns out, Lucas wanted to father a child with hereditary witch genes. I was the means to an end.”

  She was afraid to ask but had to know. “And . . . what was that end?” she whispered.

  “Power. Lucas was all about the power. He envisioned creating a family and coven he could manipulate.” She shook her head. “I was so stupid.”

  “No, not stupid. Naïve.” Grandma Jo corrected.

  “Stupid. Anyway, I dropped out of school and worked while he finished his degree. Lucas asked a lot about magic, said he wanted to become a witch, too. I thought it was great he wanted to join our coven.”

  Mom clasped her hands in her lap. “But I became frightened. It started with little incidents. He became cruel to our dog, Jinx, and I had to find Jinx a new home.”

  Callie frowned. “Did he mistreat you?” Maybe that was why Mom was such a weakling. If she was telling the truth.

  She didn’t answer right away. “Yes,” she finally said. “Oh, he didn’t beat me or threaten me. It was more subtle. He’d ignore me for days and cast spells calling on demons. When I warned him he was misusing power, he laughed. Told me I was too dumb and too much of a coward to use magic to its full effect.

  “It’s against the Witches’ Creed to read another’s Book of Shadows without permission, but one night out of fear and curiosity…I did.” Mom faltered, eyes on the black book Callie held.

  “He found out you read his book,” Callie guessed. Her scalp prickled, and a heaviness settled in her stomach.

  “I confronted him. Lucas denied ever practicing any dark magic. Claimed he was just gathering information. He even made me feel guilty for reading it. Not long afterwards, I became pregnant.”

  “So you were trapped,” she said in a dead voice. The news kept getting worse. Nobody wanted her.

  “No.” Mom stared at her with clear, intense eyes. “I never regretted having you. You were such a beautiful, spirited little baby, and everybody loved you.”

  “Except dear ole Dad?”

  She picked her words with caution. “He was proud of you. Early on, you showed talent. That, combined with your birth on the summer solstice, convinced Lucas you would become a powerful witch.”

  “If I was all that, seems like he would have stuck around. Why leave us?”

  Mom walked to the fireplace and held her hands over the crackling flames, as if drawing energy from their warmth.

  “I want the whole truth,” Callie insisted. “I can take it.”

  “I know you can.” She sighed. “You have a certain mental toughness and physical strength. Guess I have to give Lucas credit for that.” She laughed with a trace of bitterness.

  Comparisons to a father like Lucas didn’t sound like a good thing. What if she inherited those dark tendencies? That is, if Mom was telling the truth and that Book of Shadows really belonged to him.

  “After you were born, things were better. I convinced myself it was going to be all right. But by the time you were four, Lucas went back to his dark ways. I overheard him boasting to one of his friends that when you turned twenty, he would use your talents to recruit an even larger, more powerful coven.”

  She mulled over the unsettling news. “Were you a part of this coven?”

  “No, he knew I would try to neutralize their black magic.”

  Callie nodded. She would do the same. “How did you get away from him?”

  “I came home and confided to Mom and Dad. They called our coven and several neighboring covens. They made a pact to stand with our family to protect you. I told Lucas what I’d done and to stay away from us.”

  “I don’t imagine that went over too well.”

  “He was furious. He never anticipated defiance.”

  “That was brave of you,” Callie said reluctantly. Words she never imagined saying to her mother. But she hadn’t heard her father’s version . . . yet.

  Mom appeared not to hear, staring at the flames. “I moved home and started my life over with you. He never contacted me about custody visits.”

  “So he didn’t want to see me.” Callie couldn’t hide the pain in her voice. Even if he was the worst sort of jerk, that hurt. She looked down at her hands tightly clasping the black book.

  Mom laid a hand on her shoulder. “I don’t know what’s been in his heart all these years, but I know he tried to see you at least once, when you were twelve.”

  She jerked her head up.

  “Do you remember the night you and Skye played with the Ouija board?”

  The blood drained from her face. Everything always went back to that night.

  “He wasn’t trying to hurt you,” Mom said in a rush. “But his astral spirit came for me that night. Other nefarious spirits picked up on his energy and amused themselves by trying to scare you.” She cried, her breathing labored.

  Grandma Jo rushed over to Mom and stroked her hair. “I’ll take it from here, Ginnie. Why don’t you go lie down?”

  Mom lowered her hands. “I’m sorry, Callie. I sent you away for your own good.”

  Callie watched as they left the room. Her father was alive! No wonder Mom always changed the subject when she asked about him. She didn’t know what to think. All she knew was she had an overwhelming desire to meet him and hear his version.

  Grandma Jo returned and pointed at the book. “Shall we burn it?”

  “No!” Disgusting as it was, the book was the only real link she had to her father. “Have you heard from him recently?”

  “He called Ginnie right before we sent for you. Somehow he found out you were living in New Jersey and threatened to visit.”

  She couldn’t stop a sudden burst of hope. She wanted—needed—to see him.

  “He said he hadn’t forgotten you’ll be turning twenty in June.” Grandma Jo eyed her steadily. “When that happens, the coven will channel its collective energy into you, and your full power will awaken. Powers you don’t even know you have yet.”

  “Aunt Mallory told me all about that airy-fairy stuff,” Callie said with a dismissive wave. “Even if it’s true, it sounds like my father has enough power without me. Maybe he just wants to see me.”

  Grandma Jo’s expression turned from concern to alarm. “Don’t delude yourself on that score, Callie. He’ll use you for his own gain, pure and simple.”

  “People can change.” The more Grandma Jo dug in her heels, the more she was determined to defend this unknown father.

  “Not him.”

  “Well, he knows I’m back here. What’s to keep him from coming now?”

  “I’m not saying we can keep
him away with our protection spells. He’s far stronger than us, and there’s no telling how many witches work for him. But we thought you’d be safer here, close to the coven.”

  Callie crossed her arms. “I’m an adult, and he can’t make me do anything I don’t want to do.”

  “Okay, you’re forcing me to tell you this.” Grandma Jo ran her fingers through her gray moussed hair and sighed. “You remember how your mom was before you moved away.”

  “Yes. Aunt Mallory told me she had a total breakdown after I left.”

  “That night, while you played with the Ouija board, Ginnie had contact with Lucas. A purplish-black mist absorbed into her skin and raided her mind. His dark magic nearly undid her. He wanted to weaken her mind so she would give in and turn you over to him.” Grandma Jo looked out the dark window and was silent so long, Callie was afraid she wouldn’t continue.

  She had to know. “You can’t be sure he sent that mist.”

  “Yes, I can. And he nearly ruined all her psychic ability. Your mom was powerful. She could interpret signs and manipulate energy. Now the only thing she has left is her special touch with animals.”

  “But losing psychic ability doesn’t make you crazy.”

  “Don’t use the word crazy,” Grandma Jo said, a sharp bite in her words. “Ginnie was fragile, and Lucas’s attack was enough to put her over the edge. For a witch to have all of her powers stolen isn’t like having your hair turn gray. Those doctors at the hospital didn’t want to do anything but drug her up and have her talk about her childhood.” Grandma Jo snorted. “I brought Ginnie home and nursed her myself. She slowly recovered, but her magical power is lost forever.”

  Callie knew how timid and withdrawn her mother was, even now. She could function, but life had clearly damaged her spirit. “I still don’t see why you’re both so sure it was my father who attacked her.”

  “The minute I walked in your room that night and smelled the wormwood, I knew.”

  Callie searched her memory. “You both came in and said something about the smell . . . but I didn’t understand the words you used.”

  “Artemisia absinthium. It means wormwood mixed in a drink called ‘absinthe.’ It was Lucas’s signature scent; one he could never mask.”

  “Does it smell like menthol and licorice?”

  Her grandmother nodded thoughtfully. “That’s a pretty good description. Nasty, vile stuff.”

  “So he came because of me.” It’s all my fault. “If only I’d never seen that stupid Ouija board.” Guilt washed over her. Callie squared her shoulders. She wasn’t going there, not tonight when she still reeled from learning her father was alive.

  Grandma Jo put an arm around her shoulders. “You can’t blame yourself.”

  They sat together in silence, each with their own thoughts and memories.

  “Do you have any photos of him?” Callie asked at last.

  Grandma Jo went to her desk, opened a drawer, and shuffled through some paperwork before pulling out an old photo. “There’s just this one,” she said, holding it out.

  She grabbed it and gazed into the eyes of a stranger. Her father. It was a faded print, but his charisma leapt through time. The eyes sparkled, and he smiled with confidence and charm. His short hair was combed back, and he wore a dark pinstripe suit with a little hanky sticking out of the front jacket pocket. Evidently, the über-preppy style back in the day.

  “Can I keep it?”

  “Yes, but don’t let your mother see it.”

  Callie hurried to her room to study his face in private. He didn’t look evil. She didn’t know what to believe. At the first light of day, she would walk in the woods again to work off steam and think it over.

  In spite of the morning’s gathering storm, James decided to hike Lavender Mountain. Sundays were pretty much a bust anyway since everything in town was closed.

  The wind swirled, and the sky was dark and gray even though it was already an hour past dawn. The smell of rain hung thick in the air as lightening danced in the clouds just over the mountains.

  He questioned his sanity for venturing out in this weather. He was a fool hoping to run into the hot chick he spotted yesterday. If she had any sense, she would be home in bed. Besides, once he saw her up close he was bound to be disappointed. Nothing could match that angelic vision in person. Still, she might be interesting enough to pursue for a time. He craved new company and a change from the rut his life had become.

  “Come on, boy,” he called out to his dog. Sin was a full-blooded beagle getting along in dog years, but still able to enjoy a long walk. Sin looked up from his sniffing and digging and obediently came to James’s side with a wag of his tail.

  Distant thunder made him pause in his tracks, but he shrugged and moved on. He was almost there anyway. As he neared the bluff, he caught site of a patch of orange among the brown and gray trees. Quietly, he moved forward for a better look and discovered how wrong he’d been.

  The hot chick was devastating. Her hair blew wildly in the wind, like rays of warmed honey in the gray winter cold, making him want to wrap his body in its warmth.

  Something about this girl was special.

  The hike wasn’t such a hot idea. Callie shuddered and huddled deeper into the blanket wrapped around shoulders. It wasn’t enough protection in a winter storm. The sky darkened by the minute until it looked more like a deep dusk than a dawn. Even with her unusually high cold threshold, this was too much cold to bear. A shame, since storms created an energetic atmosphere more receptive to magic.

  Frustrated, she gave up on the idea of working magic and turned to hike back down the mountain. An extra strong gust of wind blew her hat off, and her hair spilled loose. Just great. It would be a tangled mess in no time. Suddenly, she stopped, sensing a presence. Just as she had yesterday morning. Only now it was closer, much closer.

  Could it be her father? Maybe they were right, and he was an evil person out to get her. She didn’t move but listened and scanned the trees as thunder gathered in volume and the first drop of rain hit her numbed face.

  Callie looked behind at the steep drop down the cliff. She had to go forward and face the unknown danger. There was no retreat. Hugging the plaid blanket tightly around her shoulders, she stepped toward the path. An unmistakable sound of twigs breaking beneath the feet of someone, or something, pierced the air. She hardly knew which to hope for—beast or human. Before she could formulate a plan, a tall, attractive guy stepped out of the woods.

  Although he was a good twenty feet away, the strength of his energy blocked her movement. She’d never encountered such a tangible force field. She searched his face in a panic, which quickly changed to awe. Dark brown eyes bore into her and rooted her to the spot. She was relieved to see he looked as startled as she felt.

  “Who are you?” In an attempt to disguise her lingering apprehension, her voice came out loud and belligerent.

  “James.” He crossed the distance between them. “James MacLauren. Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you.”

  Callie couldn’t stop staring into his eyes. They were like warm chocolate with topaz specks—mesmerizing. He stood well over six feet tall, and she gazed up at him, openly displaying her admiration. Her fear of physical danger passed, replaced by a fear of looking like an idiot. She blushed. “I’m Callie Bradford.”

  “Callie.” Her name lingered on his lips, his deep voice vibrating with warmth. “Are you new here? I’m certain I’ve never seen you before.”

  His dog threw back his head and howled.

  Callie knelt and held out her hand for the dog to sniff. “What’s your dog’s name?”

  “Sin.”

  “Sin?” She looked up questioningly.

  “Yeah, as in, ugly as Sin.”

  “He’s a cutie.” She laughed as Sin licked her hand.

  “You should have seen him when I first found him howling up under my house. He was wet, dirty, and reeked. I think he had a run-in with a skunk.”

  She hugged
the dog close. She didn’t have Mom’s talent with animals, but she loved them.

  Thunder echoed around the mountaintop. James looked overhead. “We should head back down. Rain’s picking up.”

  “Okay. I’m freezing anyway.”

  They set out on the trail down the mountain together, Sin running ahead. When the trail narrowed, Callie motioned for James to pass her.

  The rain came down heavy, but the thickness of the tree canopies shielded them from most of the downpour. It was as if Mother Earth enveloped them in a cocoon of protection and intimacy.

  Callie admired his tall, muscular body as he deftly negotiated tree roots and jutting rocks. He was lean and moved with an easy confidence. Whenever he held back a tree branch for her to pass, he smiled in a way that made her whole body tingle. Her unexpected encounter with the most handsome guy ever had a surreal quality. Maybe her luck was finally changing.

  The air hissed and crackled, and the already-dark sky deepened several degrees.

  “What’s that noise?” Callie stopped and looked around.

  James tilted his head upwards to the treetops. “I have a bad feeling about this.”

  A swirling mass of blue, purple, and green light rimmed the edges of several of the tallest tree branches overhead. The hissing grew louder, and the branches glowed brighter until it looked as if the uttermost tips of the limbs were dipped in indigo fluorescent paint.

  It was too spectacularly beautiful for Callie to be afraid, but Sin howled like a banshee. James picked him up in one hand and grabbed her arm in the other.

  “Run,” he ordered curtly.

  They flew down the trail so quick, it made Callie dizzy.

  “What’s going on?” she panted, fear taking root.

  A sudden illumination from the lightning bolt blinded her while thunder cracked in her ears. Its loud echo resonated like an earthquake. A tree exploded and large branches mixed with bark and wood splinters rained down. Callie shrieked and pressed her hands to her ears in a useless attempt to drown out the noise. She didn’t open her eyes or protest when James put Sin in her arms then picked them both up and ran. Callie held Sin close to her chest where he whimpered and trembled. A sensation of cold air blowing fiercely did nothing to calm her. She buried her face in James’s coat to avoid the stinging rain and flying branches.