by Brea Essex
“I think there’s Pamprin in the office, if you need it,” Sam says sarcastically. Good thing I like him or I’d write him up just because I can.
“I’m not PMSing and just for that, you get to mop the floor tonight.” Without turning around, I head back to the office. When memories of Andy pop into my head, I’m reminded how lonely life is without her. I’ve been going to her grave and sitting there for hours. She was always my sounding board when it came to my dad, now I feel guilty for all the times I made her listen to me complain. We should have spent more time doing pranks and laughing at stupid movies. Now, I’ll never be able to do those things with someone. Lately, everything reminds me of her and I’ll either cry or get angry. It isn’t that I’m mad at her, it’s I don’t know when the pain will stop. My therapist says dumb things like, time heals all wounds, or everyone grieves differently. The therapist was Aunt Laney’s idea since the health insurance policy she bought for me covers the visits.
“Knock, knock,” Sam’s voice brings me back to reality. “Hey, do I really have to mop the floor? I have plans after work and I don’t want to smell like bleach and dirty mop water.”
“I told you to mop not take a bath. I’ll let it slide this time, but don’t ever hint for me to take Pamprin again, okay?”
“Deal. Your Aunt Laney is in the store, do you want me to send her back here?”
“No, I’ll go out there.”
Bio:
Devyn is the girl with the big imagination... telling the stories about the characters that live in her head. A mother of two young adults keeps her on her toes and in the loop. Her blogs will keep you laughing, her vlogs will show you her silliness and her books will have you long for the friendships and to fall in love for the first time all over again.
www.devyndawson.com
Conversion
A Moon Coven Series Novella
K. B. Miller
Quote
“I have, indeed, no abhorrence of danger, except in its absolute effect - in terror.” ― Edgar Allen Poe
Chapter One
When things go to hell, they usually go by way of a hand basket in only a matter of minutes. At least, that’s the way it works in my world.
“Lily? Lilyann!” a familiar gruff voice pulled me from my thoughts. I inched my frozen head to the side and came face-to-face with my annoyed brother.
“Why are we walking over hill and dale to find ‘the perfect’ Christmas tree? I mean, we’re witches, what’s the point in having powers if we can’t just flick our wrists and summon one of these damn things?” Declan complained, rubbing his hands together for warmth as we passed the fifteenth unacceptable specimen.
My body erupted into a fit of giggles, “D, we’re in Hampstead, Maryland, not some mythical school in England where instant displays of magick are encouraged. If someone here sees us, it will be Salem all over again, but ten times worse. They have blowtorches now! So ... we walk.”
Ciaran and Riona joined in on the laughter as we continued wading through the sea of pine trees in over a half of foot of snow.
Thank the Goddess I had worn my warm boots!
Maryland’s weather in December was always erratic. Some years, it would be seventy degrees and sunny, then other years, like this year, the snow started falling at the end of November and didn’t stop until after St. Patrick’s Day.
The scent of Christmas hit my nose as I passed by another set of lush trees. They were beautiful, but none of them was exactly what I was looking for. I had somehow gotten it into my head that this Christmas needed to be perfect. Like that ever actually happens when you have a large family nestled around a dinner table, especially if that family consisted of a coven of witches, an over bearing vampire boyfriend, and one extremely ‘high alert’ vampire hunter. My life wasn’t complicated, or anything.
Suddenly, the little hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. I had a strange sensation of being watched. My eyes scoured the area. Nothing. I was probably just being paranoid, or Mason could be on ‘Keep Lilyann safe’ detail nearby.
Six weeks ago, on Halloween night my family had gone into battle, practically blind, and come through it barely scathed. The only real casualty was my relationship.
My boyfriend, Mason had become so overprotective that it was starting to put a wedge between us. Every time that I left the house, he followed. He was terrified that his only living brother, Dax and his sister, Maylee were waiting to pounce around every corner. He had fought alongside me when they brought their last attack and I had held my own. Hell, I had even killed his other brother Victor and I had barely broken a sweat.
Mason and I had started fighting like cats and dogs earlier when I told him that he couldn’t come with us to the tree farm. I just needed time to do something mundane, non-witch related. So, I corralled all of my family left at the farm to come with me. I had just saved the entire town, a trip to the tree farm should have been cake.
“Thinking about Mason?” Ciaran asked, his sandy blond hair just peaking out from beneath the dark blue knitted beanie hat.
“Of course. I just don’t understand why he doesn’t understand that I can take care of myself.”
“He only wants you safe, Lily. Lighten up on him a little, okay?” Ciaran bumped my shoulder with his. I glanced over at him. My cousin and I resembled each other a lot, both on the inside, and out. We were both organized, able to handle stressful situations without flipping out, and we both had Granny’s electric blue eyes. All of us Moons’ did. They were part of what marked us as powerful Moon witches.
“Mason just needs to get over it. You’re perfectly safe out here.” Declan prattled off, playing with the needle of a nearby pine tree.
“Are you insane? Do not say that! Don’t you watch scary movies? Just before the homicidal maniac appears to slice and dice someone, those very words are spoken.” Riona chastised, pushing dark curls off her shoulder.
“I wouldn’t say that I’m a homicidal maniac, per se...,”
I felt the blood drain from my face as I whipped my head around. The monster that had a starring role in every nightmare was standing in front of me, very much alive, and in living color ─ Dax Shaw. Vampire stalker extraordinaire.
Bio:
Okay, so I’m supposed to tell you about me ...
Seriously, if I wrote a book about myself, it would take you ten minutes to read and you would be bored stiff after the first two! LOL
I’m a full-time writer, wife, and mother. Which basically means there’s always a surplus of pencils lost somewhere in my hair, I usually have some place to be (I’m always late), I have a bad habit of calling family and friends random character’s names (from my books), I talk to myself because no one else listens to me, and I can throw together a mean dinner for eight with only ten minutes notice and four ingredients in the pantry, LOL.
If you can’t find me on the sidelines of my sons’ football games, online, cooking, cleaning, shopping, at the local coffee joint or on the phone wandering aimlessly throughout my house then I’ve probably hidden myself in my “bat-cave” to write.
I have a positive attitude, and absolute fun-loving approach to life. That makes it easy for the voices in my head to take over on a regular basis providing endless hours of entertainment for my pleasure, and hopefully yours.
www.kbmillerbooks.com
