by Alex Owens
The air around me grew hot enough that my skin pinked and sizzled. It hurt like a sonavabitch. I clenched my teeth, fighting the scream that was working its way up my throat. I would not scream in front of Quinn. That was the last thought I had, right before the full blast of her power overwhelmed me in a blistering inferno.
And then I was gone.
Chapter Twenty-Four
But then, I returned.
Only the Claire that came back was something far greater than the previous sum of my parts. It was like comparing an atom bomb to a firecracker. Or a ceiling fan to a tornado. Whatever. I suck at similes, but you get the picture.
My new self was power personified. Every cell in my body thrummed to an unheard beat. My skin felt like a network of live wires as I saw everything, heard everything, and scented even the tiniest fragrances better than a bloodhound. Even the ash smudge on the floor where Venna once stood called out to me like a beacon.
I had no idea what had happened, or what I had done to make it possible, but I was grateful either way. I sent up a silent prayer of thanks to the universe for allowing me to come out the other side of the whole fiasco unscathed and for allowing me to save my daughter above all else.
Perhaps my shields, which were necessary in the beginning to protect me from the emotional onslaught, had also been hindering my abilities the whole time? In seeking to control the magic by holding it tight within my proverbial hand, all I’d done was make it struggle and ricochet off in unpredictable ways. Now that the barriers were gone, the magic flowed through every fiber of my being. My body felt wholly different, yet familiar to me, and my power shone brighter than ever.
As the circle of flames died down, I heard gasps from my loved ones.
“Oh my God,” said Pete.
“Well I’ll be damned,” said Clive.
“Mama!” yelled Quinn.
I took a moment to collect myself, and then looked up to their expectant faces—the faces I never thought I’d see again—and my heart pounded like it did back when I’d been fully human.
My daughter made a move to run to me and I held her off with a hand. The circle needed to be broken, and with that mere thought a stiff wind blew through the room, erasing the salt line. I felt the invisible snap as the containment field cracked and its power waned, leeching back into the earth from which it came. I wiggled my bare toes at the sensation, which rather tickled.
Once it was safe, I knelt down and waved Quinn onward, holding my arms wide open. She ran to me, jumped into my arms and hugged me tightly. It was the absolute best feeling in the world. Nothing could ruin that moment, not even the dour expression on Pete’s face as he realized that not only were his problems not solved, but they were a hundred times worse than they’d been just days ago.
But I shook that off like a duck does water.
Pink tears streamed down my face, but I didn’t bother to wipe them away. I’d earned a good cry, I figured, and since everyone in the room knew my dirty little secret it wasn’t like I needed to hide what I was any longer.
I stood, with Quinn still wrapped around my body and went to the others. Cass was practically bouncing on her toes and her grin stretched from ear to ear.
“I never doubted you,” she said.
“Well, I did. I had no idea that would happen... but I’m sure glad it did.” I said, patting Quinn on the back.
“So are you going to tell us?” Clive asked.
“Tell you what?” I said.
“How you managed to overpower the most powerful witch alive?” Bette filled in the blanks for him.
“I’m serious, I have no idea. Maybe it was the embellishment that I added to the contract when I signed it, or maybe it was knocking down all of my own barriers and dumping out my stored magic just before she tried to zap me into oblivion?” I mused.
“What did you add to the contract?” Clive asked, glancing over to the podium where it had been. The contract itself had disappeared, gone the way of Venna, I suspected.
At the same time, Bette chimed in. “Barriers and stored magic? What are you talking about?”
Cass stood beside me, whispering to Quinn. I couldn’t focus on what they were talking about, but if the giggling was any indication, it sure was funny.
“Maybe it was because you promised to never leave me and you always keep your promises,” Quinn lifted her head from my shoulder and offered her own opinion.
“That I do, sweet girl. And don’t you forget it.” I leveled an even gaze at Pete as a way of reminding him to watch his step, or else I’d make good on my promise to end him once and for all. He quickly looked away, of course.
I hugged each and every one of them (save Pete) with my free arm. “We have a life time to analyze and discuss what happened or how it happened, but right now I just want to count my blessings and celebrate. Okay?”
“That sounds perfect,” Cass squealed, buoyant on her feet.
“I’m in... but how would you like to celebrate?” Clive gave me a lascivious grin and winked.
I rolled my eyes at him, but smiled just the same. He was so predictable, but that’s what I loved about him. Yeah, I said it.
“Well, I don’t know,” I tickled Quinn a little and she squirmed in my arms. “I’m open to suggestions. Anyone?”
The air was laden with the scent of scorched witch and I didn’t like the idea of inhaling bits of a roasted lunatic, so I pushed our little group out of the chamber and into the cavernous hallway. It was dark and silent, and I had to wonder where all of Venna’s servants were at the moment. I could only hope that they weren’t planning a retaliation or anything. I glanced around as we walked, looking for boogeymen in every alcove and doorframe.
The others chatted amicably, though I noticed Clive scanning the immediate area just about as much as I was, so the thought had occurred to someone other than myself. That made me feel slightly less paranoid. But not really better about the situation.
As we rounded the corner to the main hall, Mr. Demon dude stepped out from the shadows and blocked our path. I wasn’t getting any violent vibes from him, but still I handed Quinn back to Pete and took a few steps forward before stopping and standing my ground. I felt Clive step up behind me, on my left, and Bette stepped up to protect Pete, Quinn and Cass. I loved both of them even more for their basic instincts to protect me and mine.
The caped demon bowed, supplicating himself, and approached me. He reached under his cape and pulled out a folded sheet of paper, holding it out in front of himself with an unsteady, gloved hand.
I glanced back to Bette and she shrugged her shoulders. Without a better option, I took the paper and watched him scurry off into the darkness without a sound.
“What is it?” Clive asked at the same time Bette spoke.
“What does it say?” she asked.
I turned back to both of them, as well as Cass, Pete and Quinn and unfolded the paper. It crinkled in my hands and smelled like musty flowers. The note seemed to be very old, which didn’t make a lot of sense.
I scanned the document quickly, taking note of the date next to Venna’s signature. 1749.
“Huh,” I stood, slack mouthed.
“It must be a doozy if it’s got you speechless,” Cass joked.
I cast her a playful glare and re-read the paper again. I felt like I couldn’t have read it correctly the first time. But I had.
“Mom!” Quinn whined, eager to get to the celebrating part. I imagine that she was thinking of ice cream and balloons right about then.
“Okay, fine. It seems to be Venna’s will, dated in 1749, bequeathing this castle and all of its contents, demon, golem or otherwise, and her entire estate’s holdings to me. Well, not to me specifically. I wasn’t born for another two-hundred-and-some years. But either way, it is mine.”
I was more than a little bewildered. What did I know about running a freaking castle? Or taking care of demons, golems and Patchwork monsters? I wouldn’t know where to start. But the angel would
be hitting the bricks, pronto, I thought, casting a glance to Clive. Given all of the shit that had brought us here, I wasn’t even sure that I wanted the damned place.
“If you own a castle, does that make me a princess?” Quinn chuckled like she was joking, but the gleam in her eye told me that she was hoping I’d say yes.
“I’m sure it does, sweetling.” I smiled and looked to the others.
Pete’s eyes held a sparkle too, but of another, more selfish, kind. He thought he’d hit the jackpot through me. I’d let him fantasize about that a bit before reminding him that our divorce was finalized ages ago—so what was mine was all mine, and mine alone. It would be fun to watch him deflate. It would be like a bonus, really.
Bette seemed amused by the turn of events, Cass looked stunned and Clive—well, he looked like he always did, cocky and kissable. What a bunch we were together.
A fairy, two vampires, one gifted child and a boringly human ass-hat... all looked to me, the resident badass Vamp-witch for my reaction.
Or should I call myself a Wi-Vamp? A Wamp? Or maybe a Vitch? God, those were awful amalgamations. I was hoping for something cool like Liger or Zorse. I’d have to work on that later, it was making my head throb.
Overwhelmed, I folded the paper down to a more manageable square and stuffed it into my bra. I won’t mention how I found a paperclip and a quarter down there or not knowing why I’d put them in my bra in the first place. My boobs were turning out to be just like the dark recesses of my purse, I thought. I’d probably start finding hard candy down there any day now.
That was a depressing, so I turned to the others and said, “What are we waiting for? Seems we have a lot to celebrate.”
And celebrate we did. Well, as much as we could with an impressionable tween in the mix. We had to save some things for much later in the night, after everyone was safely tucked in bed.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Six months later
Since absorbing Venna’s magicke into myself, life has mostly gone back to normal.
If by normal, you mean being a Vamp-Witch trying to raise a pre-teen (who has her own burgeoning magical powers), get along with her asinine Ex-husband, carry on two long-distance relationships, and do the occasional wet job to quench my thirst for blood. If that’s your kind of normal, I’d suggest seeing a therapist. Maybe two.
Am I more powerful? That’s a resounding yes.
Through a bit of trial and error, I’ve discovered that I am capable of doing a lot more than before. Some have been silly and fun, like the magical fireworks show I put on for Quinn this summer. Other powers are infinity scarier, like the time I tried to use the wind to rid my yard of leaves and ended up triggering a tiny waterspout not fifty feet from my dock. Because of that, I’ve kept my use of magic down to the bare minimum. After all, magic always comes with a price and I’ve had enough of debts being owed to last me a lifetime.
Aside from all of that, my werewolf neighbors were the biggest problem I’ve had since returning from our little rescue mission. Even before Morgan “disappeared” they were no fans of mine, or Vamps in general. They didn’t buy my explanation of her disappearance for one second and I was running out of ways to dodge their questions.
Sooner or later, I’d have to come clean. I only hoped that it didn’t end up with me defending myself against two frothing dogs. I so didn’t feel like having to get rabies shots, for reals.
With Morgan gone, I’d had to figure out the whole Quinn situation pronto. Facing the facts, I knew that there were some things that I couldn’t do for her any more. And as much as I hated the idea, the solution came in the form of my Ex, damn his stupid soul. So now he’s living on my land in a cute two bedroom cabin that I built about 500 yards away from my own house, but around the bend in the tree line and on a little spit of land jutting out into the inlet.
I figured when Quinn was old enough to look out for herself, I’d get rid of him once and for all—no, I don’t mean eat him, just evict him—and then I could use the structure as a guest house or my own personal sanctuary. But for now, Pete lived in my backyard. Close enough to assist me with Quinn, but far enough away to stay out of my hair. At least that was the plan, if it worked out that way remained to be seen.
Finding out my daughter was a witchling was a blow, I won’t deny that. Cassidy offered to stick around for a while to help train Quinn and I took her up on the generous offer. After spying on me for years, I felt it was the least that she could do to make up for the betrayal. No, I wasn’t still angry at Cass for that any more, but it was fun to watch her tap-dance around me for a few months at least.
Plus, Cassidy’s bubbly presence was just what Quinn needed when we returned home to the last place she’d seen Morgan alive. It wasn’t like I could take her to a human therapist, now could I? One earful of that tale and we’d all be in the looney bin.
I was still seeing both Clive and Bette, though it was logistically easier to see Clive more often. I’d only visited Bette once so far, when I’d gone back to deal with Venna’s ginormous castle, estate and the otherworldly servants she’d left behind. I was still ambivalent about keeping it, but then I remembered that I actually owned a freaking Medici castle. Bad jou-jou be damned, how could I give that up?
It wasn’t like I had to do anything. Just pop in a few times a year to check in, really. The estate’s lawyer paid all the bills, the resident freaks were happy running the place, especially in the absence of a crazy witch, and it was an amazing place once you got past the dark history. Or maybe it was because of the dark history? At any rate, I’d probably keep it and use it as an excuse for some alone time with Bette every few months or so. It was a win-win really.
Oh, remember that little job I did for Clive right before all of the Venna crap went down? That worked out even better than I expected. We didn’t just kill two birds with one stone, we slaughtered the entire flipping flock.
Clive got what he needed to take down the Darlings quietly, under the human radar and with the blessings of the other powerful vamps around the country. I had to hand it to them, they moved quicker than any other form of government I’d ever seen. No red tape or side deals to be had. Just swift decisions and speedy executions.
Within forty-eight hours they’d demolished Darling’s entire business and crew like it had never existed. Those who didn’t get on board with Clive’s way of thinking didn’t live long. Others knew better and promised to be good little vampires. The vamps on the fence about their futures? I’d heard a rumor that Clive threatened them with a few minutes alone with me.
Yes, me. He’d called me his own little judge and jury - his executioner. Mainly because he knew that my reputation was beginning to get around, but also because he adored that I was so upfront about embracing my dark side. I didn’t mind the nickname or the misnomer. Technically, of the few jobs I’d done so far for him, only half of them had ended in fatal blood spillage. The rest were of the more investigative or persuasive nature.
Oddly enough, I’m not sure what happened to Darling himself. Clive remarked at one point that death was too good for him, and that he had half a mind to give him a taste of his own medicine. I could only hope that meant Darling was chained up in some sick bastard’s basement being tortured every hour of every day. That would be true justice, in my opinion.
With the extra flash drive of information that I’d gleaned from the job, and with the help of HackerT, we’d managed to dismantle a massive child pedophile ring while Clive was cleaning out the Darling Enterprise. In a choreographed assault, we fed the locations of over a hundred trafficked children, in multiple cities around the country, to the FBI. The Feds wasted no time in swooping in to rescue each and every one of them. And taking the credit of course, but that didn’t bother me at all. I didn’t care who saved the children, so long as someone had.
Sure, it would take years for the children to heal mentally and physically, but at least they were finally safe. To make sure that the victims and their
families had professional help available around the clock, I’d also stolen the proceeds from the dark-web transactions and deposited the funds into a charitable shell corporation, with every penny to be spent on therapy, counseling and meeting the children’s daily needs.
Even HackerT didn’t see a dime of the blood money... though I did have a sneaking suspicion that he would manage to profit from the hack job in some other, less repulsive way. He was a hacker after all. I’d be kind of disappointed in him if he hadn’t.
As for myself, I may be a bad-assed Mother Sucker, but I hoped that as long as I could continue to do real, tangible good in the world, my karmic scales might someday balance out. If not, then so be it. The real reward was in the doing anyway, as it should be.
Coming Soon
Alex has several projects in the works right now, from a Forbidden romance box set she’s participating in to a new novel based on her reworked Crow serials. She’s also working on a spin off series to the Blood Chord novels, so if you haven’t gotten your fill of Claire yet, don’t fret. We’ll be seeing her again!
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About Alex
Alex Owens is a woman with little free time, which means she stays up all hours of the night putting pen to paper. By day, she’s June Cleaver in jeans and by night, she writes. Somewhere in the middle of all that she finds time to tend ‘dem babies, fry up the bacon and curl up with a good book (or ten), much to the chagrin of her family. She’s currently at work on her Blood Chord series (steamy paranormal romance) and her Crow series (new adult fantasy).
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