Darkmist: Novella (Luminescence Book 4)

by J. L. Weil

  Darkmist

  Luminescence Novella

  J. L. Weil

  Dark Magick Publishing

  Contents

  Also by J. L. Weil

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  About the Author

  Copyright © 2017 by J. L. Weil

  www.jlweil.com/

  All rights reserved.

  First Edition

  Edited by Librum Artis Editorial Services

  Cover Design by J. L. Weil

  This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written notice of the publisher. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are a product of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblances to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales, or organizations is entirely coincidental. All rights are reserved. No part of this may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the author.

  Created with Vellum

  Also by J. L. Weil

  THE DIVISA SERIES

  (Full series completed – Teen Paranormal Romance)

  Losing Emma: A Divisa novella

  Saving Angel

  Hunting Angel

  Breaking Emma: A Divisa novella

  Chasing Angel

  Loving Angel

  Redeeming Angel

  LUMINESCENCE TRILOGY

  (Full series completed – Teen Paranormal Romance)

  Luminescence

  Amethyst Tears

  Moondust

  Darkmist – A Luminescence novella

  RAVEN SERIES

  (Full series completed – Teen Paranormal Romance)

  White Raven

  Black Crow

  Soul Symmetry

  SINGLE NOVELS

  Starbound

  (Teen Paranormal Romance)

  BEAUTY NEVER DIES CHRONICLES

  (Teen Dystopian Romance)

  Slumber

  Chapter 1

  Thumbing through the pages of my astronomy textbook, I lifted my head. Only nine minutes had passed since I sat down, and all I could think was, why the hell had I taken astronomy?

  Maybe because the idea of taking a biology class made me want to hurl. I mean, I had to dissect a frog in high school. God only knew what they were going to make me dismember in college. Gross. Ick. That’s why I was sitting in room 103 of the Natural Science building at the University of North Carolina.

  The ten-minute hike across campus was convenient, as was living in the dorms, especially since I was a stickler for time management. No way was I getting stuck sitting in the front row.

  Wouldn’t it be easier to live here at home? Aunt Clara’s voice filtered into my thoughts.

  Accessibility hadn’t been the only reason I’d chosen to stay in the dorms. I’d wanted the full college experience, a fragment of freedom to discover myself. It had taken a bit of convincing for Aunt Clara to agree to the co-ed dorms, particularly because my edible boyfriend’s room was down the hall.

  Gavin Mason.

  He was not the kind of guy I ever pictured myself dating. Dark. Mysterious. Edgy. Dimples that made his blue eyes twinkle devilishly. And he was a witch…like me.

  I still wasn’t sure what he saw in me, but living under the same roof definitely had its perks. Gavin had taken a slightly different approach to college than I had. Where I was laser focused on my studies, he was motivated by the next party.

  Austin and Gavin had become frat brothers in the sense they’d found a shared love of Alpha Beta Delta or whatever weird Greek name their fraternity. It was kind of a surprise. I never would have pegged my boyfriend as a frat boy. He was more of a loner. And that made me think he was up to something. He always had an agenda.

  The question was, what?

  I extended my legs under the seat in front of mine and glanced at the clock above the door. Ugh. If this was how my day was going to go, then I was in trouble. My eyes wandered about the classroom, checking out the other dorks that were dumb enough to sign up for this course.

  There was a girl with cinnamon and spice hair a few seats diagonal from where I was. It wasn’t her fiery hair that captured my wandering gaze, but what she was doing with her pen. The two of us should have been taking notes on the lecture Professor Burns so snoringly delivered, yet…

  I had no excuse, but this girl, she was concentrating intently on the slim silver pen hovering in the air an inch or two from her face. Nothing was touching it. No fingers. No string. No trick. Except magic.

  I felt the tremble of power dance in the air, and she suddenly had my undivided attention. WTF. She was openly using magic in the middle of class. I was flabbergasted. My mouth fell open. Did she have no regard for the safeguard of the craft?

  I mean, I was still an apprentice in a manner of speaking, but even as a novice, I knew the rules. There was no doubt, this girl was a witch, but the difference between us was, I didn’t flaunt my gifts. I didn’t openly splash magic where others could see.

  But as my eyes swept over the room, I realized no one else noticed anything amiss. A cloaking charm? It was the only explanation my mind could come up with. I could see through the spell, given the extent of my powers.

  There was nothing ordinary about the magic I was born with. Nothing at all. My power was feared by most witches and coveted by the darker ones. I’d learned to accept who I was—the descendant of Morgana Le Fey—a clàr silte.

  It wasn’t as cool as it sounded.

  The CliffNotes version was, I sucked the magic from other witches. I was the Dementor of enchantresses. Of course, there were repercussions for such power. I couldn’t just go around slurping magic from every witch I encountered like they were ninety-nine cent cherry Slurpee’s. The price for using magic of that magnitude left blemishes on my soul—the sort of marks that turned your soul dark.

  And I’d rather punt-kick myself in the face than losing myself to dark magic. I didn’t like who I turned into, or the little voices in my head, baiting me to take more. One taste led to an insatiable appetite.

  To date, I’d only stripped one witch of his power. Lukas Devine. I hadn’t seen or heard from him since that day. It was probably for the best. Lukas had nefarious plans where I was concerned. It was still hard to believe I’d mistaken his feelings toward me as affection, when in fact he wanted my power and what I could do with it.

  Gavin, if given the chance, would love to go a round or two with Lukas, to screw up his pretty boy face, as he would say. I shuddered at the thought of them running into each other. Bloodbath.

  As I stared the redheaded witch, she must have sensed my eyes on her. Her head angled, meeting my disapproving gaze dead on, but she never dropped the spell. Actually, the minx smiled at me, and not in a friendly sort of way. It was menacing and made my skin prickle with unease. There was something off about her.

  I tapped my pencil on the blank paper in front of me and bit my lip.

  She lifted her brow when I continued to stare. It was a challenge. The pen floating parallel to her slender nose began to spin. Then with a flick of her marshmallow painted fingernail, she sent the pen sailing
through the air, directly at Professor Burns.

  I froze.

  The length of the pen whizzed past his ear and the tip sunk into the corkboard bulletin behind him with a thump. I made a loud audible gasped.

  Holy shitsnacks.

  Professor Burns brushed at the side of his head, but other than that, he didn’t miss a beat in his lecture. However, my disruptive gasp of horror was a different story. Numerous heads turned my way, giving me the side-eye reserved for public spectacles.

  My face flamed an ugly shade of pink. Dipping down, I let my hair fall forward, curtaining my face as my gripped tightened on my pencil. If there was one thing I hated more than being embarrassed, it was bullies. Silently, cursing a string of swear words that would have made my aunt blush, I peeked up from under my lashes.

  The witch was laughing at me.

  Swirls of magic gathered at my fingertips. I wanted to show this witch what real magic was. These parlor tricks were high school compared to what I could do.

  But noooo. That’s not why I was here, I reminded myself. Sometimes it just plain sucked being the good girl.

  For the remaining of class, I avoided looking at her. I didn’t want to play her games.

  As soon as Professor Burns dismissed the class, I shot out of my seat like I was racing for the last cup of coffee. I made it to the double doors without tripping or mowing anyone down. Bursting out of the science building, I lifted my head up and breathed in the warm afternoon sun. There was a hint of sea in the air, but I didn’t stop to smell the roses. My legs kept moving. I wanted to put as much distance as I could between the mysterious witch and me. She struck a chord inside me. And not in a good way.

  “You’re a witch,” a dark seductive voice stated.

  I stopped in my tracks. The multi-hued ginger was sitting on a bench just outside the brick library, twirling a piece of her hair.

  How the hell had she gotten here before me? The library was adjacent to my dorm, a win-win in my book. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I replied. This girl was a stranger to me, and I surely didn’t owe her an explanation.

  “You saw me in there. I know you did.” She crossed her legs over an expensive pair of designer jeans. “I can feel your power, you know. It’s pointless to lie.”

  Most witches could sense another of their kind. “I saw you showing off with a juvenile spell.”

  The smirk on her lips tightened. “I’d be careful who you piss off, rookie.”

  “I’m not looking for trouble,” I said, before I said something she’d regret.

  Her cherry lips puckered. “That’s too bad. Trouble is way more fun. I’m Amara, by the way.”

  “Brianna,” I replied, shifting the strap of my bag higher up on my shoulder.

  She batted her heavily mascara-framed cat green eyes and stood up, pulling a slim card out from her back pocket. “Here. If you’re interested, there’s a party tonight at my sorority house. It’s not your typical sorority, and I think you’d fit right in. I’m the house advisor.”

  I took the business card, but I doubted this so-called sorority, was approved by the school board, or if it was, a dab of magic had been involved. Last I checked there wasn’t a major for witchcraft. “I’ll pass,” I answered, trying to keep the distain from my voice. “I have a full load this semester and hadn’t really thought about rushing.”

  She shrugged. “Suit yourself. If you change your mind, you know where to find me, Brianna. My number’s on the card.” Twitching her butt, she turned back toward me after only a step or two. She popped a pair of shades over her eyes. “Hope to see you tonight.”

  A cold chill passed over me as I watched her saunter down the sidewalk like she was on the red carpet.

  Geez.

  I flipped the card over in my hand. Kappa Zeta Gamma. If you can’t fly with the big girls, get off the broom.

  Catchy. And not too subtle.

  Under the tagline was her name. Amara Sanders. There was also the sorority logo. KZG. And no joke, there was a little wooden broom going through the monogram.

  Wow. And to think I thought I wasn’t going to make any friends. I hadn’t thought I would meet a witch, or that I would accuse of her misusing magic. What a way to make a first impression. New city. New school. And I managed to muck it up in less than thirty minutes. Could be a personal record.

  Chapter 2

  Dropping my enormous astronomy book on my desk, I flopped on my dorm bed, staring at the twinkle lights dangling across the ceiling. My roommate was an interior decorator major who was obsessed with Pinterest.

  Kylie was a petite brunette with skin that was golden year round and a sparkling personality. Her wardrobe reflected her flare for design, and would have made Tori green with envy.

  It was strange not having Tori here, but university wasn’t for her. She was furthering her education at Elite School of Beauty. I didn’t doubt I was going to end up being her guinea pig on her journey to become a beautician. I only hoped that I would have hair left by the time she graduated. My only comfort was that any damage she caused could be fixed with a little bit of magic.

  I missed her, especially after today.

  Twirling the card between my fingers, I did something I never thought I would do. I considered joining a sorority, or the very least, checking out the house. The way I saw it, I had two choices: I could go to this party tonight and maybe meet a few cool people, or I could climb into bed, turn off all the lights, and pull the covers over my head. I so wanted to indulge myself in a good pity party, but my curiosity got the best of me. I hadn’t busted my butt working all those summers at Mystic Floral, saving money for college, and taking on the additional expense of living on campus, just so I could shut myself up in my room. The whole experience, remember. And that included parties.

  I nibbled on my nail, contemplating.

  Forget it.

  If I had to think this hard, it wasn’t worth it. Maybe meeting other witches wasn’t a good idea. Who knows what might happen. Honestly, I had better things to do with my time than get wasted with a bunch of uppity sorority sisters.

  Like writing a paper for Composition I. Unwilling to give Amara and her sorority another thought, I pulled out my English textbook. My classes were finished for the day, but my run-in with Amara had interrupted my plans. I had intended to head over to the financial building after my astronomy class to fill out an application for a campus job. At eighteen credit hours, I had a full schedule, but if I was going to continue living on campus, I was going to need to money, and a job on campus seemed like the best route.

  I was going to have to make time tomorrow.

  Tonight, I was going to attack my homework with a vengeance. And I did for a few hours, before I felt the fireflies flutter in my belly. There was only one person who enticed those warm flurries. Gavin. A rush of excitement whirled inside me.

  My eyes lifted. He was leaning in the doorway, his startling blue eyes were vibrant and alive, a stark contrast against his midnight hair. The cool metal hoop at the center of his lip twitched as they curved. Gavin was gorgeous in a way that made me feel giddy and reckless.

  Climbing off the bed, I jumped into his arms and buried my face into the alcove between his shoulder and neck. I inhaled the light scent of his cologne. Bedazzling. He smelled good and safe. A head taller than me, his strong arms wrapped around my waist, keeping me close.

  “I’m glad to see you, too,” he murmured into my hair.

  I pulled back so I could look into his eyes. Unable to help myself, I pressed my lips to his. My fingers weaved into his silky hair. It still surprised me that even though I saw him daily, my heart yearned for him. “I missed you,” I whispered against his lips, his hoop scraping lightly over my mouth.

  He brushed away a strand of hair that had drifted into my face. “If I’d known you were going to attack me, I would have come by much sooner.”

  I grinned, rolling my eyes. “Are you going somewhere?” I asked. He was dressed in d
istressed jeans and a dark shirt, his hair intentional styled to look as if he just gotten out of bed.

  “We are,” he replied. “Get dressed.” Then he proceeded to give me a swat on the butt.

  I squeaked. “I am dressed.”

  He flashed me a grin. “As much as I love you in your Harley Quinn mile-high socks and little red shorts, I’d rather not get into a fight tonight.”

  “They’re knee-high socks,” I argued, wiggling my toes, although I was impressed he knew who Harley Quinn was. But he was right. I couldn’t actually go out wearing this. I’d been so busy studying that I had forgotten what I looked like. “And where is it you think you’re dragging me to?”

  “A party, and before you argue, I am not letting you spend your Friday night alone in your room.”

  Flopping back down on my bed, I frowned. “I can’t go out tonight. I have an assignment to finish for English and a quiz to study for.” I’d already turned down one party.

  He pushed my textbook aside and sat down next to me. “You work too hard, always pushing yourself. If you don’t take a breath and have a little fun, your entire college experience will have passed you by.”

  Okay, I didn’t know what he had up his sleeve, but as much as I needed to lighten up, there was something fishy going on. My brows knitted together. “Why do you really want to go to this party? I’m not buying that you’ve suddenly turned into a frat douche.”

  An amused expression settled on his striking face. “Fine. I actually hate frat parties, but there is supposedly a coven of witches on campus. I want to check them out. See if they’re going to be a problem.”

  The words problem and witches in the same sentence had my internal alarm picking up. My thoughts automatically turned to Amara. “Where did you hear this tip?”

  He shrugged. “Jared.”