Invoking the Witch (The Faction Series Book 1)

by Lindsey Jayne

  Focusing on her superior, Ember muttered something indiscernible and cast a hand out in front of her. A wall of flame erupted from the ground behind Lucas, blocking them off from the rest of the fray. Lucas threw her a stunned glance when he heard the whoosh of the flames and Ember used the opportunity to attack. She drew a silver blade from her black boot and flung herself at him.

  Lucas turned too late; Ember knocked him off his feet and stabbed her knife into his chest with a scream. She missed his heart by mere inches. Lucas roared out in pain and laid open her face with his hand before he threw her off him with renewed vigour. She landed with a heavy clump against one of the large rocks and grunted when the wind escaped her lungs.

  The warrior leapt off his feet and sailed through the air. He drew a sword from a concealed sheath and descended upon her. Horror marred her otherwise pretty features and Lucas smiled viciously at her, lips curling up to bare his fangs while she scrambled further up the rock.

  Lucas landed and thrust his sword, aiming for her heart. Ember shifted, throwing herself to the side before she chucked a glass bottle to the ground. Smoke engulfed her and she vanished amid a plume of hazy grey—the wall of fire died out, the very moment another pained scream echoed through the night.

  Chapter 23

  I surveyed the devastation surrounding me, tears streaming down my face.

  Is it over?

  The sounds of battle and death ceased, but I still felt on edge. A million questions tumbled through my mind.

  I stood up slowly, Deacon aiding me, and walked into the middle of the circle. After everything kicked off, I forgot a baby lay among us.

  I stared at him, wriggling around in the shallow ditch—oblivious, and unharmed by the devastation.

  Reaching down, I scooped him out and caught sight of Amelia. She lifted her head to look at me.

  She lowered an unmoving Chloe to the ground with such gentle care—reluctant to leave her—and stood up. Blake moved to help her, but she refused his assistance and paced over to Lucas, head held high with each purposeful stride. My heart ached for them and their obvious loss.

  Amelia stepped over the prone body of Serena and stood beside the tall warrior.

  He faced her, the sad look in his gaze betraying his rigid stance. Amelia held her hand out and Lucas gave her his sword.

  “You sure?” he asked her.

  Amelia nodded.

  She stalked over to Laila and, in one fluid movement, swung the sword down and took off Laila’s head—just like that.

  She ambled back to Lucas and handed him his blade before she returned to Chloe’s lifeless form.

  Lucas strode over to Serena’s inert body and lopped her head off.

  A rustling in the trees to my right drew my attention, then movement to my left. I looked over—briefly registering no sign of Ember or Cassandra—before a blonde blur flew at me.

  Kiera drew a dagger and raised it above her head, her bloodied face contorted into a mask of fury; lips peeled back baring red-stained teeth. She looked like a savage, salivating beast.

  I clutched the child to my chest and braced myself, but before she reached me a furry shape shot past my face—course hair bristled against my flesh and I rocked back and forth on my feet, maintaining my balance. It charged into Keira with a nauseating thud and both woman and beast crashed to the ground.

  A large, brown wolf took an angry swipe at Keira’s face, growling over her cries of pain. Blood sprayed the rock and ground beside them in fast, thick splatters. He roared in her face—his eyes sparking a fiery orange— before he bared his jowls and ripped her throat out.

  Another furred animal shot past the first, and the silver-grey bulk of another wolf ran howling into the trees, while the brown one stalked away from his kill. Amid pops and crunches, the wolf’s body twisted, his hair retracted and he transformed into a muscled, butt-naked man right before my eyes.

  Nate!

  “Better late than never.” He winked, blood smeared across his scruffy face.

  He sauntered toward us and snagged a discarded piece of white cloth from the ground. He wrapped it around his waist.

  Lucas walked steadily over to Keira while she gasped and floundered on the ground, like a fish out of water. He barely looked at her when he swiped his sword across her neck.

  ∾∾∾

  Back at the Compound, Amelia listened, while Nate informed everyone that Daniel managed to escape. While Madison had tended to Sam’s wounds, he disappeared. Ember scarpered, too, along with Cassandra. They left little trace of themselves behind, but Amelia would find them—she vowed to. A sentiment shared by all.

  She went to see Sam—holed up in the hospital wing with his injuries; arms in thick bandages, his face a mass off black and purple bruising.

  He took the news of Chloe’s death hard.

  “I keep replaying the images over and over in mind,” Amelia sobbed, “like some homemade, low-budget slasher move. I can’t force them out.”

  Her guard resolved, and she cried, leaning into Sam’s bare chest as he pulled her close, shedding his own audible sobs, unashamed and completely devastated.

  Unable to stop herself, she’d left Sam on the ward to go see Chloe in the morgue. Her remains were to be cremated, her ashes given to her parents.

  Amelia stood, beside herself with grief, but broke down again when Sebastian removed the cover from Chloe’s untarnished face—he did a good job patching her up. Despite the pallid complexion and pale blue lips, she looked peaceful, but it did nothing for Amelia’s feelings of utter desolation at the loss of her co-worker. Her friend.

  Tears streamed freely down her face, and she took the white cover from Sebastian and drew it back across Chloe’s eternally resting body.

  *

  I wanted to ask a thousand and one questions when we returned to the Compound, but my mind went blank. We walked into the living area where my dad sat, waiting, by the fire. He nursed a glass of amber liquid between his palms.

  When he saw us enter, he dropped the tumbler and ran at me, wrapping me in a tight embrace.

  I fell into him, weak and confused.

  Deacon’s welcome hand spread across my lower back and eased me toward the sofas. I grabbed my dad’s hand and pulled him along with me.

  All but Lucas and Deacon left my dad and me to talk.

  Words didn’t come easy. I didn’t know where to begin.

  After Dad told me he didn’t know my mother was a witch, but loved her all the same, I asked the General the only thing my brain would allow me to digest.

  “Why did you cut off their heads?”

  He looked between me and Deacon, probably unsure of whether or not he heard me right. I wasn’t ready for anything more, yet, so I widened my eyes and nodded once at him to answer.

  “Um… well, witches can die from severe injuries, but they do so at a slower rate than regular humans. They have a higher threshold for pain and endurance. But even though they die, the level of power they possess means they can reincarnate.”

  “No shit,” I breathed.

  “They don’t always come back human, and they don’t always have their memories intact. But they’ll return with the same alignment; if they’re evil, they come back as something evil. Often, something much worse than before.

  “The body they inhabit is a vessel, and in order to stop them coming back, they must be beheaded and the vessel burned.”

  It explained why the Faction burned the bodies on the Hill before we left.

  I took a deep breathe. “What did you find out about my mother?”

  Nausea heated my chest and my body trembled.

  Deacon held me close, while Lucas explained my heritage to us.

  He told us that my mother was a Superior Priestess. She held a power like none other; she could manipulate all the elements and communicate with nature. When she died, I became Superior Priestess; in theory. But because my mother wasn’t around to teach me, and my dad had no clue, my powers went untapped
.

  I would, now, need to be taught how to use my gifts. I didn’t know whether to feel excited or downright petrified. My daughter would inherit magic, and it would be up to me to teach her how to use it.

  A large part of me felt elated. I shared a special bond with a mother I never knew, and I would get to share that same connection with my child. But it still didn’t answer why Cassandra went to such great lengths to make sure I was involved in her elaborate, murderous scheme.

  “Why do you have a newspaper article on Isobel?”

  Everyone turned their attention to my dad. He held the clipping of Daniel’s dad’s death between his fingers.

  “You know her?” Lucas moved closer to him.

  My father’s face paled as he stared at the article, before glaring at Lucas. “She cared for my wife during her final days.”

  I looked at the picture of Isobel Compton and gasped.

  “Elora?” Dad placed a hand on my knee.

  I covered my mouth with my hand and murmured, “That’s Cassandra.”

  *

  I sat in a brilliant-white room, on a white couch covered in red, satin cushions.

  I wore a crimson, knee-length gown made from the most exquisite silk. The material caressed my body with such a sensuous trace. The air around me smelled of tulips and violets, and I closed my eyes against the calm solitude.

  “Elora.”

  My eyes snapped open as the voice hummed through my subconscious.

  “Yes, mother?” I stared at the white wall in front of me, my lips unmoving.

  She floated through the wall. Her ruby red lips, smiling, stark against the smoothness of her ivory skin. Chocolate tresses danced in waves around her shoulders, and bright, blue eyes sparkled with unshed tears.

  Against her breast, and wrapped in pure, white silk, she carried her granddaughter.

  “I miss you, sweet angel,” she whispered, softly.

  A single tear escaped the corner of my eye and trailed a warm path down my cheek. “I miss you, too.”

  She looked down at her granddaughter and smiled. Two crystal tears fell from her eyes and landed on two, tiny hands as they reached for her face.

  My mother closed her eyes and whispered, “I’ll be with you always.”

  A glittering cloud shrouded her body and my mother disappeared behind a bright, white light. I shielded my eyes against the brilliance. Turning back, a small, silver speck flickered before me. It darted around my head and shoulders before disappearing behind the read material of my dress.

  I embraced my swollen belly as a welcoming warmth enveloped every inch of me.

  I closed my eyes and smiled.

  My eyes flickered open, struggling against the bright sun bathing my room in a delicious, golden glow. I lay still for a moment, my hands around the swell of my stomach.

  Last night, I had teetered on the precipice of death and come out on top. No longer a weak, submissive shadow, I possessed the strength to end this chapter of my life.

  A new chapter opened. And with it, a whole new set of mysteries remained unsolved.

  But one thing I knew for certain, a part of my mother would always be with me. She gave me the strength to find out the truth. And I would.

  Cassandra and Daniel were still out there. They would still come for me. Cassandra knew my mother… once upon a time. Perhaps they’d even been friends. But something in their pasts led Cassandra down a destructive path, a path that involved me and my child, and I wouldn’t stop digging that past up until we were both safe.

  ∾∾∾

  Walking out of her office, Amelia flicked the lights off. She didn’t sleep one wink after last night’s events, and only came to the station to submit her account of what happened. She’d struggled to hold it together when she’d outlined the events of Chloe’s death and everything before and after.

  She called Chloe’s parents and broke the news—cried with them, sensed their world come crashing down around them.

  Closing her door, she felt a presence beside her.

  “Ellis, a word.” DCS Riley Thomas’ usual booming voice took on a softer tone.

  Will this day ever end? After a gruelling afternoon, Amelia wanted to visit Sam then climb into bed—she missed being able to sleep a whole night without interruption. Though she doubted she’d be able to sleep again for some time.

  Sighing, she turned back around and flicked the light switch on again, bathing her office in a yellow/orange luminance.

  “Yes, sir?”

  “I’m sorry for your loss. For our loss. Roberts was a fantastic officer.”

  “Thank you, sir.” Amelia looked at him and her eyes welled up.

  “If there’s anything I can do… ” He stared back at her with equal sadness in his hooded gaze.

  “I appreciate that, sir, but I’ll be fine.”

  Attempting a smile, Amelia caught the golden glint in Thomas’ eye before he walked away.

  ∾∾∾

  An early dusk settled outside, but I needed some fresh air. Deacon told me Amelia would be here soon to see Sam. I wanted to thank her for her part in saving my life last night, and everything in between.

  I liked Amelia, I respected her feisty, gutsy attitude and everything she stood for. People like her made me feel safe. I hoped we’d become friends.

  I made my way down to the foyer, forcing a smile at Wendy. She’d resumed her post behind her bank of computers, after having hidden from sight during the ambush earlier last night. She offered her own smile, knowing compassion set behind her tired eyes.

  “Has Amelia arrived yet?” I asked her.

  “Not yet, hun. She should be here any minute, though.”

  Wendy buzzed me out the main door.

  Stepping into the sticky, humid night, I actually felt refreshed at being able to feel it for what it was. A breeze whistled past me and I closed my eyes, sucking in a deep lungful. I could smell everything—the trees, the flowers, the air itself, and something I couldn’t quite pinpoint, something spicy and musky. I forgot about it when I heard Amelia call out to me.

  “Ellie!” Her voice cracked, but she threw me a half-smile behind a quick wave.

  I exhaled a heavy breath at her tear-stained face, her eyes red and swollen—my heart went out to her.

  The first sets of gates opened and I stilled in front of her. She moved to swipe her ID card along the mechanism on the second gate, but stopped and stared at my face.

  A cold blast hit me and energy built up inside me, preparing itself for the unknown. I dropped my arms to my sides and stared past Amelia.

  “Ellie… ?” The DCI’s face paled.

  A figure emerged from the shadows with lightning speed.

  “Daniel?!” A sickness swirled in my stomach.

  He grabbed a stunned Amelia before she registered his presence. Drawing a knife from his belt, he positioned it over the side of her throat while he clutched her in a vice-like grip.

  “I want that baby, Elora. I’ll kill everyone you know and love until you give it up to me,” he snarled.

  Jesus fucking Christ, he’s got fangs!

  I shook my head in utter disbelief. This couldn’t be happening. “Daniel, y-you’re—”

  “I mean it Ellie. And so you know just how much, I’ll demonstrate my point right now.”

  He plunged the knife into Amelia’s neck.

  I screamed. I screamed so hard my throat tore. I sank to my knees and watched Daniel pull the deadly weapon out before he disappeared into the night once more.

  Amelia dropped to the floor. Blood pulsed from her neck in thick spurts while she uselessly tried to stem the flow. I hurled myself at the gates and clung to the bars. Her eyes rolled to the back of her head as a growing crimson puddle pooled beneath her. I screamed again and again until I thought I’d be sick, and still I carried on.

  “Open the goddamn gates,” I cried at the top of my lungs and banged my palms against the steel bars. Where the fuck are the guards?

  A s
hape rushed past me and leapt over the gates with no effort at all. Blake hovered over Amelia’s dying form. Grabbing hold of her, he clutched her to his chest and roared a barbaric, primal sound.

  Collapsing to the floor, I felt Deacon’s arms wrap around my waist.

  Then, my water broke.

  To be continued…

  In book 2

  Conquering the Witch

  About the author

  Lindsey lives in England in a little place known as Wolverhampton with her darling Bedlington Terrier, Huxley.

  Whilst she does love to read and write, she is still financially challenged because she likes to buy expensive things that she likely doesn’t need, with money that she definitely doesn’t have! And so, to make ends meet she is employed as a Recruitment Consultant.

  But when she is not indulging in a spot of retail therapy, she can usually be found glued to some form of computer, playing one ‘shoot ‘em up’ game or another! She also likes painting, photography and shopping… oh yes, that was mentioned already, right?!

  She’s not a complete hermit though, she also loves to spend time with her family and friends doing any number of socially acceptable (most of the time) things.

  She is a huge fan of paranormal. Thrillers and erotic fiction. And if all three are combined, she is in heaven. Especially when it comes to Alpha males!!!

  Keep up to date with new releases and giveaways by visiting:

  http://www.facebook.com/LindseyJayneWriter

  or follow her on Twitter:

  http://twitter.com/LindseyJ_Author