by Weil, J. L.
Ancient Tides
Division 14: Berkano Vampire Collection
J.L. Weil
Dark Magick Publishing, LLC
Ancient Tides © 2017 J.L. Weil
Copyright notice: All rights reserved under the International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
This is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, organizations, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
Warning: the unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in prison and a fine of $250,000.
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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
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
About the Author
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Loving Angel
Redeeming Angel
LUMINESCENCE TRILOGY
(Full series completed – Teen Paranormal Romance)
Luminescence
Amethyst Tears
Moondust
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RAVEN SERIES
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White Raven
Black Crow
Soul Symmetry
BEAUTY NEVER DIES
(Teen Dystopian Romance)
Slumber
Entangled
NINE TAILS SERIES
(Teen Paranormal Romance Short Novels)
First Shift
SINGLE NOVELS
Starbound (Teen Paranormal Romance)
Casting Dreams (New Adult Paranormal Romance)
Dark Souls (Runes Series KindleWorld Novella)
Ancient Tides (New Adult Paranormal Romance)
Ancient Tides
In a world of secrets, blood, and magic, all the lines have blurred.
On the last day of high summer, Skylar Smoake stands on the edge of Silent Bend, overlooking the raging waters below. The black sky cracks with the angry sound of thunder and flashes blue as lightning strikes. Crying out her grief into the turbulent storm, Sky rails against the evil that has threatened her division for generations—the creatures who took everything from her—the Berkano vampires.
Sky is one of the Charmed, her powers ancient, derived from Braywen the sorceress of Glenn the Gaelics. Her duty is to a secret coven vowed to protect Division Fourteen. Trust has never been easy for Sky, not in a world where magic is shunned but necessary. She finds herself drawn to a man with secrets and a hidden past she is determined to unearth.
Zavier Cross is like no man Sky has ever encountered. With silvers eyes that shine like starlight, and a smirk she finds both charming and irritation, Zavier is a distraction she can’t afford.
The vampire, Lilith, has been seeking a witch. Biding her time in the tunnels under the city, she waits poised to attack. The tension between the Bitten and the Charmed could crumble Frisco Bay, and seeking revenge is all Sky can taste.
Caught in a battle for the fate of Division Fourteen, Sky must fortify her gifts and trust the one man who has the power to crush her heart…for the ancient tides have awaken.
Chapter 1
I glanced over my shoulder at the cloaked figure following me in the shadows. Move your ass, Skylar. The castle is just past the gate—safety.
The vampire stalking me wouldn’t think twice about stepping foot into the perimeter of Silent Bend. Not with the slew of guards stationed at every corner. But what had I expected when I snuck out like a thief into the night? It didn’t matter I had a good reason, or I had eluded my detail.
I’d been fooling myself into thinking I’d be able to make it to and from the coven meeting without being detected by the Bitten. It didn’t matter there was a peace treaty between us. This bloodsucker was dying to get his dirty claws on me, but it wasn’t my magical blood he wanted. It would kill him. Nope. The asswipe wanted to impregnate me—against my will, rules be damned.
I shouldn’t have been surprised I was being hunted again. It was becoming a bad routine each time I snuck out to the coven gatherings, hidden deep in the heart of Frisco Bay. One day, my luck was going to run out. A single vamp I could handle, but if they brought friends, I was going to be sorry I had left Liam back at home. Except the whole point of a secret coven meeting was no one was to know, not even my assigned guard.
If my brother Colin found out, he would be angry enough to make more than one of his trained soldiers babysit me. It was troublesome trying to find creative ways to ditch Liam alone. It helped we were sleeping together, and I doused him with a bit of a sleeping potion.
Darting across the field, I used the fog that constantly covered the city to my advantage. Vampires were stealthy, their footsteps undetected by human ears, but I wasn’t human. As a witch, I could sense him, and this bloodsucker had been trailing me for the last ten minutes. I was tempted to let him catch me so I could ask why the Berkano vamps were suddenly so interested in me.
I was afraid I knew.
The war between vampires and witches had all but come to an end in a blink of an eye. The Rift saw to that, as well as the treaty forged. Peace seemed to be in our grasp, the accord to end the fight that had raged on between us for centuries. It had been fifty years since the night of the Rift, yet with the so-called peace came new sets of problems.
The only way vampires could grow their numbers was by procreating with a witch. There were plenty of us around, but very few full-blooded witches, and even fewer with the blood of a Rift witch. I was the only female witch in Frisco Bay who was a direct descendant of a Rift witch. Lucky me. I wasn’t sure why that mattered to them, but I was all the above. Guess that made me special.
Creeping along the worn and pathetic chained fence that bordered Silent Hill, I expanded my senses, attempting to pick up the Bitten’s aura, but the world was eerily quiet, which made me very nervous.
“Where did you go, bastard?” I whispered.
The moon provided the only source of light, barely shining through the fog. I was a bit disappointed he hadn’t made a move. What was the fun in just stalking me? I was totally up for some one-on-one combat with a vamp. It had become my favorite pastime since the leeches had taken the most important pers
on in my life from me. Assholes.
Of course, me being out here, at night and alone, was stupid, considering all the things I’d lost, but I could no longer sit aside and do nothing while the vampires prepared to wage war against us, both human and witch. Those who didn’t believe the attack was coming were the real fools.
Retreat. Retreat. My instincts were urging me to hurry and slip through the hole in the fence, into the safe confines of my home, but my need for revenge and justice screamed to take out the bloodsucker and send a message. My mother’s death would not be in vain.
But if my instincts were wrong, and they normally weren’t, there was only one lone vampire on my tail. I didn’t want to become that girl in the old movies who walked right into a trap. I was smarter than that, and those Hollywood films were now a thing of the past.
I moved further along the fence, my eyes scanning the open field, prepared to be jumped at any minute. The chain-linked metal clattered as my hand accidently ran over the top of a loose link. Smooth, Skylar. Alert the predator to your location.
It was pitch black, and I was bone-tired. The next time I felt the need to sneak out in the middle of the night, I was going to remember to bring my dagger. How could I have been so forgetful and careless? I knew better than to leave home without a weapon. Magic wasn’t always enough. This wasn’t my first experience with the Berkano vampires, and it wouldn’t be my last.
Whether anyone other than the coven believed me, they were up to something. Forget the treaty. The vamps couldn’t be trusted. I hoped my fortune wouldn’t run out tonight.
My life was anything but normal. Life in general hadn’t been since the Rift and probably never would again. On a quest to cure vampirism, a spell called the Rift broke the world. It had caused a rippled effect, shifting Earth into sixteen new continents. I lived in Division Fourteen, and it fell under my family’s responsibility to make sure the division didn’t just survive, but thrived.
In my twenty-two years, it still amazed me the world hadn’t always been so primitive. The reality was we lived in a raw place.
Netflix—gone.
Cell phones—gone.
Fast food—gone.
It was depressing. Even more disheartening was I’d never been able to experience any of those luxuries. I’d been born into this crude world.
The only electricity was in the compound known as Silent Bend. Surrounding communities farmed, forged weaponry, constructed clothing, and hunted, all to sell their wares in the market. Regardless of the simplicity of life, we’d come a long way from the days after the Rift.
Travel to another division was a suicide mission. The constant magically charged storms made it impossible, and the only thing keeping us safe were the protective barriers set up by my family’s blood. Not to mention the insurmountable mountains. We were cut off from the rest of the world.
I couldn’t stay outside any longer without pushing my luck. It was time to make a break for it. When I eased myself into the hole in the wired fence, the material of my hooded shawl caught on a shard of broken metal. Wonderful.
With one good yank, I heard the material rip, but instead of falling forward into Silent Bend, I was tugged back through the other side of the fence.
Son of a b—
A large, cold hand seized my throat, slamming me against the fence. My eyes quickly scanned the field behind him, looking to see if he was alone. Experience taught me I stood a better chance against one, and I only had seconds to kill or be killed.
He absorbed the darkness, fangs gleaming in the measly moonlight. Vampires all had the same sapphire blue eyes with an almost iridescent quality to them. This one was no different. “Where do you think you’re going, pretty thang?” Judging by the fanged smile, the vampire didn’t seem to regard me as a threat.
My hands flew up to his wrists as I fought to get air into my lungs, wrapping around large biceps. Calling my magic to the surface, I sent the bloodsucker a surprise of my own.
He hissed at the zap of magic, jumping back and giving me the opening I needed. “You little bitch.” He lunged toward me.
“I’ve been called worse.” Using the muscles I worked so hard to maintain, I extended my leg in the air, hitting him squarely in the family jewels. Believe it or not, that moved worked on vampires. It was a classic maneuver I used often. Hit them where it counted.
He grunted, doubling over like a baby. I grabbed a handful of his hair and lifted my knee up, cracking him in the nose. There was a satisfying sound. My hit didn’t seem to hurt him overly much, but did ruin his balance.
So I ran. If I could just get inside the fence…
I was fast, but not fast enough to outrun a Bitten. He wrenched his fingers into my hair, and with strength I couldn’t even imagine, flung me backward. I went sailing, pain exploding through my body as I hit the ground hard. My legs scraped against the rough cement, tearing flesh. I ignored the pain and rolled over.
The vampire was on top of me, his fangs leering over my exposed neck as he twisted my head to the side. “I only want a taste, honey.” He chuckled, and we both knew he was lying.
I tried to move my head, but it was pointless. “My blood is forbidden,” I spat.
His beefy body pinned me to the ground as his lethal fangs grazed my skin. “Do you think I care? Besides…” Grubby nails traced down the front of my shawl, pushing aside the material. “It’s not your blood I want to taste.” He leaned his face toward mine so I could smell the metallic scent of blood. The vampire had recently fed. And not on a burger and fries. There had been more and more blood feedings as of late, regardless that most vampires could survive without blood thanks to the curse.
Fear invaded my veins. How could I let the very thing I despised touch me? It wasn’t fair. I was supposed to enact my revenge. I twisted my head from side to side, but it was a waste of energy. He pressed his mouth to mine in a brutal kiss that made me want to gag. Refusing to make this easy for him, I used my teeth and clamped down on his bottom lip until I tasted the warmth of his blood.
The vamp jerked back, his tongue darting out to lick the drops of blood pooling at his lip. “They said you were feisty. I’m glad you didn’t disappoint.” He put a knee between my legs, and I stretched my fingers to try to reach the rune tattooed on my thigh.
“Hands off the merchandise, asshole,” said a dangerous voice.
Liam.
I sighed, the muscles in my body going lax. My potion must not have been strong enough, or I’d been gone longer than planned. I lifted my head, brushing the strands of auburn hair out of my eyes, relaxing slightly. The vampire above me stiffened, but Liam was already moving through the darkness. He leapt down from the fence, a stake in his grasp. It wasn’t an easy distance to jump, but for Liam, the drop wouldn’t kill him.
The vampire broke his fall.
Liam’s stake found the Bitten’s heart, hitting him from the back and through the ribcage. The vampire’s head fell back, mouth open in a silent cry a moment before he slumped on top of me, his dead weight crushing my body.
“A little help here?” I grunted, pushing at his torso where a blue light shimmered.
Liam straddled the vampire and me. His blond hair appeared silver in starlight and fog. He took a step backward, hoisting the vile creature off me. His body had already begun to decay, and it would be only seconds more before he burst like a balloon of ash and blinding light. I sat up, sucking in a sharp breath. The air burned in my lungs.
Liam offered me a hand, tugging me to my feet. My guard was human—a warrior—and had the sculpted cheeks and chiseled abs to prove it. I often teased him that he was too pretty to be a warden, a keeper of Division Fourteen. The dark scowl on his face said I was about to get a lecture. “What were you thinking?” Liam demanded.
I turned slowly around, an innocent grin curling my lips. “I needed some air.” The lie came easy. Liam and I had history. If he had been any of the other wardens, I would have been immediately escorted to my brother.
He shook his head, not believing a word out of my mouth, but knew better than to challenge me. He worked for me, well, my overbearing brother technically, but the wardens knew upsetting me would only infuriate Colin. And no one wanted to be on the other end of my brother’s wrath. “No more games. If anything had happened to you, Colin would have had my head.”
Colin ran a tad on the overprotective side. Although, he had his reasons. I was a constant thorn in my brother’s side, his unruly and reckless little sis.
I lived up to the hype.
Dusting off the dirt from my cape, I met Liam’s serious green eyes straight on. “Then for the safety of that pretty little head of yours, you better get me inside the manor.”
He grabbed me under the arm, his brows pinched. “I swear, Sky, if you weren’t so beautiful, I’d wring your neck. Do you have any idea what I went through when I woke up and saw you were missing?”
I lifted on my toes, and pressed a kiss on his cheek. “Thanks for saving me.”
He sighed, shoulders relaxing. “Let’s never speak of this again.”
“I have a charm for that,” I said, slipping through the hole in the fence.
“Don’t push your luck with me tonight, so help me God.”
I smiled, and trekked it up the incline toward the compound. What a freaking night.
The four-story house came into view, one of the few structures that had been rebuilt since the Rift. It was more of a compound, housing many of the wardens, their families, a training facility, and it operated like a command central thanks to my brother.
