by Lily Luchesi
“I’d love to hear about it if you’d like to tell me.”
“I’ll give that some thought. Depends on how our date goes.” A smile crept onto my face.
“Can I ask what made you want to change your mind?”
"Oh, um my perspective on life's had a complete one-eighty. Life might have a few more surprises for me than I'd thought possible so I'm going to try new things and see how it all turns out."
“That’s wonderful!” He exclaimed. “It is wonderful, correct?”
“Yes, it’s a good thing to shake things ups once in a while.” All of the food was starting to settle and I was feeling a little queasy.
“So let’s plan for this weekend. Give me a call Friday morning so that we finalize things.”
"Great. I can't wait to get to know you better."
"Thanks. Later." I hung up but made no move to get up.
Maybe I’d just sleep here for a while. The couch was still much more comfortable than what I’d had the past two weeks.
* * *
I lay there on the couch going over all the events that had happened. There was so much information packed into what I’d learned about my family. Who I was and what it all meant still eluded me?
Processing what had gone on in the past was going to take longer than just a day or two. I had so many questions to discuss with someone, but I had no idea who to turn to for advice. Normally, I’d have talked everything over with my Gran, but since she’d been gone there wasn’t anyone I really trusted.
Aunt Vera.
Her name popped into my head. She was Gran's sister and lived up in Oregon with her kids. Her health wasn't all that great, to begin with, and now at eighty-five things were getting worse day by day.
What I needed was a road trip up to see her and find out as much as possible about our family’s history.
As soon as the thought popped into my head, I was up and headed for the shower. I would probably be taking showers every chance I got for the near future.
A quick packing of an overnight bag, I hesitated with my hand on the book of spells. Should I take it with me or not?
It wasn't as if people were trying to still witches' spellbooks anymore. There weren't tons of people that even believed in witches these days.
Still, I had a feeling that I didn't want to leave it behind. Shoving it and the family history in my bag, I glanced around. I might live here, but it was starting to feel less and less like home.
The drive was only a couple of hours up the coast and would give me a moment to clear out my head.
It was gorgeous with the ocean breeze and made me feel alive again. Those few moments when death had seemed so close were going to make me thank the goddess that I was still breathing.
I hadn’t called ahead so I was surprised when Aunt Vera was standing outside on the front porch waiting for me.
“Aunt Vera?” I climbed out of the car and into her waiting arms. My bag dropped to the porch as I felt like I’d been welcomed home.
“The spirits told me you were coming today. I listened.” She shrugged as if it was totally normal to listen to ghosts.
“You’ve been through a lot. It’s time you knew about our history.” Her arm stayed around my waist as she ushered me inside.
It felt like I was on the verge of learning something significant. I just hoped that whatever she had to tell wasn't worse than traveling through time.
The End
* * *
If you liked this part of the story then I hope that you’ll enjoy the next part of Hannah’s journey as she learns more about her witch powers. Coming Halloween 2021.
* * *
About the Author
Pepper Paris fell in love with the idea of love at a young age. As dreams of love changed as she grew up, so did the ideas for her romance stories. Kick-ass heroines who find love in fun and sexy ways make for the best type of romances. A spicy love story filled with everyday problems turn her stories into escapes from reality a welcome adventure.
She also writes thrillers under the name Paris Morgan while fighting zombies under the pen name Alathia Morgan.
A Note from the Author
Dear Readers,
Thanks for giving my Witch Series a try. I know it’s not as traditional as most of the witch stories everyone is used to, but I've never been called normal. I wanted to focus more on other types of witches through history. I hope I did a good job, and that you'll want to read more about the people in this series.
Let me know what kind of stories you want to see in the future from me.
Thanks for reading,
Pepper
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Read More from Pepper Paris
The Seasons of Love Series
Feathered Protectors
Shattered Fairy Tales (Spring of 2021)
Monsters Under the Bed
Can’t Unring that Spell
Rook Unleashed (March 2021)
Salem’s Witch
WEAPON AND WITCH
Jewel Cassidy
About Weapon and Witch
One year ago on Halloween, the most sacred of nights, Perry’s sister was killed by a demon they were hunting. Despondent, she refused to hunt again until she met a young woman whose sister has been possessed by that same demon. The two agree to work together to save Melisse’s sister, but neither of them expected to fall in love.
For Amanda, who likes them a little sexy.
One
It was Halloween night and Perry was late for dinner. As much as she wanted to blame her older sister, they were a team and she knew Karin would kill her if she so much as thought about blaming her. They cut through the alley, one after the other with Karin in the lead, and a bloodcurdling screech echoed off the buildings around them.
“Finally,” Karin said as she stopped in the maze-like alley. “I thought we’d never find it.”
“We just had to get it out of its nest,” Perry said, looking around. The screech had grated on her nerves and she was having trouble concentrating. It was a powerful one, that was for sure. Now they just had to make sure that it didn’t find people before they found it. “Why are we doing this? We should be home with our folks listening to Dad complain about Aunt Clio coming over with her new boyfriend.”
“Because we’ve been looking for this one for months and I’m not going to lose it now,” Karin replied. “I don’t care how sacred tonight is, I just don’t want this thing to kill anyone else. They don’t play by any rules, we shouldn’t either!”
Karin had no sooner said the words than they heard the leathery flap of wings over their matching dark heads, and both looked up to see that the demon had found them. Karin grinned and took a step backward, the heels of her black leather boots clicking on the pavement as she looked at her younger sister. Perry nodded and reached an arm out for her. Their hands made contact and she twirled Karin around as if they were dancing. Karin moved gracefully in a circle, her body melting and reforming itself into a sword with a Celtic pattern on the hilt that was an exact duplicate of the tattoo that ran down her back. The handgrip was black leather, just like her gloves, and Perry squeezed it tightly enough to hear the grip creak.
As soon as the demon saw Karin transforming, it rose into the air with another scream coming from its beak-like mouth and flew over the buildings. Hagspawn had an incredible will to survive and it knew a witch and weapon when it saw them. Perry ran down the street with the ornate sword in her hand, thinking that there was no backing down now.
It never ceased to amaze her how ugly Hagspawn were, or that no one seemed to recognize them for what they were unless they were confronted by one themselves. She’d heard humans call them birds, dogs, even a monster raccoon in one case, but only people who had come face to face with their snapping beaks, needle-sharp teeth, and heavy, hai
r-coated bodies could truly understand what they were dealing with. Half the time, the ones that tried went mad with the strain.
Perry chased the shadow of the creature and the flapping of wings the size of sheets of canvas. She remembered a book she’d read when she was a little girl, about a giant bird that had carried off unsuspecting misbehaving campers, and shivered. Inside her head she heard Karin laughing.
“Are you still thinking of that ‘gooney bird’ story from when we were kids?”
“No,” Perry said irritably. She could feel the look Karin would be giving her if she was in her human form and she sighed. “Yes.”
“You know that’s just a stupid kid’s story, right?”
“What if it wasn’t? What if someone came up with it after they saw a Hagspawn and didn’t know what else to call it?” Perry followed the sound of another demonic scream to the end of the alley and heard laughter. “Like those idiots.”
“They’re not idiots. They probably just think it’s one of those Halloween sound effect things. The less they know about us the better.” Perry could feel her sister guiding her through the alley and to the left to a back street. It was blessedly empty of revelers and she hoped it would stay that way until they were finished. She’d only had to use her magic once to wipe someone’s memory and she’d felt terrible about it.
When she came around the corner, the Hagspawn was sitting in the middle of the street looking like some horrible cross between a hairy bird and a lizard. It made a low croaking sound that sounded to Perry like it was challenging her. Holding out a hand, Perry conjured up a palmful of blue flames and ran toward it with her sword out.
They clashed in the middle, Perry driving the handful of blue fire into its face. It screamed and took flight, then bumbled into a building and bounced back down. Glad she wouldn’t have to draw this out too long, Perry put a foot on its shoulder and drove her sword down into it. Inside her head she heard Karin let out a whoop that mingled with the Hagspawn’s dying scream, and it filled her with the familiar rush of excitement.
She was so busy feeling the adrenaline course through her veins that she didn’t feel the second Hagspawn until it was too late. It slammed into her from behind and she let go of the sword unexpectedly. It flew out of her hand and she had half a second to wonder why her sister didn’t transform back before she hit the ground. She heard the metal of the sword clatter against the ground and rolled over to pick it up again.
“Owww!” Perry heard Karin’s voice, but not in her head. It echoed up from beneath the ground and Perry tried to scramble to her feet but pain seared its way up her leg. She managed to pull herself up and hopped over to an open manhole in the middle of the street.
“Sis?”
“I’m down here,” Karin called. “So stupid.” Perry leaned over to see her older sister covered in mud and whatever horrible muck might be at the bottom of the hole. “Where is it?”
“I don’t know, you’re the one who finds them, not me.”
“Help me out of here. I think this hole is dampening my powers.” Karin looked up at Perry sheepishly. “We’re both screwed if I’m stuck down here.”
“No shit.” Perry carefully lowered herself down again and reached a hand into the hole. “Transform so you’re easier to pull up.”
“I told you this hole is giving me issues. You’ll just have to use those rippling muscles of yours.”
“Fine.” Taking hold of her sister’s hand, Perry started to pull her out of the hole. She was halfway out when the Hagspawn took its chance and dove down from the rooftop. Seeing it a moment too late, Perry jerked her sister forward in an attempt to get her out of the way but the demon was fast. It slashed down with razor-sharp claws and Perry heard her sister scream in pain. “Karin!”
“Perry, help,” her voice was weak and Perry tried again to get to her feet but failed. She crawled through the mud until she reached Karin, who was lying in a pool of blood. “Perry.”
“Sis,” she answered, gathering Karin into her arms. The demon shrieked above them and Perry leaned forward, shielding her sister. Karin coughed, spraying Perry’s face with hot blood, and she conjured up another handful of fire.
“Kill it,” Karin managed.
“I’ll get you home,” Perry said. “Mom can heal you.”
“I’ll never make the trip,” Karin said. “Just kill it. For me.” She must have seen the doubt in her sibling’s eyes because she smiled at Perry. “I love you, little sister.” Before Perry could tell her that she loved her too, Karin exhaled and was gone.
Sobbing, Perry forced herself onto her injured ankle and reconjured her fire. The Hagspawn swept down again, clearly eager to finish both siblings off. Perry threw handful after handful of blue flames until one connected, this time with the creature’s eyes. Blinded just as its predecessor had been, this one flew off into the night while Perry limped after it.
“Come back here,” she screamed after it, tears running down her face. “Get back here and give me back my sister!” The demon flew higher until it was silhouetted by the moon, its drunken movements showing that it was damaged but not dead. Defeated, Perry fell onto her hands and knees and slammed her fists onto the ground. “No! No!” She turned over so she was sitting on her backside, then covered her face and wept for her sister while the Hagspawn screamed in the distance.
Two
“Hey! Helleman! Get over here!”
“Coming,” Perry said, setting aside her staple gun but leaving on her safety goggles. She walked through the construction site, past men who clearly had been doing this sort of thing all their lives, and stopped in front of the foreman. “Yes, sir?”
“You think you can show this idiot what the phrase ‘measure twice, cut once’ means? He’s screwed up hundreds of dollars worth of wood and I need to see if you can work your magic on it.” The mention of the word ‘magic’ made Perry’s stomach turn but she couldn’t say no to the foreman. Besides, she felt sorry for the kid, who was standing with his head down as if he wanted to be anywhere but there.
“Yeah, sure, I can take a look at it.” Perry looked past the foreman at a pile of what looked like plain timbers.
“Good. And while you’re at it, teach him not to put the blade on the circular saw in upside down.” The foreman slapped her on the back, then went to tell off someone else, leaving Perry alone with the kid, who looked like he couldn’t be more than twenty.
“Jorge, wasn’t it?”
“Yeah.”
“I don’t think we’ve really met. I’m Perry.” She pulled off her leather work glove and offered her hand to Jorge. The young man shook it cautiously, then let go. “Let’s see if we can get this fixed so he can get off both of our backs. What’s wrong with them?”
“I cut them an eighth of an inch too short. All of them,” Jorge said, sounding as if he had accidentally killed the family dog.
“Let me take a look at them.” Perry went to the pile and measured the topmost timber. Sure enough, it was an eighth of an inch short of the measurements on the blueprints. “Okay, we can fix this. At least I’m pretty sure I can.” She took out her cell phone and pressed a name, then waited.
It had been almost a year since Karin had died in her arms. Though her parents said they didn’t blame her, she knew that they were wondering what she could have done to save her sister, just like Perry did every morning. As she waited for the call to connect, she wondered again what Karin would have thought of her choice of coping techniques.
“Hey, Perry, what’s up?” The voice on the other end of the line broke through her thoughts and Perry snapped back to reality.
“Hey, Clint. You still working on those cabinets?”
“Yeah, and I’m about ready to set them all on fire. Why?” There was a great deal of banging and what sounded like sawing in the background and Perry sighed.
“You still need extra pine? I’ve got a fair amount of slightly screwed-up timbers I’ll trade you for something that’ll make Rick happy
,” Perry said, looking over her shoulder at the foreman.
“Does anything make Rick happy?”
“No, but I’m trying to make something right here so I can go back to pretending I’m stapling his feet to the ground.” This made Clint laugh raucously and Perry gave Jorge the thumbs up without so much as a smile on her face.
“All right, all right. I’ll tell you what, you come over here and bring those timbers and I’ll get a hold of some of the oak that got over-ordered. Rick can’t complain about that, it costs three times what the pine does,” Clint said.
“Great,” Perry replied. “See you in a bit.” She turned to Jorge. “Problem solved. Why don’t you hang out with me the rest of the day? You can help me sand.” Jorge looked much more enthusiastic about this than going back to work on his own, and Perry left him with the timbers while she went to get the truck to transport them.
As she walked, her mind wandered toward Halloween. It was coming up in a little over a week and her parents were already on her to come home for the holiday. It would be their first Halloween without Karin and she didn’t particularly want to go home and see everyone’s faces as they pretended that things were back to normal.
For Perry, things had never really been normal. She’d been born a witch, that was normal enough in her family, but she’d also been born a twin. Even though she was the witch and Karin was the shapeshifter, Karin had been the older of the two. It made for an interesting dynamic for them; the witches were usually the older ones and so called the shots while their shapeshifting twins backed them in the form of weapons, but in their relationship Karin was the one who found the Hagspawn.
It was a dangerous job, hunting Hagspawn. The only ones truly suited to finding and killing the foul beasts were twins, and for any mother who gave birth to a pair, the day of their birth was also a day of a sort of grieving. The Hagspawn were dirty, aggressive, and intelligent. It didn’t matter how talented a pair of twins was, there was still the possibility that a parent would wake up one morning and be missing one or both of their children. The Helleman family knew it all too well.
