by Sarra Cannon
I heard my name echo against the trees outside. The voice was still some distance away, but my heart danced at the sound. Jackson! I turned toward the direction of Shadowford and saw several figures running through the darkness. Within seconds, Jackson, Zara, Caroline, Meredith and Eloise all came rushing into the circle.
“We felt you,” Caroline said. She was out of breath and leaning on her sister’s arm. “What’s happening?”
I passed Mary Anne off to Eloise who took her and laid her down in the soft wet grass.
Jackson pulled me into his arms. “Are you okay?”
“Yes,” I said. “I think so.”
“What happened?” Meredith said. She stepped toward the entrance to the ritual room.
“Don’t go down there,” I said. “I don’t know if they are still alive down there.” I turned to Jackson. “It was Mary Anne’s family all along. They wanted to control the demon gate. Jackson, they killed my mother.”
“How many?” he asked.
“More than twenty,” I said. I pulled him aside and whispered, “Aerden’s still down there.”
Ignoring my warning, Jackson rushed toward the stairs. I followed him, unsure what we might find. We grabbed hands and descended into the darkness. In the far corner of the room, red eyes glowed in the darkness. I gasped and looked down where I’d left the old witch. She was gone.
The crow screeched and the sound of flapping wings filled the ritual room. A giant explosion of red rolled upward, blowing a hole through the roof. The force of the blast threw us back against the stairs, pieces of rock and dirt pelting our bodies. Jackson grabbed my hand and pulled me up the stairs.
Above ground, the ritual circle was ripped to shreds. Chunks of stone littered the grass. The sound of wings grew louder. I watched as a coven of crows flew up through the hole in the ground and into the dark night.
Trust Takes Time
In the light of day, the damage to the ritual area looked pretty serious. Jackson and I picked through the debris, looking for anything the witches might have left behind. A gaping chasm marred the ritual circle. I stood above the hole, looking down into the destroyed ritual room below.
“Exactly how much of this damage are you responsible for, young lady?” Jackson pinched my arm. I slapped at his hand and laughed.
“Hey, I didn’t do that much,” I said.
Jackson turned toward the marble statue that marked the entrance to the ritual room. “Thank God Aerden got out of that room before that crazy witch blew the top off the place.”
I placed my hand on the cool marble. “I wish he wasn’t trapped inside this statue. If I hadn’t gotten my necklace back in time, I don’t know what would have happened to us.”
Jackson sighed. “Unfortunately, the only way to get him out of the statue permanently is to go through the initiation, which isn’t any better. Worse, actually, in a lot of ways.”
We stood in silence, his words hanging between us. We still hadn’t had a chance to talk about the argument we’d had in the barn that rainy night, but I knew that he’d forgiven me. I still hoped he would be able to open his heart to me, but for now, I was happy just to be close to him. Trust takes time. I understood that better than anyone.
“Come on,” he said. “Let’s go downstairs.”
The damage was much worse down below. The room was barely recognizable. “Do you think the portal is damaged?” I asked.
We moved toward the center of the room, but the blue stone that held the portal to Jackson’s world was hidden under a stack of large rocks. One by one, I used my magic to move each heavy stone to the side. I stepped to the blue spot on the floor and wiped away the coarse dust. I expected it to be cracked or damaged, but it was exactly the same as before.
“It isn’t even scratched,” I said.
Jackson leaned over and picked something from the rubble. A silver cup with a ruby stone. Blood still stained the lip. “What’s this?” he asked.
I shuddered. “Destroy that,” I said.
With one hand, Jackson crushed the metal cup into a tiny ball.
“Hey, if you have that kind of strength, you should have been helping me move these rocks,” I teased.
The corner of his mouth lifted in a half-smile. Standing there with the sun shining down on him, he looked so gorgeous it took my breath away.
A Proper Trainer
Caroline wrapped her arms around me and gave me a big hug.
“I’m going to miss you,” she said. The black soul stone around her neck glittered in the sunlight. Zara’s mother had reversed the spell so that Caroline’s power flowed back into her. “I feel like we’re practically sisters now.”
I smiled. It was good to see her gaining strength.
Meredith waved from inside the car, obviously ready to go home.
“Thanks for everything,” Eloise said, taking my hand in hers. “You’re a very special girl, Harper. If you ever need anything, don’t hesitate to call on me.”
“Thanks,” I said. I waved as they climbed into their car and drove off down the long, tree-lined driveway.
Zara stood on the porch, waving as she lounged in the swing.
I joined her, enjoying an unusually warm fall afternoon. “Will you and your mother be staying much longer?” I asked.
“Mother still has some work to do here in town,” she said. “She’s interviewing Mary Anne to get information about her family and where they live. Her trackers are already looking for them in the woods, though, and I imagine it won’t take them too long to locate the coven. It’s amazing they remained hidden for so long.”
“They spent a hundred years focusing on vengeance,” I said. “I don’t think this is over yet.”
“Not over,” she said. “But resting.”
Rest. I liked the sound of that word. After everything I’d been through, I was ready for some peace and quiet. Some rest.
“Mother also thinks that your training here is pathetic,” Zara said. “She thinks a proper trainer should be brought in. Someone who can really whip you into shape. The Order here in Peachville has survived so long without a Prima, they’ve gotten used to being on their own. It’s time someone taught you how to be a real leader.”
I cringed as I pictured spending my days with some old witch who would bark orders at me and make me memorize useless spells.
“That’s why I’ll be moving into a bedroom just down the hall from you,” she said.
I opened my mouth in surprise. “You?” I asked.
She smiled. “Your official training begins next week.”
The Rift
Jackson sat at the base of the large stone statue, drawing.
I laughed and walked over to him. “Good morning,” I said.
He smiled up at me. He’d been drawing a simple sketch of the front of the high school building. “Morning,” he said.
I squinted up at the stone statue. “Is this really what you look like?”
He set his drawing aside and stood up. He brought his finger to his chin, studying the demon statue’s features. “What? Not sexy enough for you?”
I laughed and ran my hand along the cool stone. A large crack had spread up the side of the demon’s body, and I ran my finger along the rift. “Oh no,” I said. “You’re broken.”
Jackson placed his hand over mine. I felt a rush of energy flow through me, and I gasped. It was unlike anything I’d ever felt before. So pure and perfectly focused. The crack disappeared from view, hidden deep inside the stone.
I looked at him over my shoulder, his piercing green eyes full of mischief.
“No,” he said. The warmth of his breath on my cheek made me shiver. “I’m finally whole.”
SHADOW DEMONS
Book 4 of the Peachville High Demons Series
June 2011
About the Author
Sarra Cannon grew up in a small town in Georgia where she learned that being popular always comes at a price. Now, she lives in North Carolina with her amazing husba
nd and her teeny tiny Pomeranian, Snickerdoodle. Books and music are her greatest passions. She has never been a cheerleader, but it’s possible she knows a few things about casting spells.
Connect with Me Online:
Website: www.sarracannon.com
Twitter: www.twitter.com/sarramaria
Facebook: www.facebook.com/sarracannon
Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/sarra_cannon
My Blog: thesweetiechronicles.blogspot.com
Table of Contents
She's Just Like Her Mother
Will It Hurt?
Prima Futura
This Isn't Going To Make Me Love You
I Only Had To Think It
Myself, But Better
She's Just Different Now
Just Do It
She Was Nothing
Aerden
There's Got To Be A Way
I Guess I Was Expecting More
You're A Public Figure Now
This Better Be Good
Caroline, Is It?
Get Away From It All
Crows Can't Scream
There's Only Fear
The Fear In His Eyes
You're All That Matters
A Plague On This Town
Motive
Zara
It's Yours, You know
Butterfly
It Should Have Been Me
The Black Stone
Someday
Consequences
A Crow Feather Wouldn't Be So Hard To Overlook
The Silver Box
They Can't Keep Us Apart
Since You're At The Top Of The Pyramid Now
Her Blue Eyes
I Have A Lot Of Gifts
Mrs. Shadowford's Desk
Wrath
I Couldn't Cry Another Tear
Quite The Storm
Eyes As Red As Blood
Friends Don't Hurt Each Other Like That
A Matter Of Life And Death
The Crow
I'm Sorry, Mother
The Cup Of Blood
A Coven of Crows
Trust Takes Time
A Proper Trainer
The Rift
