Hollywood Witch Hunter

by Valerie Tejeda

  She turned quickly to the sound of her name.

  It was Arlo. More accurately, a vision of Arlo. He was leaning over Iris just like he was a few seconds ago in front of the Beverly Hills Hotel.

  “Iris!” Arlo shouted, shaking her limp body. He pressed his palms against her chest and started pumping vigorously.

  One. Two. Three. Four. Five.

  “Help!” he cried at the top of his lungs to no one in particular. He didn’t get a response.

  He pulled two recovery shots out of his pocket and stabbed them into her leg. “Come on, Iris! Come back to me! Come on!”

  He put his ear to her chest and still … nothing.

  “What’s going on?!” Iris was in a frenzy, pacing back and forth in the white room.

  “This is what is happening right now. You’re just not there anymore,” Silos explained in his smooth Scottish accent. His face was cast downward.

  “How can I see this?”

  “You’re trying to hold on, but I’m not so certain you’re going to be able to,” he said with a shaky voice.

  She peered at Silos, squinting her eyes at his opaline body. “How are you here with me?”

  “I’m a Curas. When people are in this phase, between life and death, I can join them. And as much as I enjoy being here with you right now, I really wish I wasn’t.” Silos looked away. His lips quivered. “I felt it in my soul when you died. I’m driving back right now, but I don’t know if I’ll make it in time to—”

  “Bring me back,” she finished his sentence. Iris shivered as a bitter chill met her spine. She clutched her arms, desperately trying to warm her body.

  Iris turned her attention back to the vision of Arlo. She swallowed hard, watching tears stream down his face.

  “Help!” he cried again, this time louder.

  Belinda ran up beside him. “What happened?” she asked. There was sorrow in her lavender eyes.

  Arlo didn’t reply. “Oh my God. She jumped in front of you to save you and now … She’s dead,” the witch said, putting her hand to her chest.

  “Shut up!” Arlo yelled. “She’s not dead yet. I won’t accept that!”

  “I can’t believe she would do that for you.” Belinda paused, staring at the sky with a contemplative gaze. “Let me try to help.”

  “Why?”Arlo furrowed his brows. “Why would you do that?”

  “Iris doesn’t deserve to go like this,” Belinda huffed. “Plus, she came here to save me.” Belinda put her hand on her chin. “Well, I could use an Ethas spell to try to restart her heart by rapidly filling her lungs with air. I don’t think it will work, but it’s worth a shot.”

  “All right, then try it! Just freaking save her!” Arlo yelled. His hands trembled.

  “Well, there’s one thing,” Belinda started. “If Iris was telling the truth, then you’re a Lixi and you have the power to borrow magic.”

  “What the hell are you—”

  “I don’t really think there’s time to explain.” Belinda raised her hand to silence him. “The point is, I’m too weak from the fight to use the type of spell Iris needs. You’re going to have to absorb my power and do it, but I don’t know how your body is going to respond.”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about!” Arlo shouted. “How can I absorb your—”

  “I’m not so sure either, and I don’t know what’s going to happen to you, but I’m wiling to try if you are.”

  “Anything. Belinda, I will do anything,” Arlo pleaded.

  Iris turned to Silos, her eyes widened in horror. “Oh no.” She could feel her heart pounding in her ears like techno music at a nightclub. “Is this dangerous? Arlo taking Belinda’s powers?”

  “He’s a Lixi. He can handle it,” Silos said with a light smirk. “The only thing is, he doesn’t really know what he’s doing.”

  “Meaning …”

  “Meaning, that when a Lixi borrows power their soul becomes bonded to the person they take magic from for a period of time. Someone like Wava who knows her craft can turn this side effect off.”

  “So he’s going to be bonded to Belinda?” Iris said, raising her voice. She could feel her legs starting to buckle.

  “Aye.” Silos let out a long breath. “She will have complete control over him. He will love her without even knowing why.”

  “Arlo!” Iris screamed. “Don’t do it!” She fell to her knees and clutched her chest.

  “He can’t hear you, love,” the warlock whispered. “He’s going to do it. He’ll do anything to try to bring you back. You died for him, and now he’s giving up his soul for you. I hate to admit it, but it’s quite poetic.”

  “Silos, you have to stop him,” Iris begged, jumping to her feet. “I can’t let this happen.”

  “It’s over, love.” His face went flat. “There’s nothing I can do.”

  Iris turned her attention back to the scene unfolding before her. She was completely shattered. Hopeless. And worst of all, powerless to stop it.

  “But think of it this way, Iris—you did it.”

  “I did what?” she slowly lifted her head.

  “You not only saved Arlo’s life, you stopped Belinda from getting taken to your dad who would have killed her and released the plague. Keeping Belinda from your father and stopping them from going to Wava’s was your only mission, and you succeeded.”

  “Well, I died trying.”

  “As many heroes do,” he said.

  Iris was quiet. She was proud of herself for stopping Gerald Wexler from taking Belinda and pleased that, for now, the plague would not be released. But she couldn’t believe it had come to this.

  “There’s something else you need to know,” Silos said in an unsteady tone. “If Arlo can use Belinda’s spells to bring you back, when you wake up you will be reborn. What your father has kept hidden will be awakened. You will come alive.”

  Before Iris could respond she felt a tug at her spirit. Her physical body was calling to her and she had no choice but to answer. She fought against the Ethas spell, but its power was overwhelming.

  Iris sucked in a gasping breath. Her heart thrummed as she reached out to grab Silos. But she fell short and her hand dropped limp against the ground. Her eyes closed and she was once again enveloped by the darkness.

  Thirty-Seven

  Iris grabbed her head in agony as she woke up in The Armada. Her body felt like it was run over by a train, or better yet, like she had jumped out of an airplane and crashed against the side of a building. Basically, she felt like crap.

  Her vision blurred and she could barely make out the face in the driver’s seat. She squinted again and realized it was her brother. She’d never been so happy to see him.

  “Knox.” Iris’s face brightened. “You’re here.” Her eyes paced back and forth. “How?”

  “Of course I’m here.” Knox gently grabbed her hand. “Arlo called me. I couldn’t leave you here injured and alone.” He grinned with compassion. “How you feeling, kiddo?”

  Iris forced a smile. “I’m fine.” The moment she said the words, a shooting pain ripped through her body. She flinched.

  “You sure don’t look fine,” Knox said, placing the back of his hand on her sweaty forehead. “No fever, that’s good.”

  “I mean, I’ve obviously been better,” she joked through gritted teeth. “What happened?”

  “I don’t really know.” Knox shrugged his shoulders. “Arlo called and said you were injured and I needed to come here, and he put you in a room in the hotel to rest. When I got here, Arlo was gone and so was Belinda.”

  Arlo’s fate was now in the hands of a witch. Knox may not have known the whole story, but Iris did, and the aftermath sent a shooting pain all the way down to her bones.

  “Listen, I don’t know what you did today,” Knox started. “But I wanted to tell you, you really are one of the best Hunters I know. Sure, you’re a little too hotheaded at times, and don’t always think before you act—”

  “Okay, I’m
missing the compliment part.” Iris smirked.

  “The truth is, you have some serious skills,” he said with assurance. “And honestly, Iris, I know I’m hard on you, but I feel lucky and honored to have you fighting by my side.” Knox let out a heavy sigh.

  Iris held back tears and fought hard against the lump in her throat. Hearing those words from her brother, the Hunter she respected most in this world, meant more to her than she could express. She knew that when Knox said something, he meant it.

  Iris smiled, clearing her throat. She was trying her best not to make things awkward. “Thanks.” She inhaled deeply, letting out a long breath. “Knox, there’s something you need to know.”

  Iris sighed and told her brother everything. And what seemed like the worst of all, she told him how she was kicked off the team.

  “That’s freaking crap!” Knox yelled, pounding his fists against the wheel. “I won’t let this happen.”

  “Well, it did,” Iris huffed with frustration. “And you know there’s nothing you can do. It’s in the hands of the board now.”

  Knox paused for a moment and Iris could hear him tapping his foot against the floor. He looked deep in thought. “Well, if you’re off the team, I’m off the team—”

  “Knox—”

  “Let’s go rogue!” His face lit up. “With you and me and your new witch and warlock friends we can fix this. We don’t need the freaking W.H.O.”

  Iris chuckled. “Well, that’s a sentence I never thought I’d hear you say.”

  “And I’ll get Dex to join us too,” Knox said excitedly.

  “Knox,” Iris interrupted. “You don’t have to do this.”

  “I want to,” he assured. “I’m not hunting without you, Iris. It wouldn’t be the same.”

  Iris smiled. She was truly touched by her brother’s support. “Thank you,” she whispered.

  Knox reached over and squeezed her shoulder. For a brief moment, all seemed right in the world. She paused, gazing out the window at what seemed to be an abnormally large full moon casting an eerie glow on Los Angeles. “So, what do we do next?” she asked.

  “We fight. We protect. We do what Hunters do best.” He nodded his head like a solider getting ready for war. “Look, you wait here. I’m going to go make a few phone calls. If we’re going rogue, we need to get some stuff in order.”

  With Knox gone, Iris tried to close her eyes. She missed Arlo. She missed Silos. Strangely, she sort of missed her crazy new witch friend, Levana. Everything seemed so backward, but also, kind of how it should be.

  But this fight was nowhere near being over. She needed to find Arlo, confront her father and the W.H.O., and keep Belinda’s plague as far away from the human race as possible. She had a long road ahead of her.

  “Ow!” Iris screamed, grabbing her temples. Suddenly, memories from her childhood poured into her brain like a computer flooding with downloading memory. She saw her mother waving her hand in front of a group of Hunters. She saw her dad, telling her mother to do it again. “Now plant a new memory,” her father said. “The memory we talked about.”

  No, Iris thought, it can’t be. She opened her eyes and gasped. Without warning, fire leaped from her right hand, dancing wildly between her fingers. The fire didn’t burn her. It was a part of her. It was molded to her soul.

  Iris glared at her image in The Armada’s side mirror. She panted, gasping for breath as she stared at the flames. How is this happening? She violently jumped as a streak emerged over the crown of her reflection, painting the front of her hair red.

  “What the hell?” Iris said, grabbing at the strand with her free hand. Her eyes widened and her mouth fell open. She remembered Silos’s words.

  When you wake up you will be reborn. What your father has kept hidden will be awakened. You will come alive.

  “Oh. My. God,” she whispered. “I’m … I’m a—”

  There are two types of people in Hollywood: the hunted and the hunters.

  Iris Maria Bently was born to be a Hunter.

  But she was also born a witch.

  A WITCH HUNTER’S GLOSSARY

  Glossary of Terms

  Bruma: Also known as witch fog, bruma is a telltale sign of witch activity and is only seen by witches and those who carry the Hunter gene.

  Cicatrix: A silver five-point star marked into the right shoulder of the witches’ sacrificing victims.

  Colloidal Gold: A solution of gold nanoparticles suspended in water used in different weapons to kill witches who are deathly allergic to gold.

  Curas: A healing spell that can help heal and also speed up the recovery process.

  Ethas: Witches with access to elemental spells such as fire, water, air, and earth.

  Hunter: A human born with the Hunter gene, making them faster, stronger, and more agile than the average mortal and also able to see the hidden magic in Hollywood.

  Hunter Aviators: Special high-tech sunglasses containing Idas spells and thermal imaging properties used to detect witches. They’re also made with special glass, which helps impede a witch’s hypnotic abilities and can lessen the effect of certain spells.

  Hunter Gear: A collection of clothing consisting of a black moto leather jacket, black leather pants, and black leather combat boots. The jackets are embedded with Oras spells to offer extra protection and the jackets also adapt to the Hunters’ body temperature to keep them comfortable no matter what the weather.

  Hunter Rifle: A weapon designed specifically for killing witches. The Hunter Rifles shoot a custom made tox that won’t hurt a human, but will drop a witch dead.

  Idas: Also known as the “forget me” spell, an Idas is a spell that can erase a human’s memory and implant a new one.

  Lixi: A descendant from a rare magical Roma tribe who have the ability to borrow magic from supernatural creatures.

  Matas: Witches with access to spells that allow them to summon animals or insects such as spiders, snakes, panthers, wolves, and more.

  Oras: An ancient protection spell that offers a level of safety to whoever is using it.

  Plagas: A spell that can inflict disease and illness.

  Protas: Witches with access to telepathic and telekinetic spells. Some of these witches can also control time.

  Recovery Shot: A concentrated Curas spell in liquid form used by the Hunters to help recover from injuries.

  The Armada: A high-tech vehicle used by the Hunters with hidden anti-witch weaponry.

  The Bently Fortress: A castle-esque estate hidden in the Hollywood Hills. The Bently Fortress is the headquarters for the Hunters serving in the W.H.O. Hollywood Sector.

  The Curse: Placed on all female witches back in the 1940’s by Belinda, The Curse requires all witches to maintain their youth by sacrificing young, beautiful women.

  Tox: A small dart filled with colloidal gold used in many Hunter weapons.

  W.H.O.: The Witch Hunting Organization is an off-the-record world-wide organization that uses deadly force to protect humans from witches.

  Acknowledgements

  They say it takes a village and truthfully, Hollywood Witch Hunter would be nothing with out a whole lot of people.

  First, to my husband, Brent—most people don’t believe in soul mates, or true love, or a deep, aching bond between two people which surpasses all reason and lasts a lifetime. Well, I do, because I found that in you. Thank you for encouraging me, being by my side, and selflessly helping me along the way. You are the best thing to ever happen to my life and I count everyday I have with you as the greatest of blessings. I couldn’t have done it, with out you. Mi amado es mio y yo soy suya.

  To my fabulous editor Meredith Rich—though you are too nice to ever admit it, or really even think it, I wouldn’t have blamed you if you had days when you pondered, “Why did I take on working with Valerie Tejeda?” (Ha!) I know I’m obsessive and “balls to the walls” with everything I do, and I’m sure I get a *little* overbearing at times. But I appreciate you taking on me and Hollywood Witch H
unter more than you will ever know. Thank you so much for being behind HWH from the start and helping me fix such a mess of a book. (Let’s get real, the first draft was a doozy). And thank you for supporting diversity, and being in my corner, and for making my dream of becoming a published author come true. I will never forget it and I owe you big time.

  To Lizzy Mason and everyone at Bloomsbury Publishing—thank you for your constant support and excitement for HWH. I feel so lucky to be a part of the Bloomsbury US/UK family so thank you for welcoming me with open arms!

  To Maggie Hall—thank you for designing a cover that was more than I could ever ask for. Girl, you’ve got skills, and I’ll be swooning over the HWH cover forever because its fabulous.

  To Linda Minton—thank you for using your amazing copyediting skills to shape up this book and for letting me get away with using words like “beotch” and “skeez.” I hope some of my word choices brought a smile to your face.

  To all the Fearless Fifteeners and other author friends (who are not Fifteeners) like Heather Marie, Tonya Kuper, Stephanie Garber, Jessica Taylor and all the Binders, thank you for becoming my “publishing family” and for being my safe haven in this crazy world.

  To all the fabulous people at We Need Diverse Books. Thank you for being behind my book and for promoting diversity in an industry which still desperately needs it.

  To my industry inspirations (some of whom I’ve had the pleasure of interviewing)—Brittany Geragotelis, Danielle Paige, Kami Garcia, Jennifer Armentrout, Cara Lynn Shultz, Rachel Hawkins, and Sarah Maas. Thank you for all being so encouraging and accepting of a newbie like me and for believing in me and my book! It truly means the world!

  To my witchy author friend Michelle Krys—thank you for walking me through this industry and being my writer soulmate. I’m convinced Indigo and Iris are hunting witches together in an alternate reality somewhere and who knows, maybe one day we’ll join them? ;)