Calder Witch Boxset (Paranormal Vampire Romance): Books 1-4

by Martha Woods

  The bedroom door pushed open, and she nearly jumped out of her skin from how lost in thought she was. Jared slowly stepped into the room, closing the door behind him. “They want you back in the living room,” he called to her.

  Calla nodded, but didn’t yet move from her spot.

  Jared sauntered over to the bed, sitting down next to her. “What’s going on? And don’t say ‘nothing’.”

  Calla didn’t reply, not knowing what to say. She would be made fun of if she told her the truth.

  Jared sighed, “If something is bothering you, you can tell me.” There was silence for a while longer, and then he rested a hand on hers. It wasn’t until then she realized she was still gripping the mattress, her knuckles white from how tight her hold had been. “I won’t tell the others,” he promised.

  Calla nibbled on her lip, her gaze flickering to see his pale blue eyes staring into hers. “My clan would be willing to help…”

  “And that’s a problem?” he asked, not in a snide fashion, but just confused.

  “Only in the sense that I don’t want to reach out to them.”

  Jared’s brow creased, his eyes narrowing as he studied her expression. “Why is that?”

  Calla’s eyes fell to the ground, taking in a deep breath. “They’ll be disappointed and ashamed of me for being tricked by Deidre. It sounds stupid, but they are my family. I know I’m already exiled, in a sense. I just don’t want to hear it or see their disappointed faces…” Her bottom lip started to quiver just picturing it. Flora and Gemma, her sisters, would be so heartbroken. The others would be angry with her for her negligence and for letting the Calder get so close to killing Tessa.

  A cold arm slipped around her back, Jared pulling her into his side. His posture was stiff and his hold a little awkward. Clearly, he wasn’t used to comforting people. “You couldn’t have known what she was. She didn’t just trick you, she tricked everyone. They’ll be understanding of that, I’m sure.”

  Calla shook her head, “I had followed her blindly. Anyone else would have asked questions and would have wanted to know details before going on such a dangerous mission. I’m not the best witch out there, but just beneath the best. I had never been called on to help with anything. I was so excited to be doing something that I just jumped on board.”

  Jared was quiet for a moment, taking in everything she had said. “Did you learn something from it?” he asked.

  “What?” Calla blinked, her face scrunching into a confused look.

  “Did you learn something from blindly trusting Deidre?” he reiterated.

  “I mean, yeah. Don’t follow someone into something dangerous without knowing all of the details first. Seems like a pretty obvious lesson that I should have learned ages ago...”

  “It doesn’t matter when you learned it. It just matters that you did. There’s no going back to change the past. You need to take what the experience gave you, and leave the rest be. If they really are like family to you, then they will forgive such an innocent mistake,” Jared breathed to her, his chilly hand gently rubbing her bicep.

  Calla looked back to him, tears brimming her eyes. “Thank you,” she muttered, reaching to wipe a tear away before it had the chance to fall. “You must think I’m such a mess…”

  “Not a mess. Just young,” he shrugged, a slight smile pulling at his lips.

  Calla studied him, sensing his aura. Even if their interactions had started out so negatively, Jared was becoming more and more fascinating to Calla. Unable to help herself, she reached a hand out, her thumb grazing his cheekbone. “You have an old soul, don't you? You put off an aura of wisdom that I've never felt except among my clans elders.”

  Jared was thrown off by the sudden contact, but didn't shy away from it. “I do,” he answered simply, “if you believe vampires have souls.”

  “And why wouldn't they?” Calla smiled weakly. She always found the notion of vampires being soulless to be silly. In her eyes, they were souls bound to immortal bodies, forced to wander the Earth for all eternity.

  Jared’s facial expression didn't change, but his eyes brightened a bit. Calla wondered if someone had once tried to tell him he didn't have a soul anymore. Knowing him, asking wouldn't get her an answer. “We really should rejoin the others,” he stated, standing up.

  Calla nodded, letting out a nervous breath. She wasn't looking forward to any of this. Jared led the way out of the room and down the hall. When they walked back into the living room, all eyes were on Calla. “I will reach out to the Firehavens. I'm thinking they will say yes.”

  “Excellent. Thank you,” Kristian exclaimed. “I need to ask you to do something else.” She gave him a questioning look. “You need to teach Tessa some basic magic, so that she can protect herself if it gets to that.”

  “How much time do we have?” Calla asked, her gaze redirecting to Ally.

  Ally shifted her head side to side as she thought. “Three to four days, I would say. It's hard to guess, considering they could stop for any reason. I'll keep you all updated on their movements.”

  Calla shook her head, “I'm sorry, it can't be done.”

  “What do you mean it can't be done?” Kristian challenged, his tone snappy.

  “She doesn't even know how to block out thoughts yet. She won't be ready to firebend or even perform the most elementary spells during that time,” Calla explained.

  “I'm sitting right here,” Tessa muttered, apparently not liking that they were talking as though she wasn't there.

  Calla sighed, speaking directly to her then, “I'm more than happy to teach you how to control your abilities, Tessa. Just, learning anything in a few days will be close to impossible. It takes years of intensive training for witches to gain full control of their abilities.”

  Tessa deflated, understanding what Calla was getting at. “It's at least worth a shot. Not like we will have anything else to do while we wait for them. I'm a fast learner,” she said, trying to end on a positive note.

  “Then it's settled,” Kristian nodded.

  Calla sighed. It was going to be a long four days.

  * * *

  “You have to concentrate, Tessa,” Calla reiterated for the thousandth time that day.

  “I am,” Tessa snapped.

  They were sat in the middle of the living room floor, the men having moved all of the furniture to the far walls so that they could have plenty of room to practice. “I'm not trying to frustrate you. Just trying to help. Don't close your eyes so tightly, just relax,” Calla instructed. “Relax your whole body. Breathe in through your nose, out through your mouth.”

  Tessa squirmed a bit, clearly not enjoying the premise of meditating. Calla didn't blame her, knowing she had been on the run for years and had been on the cusp of death since the Calder first found her. Anyone would be on edge in her situation. Slowly, Tessa stilled herself though, her body and face relaxing as she took in deep breaths.

  Once Tessa stayed still for a minute, Calla spoke again, “Good. Now try and feel the energy of your body, and direct it to your hands with your palms facing up.”

  “This is stupid…” Tessa mumbled, eyes still closed.

  “Do you want to be able to firebend or not?” Calla challenged. “I know it feels silly to you, but that's just because you're not used to it. Once you get the hang of it, it'll be like second nature. Now focus.”

  Tessa inhaled deeply, then let it out. They had been at it for a few hours, not getting much of anywhere. Tessa stayed determined to get the hang of it, no matter how frustrated she became. Calla admired that about her. She remembered learning how to conjure fire when she was in school, and she had given up many times. Firebending was a precise skill and took a lot of patience and practice to master how to control it. As a kid, Calla hadn't had the concentration either. She could only imagine how hard it would be for an adult to be able to grasp that without years of training.

  As Tessa sat there, Calla noticed Tessa’s hands starting to close. She crawled to
ward her, not wanting to disturb her by talking since she was finally able to focus. Calla gently pulled her fingers back to keep her palm open. The sudden touch startled Tessa. There was a burst of light, then a searing pain covered Calla’s forearm. A shrill scream escaped her throat, falling back and cradling her burned arm.

  “Oh my God, I'm so sorry,” Tessa apologized, her eyes widened from the shock that she had actually burned Calla.

  Before there was any more interaction between the two girls, Kristian was rushing through the front door, and Jared was over to them in the blink of an eye. Jared gently pushed Tessa back from Calla before hovering over the redhead. “Let me see the burn, Calla,” Jared instructed calmly.

  With tears bubbling from her eyes, Calla held her burned arm out to him. Jared gingerly held her hand in his, turning her arm to keep the wound facing him. He then raised his other arm and bit down on his wrist,, the bright red blood immediately starting to trickle down his arm. Jared held it over the burn, letting his blood drop onto the burn. Almost immediately, the skin began to heal. Her creamy, ivory skin reforming over the nasty burn.

  She laid on the floor, trying to catch her breath. Calla had been burned by witch fire many times in her life, but never quite like that. Tessa’s fire had been ridiculously intense for such a tiny burst. If Calla hadn't known before, that would have verified for her that Tessa was the daughter of their High Priestess.

  “I don't want to try anymore,” Tessa whispered to Kristian, a few paces away from Calla.

  “It's alright… You guys can try again tomorrow,” Kristian said, seeking to comfort her.

  “I'm so sorry, Calla,” Tessa breathed. “I really didn't mean to burn you…”

  “It's okay,” Calla called to her as Jared helped her sit up. “I shouldn't have reached for you, that was dumb on my part. Good job, though. Even if it didn't seem like much, it was. I've never seen a witch get the hang of it so quickly, even as a fluke.”

  Tessa nodded, though a deep frown stayed on her face.

  “Come on, let's get you something to eat,” Kristian said to Tessa, guiding her to the door.

  She didn't take much offense to their hasty departure, knowing Tessa was shaken by what had just happened and Kristian was just trying to comfort her. Calla stood up, examining the smooth skin where the burn had been, the sleeve of her shirt burned in the shape of the flame. “Thank you,” she called softly to Jared, who was returning to his spot in the corner of the room.

  “Don't mention it,” he replied.

  Calla walked to the bedroom and changed into another shirt, opting for a blush colored off-the-shoulder top. As she walked out of the room, she could feel hunger starting to nip at her. She contemplated asking if they too could go get something to eat. As she stepped into the living room, she heard Jared on the phone, ordering pizza. Her face brightened, not only because she was happy to be getting some food, but because Jared had been thinking about her.

  Why did she care if he had? Perhaps she was just relieved to have made some kind of alliance within the circle of vampires. Calla sat on the edge of the couch, looking at him with an amused look on her face. Once he was off the phone, Calla spoke, “How did you know cheese pizza was my favorite?”

  He shrugged, “Figured you couldn't complain about a plain pizza. Would you have preferred anchovies?”

  Calla made a face, “Definitely not.” She studied him for a moment, “You know you don't have to sit all the way over there.”

  Jared looked as though he was contemplating, and then stood and walked over, sitting down next to her.

  Calla playfully nudged him, “Are you afraid of me?”

  He scoffed, “No.”

  “Then why do you stay so far away from me most of the time?”

  Jared fell silent, his pale blue eyes looking around the room to anywhere but her. “I suppose I'm just cautious. I don't know you, and I know what witches are capable of.” His gaze finally fell on her, “That isn't to say I think you are going to do anything. I have my reservations, though.”

  She nodded, appreciating his honesty even though it wasn't exactly what she wanted to hear. It was understandable why he felt that way. “Do you think you will get to the point where you no longer feel the need to have those reservations?” Calla asked, her olive eyes looking to him with hope gleaming.

  Jared hid a smile, keeping his face expressionless as he nodded, “I think so. Seeing you teach Tessa really proved that you aren't trying to hinder her in any way. I can tell you want to do what's right. That's admirable.”

  “So you admire me?” she questioned, a big smile on her lips. Calla couldn't help herself, unable to resist the urge to poke and prod at the brooding man. He was just so serious, yet he seemed to have a kind heart. She wondered if he had just slipped under the radar too long, no one actually trying to talk to him more than giving him orders or making small talk.

  His pale eyes narrowed at her before shifting away. Clearly, he didn't want to answer that. Jared’s silence was her answer, her smiling growing bigger. Calla left him alone then, though, not wanting to push his buttons too much. They sat in silence, Jared eventually turning on the television just to have something to distract them.

  When there was a knock on the door, Jared sprang up and was at the door by the time it took Calla to even look in the door’s direction. He opened the door and paid for the pizza. Calla stood and made her way over to the kitchen, sitting down in a bar stool at the island. Jared closed the door and brought the pizza over to her, grabbing a plate down from the cabinet and handing it to her.

  Calla happily took the plate and opened the box. The aroma of the cheese and robust tomato sauce made her mouth water in anticipation. Placing two slices on her plate, she closed the box and immediately dug in. Jared was sat across from her, watching her as she ate. His face pulled into a grimace as he looked at the pizza. Calla found it adorable. The poor vampire couldn’t stand the sight of human food. “Wanna bite?” Calla asked him, holding her slice out with a smirk on her lips.

  His face screwed up even more, looking away. Unable to resist, Calla snuck a listen to his thoughts. That looks so vile. Disgusting. In my day, we didn’t eat such processed foods. Even those would be disgusting, though. It simply looks rancid.

  “You’re the one who ordered pizza,” Calla chimed in.

  Jared’s eyes raced back to her. He cocked a brow, “What happened to not listening to my thoughts?”

  “You were making a face, and it was cute. I couldn’t resist,” Calla explained, though her cheeks burned after realizing she had just called him cute. “I won’t do it anymore. Scouts honor,” she said, giving him a salute.

  Jared tried his damnedest to look menacing, but Calla could see the amusement twinkling in his eyes. He turned to the fridge, grabbing out a bag of blood. “Do witches even have girl scouts?” he questioned, grabbing a mug down from the cabinet.

  “No. The clan doesn’t believe in something as ‘frivolous’ as fun at such a young age,” Calla sighed, finishing off the slice of pizza.

  “Sounds like a ball,” Jared said, sitting back down. His eyes leveled with hers as he took a large gulp of blood. Calla’s stomach twisted at the sight, her eyes shuffling away. “Now who has a weak stomach?”

  “Touché,” Calla grumbled. She cleared her mind of the thought, reminding herself that there was nothing wrong with him drinking blood. It was better than him draining her or any other human like a juice box.

  * * *

  The next evening, Calla was extremely out of it. She hadn’t slept at all, knowing that night was going to be the night she had to reach out to her clan. Calla laid in bed the entire day, staring at the ceiling; she mentally cursed the nocturnal schedule. The only comfort she had was Jared, he had slept in her bed again to keep her company. Even if he was chilly, his sleepy cuddles were growing on her. She hadn’t told him that he was holding her in his sleep, afraid that Jared would be embarrassed and start sleeping in his bed again. With how m
uch was going on in her mind, it was nice to have someone so close.

  The four of them made their way down to the basement of the building. Calla and Tessa needed more room to practice without having to worry about catching the apartment on fire. So, Kristian had worked something out with the building manager to rent out a large storage space.

  Calla’s eyes were heavy. With each blink, they begged her to keep them closed. It was going to make it even more tasking to teach Tessa with only four or so hours of sleep in the last two days. She reminded herself that she had performed with less, she just had to put mind over matter.

  When they got to the basement room, Calla was happy to see it was entirely concrete and cinderblock. The two men sat in metal chairs in the corner as Calla and Tessa took to the middle of the room. They then started the process. Calm breathing, meditation, directing energy flow. It took a couple of hours to get Tessa warmed up, and with how tired Calla was, it was wearing on her patience very quickly. Most of Calla’s concentration wasn’t on teaching, but rather keeping her calm.

  She thought she had finally caught a break when Tessa successfully conjured a flame on command—but there was the task of teaching her how to direct it. Calla stood at Tessa’s side, pointing at the wall, “Find a focal point, turn your hand to it, and like… you…” Calla was struggling to find the words to explain it, “try and channel the energy outward. Don’t throw it, but surge it. Try and make a blast.”

  Tessa took a deep breath, staring at the wall for a moment before pointing her palm to the wall. The flame then sporadically twisted in the air before sizzling out. “I don’t know what you mean…” Tessa frowned. She gave it another fruitless try.

  “It’s not that difficult,” Calla snapped. “I don’t know how to better explain it. I can’t help you if you can’t follow simple instructions.”