by Karen DuBose
Copyright
Untainted Magic is a work of fiction. All names, characters, locations, and incidents are the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
UNTAINTED MAGIC: A NOVEL
Copyright © 2018 by Karen Dubose
All rights reserved.
Editing by Charlene Garner
Cover design by KP Design
Proofed by Suzanne Hager-Cobb
The uploading, scanning, and distribution of this book in any form or by any means—including but not limited to electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise—without the permission of the copyright holder is illegal and punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized editions of this work, and do not participate in or encourage electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated.
Dedication
To my family, friends and of course my fans. Love you all.
Table of Contents
Copyright
Dedication
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Acknowledgements
About the Author
Extras
Follow Karen DuBose
Chapter 1
The alarm blaring startles me out of another weird dream. I swear they are starting to feel more real each night. I really need to talk to my mom about it. Sitting up and throwing the covers a side. Placing my feet on the plush carpet. Wiping away the sleep in my eyes, I head to my bathroom. Turning the shower on, I walk to the sink to brush my teeth. I look in the mirror and froze.
How in the world did I get leaves in my hair? Picking one out of my hair and looking down at it, I ran out of the bathroom, through my room, and down the hall to my mom’s room. There is no way I brought something out of my dream, is there? My heart is slamming against my rib cage. I burst through the door and leaped on her bed.
She screams. “Skye, are you trying to give me a heartache? Why in the world would you be running in here like you’re on fire?”
My heart is still pounding like it wants to break loose from my rib cage. How can I explain to her what I can’t even believe?
“Do you see the leaves in my hair?” It’s the only thing I could think of.
She turns around to face me. “Yes, I see the leaves in your hair. What kind of question is that? Is that why you ran in here like a crazy person? Over leaves in your hair.”
“No…. how can I explain this? I haven’t been outside today mom. I woke up with leaves in my hair. How is that possible? I mean I dreamt I was in the forest and lying in a pile of leaves before the alarm woke me up.”
Mom jumps out of bed with a wild look in her eyes. She starts searching for something. She rushes over to a box in the corner of her room. Yanking it open, she took out an old looking book. She comes towards me, grabbing my hand pulling me towards the hall.
“Mom! What is going on? Your scaring me.”
“I will explain everything. Right now, we need to get to the attic.”
“Explain what, mom?”
She drags me out of her room, down the hallway and up the stairs. She let’s go of my hand to put the book down on the table in the middle of the room. She sits down on the chair and looks at me.
“There is something I need to tell you. Your twenty first birthday is in a few months, and with that comes huge responsibilities. I wanted to tell you way before this, but the coven wouldn’t let me until you showed signs it was starting.”
I interrupt her. “What are you talking about? What responsibilities? You aren’t making any sense mom.”
She takes a deep breath and lets it out. “If you would let me finish. I will explain everything to you. Our magic is special. More special than everyone else’s. Ours is pure light magic.”
“What do you mean by pure light? Isn’t the coven’s magic pure?”
“Yes, theirs is pure magic, but it isn’t pure light magic. The difference is we are the only ones who can keep the dark source from taking over the world. You my child are the strongest of all of us combined. Which means the dark source is getting stronger. He has the ability to pull you to his realm while you are asleep, and if he does, he can kill you there. He has done that to almost all of us pure light magic users. There are only a handful of us left.”
“Are you trying to say these dreams are his doing?”
“I don’t know if it is him or not. But with you saying you woke up with leaves in your hair, I can assume he may be pulling you in to his realm to spy on you.”
I start pacing the floor. “How can I stop him from pulling me into his realm again. Why now? What is my twenty first birthday has to do with any of this?”
“Your powers are at their full strength when you turn twenty-one. The closer you get to your birthday the more he can sense your power and will be drawn to it.”
I stop my pacing. He will be drawn to me. How is that possible? “Will I feel his power too? Why was this supposed to be a secret? What does the coven have to do with any of this? How come I wasn’t told of his powers? I’ve been training all my life to defeat him, and you guys are holding back information from me.” The more questions I ask the angrier I get. I raise my hand to my chest. I don’t think my heart can take much more excitement. Not that this is exciting news because it is far from it.
Mom stands up and walks over to me. She holds her hands out for me to grab. I take them not knowing what else to do. “You will be able to feel his power when he is near. The coven has been protecting you from him. The dark source will be as powerful as you are. Before you ask, I don’t know who he is. I have never dealt with him personally. I just know what has been told. The coven also thought if you didn’t know about the draw of his magic you wouldn’t search for him without knowing it. I know this is a lot to take in. I’m sure you will have more questions. But right now, we have to get ready for work. Before we go, I need to show you our family grimoire. You need to study this book. It will tell you everything we know about the dark source.”
I notice she skips over the part about the Coven being involved. I will get that out of her later. She lets go of my hands and walks back down stairs. I can hear her walking to her bedroom. When she shuts her door. I walk over to the book. I thought the grimoire I have been studying was our family’s. I reach for the book as it calls to my magic. I didn’t even realize I’m already touching it. The magic that is pouring out of it felt like home. Like I finally found my place in life. I open the book to the first page.
For every descendant to come may the light guide you in every way.
Keep the darkness at bay with the light of your heart.
This path is not for the faint.
We are with you in the afterlife forever and always.
“Well that’s a nice welcome. And kind of creepy.” I close the book before heading down stairs to get ready for a job I barely tolerate. Taking my hand off the book, it starts to glow. The magic coming from it starts to pulse in time with my heartbeat. “Nope, not going to freak out.”
Walking away from the book
as fast as I can. I don’t look back. I really didn’t want to. I head for my room. I can hear the shower still running.
“Great! So much for a shower.” Walking into the bathroom, I shut the water off and walk back to the sink. I finish brushing my teeth and put my long wavy brown hair in a messy bun.
“This is as good as it’s going to get.” I head back to my room to get dressed. Opening my closet to find something to wear, I see the laundry basket is overflowing. Looks like I need to get laundry done soon or I’m going to be going to work naked. Grabbing an outfit and putting it on. I walk out of the closet grabbing a pair of my favorite pumps and head down stairs. I hope mom put some coffee on. I desperately need some and a lot of it.
Chapter 2
Walking into the kitchen mom has a steaming hot mug of coffee in her hands. “Finally decided to come down.” She hands me the mug and I pretty much yank it out of her hands. Before I give her a snarky remark I take a long sip of the coffee. It’s just the way I love it-- black.
“I figured I would grace you with my presence by being late. Are you ready to go?”
She shakes her head at me, giving me that knowing smile. She hands me my purse and another mug of coffee with a lid. “As much as I love your presence. I would love it much more if we aren’t late for work. Let’s go before we both get fired.”
“I don’t know why we have to work for the coven and not open our own shop like we always wanted. I have been looking into places and crunching numbers. I think we can do it.”
Mom heads for the door grabbing her keys off the counter. “We have been over this. We can’t just open a store and go over the coven’s head. We owe them a lot for keeping us hidden for as long as they have. We won’t be able to hide much longer.”
Walking out of the door, I turn around and lock it. “I think we paid our debt a long time ago. I know, I know. They saved our lives and we owe them everything. I get it. But we shouldn’t have to hold back from enjoying our lives.”
Heading to the car I get into the passenger side shutting the door. She hasn’t said a word. I hope I didn’t upset her again. This has been an argument for a while now. One I feel strongly about.
I look out the side window. The neighborhood hasn’t changed since I was a kid. Every single house is the same color, same landscape, even the same people have been here. My best friend Lexia, a.k.a Lex, lives three houses down from me. We have been unseparated for as long as I can remember.
Mom backs out of the driveway heading to our little town of Starburn, Washington. The population of three thousand — most of which are the coven. The rest are here for the protection and peace the coven can offer.
I watch the trees and mountains pass by. I really do love it here. I just wish it was different. My dreams are being held back and I don’t like that. Owning my own shop shouldn’t be difficult as it is. If the coven doesn’t agree or give you permission, then that’s it. No point in getting angry over the same stuff repeatedly. One day I will be away from here.
The town comes into view. It still takes my breath away. I’ve lived here all my life and still. The old feel to it makes me not want to leave. The buildings have a lot of history to them. The first thing you see when you get to town is the shop we work in. It is built like a small castle. It’s one of the biggest buildings besides the court house. The grey building is four stories high. Wall to wall windows on the street level. Small circular windows on the other three floors. The towers have slits to look out. I love the north tower, it’s my favorite place to be. It looks out at the town. I go up there to be away from everyone. When it gets too much, I find peace there.
Looking across the street at the coffee shop, I see my best friend Lex. She is talking to one of the coven leaders and doesn’t look happy. She is always so spunky. Seeing her like that means they are talking about me again. The coven leaders don’t like me because I always go against them anyway I can. They try to control me, and I won’t allow it. They know I am the light source to keep the dark source in check or destroy it. I rather destroy it. Evil needs another ass kicking if you ask me. Of course, they say you can’t defeat the dark source without destroying myself. To tell you the truth I’m not ready to die at least not right this minute.
I look back to the shop and sigh. Time to contribute for our staying here. I don’t know how many times I’ve begged my mom for us to leave and never look back. I understand she is worried things will escalate if we leave. I’m starting to wonder if she is doing it because I am her daughter and is protecting me anyway she can, or she is scared I will fail at what I was born to do. That is an argument for a later day.
Mom pulls in the parking lot behind the shop. When she puts it in park, she takes a deep breath. I know she hates fighting with me as much as I do with her.
“Skye. I know you are getting antsy to be out on your own. I know you have dreams. I wish things were different. I know you think I am being unreasonable. You must understand that I am trying to protect you for as long as I can. I love you more than you can possibly know. I feel like a prisoner just like you. Please can we stop fighting over the same argument?”
I get out of the car. I need to get my thoughts in order before I answer her. I never knew she felt the same as I do. At least I’m not the only prisoner here. “Why didn’t you tell me you felt the same way as I do? I just thought you loved it here? You’re right I’m tired of having the same argument. I still think we should leave and have a life away from here. I understand you want to protect me as much as you can. But if something doesn’t change I will leave on my own. I love you mom. But I can’t be controlled anymore.”
Mom walks around the car and wraps me up in a hug. When she pulls away I can see sadness in her eyes. “I knew this would come. If you leave I will leave with you. As much as I really want to stay here to protect you, you are an adult. But don’t even think about leaving here without me. We will talk about this later. Let’s get the shop open.”
She walks away from me leaving me dumbfounded. Did she just agree to leave? Am I still dreaming. I reach down and pinch my arm. “Ouch!”
I’m not dreaming so what in the world just happened? I walk to the back door and stare at it before I open it. This day just got weird. I heard someone walking behind me. When I turn around to see who is coming, Lex is smiling at me with coffee in hand. I return her smile and wave at her. When she got close enough I grabbed my large cup of coffee. She has no idea how much I need this right now. “You doll are a life saver. Thanks for the coffee. What did Abigail want this morning?”
Lex grabs one of the cups and takes a drink before she answers me. “She wanted to know what you were up to. She said you have been acting weird. Weirder than normal. Her words not mine. I told her you weren’t up to anything. Did I lie to her?”
I snort at her. “We have a lot to talk about but not here. When we get off work come to my house. I have had a weird morning so far.”
She shakes her head. “Ok, now you are acting weird. Should I be worried?”
I give her my best smile. “I haven’t figured that out yet. I will let you know later. You better get going before you get into trouble. Love you doll.”
She hugs me before she leaves. “I am always in trouble. See you later. Love you back.”
She walks away heading to her job at the drug store. I walk into the door and the smell of herbs is a welcome scent. I inhale deeply and walk further in. I can hear voices. Mom must have opened the doors already. I hurry to the front of the store to see if she needs me to do anything. When I open the curtains, I wish I didn’t. Quentin is standing there. He has had a crush on me for as long as I can remember. I just don’t see him that way. He is a handsome, sweet, and dorky. He just isn’t my type. His brown shaggy hair looks like he has been running his finger through it. His sky-blue eyes are striking, and he has a nice built to him. Not too much muscle but also not a skinny skaters-boy.
When he sees me I just want to crawl back behind the curtains. “Hey Sk
ye, I’m wondering if you were working today. I wanted to see if you want to get lunch later.” I can see my mom trying to hide a smile. She knows I don’t see him like that. If she really loved me she would save me. I look over at her and give her the evil eye.
“I would love to, but I already have plans for lunch. Maybe next time.”
I see the defeat in his eyes. I don’t want to lead him on. He must know by now I’m not interested in him that way. I have said no to him I don’t know how many times now. I kind of feel guilty about it, at the same time I know he is not the one for me.
“Yeah, ok. Maybe next time. See you around.” He says as he turns and walks out the door. All I can do is sigh. I wish there was something there between us, but I feel nothing but friendship and soon I will lose that as well, if we leave. I’m hoping mom wasn’t messing with my head.
I turn to her with a disappointed look. “You know I have no feelings for him. Why must you keep trying to hook us up?”
She looks stunned. “I did no such thing. I know how you feel about him. I was just chatting with him. I didn’t know he was going to ask you to lunch.”
“I wish he would get the message already. He needs to find someone who will love him and that someone isn’t me. I really wish I could find someone for him, then maybe he would stop trying. Don’t get me wrong he is a sweet guy. Just not for me is all.”
Mom walks over to me and looks me in the eyes. “Skye, you haven’t been interested in anyone. That kind of worries me. You’re twenty years old and never had a boyfriend. Are you gay?”
I’m so shocked she even asked that it took me a minute to answer her. “No! I’m not gay. Even if I was, would it make a difference? I haven’t had a boyfriend because I haven’t had any attraction to the guys around here. Geez, mom, what a way to ask someone if they’re gay or not.”
She shakes her head at me. “Well, a mother had to ask, and no it wouldn’t make a difference if you were gay or not. I just figured if you were and didn’t know how to tell me. I was trying to make it easier for you to tell me.”
