Wicked Witch (The Royals: Witch Court Book 1)

by Megan Montero

  Wicked Witch

  The Royals: Witch Court Book One

  Megan Montero

  Leo Press

  For my Grandfather.

  Thank you for always believing in me and for being the biggest book pusher the world has ever seen. I love you so much and I hope you like this one.

  Xoxo-Megan

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  About the Author

  Chapter 1

  Zinnia

  “I don’t know if I can do this, Elle.” I tugged on my best friend’s arm, pulling her to a halt in the middle of the walkway leading up to an old Victorian house. I’d never been good at strolling into a room full of strangers and instantly making friends. My nerves always got the better of me, and instead of chatting it up, I usually found myself in a corner petting whatever dog I could find.

  “Ugh come on, Zin. You’ve spent your whole life jumping from school to school. This”—she motioned to the grand house—“should be a piece of cake.”

  Piece of cake…yeah right. Through the front windows I could see the mayhem that fifty unsupervised teenagers could cause during just one house party. The base thumped so hard it rattled the windows of the old house, and excited voices carried out toward us. A pack of students hung out on the large wrap-around porch that was littered with red Solo Cups.

  I shrank back, about to turn around. “I definitely shouldn’t have come here.”

  Elle tugged me back to her side. “Think of it this way, it’s Thursday night and you have your first day of school tomorrow. What better way to get to know everyone than at a party?”

  It was Thursday night, and at this very second, my mother thought I was fast asleep in my room. This was the first time I’d ever snuck out, the first time I had a reason to. Over the past fifteen years of my life, we’d moved a total of thirty times. Wherever her work took us, that’s where we went. We spent our summer vacations with Elle’s family, and we were finally close enough to them for me to go to school with Elle. This was the first time we’d moved to a place where I knew anyone.

  “I can think of other ways to get to know them.”

  “Ah, but would they be as fun?” Elle took a step forward, dragging me with her. I stayed at her side. With each step we took, my boots scrapped up against the wooden front stairs.

  It was well past ten at night, and the only light guiding us toward the front door was the full moon that hung above. It illuminated the house and porch in soft hues of blue, purple and black.

  From the shadows of the little seating area, a voice called out. “Oh, boy. I hope Mom doesn’t find out you’re here.”

  Elle spun to the side and faced the seating area. “Come on, Gin. It’s Zinnia’s first school party. Don’t ruin it for her now.” Elle tilted her head and stuck her bottom lip out. “Please.”

  Imogin Calliwell was Elle’s slightly older sister. Though they were related, the two couldn’t be more different. Elle was fair in her coloring, like she’d been born in Switzerland rather than New Jersey. Elle parted her sunny, blond hair in the middle, letting it hang down both sides of her face and stopped just above her shoulders, framing her mint green eyes. Whereas, Imogin swept her light brown hair across her forehead, gathering it into a loose braid that fell over her shoulder and down the side of her body nearly to her waist.

  Her dark brown eyes lingered over my outfit for a moment before she turned to Elle. “No drinking or drugs and I won’t get in the way.”

  I tugged at my denim skirt, self consciously pulling it lower over my black tights. When I glanced at the front door, all I could see were flashing lights and writhing bodies. “I mean, we can just go. I’m not much of a partier.”

  The sudden jab of Elle’s elbows into my ribs sent a shot of pain up my side. “Ouch.”

  She narrowed her eyes at me. “We are staying.” Then she turned to Gin and smiled. “And I didn’t plan on becoming a hardcore party girl over night, ‘mkay?”

  “Um yeah, I guess we’re staying.” I rubbed at my side.

  At times, it felt like Imogin was a bit of a mother hen to her baby sister.

  Elle tapped her finger on her chin. “Of course we’re staying. I thought we might smoke some crack, then run down the street spouting beer through our noses.” She rolled her eyes. “Of course I’m not doing any of that junk.”

  A smirk tugged at Imogin’s ruby lips. “Well, just let me know if you need a ride home after you shoot beer out of your nose.”

  “Will do, Big Sis.” Elle gave a mock salute and turned toward the front door. “Come on, Zin, it’s going to be fine.”

  The second she opened the door and the smell of liquor hit my nose, I knew it was going to be anything but fine. “If you say so.” I tugged at the collar of my leather jacket, wishing I’d picked something other than this to wear. Perhaps something more J. Crew-looking to blend in with the suburban Jersey girls.

  As we entered the foyer, a grand staircase swept up to the second level. Couples held hands as they climbed upward and disappeared behind closed doors. To my right was a large sitting room where all the furniture had been pushed back against the walls and two oversized speakers sat front and center, blaring dance music. I bobbed my head to the beat while following close behind Elle. All around, people turned, openly staring at me. Fun being the new girl…again. We wandered through the crowd dancing in the living room and into the dinning room, where a grand table meant to seat sixteen people was littered with cups, cans and food wrappers.

  I leaned closer to Elle. “You know, it would’ve been cool if we just hung out and watched movies.”

  She glanced over her shoulder at me and rolled her eyes, then waved me forward to walk through the next doorway into the kitchen. The beautiful, old house had been utterly trashed. Even my combat boots stuck to the white tile.

  Elle grabbed a Solo Cup from the stack in the middle of the table and headed toward the fridge. “We could have, but then you wouldn’t be able to meet anyone if we stayed in.” She opened the door and pulled out a bottle of Coke.

  “I guess.” I snagged my own cup and handed it to her. Warmth ran down my neck and sat in the pit of my stomach. Beads of sweat gathered under my leather jacket. I instantly regretted wearing the tights-jacket combo. I fanned my face. “Is it hot in here?”

  Elle tilted her head back, chuckling. “No, it’s fine.”

  I let my jacket slide down my shoulders to my elbows for only a moment before I hiked it back into place. All I had on under it was a printed spaghetti-strap tank top I didn’t feel comfortable enough wearing without the jacket. Damned if I do, damned if I don’t.

  A light breeze tickled my cheek. When I looked up, the back door swung open and a guy the size of a tree came through. I froze, taking in the sheer mass of him. Holy hell, he could stop a truck. When he strolled up to Elle and smiled down at her with red cheeks, the words Gentle Giant came to mind. “Hello, Elle.”

  I leaned close to Elle. “Is that guy eighteen?”

  She chuckled.�
��Oh god no. Brax and all his friends are sixteen. Matter of fact, I think the girls they are usually with just turned sixteen a couple weeks ago.”

  Does he have a Russian accent? He ran his hand over the back of his blond crew cut hair. Across the side of his neck was a wicked tiger tattoo. In an instant, I could tell two things: one, Elle liked this guy, and two, if she looked up at him with any more stars in her eyes, she’d light up the whole kitchen.

  She leaned into him, and a large smile spread across her face. “Hey, Brax. How’s it going?”

  “It’s going good.” He titled his head in my direction. “Who’s your friend?”

  Definitely Russian.

  Elle motioned to me. “Brax this is—”

  “Zinnia Heart. The girl we’ve heard so much about.” Another boy strolled through the door, and for a moment, my heart stopped in my chest. Unruly auburn hair framed his chiseled face, and when he looked at me with sparkling tawny eyes, I wanted to drift closer to him. An instant rush of comfort washed over me. It was the first time I’d ever felt relaxed in this kind of setting.

  He strolled up to the counter and leaned his back against it, facing me. “I’m Tucker.”

  I tilted my head back, looking up at him. He was tall, at least a foot taller than my mere five foot three inches. The sleek muscles in his shoulders and arms filled out his black t-shirt just enough to be sexy. Is that a phoenix tattoo on the side of his neck? Thick leather bracelets were wrapped around each of his wrists, a tiny silver medallion with a phoenix etched into each. What was the obsession with phoenixes? He wasn’t as big as Brax, but there was something powerful about him and the way he stood so casually against the counter like he owned everything he looked at.

  “It’s nice to meet you, Tucker.” I extended my hand toward him. His warm grasp wrapped around my fingers, and the callouses on his palms were rough against my skin. How did a sixteen-year-old guy end up with hands that felt like he’d been working all his life?

  All too soon, he dropped my grip and stretched his arms out to his sides to rest them on the counter. “Welcome to New Jersey, Zinnia Heart. I’ve heard a lot about you.”

  “That’s never a good thing.” I leaned back against the opposite counter and instantly regretted it. I could already feel something sticky clinging to the back of my jacket. “Means I’ve already got a reputation.”

  Tucker glanced over his shoulder at our friends. Elle had led the hulking Brax into a secluded corner of the room. When she cupped her hand over her mouth and whispered up to him, he leaned closer to her, tugging at a lock of her hair. Then she playfully smacked at his arm while giggling and sidling even closer. Though Brax seemed interested, there was something about the way he looked toward Tucker every couple of minutes, like he was checking in or was his personal body guard.

  Tucker turned back to face me. “Elle, she talks about you a lot. She’s a big fan of yours.”

  I shifted from one foot to the other, wondering why this gorgeous guy was still talking to me. He was all long sleek lines and smoldering good looks, where I was tiny and slight. My hair hung long and wild down to my elbows in a way that made it look constantly windblown. His fell in perfect waves down to his jawline.

  I bit my bottom lip and smiled down into the cup in my hands. “Oh, well, we’ve been friends for a long time.”

  “And now here you are.” His eyes ran all over my body, from the top of my head down to to my boots.

  Heat flooded my stomach. Why is he looking at me like that? Like his tawny eyes would melt me on the spot.

  “Yes, here I am.” I held my hands out to my sides. “Have you been in Edison a long time?”

  “Only a couple years.” He shrugged but didn’t meet my eyes.

  I opened my mouth, wanting to know what he thought of the school, of the people who went there, or, hell, what he thought about anything. That was my problem. I always wanted to skip the niceties and boring small talk. All my life, I’d been able to read people, and when I couldn’t, I wanted to delve deeper and ask the personal questions no one wanted to answer. But instead I said only, “Oh, that’s cool.”

  Damn it…that’s cool…that’s all you got? I inwardly smacked myself. Just when I was about to say something else, something more interesting, a breathtaking girl with streaked blond hair curling down her back and vivid emerald eyes strolled into the room.

  She leaned her hip up against the counter next to Tucker. “Hey, Tuck. Who’s this?”

  He stood up straight and motioned toward me. “Serrina, this is Zinnia Heart. The girl Elle has been talking about.”

  Her ruby red lips parted into a wide smile. “Oh, right. How’s it going?”

  Ugh, they were utterly perfect standing next to each other. She was long and lean with a hint of sassy style that showed in her tight leather leggings and graphic tee that read Sorry Not Sorry.

  I plastered a smile across my face. “So far so good.”

  The hot ones always had boyfriends. Serrina reached back and plucked two cups from the stack on the counter, filled them up with soda and handed one to Tuck without even asking if he wanted some. They moved as though they knew each other so well, so comfortably. I envied them that, being that comfortable with someone else.

  Tucker took the cup from her hand a drank deeply. “Thanks.”

  “You’re welcome.” She turned to face me fully. “So, Zinnia, is it? Did you get your class schedule yet?”

  “Oh, um, you can call me Zin. And not yet. I’ll pick it up tomorrow morning, I guess.”

  Tucker stared down at me, and I wanted to squirm under his gaze, but I couldn’t. I threw my shoulders back and met his eyes. Silence hung hot and heavy in the air. A current swirled around us. It was electric, flowing from one to the other. The side of his mouth pulled up in a half smirk, and his eyes seemed to turn to liquid honey. Why was he looking at me like that when his girlfriend stood so close?

  Serrina tilted her head to the side, peering from him to me and back again. When she straightened her stance, I tore my gaze away from him and looked at her. She flipped her mane of hair over her shoulder and narrowed her eyes at me. “I’m just gonna go see what Nova is up to.” She placed her hand on Tuck’s forearm. “I’ll see you later, Tuck.”

  That was the reaction I’d grown accustomed to, people stopping to stay hi and then moving on to talk to someone else. And yet he still stood before me, unmoving.

  I gave her a small wave. “Bye, it was nice meeting you.”

  Before she turned away, she smiled. “Nice meeting you, too. And hey, maybe we’ll have some classes together.”

  “That’d be great.” Would it? I couldn’t see myself hanging out with this goddess-looking girl who seemed to have it all together. My clothes were vintage pieces, and by vintage— I meant things I’d found at thrift shops wherever I lived. Her clothing was clearly so not that. My hair hung straight down to the middle of my back and wasn’t smooth and curling like hers.

  “‘Kay, see you guys later.” She turned away, disappearing back into the dining room I’d passed through earlier.

  “Maybe we’ll have some classes together too?” His voice was warm and smooth, like hot cocoa on a winter day.

  Did I want to have classes with him? Oh, hell yes. Excitement rushed through me at the thought of being able to sit next to him each day. “Yeah, maybe.”

  “Parents! Someone called his parents!” a boy screamed from the front of the house. A rush of people flooded through the kitchen toward the back door. I pressed back into the counter before I got knocked over. My pulse raced in my veins. Teenagers scattered in all directions, pushing at each other and knocking furniture over.

  Then a deep male voice boomed. “I’ve called the police! I want you all out of this house by the time I reach three…One…Two…”

  Blue and red lights swirled through the front windows, and the sound of sirens blared all around.

  Elle rushed to my side. “We gotta go. My mom will kill me if we get caught ou
t here.”

  Tucker stepped in closer, his warm woodsy scent wrapped around me. When he pressed his hand to the small of my back, goosebumps broke out over my skin. “Come this way.” He turned and called out. “Brax!”

  He guided me forward with Elle hot on my heels. Brax leapt in front of us, and the wave of people parted around him, giving us the chance we needed to run out the back door. It took a moment for my eyes to adjust to the darkness. Adrenaline ran through my body.

  “Jump.” Tucker commanded, and instantly I leapt off the top step of the porch.

  I expected the ground to be right under my feet almost instantly. Most porches only had a few steps. When it wasn’t, my stomach shot up into my throat. I lifted my arms, bracing for impact. My feet hit the floor so hard I could feel them stinging through my boot, and I landed in a crouch. Tendrils of my hair fell into my eyes, momentarily blinding me. I tossed my head back, flipping the hair from my face.

  Tuck reached down and pulled me to my feet. “Impressive.”

  “I can’t get arrested… My mom doesn’t even know I snuck out.” Did I just blurt that out? I wanted to slap my hand over my mouth. Could I sound any more like a baby? “On second thought, I’d rather face the cops than my mother.”

  Tucker’s dark chuckle tickled my ear. “Don’t worry. I’ll get you home and in bed soon enough.”

  Chapter 2

  Zinnia

  I pumped my arms, running full out toward the fence at the back of the yard. All around me, other teenagers did the same thing, looking for a way to escape.