Scornful Sadie (Dark Sorceress Trilogy Book 1)

by Felicia Tatum

  Aiden was a messy eater when it came to pizza. He didn’t play around.

  Our dinner was enjoyable, lighthearted, and everything I needed after today. Aiden made me smile like no other, his kind words and actions filling my heart to the brim. I’d return from Clorva if only to see his smile again.

  Once I’d sent the mess away, I stood and stretched. “Oh, hey, what were you gonna tell me earlier?” I asked.

  He paled and gulped. “Sade,” he said. He stood, also, and came closer. Resting his hand on my cheek, he looked deeply into my eyes. “I don’t want to scare you, but I have to tell you.”

  My heart thrummed faster. “Tell me what?”

  He grinned, a little dimple showing up in his cheek, and blinked. “I love you, Sadie Tabors. I think I have since the first time I met you, I just didn’t know it.”

  Swallowing hard, I studied his bright blue eyes peering into mine so intently. “You love me?”

  He nodded. “I do. And I’ve wanted to tell you for the past few days, but I couldn’t do it. I was too chicken.”

  Snaking my hands up his chest, I locked them around his neck. “Really?”

  He nodded. “Really.”

  I knew in that moment I wanted to share myself with him. Aiden had always been the one I wanted in my mind, the person who knew me so well, the one who could make me smile through my tears. Breaking our embrace, I slowly undid my shirt, stripping down to my bra.

  His eyes widened as he watched me. “Sade?”

  “Take a shower with me,” I cooed seductively. Popping the button on my pants, I wiggled free and stood before him in my underwear.

  He ran his hand through his hair and I saw his neck move as he swallowed hard several times. “Are you sure, Sade?”

  I nodded. “I’m sure, but I haven’t…before,” I confessed.

  He trailed his fingers from my shoulder and down my arm. “Me neither.”

  My head snapped up. “What? You haven’t?”

  He shook his head. “No. I always wondered why, but a small voice in the back of my mind talked me out of it. I was waiting for you to find me, Sade. To make me remember.”

  Grabbing my dagger from the floor, I sliced his shirt open and peeled it from his body. “You always know the right thing to say, Aiden.”

  He was breathing heavier by now. “That was sexy as hell, Sade,” he said huskily.

  Tossing the dagger away, I fumbled with the button on his pants before he took over and stripped to his boxers. Awkwardly, we stood mostly naked in front of each other, studying one another.

  “You’re so beautiful,” he whispered. He pulled me close, his hand getting lost in my hair as he kissed me deeply.

  Our tongues danced as our mouths moved in sync. We kissed passionately, the heat growing with each movement. He snapped my bra open, slowly pulled it away, and threw it to the side. Hooking my fingers inside his boxers, I tugged and pulled until they dropped to his feet.

  I still hadn’t opened my eyes, scared of seeing him ready for me. Instead I turned away, wiggled out of my panties, and walked to the bathroom, calling for him to follow.

  As I bent over to start the water, I felt him press against my backside. Warmth flooded my body and I turned the shower on. Climbing in, I breathed deeply and fought to control my fear. He joined me in all his naked glory, looking more beautiful than ever before.

  “We don’t have to,” he said gently.

  “I want to,” I said. “I’m just scared. I don’t know what to do.”

  He shrugged. “Me neither…we’ll figure it out together.”

  Standing under the water, I nodded and let my hair get wet. He watched me, a fire heating his eyes I’d never seen before. Then I pressed myself to him and leaned my head in.

  His mouth devoured mine. The water flowed over us as he pushed me against the shower wall and his mouth assaulted mine in the best way possible. His hands roamed over my skin, his thumbs caressing and massaging my breasts.

  Who knew that his touch would feel so good?

  I ventured lower, allowing my own hands to explore his body. He groaned in my mouth, moving his lips to trail up and down my neck and across my collarbone. He lowered his head, taking my nipple in his mouth, and I gasped in pleasure.

  That was the last straw for us both, and he shut the water off before lifting me around his hips. “Let’s go to the bed,” he growled.

  I giggled and nodded. He carried me carefully, as we hadn’t bothered to dry off, and tossed me on the bed. Climbing slowly up the bed, water dripped from his hair as he made his way to my face, where he continued to kiss and tease me with his tongue and hands.

  Pleasure took over and my mind became mush. Each touch sent shivers through me, until he was moving his hands in ways that made me crazy. I thrashed my head from side to side as he moved his fingers within me, crying out his name, begging him for more.

  “We don’t have a condom,” he growled.

  Snapping my fingers, one appeared over the length of him and I grinned. “Now we do.”

  Opening myself up to him, I felt him pressing against me, and prepared for the pain I expected to follow. He moved gently, carefully, and the pain wasn’t as intense as I expected. Once I was adjusted to him, he leaned down and we kissed until we couldn’t breathe.

  We came together, moving as one, as we expressed our feelings with our bodies. Nothing in my life prepared me for how this moment felt with Aiden. He touched more than my body, reaching deep down into my heart. When we finished, we stayed together, kissing and caressing one another.

  He grinned happily, rolling to the side and pulling me to his chest. “I really do love you, Sade.”

  “Aiden,” I said cautiously. “I never expected you. You rolled into my life like a storm, turning my emotions upside down. You completely changed me that day I met you. Boys were never on my radar, a waste of time in my mind. Then you came, and you needed me. You were my light on a dark day, my rainbow in the rain. I don’t know what I would do without you. And I know we aren’t heart mates, but Aiden….”

  The next words didn’t come easily, but I’d had so many other firsts with Aiden, what was one more?

  “Aiden,” I whispered. My thumb caressed his three day beard, the hair prickling my skin. “I love you.”

  Leaning his forehead into mine, he grinned. “I knew it.”

  Within seconds the world spun and we were ripped from one another’s arms. I called for him, but the sound was drowned out by the ferocious wind.

  Bram was right. Revealing and accepting my deepest secret was the key to unlocking Clorva. Loving Aiden was something I’d done for so long, but only now did I accept that it was true. I loved Aiden Rivers. And my love for him was what tore us apart.

  The movement stopped, and I landed hard on my bottom. Standing, I looked down at my clothing. A deep red ball gown and my leather jacket. “What the hell?” I murmured. Thanking the stars my boots were intact, I reached in and grasped my dagger. I sliced the dress at my knees, then ripped it the rest of the way and threw the fabric to the side.

  Much better.

  Taking in my surroundings, I saw trees. Lots and lots of trees. Mountains upon mountains of them graced the sky. In front of me, a large maze appeared, like something from a Harry Potter book. Aiden was nowhere in sight, thankfully, but I couldn’t help but feel panicked wondering what happened to him.

  As if this place read my thoughts, a large glass tower rose up in the center of the maze. Aiden lay on a bed, sleeping, inside. No, no, NO! He wasn’t supposed to come here! How could I protect him in Clorva?

  “What is this, sleeping beauty? If someone tells me I have to kiss him to wake him up, I’m blowing this place up!” I screamed to anyone who would listen.

  Aiden then rose, much to my relief, and pounded on the glass. His muffled voice was low, but I could make out what he said. “Sade, don’t do it! Don’t!”

  Don’t do what? I mouthed.

  Bram’s voice rung out overhead. �
�Sadie Tabors, you have unlocked Clorva and the Sorcerer Wars. Congratulations.”

  “I don’t really think this calls for congrats, Brammy.”

  He growled and I smirked.

  “Aiden will die within three days’ time. You must enter the maze in order to save him and prove you’re worthy for the wars.”

  Aiden couldn’t die. “I don’t want to go to any war,” I sassily replied. “What’s Aiden got to do with this anyway?”

  “Then he dies.”

  Bram knew he was my weakness and that was why he brought him here. But why three days? How was I going to get to him? I knew this damned maze would have more obstacles than I cared to think of.

  I looked to the side, pretending to be engrossed by the tree with the gnarled, barely visible purple roots at my side, but really I weighed my options. I’d lost Aiden once—I wouldn’t do it again. If I stepped inside, Bram held the power. He was in charge. If I didn’t, I couldn’t reach Aiden.

  “Fine,” I called. “What do I do?”

  “You must enter the maze and complete it, reaching Aiden before time runs out. Your magic will be bound the moment you step inside and all you can use are the weapons on your person.”

  As he spoke, a whip appeared in my left hand. What in the crap was I supposed to do with a whip?

  “When you’re ready, Sadie Tabors.”

  “Why can’t I have powers? I thought this was the Sorcerer Wars!” I growled, screaming the words to the sky.

  Bram didn’t reply, but I heard him chuckle overhead. Where in the hell was he, anyway? I needed to kill the bastard as soon as possible, and was kind of pissed at myself I didn’t do it before.

  I hated how he always called me by my first and last name. I hated him, period, actually. Securing the dagger back in my boot, I slung the whip over my shoulder and sent a prayer for assistance.

  I stepped inside, and part of me was gone as soon as my foot hit the grass. My power was bound. Aiden screamed from his cell, but I ignored him. I would do this for him. For us.

  Bram’s voice spoke again. “Let the Sorcerer Wars begin.”

  Clorva-the sorcery realm

  Ceeva-the human realm

  Bram-the first of the six original sorcerers

  The Six-Bram, Pryce, Wolfe, Quinton, Iyler, and Aric

  Crimson Calamitous-the smoke-power hungry filled sorcerer who took vessels to survive. Defeated by Olivia Tabors when she was seventeen.

  Elite-a descendant of the Crimson Calamitous

  Dark Sorceress-the one who will defeat The Six and change sorcery forever

  Clarqa-the realm for spirits of dead sorcerers

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  You can get book two, Straying Sadie, here!

  Keep reading for the first two chapters of The White Aura, book one in the White Aura series.

  About the Author

  The White Aura is my debut novel. I live in Tennessee with my daughter and kitty. Since the age of twelve, writing has been my passion and I’m so excited to finally be sharing it with the world. I love to connect with readers, so please get in touch!

  www.feliciatatum.com

  www.facebook.com/feliciatatumwriter

  www.twitter.com/authorfelicia

  OLIVIA

  My nails dug deep into the flesh on his back, and my lips found his soft, yet rough neck as my mouth filled with the salty taste of him. He growled and fisted my hair in his hands as he pulled my face to his mouth. I gently bit and kissed those magnificent lips, the tender skin plush under my teeth. A low rumble escaped his throat, echoing through my mind, as he pulled me closer. Soft lips kissed me harder and strong arms lifted me off the floor. My legs wrapped around his waist as he pushed me against the wall.

  My gosh, he was a good kisser!

  Gazing into those deep brown eyes, I lost myself in his soul. He was truly a beautiful boy, one I would never see myself being with in the waking world. I enjoyed our dreams together, as often as they were, and cherished each kiss, each touch, each look. He stirred a part of me I never knew existed, arousing me to want and need more out of my life.

  Running my hands through his hair, I reached for him and pulled his lips back to mine.

  BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! I jumped out of the bed, catching my foot on the edge of the large yellow shag rug on my way to the dresser holding the alarm clock I hated so. Slamming the off button, I caught sight of my appearance in the mirror just long enough to wince and turn away quickly. My hair was wild, sticking out all over the place in tangled knots, while my tired face resembled a ghost or some other horrific supernatural being. Grabbing my brush, I hurried to the bed, not able to consider how crazy I looked in my just-waking state. The fierceness of my night was reflected in my hair, apparently.

  The dream…I stopped brushing in mid-tangle to contemplate the vision from last night. The most recent of many, these occurrences were making me feel as if I had awakened from a deep slumber. Suddenly, my mind was sharp, and my body felt like a live wire. My mystery dream man was more real in my heart than I cared to admit, changing my state of being, the way my mind worked. Suddenly I daydreamed, doodled, and imagined the unknown.

  I studied my slim, lanky frame that was beginning to get curves in all the places my parents were dreading. My breasts were getting perkier, my hips becoming rounder. Most seventeen year olds had more curves than me at this point, but my mother said, when she bothered to acknowledge me, I was a late bloomer in everything. Fantastic.

  My deep red hair fell to my waist in tousled, loose waves. My bright green eyes sparkled like gemstones in the sunlight. Red hair and green eyes. Really spectacular combination. I couldn’t have gotten seductive brown eyes, I had to get stuck with boring green. Nothing special to look at, that was for sure. My mother and father always told me I was beautiful, but isn’t that what parents are supposed to think?

  I ran the brush through my thick hair again, rearranging myself on the bed until I was cross-legged. For the last year, I had been having dreams about this guy who I had never met. The night of my sixteenth birthday, the sleep visions had begun, forever changing me. Did the two have a connection? I couldn’t help but feel that the fluttering in the pit of my stomach was a sign that they did. I had started a journal that very morning, so I could remember everything, documenting the location specifics and what went on. The guy seemed to be about nineteen, if I had to guess, as he looked and acted only slightly older than me and my friends. He was tall, about 6 feet, with jet black hair and big brown eyes that looked like dark honey. He was totally gorgeous and I couldn’t fight the feeling he was too handsome for plain Jane me.

  Our locations varied. Sometimes we were in my room and sometimes a room that was decorated in dark colors and housed lots of books. Maybe it was his room, I didn’t know. Occasionally we were outdoors in places I didn’t recognize. The things we did also varied, but one thing was always the same: he never told me who he was. I had read a million books on dreams, and I still couldn’t figure out why I saw the same guy every night. The dreams had no rhyme or reason, yet they felt familiar and safe. Like I was right where I was meant to be. Dreams are a part of our subconscious thoughts, according to all my reading, but why was he there?

  Something surprising happened along the way. I felt as if I knew him, almost as though I’d fallen for my dream guy. As crazy as it seemed, I had this odd feeling he was somehow real. The turning and twisting of my gut told me to follow my instincts, and they led to him. When things weren’t the right decision, I generally had a bad feeling, an intuition maybe, a sixth sense. I felt none of that with him.

  There was something about the dreams that just felt…strange. Maybe it was the fact that the dreams were becoming somewhat sexual, but I was a virgin. Heck, I had only kissed one boy, and it was nothing like the kissing in these trysts. When I had kissed Brady, I hadn’t felt much. It was pleasurable, but nothing like I’d imagined my first kiss would b
e. It was disappointing, like seeing the movie you kind of wanted to see instead of the one you had been dying to see. There were no sparks when our lips met like I’d always thought there would be. No fireworks going off while I was swept off my feet, dizzy with love and passion. Not like the dream kissing with my mysterious, sexy boy. Glancing over at the clock, I sighed, realizing I needed to get ready for school.

  I walked to the closet and began rummaging through my clothing. I decided on a cute black skirt, ankle boots, a white shirt, and a scarf the same color as my eyes. I looked a little boring, but presentable. Fashion was something I always had been interested in, but I totally failed at really achieving the whole “cute girl” thing. Although I attempted to be unique, my outfits came out dull. Daring was basically a disaster no one wanted to even deal with, my attempts a combination of bad choice on top of another. I glanced at the clock as I heard my mother yell, “Olivia, it’s time to go!”

  Great, I was going to be late for school again if I didn’t hurry. I threw my books in my white and yellow backpack and grabbed a cherry pastry from the kitchen on my way to mother’s black SUV. She was seriously going to leave me one of these days. I had been begging my parents for my own vehicle for a year, but they wouldn’t give in. Something about how I needed to figure it out financially and buy one on my own. If they would only help me, I wouldn’t have to rush every morning to make sure I didn’t walk to school in heels. My parents weren’t like that, though. They rarely were around, paying me little attention, and I’d known when I asked that getting a car was a wish I wouldn’t be granted.