A Stake With a View (You Are The Worst Witch! Goodbye!) (A Wicked Good Witches Paranormal Romance Book 6)

by Starla Silver

  A WICKED GOOD WITCHES PARANORMAL ROMANCE

  Funny, Sexy, Around-the-Clock Supernatural Trouble. Seductive. Suspenseful. Wickedly Addictive. A Story of Duty, Romance, and Magic off the Coast of Maine.

  BOOK SIX

  A Stake With a View:

  You are the Worst Witch! Goodbye!

  Starla Silver

  TABLE of 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

  Book Links and Info

  CHAPTER 1

  Eva Jordan rushed into the house shouting for her father. She’d just escaped the clutches of Charlie Howard after lying to him that she was pregnant with his child.

  Or was she pregnant? She wasn’t entirely sure. The Firebrand Feyk had done something to her. If it wasn’t a fake pregnancy, what was it?

  And she didn’t even want to think about the possibility that she might actually be pregnant. Kids were not in her future. She preferred independence.

  Anthony Jordan, her father, appeared from out of the kitchen meeting her in the foyer. He leaned calmly against the doorframe with a filled mug of coffee and took a swig.

  Eva proceeded to pass him, grab a suitcase from a closet, and disappear into her room. “We have to leave. Now.”

  He remained calm, watching his daughter do a mad dash to pack. “Why do we have to leave?”

  “Char- the Howards found us out! They’ll be coming for us. We don’t have much time so start packing.”

  “This is not necessary,” her father disagreed, far too calmly considering what she’d just revealed.

  Eva spun around, hands on her hips. “You think they’ll just ignore everything we’ve done? I killed that Guardian Charlie was crazy about. Not that I had a choice. She threatened to tell the Howards who I was. But I also broke into their house and stole their father’s diary. I am the alpha werewolf Charlie thought he already killed. I don’t think he’ll have a problem killing me again.”

  “Being a bit dramatic, Eva, don’t you think?”

  She let out a sharp gasp. “Dramatic… you’re freaking kidding me, right?”

  Anthony waved her off.

  What the hell was wrong with him? She needed him to see reason.

  “Dad, is this vendetta of yours worth dying for? Because that’s what’s coming.” There was no other way to put it. Death was coming for them in the form of the Howard Witches.

  “It’s our vendetta,” her father reminded with a stern glower. “And don’t worry, Eva. Charlie Howard is not going to kill you. I’ve taken measures to ensure this.”

  She narrowed her eyes suspiciously. “What aren’t you telling me, Dad?”

  “What aren’t you telling me?” he returned.

  “Games? Really?” She continued with her rushed packing.

  “The Feyk took care of everything,” claimed Anthony. “Charlie Howard will not sacrifice his own child to kill you.”

  Eva froze. Dumbstruck.

  How did her father know this?

  “I might not win the father-of-the-year award, but you are my daughter, Eva. I am quite aware of what’s been going on between you and Charlie.”

  She fumed in speechless anger and humiliation.

  Her father had discovered her secret. That she’d been sneaking out of the house at night. Not so much her, as her wolf. Eva had been more of an unconscious participant to her wolf’s depraved desires. Mainly consisting of playing the part of the submissive wolf to Charlie Howard. God, he’d pay for that. I don’t submit to anyone. Even my father.

  “It’s not your fault, Eva. I don’t blame you,” he continued. “It’s your wolves reacting to each other. Nature taking course. But seeing as it was happening, I decided we could use it to our advantage.”

  Eva opened her mouth to reply, her breath catching. “Let me get this straight… you let my nighttime romps with Charlie Howard continue, rather than put a stop it, because you thought you could use it... me... to our advantage? And you did this all behind my back?”

  “I couldn’t have stopped it, Eva. Even if you had made the choice to confide in me, and fill me in on what was happening, you’d still have gone romping off at night with Charlie Howard. You chose not tell me. I chose not to interfere.”

  “Oh, so no stopping it. But using your daughter to your advantage is okay? Letting another man fuck your daughter…”

  Anthony growled. “It wasn’t like that and you know it!”

  “You could have locked me up. Kept me the hell away from him.”

  “And have werewolf-Charlie storming the house to get to you. You can’t fight nature, Eva. For whatever reason, your wolves saw each other as potential mates. And to be frank, it would have been a smart match if you’d gotten Charlie under your control as originally planned.”

  “Oh so now this is somehow all my fault? Because I wasn’t able to get Charlie to submit to me as his alpha?”

  “No. I’m saying it is what it is. It’s over now. Let’s move on.”

  “I cannot believe you did this to me,” she stammered hotly. “But you’re right about the moving on part. We don’t have time to argue. They’re coming. Screw packing, let’s leave the Isle.”

  “Eva… we are not leaving. You need to calm down.”

  “Calm down? Dad, I don’t think you’re grasping the seriousness of what’s happened. It’s over! We came. We tried. We fucking lost!”

  “No. I do understand. But I’ve taken care of things. We have time.”

  Eva sucked on her lips, many choice words wanting to spew through them at her father, but what came out was, “The Feyk, they did do this to me, right? Just a trick… Please tell me I’m not actually pregnant...” I so can’t deal with this shit right now…

  “No. You’re not pregnant, Eva. But it’s real in the eyes of Charlie Howard, and therefore will keep you safe. And alive. Which is my point. I could not stop nature from taking course, but it gave me the chance to protect you.”

  “And in protecting me, if this also just so happens to work to your advantage…” she added snidely.

  Anthony shrugged. “It gives us more time. What more can I say? If I hadn’t asked the Feyk to do it, do you think you’d still be alive right now?”

  She let out an aggravated sigh. No. She would not be alive. Without that second heartbeat, Charlie would have killed her. But God damn it she hated that her father had done this to her behind her back.

  More than that, she was starting to see his point. They thought a lot alike, her and her father. She’d have done the same thing in a heartbeat.

  “So if it’s fake why can’t I shift? I thought the shifter gene only went dormant during pregnancy?”

  “The spell the Feyk used is very powerful. Your body sees the pregnancy as real.”

  “And you don’t think that’s a bad idea? Taking away my ability to shift?” Her voice was calmer now. “How fast does it wear off?”

  He hesitated.

  “Dad?”

  “A couple of days, or so.”

  “Days? Are you serious?”

  “It doesn’t affect your wolf. Only the shifter part of you.”

  “Oh, that’s totally frigging helpful. I can
grow my nails, get some sharp teeth and turn my eyes yellow... unless you’ve figured out how to have a full moon each damn night of the month. It’s only my shifter side that can turn at will, Dad.”

  “I am aware. But considering the alternative…”

  “You mean me being dead?”

  “Naturally I’d rather keep you alive. Besides, you can still let a little of the wolf free, like you said. That includes some of the strength.”

  “I really don’t see how this gives us extra time, other than to get the hell off this island. Yes, it kept me alive. But Charlie will figure out I’m faking it. I still vote for leaving. Immediately.”

  “I’m not leaving until I finish what I came here to do!” Anthony barked impatiently.

  “A few more days is all we need. We know the location of the power source, we just need to figure out how to get inside. The Feyks have guaranteed me they have something special in store for the Howards. Their attention will be elsewhere. And if we do reach the power source, we won’t be the ones fleeing The Demon Isle.”

  Eva closed her eyes, fisting her hands. “And if we don’t succeed? Then what? I’ll ask it again, Dad. Is this vendetta worth dying for? Because I’m telling you they are coming for us, Feyks keeping them busy or not. Me being pregnant, or not.”

  “I will avenge your mother’s murder with my own dying breath if I have to,” he bleated in a raised voice. “The Howard’s will pay for killing her. They must!”

  “I want them to pay, Dad,” Eva agreed. “But maybe this is not the time. Maybe we need to try again, later, when we’re not fucking dead!” She darted into the hallway scouring inside a basket for keys. They could drive to the ferry; there was one leaving in just a few minutes if they hurried.

  Anthony followed her, a heavy sigh escaping his lips. “This is our only chance,” he besieged his daughter. “The Howards have been in control of this Isle for too long, killing anything they see as a threat because of a power source only they have a right to control. What gives them that right? What gave them the right to kill your mother?”

  “Don’t act like this is all about the Howards, Dad. It’s not like Mom was just here vacationing,” spat out Eva. “She was here for you. Remember? Spying on the witches... searching for the mysterious power source. Your obsession. Not hers.” There was a hint of blame in her tone.

  “She didn’t do anything that warranted her execution!” he blasted back, his rage level rising.

  “We don’t know what happened! Only that the Howards killed her. Yes! I want them to pay for that. But not at the expense of our lives, too. Your obsession over the power source is going to get us both killed. Face it, Dad! This is Howard territory and we’re outnumbered.”

  “We have the Feyks...”

  “That’s not enough.”

  “I’m not leaving,” said Anthony stubbornly. “I will avenge your mother. And if finding the power source and dethroning the Howards requires my life, then I give it freely.”

  “Now that, is a sentiment I can agree with…”

  It wasn’t Eva or her father that said it. They gasped and swung around facing the front door. She’d left it open.

  A set of villainous emerald eyes glared back at them. “Surprise…” hissed the vampire. He’d heard every word of their conversation.

  “William Wakefield,” stated Anthony. He’d only had brief encounters with the vampire, but had studied up on the topic for just such an occasion.

  “I feel it’s only fair to tell you, Mr. Jordan, that your information is incorrect. It was not the Howards who killed your wife.”

  “She died on the Isle.”

  “True. And as you are already aware, she was not innocent,” rebuked William. “In reality, quite the contrary. She left no choice but to stop her using any means necessary. Regardless, her life was not ended at the hands of a Howard.”

  “I do not believe you,” sputtered Anthony.

  “You should,” William warned with a severe stare.

  Anthony opened his mouth to speak but Eva blurted out, “Does Charlie know your here?”

  “No. And it is of little concern to me. You can only imagine how intriguing it was to be roaming the Isle last night and happen upon Charlie’s scent. I tracked him with the intent of discerning a specific problem, but to my delight I caught a second scent, got curious and followed.”

  Eva wanted to shout a hundred different things at her father. If he’d just stopped her from seeking out Charlie, rather than try to use the situation to his advantage, the vampire would not be at their door right now.

  “I have to admit,” continued William evenly. “I did not expect it to lead me to your door. Alas, here I am. And thank you for speaking so freely, your conversation has been most illuminating. It places many pieces to the puzzle I’ve been trying to put together. And with everything I just heard you discussing… well… need I continue?” His lip curled into a deadly snarl.

  Eva wracked her brain for a way out. The vampire would tell the Howards all he’d heard, and they would return for them. She imagined aimed to kill. They had little time or chance of escape. Everything her father had done to protect her and give them more time was for nothing. They should have fled the moment she came home, just like she originally believed.

  She lifted her chin in defiance. “Charlie thinks I’m pregnant with his child. So don’t go getting any ideas, Vampire. He’d never forgive you, would he? If you killed his unborn child...”

  “Except that you are lying.”

  “Will he believe you?” she challenged.

  “Never mind all this,” Anthony protested. “None of this matters because you cannot get into the house unless we invite you in.”

  Eva hoped this would bide them some time. Not much, but if they were lucky just enough to get away.

  William grinned darkly. “I am afraid you would also be wrong about that fact.” He took a deliberate step through the front door, standing inside.

  “How?” Eva choked out. She glanced at her father with a silent demand. How did you not know this? He ignored her, the seriousness of the situation becoming alarmingly real.

  William sighed satisfactorily. “Myth,” he explained, his emerald eyes shooting daggers of loathing in their direction. “I am surprised in all your research, Mr. Jordan, you did not discover this vital piece of information.”

  Anthony just grunted in reply.

  “I should have put two and two together a long time ago,” William lamented. “Your mother was a shifter as well,” he aimed at Eva. “She left an... impression on me. More like a deep hatred and distrust of all shifters. Although to be perfectly honest I had no idea she was a werewolf. In retrospect, it was a smart choice not to rip out her heart. Her blood would have…” Anthony cut him off in an enraged stammer.

  “You? You killed my wife?”

  “I broke her neck,” William spoke sharply, and without remorse. “And after I broke her neck, I kicked her lifeless carcass over a cliff. Let’s just say the fall was… messy.” William gnashed his fangs at them. “I wish I’d bitten her now, one bite would have done her in. Vampire venom is a painful death sentence for any werewolf,” he directed at Eva.

  “Your threats are meaningless, Vampire. My bite will do the same to you.” In a blink, Eva’s eyes glowed yellow, a low snarl catching behind her teeth.

  William made to lunge at her. It was not his intention however, and when she bounded into the air to meet him he bent backwards and dashed straight underneath her. Eva landed on the spot he’d been, spinning around, poised to strike again.

  With a whipping snap and a crack, her father’s body slumped to the floor. Lifeless. His head bent at an uncomfortable angle.

  Eva froze, her shocked gaze staring into the bulging dead eyes of her father. Her breath came out in heavy gushes. “You- you killed him… how could you?”

  “Oh, was I wrong about your intentions?” William’s caustic timbre accused. “Are you not here to... how did you put it? Dethrone
the Howards and take over the Isle…” With a blink, his emerald eyes blazed with savage darkness, daring her to attack him.

  It was time to end this. To fix his mistakes. To set things right once again.

  Eva’s fury erupted. “You fucking bastard.” She could not shift, but she willed every ounce of strength and ferocity her wolf could give her without a full moon. “You killed my mother. And my father. I will destroy you!” She lunged forward intending on sinking her teeth into the vampire’s skin.

  But William was faster. And stronger. And intensely determined. He thrust out his arm stopping her in midair, his icy fingers gripping around her throat.

  Her arms and legs flailed as she attempted to scratch at him and escape.

  He squeezed harder.

  Her hands flew up trying to pull away his icy grip.

  “Where is the diary you stole from my desk?” he interrogated.

  She refused to answer.

  His grip threatened to crush her neck, her gasps for air getting thicker.

  “I’m only asking one more time, Eva. If you refuse, you’ll join your mother and father.”

  She tried to shift into anything other than her human form cursing she could not until the fake pregnancy spell had worn off. Her father had done this to save her life. Now it would kill her. Like William had just done to her father. And had done to her mother when she was just a kid. This vampire had stolen everything from her. She did not care about the power source like her father. But she wanted this vampire to suffer. Painfully and slowly.

  A new fury surfaced. Eva wanted to feel her teeth puncturing the vampire’s skin, ending him. But that would be too quick. Painful, yes. But far too quick. And the lack of oxygen was making her head dizzy and weakening her attempts to release his grip.

  William grew tired of her silence and flung Eva into the living room. It took little effort on his part. She crashed into a wall but never hit the floor. William rushed in, caught her, and slammed her back up against the wall.

  She gasped, the wind knocked out of her. Eva could not get her werewolf strength to surface long enough to overpower his grip. His fingers slipped through her long white locks and around her throat again.