Wicked Good Witches- Complete Series Bundle

by Ruby Raine

  He stood up and raked his hand through the stubble getting thick on his unshaven chin.

  “Once you transform, Lizzy, you’d lose something that’s precious to you. I don’t want to hold that sort of control over you, even if it is for your own safety. Or the safety of others. But the only other option I see is letting Grayson turn you. And would that be any fairer, to let the vampire claim you? Neither wolf nor vampire, your choice. You refused to become a vampire even back when you were engaged to him, I have to assume you still hold that belief. Even in the condition you’re in now.”

  LYING STILL AND LIFELESS on the hospital bed, Lizzy’s breathing remained even. Assisted by the machine currently keeping her alive. Inside her mind though, a swarm of emotion tried like hell to surface. Fighting with everything it had to muscle its way to the top.

  Each time she fell asleep and awakened later, she had to go through the terrible realization she was still in a body refusing to obey her commands, to move, or talk. Or blink, or even breathe on her own. It took a few minutes to get beyond the instant panic.

  She wanted so desperately for her eyes to open and be able to see Charlie, or the hospital room. Perhaps in a sick way it was better not to. Adding sight, to the sound, might be more than she could handle. Only raising the panic, by seeing the hopelessness etched in those eyes staring back at her.

  His voice instantly soothed. Every time. Or the caress of his rough fingers, or squeeze of his hand in hers. He rarely left her side for more than seconds at any time, and even when he did he was sure she was not left alone. Or was always talking. She wanted to order him home, to bed. At the same time, the idea of him leaving her was like an instant panic she’d find no relief from.

  How had he not lost his voice yet? He never stopped talking. Rattled on and on about this and that, everything and nothing. And Lizzy had never been so grateful to hear a voice that refused to stop talking. Even if it was frightening, heartbreaking, and brutally truthful at times.

  The wolf was capable of more depth than she thought possible. He kept so much to himself and she wondered how any mind that worked like his, kept any sanity in normal day to day life. His words kept coming. The struggle over how to save her, or free her, almost like he sensed her need for those words. How each sentence spoken, each touch of her hand or arm, or kiss on her forehead, grounded her. Kept her head on as straight as possible. Focusing on his stream of consciousness was much better than sinking into her own.

  If only she could force her body to respond in any way.

  A blink. A moan. A single muscle obeying her plea to move.

  Instead, it was only silent screams of frustration raging in her mind. How is it that thought worked, but nothing else? How did the right synapses fire, allowing her thoughts to function while all else refused?

  The werewolf was right. This was her worst nightmare.

  And she prayed he was telling the truth when he promised he would not allow it to linger too long. Charlie loved her, and would not want to be parted from her, but she believed him when he promised this.

  And then he started talking about biting her, or letting Grayson turn her.

  And not wanting to make this choice for her; the raw stream of honesty pouring out of him made her ache all over. Which simmered right into a boil. She really did need to slap him if she was ever able to again. For reaching never before seen levels of romantic. The man was prepared to walk through literal hell to do the right thing for her. And it only made this thing with Grayson even harder.

  They had so much history together.

  And so much even these last couple hundred years, even though she hadn’t known.

  Charlie. The wolf who owned her heart today.

  Grayson. The vampire who’d owned her heart before, the man she’d planned on marrying.

  Charlie...

  Grayson...

  Her past.

  Her present.

  Who was her future?

  Did she even have a future? If this was it, she did not want it! She’d prefer the machines keeping her alive to be turned off, now. But there was Melinda’s dream. Lizzy didn’t see the possibility of it, not in her current state of uselessness. But she had to trust the vision was true. Even so, it offered little comfort, as the outcome, still not ideal. Still painful in many ways.

  Lizzy let out a silent scream that went nowhere and ricocheted around her own brain.

  The act didn’t cause her to blink, or move, or make a sound. Not a rise out of her heartbeat.

  If nothing else, she wanted to let Charlie know she was alive in this useless body of hers. That she’d heard him. And agreed with him... and make him stick to his promise not to let it go on too long.

  How long was too long?

  How long was she willing to suffer in this new prison for yet another chance to live her human life? She laughed at herself... she no longer had a human future. It was werewolf or vampire. She still had a choice to make, regardless of the dream Melinda had. If her dream, did indeed, come true, there was only one right outcome. And it would hurt, to do it.

  Perhaps though, like Jack, the Howard’s father, or her friend Mathew, who’d died too young, she wasn’t meant to live her life at all. Perhaps soon, she’d meet them, and everyone else she’d lost, in the afterlife. Let the world go on, without her in it. Let the choice go unmade, and in the end, she would be the only one who lost.

  Not really.

  But things at this moment were not looking very promising, at all.

  A LONG TIME AGO ON an island not so far away...

  “You’re joking, right?” Grayson turned to Lisbeth, pacing in the heart of the home they would soon be sharing as husband and wife.

  “I wish I were, Grayson. But it makes sense. Sick, sadistic sense, but I fear it true.”

  “You’re telling me all of Charlotte’s attention is because she wants to steal me away from you, make me fall in love with her, and turn her into a vampire?”

  “Is it so hard to believe? You’ve told me yourself you’ve been approached before by others who want what you have. Living forever is an attractive idea. Even to me if I’m being honest about it. Who wouldn’t be intrigued by immortality? I may not choose it for myself, but I’d be lying to say the idea isn’t one I’ve wondered about, or given a lot of thought to.”

  “But Queen Charlotte? As a vampire? I thought she thrived on being a witch, and why not just ask me? Rather than all this sneaky treachery of trying to steal me away from you?”

  “Would you say yes?”

  “No. I’ve never turned anyone. Not even accidentally.”

  Lizzy eyed him knowingly. “She must have assumed you’d say no. Besides, you’d be like a prize to her. Some crowning achievement.” Lisbeth shrugged gloomily. “I wish I knew what I did to make her hate me so much.”

  “Me too. Because she has to understand, there is nothing, and when I say nothing, I mean nothing in this universe, that could ever steal my love from you, Lisbeth. She does not understand that a vampire in love is not someone you fuck with.” He grasped her shoulders, she leaned forward, melting into him. “How did you discover this desire of hers?”

  Lizzy pulled away, scrunching her face inward. “A gift I’ve never before possessed.”

  He eyed her questioningly. Lisbeth let go of him and took a turn pacing the room.

  “Please tell me,” Grayson demanded gently.

  “You could just read my mind,” she responded with a grim smile.

  “True, however, I prefer we have normal conversations where you get to tell me what you’re thinking.”

  “And I appreciate that.”

  “So tell me.”

  “I had a vision. At least, I think it was.”

  “Is this a new gift? These magical inheritances which you speak of, now and again.”

  “I don’t think so. Could be, I guess. Some witches get extra gifts, some do not. Typically, they’d show up before now. I’m twenty-five. I’ve heard of a few stories wh
ere it showed up late in life before. And this dream, it was too detailed and vivid to be only a dream. Each detail remained with me after waking, like it was meant to be remembered. I can still recall it now. All of it. It was unlike anything I’ve ever experienced before. I can’t explain it other than I saw what I saw, for a reason. I’m so sure of it.”

  “Then we will not take it lightly,” he promised. “Whether it’s a one-time thing, or a new gift.”

  “You don’t doubt what I saw?”

  “Not even a little. You have keen instincts, Lisbeth. You’re marrying me,” he pointed out.

  She let out a short laugh. Followed by a sigh.

  Grayson groaned. “That’s not all of it, is it? And I don’t need to slip into your mind to see there’s more.”

  “You’re right, but the next part I came up with myself, after the vision, but I’d swear on my life it’s true.”

  “And it frightens you. You’re trembling.”

  She took a breath to gather her bravery. “I don’t even want to say it out loud. It’s so terrifying, if true.”

  “Lisbeth, you must tell me, quickly, before I ravage your brain to see what’s scaring you like this.”

  She pushed out her next words like poison she needed to spit out. “I think Charlotte is practicing dark magic.”

  It was Grayson’s turn to go speechless. His icy gaze hardened.

  “Dark magic? That is... one hell of an accusation.” His tone assured he believed her though.

  “I have no proof,” she admitted. “If I go to her family, or the Elder Howard with only accusation, and, damn it, I might be wrong. Maybe I’m just being silly. Seeing things that are not actually there. But it makes sense. Now. Looking back at things from a new perspective.”

  “One in which Charlotte wanted me, and immortality, and was trying to break us apart?” Grayson surmised.

  “Yes. She’s bewitched people before. I only ever thought it was for simple things. Nothing that would ever harm people, and I always thought it funny. Just... Charlotte, being Charlotte. Not something that might cause any long term damage. Now, I see it might have been a harbinger of darker goals.”

  Water glossed over a wooden bowl, still and glass-like.

  Charlotte grinned at the reflection.

  “And that, my dear, is the reason we are no longer friends.” The day Charlotte Howard realized Lisbeth Deane was too smart for her own good, and was the one woman who might ruin her plans, was the day she’d severed that friendship. And the witch had just proven it again with her assumption that she’d been practicing dark magic.

  Although Charlotte didn’t consider it dark.

  But powerful.

  And all giving.

  “A SLIPPERY SLOPE,” Grayson whispered, bringing Lisbeth back into an embrace. “A scenario I am all too familiar with.”

  “What do we do?” Lisbeth peered upward, fixing her gaze on him.

  “For now, stay vigilant. Watch her, without being obvious about it. Try to get proof that she is practicing dark magic. And you,” he pinched her chin lovingly, “will let me help you. You’ve gone through enough the last few weeks without this Charlotte business. You just buried your father.”

  “I miss him. So much more than I even thought possible.”

  It was hard to believe he was gone. Taken so suddenly. Went to bed one night a few weeks ago and never made it to the next sunrise. She’d found him in his bed, looking as though he was in a peaceful slumber.

  “You have me,” Grayson muttered in her ear. “Always. Forever. I promise you, Lisbeth. You’ll never be alone in this life. You will always have me.”

  “I’M COUNTING ON THAT vampire.”

  Charlotte swiped her hand across the water’s surface. It rippled, the couple she’d been spying on, disappearing. She’d seen all she needed to. Her plan was going perfectly. The vision she’d planted in Lisbeth’s dreams the perfect cover for what she was really doing. And they’d not discover this until it was far too late.

  Grayson and Lisbeth could not have been more right, or more wrong in their assumption of her desire.

  Immortality. Yes.

  Wanting to be a vampire. No.

  What she had in store was a plan far more reaching. One that would give her the true immortality she was seeking. All she needed... patience. Many long years of patience.

  MELINDA PUFFED OUT her cheeks and let the air huff out of her mouth. Michael was freaking out a little. She did not blame him at all; they were all on edge, treading in waters they had never been in before. Each on their own, taking care of things, at least the best they could.

  Lucas wasn’t faring much better. He was getting edgier by the minute worrying about Lizzy, knowing that even if they solved his Levi Johnston mystery, it wouldn’t bring her out of her coma. This was topped with a strange new sense of urgency he had no explanation for. Like some inner timeclock was warning him he needed to solve this problem of the ferry-jumping man. Like really soon.

  “Have I mentioned how much I dislike this magical gift?” he muttered as they walked.

  “A few times,” Melinda retorted. Not that she blamed him at the moment.

  They’d set out on foot, seeing as Lucas was currently unable and Melinda wasn’t fond of driving, plus it wasn’t far to the summer home of the woman they hoped to speak to. If they were lucky she’d be home and willing to talk to them. They hadn’t come up with a plan to broach the subject yet. It was an uncomfortable one. Hey, did you know your mother had this hot affair with a man who got sick and killed himself less than a year before you were born? And gee whiz, is there any insight you might offer us into this affair?

  “Sorry you got stuck with me,” Lucas spouted dejectedly out of the blue.

  Melinda stopped and stared at him. “I’m not stuck with you. I offered. Remember?”

  “But you should be helping your family, not me.”

  “Sometimes the job chooses us I guess. Besides, even though it sucks about Lizzy, it’s a nice distraction to have something to do. Something that just maybe, we can actually solve. And it’s really nice not to have my thoughts swirling around topics I’m so sick of thinking about.” Mainly, William and Riley, and her mucked up love life.

  She started up again, Lucas did too. They had reached the edge of The Demon Isle Cemetery. They had just another quarter of a mile or so, and they’d reach their destination. A few seconds later Melinda realized his footsteps had stopped. She spun around to find Lucas staring, wide-eyed, into the cemetery. She peered in the direction he was gazing but saw nothing unusual.

  Lucas changed his direction, heading off the road and into the cemetery.

  Melinda followed. “Are you having a thing? Traveling?”

  He nodded, absentmindedly. She stayed a little behind him, patiently and silently waiting, but dying to find out what he was seeing.

  “There’s a young woman, the same woman I saw with Levi before he died.”

  “Um, wow. What’s she doing?”

  He cocked his head to the side. “Crying. Talking to Levi. The dead him. I think she’s at his grave.” Lucas stepped nearer, listening to the woman whimpering out her words.

  “Oh, Levi. I miss you terribly. I wish- I wish you would have told me. That we could have spent even one more night together. I,” the woman trailed off with a sob. “I’m leaving the Isle, Levi. I have to. I don’t want to but, oh, God, Levi. I’m pregnant. We’re going to have a baby.” Just then the young woman’s body twisted so she was staring straight through Lucas. “I never got to tell you we were going to have a baby.”

  It wasn’t like she saw him there, more like whatever he was supposed to understand about this situation had just been revealed. Lucas’ gaze widened when a ghostly form came up behind the woman, laying a comforting hand on her shoulder that she did not feel. However, at that moment she began to sob. It was the spirit of a saddened Levi Johnston.

  “My bloodline will be like me.” The words came out like they were his greate
st regret.

  Behind Levi, a door appeared out of nowhere. Wooden, no frame, but a doorknob the ghost eyed, with acceptance. Levi whispered, “Be at peace, my love.” He released the woman, her crying ebbed. He stepped away from her and through the door, which vanished as soon as Levi stepped through and it closed behind him.

  Levi did find out he was going to be a father before he moved on. This wasn’t the news flash.

  Lucas’ vision slid back into reality and he spun to find Melinda and took her by the shoulders.

  “I think I figured out what this is all about.”

  “What!?”

  “The woman Levi had his affair with had a secret. She was pregnant with Levi’s child when he died. He never found this out before he died, but he did before he moved on.”

  “Okay.”

  “I think I’m supposed to tell the woman that Levi did find out before he moved on. Or... no, wait. The woman is dead. I can’t tell her so that can’t be it. I don’t think I have this figured out at all,” he grumbled in frustration.

  “So we tell the woman’s daughter. It must be important, for some reason. To find out her father wasn’t her father.”

  “Yeah. Right. Of course. That must be it. He wanted his daughter to know who her real father was.” He shook his head miserably. “I just can’t imagine actually doing that. I mean, is this really the right thing to do? Walk into a stranger’s life who probably had loving parents who are both dead only to tell her, hey, your father isn’t really your father? But he’s dead too. Would you want to be told?”

  Melinda thought about it long and hard.

  “Yes. It would be a shock. At first. A huge shock. But in the end, I’d want to know.”

  “Even if the parents who raised you were no longer alive to tell their side of the story?”

  Melinda nodded. “Yeah, even then.”

  “Okay. Hopefully once we get this over with I can focus on Lizzy. And finding Riley.”