Deadly Witch: Cinderella Reimagined with Witches and Angels (Seven Magics Academy Book 4)

by RaShelle Workman

  Deadly Witch

  Seven Magics Academy Book Four

  RaShelle Workman

  Polished Pen Press, llc

  Copyright @ 2019 Deadly Witch: Seven Magics Academy Book Four by RaShelle Workman

  All rights reserved. This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the creation of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Cover Design by: Crooked Sixpence

  Edited by: Jen Hendricks & Debbie Davis

  Website: www.rashelleworkman.org

  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

  Dear Diary

  Dear Mom and Dad

  Dear Snow

  Gabe

  Dear Diary

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Also by RaShelle Workman

  About the Author

  COMING SOON

  Chapter 1

  “Will you…” Gabe studied me, his glorious features a painting of perfection.

  “What?” I asked, glancing at Pops nervously before focusing on Gabe. My heart picked up speed. Was he going to ask me to marry him right here? Right now? In an alley full of smelly trash and debris.

  His hands circled my arms and he pulled me to the side. “Will you move out of the way? You’re blocking my view of the street.” He gave me a grim smile.

  “Oh.” My heart sank. How had my thoughts gone to marriage? I clucked my tongue and clenched my fists together. “Sure.”

  The town of Salem, Massachusetts was quiet, which was unusual for a Saturday morning. Typically there were people shopping in the market or children playing in the park. It could be that it was before seven in the morning and none of the shops were open. Plus, Pops, Gabe, and I were in the alleyway behind several stores. The backs of the tall, brick buildings lined one side. Green trash bins rested against them. On the other side was a ten-foot chain link fence separating the businesses from the enormous city building. There were no windows thankfully. We could do our magic without worrying about humans catching us.

  “Where is she, Cin?” Gabe asked. He was more on edge than usual as he searched the area.

  “I don’t know. I have magic, but I’m not a GPS. We’re still going to have to look.” I crossed my arms, frustrated with my long-time love.

  The air was damp and warm, causing my blue tank to stick to my back, not to mention the pool developing between my cleavage. Thankfully I remembered to put my hair in a ponytail. But my green camo pants, while great for carrying weapons and whatnot, had me wishing I wore shorts.

  Gabe wore jeans and a green tee shirt. The blades he started carrying when he became the leader of the chayot crossed behind his back. Those angelic weapons were invisible to humans, so only the supernaturals had to worry.

  “Well, you’d think your magic would be more accurate. You used a locater spell, right?”

  I glared at him. “Look, Gabe—”

  “Why don’t you both go left, and I’ll go right,” Professor Pops interrupted, giving us a look that said we were annoying. I agreed, but it wasn’t me. It was mostly Gabe. My man needed to chill.

  Normally, Professor Pops wore sweaters and dress slacks, but today he had on pants similar to mine as well as a black tank. The vampire was more than six hundred years old, but he was still hot—for an old guy. Short salt and pepper hair accented his square jaw and smile lines.

  “You got it,” Gabe said, heading off in that direction.

  I followed, trying not to be bugged Gabe was here at all. Pops and I could handle the girl fine, but my angelic boyfriend felt duty-bound to make sure we didn’t use magic or compulsion to hurt any unsuspecting humans we came in contact with. As a chayot, that was his job, but it was still irritating.

  I clenched my fists together, inhaling a deep breath to calm my nerves.

  The witch we were after needed our help whether she realized it or not. Like me, she was born with magic. And like me, she didn’t find out until after her sixteenth birthday.

  It was a tough situation. The girl was in the foster care system. One of her foster brothers forced himself on her. In her fear and self-protective rage, she hurt him using magic. Not that the little asshole didn’t deserve it. He did. The problem was, he kept blabbing to anyone who would listen that Sera was a witch. Now, we needed to find her before the police caught her and incarcerated her, or worse, just killed her.

  New laws were passed a year ago. It wasn’t good. Governments tried to detain any supernaturals they caught. Thankfully, Pops, his sons, Gabe, Snow, and I freed most of them, but a few were still in detainee camps. Those supernaturals who weren’t prisoners were used in treacherous ways.

  Snow defeated Sharra a little over three years ago and the human realm was just getting back to normal. Sort of. While I loved my best friend and appreciated her need to free all supernaturals, she made things rather difficult for the humans. They were completely blind-sided by the sudden appearance of magical creatures wandering their streets, performing magic in the open, and sucking blood.

  Gabe spoke with the leaders of the human realm as well as Snow and the leaders of the other supernaturals and they all came to an accord. The supernaturals agreed to leave the human realm and Snow helped them create their own. Once most supernaturals were gone, the human leaders passed laws banning magic and supernaturals from their realm altogether. Still, in many cases, there was no way to tell who the supernaturals were. That left the human realm in a combustible position, but things were better.

  Okay, not really.

  The biggest worry was the kids, especially those who were born in the human realm with magic and didn’t know it. In some cases, the parents kicked them out as soon as their magic manifested. Others turned their own children over to their government.

  The Seven Magics Academy wasn’t having that.

  Which was why we went to the hospital where the guy was staying. He had a broken arm and some fractured ribs. I used magic to sneak us into the room and Professor Pops compelled the jerk to forget the magic he saw Sera use. Pops also compelled the guy to be kind.

  Gabe didn’t like that Pops used compulsion on a human, but I thought it was amazing.

  Have I mentioned I really like Pops? He’s awesome in more ways than one.

  “Over here,” Pops called.

  Gabe and I ran back.

  Sera was huddled against a trash bin, her back against the wall. She was dirty and her red hair was matted.

  “Don’t be afraid,” I said, standing in front of Pops and Gabe. Men weren’t what she needed to see at the moment.

  “Leave me alone!” Sera put out her hand and Gabe went sailing back into the chain link fence. Without a word, Pops helped him stand. I was impressed the girl could do magic without the help of a
spell or incantation. Her magic probably came from trolls and was mostly brute strength.

  I still didn’t know where my magic came from.

  “Hey,” I said, trying again, my hands out in supplication. “It’s okay. We aren’t going to hurt you. We’re here to help.”

  She pushed herself against the wall and stood, her hand coming out again, and I knew things were about to get ugly.

  Sure enough, this time she sent her magic into Pops. The vampire took a step back but repelled her with his own magic—that of a hunter. His eyes glowed red and he growled, flashing his fangs.

  Sera’s eyes grew wide and she cried out in pain.

  “Incomples slumberia.” I spoke the words gently and Sera’s eyes closed as her body slumped to the ground. “Let’s get her back to the Academy before anyone else gets hurt.”

  “Agreed.” Pops picked Sera up like she weighed nothing.

  “I’ll see you later,” Gabe said, kissing my cheek. His features were tight and I bit back the need to ask him what was wrong. Now wasn’t the time.

  “Tonight, after my shift at Bertilini’s?” I asked, meeting his gaze.

  “I’ll be there.” He smiled, but his body remained stiff. Maybe he was still upset over what Pops had done to the jerk who hurt Sera.

  I tilted my head and scrunched my eyebrows together, hoping the effort would help me be able to read him. It didn’t. “Good.” I watched him walk to the end of the alley and turn the corner.

  Once Gabe was out of sight, I whispered the spell that opened a portal back into Sharra. Specifically, the basement of the Seven Magics Academy.

  Chapter 2

  If the world was created with a bang, then magic began in a whisper. The utterance of one word. Bloomous. That single declaration, articulated softly, started it all. Bloomous.

  I thought about that as I considered the lesson I was preparing for next week’s classes. The ideas brought back memories, some recent, others happened years ago. While many weren’t good, I was grateful for them anyway because they made me step up and become the witch I was today. And in my opinion, I was pretty damn awesome.

  The lights flickered and I searched the room. It was a large with cells along the long, far wall. Desks covered in various magical items were placed in the middle of the room. The door resided on the other side. Wide and arched at the top, it was made of wood with a black wrought iron handle. Shelves lined either side of the entrance and were filled with dusty old books interspersed with old boxes and ancient-looking artifacts. On the two short walls stood an enchanted sentry. Gilded armor that looked like it belonged in Arthurian times. The room was a catch-all for things we weren’t sure what to do with but were too valuable to throw away.

  Again the lights sputtered. “Luminous nervosa,” I said, hoping that would fix the flickering.

  It was hard to believe I was a teacher at the Seven Magics Academy. In high school, I always thought teachers were so old. I was barely twenty-one. In a lot of ways, I considered myself a kid. Just like the ones I taught.

  There were three things I believed were important in this world. Fashion, friendship, and magic. Not necessarily in that order. Sure, it was always important to look your best and magic was the coolest thing on the planet, but if I had to choose between a gorgeous new top from Bloomingdale’s or my best friend Snow, I would choose Snow. Without even batting a false eyelash. Yes, she was a little awkward and couldn’t put an outfit together to save her life, but she had a heart bigger than the Grand Canyon.

  As Vampire Queen of Sharra, Snow carried a lot of responsibility. I did what I could to help, including teaching the spells and charms classes at the Seven Magics Academy. It was strange how much I enjoyed teaching exasperating teenagers how to put together a charm or master a spell. Actually, it was more than like. I loved teaching. Helping them figure out their magic shifted my worldview. Where before I was unsure of my place, now I knew right where I fit. Seeing students’ eyes light up, and over time, watching their confidence develop, it was a joy to be a part of—even if they were little pricks sometimes.

  Gabe kept telling me to pace myself. All my passion could get used up like a dried sponge sooner rather than later. I knew he spoke from experience. Leading the chayot and helping the humans took its toll. Keeping the peace between vampires and other magical creatures as well as non-magical humans was a full-time job-and-a-half. I didn’t envy him one bit.

  But as I sat at a desk in the basement, waiting for Sera to wake up, I thought a lot of it had to do with the job itself. I was shaping and molding young minds while Gabe was wrangling rogue vampires and cleaning up magical messes.

  I sighed, happy I could spend time in Sharra at the academy though I also enjoyed hunting for new students whenever necessary and working weekends at Bertilini’s. The Italian restaurant would be lost without me. It was also good to spend time with Gabe. We’ve been together a while, longer than Dorian and Snow, but Gabe hadn’t so much as hinted at a proposal. Not that I cared. At least, not that much. I loved him and he loved me. It was enough. For now.

  I checked my watch. Sera was still asleep, and I needed to be here when she woke. I ended up calling Bertilini’s and getting someone to cover my shift. I also cancelled on Gabe. He was acting weird anyway.

  At the moment, Sera was lying on a single bed in a cell, the bars and walls shielded by magic so she couldn’t bust out when she did wake. The bars and cell were a regrettable necessity. I didn’t want her to be afraid. She wasn’t a prisoner, per se; she was going to be a new student at the academy—if I could convince her.

  Sera moaned, rubbing her head.

  With the wave of my hand, I paused the pen I was using to do my lesson and stood, taking a deep breath. Over the years since Snow officially started the Seven Magics Academy, I found myself in this position many times.

  She sat up, rubbing her head. “Where am I?” Her voice was soft, but serious. I would bet my right hand she was descended from trolls. Don’t ask about the logistics of that. I didn’t want to know. Nor did I want to think about it. Weirdly, it was more common than one might believe. Some humans were willing to try anything, including a smelly troll.

  “You’re in the basement of the Seven Magics Academy,” I said, resting my hands on my hips.

  She noticed the bars and her eyes widened. “Why am I locked up?”

  “It’s okay. They are there to protect you.” I stepped closer, getting a whiff of her. The young woman needed a shower.

  She stood, her hands flailing magic from her body. The color of her magic was golden brown thanks to one of the nifty spells placed around the compartment. The spell gave an idea of a person’s magic.

  Definitely descended from trolls, although the golden hue was a surprise. As her magic melded harmlessly into the enchantment around the cell, she let out a scream of frustration. “Let me out of here!”

  “I will. As soon as you have a seat and listen to what I have to say.” I kept my voice calm in the hope she would calm down as well.

  It didn’t work.

  “I will kill you if you don’t let me go.” She went to the bars and tried to grab hold, but the magic there shocked her, and she flinched. “Ouch! Damn, that hurt!” She shook out her hands in frustration, stepping back.

  I wanted to stoop to her level and tell her she was acting like a whiny bitch. Instead, I took a deep breath before heading back to the desk and chair.

  “I swear, I’ll rip your eyes from their sockets and douse them in oil before setting them on fire!” She paused a moment and then growled. “I’ll tear your limbs from your body and beat you with them until you’re dead,” she continued, and stomped around, throwing things with her magic and her hands as she went. Making a mess out of the room.

  I ignored her and went back to my lessons. Monday would be the first day of the new year at the academy. Even with Sera yelling like a crazy person, I couldn’t stifle my excitement. I always looked forward to the opening ceremony. Abernathy presented me
with an orb which allowed me to see which house the new students belonged in. Sometimes I wondered whether I should use the orb on myself as a way of discovering which house I belonged in, but I was too chicken.

  In A Study on Charms, I would teach the class how to select an object suitable for a magical charm. It was a serious process choosing and preparing a charm before it was altered with magic. Charms worked best when paired with the person’s magic and that’s why we had the opening ceremony.

  A student with fairy ancestry would have better luck creating emotional charms, like love, while a witch with troll magic would excel at offensive or defensive charms. Witches with elven magic could produce amazing luck charms.

  Of course, my students could try to make charms from magics that weren’t from their heritage. Some might even turn out well. Supernaturals could draw from other magics once they learned how, but they were always most powerful using their own.

  Still, it wouldn’t be a beginner class if at least half the students didn’t create a charm hoping it would bring them love. The charm rarely worked.

  The other class I taught on Monday’s was An Introduction to Spells. In that class, my pupils needed to learn a simple binding spell. The newbie witches would leave class knowing how to tie their shoes without using their hands.

  On Tuesday, I would instruct the intermediate—

  “Hey,” Sera shouted.

  I steeled myself and glanced up. “Are you ready to listen or do you still intend to continue your tantrum?”