The Witch's Spark

by Melania Tolan

  Sadness filled every cell in my body. My heart felt like it was breaking into a million pieces, again and again. Everything made sense but also absolutely no sense at all. So much chaos, so many lives lost.

  Why my grandmother? Why me? I could see the tiny silver threads connecting all of us in this web of destiny and fate, but why we were all connected or what that destiny was, I couldn’t see.

  My mind raced as sorrow flooded every corner of my body. I gasped for air. The sky opened fully, and water poured over me, hiding my tears.

  I pulled the cross out from under my tattered dress. Lightning lit the sky again, and I saw on the back, the symbol glowing in the flash of light.

  How did I not notice this before?

  I looked up when I reached the blackened street, and there she was, only much prettier than I had seen in pictures.

  “Grandma?”

  Grandma Grace smiled, but her eyes were sad. “Hello, my child.”

  I stepped into the road. “Are you real?”

  She shook her head. “I’m so sorry.”

  Light filled the space between us, followed by an angry honking sound. The engine’s roar and the deafening horn faded into the night. The faces of Mom, Stella, Mindy, Storm, Perry, and Traian flashed before me, and then all I saw was my grandmother standing at the center of the light with her arms open wide.

  Her skin glowed in the dark night, and a sleeveless, lavender-colored gown flowed over her body. Behind her lay a great, red dragon. On either side of the beast stood the dark-haired woman and the blonde elf girl. Behind them, a shadow I couldn’t quite make out.

  “This is it,” I whispered.

  And then the world went black.

  Epilogue

  The low hum of a spinning fan was the first thing I noticed, followed by the smell of laboratory chemicals and cotton. Hard, cold metal pressed against my back.

  I took another breath and held it in my lungs as I analyzed the odors of my surroundings. One hundred percent bleached cotton, a hint of sanitizing solution, metal, formaldehyde, pheromones, and faint traces of other chemicals being filtered by the cotton material—covering my face.

  I choked back the terror. Why is something covering my face? Where am I? I let out the breath I had been holding, not out of lack of oxygen, but of habit. Habit?

  I inhaled once again, this time more slowly. On the hypersensitive nerve endings of my tongue, I could taste the various air particles. As I exhaled, a new sensation vibrated from the back of my throat down into the middle of my gut—a thirst greater than I had experienced before. The burning fire that came next was virtually unbearable.

  I gasped. I needed to drink something, or I would die.

  Instant panic gripped my heart. I bolted upright, ripping off the white sheet covering my body. I looked down at the lacy scraps of my black dress. My pale, bare feet sticking out beyond the torn hemline appeared lifeless, but I could move them. Dark, dried blood and mud covered almost every exposed bit of skin.

  My eyes shifted to the right. Another metal gurney containing a decomposing human body beneath a white sheet lay five feet and two-point-six inches away.

  How do I know the exact distance?

  Past the lifeless corpse was another gurney, but this one was filled with containers of chemicals—the ones I had smelled earlier. I took another breath to confirm what my mind had already concluded.

  With the latest intake of air, a thicker blast of pheromones filled my nasal passages. I could taste the molecules on my tongue. I immediately recognized the source and turned to it.

  Traian stood farthest to my left, leaning against an empty metal table. He wore the same black pants, boots, shirt, and trench coat. His hair was gathered back in the usual ponytail at the base of his neck. But now his skin glowed silver, like winter’s full moon. The shimmer radiated inches off his skin, giving him a misty, metallic aura.

  I blinked several times, thinking it was only a trick of the light, but there was no light inside the room, and he never changed. I had thought he was beautiful before, but right now, he surpassed every fantasy I may have had.

  Then my eyes focused on the pouch of red liquid in his hand, and the burn in my throat increased. I licked my lips in desire. Just as fast as the fiery hunger had come, disgust for my bloodlust filled my mind, temporarily taming the rage building within every cell of my body.

  What have I become?

  I covered my mouth and nose with my hand, hoping to dampen the building frenzy. Utter misery and desperation replaced my disgust. I gazed into Traian’s eyes, begging him to convey some hope. They only returned sadness.

  I closed my eyes and shook my head, denying everything my senses were screaming at me.

  No. It can’t be. He’s dead. What’s happening? Is this a bad dream? I clenched the sliver cross still hanging around my neck and rocked back and forth.

  I was no longer human.

  I took deep breaths out of habit, hoping to calm the sensations blasting my senses, but they only pulled in more of the sweet scent of the blood that every cell of my body craved.

  A sudden shift in the air distracted me from my misery.

  Traian stood next to me, holding the bag close. I knew this without opening my eyes.

  “Don’t fight it.”

  The sound of his voice vibrated from my ears down to the bottom of my spine.

  My eyes shot open, and I glanced up at his face.

  “This is not the life I wanted for you. I’m sorry.”

  “I thought you were dead.” My voice sounded raspy, and my attention drifted down to the clear pouch of red liquid in his hand. “How is this possible?”

  Traian’s hand tilted my chin until I met his gaze. “You saved me… I couldn’t let you die.”

  I loved how his fingers felt on my skin. I could feel him so much better now than before. I stared deep into his red-speckled, black eyes.

  “Promise me one thing,” I said.

  “Anything.”

  “Promise you will never leave me again.”

  He nodded. “I have no choice, but to stay. Our blood binds us… You are my responsibility now. I will guide you through this transition until you are ready to be on your own. Then you can make the choice to be with me or not.”

  That didn’t sound very romantic. I didn’t want to be anyone’s responsibility. But if my immortality had brought us together, I’d take whatever I could get. Now that I’d awakened from death, a new chapter lay before me.

  I met his eyes. “Eva brought us together for some reason. There is a destiny I must fulfill. I don’t know what it is, but I will need you.” I swallowed down the saliva flowing in rivers inside my mouth. “I cannot complete this journey on my own.” My body shook as I resisted chomping down on the blood bag.

  Traian rested his free hand on my shoulder. My skin burst with electricity at his touch. “I will not leave you, I promise. Now please feed yourself, woman, before you drive yourself into madness.”

  Without hesitation, I bit into the bag, draining the last drop within seconds.

  Sweet relief.

  Something inside me clicked into place. I had satisfied my primal need, and now I needed to get to work.

  I kissed my grandmother’s cross and turned to Traian.

  “Together,” I whispered.

  To Be Continued…

  Author’s Note

  Author’s Note

  Thank you so much for reading my debut novel. This book (and the rest of the series) has been a project in the making for a decade now! Many creative liberties have been taken with the locations in Seattle and Romanian folklore of strigoi. If you enjoyed this book and would like to read more, check out the Legends of Carpatia short story collection.

  The Witch’s Chalice, Book 2 of the Silver Witch Chronicles, will be out soon. You can subscribe to my newsletter if you want to find out when books are coming out and when there are sales. I don’t spam, because I’m busy writing the next book.

  Th
anks again for your time and support to indie authors. Don’t forget to leave a review so other readers can enjoy this series too. Sending my love to you all.

  Melania

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  Acknowledgments

  Oh boy, where do I start? I guess the very beginning…. Thank you, Depeche Mode for writing “It’s No Good.” This song sparked the world of fantasy inside my head eleven years ago. From there came Eva Constantine’s story which led me to Everly Greene’s. A shout out to my first critique partners (Zrinka, Lia, and Gina) and editors/agents who saw the first version of The Witch’s Spark and helped me hone the story.

  A huge thank you to Laura Heilman and Denise Moisescu for being my first beta readers! Thank you, Melissa McCoy for catching typos.

  A massive thank you to Jenn McConnell, my wonderful editor. And I can’t leave out the fantastic Andrew Dobell. You are a cover art wizard, my friend.

  There were so many people who helped me on this journey and I’m grateful to 20BooksTo50K®, Carolyn Dean and Word Count Millionaires, Morning Word Warriors, my Vancouver writing group (Heather Hiestand, Delle Jacobs, and Marilyn Hull), PNW Author Meetup Group, Jackson Dean Chase, Michael Cooper, Kyla Stone, Starbucks, Panera Bread, and any other place I wrote this book at.

  I have so much gratitude to my husband, Eric, and daughter, Elly, for putting up with days of grumpy mama who was burning the candle at both ends to get these books written. You are my heroes. I couldn’t have done this without your support and patience. I love you both so much.

  Lastly, I thank you, my dearest readers, for taking a chance on an unknown indie author and reading through the long list of people who helped make this book happen.

  About the Author

  Melania Tolan is an emerging author of fantasy fiction with a love for all things paranormal. When not writing you can find her exploring the Pacific Northwest where she lives with her family. She’s also the author of Urban Goddess Mama,

  Also by Melania Tolan

  Legends of Carpatia

  The Witch’s Chalice *coming soon*

  The Witch’s Dragon *coming soon*

  The Witch’s Sword *coming Fall 2019*

  The Witch’s War *coming Fall 2019*