Magic Unleashed (Delphine Rising Book 2)

by Angela Sanders

  Magic Unleashed

  (Delphine Rising Book 2)

  by

  Angela Sanders

  Copyright © 2017 Angela Sanders

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used simply for the purposes of furthering the storyline and do not represent the institutions or places of business in any way. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental or used for fictional purposes.

  For my baby sister, Elizabeth, on her 30th birthday. This book is for you. I love you to the moon and back, Sissy!

  You’re my person, my rock and my heart.

  Acknowledgments and Dedications

  Independently published by Angela Sanders’ Books

  Cover designed: by Christian Bentulan, Covers by Christian christianbentulan@gmail.com

  Thank you to my readers who have stayed with me on this amazing journey. I know you’ve been waiting a while for Magic Unleashed and it’s finally here! I do hope you enjoy it.

  To my family, thank you for believing in me and being my biggest supporters. To my husband, Jason: I love you forever and ever, babe! Infinity times infinity. To my son: Mommy loves you more than the sun, the moon and all the stars in the sky – our precious miracle.

  Thank you to my fellow authors and friends who have helped keep me going throughout this book. Danielle, Joanna, Tina and Erin to name a few. You ladies rock!

  Last, but certainly not least, I give all the praise and glory to God for giving me the ability to be able to write my books.

  Chapter 1

  “Abby!” Liz cried, when four rogue vampires flanked her in a dark alley just off of Dauphine Street.

  I sensed their presence before I rounded the corner. Liz held two bloodsuckers down with her magic, while their buddies where attempting to take her sword.

  “Hey, assholes! Over here,” I shouted as I rushed through the alley, fireballs blazing.

  I didn’t miss their hungry gaze as they leapt toward me, but apparently, they’d missed my magic. Dummies. I took them down in a stream of blazing fire before they could reach me, watching as they turned to ash before my eyes.

  Meanwhile, Liz decapitated the other two and sent their souls to God for redemption. Oops. I was supposed to disable them, not barbeque their fanged asses.

  “Subtle, Abby. Real subtle. Now they have no chance at redemption,” Liz said sheathing her sword, walking past me in a huff.

  I cringed, but only a little. “You can’t save them all, ya know,” I countered, following her out of the alley to find Danielle. “Those creeps could’ve killed you if I didn’t roast them first.”

  Liz stopped walking and turned toward me with a glare. “Abby, you and I both know our job is to send rogue vampires to God for one last chance at redemption. We are not judge and jury. We were blessed with God’s light for a purpose and we shouldn’t abuse it, especially now with the council breathing down our necks.” She crossed her arms, waiting for a reply.

  “So that’s what this is about? The council? Not that I just saved your ass from being a vamp’s appetizer? You’re welcome, by the way,” I said, getting irritated. “Liz, it’s going to happen once in a while, okay? And as far as the council is concerned, what can we do? Not a damn thing until we find the talisman and Genevieve locates Marcus.”

  Liz was angry and I understood. We all were. Two weeks ago, after sending a soul-sucking demon back to hell, Harold, the father of my boyfriend, Danny, turned us in to the coven’s council demanding that Delphine’s talisman be turned over to them for safekeeping because he felt we could no longer be entrusted to keep it from the clutches of evil. Harold knew the demon was trying to claim me to the darkness and almost killed me in the process. He also knew that my ancestor, Marie Delphine La Laurie, was trying to rise again from her talisman-encased prison, attempting to use my magic and body to do it. We still had no idea why he turned us in and betrayed his own son.

  Soon after, we were called before the council and Mom basically told them to shove it. We went to our shop, Mystical Magic, to deactivate the talisman, but it had been stolen by the shadow man—Marcus—and Delphine had the last laugh—literally. Her cackling laughter was the last thing that we heard as a flash of green magic disappeared from the attic. We were left stunned, knowing that we were screwed unless that damned talisman was found. Since then, we’d been avoiding the council at every turn.

  I walked slowly toward Liz, trying to ease the tension between us. “Sis, I’m sorry. We’re all stressed right now, but we have to stick together. We can’t fall apart with Delphine on the loose,” I said, throwing my arm around her shoulder.

  She nodded, then looked toward the night sky. “I know, I’m just pissed and it seems like everything we do, it’s never enough. I’m scared, Abby,” she said and laid her head on my shoulder.

  Danielle walked up behind us and interrupted. “Hey, what’s going on, you two?”

  I turned toward her and she had blood in her hair, among other places. “Um, I fried a couple of vamps before Liz could send them up. What happened to you?” I asked, looking her up and down.

  “Same. One was a little messy, though. He sort of exploded before he turned to ash. A little too much power, maybe?” she replied shrugging her shoulders.

  Liz snapped. “You too? Geez. Can’t you just wait for me? Dammit!” She turned and stomped away from both of us, heading toward the parking lot at May Bailey’s.

  “Woah, wait a second, Liz. Not all of us have the power of your sword and it’s either fight or die,” Danielle yelled after her. “I’m already dead and I’d like to keep my corporeal body if that’s okay with you.”

  I looked toward Danielle and shook my head. “Don’t bother right now. It’s not about the vamps. She’s stressed over the council and everything else that’s going on. Just give her some space,” I said trying to smooth things over.

  “Right, like we’re not all stressed,” Danielle replied, watching Liz stand by her car, throwing her hands around wildly, apparently having a conversation with herself. “But damn. She needs to realize she can’t be in ten places at once. With the influx of rogue vamps, we have to take care of them the best way we know how.”

  Danielle began giggling. “What’s so funny?” I asked, looking at her like she’d lost her mind. She was a sight, with vampire guts in her hair and all over her clothes.

  “Do you think Liz is seeing ghosts now or did she finally go off the deep end?”

  I smiled, folding my arms across my chest looking over at Liz. “Nah, she’s just cussing us out where we can’t hear her. Let’s go, it’s almost two a.m. and I’m sure Danny’s wondering what’s taking us so long.” I began walking toward the parking lot.

  When we arrived at the car, Liz had finally calmed down. She looked at both of us with tears welling in her eyes. “I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have yelled at you guys. You’re only trying to help and, Danielle, I know you’re right. Let’s just go home,” she said. “But wait.” She paused, then continued, “You’re a bloody mess. I might have leather seats, but you need to clean up before you step foot in my Mustang.” Liz eyed Danielle with an “eww” face, then went to the trunk searching for a towel in her gym bag.

  After Danielle had cleaned a good portion of the vampire yuck from her hair and clot
hing, she climbed into the backseat and we headed home, exhausted. I wondered how many more times we’d be called out in the middle of the night for rogue vampire cleanup. It was all Genevieve could do to keep up with them herself. She needed us nearly every night because of Liz’s sword. No one but Liz could send their souls up for redemption and I didn’t blame her for being cranky. It was getting tiresome at best. And where the hell were these rogues coming from? The demon was gone—could Marcus be calling them to shake us off his path? Not that we had any idea where he was, unfortunately.

  We finally pulled into the driveway of our home on St. Charles, and Danielle was all too eager to get out and find the nearest shower. She complained the entire way home of smelling vamp guts and nearly gagged when she pulled a chunk from her hair. I tried my best not to snicker behind my hand and face forward. I wanted to check on Danny as soon as we walked in the door. He hadn’t been the same since his dad betrayed us, nor had he heard from him. It broke my heart.

  Liz told Danielle to take a shower in her room; they’d basically become roommates since Mom brought Danielle back to the world of the living, so to speak. She used a visibility spell to give her a corporeal body where we could all see and hear her, even gaining her magic back after days of practice. The ancestors had blessed Danielle and given her a second chance to do what needed to be done in order to complete her unfinished business on earth.

  Danielle had died over two years ago, but she didn’t reveal herself to me until several weeks ago when I was fighting between being sucked into a Delphine illusion and a soul-sucking demon feeding into the darkness that I had allowed to creep into my soul. I’d searched for Danielle in the faces of ghosts that appeared only to me, but I never saw her until she scared the bejeezus out of me one night in my bedroom, just after Danny and I had gotten back together.

  Needless to say, it was a mixed reunion: one of happiness and anger at the same time. I was pissed off that she led me to believe that she had moved on and allowed me to wallow in darkness and self-pity, pushing everyone I loved away and holding others back at arm’s length, Danny being the one I hurt most of all.

  After everyone’s initial shock, we became an unstoppable team, well, almost. We had to call in reinforcements from trusted members of the coven: Mom’s longtime friend, Catherine and another witch named, Allison. She called Danny’s backstabbing father, Harold, as well, but everything we told him went right back to the council. The night we summoned and vanquished the demon, Balthazar, back to the fiery pits of hell, Harold was a no-show. It was the next morning, on our way to deactivate the talisman that we learned of Harold’s betrayal and the summons.

  I slugged up the stairs, knowing I would find Danny either asleep or poring over the Book of Shadows. When I opened the door, my heart sank in my chest. He was looking at a photograph of him and his Dad, and before I could open my mouth to speak, Danny threw it across the room, smashing it against the wall near the bathroom door.

  “Hey, babe. Wanna talk about it?” I asked, sitting next to him on the bed, looking into his red-rimmed blue eyes.

  “Sorry, Abby. I shouldn’t have thrown the damn picture,” he said. “I don’t understand why he won’t even call me back. I’m his son for ancestors’ sake. He’s not staying at his house either. I checked. Something’s going on and now I’m not so sure if this is all about my dad or not.” He looked at me with tears glistening in his eyes.

  “Okay, we’ll have Mom and Catherine look into it a bit more,” I said. “Catherine mentioned he hadn’t been acting like himself. With all the crazy shit that’s been going on, there’s no telling what might have happened.” I reached over and pulled him into a hug.

  “I love you, Abby. Thank you for understanding. I’ve been doom and gloom since this whole damn thing happened. Then the talisman crap. We have to find it.” He hugged me tightly, kissing my hair.

  I pulled away, then looked up at him and said, “I love you too and remember, no matter what, we’re in this together. No more doom and gloom, as you call it. You’re getting out of this house starting tomorrow. Got it?”

  Danny smiled mischievously showcasing those irresistible dimples. “On one condition: I need my ‘Abby cure’ to get me out of this funk. Then we can work on finding the talisman and my dad.” He leaned over to capture my lips in a soul-crushing kiss. He knew exactly what to do to get me going and how to awaken the connection we had through our magic.

  I reluctantly broke away from his kiss, breathless. “If that’s all it takes to get you going, you could’ve said something earlier.” I paused touching his lips, then said, “Race ya to the shower!” I jumped from the bed giggling like a schoolgirl, carefully sidestepping the remnants of the broken picture frame, with Danny hot on my tail. It had been over a week since we’d made love and that was saying something. It was usually a daily occurrence. I was happy to see Danny acting more like himself again.

  Danny wasted no time removing my clothes once we entered my en suite bathroom. He was trailing kisses along my bare flesh as each item fell to the floor. I ran my fingers through his thick black hair, enjoying every moment of it. I wasn’t sure if we’d even make it to the shower at the rate Danny was going, but I really wanted to get the stench of vampire off of me.

  “Beautiful,” Danny said to me as he raked his gaze over my naked body with love in his eyes. “I’ve missed you, Abby.” Then he pulled me close and crushed his lips to mine—an explosion of magic ignited in my bloodstream. I could feel his magic coursing through my veins, calling to me, making me his.

  Danny ran his hands along the sides of my bare hips, stopping along the inside of my thighs. He spread my legs, running his fingers dangerously close to my center and I thought I was going to burst with anticipation, knowing what would be coming next. The things that man could do with his hands. I decided he was wearing too many clothes.

  Breaking the kiss, I ripped his T-shirt down the middle and threw it to the side once his arms were free, then yanked his shorts down to find he had gone commando. Perfect. Licking and sucking his muscular chest, I began to move lower when he pulled me back up and shook his head. I gave him a “What?” look. Apparently, Danny had other plans. He was all about my pleasure tonight—that was just fine with me. I arched my back and let him take full control.

  I wasn’t disappointed.

  He leaned down and cupped my breasts with the palm of his hands. I felt his hot breath on my nipples and almost cried out, needing his mouth on my skin. He was teasing me. When he finally closed his lips around my left breast, I nearly came undone. Our magic continued to crash together like a well-played symphony with every touch—every sensation. Danny devoured my body inch by inch until I could no longer stand on my own.

  After an intense lovemaking session on the bathroom floor, on the counter and then again in the shower, we were exhausted. Danny had a shit-eating grin on his face when we finally made it back into the bedroom.

  “That was just

  — ”

  “Mind-blowing?” I cut him off, climbing into the bed smiling from ear to ear.

  “Yes, among other things,” he said with a dreamy gleam in his eyes as he pulled the covers back to get in the bed to snuggle up next to me.

  He pulled me close to him, kissing my neck. I leaned into him, kissing his cheek, then asked, “Danny, what did you find today while you were looking through the Book of Shadows? Anything about a locater spell for Delphine or Marcus?”

  “Nothing much, but since we have your dad’s athame and his book, it may be able to tell us more.”

  I rolled over to face him. “Hey, how do you know about Daddy’s book? I haven’t told anyone about it yet.”

  Danny sighed. “I swear I wasn’t snooping in your drawer, but I needed some eye drops and there weren’t any in your bathroom. I just opened your bedside table and found it. I only assumed it was your dad’s because it has the same symbol as the athame he passed down to you.”

  “Okay, but you can’t tell anyone
about it. I haven’t even had a chance to talk to Mom yet. But you’re right, it might hold some of the answers that we’re looking for and maybe Mom knows how to translate some of those spells.”

  Secretly, I was happy to have someone I could share Daddy’s spell book with and technically I didn’t break Mom’s rules—Danny found it.

  I wasn’t supposed to share the secrets of Daddy’s magic with anyone. It was to be passed down to my first born. I was the first born of my father, twice blessed. Meaning, I not only held the power of our ancestors, but the power of God’s light as well. That was the main reason Delphine wanted to trap my soul in her talisman and use my body to rise again.

  If Delphine ever gained access to my powers, along with the power she could wield with her talisman, and if she somehow got free—she would become unstoppable. All of New Orleans would be in danger: supernatural and human alike. The thought of Marie’s sick and twisted mind running loose on the earth chilled me to the bone. The woman was certifiably evil and would kill anyone for power, or just for fun. Hell, she was a blood witch who stored her victims’ innards as trophies when she was among the living. This was why we needed to find her and that damned shadow man as soon as possible.

  Who knew what havoc she would wreak or if she tried to trap me again? It was something that constantly plagued my mind, but I tried not to worry, only find solutions.

  “Your secret is safe with me, Abby. I love you. Let’s get some sleep,” Danny said, then kissed me goodnight and turned off the bedside lamp.

  “Goodnight, Danny. I love you too.”

  Chapter 2

  Saturday morning came way too early for my taste. Danielle was banging on the door at eight a.m. to let us know breakfast was ready. At least she didn’t barge in this time. That was usually the norm for her and Liz—they never knocked and Danny and I always forgot to lock the damn door.