The Complete Spellbound Trilogy Bundle

  I knew that we’d met at Druantia again, and this pleased me to no end. I didn’t remember exactly what we had talked about or what we had done, but I knew we’d been together. That’s all that mattered. Even though he and I could see each other every day now, our souls obviously yearned to be as one while our bodies slept. The silver lining around the dark cloud hanging over me was the knowledge that something really special was happening between us. Something was getting ever stronger, deeper, and more powerful.

  We finished warming up and started our jog down the shore toward the pier. The air was crisp, but clear. Much of the fog that had become a fixture over the coast lately had given way to a cool, golden sky. It was a picture-perfect morning…one made even better with Nicholas by my side.

  I glanced at his handsome profile, pleased that I could feel how much he enjoyed being by my side. I made him feel stronger… better. Just as he did for me.

  For a brief moment, my mind flashed back to the first time we met, here on the beach. Three, almost four months ago. It wasn’t really our first meeting. But it was our first physical meeting, in the flesh.

  I remembered it so well, because it was the first time someone had really looked at me…had really seen me. We’d made a connection that didn’t require any words. Was that love at first sight? I wasn’t sure. Maybe it was more like, I-know-you-are-special-and-you-definitely-have-my-attention, at first sight. Did I love this young man running beside me? How would I know?

  I secretly admired his form, and the way the breeze caused his hair to gently lift and fall again with every rhythmic stride he took. Something was poking at my memory. Something I should know.

  What was it?

  Something about seeing Nicholas that first day at the beach…something about that first encounter was significant.

  But for the life of me I couldn’t think what it might be.

  I replayed our meeting in my head for the millionth time since that fateful day.

  What was I not seeing?

  Soon we reached the pier. “Let’s walk for a while,” Nicholas suggested. He reached for my hand, and again I felt the familiar strength course through my blood. Just touching him made me feel so tuned in to the universe.

  We passed a group of people setting up their yoga mats by the cliffs. I glanced at him. “Can I ask you something?”

  He gave my hand a gentle squeeze and peeked down at me through his thick lashes. “Anything.”

  I took a deep breath, praying he wouldn’t think I sounded completely insane. “That day at the beach…the day you and I first officially met. Was that actually the first time we saw each other in real life…in the flesh?”

  Nicholas tilted his head up to the sky, and the morning sun swathed his tan skin in a delicious glow. “It seems strange to me, since I’d been seeing you for so long before that. But yeah, I guess technically, it was.”

  “What do you mean you were seeing me?” I pressed. “You mean in the dreams?”

  Nicholas shook his head. “It’s hard to explain.” He let out a low chuckle. “I mean, I don’t want you to think I’m some kind of weirdo obsessing over some girl I’d never met—”

  “Oh, come on,” I said, lightly jostling his arm. “You know I would never think that. I know we’re…different.” I smiled up at him.

  He grinned back. “Well, as long as you promise not to think I’m strange.”

  “Oh, honey, you’re about as strange as it gets, and I absolutely love it,” I blurted out, much to my own surprise and embarrassment.

  He laughed, his eyes sparkling with sunshine and delight. “Well, then, since you put it that way…” He winked. “It’s just that for as long as I can remember when I was growing up, I pictured you at weird times. Like, if I was reading a book that had a female character, your face would be the one I imagined. Or if someone was talking about some girl, it was your face I would picture. Sometimes I’d be watching TV and a character would suddenly look like you. I’d blink, and she’d change back to how she was before. Weird things like that.”

  He dropped his arm around my waist and pulled me closer. “I used to think you were just a figment of my imagination,” he continued, his voice lower. “But then the dreams started, and I knew they weren’t ordinary, run of the mill dreams. They were special. You were special.”

  “Could you see me clearly?” I asked. “Because I couldn’t really make out your features until after we’d actually met. And I’m the one who was supposed to have the Sight…at least, I did.” I sighed, frustrated. I was still missing something…something right in front of me.

  “At first I couldn’t. It was like knowing a certain touch or recognizing a familiar scent. I just knew it was you. Then after a while I started to see you clearer. But I never knew if it was really you, or if I was just superimposing my vision of you in our encounters. I sometimes wondered if I wasn’t going a tad bit crazy.”

  He stopped and turned to me, looking intently into my eyes. “Then I saw you on the beach that day. The girl from my dreams. Literally. I was stunned. I knew you were out there somewhere, but the day I finally saw you changed everything for me.”

  Finally saw me…

  I gave him a small smile. “Yeah, me too,” I whispered. “The first time I saw you, I felt like I’d known you for so long already…like us actually meeting was just a mere formality.”

  “Is there something bothering you?” he asked, as we started walking again. “I know these days that’s almost a stupid question, but is there something else? Something you’re not telling me?”

  I glanced up at him. “Are you reading my heart again?” I asked, only half-joking.

  A smile tugged at his lips. “Maybe a little. Sorry, I can’t help it. I can tell something is troubling you, and for once it doesn’t seem to be about Justin. This is about me…or us.”

  I shook my head. “No…it’s not. That much I feel good about, I promise.” I gave him a reassuring smile and stood on my tiptoes to plant a kiss on his mouth. “That part makes me feel so unbelievably good, I can hardly believe it’s really happening.”

  We walked on until we reached the stretch of sand beneath Ana’s palatial mansion. “So, what’re you going to do today?” Nicholas asked.

  “I’m going to try reading in the Book of Shadows again. See if there is anything in there that might be able to help Justin. Also, I need to talk with Ana and see what they’ve decided to do with his memory. And oh, yeah—” I added, remembering, “My dad wants me to go into town with him this afternoon and have dinner together.”

  Nicholas smiled. “Sounds like a full day. When will I see you again?”

  This…this exact look he’s giving me now. This is what heaven must feel like.

  “Later tonight?” I whispered hopefully.

  He leaned down and pressed his lips on mine. “Count on it.”

  Chapter 14. A Darker Side

  Twenty minutes later, Dee greeted me as I walked through the kitchen door. “Miss Ana’s not back yet,” she said, pounding on some dough. She frowned as she gave me the once over. “Raining out?”

  I shook my head. “No…I just took a shower.” I’d been in such a hurry to talk to Ana, I hadn’t wanted to waste time with the hair dryer. But now I was regretting my hasty decision. “When will she be back?”

  Dee shrugged and returned to beating up the dough on the floured board. “She didn’t say, and I didn’t ask. I ‘spect she had some very important business to attend to.”

  She must be meeting with the Council now. My stomach erupted in a flurry of nerves.

  “Happen to have any of your world-famous hot cocoa handy?” I twisted my damp hair into a bun and fastened it with a pencil from a jar on the counter.

  Dee gave the pile of dough another punch, then removed a saucepan from the stove. “You’re in luck…just finished makin’ some.” She poured some of the liquid chocolate into a tall mug, topped it off with a dollop of whipped cream, and handed it to me.

  “Than
ks, Dee. You rock. I’m going to the third floor to do some research. When Ana comes home will you please ask her to come find me?”

  She nodded and returned to her pounding. Careful not spill my hot drink, I headed through the main parlor and up the winding staircase. The secret room appeared just as it had yesterday, except today there was no roof—only open air, like a convertible room. I glanced up at the clear, warm sky and smiled. Maybe this place will have a special trick up its sleeve every time I come in here. Maybe that was its thing.

  Although I’d been eager to talk with Ana, I was grateful for this unexpected solitude. I wanted to research cures for Justin in private, free from Ana’s scrutiny. I knew she thought she was getting the answers from the Council and that she had to do whatever they said, but I had something else in mind. If there was any way to save Justin without ruining his life, I was going to find it.

  After all, I at least owed him that much. If it weren’t for me and my inability to be honest with myself and others, he wouldn’t be in this situation in the first place. If I had told Justin I really wasn’t interested…if I had made my feelings for Nicholas perfectly clear…then maybe Justin wouldn’t have kissed me. Maybe he wouldn’t have even asked me to the dumb dance in the first place. Maybe he would’ve gone with Savannah Banyan, and I would’ve stayed home and re-read Gone with the Wind for the dozenth time. Then none of this would’ve happened.

  I sighed. I knew there was no use in rehashing the past. The only thing I could do was try to fix the present. But I just couldn’t shake the guilt that weighed so heavily on my shoulders.

  I settled into the comfy leather couch and set my mug down on the coffee table. Then I took a deep breath and picked up the Book of Shadows, resting it on my lap. Here goes nothing… “Spellcasting!” I said aloud.

  The book opened and the pages fluttered until they finally came to rest at a section in the middle. I picked up my mug and sipped the hot cocoa as I scanned the text, looking for anything useful. I wasn’t exactly sure what I was looking for, only that I’d know it when I saw it.

  There were spells in here for everything. I flipped through several pages…Love, Health, Beauty, Wealth, Luck, Weather, and on and on. The list seemed endless. It appeared that many different witches had added their own incantations and variations over time. Some dated back hundreds of years, others less than twenty…like this one for a ‘confidence spell’. I quickly skimmed the page, and nearly choked on my hot chocolate when I saw the name scrawled at the bottom: Gabriella Vivienne Havish.

  My mother.

  Shaken, I stared at the girlish script for several long moments. I knew I shouldn’t have been shocked. After all, Ana had told me that my mother’s strength lay in spellcasting. Naturally she would’ve contributed to the Book, as all witches in the family did. But I was caught off guard— like a hand from the grave had suddenly reached out and poked me.

  I read and re-read her words. The spell itself was fairly straightforward, mixing some essential oils, burning some candles, and reciting some chants. I was fascinated. Did my vibrant and seemingly perfect mother need help with boosting her confidence? Or was this to help others who needed it?

  I flipped the page to see what else she had written. On the back was another confidence spell. It looked like the first one, and at first I was confused as to why she would have written it twice. But then I realized, this spell was different. This one was for taking someone’s confidence away.

  That’s strange. I frowned. Why would someone want to remove a person’s confidence, unless they were being malicious? There had to be a reasonable explanation…like maybe people could be overconfident sometimes, and get themselves into trouble. Maybe if someone was too cocky they could hurt themselves and others. Maybe this spell was actually to protect them.

  Yes, that must be it.

  As I flipped through the next several pages, all written in my mother’s handwriting, I began to notice a pattern. On the front side was a spell that sounded positive… overcoming anxiety, protection from bad luck, fearlessness, making one’s hair thick and shiny, landing a job, fertility, and so on. But then on the back side was its counter spell…causing anxiety and stress in an enemy, causing overwhelming fear in an enemy, making someone’s hair fall out or turn grey, getting someone fired from a job, rendering someone infertile…

  The more I read, the larger the knot in my stomach grew. I was having a difficult time coming up with logical reasons why my mom would’ve written these. Maybe all good spells were required to have their reverse listed?

  I flipped back several sections to where others had written their spells. My heart sank as I realized that none of them had recorded theirs in the manner that my mother had. They were all positive, or at the very least neutral. True, some were harsher than others—like how to defend oneself against an attacking witch, or how to ward off a tornado.

  But the spells my mom had written…I was seeing another side of her I hadn’t realized existed. A darker side I wasn’t sure I liked.

  “Yes, Gabby was very powerful.” I jumped, startled, as Ana’s low voice pierced the silence.

  “Ana, oh my God. You gave me the biggest heart attack ever!”

  Ana stood in the doorway dressed is a conservative black and white Chanel suit, looking more like a wealthy woman going off to a snooty luncheon in Beverly Hills than a powerful witch entering an enchanted room.

  Suddenly I felt guilty. I quickly flipped several pages over so she wouldn’t see what I had been looking at, and glanced at her curiously. “What made you say that about my mother?” I asked as she came closer.

  She gave a small smile. “I just picked up on your feelings. You are consumed with her right now, so full of confusion and questions.”

  I bit my lip. “I was just looking through the section on Spells, and happened to see some of hers.”

  Ana’s eyes narrowed. She sat down beside me and looked at the open book on my lap. “You’re interested in learning how to grow the perfect potato during a famine?” she asked, raising her eyebrow.

  “No, I…I…” I sighed. I might as well tell her what was bothering me. Maybe she could explain what it all meant. “I was just looking at some of the older spells… seeing if they were…”

  “If they were what?” she pressed.

  I grimaced, not knowing how to say it. “Some of my mom’s…well, they seem good, but the ones on the back…why would she write those? Do you have to have a counter-spell or something?”

  “No. Those are considered dark magic curses. The forbidden spells. I do not condone them, nor does anyone else who practices good magic,” Ana replied matter-of-factly.

  I felt like I’d just been punched in the stomach. “Wait-a-minute. Are you telling me my mom…was bad? She practiced dark magic?”

  Ana sighed and pursed her lips. “Gabby went through a very difficult rebellious phase. And she was impressionable. She fell in with the wrong crowd, fell for the wrong boy, and at one point was questioning our ways, saying theirs were better—”

  “Whose were better? What happened?” I gasped, unable to believe not only what she was saying, but how she was saying it. As if she were describing a china pattern, or explaining how to make tea or something.

  “You’ve come a long way in the short time you’ve been here. I think maybe it’s time you know a little more about what happened so you understand why I do the things I do, and why I feel the way I do.” She reached over and flipped a few pages of the Book.

  “Okay…”

  “I’ve told you that not all witches and wizards practice the same approach to magic. When people have different opinions, sometimes there are power struggles… sometimes there are fights. Gabby fell in with a group that believed in a darker magic than our family is comfortable with. She did so because she fell in love with a boy—” She arched an eyebrow and looked at me pointedly. “—A boy whose corrupt influence turned out to be the downfall of this family. He convinced her that his ways of magic were bet
ter than ours.”

  “What types of magic?” I whispered.

  “Many forms of dark magic…manipulation of the mind and the free will of others. Changing the natural order of things to suit one’s own selfish purposes. Using the powers for a personal benefit above the needs of others. Basically, taking advantage of the blessings bestowed to us by our ancestor gods, and using them in a way not intended for the benefit of civilization as a whole…”

  “Oh my God,” I whispered. How can this be true? Not my mom!

  “… Dark magic is not always bad,” Ana continued, “as long as it’s done under the right conditions. But these witches…especially this particular coven…they loved having power over the humans and used it to their own advantage more often than not. It was second nature for them...if they wanted something they simply took it, regardless of the consequences for humans. They thought of humans as second-class citizens.”

  I shook my head. “But why? How could my mom be like that?”

  “Because power… much like love… is a very seductive and addictive thing,” Ana said. “It creeps up and takes hold, and consumes you completely. The person under its influence won’t even realize it until it’s too late. By then, nothing can be done. It’s like a drug…the more they have, the more they need, and they’ll stop at nothing to get it, no matter who gets hurt.”

  I stared down at the page. There was a lifelike drawing of my mother with an intelligent, questioning look on her face. Was she seeing something for the first time, and realizing her own strength?

  Next to her was a picture of a handsome young man, with three interlocking stars beneath it. “These stars are cool,” I murmured tracing my finger over them. They were unlike any I’d seen before…so ornate and intricate. And each one connected to the other, like they were the parts of a whole. “Who is he?”

  Ana’s eyes darkened. “That was her lover, James. And that is his symbol. Every witch has one…a brand they are born into. It is their birthright, one that is passed down from the mother. Obviously ours is the Triple Moon, like your pendant.” She pointed to the protective amulet resting around my neck. “The witches who belong to the covens of the Triple Star—dark witches—they are the ones responsible for corrupting your mother…and for the death of your grandfather.”