Circle of Blood: A Witch Hunt Novel

  Exhaustion was starting to hit her hard. In the car she did all she could to fight going to sleep. Freaky was no help, curling up on her lap and beginning to snore before Anthony had even put the car in drive.

  When they arrived back at the house, Anthony walked her inside. “You might want to think about relocating. I think there’re more rooms at the hotel we’re at,” he noted.

  “I should move, but I don’t want to draw more attention to you and Ed,” she admitted, setting Freaky down on the floor. He headed off upstairs, clearly ready for bed.

  “I get that, but we can also watch out for one another easier.”

  She didn’t want to tell him that it felt too much like putting all their eggs in one basket.

  She put her arms around him. “Thank you for coming to rescue me,” she whispered.

  “Not a problem,” he said, rubbing her back.

  It felt so good to have him hold her. She had been alone for so long, truly alone the last several months. And even before that, really, if she was honest with herself.

  “You want to hear something weird?” she said, her words muffled against his shoulder.

  “Always.”

  “You’re the closest thing I’ve ever had to a real boyfriend,” she admitted.

  His arms tightened around her. “Really?” he asked.

  “Yeah. Isn’t that strange?”

  “No. You don’t let people in easily.”

  She pulled away so she could see his expression, full of tenderness and understanding.

  “Let me guess,” she said, her breath catching in her throat. “You’re in the same boat?”

  “Obsessed with finding and destroying my mother’s killer is surprisingly a turnoff as a pickup line.”

  “Doesn’t work so well on those online dating profiles, either, I’m guessing,” she joked.

  “Surprisingly, no. I mean, sure, you’ve got the odd nut job volunteering to be said killer, or your mother, not sure which is actually creepier, but not so much anyone you’d ever want to meet.”

  “We are two peas in a pod,” she said with a tired smile.

  “Careful, you might be close to admitting you actually like me,” he teased.

  She smiled. “In the interest of full disclosure, I think I do like you.”

  “Imagine that. Well, if we’re being that honest with each other, I think I like you, too.”

  For just a moment Samantha felt as if she were living someone else’s life, someone who could have a life with a boyfriend and romance and time to just stare into each other’s eyes without worrying about killer witches and an entire town full of people at risk of being destroyed. She had to admit it felt good.

  “You know, I’m starting to see what my old roommate, Jill, was talking about when she’d say that having a boyfriend was great,” Samantha murmured.

  “Am I losing my mind, or did you just call me your boyfriend?” Anthony asked, his face mere inches from hers.

  “Oh, you’re definitely losing your—”

  He kissed her. Time seemed to stand still as she kissed him back. Slowly she lifted her hands to the sides of his face and sent gentle electrical impulses into his skin. He groaned softly against her lips and held her tighter.

  This was what normal people did. Normal people got to have relationships and spend time with those they loved.

  Samantha started.

  Loved. She had thought of Anthony not as someone she cared for or liked, but as someone she loved.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked, searching her eyes.

  “Nothing,” she breathed.

  She realized she was shaking all over. Should she tell him? Would it be fair, given that there was a very real probability that Lilith was going to kill her? Then again, given all that they were facing, was it fair not to tell him?

  “Are you sure?” he asked, cupping her cheek with his hand.

  She leaned into it, savoring the sensation of his skin against hers. She closed her eyes.

  “Anthony, we might not live through this,” she said.

  “I know, so there’s something you should know,” he said, his voice, low, urgent.

  “What is it?” she asked, opening her eyes to look at him.

  “You might think I’m crazy, but I’m not. I’ve had a long time to think about this, even though I didn’t need any time at all, really. I know I said it earlier, but I’m not sure you really heard me. Samantha, you should know, I love you.”

  Something inside her felt like bursting into song. She felt a grin spreading across her face that she couldn’t control. “I love you, too,” she whispered.

  With a sob of joy he pulled her close and began to kiss her again. The kisses were sweet, tender, and they spoke to her on a level she had never known. She felt a connection to him she had never shared with another person.

  “I will do everything in my power to see us both through this,” he promised her.

  “I’ll do the same,” she said.

  She didn’t want the night to end. She wanted to stand there, hugging and kissing him forever, but her body was beginning to shut down because of exhaustion.

  Finally he pulled away. “You need your rest.”

  “I’m fine,” she lied.

  “No, you’re not. Don’t worry. This will not be the last time we’re together like this,” he promised.

  He kissed the tip of her nose and it made her smile again.

  “I’ll see you tomorrow,” he promised.

  He left and she listened until she could no longer hear his car; then she turned and headed upstairs.

  Freaky was already passed out on the bed, and a minute later she joined him. She was too tired even to change out of her clothes. Besides, her shirt smelled like Anthony and she wasn’t ready to give up that scent just yet.

  So much had happened in a single day and she was intensely grateful for how it had ended.

  “Freaky,” she whispered to the sleeping kitten. “This might have been the most important day of my life.”

  He just continued to snore away as she drifted off to sleep.

  • • •

  She stood, barefoot, a member of the circle. Her mother was always telling her that the circle was power. So was Mr. Black. She was tired. Her mother had woken her in the middle of the night for a coven meeting that she hadn’t known they were going to have.

  Usually the coven meetings were scheduled, but this one was a surprise to Samantha. Her mother wouldn’t say what they were going to do or why it was starting after midnight. She told her to leave her things behind. She wouldn’t need them for this particular meeting.

  Samantha couldn’t help having a bad feeling about everything, even as they silently greeted the others on the way into Abigail’s house. They walked through the kitchen and down into the basement. Light from the candles down there cast disturbing shadows on the walls.

  Samantha hesitated. Something didn’t feel right. The air even seemed different somehow. She greeted each coven member as she encountered everyone, as was their custom. None of them would look at her. She felt as if she had done something wrong and she was being shunned for it. She searched her mind but could come up with nothing. Was it possible they were here to punish her? But what could it possibly be for?

  Without preamble Abigail urged them all to join hands, forming the circle. “The circle is life, the circle is coven, the circle is blood,” she intoned.

  The others mimicked her.

  Abigail had an altar set up tonight in the center of the circle, another rarity. Usually she stood alone in the center of the circle with any objects she would need for the ritual in her hands. The few times Samantha had seen the altar had all been bad, terrible experiences. She hunched her shoulders, dreading whatever must be coming next.

  On the altar rested a large book and a chalice. There were a variety of objects surrounding the chalice, and Abigail began to chant and to add them one at a time into the goblet. As the mixture formed, it created a powerfu
l, sickly sweet odor that made Samantha wrinkle up her nose. She wanted to sneeze, but she knew from experience that would be met with severe punishment later from her mother.

  At last the final item was added, and Abigail raised her head, a look of triumphant expectation on her face. Samantha wondered if something was supposed to have happened, because nothing did. Abigail didn’t look worried, though. Instead she looked more excited than Samantha could ever remember seeing her.

  “Tonight we achieve ultimate power,” Abigail boomed to her followers. “For tonight we raise a creature who will be chained to us, who must do our bidding, an ancient demon, one of twelve that ruled this realm ages ago before they were banished. We will claim his power, his allegiance, for ourselves.”

  Samantha felt something horrible curl itself into her belly. She shook her head violently from side to side. This wasn’t right; she could feel it. They were messing with something far stronger and smarter than them and it couldn’t end well. She didn’t want any part of it. Something terrible was going to happen, she knew. She had never been so certain of anything in her life. She was so certain, she was willing to risk whatever punishment might befall her as long as she could get out of that basement now.

  “Mother, we must leave,” she whispered.

  Her mother didn’t answer, didn’t even look at her. She just tightened her grip on Samantha’s hand until it physically hurt. Mr. Black did the same on her other side. The circle must remain unbroken—that’s what he would probably say. But this was different. They were all in danger. She didn’t know how she knew, but she knew it with all her soul. They didn’t understand. She couldn’t explain it to them. She didn’t have time, and she wasn’t sure they would listen to her anyway.

  She had to stop this, had to make them see reason before it was too late for all of them. But what could she do?

  “Only one last ingredient remains and then we shall see him come forth,” Abigail crowed.

  Suddenly she fixed her laserlike stare on Samantha. “Come here, child,” she said.

  Her mother and Mr. Black pushed her forward and then linked hands behind her, resealing the circle. This was her chance. She needed to tell Abigail no, even if the high priestess was angry, even if she hurt her. It was her duty to save the coven.

  Abigail put a hand under her chin. “Do you know wh—”

  • • •

  Her phone rang on the nightstand and Samantha sat straight up in bed, shaking and drenched in sweat. The nightmare began to fade quickly and she shouted in frustration. She’d been dreaming about the night of the massacre. She’d been so close to learning the truth; she could feel it.

  The phone rang again, loud and shrill. She reached over and picked it up. It was a local number but one she didn’t know.

  Samantha answered the call, struggling to control her breathing, which was coming out in ragged gasps as the last vestiges of the dream slipped away from her.

  She brought the phone to her ear.

  “Help me!” a young, female voice choked out.

  “Nala, is that you?” she asked, the voice sounding similar to what she thought the girl sounded like. “How did you get this number?”

  “Help me! There’s someone after me.”

  “Just hold on. Tell me where you are.”

  There was a scream and the line went dead.

  11

  Samantha leaped off the bed. It was three in the morning and her body was still shaking from the nightmare and now also from the shock of adrenaline that was hitting it.

  Nala, she had dealt with Desdemona and she was still sorting all those memories out. Where would the girl be? She’d said she knew somewhere safe to go, but clearly it was no longer so.

  She ran downstairs and made it into her car, gritting her teeth at how long it was probably going to take to reach Nala. She had to go to her. She had to assume the girl would be unable to come to her, even if she compelled her.

  She had nothing of Nala’s to use, so she repurposed Martin’s business card, since it had been, at least briefly, in Nala’s possession. As with before, the card began to spin about, the arrow pointing in the direction she needed to go.

  She chafed under every minor redirect and delay, wondering what was happening to the girl while she was trying to reach her. Deep down, though, she knew that she would probably be too late, particularly if she had actually come face-to-face with Lilith.

  If so, she wondered if Lilith would kill her outright or realize that she could use her to get to Samantha. Then again, she hadn’t made very much use of the leverage that Claudia should have given her, killing the girl without even giving Desdemona a chance to do something reckless to try to save her.

  Not that she probably would have with that part of her personality in control. Still, she had been shocked that Lilith hadn’t even bothered trying. The logical thing to do would have been to kill the other girl, the stranger, first. That’s what she would have done.

  The drive seemed endless, but she finally made it into a very upscale section of the Garden District. The streets were deserted this time of the night and it hardly seemed like someplace Nala would have been unless she was actively trying to find Lilith or someone connected to her. Given the time of night, that seemed unlikely. Her hopes lifted slightly. Maybe whoever had taken Nala had brought her here. Plus, the girl had to still be alive or the navigation system would have ceased to function. Maybe there was hope after all.

  She finally pulled to a stop in front of a very large, old building. What she could see of it behind its high wrought-iron gates was imposing. A single light burned in one of the windows on the first floor, and she dared to hope that she wasn’t too late.

  She wondered if this was where Lilith was hiding out, but that didn’t seem quite right. Even if she was confident in her victory, Lilith didn’t seem the type to lead anyone to her lair.

  Samantha leaped from her car and approached the front of the building, having no time for subtleties. She could feel a ripple of power in the air, proof that she was in the right spot.

  She lifted her hand and sent a wave of energy at the gates, which pushed open by themselves, creaking slightly. She approached the front of the house, eyes darting about, looking for signs of anyone else.

  She could see nothing on the darkened grounds except some statues that she eyed carefully to make sure they weren’t people glamoured to appear that way. She thought for a moment she saw one of them move out of the corner of her eye but decided that she was just being paranoid.

  She returned her focus to the house and debated about whether to try to find a window she could enter through silently. Whoever was inside would already have been alerted to her presence, though, so it seemed like a needless waste of time. The best approach was likely going to be head-on. She made her way quickly to the front door, putting up her hands as she reached it.

  The door flew open and she ran through, hands raised defensively, ready to do whatever she must.

  Two women were standing in what was the entryway of the mansion. A staircase swept up to the right, and the checked marble tile on the ground led back farther into the house. The two women turned and looked at her. The first was Nala, and Samantha blinked at her as she took in her appearance.

  Nala was no longer wearing her raggedy clothes and oversized trench coat. Instead she was dressed in slacks and a cashmere sweater. She was standing next to an older woman who looked just like her and was wearing a very expensive dress.

  Samantha stared intently at Nala, trying to process everything.

  “You’re—you’re not a runaway. Or homeless,” Samantha realized.

  “Very good,” Nala said. “See? You can catch on.”

  “Neither is she in any danger, but we’re oh so grateful to you for coming so quickly,” the woman who was clearly her mother said in a simpering voice.

  “I don’t understand,” Samantha said.

  “No, I’m sure you probably don’t,” the older woman said. “Then
again, it’s my understanding that you have no respect for the power of the circle.”

  “Lilith! You’re part of Lilith’s coven,” Samantha realized. She had suspected that Lilith probably had others working with her. “You know when she’s finished draining everyone else she’ll just turn on you, right?”

  “I very much doubt that, my dear. You see, she appreciates the power of the coven, the sacred bond of the circle.”

  “You’re a fool if you believe that standing behind her makes you safe,” Samantha said.

  “We’re not standing behind her. We’re standing beside her. That’s what a coven does,” Nala said proudly.

  Samantha’s brain was busy putting all the pieces together. The demon had told Nala where to find Samantha. There was a decent chance she had told Lilith, or at least others in the coven. She would have thought that part of the story a lie, but the demon had confirmed that it told Nala where she lived and even drove her to just a few blocks away. Why would she even have bothered asking it in the first place, though?

  “Did the demon know you were going to be lying to me about who you were?” Samantha asked.

  Nala shrugged. “Probably. It is a demon, after all. They’re usually pretty good at figuring out what’s going on.”

  “Why go through the demon? That just seems like an unnecessary step, and an uncertain one, given how notorious demons are for lying. There’s plenty of ways to find someone using your powers.”

  “You’re not as easy to find as one would think,” Nala’s mother chimed in. “Don’t think we didn’t try. Several of us did. As it turns out, though, there seems to be lots of confusion about names and identity, which makes you harder to locate than the average person. Besides, the demon was there. It was convenient. It certainly gave us a leg up on everybody else who was looking for you.”

  “You were looking for me, not for answers about what happened at the amusement park,” Samantha said.

  “And you bought everything I told you,” Nala said, crowing with pride. “Every lie, every story I made up. You couldn’t tell the truth, even when it was under your nose.”