by R. L. Wilson
There. I spot Mother. She shines like a diamond in the night. She wears a floor-length ball gown and has diamonds galore. She’s hard to miss. Even though she’s older, she makes it her business to let everyone know she’s wealthy.
Mother and Ashleigh stalk toward a table. I don’t know who they were conversing with at first. Then she stands up. Shit, it’s Toni. What could they need to speak with Toni about? What do I do?
I know I should get down there and stop this circus. No, I’ll stay here and let them discuss this like women. I pace the floor back and forth. I’ve got to get a drink. Toni needs to know, but maybe it would be better coming from me. I have the relationship with her. Mother exposing the truth will crush her.
Mother is always sticking her nose where it doesn’t belong.
I scurry to the elevator. I pound on the down button. Fuck it. I race to the stairs. I’ll run down the four flights of stairs. I must stop this train wreck. I must be a man, admit to my wrongdoings.
Finally, I make it to the main level. Sweating bullets and thirsty, I head toward the bar.
”Jazz,” I yell and tap on the bar. “Get me a glass of water.”
I scan the room for Mother and Ashliegh. I don’t see them. However, my vision is quite blurry. I drain the water in ten seconds. I request another before I hurry over to the table. No one is here. That’s strange, I think. I get back to the bar and before I can drink my second glass of water, the security phone buzzes. I grab the phone.
“Colton,” Jerry says. “We have a panic button in the platinum room.”
Before I can hang up, I fly across the room, then down the hall. The panic button means a dancer is in trouble. Since I’m the head of security, I must diffuse this situation before it’s escalated to Daniel, my cousin and the club manager.
I snatch the door open. “Pull up the platinum room,” I shout in a panic. I twist the monitor toward me. What I see knocks the wind out of me as if someone punched me in the guts. Two men sit in the platinum room. I inhale, my heart fluttering. Toni is there in distress.
Why is she in the platinum room with two dudes? This shit makes little sense. The world around me seems to spin uncontrollably. I’m sinking.
“Boss, Boss,” Jerry says.
“Yeah?” I respond
“We need a plan.”
“No plan needed,” I respond as I walk off toward the platinum room. My rage becomes impossible for me to control. My feet pound the ground so intensely that pain rattles in my soles. I kick the platinum room door in. Jerry, following behind me, shuts the door.
Toni sits there in a chair, crying, with a red face. She’s shaking and has a bruise across her cheek.
“What the fuck is the problem here?” I yell.
“Robo cop, have a seat.” He waves his hand. “I’m just having a discussion with my wife, Willow.”
“Wife.” I give Toni an angry, confused stare. “Willow?”
“Yeah, Willow,” he barks, his face covered in burn marks. I don’t want to whip his ass.
“I don’t give a fuck who she is to you. She’s leaving this room now.”
“Who’s going to make her?” the pale dude in the red suit says before horns protrude from his head. His face and hands turn as red as his suit.
I don’t want to transform into my authentic form. It causes damage to the club. But I will make these two assholes stop screwing with Toni or Willow, whatever her name is.
Scales form along my arms and my tail busts through the hall. I transform in three minutes with my head busting through the ceiling. I lower my head to the level of the men. One hides behind the other. Their bark is bigger than their bite, I see. “I think it’s time both of you leave,” I tell them.
“Not without Willow,” the red one says as he stabs my foot with a sharp object. I snap, biting toward the two men. They scurry about the room like mice. I would have burned them to ash, but that would set the building ablaze. Mother would have my head.
I whip my tail, letting out loud squeals as I try attacking the two men. My colossal head doesn’t fit in any of the places they hide. Finally, the men scurry like the rats they are out of a hole created by my leg bursting through the building. Chasing them out of the building, I set a ring of fire around the two.
The red one doesn’t seem fazed. The other, Willow’s husband, is jumping around like he is dancing on hot coals.
“Let this be a warning. If you ever come near Willow again, I won’t be so nice.”
The one in the red suit has to be Lucifer. The fire doesn’t faze him at all. I put the fire out and notice Willow standing by my foot.
I love her. I don’t care what her name is. She appears frightened by my authentic form, so I transform into my human form. The men scurry off into the darkness.
“Willow,” I bark. I don’t have a right to question her since I’m engaged.
She nods yes. “I was going to tell you.” Pain emanates on her face. “I left my husband long ago.”
“It doesn’t matter. Your past doesn’t define who you are now.”
“I’m sure you don’t care. You’re getting married in two days.”
I swallow hard. “I’m supposed to, but I love you. Say you love me, and I will call this whole thing off.”
“I love you.” She leans in closer and kisses me.
I don’t care if I’m exiled from the clan. As long as I have Willow, I’m complete.
Epilogue
Willow
I sit in the doctor’s office, nervous to get the results. Colton grabs my hand and places it over his heart. The slow patter calms my nerves. The coven did not exile Colton. I’m not Mrs. Lucinda’s favorite, she has made that clear. She even talks on the phone with Ashleigh often. But Colton has moved out of the compound and into my bed. We have a beautiful home together.
The anxiety of the news has me trembling. Colton is so excited for the gender reveal. He even is wearing his lucky underwear.
The doctor enters with her glasses foggy. Colton is always hot. Humans can’t take the heat. She slides the machine near the table. Viewing the white coat makes my blood pressure rise. I let out a screech as she places cold gel onto my abdomen. Colton stares at the monitor. Tears fill his eyes. “It’s a boy,” the doctor says.
Colton lets out a sigh of relief. He was hoping for a boy. He lowers his head and kisses my abdomen. “I’m going to love you and our son forever.” I can’t stop the tears from rolling down my cheeks. Tears of joy. I’m not sure what the future holds for me, but I’m living in the moment. I’m so grateful for the man that Colton is. He’s patient, gentle, kind, and loves me so much. He stood up for our love and refused to marry another woman. Although I’m still married, I have filed for a divorce.
Our new bundle of joy will make my life complete.
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Blurb for Phantom Light
Being a witch is a blessing. Learning how to use my gifts will take a miracle.
* * *
My life is a train wreck. Between running from truant officers, stealing food to survive, and the stress of being one of the have-nots, it’s a miracle I’ve made it this far.
* * *
When an opportunity to attend an elite academy presents itself, I know it’s a long shot, but so is surviving these streets alone. No one is more surprised than me when I’m accepted. Now, all I have to do is stay out of trouble, but within days, that proves more difficult than I expected.
* * *
My roommate hates me. I piss off the headmaster. And worst of all, my best friend is found dead. That changes everything.
* * *
Something dark and dangerous lurks on campus grounds. I can feel it to my core. Now, all that matters is I find the killer and try not to fall for three hot mages. They’re a distraction I don’t need.
* * *
Welcome to my freshman year at the Witch Academy of Ash, where love, murder, and magic are unexpected parts of the curriculum!
* * *
Scroll up and take ONE CLICK to start this magical journey.
Sneak Peak of Phantom Light
My eyes snap open to drops of cool water hitting my face. I glance up to the ceiling and notice the small hole now dripping rain down my cheeks. Two, three, four drips, I count. Then a boom of lightning strikes across the morning skies. The only thing dancing through my brain is how to get food today. The leaking roof is another reminder of my un-habitable living conditions.
I haven’t seen my mother in a week or more. She frequently goes out on her drug binges. She comes home when she can’t find another way to get her drugs. Meanwhile, I’m running from truant officers and stealing to feed myself. Not that I can’t; I’m sixteen now. It was much harder when I was seven.
I riffle through my garbage bag filled with my clothing. Besides the small television and a mattress on the floor, the apartment is empty. I’d been an orphan since six in a way. Mother comes and goes as she pleases. But this apartment is the worst; it’s practically an abandoned building. No other tenants except me and mother. But we don’t pay any rent. I have to run an extension cord from the hallway to have electricity. Mother hasn’t paid the bill in months. I flick a glance over at the overflowing pile of termination notices. I hold back the unshed tears that pain the back of my eyeballs.
Cradling the one picture I have left of grandma brings solace to my soul. When she was alive, at least I ate and had a fresh set of clothing. Now I’m stuck washing clothes in the sink by hand.
My I-phone buzzes, breaking the silence. I grab my phone from the bed. An email notification appears on my phone screen. I wonder if it’s from my mother. That’s me dreaming; she’d never send me an email. The headline says Academy. I try to calm the adrenaline that pulses through me as I wait for the email to load.
Congratulations! We have accepted you into Witch Academy of Ash, the email reads. Suddenly, rapid flutters invade my chest as my eyes bulge. I read the email again. This is surreal. I can’t believe it. I got into the Witch Academy. This means three meals and a warm place to stay. I let out a strong squeal, screaming out of happiness.
I stand to my feet as the floor beneath me creaks. The growl of my stomach means that I require food. Even the ecstatic joy I feel doesn’t drown out the hunger in my abdomen. I ate nothing last night. As I shuffle to the bathroom, still wiping the mucus from my eye, I hear the front door knob turn. I pause and cover my yawn. She finally came home. I turn around to momma’s face, a sheer horror gracing it. “Hurry up! We have to go! They’re coming!” she screams.
“What? Who?” I question, trembling at the sight of her face.
“The guys,” she says as she swiftly bolts the lock and chain on the door. The sudden surge of several footsteps pounding their way up the hall makes anxiety skitter down my back.
“Shit!” she yells, hazel brown eyes flittering. She races toward the bedroom. “We have to go!” she screams. I follow behind her, thinking about what I could grab to defend myself. At this point, we won’t make it out of the house.
Bam, bam, bam. Someone knocks on the door, followed by “Open up, Sandy. We know you are in there.”
Mother’s hand trembles while a stream of tears runs down her cheeks. “What did you do?” I whisper as we sit on the closet floor. Mother has gotten into plenty of trouble before, but no one has ever chased her. I realize this must be serious.
“Maybe I can talk to them,” I tell Mother as I rise to my feet.
“No,” she warns, grabbing my arm and pulls me back down to a sitting position on the floor. The banging on the door intensifies. The men are becoming impatient. I’m sure they are upset because they know mom is in here. They had to see her run in.
“I fucked up,” Mother says.
Grandma always said mother was a quiet witch with a mean streak. She was a good witch until she started using black magic. It robbed her of her personality and all her time, leaving me as an orphan, basically.
“We’re going to move to Cleveland to live with Uncle Ron.”
“No, Mother,” I whisper. “I got into the Witch Academy of Ash.”
“What, so you are leaving me?”
“You’ve already left me.”
Bang! A thunderous crash slices through the air. It’s the sound of whoever or whatever is chasing mother. They just forced their way into our house.
“Come out, Sandy. We need to talk,” a husky voice says.
Mother’s muffled screams are intensifying. We have to talk to these men. I’m sure mother didn’t kill their firstborn. They will give her a chance. The warmth of mother’s breath burns the back of my neck. She looks over my shoulder as I peep out of the closet door. The boards on the floor creak. I see three of them have entered the bedroom.
“There’s nothing here besides a mattress.”
“She has to be in here,” someone else says.
Beads of sweat run down my back. I hold my breath. Any second, they will kick in this door. From their dangerous appearance, we’re dead.
A swift pull of the door exposes the light. The faces of three dudes stare at mother and I.
The bulky dude with a gun at his side stares down at me. “She has a child in here,” he warns.
“Come out. We just want to talk.”
My gut says they want more than to talk, but I’m sure they won’t kill me.
I stand up with mother gripping my hand tightly. We both walk out of the closet, shaking, the fear of death nipping at our heels.
As we shuffle out of the closet, another guy with blue eyes emerges from the living room.
* * *
“Sandy, we just want our money.” Mother doesn’t say a word. She buries her face in on my shoulder. I don’t know why I was expecting her to protect me. She’s never been my protector. I’ve always stolen to feed her and myself.
“How much does she owe?” I question.
“Three hundred dollars,” the huskier one says.
“Either she has to pay us or she has to talk to the boss. We don’t make the rules. We are just the enforcers,” the skinny guy says.
I scurry to the closet and rush to the back. I locate my old, ripped jean jacket. I’d stashed it there so mother wouldn’t find it, otherwise it would have been gone. I dig down in the pocket and get the priceless piece of jewelry. The only thing I have left of grandma is her engagement ring. She had given it to me a few months before she died.
I thought I could hold on to it forever to remember her by. But I want to save mother’s life. I’m sure the ring is worth thousands.
I grab the ring and give it the one with green eyes. He looks a little nicer. “Will this pay off her debt?”
He holds the 1 carat flawless diamond in the light. A slight twinkle of a smile forms on his lips. He taps the husky one on the shoulder. “Yeah, this will do.”
A boulder releases from my shoulder. I feel like I’m not entering the mouth of a lion anymore. Quietly, they leave without harming me or mother.
Shit, that was a close one.
* * *
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Also by R. L. Wilson
Urban Fantasy
Eternal Love
Eternal Curse
Eternal Fire
Eternal Shadows
Eternal Darkness
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Paranormal Romance Series
Dragon Burn
Dragon Love
Dragon Curse
Dragon Flame
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Witch Academy of Ash
Phantom light
Shadow light
Monster light
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The Magical Jinn Series: Coming Soon
Celena’s Pack Book 1
Celena’s Pack Book 2
Celena’s Pack Book3
Celenas’s Pack Book 4
Celena’s Pack Book 5
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Coming Soon
Misfit Academy
Supernatural Academy
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