This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance of characters to actual persons, living, dead, or undead, events, places or names is purely coincidental. No part of this book may be reproduced or transferred in any form or by any means, without the written permission of the authors. Uploading and distribution of this book via the Internet or via any other means without a permission of the authors is illegal and punishable by law.
Text copyright © 2019 Scarlett Snow & Tiegan Clyne
All Rights Reserved
Editing by Fresh Eyes Editing
Cover design by Christian Bentulan
Formatting by Champagne Book Design
With special thanks to beta readers: Mandi Ladd, Jordan Simpson, Desiree Hayman, Margaret Ball, Elyssa Davis, and Antonia Santos. Thank you so much!
Title Page
Copyright
Dedication
Preface
Maps
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Thank You
Preview of Once Upon a Witch
You Might Also Enjoy
About Tiegan
About Scarlett
Appendixes
For all the bad ass witches who fight for their own happily ever afters.
This book features scenes where some of the characters use American Sign Language (ASL), which is a distinct language that has its own syntax and isn’t just another way to speak English. Words and their modifiers can be expressed with hands but also body language, intensity of movement, and facial expressions. However, for the ease of reading and clarity reasons, ASL sentences will be translated into English and shown in ::…::
All telepathic communication between characters and their familiars will also be shown in —…—
The deeper I venture into the forest, the darker the shadows become. They cling to the trees and reach out with spectral fingers; the darkness at their core responds to the darkness within me. Every other time I’ve had this feeling, it was welcome. Empowering, even. Tonight the darkness is a reminder of the enormity of the step I’m about to take and it doesn’t feel as good.
Up ahead, in a clearing where nothing ever grows, is the Devil’s Altar, the place where my coven practices our dark magic. We’re the strongest coven in Clan She’ol. The blood of a hundred sacrifices has saturated the ground with the power of our Dark Lord. I’ve spilled my share of sacrificial blood over the years, with no regrets. Until recently, dark magic has served me well.
There are two academies in the Great Forest: Nevermore, where all the so-called villains go, and Everafter, where the do-gooders gather. Nevermore Academy encourages evil, extreme free-will and general naughtiness, with no promise of a happy ending. Actually, happy endings are something that the students at Nevermore are almost guaranteed to be denied. I guess it comes without saying since the academy is nestled deep in the woods of Draoich, the dark half of the Great Forest.
Everafter Academy, on the other hand, is named for its promise that all of its graduates will find their Happily Ever After. It’s one of the most elite schools of the six kingdoms, and so far, it’s kept its promise to its students.
My twin sister, Redera, is a witch like me—sort of. She worships the Storyteller, the God of Light, while I worship the Prince of Darkness, Lucifer Morningstar. She’s the first white witch to be born in my family for over a hundred years. Naturally, because of her rarity, Everafter made her an offer nobody in their right mind would refuse: four years of the best magical education money could buy, but she wouldn’t have to pay a cent, and a guaranteed happy ending. They offered her a full-ride scholarship to a place where “your dreams are only the beginning.” That’s what her letter said when it arrived wrapped in a gold ribbon that cost more than all of our clothes put together.
I got a letter from Everafter, too. They said they would have made the same offer to me, but unfortunately they have a very strict rule against enrolling students who worship the Prince of Darkness. They don’t want my kind corrupting the innocent minds of Fantasia and feel that I’m more suited for Nevermore Academy. Isn’t that nice of them to say that?
Sounds like discrimination to me.
I’m officially labeled a villain before I’ve even committed a crime.
I shouldn’t be surprised. Witches aren’t exactly welcome anywhere in the Great Forest. Our covens are scattered throughout the kingdoms, but we’re mostly in hiding. There are Witch Hunters everywhere, just aching for the chance to hang us or burn us at the stake. Sometimes the covens just hide. Sometimes, the covens fight back and hunt the hunters.
Good times.
Redera isn’t just my twin. She’s my best friend. The thought of being separated for four whole years is unthinkable. Even though she’s a white witch and I’m a dark one, we’ve always done everything together. We’re yin and yang, darkness and light split into two bodies that share the same soul. We’ve never been apart. If she’s going to Everafter, there is no way I’m going to Nevermore.
That’s why I’m heading to the clearing at Witching Hour to tell my Dark Lord that I’m switching teams.
I’ve never actually seen him before. I’ve felt him when we’ve had our rituals, and I certainly know the dark presence of his magic in my blood. I’ve felt his power. The magic I have is granted by him directly through the Church of Shadows and I know I might end up losing it when I tell him my plans. His teachings are all about free will, though, so I can’t imagine he’d get too pissed off when I exercise what he’s told us all along is ours to use. Right?
I’m eighteen now. This is my life, my choice. Period.
I reach the stone circle that demarcates the clearing from the forest around it. I pull my red ritual cloak in tight, and lifting my head, I step into the unhallowed space. The air inside the grassless open area is a good ten degrees colder than the air in the trees. I feel the chill all the way to my bones. My long dark hair had been swaying in the breeze, but it stops the instant my feet touch the clearing. Here, there is no wind. I can almost hear the spirits in this place holding their breath, waiting, wondering what I’m about to do.
I walk up to the altar set in the middle of the circle. The stone hums and vibrates from all the power my coven has soaked it with over the years. It’s an audible sound, just barely noticeable but definitely there. It shifts in pitch as soon as I put my hands on the cold surface.
“I, Ravyn Hemlock of Clan She’ol, Mandrake Coven, come here of my own free will,” I intone, hoping I’m doing this right. Abandoning my religion isn’t exactly something Grandma prepared me for. “I have decided for myself how I will live my life. I’m not worshipping the Darkness anymore. From this day onward, I renounce you, Lucifer and all your works. I will worship the God of Light, starting now, from this moment. I no longer serve you.”
Something whispers among the trees, a faint hiss that permeates the air.
I keep my palms glu
ed to the surface, but I instinctively look around me, my eyes darting to every possible corner. Dead leaves rustle through the clearing. Branches sway and crack. The hissing grows louder, deeper, closer!
An enormous, shadowy creature slithers through the underbrush and my blood freezes in my veins. The hissing is joined by the roaring buzz of a million flies flapping their wings. They pour into the clearing, dive-bombing me en masse.
I release the altar and scramble back, my hands and legs trembling in their sockets. Okay. I get it. The big guy is pissed. Time to go now.
Watching the flies circling in front of me, I add hastily, “I’m eternally grateful for everything you have given me, my lord, but I want to choose my own path now. I want to be with my sister.”
“The path you have sssselected is wrong,” a deep, disembodied voice whispers. It’s so close a rush of hot air brushes my ear.
Fear grabs hold of me. I turn around and run in the direction I came, but the flies cover my hair, my dress, and every inch of my skin. I scream and swat at them, but the more bugs I catch, the more return. All I can do is cover my face with my hands and muffle my screams.
A low chuckle echoes through my mind.
It’s him.
I can feel his presence in my bones, consuming my mind, body and soul.
I am in deep trouble.
The flies release me and the air returns to my lungs. I remove my trembling hands and watch the insects materialize into a towering shadow. My breath hitches in my throat as I look up at him.
The Fallen One.
The Prince of Lies.
My Unholy Master.
The shadow swirls, revealing a human-like figure. He’s bipedal, like a man, but with enormous black bat wings and curling black horns. His face is long and his glowing eyes burn into me like molten lava. He can see through to my soul and the evil in his presence penetrates me to the core, leaving me singed in its wake.
Every hair on my body stands on end as the dark energy radiating from his being seeps into my own. The ground trembles and the trees around me shiver in the Dark Lord’s presence. He takes one step toward me. Flames spring up as his cloven hoof strikes the earth, making the soil burn. Tiny fires light dead vegetation with each step. He walks in flames that cause my hair to bristle with static.
I feel like I should prostrate myself before him, but I’m too afraid to move. “F-forgive me, my lord,” I stammer pathetically, “but I need to be with my twin.”
Lucifer chuckles, the sound dark and ominous. “You need?”
The shadows gather around him again and he becomes one with the darkness. When he reappears, he’s changed and I want to hit my knees in front of him for an entirely different reason. He’s still tall, with long, dark curls and the most intense golden eyes I’ve ever seen. He looks human, but he’s so much more than human now. He’s angelic. His cheekbones are high and his lips sensual, but cruel. His golden robe is impeccable, but from what I can see, the body beneath it is beyond compare.
Lucifer’s angelic form is truly breathtaking. My knees go watery and desire floods through me, consuming every sensation in my body. What the heaven is going on? It’s like I’m under a spell that he’s cast on me. I’ve never wanted to fuck anybody more than I want to fuck him right now. I guess this is why mortals say temptation is the devil.
He lifts the corner of his lips into a sinister grin. “Are you sure you wish to leave me, child?”
I clear my throat, trying to keep from throwing myself at him. It’s a hard fight against every instinct telling me to get down on my knees and worship my Dark Lord like there’s no tomorrow. I wonder how he’d feel against my tongue and I wish I could find out. Does he really carry the Inferno’s Kiss? Can he really pull out my soul just from one touch of his perfect lips?
“I…I admit you’re quite the opposite of what I imagined, my lord, but yes, I’m sure. Positive, really. One hundred percent.”
His smile fades and a dark shadow flits over his face, darkening his eyes. “And you are aware of the consequences of rescinding your allegiance?”
I’m not really sure what he means. His tenets have always encouraged us to seek our own paths, to not obey rules we wish to break and to never, ever bow to those we should command. The rule ‘do as thou wilt’ is the entirety of his law.
“I… I don’t know, my lord.”
Now I feel so fucking stupid.
Lucifer steps toward me, reaching out one perfectly made masculine hand. His fingertip grazes my cheek, the touch gentle and arousing. I shiver, but this time it’s not from fear.
“The consequences of leaving me are these,” he whispers, stepping closer so I can feel his body heat, which is considerable. I look up into his glowing eyes and find that I cannot look away. “You will lose your ability to use magic. You will no longer be under my protection. And you…”
He leans closer, his lips brushing against my forehead, making my third eye explode with colors and sensations. I nearly cum on the spot, my body overcome with bursts of electricity. He tugs his lips into a derisive grin.
“You will be nothing more than an ordinary, thankless, defenceless mortal. Nobody will want you. Not even Everafter will take you in.”
“But I—”
A hundred images flash within his gaze. I see me and him, entwined on this very altar stone; my twin, walking through the gates of Everafter Academy and closing them behind herself, locking me out; my three-times great-grandmother Esmeralda sacrificing a wolf and another wolf attacking her from behind. I see power and sex and blood and pain. I’m dizzy with the shifting images and visions, but I know what these are.
These are lies.
I find the strength to tell him: “I’ll take that chance, my lord.”
The smile leaves his face, replaced by a cruel sneer. His eyes turn as black as unlit coals. “Then have your wish, ungrateful wretch!”
Lucifer slams his mouth into mine, the impact painful. My teeth cut into my lips, and he still pushes harder. Without my telling it to, my jaw springs open, and he shoves his tongue deep into my mouth. Orgasm washes through me, and I nearly fall, but he grabs my arms and holds me as I quake and cry out.
Then I feel it.
He’s pulling my magic out from me.
The energy rinses out of my soul, leaving just a fading cloud that he devours greedily. I can feel myself deflating, my spirit tearing to surrender the power that came from him. My soul is being shredded; my cry of ecstasy turns into screams of pain, strangled by his mouth still smashed against mine.
It seems to last forever, as if time has no meaning here at the altar. Only Lucifer and I exist, entwined, with his grip on my shoulders strong whilst my body weakens bit by bit.
Finally, he releases me and I fall to the ground in a whimpering heap. Wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, he glares down his nose at me. He’s shining, and I remember that when he was an angel, they called him the Dawnbringer.
“You have your wish,” he spits callously. “You will live to regret this choice.”
I can’t speak. All I can do is cry. He transforms back into black smoke, then dissolves into flies that swarm around me before they streak back into the forest and disappear.
It takes me forever to get home. Without magic, I have no sense of direction and get lost in the woods repeatedly. My frustration is beginning to turn into anger. I’m exhausted and sore, and the latter isn’t the good kind. How will I get home? I’m just a mortal now. I can only hope I’ll get back before Grandma wakes up at dawn to feed the chickens.
Fucking chickens.
Imagine our surprise when, just last week, Redera adopted a whole coop of them and never planned on using their blood to ward off evil spirits. She just wanted to keep them as pets. Typical Redera. They do produce delicious eggs, though.
I stare down at the moss-covered ground and laugh. Hysteria is threatening to consume me from the sheer exhaustion of this journey. I really never prepared myself for any of this. I never tho
ught about taking Broin’s horse for transport, and I had no idea what the consequences would be. I’m still not sure that this is all that Lucifer had threatened me with, and I just want to get home. At least he said his protection will only be lifted from me and my family will remain safe. Safe or not, Grandma will still have a heart attack when she finds out what I’ve done.
Hopefully, before that happens, she’ll remember the Dark Lord’s first and foremost Unholy Commandment: Thou shalt follow no path but thine own. Obviously he wasn’t very pleased that I chose to follow his adversary’s path, but still, his Twelve Satanic Tenets and Ten Unholy Commandments said nothing about leaving the Church of Shadows being forbidden, or what punishments there might be if we tried. He taught us to make the most of our lives. To be strong, self-indulgent and to embrace the seven deadly sins. Isn’t that what I’m doing?
I want to attend Everafter Academy so I can be with my twin and have a better life. Everafter would never accept a Darkblood witch into their school. Renouncing my worship to the Dark Lord was the only way for me to get in. Surely Grandma will understand that? First, though, I’ve got to get home and face her.
A cool breeze whistles through the trees and lifts my hair as I gaze up at the moon-dappled leaves. The Great Forest is protected by ancient magic that conceals us from the mortal world. Everything inside is like a magical maze that is damn near impossible to navigate unless you have magic. The six kingdoms have made sure of that.
How long have I been here? It feels like forever.
The longer I walk through the forest, the more my exhaustion deepens and plays with my mind. Every step I take is laden with a growing certainty that my footsteps are being followed. It’s like a spider that you only see moving from the corner of your eye. My surroundings aren’t exactly helping to settle my unease.
Enormous trees twist and tower over me, creating a dense canopy that curtains the sky. But ribbons of moonlight claw through the leaves and cast eerie shadows on the floor. I feel like an insect that’s about to be trapped and pulled into a huge web. I’ve never gotten lost like this before. But I’m a human now and the paths all look the same. With every wrong turn my anger bubbles up to the surface; by the time I do finally reach Hemlock Cottage, I’m spitting mad.
Once Upon A Wolf: A Dark Academy Reverse Harem Bully Romance (Everafter Academy Book 1) Page 1