Blood Magic (Blood Magic Series Book 1)

by Ann Atkins

  “Whatever for?” Ann asked, eager to join in the conversation.

  “He said he was sorry that he had not been able to find a single flower that could match my beauty,” Prudence told them in a syrupy voice. This was followed by more giggles and sighs.

  “What happened next?” Abigail asked, careful to control the volume of her voice this time.

  “He hugged me and kissed me lightly on the lips. Then he told me that he could not wait for our wedding night, when he could show me just how much he wanted me,” she answered, pretending to fan herself with her hand.

  My throat had tightened, and I was struggling very hard not to cry, but they were mostly tears of anger, not jealousy. My fists were clenched tightly at my sides, and I ground my teeth together and bit my tongue. I could hear my heartbeat roaring in my ears, and all I could think about was ripping out her blond hair by the roots.

  She was standing next to the chicken pens, where farmers were selling chickens as well as eggs, and I imagined walking over there and smashing one of those eggs right in her pretty little face. But, of course, I could do none of that, so I took a deep breath and struggled to calm myself down.

  “And next week we will be using the courting stick,” she said in an excited voice. The courting stick was a long, hollow tube with a mouthpiece and an earpiece, and the courting couple whispered to each other through it.

  This particular custom had always seemed odd to me, and it was not very romantic, because the adults stayed in the room the entire time.

  “What about the bundling board?” Chastity asked.

  “I do not know, but it would be nice to lie in bed with him all night, even with a board betwixt us.”

  The deep breaths were getting harder to take. All of these things were meant to show the couple’s willingness to marry and their love for one another. The next step was the contraction. Prudence would be asked to choose a sermon for the pastor at her coming out. After the sermon was preached, the banns announcing their intent to marry would be read—during the next three services—and the date would be set. I had to keep reminding myself that we would be gone long before the wedding, but I hated that she thought she had won!

  “It is really too bad that you are so closely supervised,” Abigail sighed. “Courting couples are never given any privacy!”

  “That is why last night was so wonderful,” she said with a grin, and then she glanced up, trained her violet eyes on me, and smiled even wider.

  I felt my body stiffen and then start to quiver with suppressed anger. She must have known that I was listening the entire time, and like a fool, I had stood there willingly while she shot daggers at me with her words. I should have looked away and not tried to provoke her, but I could not help myself. I smiled right back at her and laughed—as if I did not believe a word that she had said—before turning away to make my first sale of the day.

  When my business was complete, I glanced in her direction once more, but she was no longer smiling, and her friends had all scampered away like the rodents they were.

  Her violet eyes had narrowed into slits as she walked over to where I stood, and I groaned inwardly. Prudence Parker was best taken in small doses, and I had already had enough of her to last me a lifetime.

  She was one of those girls who knew she was beautiful and used it to her full advantage. Everyone else had to know how much prettier and better she was than them too. She had a few chosen friends, but most girls were afraid of her, and most boys followed her with their tongues hanging out. Joshua was the only one who had not, and that was what had captivated her and sparked her obsession with him.

  “I am sorry, Prudence, but I do not believe I have any dresses quite large enough to fit thee,” I said sweetly as she stopped in front of me.

  “As if I would purchase one of those rags that thee and thy mother have made,” she sneered, wrinkling her nose in disgust. She reached out a hand to touch the fabric of one of my dresses, before wiping her hand on the white apron covering her red dress.

  I bristled at the insult but did not show it. “In that case, why don’t you go pester someone else, I am busy.”

  “Yes, I can see that,” she replied dryly, staring at all of my unsold dresses, “because folks just love wearing a bunch of rags sewn together. And they are sewn together very poorly at that! Is your mother having trouble with her eyesight, because a blind person could have done a better job than this,” she said cruelly.

  She had gone too far by bringing my mother into this, and I would not hold my tongue. “Leave my mother out of this! You are pathetic! You have gotten everything that you wanted, but it still is not enough for you! Thy happiness depends solely on the misery of others, and I pity you, because even though you have him, you will never be able to really love him; you are not capable of it. You do not care about him at all, because if you did, you would not use his love for me to hold him captive!” I finished, thoroughly enjoying the look on her face.

  I had shocked her into speechlessness, and she looked completely dumbfounded. Her silence, however, did not last nearly long enough; she recovered fairly quickly, and her fury spewed forth.

  “How dare you say such things to me!” she hissed as her face reddened and her breathing became more rapid.

  I realized I was not dealing with a sane person, but really; there is only so much abuse one can take. “I dare, because it is the truth,” I said simply.

  “Perhaps you were unable to hear my earlier conversation; Joshua has fallen deeply in love with me; there is no room for you in his life or his heart!” she said angrily. “He is going to be my husband, and you will only be a barely remembered mistake!”

  “Maybe he will be, and maybe he will not,” I taunted her.

  “What does that mean?” she yelled, stamping her foot on the ground, and several people turned to stare.

  But I chose not to answer her question; I simply smiled and turned away from her, but her next words had me whirling back around.

  “You have seen him, haven’t you?” she asked.

  “Of course,” I replied, trying not to reveal how shaken I was. “I see him right now,” I said, pointing across the dirt road, to where he stood, selling turkeys and rabbits that he had hunted.

  “You know that is not what I meant!” she shrieked, growing angrier by the second.

  I saw Joshua glance nervously in our direction as even more people began to stare, but she was oblivious to the commotion she was causing.

  “Of course I have not seen him,” I said with a catch in my voice as I allowed tears to fill my eyes. “You have made sure of that!” I spat at her as a fat tear ran down my cheek.

  She watched me very closely for several moments, and I hoped my tears would wash any doubts from her depraved mind. Having words with her was one thing, but if she found out that we had actually seen each other, my fate would be sealed.

  After studying me closely, for what seemed like hours, but was probably only seconds, she smiled. “I guess I can look over thy rudeness, considering that your heart was broken by my future husband,” she replied, and the smile vanished from her lips as she added, “but in the future, if I were you, I would be very careful what you say to me! I will not be so understanding and forgiving next time.”

  “Yes, you are known far and wide for your generosity and kindness.” I managed to say this with a straight face, but I am not sure how.

  Her eyes narrowed into slits and she took a step forward. “I am sure that is not what you really think of me, but it is very wise of you to keep a civil tongue in your head.”

  I bit the inside of my jaw so hard that I tasted blood, and I tried to focus on the pain, instead of wrapping my hands around her throat. I would be all right if she would just walk away, but I did not know how much longer I could listen to her threats and insults, without completely losing control.

  But I realized, as I looked into her eyes that that was exactly what she was hoping for. Deep down, she must have known that he still
had feelings for me, and she honestly believed that if she got rid of me, he would love only her. Hurting me would not help her to gain his undying love; it would spawn only his hatred.

  I was not going to give her what she wanted. She might have believed that she had beaten me, and I was going to continue letting her believe that. My love for him was so much stronger than my hatred for her, and I suddenly felt very free. There was no sense in fighting a battle I had already won, even if my opponent was not yet aware of my victory. She had lost before she had even begun to fight; sooner or later she would realize that, but not today.

  “I am sorry. I should not have said those things to you. Will you accept my apology?” I asked her with a smile that, for once, was not forced. By allowing her to torture me, I had given her all of the power; this was me taking it back.

  She looked completely baffled as she opened and closed her mouth like a fish. She clearly had no idea what to say to me. I could understand her dilemma; she had probably never uttered a kind word to anyone in her entire life.

  But she was spared from making peace with me as Joshua walked up beside her.

  “Are you all right?” he asked her. “I could hear raised voices.”

  “Everything is fine now that you are here. Annabelle was very rude to me, but she has apologized, and I have decided to accept,” she said in a soft voice. But I had the distinct impression that her reply would have been very different, had he not been standing there.

  “I am glad to hear it,” he said with a smile. “You know how much I love you, and we will be together no matter what. Nothing she says to you can change that,” he said tenderly.

  And as they walked away together, hand-in-hand, I smiled. He had not looked at me once during their conversation, and it was her hand he held, not mine, but his words had been for me, and they were as comforting as a warm blanket. She had stolen his attention and his time, but she could not steal his heart, because it already belonged to me.

  Chapter Twenty-one

  Suspicion

  I awoke in a mass of sweaty, tangled sheets with Joshua’s name on my lips. I sat up in bed and looked around, seeing that I was back in my room at Mason’s house. The thought of him brought about a flood of confusion and guilt. I was in love with Mason, but my heart also yearned for the beautiful boy from my dreams.

  Was I in love with them both? How was that possible? Mason was a real, live, flesh and blood person, and Joshua—although I was certain he was real—was only a dream to me. Maybe it was only because of his striking resemblance to Mason, but my heart told me it was more.

  Every time I awake from one of these dreams, I find myself aching to go back, just so I can be close to him. Even though I know the girl in the dream isn’t me, I feel what she feels, and all I want is to feel his hands and lips trailing across my skin and his hard body pressed against mine.

  I shake my head, trying to rid my mind of these disturbing thoughts, but even more disturbing thoughts lurk in the recesses of my mind, waiting to take their place. Images from last night begin to flash behind my eyes like a bad movie, and my father’s voice narrates every scene, but there is no volume control or off switch, just an endless replay of things I would rather forget.

  A twinge of pain shot through my stomach, and I remembered Mason pressing his hands against it as my blood seeped between his fingers. I immediately yanked my shirt up to inspect my stomach, but of course, all that remained was a faint pink scar that would probably be gone by the end of the day.

  I sighed in relief and flopped back down in the bed, but apparently, I was not alone. I noticed a tiny wiggling lump under the covers at the foot of the bed, and the lump was slowly making its way toward me. There was a moment of panic, but then I heard a familiar little sound and I smiled. First, a little trunk appeared and then a pair of big, dopey eyes.

  “Come here, baby girl,” I said as I patted the empty space beside me. She quickly scrambled from underneath the covers and snuggled firmly against my side. I leaned down and kissed her on the head and she burrowed even closer to me.

  “You were so brave last night, little girl, but you weren’t so little then, were you? What other kinds of tricks can you do that I don’t know about?”

  Her only answer was a soft snore; apparently I make an excellent sleeping pill, but she deserved her rest. She might be little and cute right now, but last night she had been a warrior. She and Mason were both my heroes.

  Mason. He was always there when I needed him; I just wish I didn’t need saving quite so often. I had been so proud of the progress I’d made, but it obviously still wasn’t enough. I had a pretty good understanding of my powers and how they worked, but I didn’t understand nearly enough about the creatures I would be using them against, and I was going to have to fix that, just not right now.

  My little warrior’s gentle snores were making my eyes grow heavy, and I yawned loudly; almost dying takes a lot out of a person, so I closed my eyes and drifted off once again.

  * * *

  “I have a surprise for thee,” he whispered into my ear.

  I giggled as we stumbled through town in the early hours before dawn. He walked behind me with both of his hands covering my eyes.

  This was the first time we had been brave enough to venture into town, but there was very little chance of us being seen, since we could not even see our hands in front of our faces. It was a pitch-black, moonless night, without even a star to light our way and perfect for clandestine lovers like us.

  “Is this really necessary, since I am unable to see anything, anyway?” I finally asked.

  “Probably not, but it is fun,” he laughed.

  “Tell that to my feet. Thou hast trodden on them several times!”

  “Is this endless whining what I have to look forward to after tomorrow?”

  I did not answer him, instead, I stopped short, causing him to run into me, and I stepped on his foot.

  We were planning to leave at sunset tomorrow, and we both felt like a huge, Prudence-shaped weight had been lifted off of our shoulders. He was going to spend the entire day with her tomorrow, so that she would not grow suspicious. Everything was perfect!

  The end of August symbolized the beginning of my life with Joshua, and I could not be more thrilled. We had packed up a few items of clothing and all the coins we had saved. We also had a couple of horses and a cart hidden in the woods to hitch them to.

  “Oh, no.” I finally answered, turning around. “There are much more enjoyable things than that to look forward to.” I ran my hands up and down his chest and began kissing the side of his neck, and I smiled when I heard his breathing catch and then quicken. I smiled against his neck enjoying his earthy scent.

  “Don’t you want your surprise?” he asked in a strained voice.

  “I already found my surprise,” I said as my hands traveled down his chest and brushed lightly across the front of his breeches.

  “Annabelle, we do not have time; we have to get back before first light!”

  “You are not very much fun, Joshua,” I whispered in his ear. He shivered.

  Before I knew what he was about to do, he grabbed my arms and pulled me against him, kissing me for so long that I finally, regretfully had to push him away to draw a breath.

  “Once we are wed, I will show thee the error of those words,” he said, his voice yearning.

  I did not respond, only nodded my head, even though I knew he could not see me.

  He grabbed my hand and pulled me blindly through the, still-sleeping, little town. The sounds of our breathing and our pounding hearts were all I could hear.

  When he finally stopped, I heard a heavy door creak open, and I prayed that no one else had heard it.

  He shut the door behind us, and the tiny lantern he held came blazing to life. I threw my hands up to shield my face, as my eyes, too long in the dark, adjusted to the light.

  We were in a barn full of hay that smelled very strongly of manure, and I wondered what could pos
sibly be in here that I would want to see. Other than a few cows and pigs, I could not think of a single thing.

  He pointed to the little ladder that led up to the loft, and I nodded and began to climb. We were almost too afraid to breathe, and once we were in the hayloft, he turned the lantern down as well. In this town, there was no such thing as too careful. People saw witches around every corner, but the only thing this town was really afflicted with was superstition, lies, and paranoia.

  We sat down in the hay, and I looked at Joshua curiously. He smiled and pointed back to the farthest corner, and I had to clap my hand over my mouth to hush my delighted squeal of joy.

  Lying, partially concealed by a mound of hay, was a mother cat and five very tiny kittens. Their little paws rhythmically kneaded their mother’s stomach as they nursed. The mother cat watched us from wide, distrustful, green eyes.

  “Do not worry kitty,” I said softly. “No one is going to hurt your little babies.”

  She was a beautiful white cat with four large black spots on her back and a black tail. The top of her tiny head and around her eyes was also black, and two of her kittens looked just like her. Two others were orange and white, and one was gray with black stripes.

  “Do you want to hold one?” he asked with a smile.

  “Of course, I do, but will she let me,” I said, eyeing the mother cat who watched our every move.

  “Maybe we can convince her.” He crawled back in the corner and reached his hand toward her, and she hunkered down, but he cooed to her and rubbed her head, anyway. After a couple minutes of petting her, she started to purr, and he picked up two of the kittens and laid them, gently, in my lap.

  The little orange and white one immediately began to cry for its mother, but the little black and white one watched me curiously out of tiny blue eyes. I only held them for a few moments before reluctantly returning them to their mother.

  I kissed their tiny little heads before laying them down, and the mother immediately started bathing them. When she finally deemed them clean enough, they piled on top of their siblings and joined them in slumber.