Shadow Witch (The Witches of Hollow Cove Book 1)

by Richardson, Kim

  I brought the chalk up and around, adding three smaller stars inside the circle and making the connections. My pulse quickened, and I strained with effort to keep my hand from shaking from the shots of adrenaline.

  Next, I spelled out the word exilium, the Latin word for banishment in each of the three stars. Where I should have put the demon’s name, I left it blank. It would have been easier with its name, but I’d done countless exorcisms before, successfully, without a name. I knew it would work.

  The air crackled with electricity. The hairs on my arms rose.

  I looked up. Demon-Julia’s lips were moving.

  Ah. Hell.

  A blast of energy hit me in the chest and I shot backward, hitting the wall at thirty miles an hour. I heard something crack, possibly my skull, as I slid to the floor.

  “Ow.”

  I’d yet to meet a slobbering demon polite enough to wait for me to finish setting my banishment sigils.

  The girl giggled. No. Not the girl, but the demon that was riding in her body.

  “You need to be quicker with your scribbles, you half-breed bitch,” said the demon, its voice harsh and guttural. It sounded disturbingly like a serpentine whisper and had the hairs on the back on my neck rising. That was not a teenage girl’s voice, but I was glad it was using English. My Enochian—the angel and demon language—was a little rusty.

  “Thanks for the tip.” I pitched forward on my stomach, sliding to my circle. With my chalk, I wrote exilium in the last triangle, finishing the sigil.

  With my heart pounding in my ears, I glanced back at demon-Julia. She stood in the same spot, grinning at me like I’d just finished doing her laundry. The demon hadn’t tried to stop me a second time. That wasn’t a good sign.

  I shook my head. “You could at least pretend I’m scary. You know, for the overall dramatical effect that I’m about to kick your ass back to the Netherworld. A little shaking would be nice. Tears are best.”

  The demon-Julia crossed her arms over her chest and showed me her teeth. “I’m going to take my time with you,” she sneered. “I’m in a good mood, see. I’m going to start with your arms and rip them off one at a time.” She showed me more teeth. “I’ll let you watch while I eat your arms and your legs. Then I’m going to suck your brain out through your eyes, witch bitch.”

  Nice. Okay, then.

  I scrambled to my feet and drew upon the energy gathered in the sigil. It grew along with a buzzing in my ears and a prickling along the back of my neck. I was going to fry that demon.

  “In the name of our Lord Creator,” I chanted, bringing forth the energy and molding it. I shaped it into the effect I was looking for with my thoughts, fiercely picturing the exorcism sigil. “I exorcise you, Demon,” I added fiercely, my stance strong. “Every impure spirit, every demonic power, every incursion of the infernal adversary. I command you.” I raised my right palm and said firmly, “Flee this place! Flee this body! May your power issue forth from her. Be not and be gone!”

  At the words, the energy poured out of me in a rush. There were no lights, no glowing energy or anything else that would cost a special effects company a crapload of money, just a tingling in the air like tiny electrical currents and a burst of wind.

  I staggered as the sigil’s energy roared out of me and almost lost my balance.

  It hit demon-Julia.

  She stumbled back, shock replacing her smile and her features growing distant. She thrashed, her head shaking as she kept muttering the same word, over and over again—no. She froze with a frightening suddenness, and her body eased into relaxation. Then her shoulders shook as she began to laugh.

  “Told you so,” said demon-Julia, a smile in her voice. “Your witch tricks won’t work on me.”

  Damn. This was really not my night. I flicked my gaze back at my sigil. It was fine. Perfect, even drawn under duress. So why hadn’t it worked?

  Breathing hard, I sagged with a bit of tiredness. Channeling so much energy through me was like running a marathon, and a sudden weakness in my limbs made me sway.

  But I wasn’t giving up. Not today. Not ever. And not when a young girl’s life was at stake.

  Jaw clenched, I took a step toward the demon until we were but ten feet apart, focusing on the energy I was still channeling through the sigil.

  I took a shaking breath and said, “In the name of our Lord—”

  A hard burst of energy hit me, sending me across the room. I landed sprawled on my butt with my legs in the air. Not pretty. My head smashed against the ground a moment later, complete with a burst of black spots in my vision and very real pain. My palms curled into claws as I panted through the pain and tasted blood in my mouth. My concentration vanished, and with it, some of my nerve.

  Did I mention this was seriously not my night?

  “You have no power over me, half-breed,” laughed the demon, a sneer to her voice.

  My magic didn’t work. The exorcism that should have released the girl did absolutely nothing. Head pounding like I’d hit it with a sledgehammer, I blinked and rolled over to my side.

  Demon-Julia walked over to me and snarled, “I’m going to feast on your flesh, little witch.”

  Oh. Shit.

  Try it now

  Books By Kim Richardson

  SHADOW AND LIGHT

  Dark Hunt

  Dark Bound

  Dark Rise

  Dark Gift

  Dark Curse

  Dark Angel

  THE DARK FILES

  Spells & Ashes

  Charms & Demons

  Hexes & Flames

  Curses & Blood

  TEEN AND YOUNG ADULT

  SOUL GUARDIANS

  Marked

  Elemental

  Horizon

  Netherworld

  Seirs

  Mortal

  Reapers

  Seals

  THE HORIZON CHRONICLES

  The Soul Thief

  The Helm of Darkness

  The City of Flame and Shadow

  The Lord of Darkness

  MYSTICS SERIES

  The Seventh Sense

  The Alpha Nation

  The Nexus

  DIVIDED REALMS

  Steel Maiden

  Witch Queen

  Blood Magic

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  About the Author

  KIM RICHARDSON is the award-winning author of the bestselling SOUL GUARDIANS series. She lives in the eastern part of Canada with her husband, two dogs and a very old cat. She is the author of the SOUL GUARDIANS series, the MYSTICS series, and the DIVIDED REALMS series. Kim's books are available in print editions, and translations are available in over seven languages.

  To learn more about the author, please visit:

  www.kimrichardsonbooks.com