Witch's Curse (The Bone Coven Chronicles Book 1)
Page 22
I hadn’t wanted to kill him, only bring him back so we could save the world. Of course, the vampires would have only done much worse. In the end, he would suffer less this way, but that knowledge didn’t stop me from wondering just how deep my darkness went.
When the last words of the spell left Laura’s mouth, I stared at my grandmother’s quiet form on the bed, watching the steady rising and falling of her chest. My own breath was held tight in my throat, my fingers gripping Laura’s hand. Everything inside me begged for this to work. I didn’t know what I’d do if, after everything that had happened, this was all for nothing. If it didn’t save her.
Grams coughed, and instantly, I was by her side, my hair curtaining my cheeks as I stared into her face. Her eyes cracked open, and she coughed again. When she met my eyes, she smiled, and my entire body sung with joy. Laura was beside me in a beat. She reached out and grabbed my grandmother’s hand.
“You girls okay?” Grams reached up a hand to her face, and she felt her skin as if she’d never touched it before. “I’m back. You saved me.” Her face fell as she stared at my shirt. I looked down and grimaced at the blood. “Oh, sweetheart. What did you do?”
“It’s a long story, Grams,” I said. “How do you feel? Are you okay?”
Her eyes fluttered, and she yawned. “I’m exhausted. My body feels like it’s been run through a washing machine. Let me get some sleep, and we’ll talk about all of this later.” She paused, face softening, before reaching up a trembling hand to touch my cheek. “Everything is going to be okay now.”
Smiling, I squeezed her hand and held it until she drifted off into a deep and dreamless sleep. But I knew deep down in my gut she wasn’t right. Things had changed in the supernatural world. Nothing was the same now. Our coven leader was dead, and the situation with the vampires was far more tense and uncertain than it had ever been.
We might be okay now, but I didn’t know how long the peace would last.
A knock sounded from a distance, startling me from fitful sleep. In an instant, I was on my feet, dagger out and fingers trembling with shadow magic. Even though Grams and I were safe and sound back in our apartment, I’d been on edge all week, expecting things to explode into a new disaster at any moment.
“Zoe? You in there? It’s me.” A familiar voice called out from the other side of the door. With a sigh, my shoulders relaxed. I’d recognize that voice anywhere. Dorian. I hadn’t seen him since the night in question. Whether that was because he’d been busy with the council or avoiding me, I didn’t know.
“Come in,” I said when I opened the door, ushering him inside. He stood just inside the doorway, glancing around like he hadn’t seen the place in years. “What’s up? How have you been? Weather’s been pretty shitty lately, huh?”
His lips quirked. “Small talk. I didn’t know you had it in you.”
“There you go underestimating me again,” I said.
“You’ve got that backwards. I would never underestimate you, Zoe.”
The two of us stood there, awkwardly staring at each other in silence. I’d been hoping for days that he would stop by, churning through all the things I wanted to say. But now that he was here, my mind was blank and the words weren’t on my tongue. All I could think was…
“I’m sorry,” I said at the exact moment he said the same. With a cock of the head, he laughed, and I did, too.
He strode across the room and tucked his finger underneath my chin. My lips parted, and my stomach flipped. The vampire blood had long since worn off, but the feeling I got around Dorian Kostas hadn’t dimmed in the least. “I wanted to say I’m sorry. For being an ass. For storming off like an idiot when I found out the truth. I remember how it felt when I was trying to hide my vampire nature from you. I know it’s scary, not wanting anyone to find out the truth. Worried about what they’ll think. So, I’m sorry.”
“No.” I shook my head and smiled. “I’m the one who is sorry. I really should have told you. We were partners, after all.”
“Speaking of,” he said. “I have a message from the council. You’ve been nominated by Ben Ackers, who was impressed by how you’ve handled this whole thing. They’d like you to come work for them as an Enforcer.”
“What?” My mouth dropped open.
“You heard me.” His lips broke into a rare grin. “You’d get a salary and everything, though I have to admit it’s not much. You’ve seen my place.”
I couldn’t possibly be hearing this right. Me? Working as an Enforcer for the Bone Coven? A few months ago, I would have said no. There wouldn’t have been a question in my mind. But now it seemed like an impossible thing to turn down. Not only would it help me put food on the table, but I would have a chance to be a part of a world I didn’t even know I’d been missing before.
While the fights and the battles had been dangerous and difficult and scary as hell, I wanted to be there next time something went wrong. I wanted to help.
“They want me? An inexperienced witch?”
Dorian nodded. “They were all very impressed by how you handled things. You would need training though, so you’d be stuck with me for awhile as my partner-in-training.”
Dorian’s partner? It almost sounded too good to be true.
“And what about…you know.” I couldn’t help but ask. “Why didn’t you tell them that I’m a Shadow and not a real member of the coven?”
Dorian sighed and ran a hand down his face. “I’m a vampire. I can’t cast any judgment. And besides, a Shadow wouldn’t have done what you did. They would have tried to join Vincent’s team, just like Professor Wagner did. Thanks to you, the grimoire hunter is now behind magical bars for the rest of his life for helping out a murderer.” Dorian gave me a soft smile. “I’m not going to tell them, if that’s what you’re worried about. Your secret is safe with me.”
“This sounds crazy,” I said with a laugh. “Zoe Bennett, con artist turned Enforcer.”
“I think it has a nice ring to it myself.” He held up a coven badge and raised his eyebrows. “So, what should I tell the council?”
“You know what?” I grabbed the badge and smiled. “I’m in.”
Thank you so much for reading! WITCH’S STORM, book 2, will be out on July 1st. Sign up to my newsletter to get notified on release day and receive an exclusive free story about how Zoe got her coven mark. Happy reading!
About the Author
Jenna Wolfhart is a Buffy-wannabe who lives vicariously through the kick-ass heroines in urban fantasy. After completing a PhD in Librarianship, she became a full-time author and can't believe she gets to spend her days typing the fantastical stories in her head. When she's not writing, she loves to stargaze, binge Netflix, and drink copious amounts of coffee.
Born and raised in America, Jenna now lives in England with her partner, her dog, and her hamster.
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