Renegade Witch: An Urban Fantasy Reverse Harem Romance (Sanctum of Witches Book 1)

by T. S. Bishop

  I heard footsteps coming toward me and ducked down, hoping that I looked too busy to be bothered, but that didn’t work. A pair of sneaker clad feet stopped right next to me.

  “So this is where you’re hiding,” Dominic said in his quiet, accepting voice.

  “I’m not hiding,” I said automatically, making room for him on the base so he could sit as well. “Well, I might be sort of hiding,” I admitted after a moment of non-judgmental silence.

  “You know, if we overwhelmed you, you’d just need to say—“

  “No, it’s not that, I was just feeling like I needed some space—“

  “You didn’t let me finish,” Dominic said, cocking his head to the right. “I was going to say—you should feel free to tell us to fuck off whenever. We wouldn’t be offended. We are going to spend the rest of our lives together, however short they might be, so you’d better train us to give you privacy starting now.”

  That surprised a chuckle out of me.

  “Thanks,” I said, looking down at my feet, and then sideways at Dominic. He wasn’t so good looking that meeting him would strike you dumb, like Adrian, and he wasn’t full of bubbling enthusiasm and sweetness, like Noah.

  He was just…surprisingly kind, and picked up on my feelings and had the reassuring aura of someone you could trust to be steady in a crisis or help you if things got rough. And those qualities made me pay more attention to him, and how he almost seemed to glow when the light hit his face at a certain angle, and how he would look contemplative and a little sad when he thought nobody was watching, or how hard he tried to act like his leg didn’t bother him…

  “What’s the deal with the Sanctum, anyway?” I asked, more out of a desire to get out of my own head than anything else. I didn’t need to fall down the rabbit hole of catching feelings for a guy who was probably unavailable.

  “Noah would probably be a better person to ask about this, since he’s the history geek, but I’ll give it a go. About a hundred of years ago, when Chicago was being terrorized by demons, bodies kept showing up…bodies of men, woman and children, and they were all apparently in horrifying condition.”

  “How bad was it?” I asked quietly.

  “I don’t know exactly what happened,” Dominic said, staring at his hands. “They taught us about it when we were kids at the Sanctum’s academy, but they wouldn’t tell us what happened to the bodies because they said it would give us nightmares. So stories started going around about the attacks, and this group of witches out in the country heard about it and decided that they wanted to help. They were led by Vindicta the Wrathful, but I think back then she was still known by her original name. She arrived in the city when it was still in a state of panic from the demon attacks, and the people obviously didn’t take kindly to being visited by a group of women who rumor had it were witches. They were kicked out of their boarding house and took shelter in an old, run-down church and started hunting the demons down,” his voice grew quieter so I had to strain to hear him.

  “Methods back then were nothing like what we have now, and it was considerably more dangerous to witches and their Bloodsworn to attempt to kill demons, but that didn’t stop them. In the weeks that it took them to hunt down the demons, Vindicta and her witches came up with a lot of the techniques and protocols that we still use today. It was a period of amazing discoveries and advances in magical practice. But many of her witches died. Her cover started out with a dozen able witches, and by the time the city was safe, they were down to just seven.’”

  “I don’t understand—they demons were able to kill that many witches?” I said, shocked. That seemed like an awfully high mortality rate.

  “It was a dark time,” Dominic said heavily, “It was the greatest concentration of high level demons that had ever been seen in America, at least according to the records. But they got rid of them in the end. By which time the people of the city were suitably grateful that their husbands and wives and children were no longer being torn to bits, so they were gifted the crappy church they were squatting in.”

  “Some gratitude.”

  “Well, it wasn’t nothing,” Dominic pointed out, “And it turned out to be a valuable asset in the end. Vindicta decided to stay and install the first Sanctum here.”

  “But…this one isn’t run down or crappy.”

  “Magic has its benefits, one of them being that DIY takes far less time and resources.”

  “See, you should have led with that when you were trying to recruit me.”

  “An oversight on our part. We should have mentioned that we’re a fancy, magical Home Depot,” Dominic said gravely, “And so, that was how the first Sanctum in the U.S. was established. Of course, Vindicta went on to remove the memories of all the people who had ever met the witches or lost their loved ones to demons, and hid the Sanctum itself behind a veil so deep that no mortal could see through it, so the only evidence of our existence was lost except for rumors that were easily discredited.”

  “She kept herself busy, this Vindicta.”

  “She was our great and fearless leader. She was killing demons until the week before she died, too. She was a force to be reckoned with.”

  “Still, it’s too bad. Nobody knows how much the city owes its witches.”

  “Which is probably a good thing,” Dominic said, “Or we’d be called in by every nutter who thinks they saw a demon in their slow cooker.”

  I giggled. “And then witches started coming to the Sanctum from far and wide?”

  “Yep, until we were large enough that we could have a Sanctum in every significant city. And we’ve a lot more people than seven witches and their Bloodsworn, so each Sanctum has its own academy and training center and Archive. And there’s a Council for arbitration of disagreements and implementing our laws.”

  “Wow, that seems complicated.”

  “It’s not,” he assured me, “I’ve been a member for years and it’s not likely that you’ll be involved with the Council’s activities for decades.”

  “You’re on the Council? You seem a bit young.”

  “My family died a few years after I was born, so I’m the head of my house until my line produces another witch,” Dominic explained, “I have a seat on the Council—I haven’t been active, but I could be if I wanted to. They wouldn’t dream of getting rid of me. Noah’s parents are on the Council as well. They’re Archivists—two of the best in the country. They’re valuable assets to the Sanctum. And Adrian’s family is descended directly from one of the Bloodsworn of Vindicta herself. His line is littered with some of the most famous witches of our history. Without Adrian’s family, the Sanctum probably wouldn’t exist.”

  “Nobody told me I was in the company of royalty,” I said, amused. Most of what Dominic was saying flew over my head, honestly. I did understand that he, Noah and Adrian were well connected and from important families in the Sanctum.

  “Is it weird for you guys that I’m nobody?” I asked suddenly, “Were you expecting, like, someone equally high status?”

  “No,” Dominic said at once, and I knew he was lying. My head drooped unhappily on my knee as he continued, “A witch is a witch no matter what. Bloodlines and status only matter to certain people too busy with the poisonous intrigue of the Sanctum to remember our original duty—to keep the people safe from demons.”

  “I guess I’m going to have to face those people at some point,” I said, half-hoping that he would contradict me. But he didn’t.

  “You’re the most interesting thing to happen to the Sanctum in years,” he said instead, clear green eyes meeting mine, “They’re going to find you fascinating. You said you were abandoned in a hospital as a baby?”

  “Yes, but I’m not having a heart to heart with you right now,” I said flatly. “I’m like an emotional hedgehog. You try to get me to talk about my feelings and I curl right up and jab you with my needle bits.”

  “Well, that sounds like a euphemism,” said a figure outlined in light from the far side of
the corridor.

  Dominic and I both jumped. We were so wrapped up in our conversation that we hadn’t heard anyone coming.

  Even without being able to see his face, I would recognize that outline of tousled hair anywhere.

  “Adrian,” I said, getting up and brushing imaginary dust off my pants.

  “Yeah,” he said, coming up to me and darting a complicated look at Dominic, who immediately made a show of looking at his watch and saying goodnight.

  “You didn’t have to come looking for me,” I said, as we listened to Dominic’s footsteps fade away. He tilted his head to the side, and the shadows made his face look like something out of an illustration: all pools of darkness and peaks of moonlit glow. His eyes were completely enveloped.

  “I just wanted to make sure you didn’t get lost,” he said.

  “This place is like a maze. I totally got lost, but Dominic found me,” I said.

  His name hung heavily in the air between us. I wanted to say something to defuse the tension that I wasn’t sure existed, when—

  “I’m glad he found you,” Adrian said, sounding cheerful. “Good talk?”

  “Yeah, I think so,” I said, relieved, “No offense but your recruiting spiel could use some work. If you’d told me that I could do cool shit like I’m on magical HGTV, you would’ve hooked me a lot sooner.”

  Adrian threw his head back and laughed.

  “I’ll have them update the brochures,” he said, as he led us down identical looking corridors with his purposeful stride.

  “I didn’t realize I was in the presence of Sanctum royalty,” I added innocently, “Or I would have curtsied in your presence. I hope you’re not offended.”

  “Oh my god,” Adrian groaned, “What did Dom end up telling you?”

  “Nothing,” I said, faux-surprised, “Just that you’re descended from someone extremely famous and your family’s on the Council, which sounds a little ominous to be completely honest and I kind of suspect that they’re a little bit evil.”

  “Wait till you meet the Council and find out what they really do, instead of hearing it from Dominic or me,” Adrian suggested, “And the same goes for me. Why don’t you decide who I am yourself, instead of listening to Dominic? He’s biased himself, you know?”

  We stopped near a door.

  “Are we here?” I asked, looking at it uncertainly. “Do I knock, or--?”

  Just then, Hannah emerged from the same door and spotted us.

  “Hey,” she said, smiling warmly at me, “I was wondering if you’d show. Adele asked me to assign you a bunk and some pyjamas. Welcome to the barracks. Or as I like to call them, the Caven.”

  Chapter 10

  “Hey Hannah!” I said, surprised and touched, “Good pun. Thanks for waiting up for me.”

  “No problem,” she said, and turned to Adrian with a raised eyebrow.

  “I was just…going,” he said, backing away with his arms upraised.

  “That’s what I thought,” she said with a slight smirk, pushing the door open to let me in.

  “No boys allowed in the dorms,” she explained, leading me through a hallway with doors on either side that seemed to lead to either bedrooms or dormitories, “You get assigned based on your rank. As a trainee, you’re going to have to share. Sorry about that.”

  “It’s all right, I’m not picky,” I said, “But is this going to be a permanent thing? I have an apartment in the outside world, and my lease runs till August of next year.”

  “I actually don’t know a whole lot about that,” Hannah admitted, “I don’t think we’ve ever had someone join us with ties to the outside world, and so late in life. Do you want to keep your apartment?”

  “I’m not attached to it or anything. I have some stuff that I’d like to bring back here if I can. Clothes and personal stuff.”

  “We can arrange for someone to bring everything here. And if you want to break the lease, the Sanctum has a team of lawyers who’d be happy to take care of it for you. Once you earn your own quarters, you’ll be impressed with the amenities. They’re pretty opulent. Witches aren’t known for having austere taste.”

  “Really? That’s good to know. And impressive that you have lawyers on retainer.”

  “Oh yes, we’ve survived in secret for so long only by having liaisons to the civilian world who are at the top of their field. Well, here’s your assigned bunk.”

  It was a neat-looking twin bed, already made with crisp white sheets and a fluffy pillow, one of a row of identical looking ones. I had a nightstand with a lamp and a dresser for my things.

  “It’s pretty bare bones,” Hannah said apologetically, “But once you move up the ranks—and you already have your Bloodsworn, so that should be easy—they should give you your own suite pretty quickly.”

  “Oh I’ve slept in way worse,” I said brightly, “A twin bed with clean sheets isn’t really the height of suffering.”

  “It’ll be fun when the new recruits come in,” Hannah said, looking over at the empty beds, “They’re still living at home right now, but they get here after the winter when term starts. You’re going to have your own customized schedule, of course.”

  “Of course,” I agreed blankly, “Does that mean I get one on one lessons? Because I’d hate that.”

  Hannah laughed, “I don’t think anybody knows for sure,” she said apologetically, sitting on the edge of my bed. I sat down beside her.

  “How long have you been at the Sanctum?” I asked curiously.

  “Oh, since I was a baby,” she said cheerfully, “My parents died in a skirmish when I was six months old, and I’ve been here ever since. Adele—you’ve met her, obviously—she’s my foster mother.”

  “She seems…tough,” I said diplomatically. I was thinking about how many orphans there seemed to be in the Sanctum, although nobody was directly talking about it. Dominic’s parents were dead, and Hannah’s too, and those were just out of the people I’d met today.

  “She has her moments,” Hannah agreed, “But being on the Council is stressful work.”

  “I keep hearing about this Council,” I said, “But nobody’s being clear about what it is or does, really.”

  “Hmm…well, they’re a group of elders who decide what’s good for the Sanctum and defend us from the demons,” Hannah said, frowning into the distance, “And I guess they…suggest matches between eligible scions from different houses? And maintain wards, that’s a big part of it, because it takes a lot out of you and only senior witches have that kind of power. Ingram’s the only non-witch on the Council, and he’s the youngest we’ve ever seen ascend to the rank of Pathfinder.”

  “Ingram?” I said, biting my lip, “Nobody’s ever mentioned him to me.”

  “Nathan Ingram,” she said nodding, “He’s the boss, he calls the shots, etc. He was the one who authorized Adele to initiate a retrieval mission for you.”

  “Really?” I said, raising an eyebrow, “I didn’t think something like this would involve the higher ups.”

  “Well, Nathan’s more hands on than most, and I think you’re underestimating what a big deal catching your trace was. For years there were rumors swirling around about your Bloodsworn and their missing witch. A lot of people thought you were dead.”

  “Damn,” I said, hugging my knees, “I didn’t know it was such a big deal.”

  “Oh yeah. You probably don’t know this either, but they used to send teams to look for you a few years ago. It was kind of controversial, because some people thought it was a waste of Sanctum resources, and they shut it down after a while. That was an unpopular decision, let me tell you. It got Avery Williamson booted out of the Pathfinder office after two years because of a vote of no confidence which was a record—it’s the first time that happened in about two hundred years.”

  “Wow,” I said, “I had no idea.”

  “Oh yeah. It used to be a—I wouldn’t call it trendy, but it was an easy way to score points to talk about bringing back the Missing Wi
tch. Now things have changed, and people are way more worried about the demon infestation in the city. So actually he might have lost some political currency with the rest of the Council, who think that it’s more important to vanquish the demons than to find a wayward witch—their words, by the way,” she added hastily, “Not mine.”

  “I feel like I’ve been dropped into a really complicated world,” I groaned letting my head fall back onto the mattress with a thunk, and starfishing on the tiny bed. “And it sounds like I owe this Nathan Ingram big time. Do witches have blood debts? Do I have to sacrifice my life for his immortality if he asks?” Hannah giggled.

  “Adele says without politics you’re only half a witch,” Hannah explained, sounding matter of fact about the whole thing, “But if you want to stay out of it, I’m sure you’ll be able to. I don’t think you’ll have time to worry about anything other than your training, anyway.”

  “Is it going to be really hard?” I asked with trepidation.

  “Well,” Hannah said in a sing song voice, clearly stalling, “It could be worse,” she said, spotting the look on my face, “You could be training to be a Bloodsworn.”

  “How is that worse?”

  “Well, they need to be good with weapons, because they’ll be defending you from external attacks. But you—as a witch, you are the weapon, so if you’re fighting, it won’t be with swords or knives. It’ll be with actual magic, which is more efficient anyway. Plus, your Bloodsworn have to do the dirty work of getting rid of demon corpses. If you touch them it taints your magic.”

  I thought about the sticky residue left on my hand after attempting to shake Araminta’s hand and shuddered.

  “That sounds…unpleasant,” I said, wrinkling my nose, “I thought it would be like in those tv shows, where they just turn to ash or disappear when you stake them.”