by Cece Rose
Witch prison is a whole extra level compared to the cushy stay that humans get when incarcerated. Witches, shifters, fae, and anything else with magic flowing through them that break the law go to The Tomb, and I couldn’t let her go there, it’s not a place where any white witch belongs. Filled with the most brutal and cruel black witches, so dark even the black covens won’t take them. They’re so twisted that the only solution is to cut them off from all of their magic, and to isolate them completely. There is no such thing as visitation in the tomb. Only darkness. Or so the rumours go. Nobody that comes out is able to talk about their time there. All that people seem to know for sure is that it’s bad, it’s underground, and you’re locked in with no chance of escape until your sentence is up. Nobody comes out the same.
“Kayla?” I hear from behind me. I turn around quickly, my eyes darting up to look at Darren.
“What?” I ask.
“Are you sure you should be back here already?” he asks, reaching out and settling his hand on my shoulder. “You still haven’t explained everything that happened that night to me. Maybe you need some more time away from this place, to process what went down. I can’t imagine how hard it must have been for you to find that Lizzy—”
“She said she didn’t do it,” I interrupt, cutting him off abruptly.
He gives me a pained look. “I’m sure she said that, and I know you’d want to believe that, but even Rhydian thinks—”
“I don’t care what Rhydian thinks!” I snap. I look down, noticing how much my hands are trembling. I cross my arms, trying to hide it. I can feel eyes on me from every direction, and I realise that I may have snapped a little loud. “I’m sorry,” I say, trying to keep calm this time.
“It’s okay. I know you’re dealing with stuff. I’m sorry for pushing you. I’m here if and when you want to talk.” He gives me a small smile, but the concern in his eyes is easy to read. I spot Clive over Darren’s shoulder, and the fury lights back up inside of me.
“I need to go, I’ll talk to you later,” I mumble, pushing past him to approach my boss. He sees me coming and pauses.
“Kayla, great to see you back!” he says cheerfully.
“Fuck you,” I snap, rolling my eyes at his fake attitude.
“What?” He freezes, looking at me completely bewildered.
“I said, ‘fuck you,” I repeat, louder this time, drawing looks from everyone around me, not that I care today.
“I understand you’ve been under a lot of—”
“Shut up,” I say, cutting him off. He chokes on his words, clearly taken completely by surprise at how I’m speaking to him.
“Are you okay, Kayla?” Darren asks quietly from behind me.
“Never better,” I answer loudly. I pull out an envelope from my back pocket and shove it at Clive. He takes it from me, stepping back.
“What’s this?” he asks, stumbling a little over his words.
“That’s my resignation, asshole. And no, I won’t be working my notice period. You can suck it, and you can fuck your job. I’d rather be anywhere than here,” I tell him. He stands there, completely speechless. Everyone in the entire office is watching at this point. “Well, it was great to see you,” I say mockingly, before turning on my heel and heading for the stairs. I’m too bursting with energy to take the lift down.
I reach the ground floor, and walk quickly through the reception area and out into the morning sunshine. I let out a deep breath, and relax against the side of the building for a minute.
“Bit early for a break?” newbie asks me as he leans against the wall next to me.
“Well, I just quit. So it’s the perfect time for a break,” I reply, turning to look at Gideon. “What’s your excuse?”
“Funnily enough, I just quit too. Not a good day to be Clive, huh? One dead manager, one employee missing, and two that just quit. I doubt we’ll be the last either.”
“It really isn’t a good day for him.” I smile deviously.
“What’s that smile for?” he asks curiously.
“Karma kicking that idiot’s ass. I’m feeling good about this,” I answer. I have no regrets about my decision to quit, none.
“Well, good luck finding a new job.” He stands up straight and looks me in the eyes. I notice that his are green for the first time. A striking green that really pulls you in. “I’ll see you soon, sweetheart.”
I stand frozen for a few moments as he walks away. My suspicions grow, and although I feel like I’m going a little crazy, I run after him. I need to be sure. He’s darted across the busy road, and I run down on my side of it to try and keep him in my sights. A bus drives past, cutting him out of my view for a few precious seconds and he’s gone. I cast my gaze up and down that side of the road, not spotting him anywhere in the crowds of people. I sigh, turning around to head home.
My eyes widen as I look down the pavement on my side of the road. Rhydian’s standing at the end of it, in the exact clothes newbie had been wearing seconds ago. He smiles at me knowingly, before moving on and easily disappearing into the crowd.
That sneaky fae bastard. Why the hell would he pretend to be a nervous wreck of a new employee here? Why would he even want to go anywhere near this place? None of this makes any sense.
Another thought suddenly hits me like a ton of bricks. If he was Gideon, he knew exactly who I was all along. He knew who I was when he ran into me in the store. He knew everything, and he acted exactly as he did anyway. It was all premeditated, thought out and planned exactly how he wanted it to be. I just fell right into his trap.
He better hope that I don’t see him soon. Looks like I won’t be giving up Grandma’s grimoire just yet after all.
The story continues in Book Two of The Grey Witch Series, White Charms and Dark Secrets.
Coming soon.
Follow Cece on Facebook or Amazon to make sure you don’t miss out, as no pre-order is available at this time!
About the Author
Cece Rose is the proud owner of one dog, four turtles, and one annoying boyfriend.
She hails from Devon in the South-West of England, but dreams of sunny skies and sand between her toes. Although, whenever abroad, she will moan about the heat and the sand that gets everywhere.
She has largely convinced all who know her that she’s a vampire, mainly due to her nocturnal habits and tendency to bite. In reality, it’s because her creativity only ever strikes when the sky is dark and the stars are shining. (Plus, it’s actually quiet enough to concentrate on writing.)
You can follow Cece on Facebook, Instagram, and Amazon. She’d also love it if you’d join her Facebook reader group, The Demon Den. It’s the best place to keep up with all her new releases, giveaways, and teasers.
Also By
The Grey Witch Series
Black Spells and Twisted Souls
White Charms and Dark Secrets (Coming August/September 2018)
Grey Magic and Forbidden Love (TBA)
The Marked Series (With G. Bailey)
Marked by Power
Marked by Pain
Marked by Destruction
The Desdemona Chronicles
A Demon’s Blade
A Demon’s Debt
An Angel’s Defiance (Release Date TBA)
Souls of Creatures
Vengeance (Set in the same world as The Grey Witch Series - Christina’s story.)
The Last Siren’s Song Trilogy
Blood Sea
Blood Song (Coming September 2018)
Blood Moon (Coming November 2018)
Standalone Titles:
Snowflake (Steamy RH Winter Romance Novella.)
Imaginary (Standalone Novella - Coming soon.)
Spotted Her First
Emma Dean
Please continue reading for a short sample from Spotted Her First, by Emma Dean!
Spotted Her First is a standalone paranormal reverse-harem romance.
Spotted Her First
Chapter One
Piper checked the spine of the book again and then slid it into place. She sighed and climbed down the ladder carefully. One more hour and she could close the library. Sometimes she regretted taking the night shift, but it was always so much quieter.
Every night at eleven she closed up and went straight home, even on Fridays. Piper didn’t have a life outside her research, Cat Solo, and her dance classes. And she preferred it that way. The excitement of history was far more interesting to her than real life.
Libraries were always the quietest on Friday nights. It was actually her favorite time to work. Something about the silence and the books felt almost holy – like a gateway to another universe, or reality. Sometimes when she read about those days in Egypt so, so long ago it felt like it wasn’t even real, like those stories were from another planet or perhaps just made up.
The Hellenistic Period had stolen her heart and Sacramento State had the entire Tsakopoulos Hellenic Collection. It was a strange obsession she’d had ever since her father did one of those spit swab things where you find out your true ancestry.
When she was fifteen years old Piper learned she was descended from Cleopatra VII herself and so began her obsession with Alexander the Great, Ptolemy I, Marc Antony, and Cleopatra.
She checked the remaining books in the cart, mentally checking off what needed to be done before she could leave. Piper pulled the cart along with her and let her mind drift as she so often did. After she’d gotten her Bachelor’s in Library Science she’d gone back for a Master’s in History, and then finally her PhD. Her thesis was centered on whether Cleopatra truly did kill herself or not – a story told by her conqueror which made it suspicious. But there was just not enough information, not enough proof.
Piper sighed. Maybe she should change her thesis again. Her true interest was the love story between Marc Antony and Cleopatra, but it wasn’t something she could really write a thesis on.
No one risked their life for love anymore and that made her melancholy. A ‘daydreamer’ as her father said. Her dad was the practical and logical one. He was always reminding her that real life had to be dealt with whether she liked it or not.
It was because of him she owned a gun. Having a cop dad had never made her dating life easy, but Piper didn’t care. Her dad was better than any stupid guy. Whenever she had the urge to date again it was quickly squashed by some dumb frat boy testing her patience.
The doors to the library swung wide open and Piper jumped at the sudden sound. She checked her watch with a frown. No one came in this late to the library on a Friday night.
“Are you sure this is the right place?” someone asked. He sounded…like velvet and brandy.
It was the stupidest thought Piper had ever had in her life and she’d certainly had some doozies. But there was no better way to describe the soft male voice that seemed to drift through her library like smoke.
“The witch said it was,” another man said. These voices were definitely not the boys she was used to. They were deep, gruff, and somehow sensual.
Piper frowned at the word ‘witch.’ Moving silently through the stacks Piper positioned herself so she could see who was in her library so late at night.
“I’m going to find her first,” one taunted.
“Oh no you aren’t, I am.”
“You’re mistaken if you think either of you are faster than me.”
What the heck were they talking about? Whatever it was she didn’t like the sound of it. Either they were searching for one of the students…or her. Neither sounded very safe. Piper cursed herself for being so far from her desk and the taser she kept in her purse.
Slowly she moved deeper into the shadowy stacks, keeping to the back. She just wanted to get out of the library without any confrontation. She didn’t know what these guys had planned, but she wasn’t stupid enough to wait and find out.
At least there were multiple exits. Piper pulled her phone out of her pocket and made sure it was on silent. She could text security but her dad would be there faster. She sent off a quick text and asked him to come to the library. It was difficult to ask him to come pick her up early without setting off his panic. But his patrol was in her area. It was the safest way.
Piper may not have anything on her person to defend herself with, but her dad had always said anything could be a weapon. She grabbed the heaviest book she could find in hardback. It wouldn’t do much but it would disorient an attacker.
So many years of self-defense classes and days at the gun range that she’d absolutely hated. Her father had insisted. Piper had never been so grateful for Dad’s bullheaded insistence in her life.
The voices stopped suddenly and Piper went still, cocking her head to try and figure out where the men had gone off to. The library was massive. They could be anywhere.
“Spotted her first, boys. I win,” a deep, rolling voice said from directly behind her.
Piper gasped and whirled around. The man before her was definitely like no one she’d ever seen before. Well, not in real life. He looked like he should be a model with his jade-green eyes and tanned skin. His blond-brown hair was thick and gorgeous, but it was his presence that had her captivated.
Then her senses came back to her. Piper hurled the book at his face as hard as she could and let out a little screech.
So much for leaving without them noticing, and they were definitely looking for her.
Piper took off running. It was difficult to keep tabs on them while she ran blindly through the library stacks for the exit. She looked over her shoulder and then slammed into something rock hard.
“Careful there,” one of those seductive voices told her.
Piper looked up into the most beautiful brown eyes she’d ever seen. They were light brown and had a bit of red in them, like amber. His teeth were white against his dark skin when he smiled at her, but it did nothing to relieve her fear.
She didn’t know what these men wanted with her, but there were three of them and only one of her. And they were huge. It would be best to ask questions later – preferably with other people around. Her heart pounded in her chest and despite how mesmerized by him she was – her instinct to flee was stronger. She brought her knee up into his groin without even thinking.
Instantly the man released her with a curse and she took off.
Piper ducked down row, but another man with ice blue eyes and blond hair stared at her like he knew exactly where she’d planned to go. She was frozen in place as she stared at him. He was too beautiful to be real, but the way he walked towards her…this man had the same presence as the other two. It was more of a prowl than a walk and it left her weak in the knees and breathless.
The way she was attracted to them made absolutely no sense to her. Piper wanted to stop and get to know them, but that more than anything was what scared her. When was the last time she wanted to talk to any guy, let alone three? It felt like a trap.
The blond man moved toward her and Piper grabbed every book her hands touched and hurled them at him, screeching and generally making as much noise as she could. Maybe someone would hear her and come see what all the racket was about.
Piper had heard the horror stories before about rapes and such. She refused to be another victim.
“Christ woman, would you stop?” he yelled.
“We’re not here to hurt you,” another yelled from somewhere within the library stacks.
They may be telling the truth but Piper was done. This was too weird.
She ran in a different direction. Her purse didn’t matter. A taser wouldn’t work on all three of them, not in time. She ran as fast as her legs could carry her until she hit one of the exits, listening as the three men behind her cursed and pounded after her.
Someone in a security uniform grabbed her before she hit the opposite wall. “Miss, are you all right?”
Piper shoved her hair from her face and tried to get enough breath to talk. “Yeah I’m fine,” she gasped, trying to catch he
r breath. She pointed back at the library. “There are three guys following me though and I don’t know what they want.”
The security guard frowned and pulled her with him. “I’ll take you somewhere safe and then I’ll call in back up.”
She nodded numbly. Piper prayed her dad would be there soon. She didn’t want to hear his mouth about the hours she kept, but she wanted to see him. Her dad always made her feel safe even if it was just her overactive imagination.
“Hey!”
Piper’s heart leapt into her throat when she heard one of those men. She whirled around and hid behind the security guard who refused to let go of her.
“Sir, I’m going to have to ask you to vacate the premises,” the security guard said. “Or I’m going to call the cops.”
The other two popped out of the library next and Piper squeaked. All three of them were huge and muscled. Definitely not the average Sac State college boys.
All three of them froze when they saw the security guard. Piper watched them sniff the air and she frowned. These guys were so strange. Thank goodness she’d found someone who could help her.
“Get away from her,” the green-eyed one growled.
Piper took another step back. It looked like a fight was about to start and she wanted no part of it, but the security guard wouldn’t release her. “Please, I just want to get out of here.”
Instead of removing his hand from her wrist it tightened painfully and a flash of fear went through her.