Calder Witch Boxset (Paranormal Vampire Romance): Books 1-4

by Martha Woods

  Before the regret could sink in, Kristian was in front of her. “You do not talk to her like that,” he snapped, getting in her face. “You need to remember that we didn’t have to spare your life. Tessa and Veronica opted to save you when I would have much preferred to have not. This isn’t some sort of punishment for you. This is proving you aren’t like that wretched hag you trekked into our lives with. Got it?”

  As if she could have forgotten that.

  Jared was between them, gently pushing Kristian to step back. “This isn’t you, Kris. You’re overreacting.”

  “Excuse me?” Kristian snapped, glaring hard at him. He opened his mouth to yell at Jared.

  Then, before a single syllable could slip from Kristian’s lips, Tessa placed a hand on Kristian’s chest. “Jared is right, Kristian. You’re just on edge with everything going on. It’s okay… Relax,” Tessa purred to him.

  The tension in the room immediately dissipated, Kristian’s emerald green eyes softening as he peered down at his love. His arms snaked around her, pulling her into an embrace and taking in a deep breath. Calla could tell her very presence calmed the vampire, even if she was what he stayed so on edge about. It was endearing, sort of. Kristian looked back to Calla and then averted his eyes, “I’m sorry I snapped. Be more patient with her, and we won’t have any problems. You yourself said this typically takes years of training.”

  “I know, I’m sorry,” Calla muttered.

  Reluctantly, Kristian withdrew from Tessa, pressing a kiss to her head before moving back over to the chairs. Calla’s eyes went to Jared, locking eyes with him and mouthing “thank you”. The corner of his lip twitched into a faint smile before turning and following Kristian. Refocusing her thoughts, Calla tried to think over her exhaustion to properly train Tessa.

  Getting Tessa into the same position as before, Calla stood next to her and reiterated. “Find your spot on the wall… Do you have it?” she asked. Tessa nodded. “Okay, good. Now, this is going to sound silly, but I swear it works. Think of the thing that enrages you most, something that truly gets your blood boiling without a drop of love or compassion in your soul for it. Let it take over your mind. Think of every single detail about it. If it’s a person, think of how they wronged you. How it felt when they did. The look in their eye, the sound of their voice or laughter. Even the smell of them… Consume your senses in it. Now, use that anger and channel it into the flame. The anger is your fire, and that spot on the wall is what pisses you off.”

  Tessa’s face fell into a grimace as she truly gave herself to the exercise. Her nostrils flared and her brow knitted together. Then, there was a flash of light. A brilliant orange flame shot from Tessa’s hand and lashed out at the wall. A black streak marking the wall was the proof that she had successfully done it. “Oh my god!” Tessa squealed happily. She grabbed Calla’s shoulders, practically bouncing up and down she was so happy. “I did it! I can’t believe it! I really didn’t think I was going to be able to.”

  “It’s amazing, Tessa,” Calla nodded. “I’ve never seen someone catch on this fast. Your mother would be proud.”

  Tessa’s smile was brilliant, her eyes gleaming, “Really?” she breathed.

  Calla returned the smile with ease, “Really.”

  She let Tessa practice the fire lash, wanting to make sure she had it down pat just in case she needed it in the fight. Calla stood back, wanting to give her room. Her tired eyes tried their best to stay focused on what Tessa was doing, but the room was starting to double and triple. She shook her head repeatedly, as though she could shake the fatigue.

  After several successful attempts, Tessa turned to Calla with an excited expression, “So what is next?”

  “Now… now we’ll…” Calla mumbled, trying to pull her thoughts together as her ears started to ring. “We’ll…”

  Calla… Can you hear me? We’re on our way to you. Don’t you worry.

  Flora? They… they were on their way? Why? How had they found her? What were they planning? The sudden thoughts overloaded Calla’s brain. It was too much to process on top of everything else. Just like that, Calla’s body seemed to call it quits for her. Her legs gave out from underneath her, colliding with the concrete. Then everything went black.

  * * *

  Calla groaned as she finally came to. Her olive eyes opened a sliver, immediately recognizing that she was in her bedroom. What had happened? As she started to sit up, there was a cold hand on her shoulder. Glancing up, she found Jared sat next to her, watching her intently. “Take it easy,” he breathed to her, holding out a hand with a couple of pills. “For your head.”

  She plucked them from his hand and turned to find a glass of water sitting on the bedside table. Calla took the pills and then took in a few sips of water, finding herself to be parched. “How long was I out?” she asked, rubbing her throat.

  “Just a few hours,” he replied. “What happened down there?” he asked earnestly.

  Placing the water back down, Calla shrugged, “I don’t know…”

  “Calla,” Jared challenged, calling her out on her lie. “I’ve been watching you for a while now. I know you don’t just randomly pass out.”

  “Maybe I do, and I just haven’t until now,” she grumbled, knowing it was a weak argument. Calla didn’t even have to look at him to know he was glaring at her. She nibbled on her lip.

  “You can tell me,” he assured her.

  Calla let out a loud sigh, her eyes already starting to water as the events leading up to her blacking out coming back to her. “I haven’t really slept at all the last couple of days. I suppose my body just gave out…”

  “Why haven’t you been able to sleep?” Jared asked quietly. She shrugged. “You need to talk about it. Clearly, it’s getting in the way of you being able to function. Just tell me.”

  She let out a few even breaths, trying to keep herself collected. Maybe Jared was right that it would help her to talk about it. “My sister, Flora… She reached out to me the night before last. Sister witches share a unique bond. No one quite understands why, but sisters can… direct thoughts at one another, as long as they are open to reading thoughts. Most of the time, I have thoughts blocked. So I guess she had to try and wait for me to sleep since the mind is more susceptible then. It really upset me so I couldn’t sleep the rest of the night. Then, knowing I have to reach out to them sometime today… it kept me up last night. I’ve already told you how much I don’t want to do that. I know it’s inevitable, but it doesn’t make it any easier…” Tears built up in her eyes, a few spilling over. Calla knew she was being a baby. It shouldn’t be such a big deal, but she couldn’t help it. It had been a weird, stressful, and life-changing couple of weeks.

  Two cool arms wrapped around her, Jared pulling her into her chest. His large hands slowly rubbed her back, as though to tell her without saying a word, that it was okay to let it out. And Calla did. For the first time since it all began, Calla let herself weep. Tears freely poured from her eyes as she buried her face in his chest.

  Jared let her cry without saying a word until her sobs finally started to ease. His chin rested on the top of her head, his fingers slowly combing through her fiery red curls. “I can’t say I know how it is to face your clan after pledging allegiance to Tessa, and being tricked be Deidre… But I know the sickening feeling that comes along with trying to decide whether or not to see your family again,” he breathed to her.

  “You do?” Calla asked meekly.

  He nodded, still holding her close. “My final day as a human, I was wondering around the woods alone at night, trying to find my brother. I heard his voice off in the distance and started toward it. As I approached where I thought he had been, his voice was gone. Before I knew it, I was attacked by a beast, which I later found out was a shapeshifter. Ally happened to be hunting in the area at the time. She stumbled into the scene, killed the shifter, and changed me into a vampire to save my life. Ally took me to her small cabin in the middle of the woods, fed me,
and took care of me while I transformed.

  “When I came out of it, I wanted to go back to my family. They had taken care of me my entire life, even though they could hardly care for themselves given the circumstances. Ally warned me, though. Being a newborn vampire, I could kill them without meaning to. Instincts could take over just at a whiff of their blood. She also told me how painful a goodbye would be. They either wouldn’t understand why I was leaving, or they would figure out I was a monster and hate me. Ally gave me the option, but I couldn’t do it. I never saw my mother or brothers and sisters again.

  “To repay Ally for saving me, I devoted myself to her services. I’ve served loyally at her side for nearly one-hundred-and-ninety years. I owe her my life.” Calla’s crying had eased to silent tears rolling down her cheeks. She gazed up at Jared from his chest and saw his pale blue eyes glossing with emotions. “So, I know what it’s like to have to give up your family, and then devote your life to someone else. It’ll be hard for a while, but you’ll come to accept it. You’re strong, even if you don’t think so.”

  Calla’s heart thumped in her chest, in awe of the heartache and compassion of his story. She could see in his eyes that he was reliving it like it was yesterday. The temptation to peek into his thoughts weighed on her, but Calla didn’t dare betray his trust. Jared amazed her. The man made of stone was gradually showing he truly had a soft side. He was staring down into her eyes, searching them for something, Calla wasn't sure what. Calla gave a weak smile, meekly joking, “Do you say that to all the girls?”

  Jared’s hands cradled her face then, his thumbs gingerly brushing her tears away. “I've never told anyone that,” he admitted in a husky whisper.

  Calla’s eyes widened slightly from awe. He was sharing with her things he hadn't shared with others? She could feel his pain and sorrow that surfaced because of his story. It overwhelmed her, feeling his heartache and by her own emotions of gratitude, respect and something she couldn't quite place. She found her eyes falling to his lips, her pulse racing. His thumb dropped from her eye to her cheek, stroking her warm skin.

  Then, Jared slowly leaned in, pressing his soft, cool lips to hers. Her breath was taken away by it, her lips tingling from the feel of his. After the initial shock had worn off, Calla kissed him back. Their lips moved together in a slow, steady rhythm. It felt right to kiss him, as strange as it seemed. Even though his skin was chilly, his kisses were perfect. She liked the way his plush lips dominated the kiss but were gentle enough to where she could pull away if she wanted. Calla didn’t.

  The sweet, innocent kisses started to shift into fiery, passionate kisses. Calla’s hands rested on the base of his neck as his dropped from her face and pressed to the small of her back. His tongue traced her bottom lip, a shiver running down her spine. Opening her mouth, Calla grazed her tongue against his. A growl sounded from the back of his throat, Jared’s grip tightening on her. In a swift motion, he pulled Calla into his lap. He pressed her pelvis down against his, his growing erection grinding against her.

  Arousal jolted through Calla, her body on fire with desire. She had never had such an intense and primal attraction to anyone. Hell, romance and sex had been out of her life for years. Something in the back of her mind tried to tell her that it was because she had been waiting for Jared to come into her life. It was a fleeting thought, her senses too focused on his touch to harbor on such speculations.

  Being bold, Calla began to swivel her pelvis, dragging herself along his groin. Jared’s hands tore her shirt up the back and peeled it from her body before moving her to lay flat on the bed. His large hands glided over her exposed skin, groping her breasts and rubbing her sides. His lips left hers, trailing down her neck and covering her chest. She felt his cold fingers hook underneath the center of her bra. With a single tug, the fabric ripped.

  “I borrowed these clothes,” Calla giggled to him, her cheeks flushed from arousal.

  His piercing blues peered up at her, a smirk on his lips, “Don’t worry. I’ll replace them.” Jared ripped her jeans, tossing the fabric to the floor before doing the same with her panties. Then, in just more than a blink of an eye, Jared stripped his clothes as well, revealing his flawless dark skin and perfectly toned muscles.

  Calla’s lips caught his as soon as he moved back down to her, giving him feverish kisses. Her hands explored his broad frame and firm muscles as Jared pulled her knees apart. She bit down on his lip rather hard as he entered her. Another guttural growl sounded from Jared, one hand leaving her to grip the headboard as he thrust into her. Her legs locked around him and her hands gripped the back of his neck. Somewhere in the back of her mind Calla thought sex with a vampire would feel clinical with how cold their skin was. It was far from it. Her body craved more of his touch.

  Jared cradled the back of her head, kissing her breathless as he quickened his pace. Calla’s nails dug into his skin, her moans vibrating into his mouth. His grip tightened on her, struggling to lose his ability to control his instincts. With a single roll, Jared had her on top, hugging her body tightly. Calla’s cheek rested on his shoulder as she moved her hips. Ecstasy was gradually building in her core, captivated by the pleasure his body provided.

  One of Jared’s hands rested on her tailbone, helping push her pelvis into his. The other brushed her wild red hair over her shoulder. The tip of Jared’s nose rubbed against the skin of her neck, his tongue lightly grazing it. Before she understood what was happening, there was a sharp pain before it suddenly twisted into a feeling of pure pleasure. Calla could feel the suction of his lips around the wound as he drank down her blood. To muffle her moans, she bit down on his shoulder, her hands clutching the pillow underneath his head as she climaxed. Her thigh muscles quivered as he pumped into her rapidly before pulling himself out and covering his member with his hand.

  The cool flesh of his tongue licked the droplets of blood coming from her neck before finally pulling his mouth away. Jared let Calla lay on top of him while she caught her breath, and then carefully removed himself from the bed to go to the restroom. Calla laid flat on the bed, tossing an arm over her eyes. She couldn’t believe that had happened.

  Part Two

  Jared’s cold fingertips trailed up and down Calla’s spine slowly, his lips pecking her shoulder with light kisses. He held her from behind, Calla playing with his fingers of the arm that was wrapped under her. She placed her hand flat against his, taking note of how much larger his hand was, the tips of her fingers not even going to the top knuckle of his. Calla loved seeing her skin against his rich cocoa brown complexion. He had long since forgotten he was cold to the touch, being acclimated to his body temperature.

  Glancing up at him, Jared gave her a sheepish smile. Calla craned her neck up and gave him a soft kiss on the lips, which he happily returned. She searched his eyes when she pulled back from the kiss, lost in the icy seas. “How are your eyes so blue?” she asked, lifting a fingertip to trace under his eye.

  He kissed the palm of her hand as she touched his face, his fingers gliding down her forearm. “As a human, I was born blind. My eyes were just cloudy and blue. Becoming a vampire fixed them somehow. Cleared up the cloudiness and left them blue.”

  Calla’s jaw dropped, not having expected that to be the answer at all. “Really? That’s crazy… It must have been weird seeing the world for the first time as a grown man.”

  “It definitely was. Nothing was the way I had thought it would look. Especially skin color,” Jared admitted, his eyes taking a look at her creamy skin.

  Taking a moment to think about everything he had told her about his transformation, Calla did math in her head and gasped, “Were you born in America?”

  Jared knew what she was hinting at, and nodded at her. “Yes, I was born a slave. Not a very useful one, considering I was blind.” Her look pleaded for more information, though she would never ask him to indulge her in his past. It was his business to share when he wanted to. Jared didn’t seem to mind, though. “I didn’t s
tay one for long. My mother ran away with my siblings and me. She knew her master would want me killed since I wouldn’t have been helpful in the fields. We went north, and the family was hired to another plantation, one that would let me live. My family suffered for me, though. My brothers or mother taking beatings for me when I would accidentally break something because I couldn’t see.”

  Calla’s senses were attacked by strong feelings of pain, grief, and regret as he told his story. She could see the sorrow swimming in his eyes, his expression pinched by agony. He relived it like it was yesterday. “That’s why it was so hard not to go back to them. They had done so much for you,” Calla breathed, her hand still gingerly stroking his cheek.

  He leaned into her touch, his eyes fluttering closed. “Yes. I found peace, though. Well, as much peace as I can get.”

  “Really? How?” Calla asked.

  “Back then, we hunted humans since there wasn’t a black market that we knew of. So, I hunted down the people who had hurt my family and made sure there wasn’t a drop of blood left in their veins.”

  His voice was void of emotion as he explained it, a shiver running through Calla. She couldn’t begin to imagine all that he had been through. In comparison, she felt like a baby for crying about not wanting to face her family again. However, Jared clearly didn’t feel that way. He wouldn’t have tried to comfort her at all, but rather would have rolled his eyes and told her to suck it up. Even if Jared had hurt in a much more severe way, it hadn’t made him cold-hearted. Jared knew the pain she was feeling was real, and didn’t want her to be alone in dealing with it.

  “You’re so strong,” Calla breathed. She was genuinely amazed he had been through all of that, and so much more, and continued to go on rather than throw in the towel and walk into the sunlight.

  Jared smiled weakly at her compliment, “I know. Thank you.”