Witches of The Demon Isle Box Set
INCLUDES:
Vol. 1, Make Me a Real Girl
Vol. 2, What Bites Me
Vol. 3, Trick Me, Trick Me Not
By Rachel Humphrey – D’aigle
Melinda Howard is the Demon Isle’s weird girl... the one that’s been holed up in the Howard Mansion for the last four years. Why? No one knows the truth except for her family... a long line of witches charged with protecting the Demon Isle, currently led by four hundred year old vampire, William Wakefield. Another reason Melinda doesn’t mind her self-inflicted imprisonment. She gets to spend more time with William, her crush for nearly all her life who’s too hot for words. And now, so are her dreams.
Dreams that have a tendency to come true. Although typically, they don’t include the handsome vampire she’s crushing on but rather horrifying visions of people about to die. But she cannot stay under self-inflicted house arrest forever! And if her brothers or William get their choice in the matter, Melinda will be out of the house partying with her friends on the beach, giving her affections to a human, not a vampire, and getting into her role as a witch.
A role her eldest brother Charlie lives for, and a role her second brother Michael would rather live without. But when duty calls, usually from the local sheriff needing help with some tourist who’s gotten themselves into trouble, life, fun and choice get set aside and duty takes over.
Such is the case when the sheriff needs help solving a murder; one she fears is supernatural in nature. To assist her in the case, she calls upon the skills of Charlie, who’s a little more than just a Howard Witch, and Michael, an empath and death reader.
What Michael discovers from the reading however, could be more than any of them can deal with or accept. Worse yet, they fear what this discovery will do to Melinda, as it returns them all to the core of her self-imprisonment.
Back to the lives she could not save...
Table of Contents
VOLUME ONE
VOLUME TWO
VOLUME THREE
Make Me Real Girl
Volume One, Witches of The Demon Isle
ONE
Melinda Howard poured a potion into a small glass vial. She used a funnel, not trusting her unsteady fingers. It was her first time making this particular potion and if the results were anything less than perfect, the consequences would be fatal to the vampire standing in her kitchen.
An electrifying pulse shuddered down her spine at the thought of him being so near, and her heart quickened, her fingers quivering as she removed the funnel, the vial nearly filled. She let out a shaky breath and shoved her chin length chestnut bangs behind her ear, grabbing an already filled dropper and adding the contents within to the vial.
The mixture sizzled, a small plume of steam erupting from the vial before the clear liquid inside turned to deep red. Melinda smiled, relieved by the outcome.
She corked the vial and tossed it to the vampire.
It went high, threatening to fly over his head and crash into a wall. He deftly jumped into the air, caught it, and landed without a sound.
“Good catch, William,” Melinda said, winking playfully.
The vampire threw Melinda a stern look before drinking the contents of the vial.
“Like you’d miss,” she added, rolling her eyes at him.
“I never miss,” William replied matter-of-factly. The vampire straightened his black pullover, the dark color only further accentuating the paleness of his neck and face.
“Did it work?” Melinda asked.
“It tastes correct,” he replied. He paused to feel the warm sensation the potion gave him as it forced its way through his veins like the blood that no longer willingly pumped its way through his body.
“I do believe you did perfect, Melinda,” he told her after a minute. “Well done.”
She curtsied, nodding in appreciation to her one vampire audience, hurriedly turning away from him to avoid making eye contact.
His eyes narrowed in a questioning manner. “Are you feeling well this morning?”
“Um, yes,” she answered hesitantly. “Why do you ask?”
“You seem... on edge.”
You have no idea, her thoughts exclaimed loudly in her mind. She wished she could tell him the truth- that her edginess was completely his fault. She’d dreamt about William just hours before. A dream that left an unsatisfied ache etching into every part of her body, as she recalled how he had touched her in said dream. She’d had a crush on William for as long as she could remember, but she’d never dreamt of him, at least not like this. She knew it was just a dream but it had felt so real. She swore she’d awakened to a pleasant sting where his lips had caressed her skin.
“There it is again,” the vampire noted. “Your heart is racing. Are you ill?”
Damn William and his incredible vampire hearing!
“William, my dear William,” Melinda said aloud, “I promise you, I’m fine. I was just nervous about making the potion and was recalling my dream from last night.” This was a partial truth. There had been another dream too, a much less pleasant dream, one that she had shared with him.
“Very well,” he conceded.
Her skin flushed and she kept her gaze down.
William knew Melinda was not telling the truth. She was biting her bottom lip; a sure sign she was holding back on him.
He could hear the blood rushing through her veins, faster and faster each time her heart fluttered. He dared a glance and upon seeing the gushing bursts of red just beneath her skin, his fangs ached to drop and have just a little taste.
He scowled, this reaction displeasing him immensely.
It was too bad he needed to have a blood-empty stomach before drinking the potion. He’d have to wait thirty minutes before partaking in his typical breakfast of warmed, week-old animal blood. It hardly sounded appetizing compared to the lovely blood-filled creature standing just out of reach. He could so easily just...
“William,” he heard Melinda call out. “Would you put this away for me? I can’t reach.” She outstretched her arm, holding a jar filled with herbs.
She lifted her head when he did not reply, the jar falling when her fingers suddenly could no longer maintain their grip.
William caught the jar with ease and spun around to put it away, realizing his mistake. He might have controlled his fangs and kept his distance, but his eyes had turned a ravenous black. Normally, being around humans was tolerable. He’d had years of practice. This morning, however, seemed particularly difficult.
His hungry black eyes were something Melinda had witnessed before. She didn’t know why it startled her so badly this time. Embarrassed by her reaction, she grabbed a few potion supplies and busied herself putting them away.
She took a glance and noticed William’s typical emerald greens had replaced the hungry black. God, his eyes are mesmerizing...
She let out an exasperated breath, wishing she could just forget every detail of the William dream. It would never come true anyway. William was a vampire. She was a human. A witch, but still human. And William had a strict no-dating-humans rule.
As she cleaned up the potion-making mess, a young man entered the kitchen, at the same time running his gel covered hands through his spiky hair. He quickly regretted that choice thinking instead that he needed to plug his nose. “Potion time again,” he realized.
“Good morning, Michael,” said the vampire to the young man, who was Melinda’s twenty-three year old brother. “The taste is as loathsome as the smell,” he added.
Michael was about to reply when a
voice startled them from the hallway behind him. “Good thing the potion’s worth the price, then.”
“Charlie!” Melinda Howard raced past Michael and jumped into her eldest brother’s, flannel covered arms. Charlie twirled his sister in a circle, hugging her fiercely. He was not just older than she and Michael, but much larger, too. A well built, rugged man of twenty-six.
“And you reek!” she choked out. “More so than the potion and that’s not an easy feat!”
“That’s what happens when you take a three day fishing trip,” he said, letting her slide back down to the floor. “Plus, you knew I’d be home before the full moon.”
“I know, I know. It’s just nice to have you back in the house again.”
“Which just proves my point that you’re still not getting out enough, Sis.”
“Don’t start with me again about that! I’m getting out plenty. Remember that date I went on, like, a month ago...” her voice trailed off at the end, as she recalled that the date had actually been over two months previous.
“My point exactly,” Charlie whispered, poking her side. He nodded toward his brother Michael, who refused to return the gesture. Charlie had hoped to avoid another argument so soon after arriving home.
As it turned out, Michael didn’t feel like arguing either. “Meeting Emily for coffee,” he explained, promptly leaving.
Charlie shook his head, disappointed.
“Give him time,” the vampire advised kindly.
“Why does he have to be so damn stubborn?” Charlie asked.
Melinda snorted. “Um, gee. Maybe because he’s a Howard.”
“Exactly. He is a Howard, and like it or not we have a responsibility to uphold…”
“Michael gets that, Charlie,” Melinda said, cutting him off. “He’s just not as accepting of his fate as we are,” she added dramatically. “He sort of has a point though. I mean, why should he be forced to spend his life protecting the Isle, just because he’s a Howard?”
“We don’t get to make that choice, Melinda,” Charlie stated with finality. He glanced at the vampire, searching for approval, but William’s face showed no sign of his true feelings on the matter. Charlie had not thought it possible, but the vampire appeared distracted. When William didn’t answer he changed the subject.
“Thanks for making the potion for me, Sis. I left for my trip so fast I completely forgot about it.”
“No worries. You’ve had a lot on your mind. Besides, you know I’d do just about anything for My William.” She decided the best way to move past last night’s dream was to treat William as she always did.
The vampire breathed out testily. “Melinda, you really must stop calling me that. It is not right. Not only am I nearly four hundred years old, but until quite recently I was your legal guardian. Must I keep reminding you of this?”
“William,” she replied innocently. “I’m twenty-one and you’re the only man I can flirt with in this testosterone filled house. Besides, you make it so easy. Have you looked at yourself lately? That’s right, you can’t. So I must take it upon myself to remind you how handsome a vampire you are.”
Yes, she thought. Too handsome. No, he was beyond handsome now, especially after last night. He’d gone straight from handsome vampire she had a crush on to forbidden fanged hotty in a matter of a single dream. She tapped her fingers on the counter, as if this movement would somehow drown out the racing heartbeats thudding against her chest. Apparently forgetting about the dream was not going to be easy.
William noted the change in her heart rhythms again but ignored it, tossing Charlie a look that pleaded for his agreement in the matter of her affections.
“Maybe, Melinda, you would be better off saving your attention for someone your own age,” Charlie said, backing up the vampire. “And not to bring it back up again, but maybe if you got out of the house more often…”
“Charlie, you scared off the last guy I dated! He was only a year older, and between you, Michael and William drilling him with questions no normal human would comprehend. It’s no wonder he didn’t call back for a second date.”
“You know I’m just looking out for you, kiddo.”
“Well, you can’t have it both ways, Charlie. If I leave the house and start dating more, you have to accept the guys I go out with. No more scaring them away.”
“Okay. You’re right. Why don’t you go out now? I can clean up this mess.”
Melinda shook her head, a cold tingle creeping down her spine, dousing the heat that had been collecting there. Talking about leaving was simple, but actually leaving the house was a much scarier thought.
“I made the mess, I’ll clean it up,” she said. “Besides, it’s sort of a badge of honor, first time making the potion for My William and all. I just hope I got it right.”
Charlie threw her a look that said, You’re making excuses, but let it slide as William dramatically rushed to the front kitchen window. He tore off his pullover exposing his chiseled bare chest and flung open the curtains, the bright morning sunlight flooding the room, exposing him to potentially fatal rays.
Both Melinda and Charlie stood wide-eyed, waiting to smell smoke or see flames erupt. Instead, William’s mouth turned into the slightest of smiles.
“You nearly gave me a heart attack!” Melinda shouted. “What if the potion hadn’t worked?”
“There is only one way to find out if the potion did work.”
“But you could have tested it on a finger, not your entire body!” she protested.
“I have complete faith in you, Melinda,” William spoke, while pulling his shirt back over his head.
She made a face, knowing he was just trying to prove a point, by agreeing with Charlie. She was a bright, beautiful and talented young woman that needed to find a life outside of the Howard Mansion. She refused to give in though.
“You haven’t tested it completely, William. It’s the other function of the potion that’s the really tricky part.”
“I will be out taking a stroll if you need me,” the vampire replied heavily.
Melinda spoke quite seriously as he departed. “If anyone suddenly realizes you’re a vampire that has lived in this town for over a hundred years, and hasn’t aged… come home at once and I’ll try again.”
Getting the potion just right was usually Charlie’s job, as he was the most practiced at making potions out of the three siblings. But after a heated argument with his brother, Michael, he had abruptly left for a fishing trip and had forgotten to make William’s masking potion.
As long as made correctly, and taken every three months, this potion allowed William not only to walk in the daylight, but allowed him to live freely, leading an almost normal life.
The potion kept people in the town from realizing that he did not age. They just knew him as William Wakefield, long time friend to the Howard family, one of The Demon Isles founding families. Plus, four years previously, William had temporarily become guardian of the three siblings after their parents had mysteriously disappeared during a hunting trip into White Pines National Park. A place frequented by many tourists on the Isle.
Not that they needed a guardian seeing as Charlie was twenty-two at the time. But the siblings had needed William, and he had been their parent’s longest and most trusted friend.
Some locals believed that the sibling’s parents had befallen some terrible accident, the type usually associated with careless tourists that refused to heed repeated warnings. Like how one misstep on the rocky cliffs could send you plunging to your death, or how fast you could find yourself in trouble when the tide came in and suddenly you’re stuck on the one rock that’s just barely sticking out of the water, or worse, in a cave that now has no exit.
However, a handful of locals knew the truth: that hunting meant their parents were searching for The Demon Isles magical power source… a source that to this day has yet to be located; even by the many generations of Howard’s to have come and gone from the Isle. All the siblings coul
d be certain of, is that the search had claimed the lives of their parents, just as it had claimed the lives of numerous Howard witches before them.
But it was this very power source that the Howard siblings also defended, often putting their own lives on the line to protect. It was what their family had always done: protect the source from being discovered and falling into the wrong hands.
Of equal importance were the incessant attempts by various supernatural beings that came to the Isle in hopes of drawing on that power, or overthrowing the Howard’s and claiming the Isle for themselves, therefore putting the locals and the tourists in constant danger.
Dangers that newer locals chose to ignore or pass off as strange, but somehow explainable, events. Many, of course, chose to exploit the Isles mystical draw, now making it a top vacation spot for fans of the supernatural and paranormal. This only complicated the lives of the siblings, as these fans often got more trouble than they bargained for.
Charlie offered again to help clean up the kitchen.
“I can handle it,” Melinda replied. “You should get unpacked, maybe take a shower.” She wrinkled her nose at his fishy stench.
“I should have been here to help you,” he replied guiltily, already grabbing half-filled vials and dried herbs, returning them to their cupboards. Melinda didn’t argue, as she enjoyed her brother’s company.
“For your knowledge,” she started after awhile, “I did get out while you were away. I went on a patrol with William.”
“That’s not getting out,” her brother argued.
“Is too.”
“We patrol at night. And patrolling is work.”
“Yes, but there’s sometimes still people around.”
“Work is not a life, Melinda. You need friends. You need to get out and have fun. What about the friends you used to go to school with?” Charlie asked.
“They’re all off at college,” she claimed quickly. “And what’s wrong with hanging out with my brothers? Or William? And there’s Emily...”
Witches of The Demon Isle Box Set, Volumes 1, 2 & 3 Page 1