Chasing Magic: The Last Witch Coven Book 1

by Rachel Medhurst

  “You forgot to mention one small detail when you came home yesterday.” My father’s voice was stern, making me shrink as I sat in a chair.

  “Yes, I did forget,” I replied.

  How had I forgotten about the man with the grey eyes? My father needed to know everything that happened so he could protect me. In a way, I was pleased that I hadn’t told him. If he knew the warlocks were onto me, he wouldn’t have given me freedom to go on a date. And considering I was an adult now, I had to stand on my own two feet.

  “Well, it’s a good job your brother cares about you,” he said, pointing to the back of the room.

  I was so inside my own head, I hadn’t noticed Alex looking uncomfortable in a small chair behind me.

  “What are you doing here?” I blurted.

  “Nice to see you, too,” he replied, standing to stretch. “Especially since I just saved your arse.”

  What was it with my family? Firstly, they’d interrupted a perfectly nice date – Yes, I was in danger, but they could’ve handled it a little better. Secondly, they were interfering by speaking to our father.

  “I know your mind is not really on your safety right now,” Father started.

  “She’s in denial,” Alex interrupted. “Those warlocks somehow knew where she was going. We all know that date was a joke.”

  I sat up and took notice as he placed himself on the edge of Father’s desk. He jiggled his knee up and down which made me wonder what was going on with him. I had never seen him so antsy before.

  “How am I in denial?” I snapped, annoyed that I had to ask.

  “The first stage is when you recognise your soulmate. The second is when you both start to push and pull. You try to run from each other. Sometimes one of you does it and then the other might do it too. It drives you insane!”

  Standing, I faced him, looking into his eyes and searching their fiery depths. His skin flushed, and I frowned when the faint smell of burning slunk up my nose.

  “Alex, will you let go of my desk, please?” Father said.

  A thin line of smoke rose from where Alex gripped the wood with his hand. He let go, growling as he rushed out of the room.

  “He seems to know a lot considering he’s not going through it,” I moaned, forgetting that Father was in the room.

  “How do you know he’s not going through it?”

  He was right. Maybe Alex was running from the girl we had seen in the park.

  “You need to concentrate on you right now. Remember that surrender is the best way to see what’s right in front of you. You can’t control falling in love or how you meet someone.”

  Blinking slowly as I released a shuddery breath, I turned to leave. He was right, I had to stop obsessing.

  “Maybe we shouldn’t have told you,” Father said quietly. “It always makes it harder when you’re looking for love.”

  Glancing over my shoulder, I smiled gently. “It’s okay, dad, I want to regain my magical powers and bring back the witches. I’m sure this is just the start.”

  Inclining his head, my father waved goodnight. I knew I hadn’t heard the end of it, he’d want to know exactly what had happened with the leader of the warlocks tomorrow.

  Alex stood in the hallway, his hands on his hips. Antony and Derek hung around by the kitchen door, their gazes dropping when I looked at them. Ignoring all three of them, I trotted up the stairs and went into my room. A hand stopped my door from closing and Alex stepped in.

  “What are you doing?”

  Plonking on my bed, Alex studied the old fashioned blue room. “You need to stop fighting. I told Father about the club and the way you met the new man.”

  “Daniel.”

  “Whatever. And I’ve told him about the man that chased us, too. It was a close call tonight, Penny.”

  Sitting next to him, I unzipped my knee-high boots and kicked them off.

  “What have you got against Daniel? Why don’t you like him? Not that you know him well enough not to like him.”

  “You’re very perceptive on behalf of everyone else, but you’re rubbish for yourself. Like most people, I suppose.”

  He was right. I could tell how someone felt just by looking at them. I could see the patterns that people played out when they couldn’t see it for themselves. Yet, here I was, unsure what was going on in my own heart.

  “Just keep open to everything. Stop resisting. I know I’m one to talk when it comes to fighting, but in this case, fighting isn’t going to work. Just go with the flow.”

  Alex had probably never spoken so poetically. He was usually jokey and always made me laugh. The words he had spoken were out of character for him. I wouldn’t have been surprised to hear them coming from one of the others but certainly not the lady charmer.

  “Alex, is—?”

  “Night,” he interrupted, hopping off the bed and leaving before I could ask my question.

  Groaning, I laid back, ready to relax. Before I could take another breath, someone knocked on the door. I growled as it opened without my consent.

  “I need to talk to you,” Antony said.

  I stayed where I was, looking out of the window at the stars.

  “I don’t want to talk right now.”

  He didn’t reply. Instead, the bed moved as he crawled next to me. I was about to jump away when I caught the look in his eyes.

  “I don’t know what to think about all this. Will you tell me more about your mission?”

  He kept his distance, laying on his side and resting his head on the other pillow. My phone beeped, distracting me from his bright blue eyes. Swallowing, I reached over to the bedside table and read the text that Daniel had sent. It was a kind message, checking that I was okay.

  “Yes, I’ll tell you about the mission,” I started, putting down the phone. “There are several humans in the world who have dormant witch blood passed down to them from powerful ancestors. Witches believe in reincarnation. The last coven, which is made up of myself and my siblings, was cursed. We were originally from the same bloodline, so we have to find the human match that comes from another witch line that has died out. When we’ve been successful in doing that in one lifetime, we trigger the magic deep in the earth.”

  “And you’ve never been able to do it before?”

  Sighing, I shook my head, my hair brushing against the pillow as I laid next to him. “No. The warlocks have managed to thwart us every time, by either killing our human match, or getting in the way of us uniting.”

  “Do you remember it all?” His blue eyes were bright, staring at me intently.

  “It would be too overwhelming to remember every lifetime, but Mother and Father are given the memories, so they tell us what we have to do. They’ve been our guardians through time. They were very powerful elders and agreed to help us.”

  “Agreed?” Antony frowned. “With who?”

  “The witch who wanted to save the race. Her curse has kept us going around and around for hundreds of years. This time feels different though.”

  Bringing his hand up to rest on the pillow beside me, he looked at my fingers where they splayed next to my head. Swallowing, I drew back slightly, feeling vulnerable all of a sudden.

  “What if it’s all a lie made up by your father and mother?” he whispered. “I respect your dad a lot, but how do you know they’re not… you know, insane?”

  “Because I can breathe underwater,” I replied. “And my siblings all have a magical power related to their chosen element. Elemental witches were the most powerful, until black magic started to overtake.”

  He reached towards my arm, flicking the silver charm attached to my bracelet.

  “So you’re saying this is cosmically planned, before we’re even born? I mean, you… before you’re born.”

  I nodded. It did sound like something out of a fairy tale, but it was the truth. “To be honest, I relearnt most of it in a book that Father used to read to us. I had forgotten it all.”

  “The warlocks. They’re
real?”

  Rolling my eyes, I tried not to smile. I wasn’t surprised he was sceptical. Every one of us had doubted our parents at some point in our lives, it was natural. However, I had seen the magic used by my siblings, and now, by the warlocks.

  “The leader of the warlocks teleported, right in front of me.” Sighing, I sucked my bottom lip into my mouth.

  Antony turned to stare up at the ceiling. There was something comforting about his energy as he frowned, his eyes narrowing on the plain white plaster.

  “I still have doubts,” he said. “Maybe you’re all just…”

  “Crazy?”

  His cheeks flared red, and I couldn’t stop the bubble of laughter that escaped me.

  “Not crazy, crazy but… I dunno.” Pursing his lips, he paused before he went on. “I know you’re different, I’ve seen you breathe underwater. What I mean is, do you think your parents could have brainwashed you to believe something that was made up?”

  The room was quiet as his words sank in. I checked with my heart to see if what he’d said resonated. It didn’t. The whole witch warlock thing did sound weird to the average person, but I wasn’t just anybody. And nor were my brothers and sisters.

  “No, I believe it. I’ve got to allow my life to play out as it needs to, instead of trying to control it.”

  He shook his head again. I had the urge to reach out and still the movement. Instead, I frowned.

  “Sorry,” he mumbled.

  “I don’t get it either, so I can’t expect you to.”

  Grabbing my hand when I went to pull away, he turned to face me again. He had accused me of being contradictory earlier and now his moods were swinging all over the place.

  Breathing deeply, we looked into each other’s eyes. My heart raced as he looked into my soul. Or that’s what it felt like, anyway.

  He was inches away on the bed. On my bed. All of a sudden, what had seemed harmless, seemed too close for comfort as heat flushed through me. I didn’t move, though. I couldn’t burst the bubble of recognition.

  “I…”

  Letting go of my hand, he reared away from me, almost falling off the bed. The open expression on his face closed up. He had gone into fear. Alex had mentioned the runner stage. As I remembered his words, I tried to grab him back.

  “Wait, what’s up?” I said.

  He paused in his clamber off the bed and looked back at me. “If I stay here, I’m going to do something we’ll both regret. I don’t even know why I came in. Daniel is probably the right one for you. I promise to be supportive of that.”

  I didn’t say anything as he left. What could I say? He had run away from me. I didn’t blame him, I would run away from the weird too.

  Holding my chest, I looked out of the window and watched the moon. My thoughts danced through my mind as my heart slowed down. One thing that kept coming back to me was that his running confirmed something I hadn’t believed, something I wasn’t ready to admit. There was a chance that Antony was more than likely my soul-match.

  Chapter Thirteen

  “Do you commute every day?” a friendly girl asked, bringing me back from my staring contest with the River Thames.

  We were bound for London Victoria, traveling on a busy train. I had been so wrapped up in my own thoughts, I hadn’t even noticed her sit next to me.

  “No, I’m just heading for an interview,” I replied, smiling at her.

  Before everything had kicked off, I’d been applying for jobs in the city. Father had decided that I needed to get on with my life. Hanging around the house wasn’t going to get anything done.

  It had been three days since my date with Daniel, and I’d avoided Antony as much as he’d avoided me so there hadn’t been anyone to talk to. It was pointless staying in the country.

  The boys had agreed to protect me at our home so that Antony could stay with Father. My hands clenched into fists when I remembered the conversation between Father and Alex. I wasn’t a child that needed babysitting. The warlocks wouldn’t attack me in broad daylight, so it was perfectly safe for me to venture out.

  “Today’s my first day, I’m so nervous,” the girl said.

  Smiling as the train pulled into the station, I followed her to the door. “You’ll be fine, just let them know when you need help, that’s actually a strength.”

  “Thank you,” she said, beaming as the rush of commuters pushed us off the train.

  We were separated quickly, which wasn’t unusual in London. My hands shook as I tucked my hair behind my ear and walked with the crowd.

  “You shouldn’t be alone.”

  The whisper was quiet, almost filtering into my brain. I spun on the platform but couldn’t see anyone near me. Maybe Antony was right. Maybe we were mad.

  “Why are you here?”

  A man appeared in front of me. My boots squeaked on the floor as I skidded to a halt. Blood pulsed in my ears, blocking out the chatter of those walking past us. I recognised the grey eyes of the warlock leader instantly. Crap.

  The job interview was only around the corner, how had he known where I was going? I had been convinced I didn’t need anyone. It seemed I was wrong.

  “Walk with me,” he commanded. “And don’t even try to scream or get attention, I’ll make sure to kill every person on this platform if you do.”

  My legs started to move without my consent. Trying to force them to stop, I gritted my teeth, but they kept going. The man fell into step beside me, taking my elbow and guiding me out of the crowd.

  “What’s your name?” I said, studying my surroundings.

  There were several doors leading out of the station, each guarded by a man dressed completely in black. Why was the dark colour their uniform? It was morbid.

  “In this lifetime, I’m called Nick. In the last, I was called Jamie and then Markus and then—”

  “I get the point.”

  Ripping my arm from his grip, I spun away from him. The people around us moved as I started to fight my way back through the commuters.

  “You can run as much as you like, you won’t get away, you’re alone here.” His voice was near my ear. “You’re getting too close to your match. It’s time for me to prevent that.” Swiping near my head, I grunted when my hand went through thin air. My pulse blasted through my head as I puffed, not daring to turn to see if he was following me.

  I could feel his energy nearby, even though he was clearly using magic to speak into my mind. The crowd seemed to grow thicker as I tried to get through the never-ending platform of people.

  “Penny…?” The shout from ahead caught my attention.

  “Daniel!” I called back as he came into view.

  Rushing straight to him, I threw my arms around his neck, my breath huffing forcefully. He returned the gesture, pulling me away from the crowd at the same time.

  “Are you okay? It looked like you were running from something.”

  I smiled up at him, thankful that he was there to save me. My muscles started to relax as he checked around, looking for the threat.

  “Yes,” I whispered, unable to say anything else as I searched for Nick.

  Frowning down at me, he grasped my hand and started to walk towards the exit of the station. I didn’t know if I would make it to my interview, but at least I was safe now.

  “Where are we going?” I asked when he guided me down a quiet corridor, right near the exit.

  “I missed you. I just wanted space to do this.” He leant down and pressed his lips against mine, gingerly kissing me.

  Shock rocked through me, making me stay still. It was the second time Daniel had taken advantage. I wasn’t going to allow him to keep doing it, even though he’d technically saved me.

  My muscles shook as I gently pulled away, clasping his wrists in mine. Had Nick seen where we had gone? Had he given up or was he still-?

  “Let go of her.” His voice made the hairs on my skin stand up.

  “We need to get out of here,” I said, taking Daniel’s hand.<
br />
  Nick blocked our escape, standing in the middle of the corridor, two men at his side. They all wore black trousers with heavy black jumpers. One of them held a gun, discreetly untucking it from his pocket.

  Yelping as Daniel stepped forward, I tried to grab him back. He stood just in front of me, blocking my view of the nasty warlock.

  “Penny,” Nick called, moving so I could see him. “You can make this easier if you come with me now. I could just kill him…” Nick pointed at Daniel as he tilted his head to the side.

  “No!”

  Wait, if Nick wanted to kill Daniel, who was my soul-match? My enemy seemed to think it was Daniel. Surely, he wouldn’t have threatened him if not. Either way, I didn’t want anyone to get killed.

  “Come,” Nick said, gesturing for me to go to him.

  My steps were slow as I stepped past Daniel. He kept hold of my hand and walked with me, refusing to let me go.

  “What are you doing?”

  I was trying to save him. He should run and tell my father.

  “I’m not leaving you. If you go, I go.”

  Nodding, I allowed him to come with me. Not that I had much choice. It would’ve been better if he’d gone to get help, but at the same time, I was grateful he hadn’t abandoned me.

  With a shrug, Nick escorted us out of the station. The people who went about their day ignored us, not realising that we were being taken against our will. Not knowing that if I defied the warlock, there was a chance he would end their life. It was a dream, it had to be. Didn’t it?

  Once again, I was being taken against my will and I allowed it to happen. My hands clenched at my sides. There was no way I could let anyone die because of me. Too many people worried about my safety and now someone else was being dragged into my fight.

  Antony’s face came into my mind. My heartbeat increased as I thought about him. Would he have come with me? Would he have stuck by my side?

  The biggest question didn’t have anything to do with Antony. Glancing at Daniel, I swallowed as we were gestured into a car.

  If Daniel wasn’t my soulmate, why did he risk his life for me?