The Chosen Coven Series Box Set

by D L Blade

  I nodded. “Yes, but it also has been lonely,” I confessed. “When you know you have all the time in the world, you waste it. You also keep to yourself because you’ll just watch those you love die.”

  The words came out before I could stop them. Her face grew somber, but she didn’t look away. “Then what are you doing with me?” she asked. I didn’t have the answer to that. I wish I did. I’d tell her that I wanted her now. I wanted her tomorrow, and it didn’t matter if she grew old and I didn’t. It wouldn’t matter if I watched her die at forty, sixty, or a hundred years old. I wanted to be with her.

  “I want you, Melissa. I want you, not because I’m lonely, but because I care about you. Yes, Mercy took away whatever we had centuries ago. But I’ve let her go. I want you.”

  She placed her hand on my cheek. “Then why are we inside a library?”

  I smiled, grabbed her hand, and escorted her upstairs. When we reached my bedroom, I turned her around to look at me, but I didn’t say anything. I just unbuttoned her shirt and pulled it off her shoulders to reveal a sexy, pink-laced bra. I leaned down and kissed her passionately, pressing her closer to my body. I felt her hands at my waistline, undoing my buckle then pulling down my pants.

  I pulled my t-shirt over my head and finished taking off my pants and boxers. I lowered her onto the bed, removing the rest of her clothes and tossing them on the floor. I kissed her on the lips and trailed my tongue to her neckline. She arched when my mouth touched her collarbone. As she lowered her hips, I steadied my knees on the bed, lifting just enough to take in her perfect body and the most intricate display of tattoos I had ever seen. Her body showed marks of art and stories from her life, and it was so goddamn sexy.

  “Are you sure you want to do this?” I asked, then silently cursed at myself. Why was I asking her this right now? Of course she had wanted it. I guess I was just nervous. I had been with other women since I had been with Mercy in her previous life. But I didn’t care for them like I had Mercy. No one had ever compared to her, so I gave my body to them but not my heart. They were just a way to pass the time until I brought her back. I didn’t know if I was ever going to be able to bring Mercy back into this life, and I was lonely. With Melissa, it was different. I cared about her. I wasn’t sure if it was love, but I cared for her more than I had anyone aside from Mercy.

  She laughed. “Oh, boy. Are you really asking me this? Would I be lying here naked if I wasn’t sure?”

  I smiled and leaned down, kissing her on the neck and running my hands down her waist. I felt her skin ripple at the surface as I created goosebumps down her body. She moaned and placed her hands on the back of my head and fisted my hair, squeezing tightly until I moaned with her.

  She released my hair when I removed my lips from her neck and smiled at me. “I love you, Caleb.”

  I stopped for a moment at those words. I wasn’t sure what I felt when it came to love. I couldn’t say it back, but I didn’t want her to feel embarrassed for not telling her that I did, too, so I leaned in and kissed her again, deepening the kiss until her moans turned me inside out.

  I pulled myself up to look at her beautiful gaze one more time before our bodies became one. Her movements swayed with mine, and she breathed heavily at every touch.

  Was this love? Not yet. But in this moment, she was everything. Everything I wanted, everything I needed, and I didn’t want it to end.

  The sound of broken glass echoed from the first floor. I sat bolt upright and looked over at Melissa, who was sound asleep. We crashed last night, and I never set the house alarm. Someone was inside the house.

  I hurried downstairs, looking through every corner and room on the main level. Once I entered the library, I saw shards of glass on the ground below the window.

  “You’ve picked the wrong house, buddy. I’d leave if I were you!” I shouted, right as a force hit the back of my head. I stumbled forward, but I was conscious enough to stay on my feet.

  The intruder wore all black from head to toe, but the shape of his broad shoulders and thick, tall legs told me it was a man. Mask, gloves, and in one of his hands, a dagger.

  Our dagger.

  I lifted my hands and flames appeared. He charged toward me, but I moved left and slammed my elbow on the bridge of his back. He fell flat to his knees and dropped the dagger.

  While he knelt on the wooden floor, I grabbed the dagger, but something burned my hand, so I quickly dropped it.

  Dammit. Someone had laced it with magic. Whatever vampire this was, they were working with a witch.

  Maurice.

  “Get up, Maurice. I know it’s you.” He stood, and I mustered up the flames in both my hands. “You’re not going to win this fight,” I threatened, then blasted the flames toward him, but he lifted his hands, and the flames vaporized before they touched him.

  What the hell? He has magic?

  He looked at me one last time and ran out the door.

  No!

  I ran outside as fast as I could, but he was gone.

  “Are you kidding me?” I screamed.

  I rushed into the library and searched the floor for the dagger, but it had gone with him.

  Shit!

  I had him. I had him right here! I eyed my office desk and placed my hands firmly on the top and slid them across, tossing everything onto the floor. I knelt and placed my hands on my head. “I’m going to kill that son of a bitch.”

  I looked up at the clock on the library wall and it was three in the morning. I hurried upstairs to check on Melissa, and she was still sound asleep. I grabbed my phone and texted the coven, including Mercy, about what had happened. I didn’t care if she was still broken up about everything, she needed to get her shit together and help us with this.

  Me: The killer broke in tonight. It’s not Maurice, unless he is using one of his witches. They used magic! Be ready. They have the dagger. I couldn’t touch it though. It’s laced with some kind of spell. I’ll be over to your place in the morning.

  I shut my phone down and laid next to Melissa, watching her breathe in and out, and hoped that our drama would never reach her and damage her like it had so many people we cared about. I couldn’t go back to sleep, not while knowing that whoever that was could come back. But if they did, I’d be ready this time to take them out.

  Mercy

  Riley and I grabbed a plate of food from Brown’s dining hall, and Amber joined us shortly after we sat down, followed by their new pack members, Aaron and Hannah.

  “I’m sorry the nightmare is circling back around. How can we help?” Amber asked while I swallowed a bite of my apple.

  “Thanks, Amber. I haven’t quite figured out that part yet,” I admitted, looking over at Aaron and Hannah. They were newly-born werewolves and still had a lot to learn, so when I caught their gaze, they didn’t move. They looked at me, ready for instructions, but I didn’t run their pack. It wasn’t up to me what they decided to do. I didn’t need that responsibility, too.

  I sighed and wiped my face with a napkin, leaning back into the chair. “Maurice is coming back for revenge. We know he killed the angel who created me. We also know a vampire killed at least three people in East Greenwich and has connections to The Black Horse clan. We feel strongly that it’s Maurice, but he’s only taking credit for the angel. The dagger is also missing, which is the only way to kill the coven.”

  I rubbed my eyes. Just listening to all of that aloud gave me a headache. “Then there’s Cami, who was possessed by a demon last year. The demon who created the vampire race. He left a part of his soul inside her, and she’s gone. Whatever happened last year destroyed what was left of her. She escaped from Raven’s yesterday morning, and now I have to track her down and kill her before she hurts someone. I have to set her free.”

  I waited as all eyes were on me, and Hannah’s jaw dropped. Yeah, maybe they didn’t realize what they were getting themselves into when they asked Amber to turn them.

  “Look, all of this is the coven’s problem
, not yours,” I told them. “But if you join us, we will forever be in your debt. Truthfully, we always will be on your side, no matter what you choose.”

  Amber looked down and bit her bottom lip as if she were thinking. “Mercy, a year ago when Riley helped me sniff out my pack, I was devastated to have found them the way we did. Their scent still lingered in those woods from what Kylan had done to them,” she explained. “Kylan being dead didn’t change anything. Witches and werewolves have been bound together for the same purpose. To kill vampires.”

  She was right. We weren’t divided as witches and werewolves. We were on the same side in the same fight.

  Kylan had a plan for months before he tracked me down to take me out. He punished her pack for protecting me. Thankfully, when he did it, she was looking for me and wasn’t caught in the crossfire. She looked for them for months, but little did she know, they had been turned to ash in Salem Woods. With the help of her new pack, they tracked their scent and also Kylan’s. They also picked up a human scent, who we assumed he had possessed at the time, to carry out the murders because of the curse Tatyana put on him.

  “We will help you take down what is left of Kylan and rid him of this earth for the last time. Just tell us what we need to do. We do this together,” Amber said.

  Riley smiled at her with pride.

  It had taken me a while to accept Riley as a wolf. I didn’t want this life for him, not like it was ever my choice to begin with, but seeing how much he had grown and who he had become made me proud. He was happy this way, so it made me happy.

  Riley turned to Aaron and Hannah. “Are the two of you ready for this? It’s not just Kylan’s spirit we’re taking out, it’s Maurice, too, and whoever is doing the killing, that is, if it’s not the same person.”

  Aaron smiled and spoke for the first time. “We’re ready.” He grabbed his sister’s hand and squeezed. “Whatever you tell us to do, we’ll do it.”

  I pulled my phone out of my purse, and once it powered on, I opened my texts, and there was a group message from Caleb to the coven.

  Oh, no.

  “I have to head back. I’ll call you later, Riley.”

  “Everything okay?”

  “No. The killer broke into Abigail’s home last night and attacked Caleb. He’s okay, but he mentioned the attacker had the dagger.”

  “Maurice?” Hannah jumped in, taking interest in her new role in all this.

  “They used magic,” I explained.

  Riley’s mouth dropped. “So did Kylan.”

  I shook my head. “But he’s in Cami’s body. The person who attacked Caleb was a man. Yes, he could have left Cami’s body to possess another, but why would he? From what I witnessed at Raven’s, Cami’s body is just as strong to do his bidding.”

  Riley stood and brought me in for a hug. “We’re with you until the end.”

  Mercy

  When I arrived at my house, I saw Caleb’s car in the driveway. I shouldn’t have turned off my phone. The coven stood around the kitchen table, including Roland.

  “Sorry. I had my phone off,” I explained, feeling uncomfortable as everyone watched me. I had walked in on something, and I didn’t like the way they all looked at me. “I told you, I’m sorry.”

  Caleb stood and walked over to me. “Mercy, we got another note.”

  “Another note? When did you get a first note?”

  He ignored my question and handed me two envelopes. I opened the first one that read, “I have the dagger.” I opened the second one, but there was a photo in the envelope instead of a note. I glanced at the picture, trying to understand who I was looking at.

  “No!” I cried. “No!”

  I closed my eyes, choking back my sob.

  It was Sarah.

  “I’m so sorry,” Leah said, holding my hand and squeezing. “Whoever did this is going to pay. I promise you.”

  I turned the photo around, no longer able to look at her dead body at the bottom of a shallow grave. There was a note on the back, so I read it out loud.

  Now I’ll Always Know Your True Face

  My stomach lurched as the meaning sunk into my mind. Whoever is doing this knows who Sarah was, knows her power, and knows she was helping me.

  “Mercy?” Caleb said, pulling my attention away from the envelope in my hand with a picture of my dead friend. “Now may be the time to consider that it’s not Maurice.”

  “What are you talking about? Of course it’s Maurice. He knew her. He was upset that she helped me. It’s just like his revenge on Tatyana. He’s going after everyone who did him wrong a year ago.”

  “But it was a witch who attacked him last night. Did you not get the text?” Ezra asked, seemingly annoyed with my rant.

  Yes, I got the text, but none of this made sense. “Then he sent a witch to do it. He’s always had witches working with him.”

  “We . . . have another theory,” Simon spoke, barely finishing the sentence. I wasn’t going to like this theory, and he knew it.

  I looked up at Roland. He crossed his arms over his chest, not speaking to me.

  “Gee, you’re pretty quiet over there, Roland. I’d like to hear this theory, coming from you,” I threatened. I knew exactly what they were thinking, and it was bullshit.

  “Okay, fine. I believe it’s your father,” Roland accused while walking toward me. He placed his hands on the table, leaning forward. “You gave him your blood, and now he’s using his magic against us.”

  I shook my head. “No. He wouldn’t do that.”

  “Yes, actually, he would,” Roland snapped. “He knew killing those people would draw you out, and he manipulated you into turning him back to the powerful witch he’s wanted to be again all these centuries. Now he’s taking out the coven because he can’t stand that you are more powerful than him.”

  I slammed my hands on the table and stood to my feet, facing him. “How is that any different than what you did to me?”

  Roland’s face went still. He knew I was right, and he was a complete hypocrite for it.

  “I’m not killing people, Mercy,” he said.

  I shook my head. “And neither is he.”

  Leah sat next to me and placed her hand on mine, probably hoping her touch would calm me down. “Look, Mercy. We don’t want it to be him, but think about it. The killings happened when he was a vampire. Then you turned him, and no one is dying anymore from a bite. Now it’s suddenly a witch trying to kill the coven. Your father knows where Caleb lives, so of course he’s going to look in our homes first for the dagger. If he has magic, then he could have easily located it.”

  I thought about everything she had told me, and I still couldn’t believe it. I had memories of my father. He loved me. He loved us. He used our elements, so why would he sacrifice us off this earth? True, witches had always been able to harness our powers, but nothing like they had seen since we had been on this earth. It was the difference between chewing one’s favorite dish versus swallowing it. They were able to use it and satisfy their senses, but not nourish it.

  “You told me that if your father was guilty, you’d kill him yourself,” Caleb said. “Has that changed?”

  Not that I believed it was my father, but yes, I would kill him if he was trying to hurt us. Of course I would, but I wasn’t ready to admit it. Not right now.

  “I need to call Joel so we can locate Sarah’s body with a spell and bury her,” I said, desperately wanting to cry, but I couldn’t anymore. The tears wouldn’t come.

  Everyone remained silent as I turned toward the door and left the house.

  Mercy

  It took Joel and me about twenty minutes to find Sarah using a locator spell. She was still there, just like we had seen in the photo. She looked so peaceful, and there weren’t any noticeable laceration marks. He must have broken her neck.

  We buried her in the East Greenwich Cemetery. I had no one to call about her death. Her parents died years ago, and she didn’t have anyone else out here but us. Before s
he had been taken to Maurice’s lair, she’d escaped an abusive relationship back in California. She came to Salem to hide from him, but what she found was a worse nightmare of captivity.

  Her friends back home didn’t believe her. She had no one she could trust. That’s probably why, when Troy showed her kindness in the lair, regardless of the fact that he had pretty much owned her, she welcomed and wanted it.

  I spent the rest of the day over at Joel and Derek’s home. Derek was still in New York, and after Sarah died, Joel texted Derek and told him not to come back until we found the person responsible.

  Was the killer Maurice, my father, or someone else?

  Lily and Bradley were still on cloud nine about their engagement, and I didn’t want to ruin their excitement by laying out all the crap that had been going on.

  Bradley casually mentioned buying a place in Virginia once they got married so they could get away from the area, as he felt it was too dangerous for them. He worked IT from home, so he really could live anywhere, but with everything going on here, he was afraid for her. I tried to explain that it didn’t matter where they lived, bad things happened anywhere, and no, I didn’t want her to leave me, but it was her life, and maybe she would be safer somewhere else.

  Lily also told him about her powers. It was bold, but she’d been wanting to tell him for a long time. He promised to keep her secret, and she left out the part about vampires and werewolves.

  One supernatural creature at a time.

  We trained over the weekend while planning our next move, which focused on Maurice or my father. I wasn’t happy about them accusing him, but if we spied on him, I could prove to the coven that he wasn’t involved.

  Riley and Amber trained their new pack members, and Dorian and Noah still kept an eye on Maurice.

  I texted my father a few times. I kept it brief and didn’t give him any indication that there were a few members of my coven thinking he was a murderer. He kept telling me how busy he was, building up his new business, since he wasn’t bringing in money from the club anymore and the “other businesses” he conducted while a vampire. He never asked to see me and never asked me if I was okay.