Aurora Witch
Paranormal Hunter Academy Book 2
Rae Hendricks
Copyright
© 2020 by Raven Heidrich
All rights reserved under the International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any from or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
This is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, organizations, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
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Acknowledgements
Authors always talk about how they put a little bit of themselves into their characters, just these little glimpses into who they are. But I would say more than any other book I have ever written and maybe ever will write; I can see myself here.
Like Riley, I thrived on being unique, on being myself. I never once had a crisis of knowing who I was on the inside or how to show it on the outside. And she has this way of being bold while also still being vulnerable, and that is so me. I can be strong when I need to be, but I think people forget that being strong does not mean never showing emotion. When your heart is broken, when you are betrayed, it still makes you cry.
And you still make mistakes.
It’s about owning up to those mistakes and those feelings and still standing tall and going on with life in the face of the worst.
And that’s what I gave to Riley without even knowing it.
And out of all the guys I have written as love interests, these are the embodiment of those I could fall for myself. I see inside of them many of the people I have loved throughout my life.
My husband’s snark in Kagan and his dark side in Dru. An ex-fiancé that crashed and burned because our love was too fiery much like Adriel.
The pain and complications of loving more than one person, which I have personally felt. It is the danger of having a big heart.
I want to thank authors like Addison Moore for paving the way for books like this that speak to me personally and J.K. Rowling, of course, for writing the original “academy” books.
To all those I loved for showing the best and worst of people’s intentions and emotions and for helping to shape who I am.
And as always, my husband and daughter for allowing me to have this crazy pursuit at a career as an author.
Other Books by Rae Hendricks
Prophecy of the Stars Series
DESTINED
LOYAL
TRANSFROMED
Paranormal Hunter Academy Series
BLOOD WITCH
AURORA WITCH
DEMON WITCH
Mirrored Prophecy Triunity
DAVINA’S QUEST
DAVINA’S ASCENT
DAVINA’S PREVAIL
Blackwell Academy Series
ALMOST DEAD
ALMOST LOST
ALMOST BROKEN
Witches of Moon Gate Trilogy
PRIME
CREATOR
HEDGE
Academy of Dark & Light Series
LEGENDARY TRIAD
LEGENDARY DARKNESS
LEGENDARY WAR
LEGENDARY GRADUATE
Keep up with all of Rae’s latest releases via her website!
http://bit.ly/rae-hendricks-author
Coming Soon by Rae Hendricks
ACADEMY OF OLYMPIANS SERIES
SOUL ACADEMY SERIES
BOUND BY THE COVEN SERIES
RILEY’S PARANORMAL HUNTERS
VAMPIRE DATING GAMES
Table of Contents
Acknowledgements
Table of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter One
"You look so good in my t-shirts." I hear the smile in his voice as I grab the clump that has become of my clothes in Kagan's room. Apparently the academy has no issue with shacking up, co-ed, whatever you want to call what we have been doing for the last few days.
I honestly can’t believe he’s even let me stay this long after the other night.
Nothing happened. He stopped it because he knew that I was in a bad place after my conversation with Adriel. I needed the distance, though.
I wanted to throw all I had into this thing with Kagan, because it feels so real and normal. As normal as my life can get right now, anyway.
But he knew that it would be wrong to take advantage of those emotions. Instead, I have been hanging out in his clothes while he sleeps next to me and keeps it mostly PG.
Part of me feels bad for it, like I am dangling a piece of steak in front of a starving man, but Kagan has been nothing but a gentleman despite the way he seemed when we first met.
I love his sarcasm and attitude now, when he uses them at just the right moment. It’s just his own way of flirting, I guess.
"Well, you'll have to take a mental picture then because after this you won’t see this for a while." There is laughter in my voice, but my heart is hurting.
We are some of the only students left on campus right now. A mass exodus took place yesterday when everyone headed out for Ostara break. I had called my uncle and told him to just get me some train tickets from Salt Lake. I would be heading to headquarters today first, with Jake, to help him face his mother’s trial.
I wasn’t about to break that promise even as I was dealing with my own problems.
Problems I still haven’t revealed to my best friend.
Kagan will be spending Ostara with his father on one of the only holidays this year he'll have off, leaving me with Vivi, my uncle, and Jake over the break.
That’s fine, because Jake needs me.
"Don’t remind me."
I go into the closet and close the door just enough to hide my body while I get changed. Now that I am not so upset, I have become self-conscious about my body in front of him, again. He'll see it again when the time is right, and until then, I would take my privacy.
"I thought you were looking forward to seeing your dad and spending quality time with him for once."
"Of course, that’s true. I barely get to see him for any length of time these days, but that doesn’t mean I won’t miss you and that smart mouth of yours."
I come out in my uniform, my mouth gaping at him as I pick a pillow up that has fallen on the floor, holding it over his head, in a threat.
"Excuse me, but what was that?"
"Oh, don’t deny that you're just as fluent in witty comebacks as I am. It’s what drew us together to begin with."
"Oh, is that what it was?" I ask, through gritted teeth to try and hide my smile while I pelt him playfully with the fluffy pillow. "Ugh, this thing is too soft," I complain as he only laughs. He gets up and pulls me in for one last kiss before I need to go back to my
own room and pack. I don’t want to wear my uniform to court, or home, for that matter. It’s beyond time for some casual clothes.
"I'll miss you too, but we have cell phones," I remind him as we pull away from each other. I don’t want any more soppy goodbyes. I need to focus on being there for Jake and compartmentalizing the fact that my whole life has changed, yet again, by this new revelation.
I am an Aurora Witch.
I don’t even know what that means for the academy, or my life, for that matter.
I walk out his door with one look back and nothing more, walking with confidence to my own room. It is there that I find Jake is already inside, his bag packed and sitting next to him on my bed.
I can’t say I didn’t expect the scene.
I sit next to him and pull him into a tight hug, knowing it can say what words just can't.
Not that any of the above will solve his problems.
I go about my packing in silence, knowing he just needs my presence right now, and then we go out to meet his stepfather's car.
"Where's your stepsister?" I ask, speaking the first words to him in the last few days, but instead of him answering, it’s his stepfather.
"She’s staying somewhere else. I didn’t want her to have to be subjected to this. It’s not like they would take her testimony anyway."
I purse my lips and say no more on the short ride to headquarters. I can tell they both have a chip on their shoulders, about the Magistrate, and I can’t blame them. The law may be the law, which the Magistrate is trying to enforce as fairly as possible. However, when it’s your mother who raised you and was there for you, your whole life, it, suddenly, doesn’t seem so fair.
When we get to headquarters, I have just enough time to change out of my uniform and into a simple black dress, I have with me. Jake is in a suit, and he smiles sadly at me as I come out of the restroom.
Eva is there as well, waiting to lead us up to the courtroom.
It isn’t the same one I was taken to, which is a good sign, considering my sentence was meant to be an immediate death. I still don’t know how I managed to get out of that. It seemed it was due to my own dead father, who the whole witch community is still in love with.
It’s a little selfish, but for once I’d like to not share him with everybody - who by the way seems to know more about him than I, his own daughter, do.
I take Jake by the hand and we are placed in seats to the side of the judge, who is really just a figurehead. It’s to keep the Magistrate in check, with their own rules.
My eyes automatically slide over to where Jake’s mother is already waiting for her trial to start, and I wonder what’s going through her head.
Her head is held high, her hair tied back behind her. It doesn’t look like she has been allowed to clean up the way I was, before I was dragged here to die. She has also been held here all this time, so it makes sense.
The only emotion I see on her face, comes when she looks over at her husband. And more so, when the members of the Magistrate come out and take their seats behind the judge; a full house this time compared to when it was my turn.
Julian is here even though he gets to leave on break as soon as this is over.
A certain someone is also here, and thank goodness he is all the way on the other side, away from me, so I don't have to make eye contact. But I shift in my seat uncomfortably just the same.
I am beginning to see the unfairness, even if I know better than to say a word about it.
Because I am a Graywood, I got special privileges. They didn’t have a formal trial. They didn’t kill me. They actually gave me the honor of going to the academy instead. While it is hard and basically straps me to them for life, it is much better than most would ever get.
If I am being honest, I have my suspicions now about why they have allowed Jake the same courtesy as me - if there is an ulterior motive involved.
I squeeze Jake's hand and go numb as I listen to the judge introduce the case. There are no lawyers to defend anyone, no one on the other side to bring a case against her; just a file the judge reads from.
She is being accused mostly of hiding and running from the Magistrate and their registration process, for adults with vampire and demon blood.
I didn’t even know there was such a thing. But apparently if they allow you to live, you have to register where you are at all times. It's probably close to being under FBI surveillance.
Finally, they call Jake up to testify on her behalf. As I look up at Reyes and meet his twinkling eyes, I have a feeling all of this is for nothing. Her fate has been sealed, by their rules and prejudices, before this trial even started. This is all just for show so they can say they followed the rules.
I think back to what Adriel said to me about not letting the Magistrate in on the fact that I am an Aurora Witch rather than a Blood Witch. I don’t agree with them being as sinister as he thinks, but I can see why there is some distrust going around.
Maybe it’s something I can talk to my uncle about once I get home for the break.
"I might be biased, but my mother is an amazing woman despite anything that may have happened in her past. When she was young, she fell for someone she shouldn't. Who can say they didn’t make any mistakes like this when they were young? Love finds you, and sometimes it isn’t ideal. It left her with a mark on her record much like a red A on her dress. But she is now a married woman with two children she loves and cares for. Two children that despite what anyone else things, are upstanding members of society. I am a student at Paranormal Hunter Academy, preparing to serve the Magistrate for the rest of my life and prevent women like her from being taken advantage of by any more of the demons and vampires out there. All I ask is that the Magistrate and the judge considers that the only reason she has tried to run and hide, is because she was afraid of leaving her family without anyone to raise us."
My hands clam up at what he is saying, and I try to wipe them discreetly against the black fabric of my dress. I know all about falling in love with someone you shouldn't.
Getting over an angel is not going to be easy, if it’s possible at all, even if he did hide something crucial from me.
Jake goes to stand up, but the judge stops him, turning to him to ask him a question. "Can you please tell the court the circumstances of your birth?"
I see him freeze; his left fist clenched at his side. I silently pray that he will keep his cool. I know he seems sad, but just under the surface is an anger that is waiting to come out, and the fact he has demon blood in him doesn’t help. I can’t count how many times when I thought I was a Blood Witch, I was warned about the dangers of my volatile emotions.
“I don’t see how that’s relevant.”
“Nonetheless, I believe it is important to clarify it for this case, considering I am to take in all I can about the subject’s character,” the judge retorts.
What comes out of Jake’s mouth sounds gravelly, like he can barely get it out. “I am a born Blood Witch.”
He doesn’t wait for the judge to dismiss him but steps down, his head trained towards the ground. He doesn’t even look at his mother on his way back over to sit next to me.
I try to put myself in his shoes, wondering what it would be like to have to reveal that to an entire courtroom. This could easily get back to students at the school if their parents are in attendance. I wouldn’t know how to tell, but both of us are going to have to watch our backs when we return.
“This court will adjourn for an hour while I think about the testimonies,” the judge announces, using his gavel to hit the wood in front of him, just like in a human courtroom.
I stay by Jake’s side as we file out the door to wait out the verdict. I expect there to be stares and gossip, but what I don't expect is to be intercepted by Reyes.
“Riley Graywood, nice to see you again, even if it is under these circumstances. Though, it does save me some trouble trying to track you down during Ostara.”
“What do you mean?”
I ask, stepping forward, as if shielding him from Jake’s view will make this any less of an awkward exchange.
“Julian has kept me informed of what was discovered about you. I didn’t want to pull you away from school, but as you can understand, this is something we need to investigate. If there is a rogue angel out there, we need to confirm and then find the one responsible. You can understand why an angel can’t just go around giving witches blood.”
It sounds logical enough, but I don't like the hint in what he says. I am not going to be happy what this investigation entails. And what if they find out it was Adriel? What will happen to him?
Just because I am angry, at what he has done, does not mean I want to see him punished or destroyed.
“What do you need from me exactly?”
“I will need you to cooperate with us. I am sorry to say this means you will most likely miss any celebrations with your family over the break, but you will be released as soon as we get the information we need.”
Jake steps in front of me then, and I try to pull him back. “Jake, it's fine. You can still take the ticket and go home to my uncle. Vivi will be there, and I will meet you there when I’m done.” I look into Reyes’ eyes as I say it, so he knows I expect just that.
“Eva!” Reyes calls his assistant over, her impossibly high heels clacking against the floor as always. “Can you take Riley up to the lab? I would like to get started right away?”
“Wait!” I say, looking at Jake with concern. “What about the trial?”
“I will make sure Eva lets you know the outcome,” Reyes assures, dismissing both my concern and the look of helplessness on Jake’s face.
“This way, Miss Graywood,” Eva says, and I follow, unsure when I am going to see my friend or family next.
Chapter Two
I have now been in headquarters so many times, you think I would know everything that's here, but I have no idea what lies on every floor. I certainly didn’t know there was a lab here.
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