The Chosen Witch Read online

  With a curse, I gritted my teeth and summoned another gust of wind. When the cool air hit, I dropped my sword, gripped the tusk-like pinchers on the demon’s face, and flipped onto my back. Royce shouted in alarm as the demon went flying. I held my gaze on the demon soaring above me. A streak of lightning the color of blood shot through dark sky and slammed into the airborne demon.

  Libby.

  “Move!” Libby shouted from nearby.

  I rolled to the side and jumped to my feet. With a flick of my wrist, both my sword and dagger flew through the air and landed in my open palms.

  Libby continued zapping the demon with her spell until it shrank to the size of a pit bull. Too late I realized her spell was having a unique reaction on the monster.

  “Stop!” I yelled. The smaller the demon, the harder they were to catch.

  The red lightning ceased, and the demon crashed to the ground. The creature rolled onto its eight legs and scurried into the trees…right in Libby’s direction. Years of training instructed me to always kill the demon first, save friends second. I adjusted my grip on my sword. In my mind, Kessler’s voice told me to take the kill shot.

  Too bad I’d never been good at rules.

  I planted my feet, pulled my right arm back, and threw my sword like a javelin. The glowing blade soared through the air like a missile before diving into the ground at Libby’s feet. The earth exploded and cracked, sending the demon and Libby flying in opposite directions. I ran forward and yanked my sword from the ground. Up ahead, the demon scrambled back to its eight-foot height.

  “That should’ve killed it.” Libby cursed and shot at the demon with her lightning, shrinking it a little bit more. Her light brown eyebrows were scrunched low over narrowed hazel eyes.

  “No, stop,” I shouted. “Too small and we’ll never catch it.”

  “He’s on the move!” Royce yelled from ahead of them. He looked scraped up but was on his feet nonetheless.

  The demon hissed and sped off toward the Gap. I cursed and sprinted after it, leaving Libby in the dust. I pushed to my maximum speed, passing by Royce in a blur. The damn demon seemed to be getting faster the smaller he was. By the time I caught up to it, we were only twenty feet from the Gap. Thanks to the ornate lanterns hanging from posts every five feet in this area, I had no problem seeing just how close we were to it.

  I dove like I was in the World Series and slammed into the side of the demon, burying my sword into its side. The creature screamed and rolled. Inky black blood sprayed like a firehose, burning my skin everywhere it landed.

  I placed my palms on the concrete and directed my power into the earth. The world trembled all around me. Lamp posts and signs crashed to the ground. Water splashed off the fountain ten feet away. I needed one of my weapons to kill it, but my sword was lodged in the demon’s belly and my dagger was taking its sweet time responding to my call. I felt the pull in my gut, the tickle in my fingertips. I just needed to stall. Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted Royce and Libby crossing the bridge and entering the French Square. The demon seemed unable, or afraid, to move while the ground shook.

  “Yeah, definitely gonna need that blood test,” Royce said once he caught up. He bent over with his hands on his knees, gasping for air. “I think you’re getting less and less human.”

  I rolled my eyes, although I didn’t miss the fact he had a point. I wasn’t even breathing heavy. “Does that smart mouth of yours know how to kill this thing?”

  “My mouth knows how to do a lot of things.” Royce smirked. He grabbed ahold of the iron fence next to him and tried to stand. “You mind, bro?”

  I… What? I wasn’t sure what he’d just proposed until I spotted Libby crawling up the path behind Royce. Oh. Right.

  I took one hand off the ground so my friends could move freely and kept the other shaking the demon. “Sorry. We need to trap it.”

  “Your sword should’ve killed it. My spell should’ve killed it.” Libby jogged over to the right, closer to the ten-foot-tall fountain. Her little double-edged dagger was gripped tightly in her right hand. With her left, she directed bolts of bloodred lightning to block the demon’s path like a wall. “How the hell do we kill it?”

  “Do we have to kill it?” Royce asked, still holding on to the fence, but he appeared to be breathing normal again. “I mean, if it wants to go home, let it go. Good riddance.”

  “It will just come back.” Libby moved so she was on the opposite side of the demon from me.

  “Yeah, but in the meantime, we can figure out how to kill it. Right?” Royce moved to the left until the three of us formed a triangle around it. He had his dagger, which was the size of his forearm, out and ready.

  I sighed. I wanted to go along with the idea. I really did. The Gap was right there. The three of us could easily chase it back to its own dimension and worry about it another day. I was sleep deprived, starving, and not interested in being stuck out in a thunderstorm.

  Tempting, so tempting. But then I remembered Cassandra’s instructions when she called to tell me there was a demon loose outside the park.

  I cursed for the eight hundredth time that night. “No, Cassandra said we had to kill it. She specifically said not to let this demon get through the Gap.”

  “Did she say why?” Libby asked. Her voice was weakening from the energy it took her to use her spell. The soft curve of her round face didn’t match the aggressive attitude.

  “Unfortunately not.”

  Royce cursed.

  “Do we have to listen?”

  I frowned and looked over to Libby, who was now on her knees with her hands outstretched. On her left forearm, the Roman numerals XV were burned into her skin. The Devil. It wasn’t her fault; it was her Card after all. Temptation was the name of her game. This is why Kessler sends her with you. You’re the only one he trusts with her.

  But she has a valid point. Do we have to listen?

  “I don’t wanna answer to Kessler when we don’t listen,” Royce responded.

  “I don’t want to be killed by a giant spider,” Libby snapped. “Besides, Tennessee should be the one telling Kessler what to do.”

  What?

  Royce ran his free hand through his jet-black hair. He looked over at me and shrugged. “She has a point, Emperor.”

  My stomach rolled. I glanced down at the Roman numeral IV on my arm, the mark of The Emperor. Out of all twenty-two Cards, The Emperor was meant to lead. Supreme ruler. I was supposed to sit on the throne of the Coven in my armor and reign. And I could’ve, too, if I wanted. Despite being seventeen.

  But I didn’t want to. At all. In any way. The idea of being in charge made my spine tingle and heartrate skyrocket.

  Royce cleared his throat. “It’s your call, Emperor. We’ve got your back.”

  I glared at the demon while I deliberated. Cassandra never led me astray. The Goddess chose her for a reason; she must’ve had a reason. It may have been my natural right to lead, but it wasn’t my role to question our spiritual advisor. “Cassandra said we had to kill it. So, we’re going to kill it.”

  “Okay…how?”

  I glanced over at Libby, who was barely holding herself upright. Royce stood, ready to fight, but he’d taken a beating already. “Okay, Royce, go stand in front of the Gap. Hold your ground. Do not let the demon, or me, go through it.”

  Royce blanched. “Or you?”

  I nodded. “Libby, on my move, drop your shield and take cover.”

  Libby nodded, her hazel eyes dark with fatigue. Even from fifteen feet away, her skin looked pale. Royce limped over to stand in front of the fountain.

  This demon wasn’t like the other demons and Gap jumpers we fought, which meant I wouldn’t be able to kill it the same way. I had an idea, a crazy idea, but it was all I had. Now I had to hope it didn’t backfire and get my friends hurt. I could handle just about anything except being the reason my friends got hurt.

  Royce got into place, holding a strong fighting stance. “Ready, boss.
”

  Don’t call me that.

  I turned and met Libby’s gaze. “When I run forward, drop it.”

  Libby nodded. “You got it, boss.”

  Please stop calling me that.

  I pushed those thoughts away and summoned all of my power to the surface until my entire body glowed brighter than a full moon. Once at full strength, I held my right hand out and mentally called for my dagger. Within seconds, the cool metal hit my palm, and I tightened my grip around the hilt. I removed my left hand from the ground, and the earth immediately settled. The demon stumbled and tripped, its eight legs struggling to remain upright.

  Now the crazy part.

  Please let this work.

  I held my palm out toward the fountain and shot a bolt of pure white energy into the pool at the base. Water and coins shot into the night sky. The demon raced toward the Gap behind Royce, dodging quarters and slipping in the new puddles. Just as I expected, the fairy spirits guarding the Gap sprang from their hiding spots and dove toward the demon. The spider-like monster reared up on its back four legs. I dove toward the creature and buried my dagger in the back of its neck. It shrieked and flipped over, but I was faster. I reached down, grabbed the hilt of my sword protruding from the demon’s side, and sliced through its body.

  Under its tusks, the demon had a humanoid face with beady red eyes and sparkly white teeth. It snarled and coughed. “You’ll never close the Gap without the tool,” it hissed.

  I was so taken back by it being able to speak that I didn’t realize what it said until it was too late. One of its eight legs ripped something off from around its neck and threw it right into the Gap opening.

  I leaped forward. It might’ve been a trick, but we couldn’t risk it. Closing the Gap had been our species’ main focus since everything went down in Salem centuries ago. I had no idea what the tool was, but I watched it fly through the air like a shooting star.

  I’m never going to catch it.

  The demon wrapped one of its legs around my foot and yanked me back. The object crossed into the Gap when a little pink hand reached through the hole and snatched it. In a flash of a second, I recognized the flutter of luminescent wings and a dash of bright red hair before the fairy disappeared from sight with whatever the demon threw now clutched in her hand.

  My back hit the water of the fountain’s pool with a splash. I rolled and pushed the barely living demon under until the water turned black and bubbled. The fairy spirits hissed and dove toward me, razor claws outstretched. With my sword in one hand and a dagger in the other, I spun and sliced my weapons at anything that moved. Fairies screamed and ducked away from the bright glow radiating from me. Within seconds, there was nothing but silence and my pounding heart.

  Still, I wasn’t tired, wasn’t even breathing heavy. My heart beat with adrenaline, the rush of my power, and excitement of action. I spun around in circles, looking for another fight, but the night was calm. Glittery fairy dust shimmered in the air around the fountain and the pool’s water looked like black sludge, but the demon was gone. Thunder rolled and lightning cracked through the sky, although I couldn’t have said if it was from me or Mother Nature. I turned, searching for the only living fairy the theme park had, but she was nowhere to be seen.

  We’ve never been able to catch her.

  “Forget the blood test…”

  I turned toward the familiar voice and found Royce’s wide sapphire eyes staring. I frowned. “What?”

  “Ya know, when you glow like that, your eyes almost look the same color.”

  “What are you getting at?” I scowled down at him. I understood the words he’d said, just not why he said them.

  “Though the green one gets brighter than the blue one,” Royce mumbled.

  “Did you hit your head? What are you trying to say?” Everyone knew I had different colored eyes: the left was blue, and the right was green. It was the first thing people noticed, usually.

  Royce shook his head. “No way in hell you’re human.”

  I climbed out of the fountain pool and held my palm out for Royce. “So, this means you just want cashmere?”

  Royce chuckled and let himself be lifted to his feet. “Or silk. I’m not picky.”

  “Yes, you are.”

  “I know.” Royce grinned. He didn’t seem terribly injured, but there were definitely going to be some marks to heal.

  I shook my head and raced to where our friend was on the ground. I crouched and reached out to…to do what? I wasn’t sure what to do to help. Why was she so still? But then I saw her chest rising and falling, and I sighed with relief. She was alive. Thank the Goddess. “Libby, are you okay?”

  “I still prefer the blue, Royce.” She sat up and brushed some hair out of her face, her light brown hair barely holding on to her trademark side braid. A lamp post had fallen behind her and landed on her left foot, pinning it to the ground. I lifted the metal off of her, earning me a flirty smile in return.

  I frowned, then my cell phone rang from inside my pocket. When I pulled it out, I found my adoptive father’s face filling the screen. I took a deep breath to make sure I sounded calm and collected. I answered and hit the button to put him on speakerphone. “Hello, Father dearest.”

  “Are you okay? Where is it? Did the demon get through the Gap?”

  “I’m fine, we’re all fine. No, I killed it. Like Cassandra asked me to.” I looked around. “This theme park isn’t okay, though.”

  Royce limped over and leaned on my shoulder. “Yeah, the Sapiens are going to freak out when they see this.”

  Kessler sighed but I could tell he was relieved. “I’ll see to the mess. Willow, Cassandra, and I are already on the way. You three get home.”

  “No argument here.” Royce laughed, but the wince told me it hurt to do so.

  “I’m calling a meeting tomorrow at noon at our spot.” Kessler mumbled something to someone on his side of the call. “Tenn, you good to drive the three of you home?”

  “Yeah, no problem. I feel pretty good right now.”

  Royce scoffed. “Because you ain’t human.”

  “Tenn, try and get some sleep. I’ll be home soon.”

  “Yes, sir.” I ended the call and put my phone back in my pocket.

  Royce stood straight and smiled. Normally, whoever smelt it dealt it, meaning whoever made the mess cleaned the mess, so getting the clear to go home was a blessing.

  “Tennessee?”

  I looked down to where Libby sat on the ground with a rather swollen-looking ankle. “Yeah?”

  She batted her eyelashes and smiled. “Will you carry me to the car? Please?”

  Behind her, Royce rolled his eyes and made a gagging gesture. I ignored him and crouched down. Libby wrapped her arms around my neck the second I got close enough.

  She beamed up at me, her cheeks flushed. “You’re such a sweetheart.”

  Royce scoffed and shook his head, disgusted by the damsel-in-distress act. I shrugged one shoulder and smiled. Damsel or not, she’d hurt her foot enough to warrant not walking on it right away. Carrying her was the least I could do.

  But the look in Libby’s hazel eyes and the way she licked her bottom lip told me she had other ideas in mind. The question was, why didn’t I want to take her up on them?

  Chapter Two

  She placed her right hand over my heart. “If you ever need me, this is where I’ll be. Right here, real close. I will be in your heart forever. All you have to do is look.”

  I nodded and gripped her hand with both of mine. The tears wouldn’t stop pouring.

  She held her left hand up, and purple smoke swirled around her fingers. Then she pressed it to my cheek. Warmth filled me like I sat in front of a fireplace. The purple smoke circled around my face a few times before disappearing. When I looked back to Momma, her green eyes were red and puffy and full of tears. “Now, my love. Do you remember your name?”

  My name? Of course I remembered my name. It was…it was… My heart raced. “No
, I don’t. Momma?”

  “Then you’re going to be just fine. I will always be proud of you. Now run, and remember, Hope is not lost.” Her voice cracked. “I love you to the moon…”

  “Tennessee!”

  I shot upright and shouted, “And back!”

  My heart slammed against my chest, beating out of control and making my entire body tremble with adrenaline. I was in the back of my Jeep, with my legs bent in weird directions and one bare foot hanging out the window. The leather jacket I’d used to block out any and all light dropped to my lap. The sunlight accosted me from every direction.

  It was just a dream.

  Again.

  If I could even call it a dream. In actuality, it was a memory, the oldest one I had, from the last time I saw my mother. The only thing I really remembered of my mother, and it wasn’t much. I hadn’t dreamed about that night in years, yet in the last few weeks, it’d been almost a nightly occurrence. Was my brain trying to tell me something or simply torturing me?

  The door my right foot hung out of flew open, and my heel slammed against the side of the car. The new angle had my left leg screaming in duress. Okay, so maybe I was too big to sleep in the back of a Jeep Wrangler. Maybe sleeping in my car had been a horrible idea. Note to self: just sleep on the sand next time. Or my bed, actually. A string of curses left my lips.

  “Tennessee.”

  My eyes finally focused on the moving object in front of me. Cassandra’s pale face glared at me. Her red, pursed lips perfectly matched the red eyebrow arched in frustration.

  “Alive yet?”

  I managed to get my body into a proper seated position, but the onslaught of light made me drop my head. “Debatable.”

  She chuckled. “What’s happening in here this morning, Tenn?”

  “I didn’t want to be late for the meeting, so I drove over here to wait.”

  “Seriously?”

  I shrugged and it made my neck crack. “Kessler hates when I’m late.”