The Witch's Vampire (New Adult Paranormal Romance) (Mystery Springs Series) (2 page)

BOOK: The Witch's Vampire (New Adult Paranormal Romance) (Mystery Springs Series)
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Sophie had managed to internalize the pain of Regina's passing, something her mother taught her a future doctor needed to know how to do. Internalizing, compartmentalizing would help her push through the pain to focus on the logic that could very well save a patient’s life.

 

A memory of her mother in good health flooded back. She was working in the greenhouse. The plants were the only things she allowed to dirty her hands. She sang when she worked with the plants, and when Sophie fussed she explained the plants were living beings and they felt pain and emotions just like humans. Singing to them made them happy, and happy plants made for healthier crops. It was logic that she couldn't argue with. In this particular memory her mother was humming a nursery rhyme that Sophie vaguely remembered from childhood. 
It was a sad melody that chilled her to the bone and made her stop tending to the herbs she was working on. 'Mom, why are you singing that song?' She asked inquisitively, curiosity getting the best of her younger self.

 

Regina brushed back a strand of blonde hair that had fallen loose from the French twist she was infamous for wearing at the hospital. 'I'm sorry, sweetheart. I was thinking about a patient at the hospital.'

 

'And that makes you sad?' Sophie asked.

 

'No, not necessarily. His condition makes me determined. You have to be careful with the feelings you allow yourself to have for patients.  Compartmentalizing your emotions from your knowledge will make you an amazing healer. The moment you connect too much with a patient is the moment you become lost in your obsession to heal them.'

 

'But the song you’re humming is sad.' Sophie frowned.

 

'Yes, but the ending is a happy ending, and that is what I'm hoping will be this patient's future.'

 

Sophie shook the memory from her mind. She needed to stay focused on the issue at hand. Getting lost in the past, in the feelings she refused to let herself explore wasn't going to help her solve the problem. "You don't have to take this burden from me, father. All we have to do is put it on hold for a few years. I promise I'll come back and help you with whatever you need."

 

Hopefully, by then, they'd have forgotten this witch business completely.
It really was ludicrous.
Maybe they'd realize they were mistaken. Sophie didn't have any powers.

 

“I understand you want to go back to Florida but…” Chelsea lowered her eyes and sighed, “You need to understand, Sophie, with great power comes great responsibility.”

 

Sophie laughed. It was an ugly sound even to her. She didn’t mean to sound nasty but she’d been hearing that a lot lately and was tired of it. 
Besides, what the hell did it mean?
 “Well, the jokes on you because I have no power.” She crossed her arms over her chest, satisfied with her new point of argument. It was true.

 

Chelsea smiled for the first time since this conversation started. “Your mother decided to suppress your powers. The coven is in the process of unbinding your gifts as we speak.”

 

“What? Without my consent?” Sophie felt a sudden rush of apprehension and fear creep up her spine.
Where the hell did that come from?
She didn’t believe this nonsense, did she?

 

“They’re your powers by birth. We don’t need your consent to give you something you already own.” Chelsea offered a compassionate glance. “I can see how this can be overwhelming, but I’m here to help you.”

 

Yeah, help, right!
Sophie felt herself losing control as though she was behind the wheel of a car and the tires lost traction over a patch of black ice. This situation seemed just as dangerous. Any moment, she felt like she was going to smash into a guard rail and wake up from an insane dream. Maybe all of this was a dream, or a coma, and she just needed to wake up.

 

One thing she knew for certain was if she stayed here she’d lose herself. Her life plan was being re-routed without her permission, and she had no ability to reprogram the GPS to get back on the correct road. “When does all this take effect?” 
Not that I believe your story.
 But maybe if she could prove them wrong they'd have to let her go.

 

“You should start to feel your powers return over the next week, and should regain full power after the new moon.”

 

With each new statement Chelsea and her father made she heard another bar bolt into place, locking her in a town she wanted desperately to escape.  She knew deep down, really knew, she was being selfish, and this compounded her guilt. People needed her here and Mystery U wasn’t a terrible school, but Florida had a really good program which gave her a lead into a really great medical school if she continued to carry her outstanding GPA. And the way things were shaping up here, Florida was the easier path, and she could use a little ease in her life.

 

She began to wonder if what she was really worried about were the new responsibilities she was going to have as an untrained witch. Not that she believed this absurd story.
She desperately needed this to be some terrible attempt at a horrible prank they were playing on her.
But if it was true, something told her life wasn’t going to be as breezy as those books, movies, and television shows with the young witches and their perfectly messed up lives. An unfamiliar voice was telling her she was about to get on a dangerous rollercoaster ride that wouldn’t be over in a few minutes. She hated amusement parks and those harrowing rides ever since she got terribly sick after taking a turn on the Shock Wave when she was seven, and at that moment, she felt that vulnerable age once again.
What if...?
It was a question she refused to ask herself, one she wouldn't answer. Not until there was empirical evidence proving she was truly a witch.

 

“I don’t want you to be concerned. I’ll do everything I can to make this a smooth process”, Chelsea offered with hope in her dark eyes. “I even teach a class on Occult Studies at the university and hope you’ll take it. I think you will find the curriculum very helpful.”

 

Fear was creeping up her spine, twisting around every vertebra, one by one, slowly, methodically. The idea that this could be real was just insanity, right? The vulnerable seven year old in her asked, “Daddy, why can’t you do this?” It was a last ditch effort to escape.

 

“Because I’m not a witch.”

 

She locked onto that like a kink in the chain. How could she be a witch if he wasn't one? She allowed herself to toy with the thought for a moment. “What are you? A wizard? Warlock?”

 

He chuckled. “Technically, all three are the same thing. But to answer your question, no. It’s true, I come from a witch family, but I’m a guardian.”

 

“What the heck is a guardian?” Sophie asked incredulously. This entire situation was getting more far-fetched by the minute.

 

A corner of his lip twitched upward, slightly at her inquisitive nature. “I work magic with the dead.” He stated simply the smallest amount of twinkle played in his green eyes and for a moment Sophie saw her father again, like he used to be before her mother’s illness.

 

It didn’t matter though, because what he was saying was ridiculous. “What does that mean?” Her voice raised two octaves. She was in a family of lunatics.

 

“Your father works with the spirit realm primarily.” Chelsea said pointedly, reminding her of a professor.

 

“The spirit realm and the un-dead.” He clarified.

 

“Like in – ghosts, vampires, and zombies?”

 

He nodded, “pretty much.”

 

“And have you talked to 
her
?” Sophie couldn’t believe she was humoring their delusions, but the idea of being able to talk to her mother after she was gone was too enticing of an idea to simply ignore. She’d give anything to have one more minute with her.

 

He lowered his head and shook it. “No, she’s moved on beyond the veil. I’ve no way to communicate with her because her soul is out of my reach.”

 

“Convenient.” Sophie snapped.

 

“Enough, Sophie.” Chelsea snapped back. “You have much to learn. There are limitations to what magic can and can’t do. Your father feels enough pain without you having to add to it.”

 

“Whatever!” Sophie whirled around, anger getting the best of her. How dare Chelsea bark at her? She knew she was allowing her emotions to get the best of her, but what kind of teacher lashes out at you when you ask questions? The anger she'd been holding back seemed to explode outward. She couldn’t help her actions any more than she could help believing her family was two sentences away from the funny farm. She knew before the words left her mouth she was going to regret it, and maybe even hate herself for saying it, but she got a sudden case of diarrhea of the mouth and couldn't stop the words from flowing. “It appears you’ve got all the answers. Looks like I’m stuck here getting a third rate bachelor’s degree with little chance of being accepted into a secondary medical school because I’ve got some unknown witch responsibilities which can only be taken care of here. Case closed, it is what it is.”

 

Neither Chelsea nor her father had the decency to look her in the eyes. Her father simply said, “I’m sorry, sweetheart. Your mother didn’t want this future for you so soon.”

 

Sophie couldn’t muster a response. She simply shook her head and bit back the tears that were threatening to fall. She knew her face was an open book revealing the gamut of emotions; hurt, sadness, loss, anger, fear. It didn’t dawn on her that disbelief wasn’t part of the storm of emotions assaulting her mind and body. When it did hit her, dread sunk in. She needed to get out of there, away from the house her mother died in, the house she was raised in surrounded by lies, the people that she loved who were currently trying to steal her future out from underneath her. “Unbelievable!” She grabbed her purse and keys by the door and slammed the front door as she left them both behind her in the house of tragedy that enveloped her entire life. She didn’t know where she was going, she just knew she needed to escape.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter Two

 

Giovanni Mancuso eyed the nightclub with careful scrutiny from his VIP perch on the second floor. Pride filled him. It paid to own the place. It was college night, and the DJ was playing heavy beats which kept the dance floor hopping with countless bodies gyrating to the music. It was like watching an orgy of clothed beings in the midst of public foreplay. The thrall of intense exertion kept the bartenders and serving girls busy quenching the customers’ thirsts with alcoholic drinks which actually achieved the opposite desired effect. But with each drink they consumed the freer their inhibitions became and that was when the predators struck like thieves in the night. For the most part, it was a symbiotic relationship; werewolves craved lust, vampire’s desired blood, witches energy, fairies caused mischief, and the willing prey received passion or some other gift in return. It'd worked that way in Mystery Springs for the past two centuries. The best part of the equation was very few got hurt.

 

He ran a clean club, and managed to keep Death and his minions away from his property. It was something of which he was proud. He'd met Thanatos and his ‘reapers’ before in battle
and later they became friends. He had no desire to revert back to their previous relationship status. If he was honest with himself he'd have to admit fear played a big part in his desire to steer clear, although he’d never confess that out loud. It was a powerful motivator, fear. Besides, who in their right mind didn't feel a little dread at the idea of death? He'd lived almost two hundred years and he still felt it. Those who didn't want to admit it were lying to themselves. Death was the unknown equalizer. 

 

He wasn't happy with his fear, but he learned the strength it gave a person when used correctly and he'd mastered the manipulation that was needed to make one be fearful of him. Supernatural, preternatural, and humans alike feared him, just as he felt fear for death. He’d built quite a reputation to make sure terror kept the people in line. It also helped that he hailed from royalty. The Mancuso vampires were powerful and very few challenged that power. Those that did faced the wrath of the council which had solid treaties in place with the humans, werewolves, witches, Amazons, fairies, elves, skin walkers, Jinn and Mancuso vampires for decades. It was an important part of their world and helped them keep their supernatural identities hidden from the humans. This kept all supernatural and human beings safe.

 

One person who didn't feel apprehension around him was his consort and he loved that she wasn't afraid of his company. Her loyalty was unmatched and her devotion was that of a protective mother cub. She slithered up to his side, her strawberry and cream scent had been a constant comfort to him ever since he named her his consort. She was technically a child of a human and fairy union. Something frowned upon in Mystery. Mixing supernaturals with humans was expressly forbidden. However, Marissa was the product of a rape. A dark fairy attacked her human mother. The attending elf physician at the hospital the night of the attack and the werewolf detective who was brought in to investigate recognized the situation for what it was. Jacob the elf kept a close eye on Marissa’s mother and when her pregnancy proved their suspicions she was brought into the supernatural world for protection. Marissa’s mother died in childbirth, a common, unfortunate side effect to breeding with supernaturals.

BOOK: The Witch's Vampire (New Adult Paranormal Romance) (Mystery Springs Series)
11.65Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

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