Red Witch: Book Two of the Wizard Born Series Read Free

out?” Fred laughed with her mother. “Wouldn’t work, though. Only does for me and Jamie.”
    “Do you think it goes back to that time when I was pregnant and touched bellies with Rachel?”
    “Probably. But now we’re marked for life.” She smiled wistfully at her mother. “I’ll never be able to kiss another boy now.”
    “You don’t want to, anyway, right?”
    “Is that a real question?” she said with a straight face, then laughed. “No, we are in love , Mom.”
    “I know, I know. He told me, too, and I think that’s sweet. But do you think you’d love him even if you didn’t have the tingle?”
    “Of course! You know Jamie. He’s the absolute best person, and he’s cute as he can be, and he’s—”
    “He’s got his father’s jaw. I think he’s more handsome than cute, especially now that he’s getting older.”
    “But he’s got his mother’s blue eyes, and his hair is so blonde and curly and, oh!… I want to kiss him right now just thinking about it.”
    “About the kissing, Honey.” Lisa pressed her lips tightly together before continuing. “I’m happy that you’re in love, and I’m thrilled that it’s with Jamie, but could you be a little more discreet around your father? You know he likes Jamie a lot, but your father’s having a hard time dealing with you being so…affectionate in front of him.”
    Fred scrunched her face. “Dad’s a prude.”
    “Not really. He’s just a little conservative that way. I don’t think he kissed me in front of his parents until our wedding.”
    “Well, that’s his problem, not mine.”
    “Fred, do it for me. Please?”
    Fred looked at her mother for a long moment, bottom lip tucked under a tooth. “O — kay,” she said reluctantly. “I’ll try. But how about Jamie’s parents? Do they have a problem with it?”
    “I know Rachel doesn’t, and I don’t think Carl is as bad as your father. But try to be considerate when you’re around other people. Nobody wants to see you smooching Jamie all the time.” She leaned over and kissed Fred on the cheek. “Except for me.”
    They laughed, and Lisa left Fred to her book. Fred watched her mother walk out and thought, She’s the only one who really knows how much in love Jamie and I are.
    * * *
    A lone witch, dressed all in black, staggered down a dark Louisiana road on a moonless night. The neon lights of the bar were hundreds of yards behind her, and the music from the jukebox had long since been swallowed up by the warm humid air. Her graying hair and her clothes reeked of cigarettes; the raunchy tune she sang was punctuated by frequent hiccups, accompanied by the croaking frogs and the occasional alligator bellow from the marsh on her left.
    The shoulder of the road was uneven, full of holes and high weeds, so she walked on the asphalt, not exactly in a straight line, but in the general direction of home. There were no streetlights, no porch lights, and few headlights to illuminate her way, just the feel of the hard pavement beneath her old boots to assure her she was on the right path.
    Her shadow stretched before her as the light from an approaching vehicle grew. She heard the roaring engine behind her but didn’t turn, stepping off the road onto the shoulder. But when her foot landed in a hole, she lost her balance and stumbled back onto the highway.

Chapter 2
    Jamie sat behind the steering wheel and watched Rollie slide into the back seat of Jamie’s old blue Buick, the car that had formerly belonged to his grandmother. Fred was already in the front next to Jamie.
    “Dude,” Rollie said, “I’m so glad your parents finally let you drive to school. I’m tired of riding the bus. There oughta be a law that says seniors shouldn’t have to do that.”
    Fred leaned across the seat and kissed Jamie on the cheek with a loud smack. She looked back at Rollie. “Does it bother you when I do that?”
    Rollie fastened his seat belt. “Nah. I’m used to it.”
    “My mom says that