Witchcraft (#2 Witchblood Series) Read Free Page A

unfolded
from a crouching position and began to walk toward us.
    I had to do something fast.
Knowing I would have no chance of running, I turned back and
pounced at Susannah. As my strength knocked her down, a shriek
escaped her lips and her scent washed over me, drawing me in. I
wouldn’t bite her, I wouldn’t, I told myself. But she’s not human,
not really , a voice whispered
to me. She’s not innocent anyway. She wants your book. She lied to
you and she’s going to hand you over to them.
    My eyes flicked up to the swiftly
advancing figures, wands drawn for battle. I stood up and dragged
her shaking body with me. Holding her in front of my body as a
shield, I wrestled her wand from her quaking hand, and forcing her
head back I curled my lips back and went in for the kill.
    ‘ Stop! Jessie stop. Release her.’
His voice brought my head up with a snap and my eyes darted around
until I found him. He was standing within the circle of witches,
just behind my injured right shoulder. I took in his floppy, dirty
blonde locks and saw the monster I had become reflected in his
turquoise eyes. With a shiver I released the witch, and she fell to
the ground in a heap and began crawling away to the circle of her
coven. Instantly I realised the mistake I’d made and turned on
Luke.
    ‘ Look what you’ve made me do? Now
we’re both trapped and have no bargaining tool,’ I stormed, trying
to ignore the delicate pink flush to his cheeks, the way his jeans
tightened around his thighs, the fact that his beautiful smooth
chest was bare, his muscles rippling gently down towards the dark
fuzz peeking from the waistband of his jeans. But most of all, I
was desperately trying to ignore the white feathered wings unfurled
majestically from his back, exuding light and creating a well of
luminosity which somehow seemed to soak up the surrounding
darkness.
    ‘ They’re dark witches, Luke.
They’ll kill us. They want my book,’ I added.
    ‘ Shhh, I know. I’m sorry Jessie. I
shouldn’t have walked away from you. I didn’t realise your powers
had awakened with your rebirth, but I couldn’t stay away. You know
I couldn’t quite leave you, don’t you? You’ve seen me watching over
you? I’m here with you now,’ he said.
    ‘ Right! So if you’re going to fly
me back home then, now might be a good time,’ I said, inclining my
head towards the five witches, who were now surrounding us only a
couple of metres away, wands all pointing in our
direction.
    ‘ Oh, don’t tell me you’ve got the
angels on side already? Susannah, this wasn’t mentioned in your
report,’ a tall thin woman said, standing directly in front of
me.
    ‘ I beg your pardon, Priestess. I
did not know,’ Susannah replied quietly.
    ‘ So be it. We have dealt with
worse,’ the woman answered.
    ‘ Luke, get us out of here. What
are you waiting for?’ I whispered furiously.
    ‘ I can’t Jess. They’ll burn my
wings if I try to fly. There are too many of them. I need a
distraction.’
    ‘ Great! Why did you make me let
her go? That would have kept them at bay.’
    ‘ If you’d fed from a dark witch
your own bloodline would have been polluted. I couldn’t take that
chance.’
    ‘ OK Jess, hand over the book. You
can still join us. We can teach you to be strong, powerful. Jessie,
come to me,’ the priestess said, her words sweet and intoxicating,
lulling me, drawing me into her web.
    Luke stepped behind me and placed his
warm hands on my shoulders, gently massaging the injured one and
breaking the spell being cast upon me. I blinked in confusion and
shook my head.
    ‘ Jessie, he left you. He abandoned
you. He has only returned to you because of your powers. You need a
mother, to guide you and care for you. Let me teach you. With my
help you can be more powerful than all of them. Come to me child,’
she said.
    I took a quick glance back at the
boy I’d once loved so deeply. The boy who had lied to me, pretended
he was human. An angel even, who had