Total pages in book: 92
Estimated words: 87185 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 436(@200wpm)___ 349(@250wpm)___ 291(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 87185 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 436(@200wpm)___ 349(@250wpm)___ 291(@300wpm)
“They definitely would.” She reaches up and plays with a crystal pendant hanging from her neck. “Once they found out you were a witch they just accepted you?”
“Hah, I wish. A few members who had known me since the beginning saw that power is something they were born with and treated me with as much respect as they treated other hunters. For the most part, we tried to keep the fact that I was a witch a secret. There were times when we were out hunting and I purposely hid my magic. It made things harder than necessary.”
“So you’ve never been taught magic formally, have you?”
“I spent some time when I was a teenager with witches just learning the basics. But that was only a few months and, honestly, I’ve learned more from looking through a Book of Shadows my vampire sister-in-law has given me.”
“How did she get it?” Marie asks quickly.
“She has a friend who made a copy of a copy or something like that,” I say with a shrug, trying to be dismissive. “I don’t think she realized that it was a real spell book that had been passed down from someone in her family.”
Maria nods, thankfully finding that answer to be plausible. “I would love to have you come to New Orleans and spend the summer with me. Your mind will be blown.” Her brows go up and she smiles. “In a good way, I promise. I would take you on as a private student myself and then you can sit in on all the classes we offer over the summer. I have a feeling you would catch on pretty fast considering you’ve done well with no formal guidance so far.”
The thought of sitting in the back of a classroom listening to somebody teach witchcraft excites me in a way I never knew it would. The possibility of being surrounded by other witches makes me stupidly emotional. The one thing I’ve wanted more than anything was to belong. I was never going to belong with the hunters. And even though Xavier loves me, am I ever going to fully belong with the vampires?
“Sorry,” Marie says and she shakes her head again. “I’m asking the questions instead of you.”
“It’s okay. I have so many questions. I don’t even know where to start.” My mind, which was just firing off thought after thought, blanks. “Ummm…magic school,” I say looking at her like this is just not possible. “You’re serious about that.”
“Yes,” she laughs. “It’s not like you’ve seen in movies. We offer a very good educational program that teaches much more than magic. In my opinion our students are much better prepared for the real world than those who attend public school. You learn the same curriculum as your non magical peers—nons, is what we typically refer to them as, by the way—along with magic. You’d learn your history. Our history. The Blackwood family was one of the first magical families to settle in the States.”
“Really?”
“Yes. They’d be happy to reconnect with you, I’m sure.”
Reconnect with my family. My biological family. Holy shit. The waiter comes over and takes our orders. I just order an iced tea and dessert since Antonio and I feasted on the pasta Alan made. “You said the Blackwoods didn’t follow the rules…what exactly do you mean? Are there a lot of rules?”
“No. They’re more like traditions. We do have some pretty big ones, like don’t participate in human sacrifice or cannibalism anymore.”
“That was a thing?”
“Yeah. Some covens still sacrificed a member up until recently. Who knows what goes on behind closed doors, but the Grand Coven doesn’t allow it anymore. It’s just…safer to follow the rules,” she says, studying me for a second as she decides how much to give away.
“Safer from what?”
“Monsters. Demons who want our power. Not all of them can be killed, you know.”
“All monsters can be killed.” I point at myself with both hands. “Monster hunter here. We just talked about it.”
“Monsters,” she presses. “They can be killed, but demons.” She pulls her arms in closer to her body, unsettled by what she’s saying, which sends a chill down my spine. “Not all demons can be destroyed. And that is what the Grand Coven wants to stay away from.”
My pulse picks up. “What would happen if a witch came up against a demon like that?”
“She better hope she can run,” Marie chides. “But if she was lucky enough, she could bind it.”
“Bind it?” I repeat, words coming out a little too sharp and desperate. “How?”
“A ritual. It takes more than one witch.”
“You’d need a coven?”
“A small one, yes. A strong, small one who can focus and fight.” She bites her lip, looking down at the table. “And it never comes without a cost.”
“What kind of cost?” My stomach starts to tighten.