Rage: A New Adult Urban Fantasy (Spelldrift: Coven of Fire Book 3) Read online

  Table of Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Rage

  Spelldrift: Coven of Fire Book 3

  Sierra Cross

  Enigmatic / Elixir

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  Copyright © 2017 by Sierra Cross

  Editing By: Jaime’s Editing Service

  Proofreading by Dana Proof Write

  Cover art by Y. Nikolova at Ammonia Book Covers

  All Rights Reserved.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and events are either the product of the authors’ imagination or are used factiously. Any resemblance to actual places, events, and people, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

  ISBN: 978-1-938767-29-6

  Glossary

  Amalgam (Mal) - A magicborn individual born of a forbidden union, such as the offspring of a witch and a guardian. Historically hunted down as abominations, they are even now viewed as dangerous by modern Council Supremas.

  Caedis - A highly intelligent, exceedingly strong class of demon able to take over a human bodies near the moment of its owner’s death.

  Council Suprema - A legal body made up of representatives from every local type of magicborn. A city’s Council Suprema is judge, jury, and executioner for the magicborn within its jurisdiction.

  Demongates - Places on the earth where the veil between the Earthly Realm and the Demon Realm is very thin. These sites must be warded to prevent the free passage of demons into the Earthly Realm.

  Fidei - A secretive, Wont-led international organization that oversees the magicborn and keeps their doings hidden from the Wont world.

  guardian - A magicborn race whose strongest male members are trained to serve as coven bodyguards and fighters. Their magic solely enhances their combat abilities.

  magicborn - Referring to the wider community that encompasses witches, warlocks, guardians, vampires, shifters, fae, and even rarer creatures such as gargoyles.

  mage - A Wont who studies magic and makes use of potions or magic-charged objects in place of wielding inborn magical gifts.

  Nequam (Neq) - One of various forms of low-level demons who use glamours to conceal their hideous looks and who instantly reincarnate on the other side of the Demongate upon being killed.

  runes - An ancient set of symbols that, when etched onto a blade, turns lower-level demons to dust upon death.

  scry - To divine a living being’s location, using one’s own magic and the simple tools of an enchanted pendant.

  shifter - A magicborn individual with the ability to shift into one particular species of animal, as determined by their bloodline.

  skinsuit - A human body that is being commandeered by a Caedis demon.

  spellbeads - Small, marble-sized beads of different shapes that come pre-charged with a particular spell. They activate when shattered.

  The Spelldrift - a central Seattle neighborhood that has always been a magicborn hub, thanks to its unique subterranean current of free-flowing magical energy.

  ward - A magical veil that serves as a security system, lock, or boundary. Stronger magic creates stronger wards.

  wardsuit - The magical equivalent of a bulletproof vest; battle garb that absorbs much of the impact of a demon blast.

  warlock - A magicborn male whose inborn magic allows him to cast spells, perform incantations, and do various other magical tasks. Traditionally, warlocks are tasked with hunting demons and policing the witch community.

  witch - A magicborn female whose inborn magic allows her to cast spells, perform incantations, and do various other magical tasks. Traditionally, witches play many roles in the magicborn community, including building and maintaining wards, brewing potions, and controlling magical commerce.

  Wont - An ordinary human with no magical gifts.

  Chapter One

  My evil Aunt Jenn clasped her French-manicured hands behind her head and leaned back in her three-thousand-dollar executive office chair, narrowed eyes considering me for what felt like hours. I’d sworn up and down that I’d never again allow myself to be at the mercy of the dark witch who’d raised me, yet here I was in the top-floor CEO suite of Millennium Dynamics, praying she’d help me out.

  Finally, Aunt Jenn gave a slight nod. “Okay.” She leaned forward and picked up her phone.

  “Okay, as in you’ll take me to meet your Fidei friend?” The last thing I wanted to do was be cooped up in a car for six hours road-tripping with my aunt and her prickly cactus-spine aura. But it was the only way I could think of to help Matt. Getting proof that Amalgams weren’t evil, that he had no reason to hate himself. Cold, hard facts were the only way my guardian would ever be convinced.

  “Yes, I will drive you to Vancouver and introduce you to Masumi.” She held the phone against her chest as she spoke. “Whether or not she’ll help? Well, I guess that depends on you.” What was that supposed to mean? I wondered. She pressed a button on the phone. “Callie, can you come in here for a moment?”

  Ugh. Great. That would just make the morning perfect—seeing the evil thing that had taken over my sister witch’s body. Every interaction with the new Callie ripped another chunk out of my heart...and I had surprisingly few left to spare.

  The office door opened, and Callie popped her head in all bright and perky. “You needed me, boss? Oh Alix! You’re still here!” The sparkle in her blue eyes was just like I remembered from our childhood, but the feel of this being was so different. “Wanna stick around and grab lunch with me?”

  “She can’t,” Aunt Jenn cut in. “We’re taking an unexpected day trip.” She flipped through some notes she had taken and shook them out in front of her for Callie to retrieve. “Follow up on this mess. And I need you to clear my schedule.”

  “For the whole day?” Callie tilted her head as if there must be some mistake. “But you have the witches from Valhalla Enterprises coming in today and—”

  “Apologize for me.” Jenn didn’t miss a beat. “Better yet, get them to stay an extra day. Take them out for a night on the town.”

  “Those dark witches will not want to be wined and dined.” Callie’s voice was pinched, like she was trying to keep from sounding angry. “I jumped through a bunch of hoops to get them to agree to this meeting—”

  “You’re resourceful. You’ll figure something out.”

  Callie stared at her boss in disbelief. “You’re the one who stressed what this alliance could mean for Millennium Dynamics.”

  “I’m well aware of the situation.” She stood and headed for the door. “Let me call Masumi and give her a heads up. Alix, why don’t you wait in the car. I’ll be five minutes.” She turned around like she’d just remembered something. “Oh, Callie, I need for you to get some boxes from my car. I have the prototypes of the enchanted T-1s. Get them to R&D to see if it can be replicated on a mass production scale.” She threw her keys to Callie, without taking any note of the anger that was rising in her assistant. “Car�
�s out back by the loading docks.”

  “Really, five minutes?” Flashbacks of doing my homework in the conference room while I waited for my aunt swirled in my brain—as a kid, I’d decided that Aunt Jenn time was like the inverse of dog years. The pull of warm memories pushed against the lie that was my childhood. I would not be travelling down memory lane today.

  “I swear, five minutes in Alix time.”

  I followed Callie out of the office, realizing with a jolt that this was my chance. Once and for all, I could find out if my Callie was still in there somewhere, as Liv fervently hoped she was. Or, if our coven sister truly was dead and gone.

  The elevator doors glided shut, and I was surrounded by the unique feel of Callie’s dark magic. As my sensitivity grew, the more layered and intricate magical signatures were to me. Evil Callie was more like barbed wire than cactus spines. Like something between a dark witch and a Caedis demon. I wondered if she was even able to tamp down her signature, the way witches could? Or if she was more like a Caedis, who had no choice but to let their razor radio play at full blast.

  I reached for my phone to text an update to Asher and Liv, to let them know the trip with my aunt was on, and we were heading to Vancouver. Callie stood behind me, so quiet I wondered if she was even breathing. The barbs of her dark magic poked at my consciousness, disorienting my thoughts. My phone vibrated with responses. A good luck from Liv and our warlock reminding me to be wary of dark witches in confined spaces.

  Speaking of confined, the elevator car felt cramped, the air around me thin. Floors dinged by, but the ride seemed to take forever. I needed the doors to open so I could take a deep breath of evil-free air.

  My lungs were feeling so tight I was starting to see spots. I tried to suck in a deep breath, but there was no air around me to breathe in. I looked down at my chest and saw a shimmer of green magic had enveloped me. A green sheen of energy was wrapped around my neck, covering my face. She’d essentially put my head in a magical plastic bag. This bitch was suffocating me.

  “S-stop,” I gagged, unable to get more words out.

  “Aw, what’s the matter? Having a little trouble breathing?” she said in mock sympathy. I turned to face her, clutching at my neck, struggling for breath. The cold blue eyes that stared back at me were so familiar it made my heart ache. Was my coven sister trapped inside this cruel, sadistic creature? Or was Asher right, that my Callie was dead and gone?

  It took my vision darkening to realize I needed to fight magic with magic. I flicked my fingers at her, sending a spray of golden magic burning toward her. The embers of my magic singed her blouse and blistered tiny dots on her throat. She stumbled back and released the hold she had over me. The elevator door pinged, and I backed out.

  “What the hell is your problem?” Calling full firebolts of golden magic to my fingers, I stepped back as Callie advanced, threw her arms down, and called bright green magic to her hands.

  “My problem is you, Alix.” Her power swirled in a beautiful, perfectly contained arc that danced ever so lightly on her fingertips. Exactly like Callie’s magic used to do. “I’ve been working my butt off for months to arrange this meeting.” She released the bolt, but at the last second her hand twitched and it sailed past my ear. Was she intentionally missing me? “And you waltz in there and all my planning goes out the window. Poof.” Another bolt formed on her fingers. “You are no good for her. And she’s blind to the damage her sentimental feelings for you are causing in the ranks. As her loyal assistant, it’s my duty to save her from herself.”

  She hurled a second green blast at my head. I deflected easily and threw a small golden one back, aiming near her feet—a warning shot. As she drew more firebolts, magic heated up my hands, and the familiar feeling of battle-ready calm took over. Battle, with Callie? Well, she was attacking me with lethal magical force in an elevator. And I knew I could do it, take her out right now. She was strong, but the power of my anger made me stronger still.

  I let a firebolt rage on my fingertips. But was this evil thing trying to kill me or just playing with me? Why were her shots missing? Could it be possible Callie was still in there, preventing her from harming me? My doubt made me hesitate and the huge blast I was aiming sailed wide, searing past her. Sparks radiated out, showering her arm, causing her to yelp.

  The elevator door pinged, and my aunt stepped out. Callie whimpered and her hand flew to the burns on her neck.

  “Alix!” It took Aunt Jenn two seconds to go from confused to incensed. “What the hell did you do?”

  What did I do? Defended myself from your psycho assistant. Who you seem to have no idea is getting out of control. I wanted to rip into my aunt, but I remembered how much I needed this favor and bit my tongue. “We were just…having a healthy debate.”

  Callie bit her lip and cowered away from me. Damn it, that was why she kept missing. She’d wanted to provoke me—but she hadn’t left a mark on me. To make me look bad in front of my aunt. It was feeling less and less like my Callie was still inside that body.

  “I’m so sorry about my niece. Family, what’re you going to do?” My aunt threw me a chastising look and went over to rub Callie’s shoulder. “You all right?”

  Dark Callie sucked in an orchestrated breath. “I’m fine. Light witches are so overly emotional.”

  “That they are.” Aunt Jenn shook her head in distaste. Then she was all business again, her brief interlude of compassion for Callie dissipated. “There’s a hand truck right there for the boxes.”

  Callie gave my aunt a seething look, like she’d wanted more of a reaction from her. Had she expected my aunt to change her mind and cancel the side trip with me? Just when I thought she was about to speak out, the evil wench re-molded her face into a perky grin. A grin that would always tug at the strings of my shredded heart. “Have a great trip!” she simpered.

  The real Callie, sweet soul that she had been, had meant every over-the-top hyperbole she uttered. Did my aunt not see that this one, with her emotions turning on a dime, was faking it all to manipulate her?

  The tires of Aunt Jenn’s Mercedes purred on the asphalt like an angel’s humming, but inside the car our tense silence was awkward as hell.

  “Must you rest your dirty boots on my dashboard?” Aunt Jenn’s knuckles blanched from the pressure she used to grip the steering wheel. By the time we’d crossed the US-Canada border, she had given up on conversation.

  But she wasn’t above trying the mom stare.

  I ignored her and flipped another page in the slim book balanced on my knees. Miraculously unscathed by the fire that engulfed my apartment, the old leather-bound magic book my mother bequeathed me had become my prized possession. The more I practiced with Asher, the easier it was becoming to decipher its once-foreign symbols. I turned to a section titled “Wresting Spells and Their Use in Battle,” and imagined my mother’s voice narrating to me.

  “You could fake a little gratitude.” Aunt Jenn’s tight voice let me know the balance of her patience account had been depleted. “I’m risking a twenty-year friendship so you can help your boyfriend.”

  Wait, she was? She hadn’t said anything about how her call with Masumi had gone. My conscience flared, but I assuaged it with cold logic. “You wouldn’t be doing this if it didn’t serve your own ends.” I glanced out the window at the grey February sky. “And Matt’s not my boyfriend, he’s my guardian.”

  “Oh please, there’s enough heat between you two to forge steel,” she snapped. “The only reason you two aren’t together is he believes that crap about Mals being evil.”

  I shrugged her off, as if the mere thought of him hadn’t made my heart thump wildly.

  Beautiful Matt, half guardian, half witch—an Amalgam, or Mal, that magicborn law deemed unacceptable. Irredeemable. Guardian-witch, witch-shifter, vampire-witch, faerie-witch, you name it, any combo you can think of, Council law dictated they must be destroyed at birth, that the resulting augmentation of power these unions produced would cause th
e child to turn evil.

  There wasn’t an evil bone in Matt’s body. No law could convince me otherwise.

  Unfortunately, it was Matt that needed convincing.

  If I concentrated, I could feel his lifeforce somewhere off to the east. Our coven tattoos bound Matt, Liv, Asher, and me together, allowing me to sense his presence. I wished it did more, like let me follow or contact him, but at least I knew he was alive. His magic was still bright in our coven circle. Though—maybe it was my imagination—it felt like he was pulling away. Or maybe it was just the memory of last night. Our devastating final conversation.

  “I shouldn’t exist.”

  “Don’t leave like this…”

  Unable to focus anymore, I closed the book. The black ribbon of road rolled under us as I stared at the grey clouds on the horizon. I prayed that whatever was at the end of this path would be worth the trip. That this Fidei scientist, her old friend, had proof that Mals weren’t evil and didn’t turn evil. But would one disgruntled Fidei agent’s conspiracy theory be enough to convince Matt? If it wasn’t, what hope was there I’d ever get him back?

  Chapter Two

  Wending through dense traffic, we pushed into downtown Vancouver, BC. It was a Tuesday and lunchtime crowds bustled along the shop-lined streets. Stylish women in posh winter boots navigated the snow-dusted pavement. While not even three hours away from Seattle, Vancouver—with its narrow curving streets and glittering skyscrapers and, well, the metric system—always struck me as the more metropolitan city.

  “I’m assuming this Fidei we’re going to see plays on the dark side too,” I said.

  “And you’d be wrong.”

  “Well, why is she friends with you?” I said with more snark than intended. “I mean, why’s she hanging out with a dark witch?”

  “I met her a lifetime ago…before life forced us to choose sides. We were nothing but potential.” The bittersweet tone in Aunt Jenn’s voice caught me off guard. “Masumi Shimizu was a hell of a blackjack dealer.” She smiled as if to herself. “I was a different person. You probably don’t even remember back when I waitressed at the casino, do you? Right after my stint at the tattoo parlor.”