Burkheart Witch Saga Book 2

B
urkheart Witch Saga Book 2
: Let Me In

©2014 Devil Dog Press LLC

T
his book is
a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places, events, and incidents either are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons living, dead, or otherwise, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

T
his book is protected
under the copyright laws of the United States of America. Any reproduction or unauthorized use of the material or artwork contained herein is prohibited without the express written permission of the author or Devil Dog Press, LLC.

P
rinted in the U.S.A
.

I
would like
to thank a few great women that made this saga possible with their support, honest critique, and hounding to write more! Thank you Vix, Jaime, Leslie for all of your support and for helping me to be a better writer. Thank you to Vix and Kimberly for reading the first drafts and for giving me your honest feedback. Without that, I would be lost. 

S
ettling
in at the Marriott Hotel, Kayla was transported from her troubled world for a few wonderful, carefree moments. She felt like either a socialite or a high-end call girl. Unable to decide, she simply flopped down on the plush bed and enjoyed the luxury. Two hundred dollars per night was what this little getaway was costing her, and she did not care.

Kayla dialed the front desk.

"Concierge," a very capable sounding man answered.

"I need to know where I can go to print some documents nearby."

"No need to go, ma'am. We can have a printer brought to your room. Three sixty-two, correct?"

"Yes," Kayla replied, dumbfounded by her sudden power to materialize her every desire.

"I will have that sent up right away. PC or Mac?"

"PC, thank you."

"Anything else, Ms. Burkheart?"

"Can I get room service?"

"I'll connect you to the kitchen. Have a wonderful evening."

"Thank you."

Still amazed at her own superpowers, she ordered an early dinner of shrimp cocktail, flat iron steak with garlic-mashed potatoes and grilled asparagus followed by a vanilla crème brûlée, and washed down with Pepsi.

When the food arrived on its little silver cart, Kayla felt like a queen. She ate with reckless abandon. If anyone had dared put their hand near her steak, they probably would have pulled back a bloody stump. At the end of the best meal Kayla had ever had, she leaned back and patted her now very full stomach. She felt like passing out in bed and sleeping the rest of the night away. That was not going to happen, she thought, looking at the small, wireless printer that had accompanied her meal.

She hooked her phone to her laptop and downloaded the documents. As they printed, Kayla looked at each one. They told the story of a man who had gotten away from a snarling shrew and tried to have a life of his own. One of the documents was a letter her father had written to Carolyn, telling her that he planned on pursuing custody of his daughter. Kayla read that letter over and over, crying because she finally knew the truth. Her father
had
wanted her. All those years of that wicked witch telling her that he hated her; it was all a lie.

She wiped the tears from her eyes and continued looking through the papers. The knock on the hotel room door made her jump like she had just received an electric shock. She walked across the room to the door and called out to her visitor.

"Who is it?"

"Room service. Just coming to get your tray."

"Okay, I'm coming."

She opened the door, surprised to see a man no more than four feet tall standing there, waiting to be allowed in. Trying to cover her surprise, she stepped aside to allow the tiny waiter to collect her dishes. He entered and went straight for the cart that was almost taller than he was. Kayla thought that he looked a little nervous, but dismissed it. Maybe he had a problem with tall people, she thought.

She went to get her purse and pulled out a ten-dollar bill to give the waiter as a tip. When she turned around, she dropped the bill on the ground and gasped in surprise. The dwarf was standing about five feet away, holding a knife in his right hand, pointed straight at her. Kayla noticed that it was an athame. As she studied the miniature threat, she noticed a few other things about him. He wore a necklace that looked like a full moon in the center with a crescent moon on each side. When he raised the knife, the tattoo on his right wrist was revealed. A pentagram inside a circle.

"You're a witch!"

"A Wiccan, as a matter of fact. There
is
a difference."

"She sent you, didn't she?"

"I owe her. I have to do this. I don't want to, but I have to," he tried to explain.

"You don't
have
to do anything. You have a choice. What's your name?"

"Doc."

Kayla fought with every ounce of her being not to laugh.

"I'm Kayla," she said, hoping he would not notice the little giggle in her speech.

"I'm sorry, but I have to," Doc took a step toward her.

"I thought Wiccans did no harm. How can you do this?" she asked, trying her best to keep him engaged. He looked so pained and conflicted. Kayla actually felt sympathy for the little man. Doc looked into her eyes for what seemed like forever, and then dropped the knife, hunched over, and began to cry.

"I'm so sorry, Kayla. I can't do this. I don't even know why she wants you dead, but now she is going to want me dead, too."

"It's all right, Doc. I have an idea why Carolyn needs me out of the way. Just sit down and we can talk about it. Why do you owe her?" They sat down on the small sofa in the sitting area.

"She did something for me once. When I first became a Wiccan, I didn't know a lot. I was sort of lost and wandering. Carolyn took me under her wing, showed me spells and taught me magic. I was thrilled to be learning from such an experienced practitioner.

"She taught me all about herbs and stones. Then she started teaching me all about black magic... animal sacrifices, hexes and curses. When I objected and told her I thought it was wrong, she asked me how I thought I had been so successful in my magic, and my life. I had met and married a beautiful girl, I had finished medical school with honors, and had opened my own psychiatry practice, all while being mentored by Carolyn."

"She did it all for you through magic?"

"Yes. She told me that it would all disappear if I crossed her. If I didn't kill you, she would take it all away from me. She said I would lose my wife." Doc began crying again.

"How do you know it was all her doing?"

Doc just looked at her, eyes soaked with tears, unable to give a concrete answer.

"Maybe you did all of that on your own, without magic, or Carolyn."

"I don't know. Maybe I did do it all. I never thought of it that way. I never believed it was possible."

Kayla put a hand on Doc's small arm. She felt a kinship with him. They had both been shot down by Carolyn.

"Shit!" Doc sat bolt upright. "We have to get you out of here. She knows where you are, and when she finds out that I failed, someone else will come and do the job. Get your stuff. I have a place I can hide you."

"If she found me here, won't she find me there, too?" Doc's panic was proving contagious.

"The place I'm taking you is shielded by white magic. She won't be able to see you there. My coven will protect you."

"Your
coven
?"

"I'll explain it all, just get your stuff. We have to go, now!"

Kayla decided that trusting Doc was the right thing to do, and the only alternative, apparently. She had no desire to die, and it seemed like Doc had the same idea. She quickly packed all of her stuff, and they headed down to the lobby and out of the hotel. Kayla was surprised to see Doc get into a brand new Mustang. It was modified so that he could drive it with controls on the steering wheel, but it was still a freaking brand new Mustang!

Kayla got into the passenger seat with a little maneuvering.

"Your wife is a, uh, little person, too?"

"Yeah, she is, and so are the other members of my coven. You'll like them, and they'll take care of you. I promise."

As they sped away from the Marriott Hotel, Kayla hoped like hell Doc was right.

T
he house
outside of town looked like a little cottage, nestled in on an acre of land. A large iron gate surrounded the property. It seemed like a perfect getaway.

Doc muttered a few words under his breath, and the gate swung open on its own. He turned to look at Kayla's expression of awe.

"I told you, magic." He continued down the driveway to the house. Kayla felt a moment of unease. Was she allowing herself to be led into a trap? She reasoned that if Doc had wanted to hurt her, he would have done it at the hotel. Besides, for some reason she trusted him, even kind of liked him.

They got out of the car and were greeted by a small woman with the biggest smile that Kayla had ever seen.

"Kayla, this is my wife, Joy." He walked over and kissed Joy, placing his hand on her shoulder. The two women nodded to each other. "Honey, is everyone here?"

"Yes, everyone is here."

"We all need to talk." He looked at Joy with a serious expression, but her smile never faded.

They all walked into the house. Kayla was amazed at how nice the place was. The house was decorated in muted earth tones with splashes of color from paintings and lamps. It had beautiful plush couches and chairs, gorgeous rugs, and a huge television in the far corner. Everything was just a little bit shorter than normal, perfect for the four other people sitting in the living area. Doc was obviously the leader of this group. Everyone turned to listen as he began to speak.

"Everyone, this is Kayla. She needs our help. Carolyn is after her, and we have to hide her here."

"
Carolyn
?" Joy asked with obvious fear in her voice.

"She sent me to a hotel where Kayla was hiding so that I could kill her," he said, embarrassed.

"Doc? You agreed to this? How could you?" Joy scolded.

"She told me that she would ruin my life. She told me that I would lose you, Joy."

Joy took Doc's face in her small hands and forced him to look her in the eyes.

"I love you. You will never lose me. Do you hear? Not by magic or any other means. Never." She kissed him on the lips and rested her forehead against his. They stood like that for a second, and then Doc turned to address the group.

"We need to hide Kayla. The magic here should keep her safe, but when Carolyn finds out that she's not dead, she will send others to find her. We need to figure out what to do to stop her. First, I think that we should have introductions all around. Kayla is going to be staying here for a while, so we should all get to know each other."

"I'm Gus." A tough looking guy of maybe thirty-five and about four feet tall started the introductions. "This one over here with her nose in the book is my girlfriend, Violet."

A very pretty young girl, the same height as Gus, lifted her head and made a little waving gesture.

"Hi," she said as though she was embarrassed.

"I'm Jess, good to meetcha!" A handsome little man grinned from the corner of the couch. Everyone jumped when a sneeze came from the other side of the room. A middle-aged woman of about three and a half feet with dark hair that had begun to gray at the temples stood in the doorway of the living area.

"Sorry, allergies," she said as she wiped her nose with a tissue. "I heard the whole deal. We're happy to help, Kayla. My name is Daisy; I'm Violet's sister. Pleased to meet you."

"Pleased to meet you all,” Kayla said, indicating everyone in the room.

"You'll meet Mooney in a little while. He works nights, so he'll be awake in an hour or so. When I got out of bed, I tried to get him up, too, but that is a lost cause. Just so you won't be surprised, he's a little person,” Jess said, in a confidential whisper, then began laughing at his own joke.

"Have a seat, Kayla. Don't be shy!" Daisy directed her to the armchair in the corner of the room. Kayla sat down in the cozy blue chair. Her knees were even with her chest when she finally settled in. Daisy let out a hearty laugh.

"Hmm. I guess maybe we need to get a giant-sized chair."

"I'm fine, it's comfy," Kayla said, trying to be polite.

"Let's get down to business," Doc said, regaining control of the makeshift council. Everyone immediately came to attention and turned to face him.

"Kayla is definitely in danger. As you all know, Carolyn is no one to screw around with. She has a lot of power and no conscience to keep it in check. The second she finds out that I didn't kill Kayla, she will send someone or something else to kill her."

"What do you mean some
thing?"
Kayla interrupted.

"I understand that you recently had a run-in with a werewolf?" Doc replied, raising an eyebrow as if indicating Kayla should already know this.

Kayla was shocked, but this answered a lot of the questions that she had about that experience. How had the wolf known where she was going to be? How did he know her cell number and her name? This was starting to make sense.

"She has tried twice now to kill our house guest," Doc continued, "and I don't imagine she will just give up."

"What can we do to fight her?" Violet asked, seeming reticent even to speak out loud.

"We use what the Goddess gave us first. Magic. We have something over Carolyn in that respect. White magic is so much stronger than black. We all know that." Everyone nodded in agreement.

Doc continued. "Daisy, Violet, we need to fortify the protection spell on this place. We need to be completely invisible to Carolyn."

"Got it," the two women replied in unison.

"Jess, you need to alter her appearance. I will leave it up to you two to figure it out. If anyone sees you, they could report back to Carolyn," Doc directed.

"I will make you even more beautiful," Jess said theatrically as he winked at Kayla. It seemed like she would be in good hands.

"I will work on trying to find out if Carolyn has spies on the lookout for you, or possibly what she has in the works," Joy chimed in.

"I'll check with my contacts at the bike shop to see if she has any other contracts with wolves or anything else," Gus said gruffly, and Kayla couldn't quite decide if Gus didn't like her or if he was just normally grouchy.

"Mooney can put some feelers out with the other covens and with the vamps," Doc informed them.

"Whoa, what? Fucking vampires?" Kayla gasped.

"Yeah, vampires," Jess said. "They only come out at night, and they definitely
do not
sparkle. Oh, and they are not all
super crazy strong
like in the movies. They're actually kind of wussy. Maybe they
do
sparkle."

Kayla could tell that Jess was the goofball in the group.

"I'm sorry. I am just trying to get a grip on all of this. I was shocked that werewolves existed. Now my mother is a fucking evil witch, and you guys are going out to talk with vampires and god knows what else. I just want to go back to not knowing. I knew about Wiccans, but I thought that it was just Goddess-worshipping nature lovers. Real magic?" Kayla looked around the room at their little faces, hoping for some kind of reassurance. She found it when Joy walked over and took her hand.

"Kayla, you and I will sit down, and I can explain some things to you. I will do my best to answer all of your questions, but one important thing is for you not to lose your composure."

Kayla nodded her head, grateful for Joy's comforting touch.

"We need to get to work on this right away,” Doc said, once again bringing them all back to reality.

"What do I do?" Kayla asked, wanting to do her part in her own defense.

"Relax for now. You will have plenty to do soon enough," Doc told her in what Kayla thought was an ominous tone.

K
ayla sat
on the edge of the bathtub, waiting the twenty minutes required for the dye to finish ruining her pretty blond hair. She heard the ding of the timer and jumped up to get the hot, itchy dye off her scalp.

Stepping out of the shower, she looked at the long, midnight black locks that fell over her snow-white shoulders. She felt like crying for the loss of her golden color. She had always loved her hair, and now that was another bullet on the list of things her mother had stolen from her. She took a deep sniffle and put on her robe. She walked out of the bathroom to see Jess setting up a workstation of sorts. He was obviously in his element.

"What are you doing, Jess?" she asked, not really wanting an answer.

"Time to work some magic, My Lady." He took a deep bow and swept his arms grandly as he snipped the air with the small scissors in his right hand.

"Oh, no. Not my hair," Kayla said as she tried to fight back real tears.

"Aw, honey, don't cry," Jess said sympathetically. "I promise that you will look great, just a little different. I am gay
and
a professional hairstylist, you know. I have double the credentials."

"I trust you, Jess. I don't know why, but I do." Kayla couldn't hold back the flood of tears any longer; crying she sat down on the tiny little bed.

"It's just… this horrible bitch has taken away everything. My boyfriend thought that I cheated on him, I got fired from my job, and I almost got murdered and eaten in the middle of the damn desert. Now, my hair." Her crying turned into sobbing as she draped herself across the bed.

"Sweetie, get up and stop feeling sorry for yourself," Jess commanded.

"What?" She asked through sheets of tears.

"You can do one of two things. You can sit here crying like you just lost your puppy, or you can get the hell up, let me give you a
fabulous
cut and style, and then help us beat this bitch at her own game."

Jess's bluntness knocked her back. She looked at him and burst out laughing.

"Shit, you're right. I am not going to break down like a big baby when there are things that need to be done." She sat down in the little chair and gave Jess complete freedom to do as he would.

"Cut away, good sir."

"You are going to love it!" he sang excitedly and began to snip her long locks.

D
aisy and Violet
worked on setting up the altar in the living room. They had found a stronger protection spell for the home and were about to start casting. They called for everyone to come into the living area so they could get started.

"We're ready!" Daisy shouted. Everyone filed into the room, including the person Kayla assumed was named Mooney. He was a fairly thin young guy, taller than Jess by maybe five inches, with a do-rag and baggy pants. Very stylish, but a little bit sloppy looking. His eyes were still half closed from sleepiness as he struggled to find the energy to join the group and participate without falling back to sleep.

"Hey. Wassup?" Mooney lifted his chin to Kayla in greeting. She lifted hers back as a sign that she acknowledged and accepted his greeting. Apparently, one of the others had filled him in on the situation, because he seemed to grasp what they were doing with no questions.

"Oh! You look great, honey!" Joy exclaimed when she walked into the room and noticed Kayla's new black bob haircut.

"Thanks," Kayla replied, touching her hair, still trying to get used to it brushing her chin.

"Thank you, Joy," Jess said, taking his place in the circle next to Mooney. Everyone chuckled as they in turn took their places to begin the spell. Kayla sat back and waited while her little protectors began chanting. She felt a little bit better already.