Dark Realms (25 page)

Author Note

Thank you for taking the time to read the
first installment of Night Roamers, which is always free. I really
hope that you enjoyed it! If not, well it’s one of the reasons that
I make it free. You can quit and not move on to the next book in
the series. Everyone’s tastes are different and I respect that.

Being an Indie author comes with many
challenges, and the biggest one is advertising, which can be very
expensive without the help of a big publisher. Because of this, we
rely greatly on reviews and word of mouth, so if you’ve enjoyed
this or any of my other books, I would be very grateful if you
could leave a small one. It means so much to a writer and gives
them incentive to write more.

Thanks again for taking
the time to read this book. Your support means everything


Kristen

Unanswered
Questions?

There are some things that happened in Blur
that I want to address, as many people have questioned the
‘instant’ romances that took place in the story.

Normal?

Eh, probably not. But
that’s the beauty of writing fiction.
Anything
is possible. For example,
the vampires in my story have a hypnotic (I use the term “Charm” in
later books) quality about them. In other words, Nikki’s mother
fell for Caleb quickly,
because
he’s a vampire. The Night Roamers have a special
kind of… pheromone, I guess you could say. The same was the case
for Nikki. When she met Ethan in the diner, the charming began and
that’s why she became so enamored with him, and so fast. As far as
Duncan goes… well that started out as an innocent crush, which
happens all the time to teenaged girls. Would she have still jumped
all over him in the truck if she hadn’t just been around
Ethan?

More than likely – No.

She liked Duncan, but the pheromone or charm
really messed with her hormones, thus, she just couldn’t help
herself.

Anyway, I hope this cleared a couple of
things up. Thanks again for reading and taking the chance on an
Indie Author.

Kristen Middleton

Enchanted
Secrets

(Witches of
Bayport)

By

Kristen Middleton

Copyright © 2013 by Kristen Middleton

Cover by Dreamscapecovers.com

Copyedited by Carolyn Pinard

[email protected]

This book is purely fiction. Any
resemblances to names, characters, and places are coincidental. The
reproduction of this work is forbidden without written consent from
the author.

This eBook is
licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook may not be
re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share
this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy
for each reader. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase
it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return
it and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard
work of this author.

Prologue

Salem, Oregon – 25 Years
Earlier

“Wake up, girls,” whispered mother, shaking
her gently. “It’s time to leave.”

Adrianne’s eyes snapped open and she smiled
with giddiness.

Awake?

Who could sleep on a night
like this?

The truth was, she’d been lying there wide
awake and restless for most of the night, ever since mother had
promised to take her and Vivian to the Moonlight Dance.

“Get dressed quickly,” she ordered. “Make
sure Vivian gets moving, too. And, please, don’t either of you make
a peep when you come downstairs.”

Adrianne turned to her sister, who was still
sleeping soundly on their double-bed. “Wake up,” she whispered,
squeezing her wrist.

“Leave me alone,” moaned Vivian, slapping
her hand away. “Can’t you see… I’m dreaming?”

“Viv, mom’s taking us to the Moonlight
Dance, don’t you remember?” she prodded.

Vivian sucked in her breath and opened her
eyes. “Oh. I almost forgot. Did mother tell you it was time?”

Adrianne stood up and stretched her arms.
“Yes. She also said that we have to move quickly and… not wake
father.”

Vivian, now fully awake and just as excited
as Adrianne, threw away her comforter and scooted out of bed.
“Well, what are you waiting for? We don’t want to keep mother
waiting or she might change her mind.”

“Oh, Viv, I’m so excited!” gushed Adrianne,
her blue eyes sparkling. “This is going to be the best night ever,
I just know it.”

“Let’s hope so,” said Vivian. “I hate
getting out of bed when the sun hasn’t yet risen.”

“I know me, too. But this will definitely be
worth it.”

Both girls quickly removed their long cotton
nightgowns and slipped into hooded robes made of crushed black
velvet, with a red silk lining that felt cool against their bare
skin.

“This robe feels strange and almost…
sinful,” said Adrianne. “I wonder if we should wear something
underneath?”

Vivian shook her head. “No.
Mother said not to wear
anything
. Not even our
shoes.”

Adrianne sighed. “At least there won’t be
any boys around. I’d simply die if one caught me dancing around
with barely anything on.”

“Oh, I don’t know, I wouldn’t mind dancing
for Eric McDermott, even if I was in the nude,” smiled Vivian
wickedly. “He’s pretty cute.”

Adrianne’s face turned red. They were only
seventeen years old and Vivian sometimes said the most outlandish
things. “Oh, my gosh, you’d really do that?”

Vivian tossed her long, red hair over her
shoulder and ran her fingers through a couple of snarls. “Just for
a few seconds,” she said with a dark smile. “Then I’d turn him into
a toad and toss him into the disgusting pond behind our house.”

“Girls!” boomed a stern voice inside both of
their heads.

Mother.

“Quit dawdling, girls. It’s time to
leave.”

Adrianne and Vivian both squealed with
excitement, and then padded down the old wooden staircase in bare
feet.

“Quiet now,” reminded mother, who held the
front door open for them.

“Sorry,” the girls whispered in unison as
they brushed past her and stepped onto the cool wooden porch.

“Freezing,” whispered Vivian, her breath
visible in the brisk darkness.

Mother sighed and carefully closed the door
behind the girls without making a sound. “Now, follow me quickly,”
she said, stepping off the porch and towards the back of the cabin
where they were greeted by the crickets chirping away. Shivering,
and not just from the brisk weather, she pulled the hood over her
dark hair and glanced back towards the cabin one last time. Not
seeing anything unusual, she released the breath she’d been holding
and guided the girls towards the woods.

“This is so exciting,” gushed Adrianne,
following her mother into the forest. “I feel like I’ve been
waiting for this dance forever.”

“Forever has finally arrived, darling,”
answered mother. “And I promise you, this will be a night you’ll
always remember.”

“I’m so cold,” complained Vivian, her teeth
chattering. “How far do we have to walk?”

“Actually, we’re almost there,” said mother,
leading them towards a windy path that the girls had never seemed
to notice before. “The fire will soon warm you.”

It was the end of October and the air was
crisp with the promise of an early winter. Adrianne didn’t mind,
however, she loved the snow. In fact, last winter she’d learned how
to ice skate with her best friend, Rebecca, and they’d had so much
fun laughing at each other as they’d slipped and fell on the ice.
She wondered if she’d get to share this special occasion with her
as well. As far as she knew, Rebecca had never been to the
Moonlight Dance, either. “So, is Rebecca coming to this dance?”

Mother shrugged. “I really don’t know. Just…
please, remember not to talk about this with anyone at school or
mention it to your father. He must never ever find out.”

Yes, they’d heard it a
hundred times already.

“But why?” asked Adrianne.

“Because, he just wouldn’t understand,” she
replied softly. “You know how he is.”

The girls were silent as they moved deeper
into the woods. Soon they were met with the smell of burning cinder
and the sounds from a crackling fire.

“Stop,” said mother. She raised her thin,
black wand and pointed it towards a large clearing straight
ahead.

The girls watched in wonder as mother
chanted a few words under her breath and the wand began to sparkle.
Seconds later, the woods came to life.

“Oh, I see them,” smiled Vivian, her eyes
lighting up.

Where there had been nothing but dark trees
and Evergreen bushes only moments before, now stood a roaring fire
with several women congregating around it, all of them wearing the
same matching black robes.

“Ah, Lisbeth,” said an older woman, stepping
towards them with piercing brown eyes and thin lips. “You’ve
finally brought the twins, and on this Hallow’s Eve when the moon
is full… I don’t think you could have chosen a better night for
their induction.”

Mother smiled proudly. “Yes, Meredith. It
took some planning and patience, but I truly believe that they are
ready for their initiation.”

“Very well then, let’s get everyone’s
attention,” said Meredith. She then clapped her hands and the small
crowd of women became silent.

“Excuse me,” mother said, motioning towards
the older woman. She smiled apologetically. “I’m sorry, Meredith,
let me just speak to the girls for a moment. Please?”

Meredith nodded. “Of course.”

“Come,” said mother as she
took both of their hands and pulled them away from the group. When
they were out of earshot range, she turned to them and squeezed
their hands tightly. She took a deep breath. “Look, I know that I
told you that this was
just
a dance, however, it is
so
much more. You see, it is part of
a ritual that every woman in our family has participated in, from
generation to generation. Now, do not be frightened of the things
you might hear or see this night, as I promise you, they won’t hurt
you.” She looked at them and smiled proudly. “My lovelies, tonight
you will be joining our coven circle and your powers… they will be
magnified after this ceremony.”

Vivian’s eyes lit up. “Our powers will be
stronger?”

Lisbeth smiled, her own
eyes now glowing with excitement. “Oh yes, my dears. You are so
special. Not only are you identical twins, but you are both
my
daughters, and there
isn’t one witch here,” she said, glancing over their heads towards
the others, “who is more powerful than me,” she said, lowering her
voice to a whisper, “even the High Priestess, Meredith.”

“Lisbeth?” called Meredith. “It’s time.
Bring the girls to the circle.”

The other witches had now formed a large
circle around the fire and were watching the twins with an
intensity that made Adrianne very nervous. She turned towards her
mother to ask her what exactly was going to happen next, but the
look on Lisbeth’s face hushed her. It was a look of pure
happiness.

“Come,” she said, smiling lovingly at her
two girls as she pulled them towards the other ten women.

Now the circle was complete
with thirteen cloaked witches. Meredith smiled in satisfaction and
then cleared her throat. “We are here to celebrate Samhain on this
Hallow’s Eve.
This
is the time of beginnings and endings. We ask the blessings of the
Wise Ones who guard the Portals of the World.”

Adrianne listened
half-heartedly to Meredith’s words as she rattled on about the wind
and storms, but wondered when they’d actually get to dance around
the fire and where the music would come from. She loved music and
dancing, which their father never allowed in their house. He was a
minister, and a very strict one at that.

When Meredith was
finished with her incantations, she raised her hands up to the sky
and asked everyone to remove their robes.

“
Oh… but I can’t,” exclaimed Adrianne, her cheeks flaming.
“I’ll be totally naked.”

Her mother sighed.
“Everyone will be naked, honey. It’s okay. You’re among
friends.”

Then Adrianne
watched with shock as all of the women removed their robes,
including their mother.