Magick (Immortals and Magick Book 2)
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Authors: Teresa Federici
Magick
Immortals and Magick Book 2
By
Teresa Federici
Copyright © 2015 Teresa Federici
All rights reserved
No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the publisher or author.
Contact Teresa via Email at [email protected]
Or visit her website at:
www.teresafederici.com
Table of Contents
To all those with patience and faith, this is dedicated to you. You know who you are.
As ever, to Tommy, my knight.
I knew I was different by the time I was five years old. I come from an all-American family; two parents that love one another, a bratty younger brother that can sometimes make my life a living hell, and the family dog, all tucked in a normal residential neighborhood in Manchester, New Hampshire.
I however, was far from normal.
No big deal for me, I like knowing I’m different than other people, I like knowing I can do things that normal people can’t.
The first inkling I had that I was different was the day that I made it stop raining.
I wanted to go out and play so badly after I came home from school, because my friend Becky Sullivan was talking about getting together to play Power Rangers, and they were my total favorite. Hey, I was five.
The sky opened up just as my mom pulled into the garage, and I was totally devastated. I cried while I stood at the door of the garage, staring out into the rain, and my mom couldn’t shut me up. I
wailed
. I remember looking at the clouds and yelling at them, but not out loud. I was calling them dirty names in my head and then with a great big yell at the top of my voice, I told them to go away. They did, in a manner of speaking. The rain stopped, a rainbow came out (because this was what I pictured as a five year old), and a flock of birds flew across the sky in perfect v-formation (remember, I was five).
I don’t think my mom knew what to make of it, but she hustled me inside and proceeded to ignore all the strange things that started happening in the house after that.
It was a little later when I found that I could read minds, and it helped to get me out of quite a few childhood scrapes, I can guarantee you that.
The whole controlling weather thing got out of hand on occasion, but I was a very self-possessed young woman, for the most part. Before I found my coven and learned even more self-control, I had created numerous snow-days in winter and always knew when my brother was planning on ambushing me as I came home from school or softball practice. He never caught on why his plans failed.
No one else in my family have powers, only me.
I was running late, as usual. Harley O’Connor, my best friend and business partner, had left ahead of me from Written, our bookstore/house, yelling at me to finish getting ready, for the Goddess’ sake, although she knew it was pointless. This occasion should have been one that I tried to be on time for, but it was as much a part of me to never be on time as was the blue color of my eyes.
I dashed out to my car, throwing myself behind the wheel, not even taking a moment to enjoy the spring air of late May. It was almost dark out, and there was a slight chill in the air, but the long sleeves of my gown offered ample protection for a Northerner such as myself.
I hated wearing a dress, was never in one if I could help it, but you couldn’t be a maid of honor in a wedding wearing pants, or so I was told repeatedly and vehemently by the bride and my other best friend, Anna Greer. Or, rather, soon to be Macgregor.
I laughed softly to myself. Why bother getting married when you were pretty much already bound to one another by blood? Who the hell knew? Despite my parents’ fabulous success in being married for over twenty-five years, I was not in favor of marriage; or rather I was, just not in the foreseeable future. I was young, only twenty-five, but I had never been the kind of girl to dream about getting married. No hidden issues, no tragic accident from a past relationship had caused this; I came by it as naturally as my tendency to be late. And if I ever did get married, I would wear a pants suit.
I drove through Manchester, heading west to Weare, which was where Anna and her soon-to-be husband Gareth lived in a completely awesome old farmhouse, but that’s what you get when you’ve been a vampire for two hundred years and make a lot of money.
Not that Anna had been a vampire for two hundred years; that was Gareth.
What a hottie he was.
Oh God, I couldn’t believe how weird it was to think about your best friend’s fiancé/husband that way. I shook my head to rid myself of that thought. It was just because I was lacking in male companionship myself that I could even think that. Gareth was like the cool older brother that I wished mine would be, and that was so not the way that I should be thinking.
I ran a light that had just turned to red, hoping that I wouldn’t get stopped by a cop since I was already late. Nothing came up behind me and as I got on the outskirts of town, I floored it. It was eight o’clock, which was when the wedding was supposed to start, so I called.
On my way, I am so sorry
!
The guilt that rushed through me was genuine, and I waited for the scolding that I deserved.
I heard Anna laugh in my head,
Oh, don’t worry about it Teagan. The wedding isn’t until nine.
Sneaky. Instead of being annoyed that I had been tricked, it made me feel good to know that they knew me so well.
I’ll definitely be there by then
.
She laughed again, and then was gone.
Anna was a sorcerer, and now a newly changed vampire. Harley and I were witches. I usually did not like sorcerers; they were know-it-all assholes who thought they should inherit the earth, but Anna came into her power late in the game, and despite Gareth bringing in a sorcerer friend of his to help her learn her power, she hadn’t fallen victim to the ego. I sincerely hoped she never would.
Grudgingly, I admitted to myself that Noah Jacobs wasn’t too much of a jerk. He was a real stand-up guy, someone handy in a pinch, or when you were being attacked by a centuries-old vampire with a bad attitude. He was loyal to Gareth and Anna, which gave him points in my book, but he was still a smart-ass.
I pulled into the drive at Gareth’s, zooming up the long road that led to the house. As I pulled around the back of the house, a figure stepped out of the shadows, illuminated by the car’s headlights. Speak of the devil and he shall appear, I thought as I brought the car to a stop. Noah stood in front of the garage, hands shoved deep in the pockets of his tux pants.
I watched him come toward my car, and even I could admit that he was a sexy son of a bitch. He was tall, probably close to 6’3”, with shaggy, light brown hair and bright blue eyes. He had a full mouth and straight nose, and a strong, sexy jaw.
Yuck, I couldn’t believe myself, thinking about him like that. When we’re put in the same vicinity together, it was like putting a match to gasoline. We brought out the worst in each other. I must be desperate for a date
“About time you made it here.” He said as he opened my car door and held a hand out to me. I ignored it and brushed passed him. He shut the door with a slam and followed me as I ran up the steps of the porch, but he caught me by the arm before I could open the door. I stared down at his hand, loathing plain on my face, but he didn’t let go.
“Noah, what have I told you about touching me?”
In response he took my other arm and made me face him head on.
“Can’t we call a truce for tonight? It’s a special night for them; they don’t need us bickering back and forth.” His tone was sincere, but his eyes were still slightly mocking, as if he didn’t believe I could rise up to the challenge. Oh, I could rise.
“That’s a wonderful plan, and I’m surprised you came up with it all by yourself. Fine, yes, we can call a truce for tonight.” I held up a hand to silence his retort. I knew I shouldn’t goad him, but it was so much fun.
“Good. It wouldn’t look good if I tripped you as we were walking down the aisle after the ceremony.” He turned to the side to avoid my kick and turned back to smile at me, flashing white, even teeth in the gloom of the back porch light.
“Starting now?” I asked, referring to the truce, not the tripping. I yanked my arms out of his grasp and turned toward the door, opening it.
“One last thing; you should wear a dress more often. You’ve got great legs and people wouldn’t confuse you with a boy so much.”
I slammed the door in his face.
I dashed up the stairs, barely taking in the decorations. I had stayed at Written while Harley had come over to help with them, which I gladly volunteered to do. I hated all things wedding.
As I came upstairs I saw Gareth in the hallway, pacing. I gave a low appreciative whistle, and he turned with that supple grace that all vampires have and smiled at me.
“Don’t you look handsome. Not that you don’t always, but you know. Gotta love a guy in a tux.” Well, some of them, I thought to myself as I hugged him and placed a kiss on his cold cheek.
He returned my hug then stepped away, holding me at arm’s length. He looked at the dress, the long red silk draping me like a second skin. I had to admit that I felt gorgeous in it, the empire waist flattering to my figure, but it left me feeling strangely exposed, even under the brotherly perusal that Gareth was giving me. His white-blue eyes were surprisingly warm, and I could see why Anna would prefer the true color to the colored contacts he wore during the day and in public.
His black hair was cut short in the back and was slightly longer in the front so that it naturally formed short spikes and whorls. He was like any vampire, with insanely breathtaking good looks, a square jaw and firm mouth. And then he spoke. This is where he got you; just sucked you in and made you fall in love with him.
“Teagan, you look unbelievably beautiful. I can’t believe I’m looking at the same woman who was here last night in a pair of sweatpants and running shoes.”
His voice held more than a hint of Scotland in it, and it was smooth like the finest Scotch whiskey. When he was upset or injured, like the injury he had just recovered from a few months back, his accent got real thick, and you wanted to just keep him upset so he would talk all day long. When he was with us, the accent came out too, just not as thick.
He owned one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the East, and he was a vampire. He had to keep up appearances and his cover was that he was from Scottish parents who moved to New Hampshire before he was born.
I preened under his scrutiny, doing a little twirl. I sketched a curtsy, and walked over to the bedroom door. I looked back at Gareth and shook a finger at him.
“No peeking.”
He laughed and held up his hands in surrender. “Wouldn’t think of it.”
“Where’s Damien? I saw the other one.” I rolled my eyes.
“He’s downstairs, making sure everything is ready.”
Damien Stavros was another one of us. He wasn’t a vampire, or a witch, or even a sorcerer. He was a werewolf, and up until a few months ago, had been Gareth’s enemy. Now he was Gareth’s other best man, Noah being the first.
“Oh, and don’t worry, Noah and I have come to a truce for the evening. No fighting, I swear. It’s my wedding present to you two.”
“It’s a much appreciated one, thanks.”
I gave him a wave and slid in through the door, so he couldn’t get a look inside.
“Oh wow, Anna!” I breathed. She looked up from where she was watching Harley make a last minute adjustment to her dress. Her eyes sparked with warmth as she caught my gaze, and I marveled at how they had changed color when she was changed into a vampire. They used to be a mossy green and now were light jade, lighter than Harley’s jade colored eyes. Against her pale olive skin and mahogany-colored hair, they sparkled with happiness.
Her dress was a simple silk sheath in what I was told was called champagne, but I just called it taupe. It draped her in graceful folds, the back of it dipping low, but the front had a boat neck that covered her shoulders. It was very old Hollywood. Even if she wasn’t unearthly beautiful, she would have shined like a star in that dress.
“Do you like?” She asked, and in her voice was the old Anna; at least that hadn’t change. When she had first told us that she was going to beg Gareth to change her, I had the most trouble with it, along with Gareth. Noah, Damien and Harley had come to grips with it a lot sooner than me, and knowing Anna’s will power, Gareth shortly thereafter.
The love the two of them had for each other…I had never seen anything like it. My parents loved each other, but this was the stuff that fairy tales were made of, if you went in for that stuff. They were truly soul mates.
When Anna had thought that Gareth was killed a few months back, she was only happy to be alive so that she could kill the vampire she thought had killed Gareth. I didn’t sit with her that day, Noah had been up there, but he had told Harley and me that she had no purpose to live other than to hunt Padraigan down and kill him.
I had been with her though when she had first woke up from her own injuries, and her grief had torn me to pieces.
She had keened like a madwoman and Noah had to put her back to sleep, or else her mind would have snapped; we were all sure of it.
Now, she stood in front of me, her smile wide and all the happiness she felt radiated from her and infected Harley and I.
“Can you believe this? I’m getting married!”
“I can swallow you becoming a vampire more than this.” I had to get in a little dig.
“I can’t wait till this is you standing here. Then we’ll make you eat those words.” Harley snorted through a mouth full of pins.
“Not going to happen, at least not for ten years or more.” I strolled over to the windows and looked out. The men were gathered on the back lawn, the gazebo where the ceremony would be held was all lit up with thousands of white lights, and flowers were everywhere; red and yellow roses covered every flat surface. I rolled my eyes again. It would smell like a florist shop down there.
I glanced again at the guys, and thought to myself that if the Goddess was watching us right now, she would surely want to recall those three back to the heavens.
They were all tall, all wicked handsome. Damien with his dark gypsy looks and green, glowing eyes, Gareth with his regal bearing, and Noah with his model-perfect face…I didn’t want to go there. I turned back to the giggling women.
Harley had stood and was fluffing out the back of the dress, finished with her last minute adjustment. She was the tallest of us, and had curves that I could only wish to have. She reminded me and Anna of an Indian princess, her bearing almost as regal as Gareth’s, her dusky skin giving away her mother’s heritage, but her eyes were all her father’s side, as sparkling green as an Irish countryside. Her hair was the same mahogany of Anna’s, although just recently she had added a streak of turquoise to it, her inspiration my own pink streaks in the blonde and brown mass of my hair.
“Are the guys down there?” she asked as she came over to the window.
“You mean Gareth, Damien, and As-“She reached out and put her hand over my mouth.
“Please behave on my wedding day.” Anna begged from behind me, and I didn’t have it in my heart to tease her.
“Noah and I already talked it over, and as a wedding gift to you two, we called a temporary truce. I just figured I could talk freely amongst friends, jeesh.”
“Thank you, I know you really will try hard.” Anna hugged me, keeping her strength in check. Surprisingly enough, this was the hardest thing for her to master in her transition from human to vampire. It wasn’t the all-consuming thirst that she had had trouble with after all, which was what Gareth had been worried about. Her newfound strength was much like her power as a sorcerer; she had sometimes gotten out of control with it, and things had been broken.