Vanquished (45 page)

But it’s even more that that,
Kari thought now.
He’s . . . how does the old song go?

A magic man.

Heavy rain rattled the dormer window of her funky student apartment; the storm matched his mood, but she was determined to shake him out of it. It was Lammastide, the witches’ harvest night, and she knew he would leave in a while to go perform some kind of ritual with Eli, his brother, and Michael, his father. They were “observant,” as he liked to phrase it ... and she wanted him to take her with him tonight. She wanted to know what they did in secret. Their rites, their spells . . . all of it.

The Deveraux men are warlocks,
she thought.

But use that word in front of Jer, and he would deny it.

In the early days of their relationship—a year ago, now, how it had flown!—he had been eager to bring her into the fold. Back then, he was his teaching assistant, and he, a newbie undergrad; after the first time they’d gone to bed together, he had told her he would share his “mysteries” with her. He had hinted about an ancient family Book of Spells.

She was thrilled. She was getting her PhD in folklore, a path she had chosen so that she could investigate magic and shamanism with the full resources of the university behind her. The University of Washington at Seattle treated Native American belief systems with the utmost respect; thus, her field of endeavor was encouraged, and never challenged.

But it wasn’t simply Northwestern magic that interested her. She was fascinated by European magic . . . especially black magic. And though, like being a bona fide warlock he denied that his family practiced the Dark Art, she was fairly certain they spent more time in the shadows than they did in the diffuse light of Wicca. Yet she maintained the fiction that he practiced one of the Wicca traditions; it was what he had told her.

“I’ve dressed like the Barley Maid,” she said now,
moving between him and the fireplace and stretching out her arms to him. He looked startled and—she hated to admit it—irritated by her interruption of his reverie.

Jer, you loved me once,
she thought anxiously.
You were thrilled that a glamorous “older woman” graduate student wanted you, a mere freshman. What did I do wrong?

I want you to come back to me. Not just treading water with me, but back into the deluge, the flood that was all that passion you poured into me. We made such waves . . . we drowned in such amazing ecstasy . . . .

“I’ve read that if we make love tonight, whatever spells we cast will be extra powerful.” She smiled lustily.

“That’s true,” he said, giving her that much. His smile was gentle, tinged with both sadness and great wisdom. “And you’ve cast quite a spell on me, Kari. You’re beautiful.”

She let herself believe he was sincere, and he rose from his chair, scooped her up in his arms, and carried her into her bedroom.

NANCY HOLDER
has published more than seventy-eight books, including novels and episode guide books about
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
and
Angel
for Simon Pulse. She has received five Bram Stoker awards for her supernatural fiction and is the coauthor of the
New York Times
bestselling Wicked series. She lives in San Diego with her daughter, Belle, their two cats, and their two Corgis. Visit her at
nancyholder.com
.

DEBBIE VIGUIÉ
is the coauthor of the
New York Times
bestselling Wicked series and several additional Simon Pulse books, including the Once upon a Time novels
Violet Eyes
and
Midnight Pearls
. She lives in Florida with her husband, Scott, and their cat, Schrödinger. Visit her at
debbieviguie.com
.

Read the Crusade trilogy:

Crusade

Damned

Vanquished

Also by Nancy Holder
and Debbie Viguié

Wicked

Witch & Curse

Wicked 2

Legacy & Spellbound

Resurrection

This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real locales are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

SIMON PULSE
An imprint of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing Division
1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020
www.SimonandSchuster.com
First Simon Pulse edition August 2012
Copyright © 2012 by Nancy Holder and Debbie Viguié
All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form.
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Designed by Mike Rosamilia
The text of this book was set in Cochin.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Holder, Nancy.
Vanquished / by Nancy Holder and Debbie Viguié. —1st Simon Pulse ed.
p. cm.
Summary: On the brink of the final battle against the Cursed Ones, the Salamancan hunters’ internal bickering threatens their cause, and Jenn must try to rally her team while facing her own doubts, especially about her love for Antonio.
[1. Vampires—Fiction. 2. Guerrilla warfare—Fiction. 3. Supernatural—Fiction.
4. Sisters—Fiction. 5. Horror stories.] I. Viguié, Debbie. II. Title.
PZ7.H70326Van 2012
[Fic]—dc23
2012004795
ISBN 978-1-4169-9806-8 (hc)
ISBN 978-1-4169-9807-5 (pbk)
ISBN 978-1-4169-9810-5 (eBook)

Jacket photo of models copyright © 2012 by Michael Frost
Jacket background photo illustration copyright © 2012 by Gene Mollica