Bewitched, Bothered, and Bitten by C.C. Wood Read Free Book Online Page B

mid-sixties. A bank of dark grey clouds was building in the west, probably the leading edge of another cold front. It wouldn’t be long until those clouds built into a storm.
    I grabbed my purse, locked my car, and hurried into the house. If I wanted to set up my little surprises for Finn, I needed to get it done before the rain began. Since he seemed to enjoy sneaking up on me, I intended to make it impossible for him to do so.
    Before she died, my mother amassed quite a collection of spell books and magical texts. Several of them held detailed instructions for setting protection wards and casting perimeter spells. I intended to welcome him with fireworks and fanfare.
    I went directly to the small library just off the living room and began choosing my spells and wards. I laughed to myself as I set three perimeter spells and several wards on the house. None of them would damage Finn, though quite a few of the protection wards might give him a little shock.
    Within a half hour, I finished casting and made myself a cup of tea. I expected Finn to arrive in the next hour or so. Once he realized I wasn’t going to show at the loft, he would likely come straight here.
    He started this little game, but I would damn sure be the one to finish it and on my terms.
    The house began to cool down as the sun set, so I started a fire in the living room fireplace. About an hour after I arrived, I heard the first rumbling of thunder and knew the storm building in the west was closing in.
    As the clouds moved over head, the sun disappeared behind the horizon, leaving behind an oppressive darkness. I could hear the wind picking up as flashes of lightning burst outside the window.
    Rain began to fall, heavy and fast, and the lightning became more frequent, as did the thunder. The wind blowing across the chimney sounded like a banshee’s wail. Something wasn’t right. I felt…unsettled. A chill crept across my neck, lifting the hair at my nape.
    Over the cacophony, a resounding boom echoed inside the house and within my head. The first perimeter spell I’d cast had been breached. However, the entity heading toward my home wasn’t Finn. And they definitely weren’t alone.
    Red and orange light filled the house as the second of my spells was broken. I snuck to the window and took a peek toward the driveway. The fireworks display my spell created was still exploding against the black clouds, brighter than even the lightning arcing across the sky. While I couldn’t see my enemy, I could feel them.
    The invaders were rapidly approaching my third and final perimeter spell. When I cast it earlier, I’d only wanted it to give off a mild electrical shock when breached. Since I was completely certain that Finn was not among the beings coming toward me, I closed my eyes, released my breath, and recited the words of the spell, changing them slightly.
    Mere moments before the perimeter was crossed, I completed the spell and felt the snap of a circle completed. Indescribable power hummed beneath my skin. It was rare for me to call on so much of my magic. Aside from Belinda, no one in the coven knew exactly how strong I was. According to the tests my mother and Belinda had administered to me over the years, I was the most powerful witch practicing in North America, perhaps even the Western hemisphere.
    It seemed, however, someone outside the coven was aware of my abilities, there was no other explanation as to why they would be here. Knowing it would take my enemies a while to break through the strong electric current generated by my new spell, I focused on the wards I’d placed on the house.
    I closed my eyes, forced myself to breathe slowly and deeply, and centered my thoughts on reinforcing the wards. My body jerked when my final perimeter spell fell under the assault, the power I’d released into it flowing back into my body. Still, I didn’t allow the almost painful sensation distract me.
    Now that they were closer, I could feel five individual