Coven by Lacey Weatherford Read Free Book Online

“I might have to go talk
to this girl. I can see all this has gone straight to your
head.”
    “Just nice to know I still got it.”
    “I tell you that all the time.”
    “True, but I’ve had you duped from the
moment I met you.” He chuckled.
    “Whatever. You forget I used to be able to
see into that crazy head of yours. I know you better than
anyone.”
    “I haven’t forgotten.” Dad hesitated and I
listened in avid interest, waiting to see if he’d continue.
    “ Tell her.” I prompted mentally. “This is the perfect opening for you.”
    Dad didn’t give any indication he’d heard
me, but I knew he had by his next words. “I have a confession to
make, but I don’t want it to upset you.”
    “That doesn’t sound good. Are you trying to
tell me you accepted the offer of this teenager?” I knew Mom was
teasing, but there was a hint of worry in her voice.
    “You know that would never happen. You’re
the only one for me. If I live to be a thousand, there will never
be another woman. Only you.”
    “You’ve been saying that since we were
teenagers. Are you sure you mean it still?” Again the humor was
laced through her voice.
    “My love for you grows stronger with every
breath I take. You know there’s nothing I wouldn’t do for you.
Nothing.”
    “Yet, you’ve been keeping secrets from
me.”
    “Only because I wasn’t sure how you’d feel
about it and I didn’t want to risk upsetting you. Ever since you
lost your powers, it’s been so much harder for me to read you. All
these years, and I still feel like I’m guessing most of the
time.”
    “Welcome to the real world for most
men.”
    “I don’t like it.”
    There was a small clattering sound, as if
Mom had set her spoon down. “I think I know what your secret is
from the direction of this conversation.”
    “Just hear me out, okay?”
    “Vance, we’ve been over this a thousand
times. I’m good with how things are. I don’t need you trying to
figure out a way to give me back my powers. I’ve made my peace and
learned to deal with it.”
    “Well, I haven’t!” My dad snapped, his
frustration showing heavily. “Every time I look at you, Portia, I
just feel so blessed to have you in my life. But I can’t help
thinking of how different your life might have been if you’d never
met me. I’m the one who screwed everything up for you. I just can’t
take it anymore!”
    “Vance, listen to me. You did not screw my
life up. I love my life! I have you and my beautiful daughter. I
have my family back in Sedona, and I’m not some blood-crazed demon
witch, hell-bent on killing everyone around me. You saved me from
that life, don’t you see? You didn’t take my life away! You gave it
back! I wouldn’t have any of this if it weren’t for you.”
    “But the fact remains, none of it would’ve
even been necessary had you not known me in the first place.”
    “You can’t know that. I could’ve been
attacked by any demon anywhere. One could’ve found me walking down
the street and changed or even killed me. You wouldn’t have been
there to stop it from happening.”
    “You didn’t even know about demon witches
and warlocks, or the dark side of magic, until you met me. I
brought that into your life. I’m the one who seduced you—who
repeatedly drank blood from you until you were forced to make the
change, as well.”
    I seriously wondered if there was a magical
therapist, somewhere, that I could call for an intervention.
Because, in spite of the intense love my parents had for each
other, they sure had plenty of unresolved issues they managed to
sweep under the rug instead of dealing with them. I knew my dad
needed to work this out, though. It was a heavy burden I’d sensed
inside him on many occasions. This was something he couldn’t move
past, despite all the years he’d been trying.
    “And you did that because your father had
you changed into a demon. If he’d not discovered you and been so
greedy about the things he