West Coast Witch by Justen Hunter Read Free Book Online Page A

really.”
    “Silver is very effective against Arcanes. A wound caused by silver will heal slow,
     and can slow a vampire or werewolf. But that also goes the same for you. You are weak
     against it too. That is something to keep in mind.”
    “Uh, got it.” I said, and put the folding blade in a back pocket. “What if I need
     help? How can I get in touch with you?”
    “Right.” She murmured. We swapped phone numbers, and she told me what to expect from
     her jeep.
    “So, how are you getting home?”
    “Do not worry about me, Eric.” She said. “I will be fine. I have just overexerted
     myself in the past twenty-four hours.”
    “All right.” I said. “I’m just worried for you. I mean, hell, this is all a lot, and-“
    She put her hand on my shoulder. “Eric, I have faith in you. And that is not something
     I say lightly.   This will come naturally. Do this, and we will talk tomorrow, all right? Just keep
     the car for the night, and make sure you bring her back all right?”
    “Deal.” Now I just had to survive driving San Francisco’s streets.
     
Chapter 8
     
    It wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be, even with driving stick. I’d driven with
     Matt several times and I’d driven outside the city on a few road trips. One of the
     first things I noticed about the car was that, the radio was set to static when I
     turned it on. I didn't think anything of it at first, but it started to eat at me.
     What kind of person never sets their radio?
    I drove to the address in Francis’s notes. It was a small house, sandwiched between
     two others in true San Francisco architecture. As I walked up off the sidewalk, I
     walked up to the front door on the second floor. The first, I surmised, was for the
     garage and laundry rooms.
    As I approached the front door, I felt a tingle run across my senses, like a leftover
     static charge. It didn’t shock me, but it certainly made my back stand a little straighter.
     Something was here.
    I stalled on knocking for a moment. Instead, I closed my eyes and focused. When I
     felt my mind was clear, I tried what Amy had shown me last night. I tried to let go,
     to just experience. It took a bit longer than it had the last night, took more focus,
     but it hit me eventually.
    The feeling that first came on my senses was something basic, primal. It was an instinct,
     something we knew from before we relied on computers and technology to solve problems.
     This was a mark, left by someone. I was infringing on another’s territory. I was only
     here because whoever this was allowed it.
    I shook my head, bringing myself back to the present. The feeling was much less potent
     than the power I had felt in Pax, more subdued.
    Whatever it was, I would have to figure it out. Maybe Samantha Coolidge was linked
     to the Arcanes in some way?
    My knock was answered promptly by a girl I assumed was Samantha’s roommate. Her red
     hair hung loose around her shoulders, wavy and with a hint of bed head. She wore a
     tank top and sweats, hugging her curves nicely.
    “Hi, can I help you?”
    “Yea, you can. My name is Eric Carpenter.” I searched for a quick lie to cover why
     I was here and asking questions. “I was working with Raymond Francis on Sam’s disappearance.”
    “Liar.” The growl that rose from her throat was inhuman. It sent shivers straight
     through my spine.
    The part of my genetic ancestry that stretched back a few dozen million years started
     screaming at me to run. Beneath the cute redhead’s exterior, there was a predator,
     one who wanted nothing more than to rip my liar’s tongue out.
    She raised up a tattooed hand to open up the screen door, and stepped outside. I stepped
     back, staying on the small landing in front of the door. My mind immediately went
     back to the knife in my back pocket. Would I have to use it?
    She looked up to me. The woman was only about five-eight, but she moved like she knew
     what she was doing. “Tell me why you are really