Total pages in book: 142
Estimated words: 134501 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 673(@200wpm)___ 538(@250wpm)___ 448(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 134501 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 673(@200wpm)___ 538(@250wpm)___ 448(@300wpm)
They're furious she won't give up Black Willow Manor, her grandmother's prized home and worse - that the land beside it and Emberlyn herself has been left to Jax 'Ripper' Stone, a rugged, brooding Alpha werewolf.
The chemistry between them has always been white hot but Ripper knows to be careful with witches- especially one with her reputation. Now they are allies it becomes harder to ignore - Emberlyn calls to him. Drives him to claim her. But danger's closing in, threatening to take her from him.
Not that Emberlyn can't handle it. She's no damsel. Doesn't need a hero. Sometimes, it takes a wicked witch to get things done. And Emberlyn has ever excelled at being wicked.
Welcome to Chilgrave... HEA guaranteed!
*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************
PROLOGUE
Emberlyn, age seven
Her heart beating superfast, Emberlyn sprinted up the hill. Her leg muscles burned, but she didn’t stop.
So close. They were so close. Running. Panting. Laughing.
They were always laughing. Always whispering and pointing and saying mean stuff to her at school.
Every day they came at her. Shoulders shoved into hers. Feet tripped her up. Stuff got tossed at her head. Hands ‘accidentally’ knocked her pens off the table. And always, always, they’d laugh and call her ‘pathetic’.
Sometimes, other kids in her class laughed along. It made her feel small, embarrassed and alone.
Emberlyn had told her teacher about it. He’d promised to ‘have a word’ with Tyra and her four flying monkeys. But if he had talked to them – and maybe he hadn’t, since Tyra was the daughter of his High Priestess – it hadn’t made a difference.
Then, just yesterday during recess, Tyra had pushed her so hard that she’d fallen into a puddle that had left her with a cold, wet butt.
And again, they’d laughed.
‘You might as well stop, freak!’ yelled Sera, Tyra’s cousin. ‘There’s nowhere to go!’
Well there was somewhere, but Emberlyn wouldn’t be heading into Bloodhill Forest. Not many did – the bullies behind her had nothing on the creatures that roamed it. She just wanted to reach the top of the hill. So she ran and ran and ran, never looking back; worried she’d otherwise trip. But she sensed that they were gaining on her.
She’d known that they would track her down after school today – they’d been angry that she’d talked to the principal again. Not that it had helped. They’d denied everything, and it was her word against theirs. Emberlyn’s word meant nothing to the coven.
Why?
Because she wasn’t part of it, much like her grandmother – a woman they both feared and resented. Okay, so they were right in claiming Millicent was ‘into some pretty dark stuff’ and that she wasn’t the nicest person in the world. But that shouldn’t mean that the coven could be mean to Emberlyn because of it.
When she’d told her grandmother about yesterday’s puddle incident, Millicent’s advice had been simple: If someone pushes you, you push them back harder. A lot harder.
So that’s what Emberlyn would do.
Finally reaching the top of the hill, she came to a stop, raspy breaths bursting in and out of her. She turned on shaky legs, watching as the bullies skidded to a halt.
Tyra smirked, shoving her red braid over her shoulder. ‘Aw, did the little freak run out of steam? How sad.’ She paused, trying to catch her breath. ‘I’d dare you to go cry to your mommy and daddy . . . but you can’t, can you?’
A round of giggles went up, and Emberlyn felt her ears go red.
‘I heard my parents talking about yours,’ said Sera. ‘It isn’t true that your dad got asked to leave town, you know. He cheated on your mom and then left with his side piece.’
Emberlyn did know. Her grandmother had told her all about how she’d cursed that ‘lying, cheating, son of a bitch’.
‘Your mom just couldn’t hack it, could she?’ taunted Tyra. ‘She let herself fade away, not caring that the only person you’d then have would be that psycho you live with. No offense, Ames,’ she added, sliding her gaze to Emberlyn’s very own cousin.
He only grinned. ‘None taken. My Grams is a total psycho – everyone knows that.’
He may think that, but he was super nice to Millicent, the two-faced ass.
Tyra planted her hands on her hips. ‘You got nothing to say, orphan?’
‘Yes.’ Emberlyn smiled sweetly. ‘I just wanted to say “thank you”.’
Tyra’s brows snapped together. ‘For what?’
‘For letting me lure you out here, where no one’ll hear you scream.’ Emberlyn raised her hands and, calling on the lessons that Millicent had given her, sent out her magick in glittering, rippling streams that whirled around and settled on the grass.
Thorny vines sprouted out of the circle of magick . . . then snakes . . . spiders . . . cockroaches . . . toads.
The kids screamed and tried running away but hit an invisible barrier. Trapped, they called to their own magick, zapping the creatures, but it didn’t help. Vines, serpents, insects and toads climbed up their bodies – pricking, biting, stinging.
Two girls started to cry. Sera shrieked like a banshee. Ames fell to the ground, screaming, ‘Get off! Get off!’ at the creatures. As for Tyra . . . she begged Emberlyn to make it stop.
Emberlyn snapped her hands closed, balling them into fists. Like that, the magick settled and the creatures disappeared.
The bullies nervously peeked around, only going quiet when they saw that the hill was clear. Ames awkwardly stood, his knees buckling.
Glaring at them, Emberlyn warned, ‘If there has to be a next time, I won’t make them disappear so fast . . . if at all.’