Seeking Witches Read online

  Seeking Witches

  The Succubus Moon Book 2

  Cailee Francis

  Copyright © 2018 Cailee Francis

  All rights reserved.

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  This book is dedicated to Darryl, who proofread for me, and to Wyld, who named the character of Alexis. Thank you both for your encouragement, support and all that you do for me.

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  About the Author

  1

  “Please hurry,” Alexis begged as she clutched her phone. The redhead’s voice held a tell-tale tremor of fear. “Erin’s still not picking up.”

  Rose felt her stomach sink. She already knew Alexis’s friend Raven was in trouble. She could only hope Erin would be alright. Her silence was worrying.

  “We’ll get there as soon as we can,” Rose promised her, “and the Enforcers should already be ahead of us. They can teleport in.” She didn’t know how long they’d take, but time passed differently at their headquarters, so they had more time to prepare.

  “We should’ve asked the Enforcers to take us with them,” Alexis remarked, as she brushed a long, curly lock of hair from her eyes.

  Rose nodded, but she knew the Enforcers probably would’ve declined. They were a supernatural police force and they tried to keep people out of the firing line. The two women in the car with Rose were powerful witches, so she understood their desire to help.

  Lisa was driving them to the cabin, and pushing the speed limit on the highway as it was.

  Alexis, Erin and Raven all belonged to the same coven as Lisa; The Circle of Harmony was one of the longest-standing covens in Bellasford. It was why Alexis had turned to Rose and Lisa for help; that and because Rose had recently set up as a private detective.

  Lisa turned right off the highway, then sighed as her car was slowed by traffic.

  “We’re about ten minutes out now. I’m more worried about Raven. He didn’t say anything to suggest he might be going to do this? That’s if he did and I have my doubts.”

  Alexis shook her head. “He just seemed his usual self, but no one should’ve been able to cast magic on him from outside a closed circle. Something might already have been there and he could’ve trapped it inside the circle with him? He didn’t even mention he was going to cast one. He just said he was going to clean the ceremonial space to prepare it for the rite tonight. It was a bit overgrown when we got there, but that tends to happen.”

  Lisa nodded, explaining to Rose, “It’s outside. We don’t use it that much, so it gets overgrown. I’m not going to assume Raven did this to himself when we don’t know what happened yet. Let’s just take things one step at a time and get this figured out.”

  Rose knew Lisa had been intending to go to the ritual, but they hadn’t planned to leave until the afternoon. She thanked her lucky stars that Lisa was safe, though how safe they stayed once they reached the cabin remained to be seen. The fact Erin wasn’t answering her phone didn’t sit well with Rose, but the only one who she knew was at definite risk was Raven.

  Rose had only met him a couple of times, but he seemed like a good guy. He was most memorable for his long, dark hair – it was how he’d got his nickname, Raven. She couldn’t remember his real name and she felt momentarily bad about it. He was a drummer in a rock band, and she remembered the band had split up a few months back. Now this had happened, though she wasn’t certain just yet what this was. She knew it was something dark, but magic wasn’t her forte. Thankfully, investigating was.

  The traffic soon thinned, and the view to either side of the road was characteristic of the southern outskirts of town. Central Bellasford was far more urban than this; here, there were occasional houses, and a lot more farms and green clusters of trees.

  Lisa gasped, and Rose turned quickly toward her; she kept driving as she had before.

  “Did you feel that?” Lisa asked, glancing at Alexis.

  “I felt something. What on Earth was that?” Alexis asked. She wasn’t sure what to expect, and that seemed to make her warier than usual.

  “I didn’t notice anything,” Rose told them, but she wasn’t necessarily surprised. As a succubus, she could sense human energy, but she couldn’t sense magic the way the others could. She wondered what she’d missed.

  “I’m not 100 percent certain,” Lisa admitted, “but I’d guess it was a ward. The Enforcers probably want to keep any spiritual entities out… or in, so they can’t get away.”

  “It makes sense,” Alexis agreed, nodding. “It also means once we’re in there, they’ll be stuck in there with us.”

  Rose glanced out through the window of the moving car. She preferred enemies she could see than those that might be invisible to her senses. Magic, invisible wards and undetectable entities weren’t her forte at all. She needed to be sure she could defend herself – and more than that, Lisa – when they got there, but how could she know?

  “How do I fight spirits?” she asked them, her tone uncertain. She tried not to sound worried, but she was.

  “If there are any, I’d say avoid them if you can,” Lisa replied. “If in doubt, ask a witch?”

  Rose stifled a sigh. “Should I bring my sword?” She had it in the back of the car with her. It was a nice quality katana that had once belonged to her mother before she’d disappeared.

  “It can’t do any harm,” Alexis replied with a shrug.

  “I’ll protect you for a change,” Lisa promised her with a loving smile.

  It only took a few minutes more to get there. Lisa drove up the long, overgrown driveway, and pulled the car to a stop outside the cabin. It was a fairly plain building, though larger than the name suggested, and built of timber harvested from Bellasford Forest.

  Rose knew Erin’s family had owned it for several generations, and all that time it had served as a meeting place for the Circle of Harmony coven.

  There was a red sedan parked outside, and Rose wasn’t sure whose it was. She also saw a few people it took her a minute to recognise as she approached. She recognised Erin by her long, sleek brown hair, and grew more concerned when she noticed her tear-streaked face. Two of the people milling around were Enforcers, and she wondered if more were on the property.

  One was Agent Heriman. He was a handsome Angel with ebony skin – currently in human form, who she got along with well. He could be frustrating at times, as he typically approached things slowly and methodically, but she admired his determination and appreciated how much he’d gone out of his way to help her. He was a good ally, and among the Enforcers, he was the one she trusted most.

  The other Enforcer was a blonde woman Rose hadn’t met before; she wore a long, navy blue robe with a silver pin, which was her badge of office. Rose could tell she wasn’t any ordinary Enforcer – she was one of their Occultists. Only strong mages performed such roles – from what she’d heard, and Rose hadn’t met one before in person. She had a nice figure, but otherwise looked surprisingly ordinary. If it wasn’t for the robe, Rose might’ve passed her on the street and been none the wiser.

  Rose climbed from the car, and saw Erin approach the driver’s side door, where Lisa climbed out too.

  “Oh, thank the g
ods you’re here!” Erin exclaimed. “They won’t let me return to Raven. I wanted to tell you what was going on, but my phone went flat and I couldn’t find my charger. Raven’s trapped and they said they’re not making promises about saving him.”

  “Please, show me.” Lisa’s request came in little short of a demand.

  Alexis climbed from the relative safety of the car, looking around the area outside the cabin.

  The sky was blue, other than white puffy clouds that blocked the sun. It would’ve been a nice day out, if it wasn’t for the circumstances.

  Rose shouldered her sword’s back sheath, and then walked around to take Lisa’s hand.

  Lisa seemed grateful for her touch of reassurance, and exchanged a soft smile with her girlfriend.

  Rose, Lisa, Alexis and Erin walked as a group towards the path that led around the side of the cabin, between the building and several tall trees.

  Perhaps unsurprisingly, Heriman moved to intercept them.

  Rose felt a tug on her hand, and released Lisa’s own. As she and others came to a stop, Lisa slipped past Heriman and defiantly walked on ahead.

  “Excuse me Lisa, would you come back here?” he called, making it more an order or a demand than a request.

  It seemed Lisa wasn’t listening, because she went on her way.

  “If you go down there, you’re risking you lives,” he told them, his brow furrowed with annoyance.

  “We know,” Rose told him, with a firm but apologetic smile. “He’s a friend. These women know the area like no one else. They’ve been coming here all their lives. I think you should let us through. They might see something out of place that would go unnoticed by someone who didn’t know the place so well.”

  Erin placed her hands squarely on her hips. “I’m the one who found him. He’s engaged to my sister, and the only reason she isn’t here yet is because she was at home with their kids. I own this land, just as my parents did, and my grandparents before them. Let us look, and if he’s still in the circle, we already know he’s not getting out of there without help. If you’ll let us help you, then I volunteer.”

  “Me too,” Alexis told him, her voice thick with emotion.

  “I’ll keep my senses attuned and an eye out for trouble,” Rose promised. “Lisa would also be a powerful ally.”

  Rose already knew Lisa would go out of her way to help her friends, but Rose wouldn’t make a promise on her behalf. It was up to her to decide whether she wanted to.

  Agent Heriman glanced over his shoulder at the Occultist Enforcer, who he’d been talking to when the coven members arrived.

  “I’ll take them down,” she said simply, prompting him to shake his head.

  “Don’t worry,” Rose reassured him, though she felt a greater worry than she claimed. It wasn’t so much for herself as the others, especially Raven. Her understanding from her earlier conversation with Alexis was things didn’t look good for him. They had to know if there was something they could do.

  The Occultist didn’t rush to catch up with Lisa, and she was quiet at first, as she, Rose and the coven members walked down toward the field behind Erin’s cabin. There was no sign of anyone else, other than Lisa ahead of them, but they already knew Raven was out there.

  “So you were the one who cast the ward here?” Erin asked, wondering aloud.

  “It was a group effort, but yes,” the Enforcer confirmed. “We couldn’t take any chances that the trapped entity might get out.”

  Rose wondered if they knew more than she and Raven’s coven-mates did. “Do you have any idea what we’re dealing with?”

  There was a subtle expression of uncertainty in her eyes and she hesitated.

  “If you know anything, it might help us defeat it,” Alexis replied.

  The Occultist Enforcer nodded. “We’re still figuring that out. We’re not sure if Raven’s still alive, as it seems his body might be in a kind of stasis. We won’t know until we get him out of there.”

  This drew fearful and sad glances from the coven members, just as they reached the end of the field; it overlooked the ceremonial place where they knew Raven was. It was just past a few trees and down a short hillside. There, a semi-transparent half-sphere rested with a familiar figure inside. Raven lay on his side unmoving, while inky black tendrils swirled around him as though circling a drain.

  “What is that?” Lisa gasped aloud. She’d never seen anything like it before.

  Erin and Alexis stared at the sight of their friend – it was hard not to, while Rose searched their surroundings for threats.

  “A spirit of some kind,” Erin replied, merely stating the obvious.

  It didn’t narrow down the type of entity or explain how it got there.

  “How do we get him out of there?” Alexis asked, seeking an answer that could help him.

  Rose wasn’t sure it would be a matter of ‘we’, so much as the Enforcers who would do it.

  “Once Agent Woods arrives, I’ll break the circle. She’ll capture the dark entity. If you want to add your strength to helping her contain it, you’re welcome to do so.”

  “We want to help you,” Lisa said, the others voicing their agreement alongside her. She knew they wanted to give Raven the best chance possible.

  Agent Woods arrived a few minutes later; she was a taller, dark-haired detective. Agent Heriman walked down to join them as well, seemingly unarmed, though Rose and Lisa already knew he possessed great skill with magic.

  Instances of dark magic like this didn’t occur often, especially in Bellasford. It was a crime to summon something this dark, which fell under the purview of the Enforcers’ jurisdiction.

  As Agent Woods approached the Occultist Enforcer, she nodded in greeting. “Agent Corvin.”

  The blonde Enforcer gave her a smile that only slightly softened her expression of concern. “Hello Agent Woods. I’ve checked the circle over and it’s still sealed. There hasn’t been any energy leakage, otherwise that spirit would’ve found a way out. These witches are friends of the victim and they’ve offered to contribute energy for the task of containing the spirit.”

  Rose didn’t like the way Agent Woods studied them, as though determining their usefulness. There was also doubt in her expression, as though trying to determine if Rose or the coven members might be the guilty party behind the crime. It annoyed Rose because Raven’s attacker was probably using that wasted time to evade capture. She didn’t believe Raven was responsible, no matter how suspicious it appeared.

  “I’m not a witch,” Rose clarified, before Agent Woods drew a conclusion otherwise.

  “Then why are you here?” she asked with a snappish tone.

  “Because my girlfriend is and because I’m a Private Investigator.”

  Rose could see Agent Woods’s growing frustration, as though her day just became more complicated. While Rose couldn’t give a damn, she didn’t want the Agent distracted later when she ought to be focused on containing the spirit.

  “I’ll keep back out of the way,” Rose promised, her gaze encompassing the Enforcers, and her love, Lisa.

  It would be a bad time for distractions, and not a particularly safe place to be. Then again, if the spirit escaped, nowhere within the warded area would be safe. She already knew the estate was huge.

  “So what do we need to do?” Lisa asked, as she glanced between the Enforcers.

  “If I struggle, send some energy to help power my magic,” Agent Woods replied. “Individually would be the most effective, rather than in a chain.”

  Rose wondered for a moment what she meant, and then she realised that if someone in a line fell or couldn’t do their part, then the energy flow mightn’t reach her. It was why she wanted it sent on individually.

  There were nods of agreement among the witches, who seemed grateful for a way to help.

  “Alright, then,” Agent Woods added, her frustration subsiding.

  “I’m going to open a hole in the shield,” Agent Corvin explained. “We’ll have the
net in place to catch the entity. It may come flying out of there. If it does, we catch it, entrap it, and then we can get Raven out. Are you ready?”

  “We are,” they agreed.

  Agent Corvin worked quickly. She didn’t cast a circle, nor did she work with any magical tools. It wasn’t that they were necessary, but they added an element of precision that the Occultist Enforcer seemed to possess without them.

  Rose couldn’t tell exactly what she was doing, because she didn’t have the magical sight that Lisa and the other coven members did, but she could see the change that Agent Corvin wrought on the shield.

  A thin, blue line formed on its surface, glowing as the Enforcer guided her hand several inches above the energy barrier.

  Rose knew from witnessing rituals before that she couldn’t normally see the barrier of a magical circle, so this was new to her.

  She’d thought Raven was entirely still on the ground, but as Agent Corvin worked, she saw Raven twitch. It was momentary, but it gave her hope that he’d survive. The swirling spirit changed its rapid movement, slowing around the area where the Enforcer worked to cut into the circle’s energy.

  Her eye was drawn by Agent Woods, who chanted softly, extending her hands. Rose didn’t see the magic that almost certainly danced around her fingertips, but she was certain Agent Woods did.

  Meanwhile, the witches of Raven’s coven stood back at the ready, preparing themselves to act if they needed to. Rose wondered what would happen if the spirit escaped.

  She contemplated drawing her sword, just in case, but she didn’t want the Enforcers’ attention to waver. Instead, she settled a hand on the sword hilt, ready to draw it at the slightest provocation. Not that she expected it to help, of course, as the spirit didn’t seem corporeal.

  She glanced Enforcer Heriman’s way and noticed he was poised at the ready, only magic was his weapon.