Unholy Creations

By C. Shell

My name is Kara Radcliff and I’m a witch. Not the pointy hat and black cat kind that you see on Halloween, but a true spell casting, sneaker wearing, party loving, kick-ass witch.

Until two weeks ago, that is all I was and all I ever wanted to be. My expectations in life didn’t soar higher than graduating college and finding a decent job that would help pay off my mounting student loans.

All of that went out the window when I received the invitation.

I’ve was selected to compete for the chance of a lifetime. If I win, not only will I fulfill the newly vacant spot as an Associate, but I will be leaving my family behind to go live and work alongside the four Rulers of our paranormal community. I will be trusted in helping them keep our kind safe and hidden from the humans and those among us that prefer to cause trouble and mayhem. Every society has hoodlums, our kind just happen to cause more destruction than most.
Being an Associate is an honor. The job is dangerous and will require me to go up against Fae, shifters, witches, and vampires that are much more powerful and stronger I could ever hope to be. I love kicking butt and casting spells, but even I have my limits.

On top of everything, I seem to have caught the attention of two of the Rulers. Only I could go from having no men in my life to having one too many. Neither man is used to hearing the word, “No”, and although my mind says the word often, my mouth and body keep saying, “Yes”. What is a witch to do?

Am I up for this new challenge? Yes.
Can I handle the danger? Yes.
Will my heart survive the journey? Maybe.

This is my screwed up story. This is my crazy life, and this is the just the beginning.

• Language: English
• Publisher: C. Shell
• Release date: Oct 6, 2014
• ISBN: 9781310284533

C. Shell

C. Shell lives in the hot state of Texas with her husband and three beautiful girls. Romance books are her obsession. One that includes a bad boy or an alpha male who knows what he wants is her own personal version of heaven. She finds the happy endings and endless possibilities of books alluring and addictive. When she is not thinking up her next kick-ass character, she is working in the community rescuing dogs.

Book preview

Unholy Creations

The Associates Series - Book 1

C. Shell

Dedication

To my wonderful family for enduring my craziness and for always having my back.

For my lovely reading buddies who keep me going and make writing so much fun.

Thanks for believing in me.

Table of Contents

Copyright

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

To the Readers

About the Author

Other Books by C. Shell

Unholy Creations

C. Shell

Copyright C. Shell 2014

This e-book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This e-book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. IF you are reading this book and didn't purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to the author and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance between persons living and dead, establishments, events, or location is entirely coincidental.

Cover image copyright

 © dflohr

Chapter One

The letters came today. When I came home a little after midnight from the party at Bryan Rigby’s home, I found them lying on our entryway tile floor. My breath caught as I stared at them in awe, afraid that if I looked away they might disappear. Someone must have slipped it under the door while we were out. One letter was addressed to Vivian Adams – Fae of PAS University, my crazy best friend, and the other was addressed to little old me, Kara Radcliff – Witch of PAS University.

I’ve read and re-read my letter over half a dozen times. I think I might be in shock. It feels unreal, like it’s happening to someone else instead of myself. I pinched myself over and over to be sure that I’m not dreaming. I’m ecstatic that I was selected. Don’t get me wrong, I know I’m a talented witch, I just never thought I had what it took to be an Associate. I haven't won yet, so whether I’m Associate material, or not, has yet to be determined. Even If I don’t make it, just knowing that someone thought I was good enough to compete for the open position to serve and protect the Alphas and Rulers of North America is something I take pride in.

In our world- the paranormal one- being an Associate is considered a great honor. There are only three Associates at any given time. In a nutshell, an Associate works hand-in-hand with the four Rulers to help police our kind and keep our world and secrets hidden away from humans.

The Rulers include Derick Kerns- Alpha wolf shifter, Trae Hamon – Ruler for the Fae, Cam Lyons – Ruler over the Vampires, and Kelly Kennedy – Ruler over Mage/Warlock/Witches.

Last week one of the Associates, an old cat shifter by the name of Thomas, was killed while taking down a powerful warlock who was trying to steal artifacts that contained a powerful dark magic. It was a huge hit to our community. Associates live very long lives. A paranormal can outlive a human by fifty years, give or take a few, but being connected to a Ruler magically enhances our genes, making us stronger and capable of living hundreds of years longer than our kind. An Associate’s job is crazy dangerous. They only work the toughest cases alongside the Rulers, while skilled soldiers handle the everyday paranormal delinquents and trouble makers.

I stare down at the letter in my hand with awe. I’m one out of forty that were nominated to try out for Thomas’s previous position. I have no idea who threw my name in the ring, but I have my suspicions. The top of my short list being my defense instructor Mr. Neemsa. He’s a hard as nails, cat shifter with a fondness for sword fighting. Something we both have in common.

Only the smartest, fastest, and toughest are chosen to compete. The rules say you must be a current student with a top GPS from PAS University to be eligible for consideration before a faculty member or someone connected to the school can add your name to the list. PAS stands for Paranormal Academic Scholars. The name is as boring and unoriginal as the school itself.

PAS is the only University in America available for our kind. Our kind being either vampire, Fae, shifter or witch. Throughout the years, we have been labeled by many names. I prefer to be called paranormal while others go by mystical. When in doubt, you can always use the politically correct name and say we are simply supernatural.

Either way, you slice and dice it, we are simply a large community made up of things that go bump in the night, or day, depending on what limitations your species has. There are several stages of the competition that a student must go through after they receive their letter. The trials they will put us through are hard. No, scratch that, they are practically impossible.

For the next two weeks, we will be pushed to fight in battles where only the weak call ‘Uncle’. They want us to show off our leadership skills, unique talents, and how cunning we are when push comes to shove. There is no room for mistakes or time for second guesses once the games begin.

I don’t expect to win. Even if I do somehow manage to make it, I’m not sure I would want the position. Whoever wins, must leave PAS University and move to a remote location north of Rockwall, Texas and live in a secret compound with the Rulers. I don’t have a large family. In fact, my household consists of only two people, my mom, and my grandmother. I have no clue who my father is. He was a one-nighter my mom met at a local paranormal club and got friendly with after one too many drinks. The details she’s given me on him are few and far between. I know that he’s a full mage (like my mother), extremely handsome with dark hair and light blue eyes, and goes by the name of Rick. At least, that’s what he told her his name was. If someone put him in a line up and asked me to pick him out I wouldn’t have the slightest idea where to start.

Mom said she tried to find him after she found out she was pregnant, but her search came up empty. I guess he was just passing through the area or something. It doesn’t bother me. I don’t harbor any ill feelings due to being fatherless or have daddy issues that drive me to act out and become careless. I had a great upbringing by two strong, independent women, who love me fiercely. They mean the world to me, which is why I hate the thought of being yanked away from them and sent to some ominous compound few people have ever seen.

When you become an Associate, your life is no longer your own. You are basically the property of the Rulers. Not that the Rulers are evil or anything. In fact, I hear they are quite friendly. They have a reputation for being fair to others, and the pay you receive is well worth what you’re required to do. But that doesn’t mean I want to dedicate the rest of my life to them. I’m still young. Hell, I haven’t even started sowing my oats yet. The few perks of being a big wig Associate aren’t enough to outweigh what I would be giving up.

The Rulers keep our lives hidden from humans by placing some of our people in influential occupations and using those connections along with old magic from several witch covens, to keep our existence a secret. At one time we even had a shifter in the White House.

A few incidents have slipped through the cracks a time or two, but thanks to a little creative spinning they’ve been molded into stories and fables told to scare little children into behaving.

Humans like to think of themselves as open-minded, but they wouldn’t be able to handle knowing that the things that they think go bump in the night are indeed real. We’ve gotten so good at blending in with our surroundings that you could live next to one of us and never realize it. Knowing that their perfectly painted white picket fence won’t keep them safe could drive them to do crazy things. It would be the Salem witch trials all over again.

Fawning over a vampire on TV is not the same thing as having a real one sinking his teeth into the soft flesh of your neck as they drain the life force right out of you. They can do that, you know, vampires that is. The good ones only take enough to give you a light buzz before wiping your memory of the whole experience. Unfortunately, with every race, there are a few bad apples in the bunch. Those are the ones that get off on stalking their prey and ultimately destroying it. They get an adrenaline rush on scaring you, then they feed off your emotions like a druggy does crack before draining you dry. Playing with your food is frowned upon in our world. Not that humans are considered food for all of us, but vampires do require a snippet of their blood every few days to survive. The older ones can hold out longer.

The Rulers work behind the scenes to destroy the crazies among us. Keeping such a wide variety of paranormals living together in harmony isn’t an easy task. Just like humans, we also can be racist and bigoted. Some like to think themselves superior over the other species, while a select few are just plain cray-cray and seek unlimited power. Those are the ones to worry over. That type of stupidity typically ends with them either dead, staked, or their faces displayed on a wanted poster. And that’s on a good day.

My hands shake as my fingers trace over the fancy penmanship marking the letter. The script is beautifully handwritten in an elegant font that someone probably spent hours if not weeks to perfect. It’s a far cry from the chicken scratch I use. The royal crest gleams at me from the corner of the parchment. My thoughts run amuck as I absently stroke my thumb over the intricate sparkly green and gold emblem.

My evaluations will begin tomorrow.

They will match me against the toughest fighters and most skilled within our school. I can only imagine the pain I will endure, the bruises I will accumulate, and the enemies I’m going to make. It’s going to be pure hell. I could always call Uncle and excuse myself as soon as it begins, but that’s not my style. My pride would never let get away with that. I’m a strong witch and I know my craft better than anyone my age. I was taught by my mom to never show weakness and to always push yourself to be better than your opponent. I might be beaten to a pulp and make an ass out of myself, but I’ve never been a quitter and I sure as hell don’t plan on starting now.

Chapter Two

Three weeks later

Kara! Vivian yells, tossing a pillow across the room and eloquently nailing me in the head with it.

I let out a harsh growl and yank the blankets up over my head, efficiently covering me from head to toe. I love my roommate, I truly do, but the tactics she uses to wake-me-up, suck royal ass. She never goes with a simple, Wake up, or Rise and Shine, like my mom always did. No, she prefers to see how far she can drive me to commit murder before turning on her charm and reeling me back in like a fish on a hook.

I turn my head into the pillow she launched at me and let the fresh smell of lilac flowers from the detergent lull me back to a peaceful sleep. A soft pillow is a nice step-up from the glass of ice cold water she poured over my head two days ago. That little episode did not end well for her. In retaliation, I placed a temporary mimicking spell on her. Anytime she encountered someone she was forced to mimic everything they said or did. Her first-period teacher got so upset she sentenced Viv with after school detention for a whole week.

In Viv’s defense, practical jokes are just part of who she is. Viv is a fairy, and as with most other fairies, they are known for their short tempers and a penchant to play with other’s emotions. That being said, waking up drenched in cold water is going too far.

I grip my blanket tighter around me as I feel her pulling on the end of it. I’m too tired Viv. Give me ten more minutes, I holler through the thick fabric, my voice sounding muffled and scratchy from sleep.

You’re running late again, Kare Bear, she retorts. Today is your last day of evaluations. Mr. Flynn will fry your ass if you cause his session to run longer than scheduled. I don’t need a fried roommate. So, do us both a favor and get your ass up and moving.

I let out another growl, this time more out of frustration than from anger. I hate it when she’s right. Paul Flynn is a powerful mage with a bad attitude. He is one of the Associates who has been testing us. I swear the man gets off on seeing me in pain. Since evaluations started a few weeks ago, he’s been riding my ass hard and heavy. I’m not sure what I did to get on his bad side. I always show up with a smile on my face and a pep in my step and the man always returns my cheery mood with a scowl.

The other Associate evaluating us is named Josh Evans. He is Fae and much easier to get along with. He handles the maneuvering and tactical aspect of our trials. Fae are known for their crafty way with words, use of magic, and the ability to manipulate reality. His tests were unusual and unique, to say the least.

In my last session with him, I was transported to The Everglades in Florida. My mission was to find my way out of the swamp and back to the University alive and in one piece. Sounds easy, right? Wrong. The swamp was overrun with alligators, snakes, and a handful of mean-ass gremlins. Once I finally fought my way out of there, I was faced with a new problem. I had no money or mode of transportation to get back home, plus I was missing one shoe and smelled like I spent the day playing in a pig pen. I ended up hitchhiking on the back of a farm truck filled with caged chickens until it turned dark and I could safely use my magic to start a car and drive the rest of the way home. The hitchhiking was almost as dangerous as the damn gremlins. Who knew chickens had such dangerous beaks. The damn things pecked me until they drew blood.

I don’t respond to Vivian’s