Brewing Storm: Dark Secret Series, #2

By Mikki Ensey Smith

Misty can't escape the haunting cries of a baby, a baby that chose her to save her from being sacrificed by her brother the leader of the Black Prophets the coven that had come to claim what they felt belonged to them at one time.
The ones she felt could be trusted the most had deceived her making her Judge and executioner.
Is the pressure of denying her place beside her brother taking its toll on her?
The murders of those that resemble Misty and Laura, is it a threat against them?
She knows the storm is brewing and soon the war will begin leaving everyone and thing in it's wake devastated. Can her marriage to a mortal survive what waits for each one of them?Misty can't escape the haunting cries of a baby, a baby that chose her to save her from being sacrificed by her brother the leader of the Black Prophets the coven that had come to claim what they felt belonged to them at one time.
The ones she felt could be trusted the most had deceived her making her Judge and executioner.
Is the pressure of denying her place beside her brother taking its toll on her?
The murders of those that resemble Misty and Laura, is it a threat against them?
She knows the storm is brewing and soon the war will begin leaving everyone and thing in it's wake devastated. Can her marriage to a mortal survive what waits for each one of them?Misty can't escape the haunting cries of a baby, a baby that chose her to save her from being sacrificed by her brother the leader of the Black Prophets the coven that had come to claim what they felt belonged to them at one time.
The ones she felt could be trusted the most had deceived her making her Judge and executioner.
Is the pressure of denying her place beside her brother taking its toll on her?
The murders of those that resemble Misty and Laura, is it a threat against them?
She knows the storm is brewing and soon the war will begin leaving everyone and thing in its wake devastated. Can her marriage to a mortal survive what waits for each one of them?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Mikki Smith
• Release date: Oct 20, 2019
• ISBN: 9781386991502

Mikki Ensey Smith

Mikki  Ensey Smith was born in Franklin, Indiana. She attended Wayne Township Schools, where she made many friends. The Dark Secrets series is based on places in that area. Mikki is married, with four children and awesome grandchildren. Mikki loves writing fiction, where anything and everything is possible, including the impossible, creating new characters and worlds with no condemnation or remorse. She takes her readers into a world of magic, evil, murder, friendship, love, lust and utter terror - a world her readers eagerly return to visit time and time again. 

Book preview

Brewing Storm

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CHAPTER 1

Visions

Thunder roared in the distance, as the wind blew Misty’s long blonde hair in her face. The sun hid behind the darkened clouds that gathered above. A massive storm was brewing, the likes of which this town had never seen before. She had a deep-rooted sense that something entirely new was coming with it.

Images of that horrific Halloween night haunted her as she stood in the middle of her garden. Misty watched as the lightning raced vividly across the sky, just as it did six years ago. Visions of that nightmare flashed before her eyes like an old projector film.

The aroma of the flowers normally gave her a sense of calm, but not this time. This was different. Right now, it was like a sensory overload. Even though her nightmare occurred over six years ago, the flashbacks were too much to bear. They taunted her, bringing the recurring pain in her forehead, painful enough to drop her to her knees, weak and unbalanced.

Her dear friend Laura saw what happened and raced to help Misty into a nearby chair. Misty? What’s going on?

Misty rested her face in her trembling hands, her head throbbing. I’m having flashbacks of that night! It seems different, somehow. In the flashback, I saw children floating around - screaming, scared. Their cries paralyzed me. Then I saw a half of Bob’s face. He was laughing while holding a dagger up over a baby. His maniacal laughter drowned out the children’s screams.  Fear and frustration wracked Misty’s voice.

Laura bent down concerned. Are you sure it’s him? Laura asked, rubbing her back.

I’m sure! Nobody makes my skin crawl the way he does, Misty snapped.

Laura’s stomach churned at the thought of Bob and his followers.

The Black Prophets would stop at nothing to secure the power they felt belonged to them. Maybe it’s their souls crying out for justice, or maybe it’s their spirits nudging you to stop them before they murder another innocent. We have to stop them, together, Laura stated firmly.

Misty looked into Laura’s tear-filled eyes, unsure of what she was saying.

The thought of coming face-to-face with her evil twin, knowing the things he had done to her and those she loved, and the evil he was capable of worried her to the point of nausea.

She ran between the flowering bushes and bent over to let it all out.

Laura followed and held Misty’s hair out of her face. I know how overwhelming this must be for you! Nobody should go through this crap. Know you are not alone. Tess said that, just before your Grams passed away, she willed her powers over to you.

This was the first Misty had heard of anything like this. She wiped her lips with the tissue she carried in her sweater pocket. Her mouth held such a bitter aftertaste. She wasn’t sure if it was from sickness or the thought of Bob coming back into their lives.

How could you know something like that? Misty asked as they went up to the front porch and seated themselves on the swing.

Tess says your grams was a member of her coven, Laura revealed.

A line formed between Misty’s brows. My Grams didn’t belong to any coven! She didn’t practice magic. What the hell are you saying - that she kept secrets from me? My mother wasn’t the only one notorious for keeping secrets from me, right? Misty snapped again, shaking her head in disbelief, burying her face in her hands.

Laura took Misty’s hand in hers. Your Grams loved you more than life itself. Didn’t you tell me you overheard your mother arguing with your Grams just before she passed? Laura asked, curiously.

Misty thought back, recalling the scene. Yes, I remember now.

Tess slipped out of the house and walked over, taking a seat on the rocker with Laura and Misty. She’d overheard the conversation. She spoke with a bright smile on her aged features. That evening, after she left your house, she came to my place, where we held a meeting. She knew something was going to happen to her. I begged her to stay with me, but she was too damn stubborn.  She told me if something were going to happen, it would be God’s will, so she had us witness as she willed her powers over to you. She knew they were coming for you. You see, in our world, with her being an elder to Bob, your twin, her powers were stronger than his. They had to take her out of the picture to protect him. Losing him would have meant losing one of the Chosen Ones, and they could not allow that to happen. His powers would have automatically gone to you, his twin. The only way to kill a natural witch that knows how to use and control their gifts is while they are sleeping. When we sleep, we go to another plain, and our spirit leaves our body. Sometimes our dreams are different from a normal human, Tess concluded.

Misty couldn’t hold back the tears. She felt in her spirit that Bob had something to do with Grams’ premature death, but to hear the story again hurt just as bad as the day she’d received the news.

She was left vulnerable - no powers to protect herself, all so I would be strong enough to fight them. Robbie still died.  I couldn’t save anyone, so what was the purpose? Misty questioned angrily.

Your Grams did it for you so that you could live. She was afraid if she didn’t will her powers to you when she did, they might have killed her before she was able to... and it was all because she loved you that much. Tess squeezed Misty’s other hand gently.

Yes, but she died. She could have helped me more being alive, Misty whispered through tears.

Misty, this was the only way she knew to help you. She couldn’t protect you when she was living apart from you, and you certainly couldn’t be with her twenty-four hours a day. She didn’t want you to live like a prisoner until she died. That’s not what she wanted for you. Your Grams wanted you to live life to the fullest, Laura piped up, trying to console her best friend.

Tess pondered her words before speaking, not wanting to freak her out or upset her more than what she already was. It wasn’t just the powers you inherited from her... Tess began.

What else is there? Misty looked up curiously.

Her gifts or some of them. There were so many. Tess said.

What are they? Misty demanded.

Tess smiled at how young she appeared when she spoke of gifts. I’ll tell you when I see evidence of them in you. There are two I’m certain you will gain, however. Second sight is one. Shapeshifting is another, Tess confessed.

Laura crossed her arms as she slid back into the swing, curious as to what Tess was talking about. What on earth is shapeshifting? Laura inquired.

A shapeshifter is someone who changes their appearance into an animal or plant or even a human being, Tess explained.

Misty was amazed at these revelations, but the fact that her family had kept such incredibly dark secrets from her was overwhelming.

So, if I can inherit these gifts, then that means Bob can, as well, since we’re twins, right? Misty further questioned.

Possibly, was all that Tess could offer.

Misty stood up, thinking about the new tribulations to come, now pacing from one end of the porch to the other in worry. So, the evilest creature walking the Earth could have an amazing gift, and possibly use it to get to my girls or me? Is that what you’re saying? Misty went from grieving to angry in seconds.

Misty, even if he has that gift, he can’t get through those gates. He cannot get into this community, not without facing his death or destruction. Even if he got through, he would be so wounded he couldn’t do anything. Then we’d finish him off, and no one would know, let alone find him. You and the girls are safe here, Laura told her.

Misty looked around, shaking her head. My girls can’t live like this forever. They need to live their lives, Misty said, still shaken.

Tess patted her hand. They’re still young, we’ve got time. Hopefully, things will change for the better, Tess consoled her.

I’ve got to fix lunch before the kids serve my head on a platter, Misty stated, as she called the children in from the yard to wash before their meal.

Misty watched from the kitchen window as Billy pulled up. Her mind drifted back to the day they exchanged their vows.

She never thought she would fall in love again after Robbie’s brutal demise. There he was though, the day after he walked into her hospital room when she was found wandering out of the woods. Billy was the lead detective assigned to Misty’s case. Since that day, he’d stayed in her life, but the start was a bit rocky and awkward. Both were falling head over heels for one another, but neither dared to admit it.

Laura sensed there were feelings between the two, even though she loved Misty she assumed nothing more would come of it. However, after months of wondering and no gestures made between the two, Laura, tired of being cooped up in the house, and the free spirit that she was, had decided to take a drive, ending up on Billy’s doorstep with a twelve-pack of beer and a bottle of wine. Laura, a tall, slender girl with auburn hair, freckles, a tanned body, and a seductive smile, could easily have any man she wanted.

Her conquest of Billy left Misty heartbroken. The girls had an unspoken rule never to date any man the other was interested in or in a relationship.

Laura knew she never had to worry about Misty.  But seeing Misty’s agony over losing Billy to her caused guilt to overcome her, something she had never felt before.  Laura’s actions broke her own heart, and Misty’s. Despite her promise to never be with Billy again, Misty felt it was too late... the deed was done. Months after Laura and Billy’s one-night stand, Laura turned up pregnant with Billy’s baby. Misty had pretended she was happy on the outside, but her heart shattered.

The kind-hearted man that he was, Billy had asked Laura to marry him. Though his heart belonged to Misty, he felt compelled to do the right thing by Laura and the baby. Regardless of his feelings, he was raised always to do the right thing, and this would be no exception. Laura appreciated his offer, but her heart wasn’t Billy’s to have. She kindly released him from his duty, agreeing to include him in the child’s life, including shared custody and decision-making when the time came.

Months later, Laura had given birth to a son they agreed to name Chad. Misty accepted Chad as one of her own, to be raised with the girls as their brother. Billy had adopted Misty’s twin daughters Summer and Constance when they were only a year old.  He was the only father they’d ever known.

Misty still didn’t know who’d fathered her girls – Robbie or Bob. The girls not being identical led her to question the probability of the girls having different fathers. Constance resembled Robbie in every respect. Her long, chocolatey, twisted curls danced off her backside whenever she moved. Her green eyes sparkled in a freckled face radiant with health and happiness.

Summer took after their mother with tanned skin, dark blonde tresses and deep brown eyes that shimmered with her smile.  She also looked like her mother’s twin brother.

While the girls raced toward Billy, Misty washed the lunch dishes. As she rinsed a plate, she noticed something in her reflection, only it wasn’t herself she saw. She watched mesmerized, as a young girl ran away from something, but she could not make out who or what it was.

It was as if she were there in the flesh, running endlessly through the fog until the girl could run no more and stumbled to the ground breathlessly.

Misty spoke to her, asking her why she was running, but the girl couldn’t hear her. Misty looked around, taking note of her surroundings. She glanced up to see a steeple on the roof of an old church but found no signage on the structure.

Gazing around further, she saw some old buildings that appeared to be abandoned, with a small field behind them.

As Misty bent down, trying again to make verbal contact with the girl, a figure in a black cloak approached.

The girl’s fearful expression sent chills through Misty’s body. She wanted to intervene, but she didn’t know how.

The girl tried desperately to escape, but it was no use.

Her attacker wrapped an arm around her neck and plunged a dagger deep into her chest.

Misty, horrified at what she’d just witnessed, trembled and dropped the plate, shattering it on the wooden floor.

Billy walked into the kitchen to find Misty down on one knee, trembling and trying to pick up the pieces of the plate from the floor.

When he drew closer, he noticed that Misty had cut her hand.

She seemed frightened and completely unaware of her injury.

Billy grabbed a dishtowel and dipped it in the steaming water from the faucet before wrapping it around her wound.

He helped her to a chair and knelt before her. Misty, what happened? Are you ok? Billy questioned frantically.

Tess walked in on them and overheard Billy questioning Misty. Is she alright? Tess asked as she removed the towel.

Oh, my...it looks like you’re going to need a couple of stitches, Tess exclaimed.

Billy looked up at Tess. I’ll take her to the hospital. He tried to help Misty to her feet.

She shrugged off his gesture, refusing to go with him. No, I’ll be fine! Misty declared.

If you’re not going, at least let Ellen have a look at it, Tess insisted, referring to the community’s nurse.

Misty nodded in silent agreement. Tess phoned the nurse and briefly described Misty’s injury.

She hung up the phone afterward and turned to Misty and Billy. Ellen’s on her way. Now fill me in, Tess requested.

Misty, bit down on her lip as she collected herself. I saw a girl running from someone and seemed terrified! I couldn’t help her.  Someone else was there, wearing a black cloak. I couldn’t see if it was a man or a woman. Whoever it was, killed her behind an old church with other vacant buildings and a small field nearby. Misty recounted.

Billy listened carefully, as he had always done when it came to Misty. Maybe it was just a daydream, Billy suggested.

Misty shrugged. Maybe.  It just felt so real.

Ellen had made it over in record time. Tess let Ellen in, leading her into the kitchen.

The nurse greeted everyone and took a chair next to Misty. Let’s have a look, shall we? Removing the towel, she examined the wound.

Well, my dear, I promise you’ll live, but we need to do something about this, Ellen told Misty.

Ellen opened her medical bag and removed a selection of herbs. Moving to the