Spellbound: (Shadow Spells Trilogy) (Volume 1)

By Chandra A. Rooney

One choice may cost her everything...

Charlotte “Charlie” O’Connor and her family are part of The Covenant, a secret society of witches and warlocks sworn to eradicate all vampires from existence. When her father is kidnapped by Santiago, an ex- Covenant member turned vampire leader, Charlie knows she can’t take him down alone.

Enter Cole Mathieson, a night club owner with a secret. He’s a vampire/warlock hybrid, she doesn’t trust him but has no choice when her brother is cursed with an ancient voodoo spell which will cost him his sanity. Charlie vows to do whatever it takes to find her father and save her brother. Even if it means taking the spell into herself, and allying with a potentially dangerous—and attractive—hybrid.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Chandra A. Rooney
• Release date: Jun 24, 2018
• ISBN: 9780463631171

Chandra A. Rooney

CHANDRA A. ROONEY is a Young Adult Urban Fantasy and Adult Romance writer who resides in Albuquerque NM with her family. When she’s not writing, she spends her time reading, watching Supernatural or Will & Grace reruns and staying up too late. She is obsessed with Harry Potter and Game of Thrones (Jon Snow in particular).

Book preview

Spellbound

Book One of the Shadow Spells Trilogy

Chandra A. Rooney

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictionally. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or to actual events or locales is entirely coincidental.

This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If this book was shared with you by another person, then please return and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Copyright © 2018 Chandra A. Rooney. Cover design by Kimberley Joanne Sinclair. All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof, in any form. No part of this text may be reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the author.

ISBN: 9780463631171

To Mom, thank you for being my biggest supporter! To Aunt Cathy and Uncle Tim, thank you for the encouragement. To Wes and Judy, without you, this book wouldn't be possible. To all those who doubted me, this is just the beginning.

Contents

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

Chapter 16

Thank you!!!

Acknowledgments

About the author

1

That’s the problem with these damn visions; they never told me what day the event took place. It left me feeling frustrated — what good were psychic powers if you didn’t know when things were going to happen?

I stood in the middle of a Georgia airport, people hurrying around me to catch their late night flights or excitedly waiting for friends and loved ones. They were oblivious to the world, with no clue about the dark and dangerous creatures that lived among them.

According to the vision, this is where rogue vampires would be feeding. Not spotting them, I pushed my powers out, hoping I could sense them. Whenever anything supernatural came near, I felt a tug in my chest, or saw their auras emitting a sickly yellow glow. With no yellow in sight, nor a tug in my chest, I pulled back my powers.

Charlie, what’s wrong? Why are you crying? Did you have a vision? Ryder’s voice broke me out of my thoughts. Concern crossed his features.

I smiled and shook my head, wiping the unshed tears from my eyes. No, I’m just frustrated. These visions always lead us on wild goose chases; we don’t have time for that with Dad missing. What if we don’t find him? What if he’s already dead? You’re all I have left. I can’t lose you, Ry, it would kill me. My voice broke on the last word.

Charlie, look at me. Love and care reflected in his ice blue eyes. You will never lose me. It’s me and you against the world, remember?

His words brought a smile to my face. Promise? He chuckled shaking his head as I stuck out my pinky finger.

I promise, he said while hooking his with mine.

The next night, Ryder and I returned to the airport. I had a feeling this would be the night they attacked. I made sure we came prepared with plenty of stakes and holy water grenades. I felt the familiar tug in my chest, alerting me that our vampire friends had indeed arrived. A small smirk came to my lips as I texted Ry that they were here.

He teleported in front of me, grinning like the Cheshire cat, Are you ready to go have fun?

A smirk broke out across my face as I looked at him. Well, what are we waiting for? The bloodsuckers aren’t going to stake themselves.

I grabbed his hand as I told him exactly where the vampires would be. Within seconds, we were teleported in front of the bathrooms.

Already pale and ashen, there wasn’t much time left if we wanted to keep their prey alive. I crept up to the first vampire before tapping him on the shoulder. I knew from the set of his broad shoulders, jet black hair, and tattered leather jacket exactly who it was.

Buffet is closed, Victor.

He turned around at the sound of my voice. Recognition flared in his eyes, a bloody smile on his face. Charlotte, what a pleasant surprise. I didn’t expect to see you here. His eyes immediately went from me to my brother, who was standing a couple of feet behind me. Victor sighed and said, Ah, I see you have young Ryder with you as well. Wonderful.

My eyes hardened as Victor said my brother’s name. We haven’t met, although I have heard so much about you and your many talents.

We stood in silence for what seemed like forever, as if we were wrapped up in a spell. It was broken by a petite blonde who appeared beside Ry. She ran her fingers up and down his arm. My brother’s posture tensed immediately.

She let out a long sigh before offering, Victor, quit toying with them. It’s becoming less and less amusing. Just finish them and be done with it. She paused, her hand stopping in the middle of Ry’s arm. With a crude smile, the blonde vampire added, But don’t harm this one. He would make a good pet.

Her voice sounded sickeningly sweet; it made me want to vomit. I turned to her in amusement, I hate to break it to you, blondie, but you’re just not his type.

She laughed — a tinkling sound that reminded me of high-pitched bells. Victor was right. You are a different little human.

She was so close I felt her cold breath against my face. Her next words were filled with so much venom that it sent shivers down my spine. I hate different... which is why you, little hunter, must die.

She grabbed me by the neck and flung me to the other side of the hall. I called upon the wind to soften the landing, but it was useless. I crashed head first into the white tile, my body leaving a gaping hole in its wake.

I shook my head to clear the black and white spots in my vision. I looked up to see Ry struggling with the blonde. Every time she tried to pin him down by the throat, he managed to teleport away from her... but Ry’s energy was fading fast. If I didn’t do something soon, he would be killed. There was no way in hell I was letting that happen.

I concentrated all of my energy and power, attempting to create a small fireball. At first, nothing happened; I opened my hand to find it empty. I took a deep breath as I imagined holding the small ball in my hands. The heat of the flames licked my palm, just hot enough to sting. A small smile spread across my lips.

I looked down at the orange and yellow flames dancing in my hand. Tossing it like a baseball, I hit her square in the back. She let out a shriek of pain as she turned her head to look at me.

You little bitch! she screeched while launching herself at me.

Her nostrils flared. A feral growl emerged from her throat while landing a few good kicks to my abdomen that would definitely leave bruises. Ry pulled her back, wrapping his hands around her hair and forcing her head up while whispering something in her ear.

I watched her eyes go wide before Ryder produced a small dagger from its hiding place in his shirt sleeve, slicing her head clean off. Blood splattered all over his face and shirt. Her body fell to the ground with a thud. Ryder dropped her head causing it to land on the floor before rolling to the side.

Her eyes stared back at me, frozen wide with fear. I turned back to see Ry staring down at her corpse, a twisted smile on his face and a gleam in his eyes. Victor leaned against the opposite wall watching with a smile on his face, slowly clapping.

Bravo, my young friends. That was quicker than I expected. I must say, Miss Charlotte, very well done with your little fireball trick ...

He paused, turning to Ry before saying, You, young man, were the real star of the show. It was marvelous how you decapitated the poor thing without the slightest hesitation. I bet dear old Dad would be so proud.

He let out a booming laugh, causing Ry to step closer to Victor, his whole body shaking with rage.

Don’t you dare talk about my father, you filthy vermin, he roared.

This made Victor laugh even harder. Oh, seems I’ve hit a nerve.

If you say one more word, I will shove a stake through your heart, vampire, Ry threatened. I had gotten up and was ready to jump in between them.

I wouldn’t be so hasty with that threat boy, or I will rip your heart out through your throat! Victor snarled.

Enough, Victor. Give me one reason why I shouldn’t stake you myself, I said in a calm voice.

He replied in an equally calm tone, Because, Miss Charlotte, I know how you can get the thing you desire the most — your dear father’s safe return.

I moved, ready to plunge the stake dead center in his chest, but he continued to speak. I’ve seen your father, but if you aren’t interested, then by all means... He stepped forward with his arms spread.

There was cockiness in his voice that almost made me finish him, but something told me he wasn’t lying. Before I could voice my suspicion, Ryder spoke. Why should we believe you?

Because, dear boy, we both know you are desperate. You have exhausted every lead you have. I’m your only option. I knew he was right. Ry and I had spent weeks on pointless leads that took us nowhere. Victor knew he had the upper hand. By the sour look on Ry’s face, he knew it, too.

I sighed. Alright, Victor, what’s your price? We both know that you don’t go spilling secrets for free. So what is it?

He chuckled. You know me so well. My price, as you call it, will be my freedom. No harm will come to me as I exit this building.

Before I had a chance to think it over, Ry stepped forward, agreeing to Victor’s offer. A cold smile crept onto his face as he shook Victor’s hand.

I was shocked. Ryder was usually never one to make deals so quickly, especially with vampires. I guess since it had something to do with Dad, he would do whatever it took to get him back, even make a deal with a vampire.

I tried to search for any emotion on Ry’s face, but all I found was a cold expression.

Now, where exactly can we find our father? Ry asked with a slight edge to his voice.

There was a pause, then Victor spoke with an evil smile on his face. I said I saw your father, not that I know where he is. He said patronizingly.

Ry was ready to lunge at him, but stopped when Victor kept talking.

Ah, ah, ah... not so fast. There’s only one person who really knows where your father is. His name is Cole Mathison. As to where he can be found, you will have to travel to New Orleans.

Not quite understanding what kind of game Victor was playing, I asked, Why should we believe you? You just lied to us.

He shrugged It is of no consequence to me what you believe.

The last time Ry and I were in Louisiana was for his first solo mission. He had a run in with a voodoo priestess, who he managed to piss off pretty badly. I didn’t know the details, mainly because Ry wouldn’t tell me absolutely anything to deal with the mission. All I did know was something went bad. Wrong in every possible way.

The priestess had used counter measures to try and evade capture for her crimes. Those crimes happened to be against the Covenant, a secret society of Witches and Warlocks whose very mission is to protect the human world from all things supernatural. He eventually killed her, but Ry was never the same after that mission.

I quickly sought my brother’s face, only to watch him grimace. Apparently he remembered it all too well.

It wasn’t until I turned around to ask Victor where exactly in New Orleans would we find this Cole person that I noticed he was gone. That’s what I hated about vampires, they always managed to vanish into thin air without making a sound.

I was sure this wasn’t going to be the last we saw of Victor. Next time, I would end him for good.

I let out a growl of frustration. Damn vampire. At least we had a name and a place to start. That was more than we had found out in weeks. This brought us one step closer to finding our father, a fourth-generation retired covenant member now being tortured by the Covenant’s number one enemy, Santiago De la Rosa. He was an ex covenant member, whose sole mission was to destroy the Covenant and name himself ruler over the human race.

I just hoped that we weren’t already too late to save our father.

Ryder put his hand on my shoulder, which brought my attention back to the present. I made my way over to the first of the two girls slumped against the wall. She was in her early twenties, her mocha colored skin now a sickly shade of gray. The bite marks on the side of her neck were a dark purple. Her brown eyes dull and lifeless like someone — or something, in this case — had extinguished the light inside her.

This one’s alive, but barely, Ry whispered, pointing to the brunette slouched against the opposite wall. Her face was ashen and covered in a sheen of sweat, her breath coming out in shallow pants. If we didn’t get her to a hospital soon, she would be dead.

As for the dead girl in front of me, we would dump her in the woods and stage it to seem like an animal attack. We couldn’t afford to have people asking questions. It would look suspicious if someone found a young girl with bite marks on her neck completely drained of blood.

Grab her, I told Ry nodding my head towards the barely breathing brunette as I picked up her now dead friend.

Ry teleported us to the car. I let out a sigh of relief as we propped both girls up in the back seat.

Where to? he asked.

Hospital first, then we’ll deal with the body, I said.

Closing my eyes, I pinched the bridge of my nose in an attempt to stop a massive migraine coming on.

All this time, I had myself believing my father was dead; a wave of guilt washed over me. I was so quick to accept his death, unlike Ry, who refused to even acknowledge Dad might be dead. He was confident that Dad was still out there alive somewhere.

Now, as it turns out, he may have been right this whole time… that is, if Victor was telling the truth. Deep down inside I knew he was.

How were we supposed to go about finding him? Yes, Victor had said to look for someone named Cole Mathison in Louisiana… that he would know where to find our father. There was just one small problem; Cole could be anywhere in Louisiana.

Without something that belonged to him, the scrying spell was useless. I wouldn’t be able to pinpoint his location, which meant we would just have to look for him the old fashioned way. Scour New Orleans and hope that we got lucky.

I didn’t even want to think about what would happen if we were too late. I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I knew that our dad died because we didn’t get to him in time.

That thought brought me back to our current situation. I waited in the car while Ry teleported the girl into the hospital. I hoped he was discreet.

As if reading my mind, Ryder popped back in the front seat. Don’t worry, I dropped her off in the ER. It was a madhouse in there. I wasn’t caught, so we should be safe.

A little smile tugged at the corner of my lips. Leave it to my brother to use magic out in the open in front of dozens of potential witnesses without even batting an eyelash.

Ry drove towards the deeper part of the woods so we could bury the body. Once we were deep enough, I carried her out into the woods. I grabbed a few handmade tools that were specially made so victims looked like they were attacked by wild animals, not vampires. I made quick work of making it seem like a wild bear attack and headed back towards the car.

The drive back to the hotel was filled with silence. Ry made a couple of attempts at small talk, which turned out to be nothing but futile. I was in no mood for small talk, not after all that had happened tonight.

I was drained. Using all that power exhausted me. A massive headache pounded behind my temples, and I ached all over.

It was around three a.m. when we finally arrived back at our small hotel suite. I was in desperate need of a hot shower and some clean clothes. Once I was in the bathroom, I looked at myself in the mirror. There were bruises all over my body. The most notable one on the right side of my rib cage made up a big red splotch. My ribs ached as I sucked in a breath of air, making me hiss as I blew it out.

The good thing was this most likely meant that my ribs were just bruised, not broken. There were a couple of small bruises on my arms and legs. My eyes drifted up to the bruise on my neck from when the blonde vampire had thrown me against the wall and almost crushed my windpipe. It was in the shape of a hand print, a beacon with its bright red color.

The hot water pounding on my back started to relieve the tension in my body. As I thought over what had happened tonight, tears flooded my eyes. An innocent young girl died because we didn’t get there fast enough. If only we’d gotten there earlier, she could still be alive, not abandoned in the woods waiting for her body to be found.

If we couldn’t save that poor girl from two low-level vampires, then how were we supposed to save our father from the ruler of them all?

After I had collected myself, I got out of the shower. The first thing I needed to do was wrap up my side. This way if my ribs were broken they would heal properly. I searched through the small medicine cabinet, quickly finding a roll of gauze, then I pulled out the safety pin that I make sure to bring at all times.

I began to wrap my bruised side carefully. I couldn’t let Ry see this; he would freak and watch me