The Brujita of Washington Heights: Book II Blood Ties

By E.L. Oliver

The gang is finally back!

As evil once again strikes the Washington Heights area of uptown Manhattan, Sofie and her friends will hold the fate of humanity and all they hold dear in the balance!

After defeating the demon Salazar Montenegro almost an entire year ago Sofie, Bas, along with the rest of the young witches- find themselves in a similar predicament- except this time the power of the witches might not be enough to stop the evil that has been unleashed.

As destinies unfold, new friendships will be made, truths will be revealed and promises will be broken.

Join them on their supernatural journey as they search for magic of the old, in hopes of saving the world as they know it.

In this new adventure, follow right along, as these young witches continue to transform uptown Manhattan into nothing less than a supernatural sanctuary.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu Publishing Services
• Release date: Sep 18, 2019
• ISBN: 9781684709670

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Oliver

Copyright © 2019 E.L. Oliver.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored, or transmitted by any means—whether auditory, graphic, mechanical, or electronic—without written permission of the author, except in the case of brief excerpts used in critical articles and reviews. Unauthorized reproduction of any part of this work is illegal and is punishable by law.

ISBN: 978-1-6847-0968-7 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-6847-0967-0 (e)

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Lulu Publishing Services rev. date: 09/10/2019

THIS BOOK IS DEDICATED TO

My family for all of their love and support.

AND

To all who have had the previlage to enjoy

the Washington Heights area of NYC.

May the memories continue.

CHAPTER 1

SWEET DREAMS

I was standing in the middle of a beautiful meadow surrounded by tall spears of bright green grass and vibrantly colored wildflowers. The aromatic scent of nature lingered in the air as I took in a long deep breath. I felt happy, content, even serene as the warmth of the sun wrapped itself around me.

I looked around wondering where he could be, when I felt someone come up from behind me and wrap their arms around my waist. It was him.

Where have you been? I asked, feeling somehow comforted by his presence.

He felt so safe and soothing that I could actually feel all the stress, tension, and anxiety, my body had been harboring- melting away.

Not far, he replied, as he gently tightened his grip.

I can’t believe you’re here. I’ve missed you so much, I said as he nuzzled in closer behind me.

I’ve missed you too, he murmured in a low, soft voice as he gently began to kiss every inch of my neck.

"Please don’t, I can’t." I could hear myself pleading unwillingly as I tried to resist him. I wanted to pull away but I simply couldn’t. He leaned in even closer.

I have dreamt of this moment for so long. Time has not changed how I feel about you. The powers of faith have realigned themselves in our favor, even if only for a moment - for this moment. he stated assuringly, as he continued to caress my skin with his lips.

I closed my eyes, hoping against hope that this perfect moment was actually happening. Everything about him felt so real; the sincerity of his words, the sensation of his want and desire, and the gentleness of his touch convinced me that there was no other place that I would rather be than right here in this very moment in time with him.

It felt amazing; when I suddenly felt myself struggling. Something about the encounter cautioned me to resist.

I can’t. I just can’t do this! I protested as I tried to pull away.

He held me even closer. I’ve waited so long to hold you, touch you, tell you everything I should’ve told you before we parted. Please don’t deny me, he insisted. You don’t need to hold back your feelings any longer…. be with me…… I know you love me too. Please stop fighting what you feel - stop fighting me, he softly urged.

His words felt like tiny arrows piercing my soul. I could feel my heart begin to ache. I wanted to cry. I had no idea what was happening. All I knew was that fake or real, I didn’t want it to stop.

Please…. he whispered as his breath lingered on my skin. I could feel my hands searching for his as an amazing sensation of completeness overtook me - that’s when I felt myself slowly surrendering. He must’ve realized my defeat as well, because the next thing I knew he had released his hold, allowing me to turn myself around and face him. That’s when his lips finally met mine. I couldn’t resist him. I wanted him too.

He gently pushed my hair back away from my face as he continued to kiss me. His arms pulling me in tighter as his hands slowly began to trace every inch of my body. There was no denying that I wanted him. I could feel myself crossing that fine line that defines our actions. Desire, lust or maybe even love took me over as I allowed myself to lose all control.

I pulled my body up closer, crushing myself against him, when I felt his hands drop down to my waist as he slowly lifted the bottom of my shirt. I could feel his hands tracing my lower back, caressing my bare skin as I continued to be enraptured in his embrace; when he took a step back, finally pulling my shirt up over my head. I looked away, slightly embarrassed. His hands gently cupped my face.

Don’t…..please, don’t look away. You are the most beautiful creature my eyes have ever had the privilege to behold. Everything about you is perfect, he said, kissing me lightly on the lips as he held me tightly in his arms. I want you to be mine. I love you. I have always loved you. It has always been you. He spoke the words with such hunger and passion that all feelings of resistance faded away.

I could feel myself completely surrender.

"Sofie….Sofie…..wake up. I could hear Leslie’s voice calling out to me in the distance. Sofie, get up! We’re going to be late!" she continued, as she grabbed my arm and practically dragged me out of the bed.

"What?!…. Why?!…. Go away!" I snarled, pulling away from her hold and grabbing my pillow instead. I wanted to go back to sleep and continue the dream, when I realized that I had no idea who the guy I had been dreaming about was. I couldn’t remember his face.

We’re supposed to meet the guys for lunch. Come on, get up! she shouted, shaking me from behind.

Lunch- Bas- I thought to myself- remembering we had agreed to meet him and Simon for lunch this afternoon.

Okay, okay…. I’m up, I’m up! I shouted back at her, annoyed at her persistence as I got out of bed still in a daze.

What the hell were you dreaming about anyway? she asked as she grabbed the new issue of Seventeen magazine from my bureau and made herself comfortable on my bed.

Why? I asked slightly concerned, wondering if I had said something in my sleep or made any embarrassing noises. The dream had felt so real.

"Oh no reason, my hot, sexy baby," she mimicked provocatively, puckering her lips and making all kinds of kissy sounds. I could feel my face turning beet red.

Bas must’ve been doing something right, she gloated. "You’re lucky your dad is in the other room," she then whispered, holding back her laughter.

I grabbed a pillow off the bed and tossed it over at her.

Stop it! I said feeling totally embarrassed. It was just a stupid dream, it didn’t mean anything! was all I could manage to snap back as I grabbed the clothes I had picked out the night before from my dresser and headed towards the bathroom, leaving her sitting on my bed laughing her head off.

CHAPTER 2

THE BIRDS

I t freaking stinks down here. Nothing like the scent of a New York City subway station to really get your day going, Leslie complained as we waited on the 168 th Street subway platform for the A train to arrive to take us uptown towards 181 st Street. We were on our way to meet Bas and Simon for lunch over at the Woolworth’s diner.

Seriously, the bus would’ve been a much better choice, she added, completely grossed out as she covered her nose with her sleeve.

Sofie, are you listening to me? she asked.

Yes, of course I’m listening to you, I replied re-focusing my attention towards her.

"Are you still thinking about that dream? Please tell me you’re not obsessing about it?" Leslie whined.

No, I replied hesitantly, lying through my teeth.

Yeah, you’re obsessing over it. Believe me, it’s no big deal, really. I dream about Simon all the time. Luckily for me, I’m not vocal about it in my sleep or my mom would probably never let me see him again.

You do? I questioned, surprised with her reveal.

Yes, it’s normal. We’re seventeen, our boyfriends are hot as hell and our hormones are off the charts. If it wasn’t for all the feelings of guilt I would probably have to deal with after doing it, I probably would’ve done it already. Leave it to a Catholic upbringing and a Latino family to riddle someone with guilt with just the very thought of sex, she complained.

I guess you’re right, I said, hoping she would drop the topic. I sort of just wanted to forget about it.

I know I’m right. You should also talk about it with Bas. It’s good to have open lines of communication about this kind of stuff, you know. He’s probably just as frustrated as you are, she added acting as if she was Dr. Ruth or something.

I’m not frustrated, and neither is Bas, I replied, annoyed with her assumption and her advice. Granted, Bas and I hadn’t had sex yet, but our relationship wasn’t just solely physical, it was deeper than that. Besides, whatever he and I had done was our business and nobody else’s. As for telling him about the dream, I really didn’t think that I should, especially since I wasn’t 100% sure it was even him in the dream to begin with!

Our conversation was then interrupted by the train finally pulling up to the platform and opening its doors right in front of us.

We stepped into the crowded subway car and grabbed on to one of the balance poles.

"I need to pick up a copy of the Daily News today for a current events assignment," I mentioned, hoping to divert her attention to something other than the stupid dream.

Oh, that reminds me, she said excitedly, I need to buy a new trapper keeper for school. I need you to help me look for one in Woolworth’s. A nice one, not one of the plain, ugly ones, she requested. I can’t believe September is almost over and October is practically here, she threw in animatedly as she continued to yap.

I could hear her chatting about all the stuff we needed to get done for school this year as the train pulled out of the station.

I just stood there, looking at her as I thought about her words, realizing that an entire year had practically gone by since I had uncovered my family’s magical past, defeated Salazar Montenegro and gained back my family’s long-lost power.

My life had changed so much, that at times, I felt myself having a hard time keeping up with it.

Not that I’m complaining or anything, it just seemed like everything in my life had gone from boring to soaring, practically overnight. Leslie and I were now high school seniors, things between Bas and I couldn’t be going any better and every day was literally a new learning experience since Angust Youngblood had taken on the responsibility of not only physically training me, but of also schooling me in my family’s history and the clan’s past.

Everything over at the Gonzales household had sort of gone back to normal as well, or at least what was considered normal for them. Mima was back at Abuela’s apartment, healthy as a horse but completely unaware of anything that Salazar had said or revealed to her during her comatose state. Even the threat of Rosaura had somehow been erased from her mind, although it hadn’t been forgotten in mine.

And I guess Angust and Leopold felt the same, because when they weren’t training us - the two of them would spend countless hours strategizing ideas on how to handle and defeat whatever was coming next. They believed that whatever was coming - as Aria had predicted back at the overlook - would be much bigger than just a spiritual keeper looking for revenge.

So, with the fear of an unknown supernatural war yet to come hanging over all of us, Angust had insisted on beginning full-on training as soon as everything had come to an end with Salazar.

He worked with each of us individually and encouraged us to train together, which was great except for the occasional injury here and there.

Leslie’s magic had taken a while to kick in and it wasn’t anywhere as powerful as mine but when challenged she could definitely kick some ass, so his main focus with her was to help her channel it and control it.

As for my training, it seemed Angust was the only one capable of helping me understand the extreme power of my magic. Harnessing and wielding it took much more effort than I could’ve ever imagined but after almost a year of trial and error, I definitely felt much more confident in my abilities to wield it than I had been when I had first uncovered it.

Self-defense had also become a priority which Angust had insisted Leslie and I take part in as well. This was a no brainer for Leslie who caught on pretty quickly as she actually proved to be a natural fighting machine. But for someone as uncoordinated as me, this was one of the hardest tasks I had ever been forced to do.

So, every day after school Leslie and I would meet up with him over at the witch’s chamber for several hours of training or as Leslie referred to it, a three-hour ass beating. My dad, Tia Xio and the rest of the family all believed that the two of us were volunteering our time over at the Cloisters Museum for community hours since college was right around the corner and we would need those hours to fulfill the necessary requirement.

The weekends were considered our resting time, which meant catching up on everything we didn’t have time to do during the week.

181st Street station, the conductor’s muffled voice finally announced over the speaker.

We both held on to the metal pole for balance, waiting for the train to come to a full stop.

Ouch! Leslie griped rubbing her forearm. My arm is killing me.

Why? I asked, noticing a slight black and blue starting to develop by her wrist area.

Angust decided to teach me a new move this week, she whined, rubbing her wrist as she continued to balance herself.

When the train finally came to a halt and the doors opened, we got out. We walked as quickly as possible through the turnstile trying to avoid breathing in the urine fumes locked within the station as we ran up the subway staircase onto the street.

The air felt unusually warm for this time of year. The sky was a clear blue and there wasn’t a cloud in sight. The trees were all beginning to slightly change in color, showcasing that autumn had finally arrived.

I hope the temperature stays this way, at least for the weekend, Leslie said as we hurried down the block towards Broadway.

We crossed the intersection and continued to walk until we spotted the guys standing right outside the department store main entrance.

Hi, love, Simon greeted Leslie as she made her way into his arms.

Hi, I said, smiling as I made my way over to Bas and kissed him gently on the lips. I could still feel tiny sparks flicker all throughout my body every time we touched. It just never got old.

Hi, beautiful, he replied as he took my hand in his and we walked inside and made our way towards the back of the store by the electric stairs, where the little diner resided. Usually, Leslie and I would sit on one of the low swirling red stools by the counter area but since we were