Reaping an Alchemist: The Teeny Bit Magical Duet, #1

By Olivia Hardin

I'm willing to risk the depths of the Underworld to save my sister.

 

When my vampire sister Jill lost her lover years ago, she slowly began surrendering her will to live, so to keep her grounded to the living, I buckled down and studied hard to get the education that meant so much to her. But now my hard-fought graduation has come and gone and I know that time is running out to find a permanent answer to the problem of her depression.

 

I've found a potion that just might fix things for good, but I'll have to go to the Underworld to get the last ingredient. When a dark and sexy reaper named Ric shows up on my doorstep to transport me, I'm willing to pay almost any price. Something about the man draws me in, but when I slip away from his protection to get the precious final element of my spell, I accidentally turn all the monsters of Hades against us.

 

How can I complete my mission when the cost of it threatens the life of the first man who's ever set my blood on fire?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Cactus Rose Press
• Release date: Mar 2, 2021
• ISBN: 9781393118640

Olivia Hardin

When Olivia Hardin began having strange movie-like dreams in her teens, she had no choice but to begin putting them to paper. Before long the writing bug had her and she knew she wanted to be a published author. Several rejections plus a little bit of life later, and she was temporarily “cured” of the urge to write. That is until she met a group of talented and fabulous writers who gave her the direction and encouragement she needed to get lost in the words again. Olivia’s attended three different universities over the years and toyed with majors in Computer Technology, English, History and Geology. Then one day she heard the term road scholar and she knew that was what she wanted to be. Now she “studies” anything and everything just for the joy of learning.  She's also an insatiable crafter who only completes about 1 out of 5 projects, a jogger who hates to run, and she’s sometimes accused of being artistic. A native Texas girl, Olivia lives in the beautiful Lone Star state with her husband, Danny and their puppy, Bonnie.

Book preview

Dedication

To Melissa.

For showing me there is a teeny bit of magic in everything.

And there’s a lot of that beautiful energy in you.

Chapter 1

Ric

Damn, the blonde is hotter, but the dark one is still too hot to die.  It’s a crying shame, man.

From the corner of my eye, I saw Bryan pick up his mug and take a long drink of his beer before shaking his head.  His eyes followed the brunette as she walked through the bar with a blue-colored drink in each hand.  She gave one over to the blonde, then plopped down in her seat. When her backside hit the chair, her glasses slipped down her nose. 

The corner of my lip twitched, but I fought the urge to smile at the way the woman used her pinky finger to push the glasses back into place.  She leaned forward and reached with both hands to tug her shirt down in the back, but my eyes were drawn to her lips, plump and pink and inviting as she wrapped them around the tip of her straw.

Damn, Bryan hissed, once again moving his head back and forth. A real shame.  You said the blonde is her sister?

I nodded, a grunt my only answer.  The girl beside the brunette was a little younger.  I knew they shared the same mother but different fathers, which explained the extreme differences in their coloring and looks.  About that time, the oldest sister arrived, and I knew Bryan would take notice because she was also a blonde and very attractive. 

Another blonde? And... wait a minute.  Is she what I think she is?

Yes, I spoke now, confirming his suspicion. She’s a vampire.

A looker, too.  They’re all lookers. Bryan finished his beer and held up his empty mug to signal the waitress.  We waited in silence while she brought two more drinks to the table. So how’s it happen?  Car accident?

I honestly wasn’t paying attention to his questions.  I was too distracted by those lips again.  It was hard for me to pin down what it was about her that mesmerized me.  She was attractive, there was no doubt of that.  Still, compared to her gorgeous blonde sisters, I imagined most of the time she was overlooked. 

Maybe it was the subtlety that made her stand out.  Her makeup was tasteful, just enough to enhance the natural flawlessness of her skin.  Her glasses suited her, adding an air of sophistication that I didn’t see often.

Suicide, maybe? Bryan continued his queries. She doesn’t look depressed.  Food poisoning?  Ugh, barfing will totally not look good on her. He leaned forward and smacked me with the back of his hand. Oh, is it murder?

I finally tore my eyes away from her and shot Bryan an irritated frown. What?

Ooooh, oooh.  I know! I bet her sister uses her as a supplicant but accidentally takes too much.  Am I right?  I know I’m right. He bumped his head in a cocksure gesture. The vamp totally kills her sister by accident.

What the hell are you talking about?

Bryan raised his hands in a shrug. The brunette.  How’s she going to get it?

Realization finally dawned and I dropped my chin slightly with a deep sigh. She isn’t going to die, bonehead.

My friend looked crestfallen, but then, he always was one for drama. Then what are we doing here?  I mean, if you’re just looking to get laid, you shoulda said something.  You know I got connections.

Rolling my eyes, I turned my attention back to the brunette woman.  I supposed it was a natural assumption on the dragon-shifter’s part.  After all, I’m a reaper, so normally if I was stalking someone, it was because their time was at hand.

But that was not why I was following this girl.

Her name was Abigail Mack and she most certainly wasn’t going to die.  At least, not any time soon.  My reaper abilities allowed me to detect death on a person up to three months before their time arrived.  No, Abigail was in the prime of her life with no hint of death on her. 

Just that day, she’d graduated with a double major in chemistry and biology plus a minor in parapsychology.  My investigation into Abigail revealed she was utterly serious about her studies and had graduated with honors. 

Along with information about her education, I’d learned that Abigail, or Abby as her family called her, was very close to her sisters even though none of them shared a common paterfamilias.  At her graduation ceremony, her younger sister, Tina, and her mother had both attended, though I’d taken particular interest in the way she’d withdrawn from her mother’s attempt to embrace her.  I’d been told that her mom was a drug user and occasionally a prostitute.  By some marvel, all three girls had seen their own way in life and with very little help from the woman who’d given birth to them.

Since the graduation had taken place out of doors during the daytime and as her older sister was a vampire, it would have been impossible for her to attend.  So it seemed now here were all three siblings, huddled together in a relatively quiet bar, celebrating the occasion. 

So are we gonna go talk to them or what? Bryan nudged me with his elbow.

Ignoring him, I shifted my body so that I could fully face Abigail and her sisters.  Her laughter was distinct, melodic, all of her body language revealing a woman who lived a full life and enjoyed every moment she had. 

It was always refreshing to see.  After all, I’d known enough of those who’d wasted and squandered what they’d been given, begging in their last moments for just a little more time.  When death came for Abigail Mack. she might not be ready to leave her life, but she wouldn’t do it with regret, I could see that clearly enough.

So why then had she placed that ad online?  All I could do at this point was venture guesses.  Perhaps it had been just a joke.  Perhaps she was just testing the waters, to discover if the paranormal world she studied might be real.  But then with a sister who was a vampire, she must have known that already. 

Ric?  Are we going to talk to them?

Not tonight. I shook my head, partly responding to my friend and partly answering my own rampant thoughts.

I’ll answer her ad eventually, and I’ll take her to the Underworld, but not tonight.  Tonight, I just want to watch her.

Chapter 2

Abigail

What is that thing? Jill asked, pointing at the two glasses of blue liquid. 

This, Tina held up her drink, is a Sapphires & Sex Martini, and it is literally to die for.  And also, you need one.  You take mine, and I’ll get another. Jumping out of her seat, our middle sister pushed the glass to Jill, then hopped up and rushed to the bar.  I watched her, noting with a smirky smile the way Tina’s backside bobbed back and forth in perky motions that had most of the men in the establishment staring at her.  Sometimes I wished guys would look at me that way, but most of the time, I appreciated blending into the wallpaper.  It was hard enough to get through school without having to fend off every boy’s paws on me.

But I had gotten through school, and man, oh, man, was I ready to celebrate.  I still had one more huge task in front of me, but tonight was about this accomplishment.

Does no good to argue with her.  She’ll never grasp the concept that you can’t get drunk, I told Jill, raising my martini and clinking it against the one my big sister was about to raise to her lips.  Since she was a vampire, alcohol didn’t affect Jill.  She could