3 Minutes till Midnight: Moonlight Cove, #1

By Hargrove Perth

Welcome to Moonlight Cove,  a hidden community where vampires, werewolves, the children of Ancient Gods and the Fae all attend an elite academy. The Morte family is descended from a long line of witches and Sentinels who act as guardians for the town's residents. When a single, forbidden kiss changes the fate of not only Peculiar Morte a curse is born.  Can Peculiar escape the curse and find her way in this strange new world or will the Witch's Council condemn her forever?

 

 

 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Paranormal Pen
• Release date: Jun 25, 2022
• ISBN: 9798215195123

Hargrove Perth

A perpetual night-owl and lover of all things paranormal related, Hargrove spends a great deal of time researching the larger than life characters of history to formulate characters unforgettable and strangely adored. She writes horror, dark romance, fantasy, and paranormal in the Adult, New Adult, and YA categories. When asked why paranormal, she said, "I'm the girl who cries at the end when Frankenstein is misunderstood, who wants Dracula to keep Mina in his arms forever... I see the humanity in them that others cannot." 2014 Author of the Year by Double Decker Books in Historical/Horror Dark Days Remy Broulette. DDBA 2015 Author of the Year YA Fantasy Miss Crabtree's School for Unnaturals, DDBA 2015 Nominee YA Fantasy Chronicle:Dark Sea Triad, and DDBA 2015 Author of the Year Horror (comedic) Coven Wives.

Book preview

DEDICATION

For all the misfits in the world who feel like they don’t belong. Don’t ever change who you are. Always be you...

Chapter One

Simply not meant to be

PECULIAR MORTE WAS perhaps the most beautiful young woman in the small town of Moonlight Cove. Yet what made her so beautiful wasn’t her mere physical appearance, it was her lovely heart. She was adored by many, but her heart, and her love belonged to Sebastian Williams, but he didn’t even know she existed.

Good morning, her mother said while leaning over the bed and kissing her on the cheek.

Good morning, mother. Peculiar sat forward and stretched the stiffness from her body. Today was her first day of high school. She couldn’t have been happier.

Don’t forget, we are making the trip to Salem this weekend.

She inhaled deeply and smiled as her eyes closed. Peculiar adored Salem. The witches there were so free, so unencumbered to be who they were there, unlike her hometown of Moonlight Cove.

After dressing, Peculiar slipped into the widow’s watch – one of two small ones that adorned her family’s house that overlooked the sea. She loved the thought of it, of sitting there and watching the ships as they left the port and disappeared on the horizon. Often she dreamt of some poor lovelorn lady in days long passed who sat in the same chair, looking out the same window, as she waited for her captain to come home.

Peccy, are you ready? Sean shouted.

Sean Gregory Morte, her older brother who was now a senior in high school, was ready to walk his sister to school. They both attended Moonlight Cove Academy, a prestigious school for those who were considered to be of a paranormal nature. Sean was destined to become a Sentinel, a watcher of sorts, who oversaw the lives of the many vampires, werewolves, and witches that called Moonlight Cove their home.

Yes, there were many of them worldwide, but certain cities laid claim to them now. It was not like it was in the old country where witches, werewolves, and vampires could roam freely. The Inquisition put an end to that. So now they chose the cities friendly toward their kind. Milan. London. Moonlight Cove. They were but a few of thirteen cities who loved and adored their paranormal cousins.

I’m coming.

Peculiar Morte had her own sense of style. She loved black skirts and always wore a colored, fitted blouse with little black grannie boots. Her favorite item to wear, though, was her vividly colored stockings. Sometimes striped, sometimes covered in stars – those stockings of hers always bore some sort of design. Today, she chose a purple blouse and purple and black striped stockings for her first day of her final years at the Academy.

You and those stockings, Sean commented then laughed while shaking his head as she bounded down the steps. I wish you would wear blue more often. It highlights those icy blue eyes of yours and makes them sparkle.

Blue is the color of sadness, she quipped quickly. I have far too much to do in my life to have time for tears.

Where’s your medallion? he asked, looking at her neck.

Oh! Don’t leave without me!

Peculiar dashed up the stairs to her room and snatched the Celtic Triskelion off her dresser, quickly fastened it around her neck, and hurried back down the steps.

Sean wore a medallion too. His was an Egyptian Ankh with an Eye of Horus in the middle, with detailing in gold and green enamel.

I hate having to wear these. Why can’t we just be us and not be defined by who they think we should be? Peculiar was a bit of a rebel and didn’t like to follow the rules of Moonlight Cove, which often led to a special convening of the Council of Moonlight Immortals to decide her punishment.

And that was Moonlight Cove in a nutshell. You were born, you were assigned your place, and you lived it just as it was dictated.

Witches and Sentinels had been in the Morte family line since they arrived on the Mayflower. The women were notably witches, with an occasional Sentinel tossed in the mix. The men nearly all became Sentinels. A male witch was a rarity and highly prized occasion when it happened. If you refused to accept your family heritage, you were forced out of Moonlight Cove... forever.

This was where the Morte family was considered fortunate. They were not vampires, God or Goddess reincarnates, or werewolves. Those tribes had no choice in the matter and could never choose a different path other than their bloodline. Those could only abide by the laws of Moonlight Cove or be exiled forever. A vampire bloodline was a vampire bloodline and nothing in the world could change it.

Peculiar paused to look in the mirror, fixing her long black curls and checking her skirt to make certain all traces of cat hair had been removed by the lint brush. Sean stood behind her. It was becoming increasingly difficult to keep the boys away from his sister with her perfect complexion, her beautiful blue eyes, and her shapely yet thin build. Plus, his sister was a wonderful witch with a heart of gold. He honestly didn’t believe Peculiar would hurt anyone... ever. If she even thought she hurt someone’s feelings, she would cry, often for days, and the storms would roll into Moonlight Cove.

Peculiar was rather adept at weather manipulation amongst the witches in her coven. For this reason, her sadness and tears brought horrible storms to the Cove. Everyone knew when Peculiar Alice Morte was sad. All they had to do was look out the window.

Goodbye Marmalade, she called to her orange cat. See you after school.

Marmalade jumped into the window seat of the large bay window overlooking the sidewalk, and pressed his front paws to the glass, then meowed just as he did every time Peculiar left the house.

Come along, Marmalade, I believe there’s a can of tuna in your future, Mrs. Morte commented and picked up her daughter’s cat. I miss her too, she whispered and kissed the cat on the top of his head.

Nicolette Morte and her daughter were exceptionally close. Summer had just ended. She was already missing the sounds of her children about the large Victorian house. Silence descended now that they were gone and back to school. Only the moaning of old boards in the wind was part of Nicolette’s day now.

So what will it be like, senior high, I mean I know you told me but still...

There are cliques, just like any other high school, Peccy. The vampires hang together, the witches hang together, and the werewolves hang together. It’s just the way it is.

Sean sighed deeply. His sister had this grandiose idea that sects didn’t matter and anyone should be able to be friends.

You know, I will never find a boyfriend if I have to keep to my own ‘kind’, Peculiar said, making quotation marks in the air. It’s stupid. Does the council really believe that people on the outside world only date and get married if they are the same? There are only three other families that are destined to produce Sentinels, and I really don’t care for any of them. The McGregors are stuck up, the Broyhills definitely think they are better than everyone else, and the Maguires only care about how far they can get in the politics of this town.

The council merely enforces the laws regarding staying or leaving. They could care less about anything else. Personally, I think the whole council thing is so ludicrous. It shouldn’t matter if you choose a tribe or not and want to stay. I am not choosing. I am leaving the minute I graduate. The letter came in the mail last week. Stanford College accepted me on a full scholarship for a four year geology degree, and I’m going.

What? Peculiar nearly fell over. This was the first she had heard anything about Sean leaving. She assumed he would become a Sentinel just like their father Austin.

I haven’t told mom and dad, so don’t go blabbing it all around town. The last thing I need is them breathing down my neck about shirking my responsibility to the family and to the community. I don’t give two shits about this town or anyone in it. Sean stopped and looked at his sister. "The minute I graduate from college, you’re coming with me. You don’t have