Revealing The Truth: Last Witch Duology, #1

By K. J. Lavallee

My name is Carmella Bennet. I was orphaned after my parents died in an accident when I was seven. Now, I'm dating a man I thought I was going to marry, but I guess I'm just reading the signs all wrong.
On the morning that he's due to leave for his week long trip on business, I'm kidnapped and wake up outside of this place called The Diner.
With nothing but the clothes on my back and surprisingly some money in my pocket, I head in. I meet a man named Bohen. He's a sweet older man, and takes it upon himself to make sure I'm safe and have a place to stay. But what I don't expect from him, is the words that he tells me. That I'm a witch and he knew my parents. I'm thrust into a world of magic and supernatural beings. I'm also told that my parents didn't die from an accident. Samuel Black, of the Black family, has made it his mission to wipe all of the Bennet and Bishop witches off the face of the earth. Turns out, he thought he succeeded. Except that I'm the last of both lines, and Bohen has taken on the role of teaching me how to control my magic.
Can I learn it all fast enough to protect myself and my loved ones from Samuel's hands? Or will we all go down in a fight that is sure to have many casualties?

• Language: English
• Publisher: K. J. Lavallee
• Release date: Jan 1, 2021
• ISBN: 9798224864089

Book preview

Prologue

UNKNOWN

I’m sitting around the table with my three sons and my assistant, when I feel it. It’s slight. Nothing as strong as it has been, but the sensation is there nonetheless. A Warren witch is alive. That’s impossible. I’ve wiped them all out of existence. Every. Last. One.  

What is it, father?

I give my attention to the oldest, the one most like me. The one that I groomed to take over if I fall. 

There’s another. I pause to think about it. This one’s been hidden from me, but the spell is weakening. 

My assistant leans forward, curiosity in her eyes. Do you know where to start searching? 

I shake my head at her. "No. But this Warren witch is close, Alita. I can practically taste their magic in the air. We’ll go hunting for them, tomorrow.  

Alita rests back in her seat. Where shall I start? 

Start in the state we rid the world of the last Warren witch. The culprit may be there. 

Alita nods and scribbles down a reminder in her notepad. Shall I take one of the boys?  

Yes, take him, I say, pointing to my middle son. He’s not the best, but he’s not as useless as his younger brother.  

I swear I did everything the same. But the youngest doesn't seem to have the desire to be the most powerful wizard as my ancestor had declared. As the way I’ve raised them all to be. He doesn’t like killing and believes they all deserve to live. But I don’t. I hate that he has a conscience. He gets that from his fucking mother. 

Alita jots that down as well. As you wish, Sir. 

She’s obedient, this assistant that I have. She came to me when I needed one the most, and she’s been a godssend since.  

The others will assist me here. When you get a name, I want to know. 

Of course, Sir. The quicker we find this person, the better it’ll be. Alita isn’t a witch of my house or name. But she’s always seemed eager to assist in helping to get rid of the Warrens and Bishops. As if she is striving for power just as we are.  

Indeed, it will. I’ll wipe them out before they can come fully into their magic. 

My boys as well as Alita, share a similar grin, anticipation rolling off of them in waves.  

Tomorrow we start our hunt for the witch who thought they could trick me. I can’t wait to stare into their eyes as I take their life force. As they learn that hiding their magic from me didn’t save them at all.  

I grin wickedly, thinking about the moment where my family is the most powerful in the wiccan community. Soon. Then no one can contest us.  

Chapter

One

CARMELLA

M averick, what are you doing? I shout, as he rushes at me.  

He has a grin that is positively wicked. His pale blue eyes glint with mischief. You’ll see, babe. The words are out of his mouth right before he reaches me. He wraps me in his arms and twirls me around.  

I can’t help the giggle that escapes. Maverick is my boyfriend of three years. Last month he set up a huge date where we got all dressed up and everything. But he still didn’t ask me to marry him. When I asked him about why we went to that fancy restaurant, he said he just wanted to treat me to a nice dinner. I can’t say that it didn’t disappoint me, even as it warmed my heart. He’s such a wonderful man. I feel so blessed to have him in my life. But I’m wondering what that means for us.    

I’m very happy with him. But I thought that once we moved in together, he would realize how well we fit together and want to marry me. It’s been two years since we made this house a home.  

He puts me back on my feet, gazing into my sable colored eyes. Ella, he starts, using my nickname. Almost no one calls me Carmella anymore. Even at work, I’m Ella to everyone, sometimes Carm to Mav.  

Yes? I ask. 

He inhales deeply, then lets the breath out slowly. I want to take you to my favorite place in the entire world. Somewhere remote. We’ll be gone for the weekend. Will you accompany me? 

I smile up at him. He has a strong straight jaw and sharp cheekbones. He is a glorious specimen. His skin is a creamy cocoa. Slightly lighter than my bronze. His chocolate cherry colored hair is long, to his chin. He keeps the loose waves tied back. When he’s home with just me, it’s always down. I love running my fingers through his beautiful silky strands. He’s very fit. He doesn’t have a huge frame like Dwayne Johnson, but he’s definitely fit enough to take him on and win. Maybe I’m biased.  

Of course. Is that even something you have to ask? 

He winks at me. I just want to make sure you’re okay with leaving right after work tomorrow. It’s a long drive. We'll arrive there by midnight.  

That sounds like a great idea. I guess I need to pack. Where are we heading? What should I bring? I ask him, excitement for the adventure making me giddy.  

I’ve got your bag, don’t worry. Enjoy the dinner I’ve made for you. I already took half a day for tomorrow; my boss was perfectly fine with it. This weekend is all about you and me. 

I pull him closer and kiss his delicious plump lips. You’re the best, love. What would I ever do without you? 

"I hate to think about what I would do without you." His words are whispered as if he's afraid to say them any louder. 

I kiss him again. Good. Because I don’t plan on letting you go. 

His face turns serious. He drops his forehead to mine. I wanted to get away this weekend because I have to go away for work next week. I’m needed to help train a new manager. I’ll be gone until next Saturday evening. 

I deflate. I hate when he goes away. Usually it’s for three to four days. But a whole week? Ugh. This is going to suck. 

I don’t like it, but I can’t stop it. You make good money doing what you do. I don’t want to be the reason for you being unhappy. 

He cups my face. Ella, I would never be unhappy with you. We will have a more even schedule one day. But for now, we’ve got to work with what we have. He places a soft kiss on my forehead, then each of my eyes, and finally my lips.  

I love when he does that. I don’t know why. At first, I thought of it as silly, but it’s just Mav. That’s how he shows me affection. I know, Mav. I just hate being here alone at night. 

He grins. Do I keep the monsters away? 

I whack his arm. He chuckles. That’s not funny! He knows I have a compulsion to check behind every door, shower curtain, and under every bed. Anywhere that someone could be hiding is checked before I'm able to relax. Even when he’s home, I still go and double check to make sure no one is ready to jump out and kill us. Am I overreacting? Yeah, probably. But here I am, thirty and I’m still alive. 

Call over Angie, he suggests. 

I exhale a loud breath. She’s gone for the month. Some family emergency, she said she would tell me more when she got back. And don’t even suggest Martha. I can barely handle her at work, I don’t need her coming over and thinking we’re friends. 

He holds up his hands in surrender. Fine. When I get back, how about we get a puppy? Since I’m gone a lot, and your two best friends moved, you have no one when Angie is gone as well. I want you to have someone or something to keep you company. 

I eye him for a moment debating if this is a joke or not. Finally, I decide it’s not. I want a husky. 

He laughs. I figured you would. Those are the only ones you’ve ever wanted. 

I shrug. I know what I like and want. I look around our home. We rent a house for now. It was the first step in becoming more than just a see you when we can relationship. We do have enough room for the Husky, so I’m not worried about that. I’m just not ready to dog proof my home. But I know we have to, puppy’s chew everything. But they're just so darn cute.  

I’m glad you do. I wouldn’t be here if you didn’t. 

He probably wouldn’t be. I was waiting tables at a restaurant a little over three years ago. He caught my eye, and he got his fair share of me, too. But he didn’t make a move to talk to me. So, I asked him if he was single. He said, Yes I am. Haven’t found a female who was bold enough to claim me. Yeah, I know, weird saying, but I pushed through and asked him if he would go out on a date with me. He took my number, and texted me yes, and the address to meet him. It was a little family owned diner on the other side of town. I went and we had a great time. Then he asked me out for the second date, but came to pick me up. The rest is history. I made the move because I knew I wanted him.  

Let’s eat. We can talk dogs and time away when you get back, I tell him. 

He leads me to the kitchen, where the table is set up for two, with candles lit and wine poured already. He pulls out my seat and pushes me in.  

He serves me a specialty of some kind of fish. He loves cooking. He's the training manager for a huge restaurant chain. He started off as a chief as everyone else, and worked his way up the ladder. He doesn’t get the chance to show off his skills that much anymore. But he always manages to make me a delicious meal just about every night. I’m not going to complain. If I went out, I’d be paying at least thirty bucks a piece for these plates.   

It smells delicious and tastes even better. We enjoy our dinner with just everyday chit chat. How our day was, and what’s new at work. He’s always very attentive to my moods. Even if I wasn’t aware that I was putting off any outward signs of it. Like this one time I was talking and acting normal, but he said what's bothering you? And I spilled my guts about my horrible day at work.  

After another long year of working at that small diner, I now work at a bank. Here I don’t have to work Saturdays. It’s great, really. I love having my weekends off, especially when Mav is in town. We always manage to do something. He takes great care of me. Spoils me, really.  

After dinner, I clean up while he sets up a movie. We don’t watch much television, but we both enjoy comedies.  

I join him on the couch, and snuggle into him. He smells like the kitchen, with a hint of earthy aroma. Like the hot ground after a rainstorm in the summer. It’s intoxicating.  

After the movie we both get ready for bed. I get in and roll to face him. His eyes seem to glow in the darkness. The first time I saw it, it startled me. But now? I love it. Only Maverick’s eyes light up when the darkness envelopes us.  

I mentioned that to him one time. You’re not afraid? He asked me.

I shook my head. No. It’s quite beautiful, actually. His face relaxes as if he thought I was going to run for the hills. Why? Has it caused problems before?

Yes, was his response. But it was a troubled relationship from the start.

I remember gazing into his eyes as I watched the torment play throughout them. I used to try and hide my, he paused. Contemplated his next words to me. differences. But I figure I’d rather know at the beginning if something as small as my eyes glowing will scare away a potential mate. It’s been several weeks, and you haven’t run. But now you want to know about them? 

I nodded and pulled myself closer to him. The truth is, I’m not entirely sure why they do that. But I know that anyone who ever sees it gets uncomfortable and decides I’m not worth their time, as a friend or a lover. He reached a finger over and traced the right side of my face. But you, my Ella, are different. A treasure. One I promise to do everything in my power to keep.

And three years later, he has kept that promise.  

He pulls me into him, resting his chin atop my head. Rest, love. We’ve got a long day tomorrow. 

Okay, I say, before falling into a blissful sleep. 

Chapter

Two

CARMELLA

Iwake for work before Mav. Always. I slide out of bed, and shower, brush my teeth, then straighten my tight curly, golden brown hair.  

I'm zipping up my boots, when Mav comes into the bathroom and kisses me