A Witch's Rite Read online

  A WITCH'S RITE

  N. E. Conneely

  Copyright © 2016 N. E. Conneely

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information-storage-and-retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher or author. Requests for permission to copy part of this work for use in an educational environment may be directed to the author. This book is a work of fiction. References to historical events, real people, or real locales are made fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author's imagination, and any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  To Whitney:

  Are you happy now?

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Dedication

  Prologue

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Chapter Thirty

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  Chapter Thirty-Seven

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  Chapter Thirty-Nine

  Chapter Forty

  Chapter Forty-One

  Thank You

  Also by N. E. Conneely

  About the Author

  Connect with N. E. Conneely

  Prologue

  Seven Months Ago

  Sir,

  My colleagues and I have heard of your work. I find your accomplishments fascinating and overflowing with potential. From what I have heard, you are running out of space for your experiments. I would like to offer you a place near me. This is an area that suits your needs, and you would have the added benefit of being near like-minded individuals. If you choose to relocate, please advise of any arrangements that need to be handled before your arrival. It would be my pleasure to see to those for you.

  Looking forward to your partnership,

  Gremory

  Chapter One

  Michelle

  "You said this would be fun."

  Elron kept leading me deeper into the woods. "It will be fun. Give it some time."

  "I'm cold already."

  "Be patient, Michelle. You will be comfortable when we get into the tent." Elron smiled at me over his shoulder.

  That was supposed to be an encouraging smile, but I couldn't get excited about camping. I sent a longing look at the lodge, which was rapidly fading into the trees. My apartment was back there, and I couldn't think of a good reason to be sleeping in the woods when a real bed was close at hand.

  Instead of being inside, which was where all the sane people were on this frigid early-spring day, I was in the woods with a crazy elf. Well, a determined elf. When Elron had first asked if I would go camping, I'd flatly refused. Two months of persistence had paid off for him though, because I had finally given in. I'd figured if I went camping with him this once, we could call it good. Seeing him out here was making me doubt that evaluation. There was an eagerness to him that made me think he would be begging me to do this again and again.

  A cool wave of air drifted over me, ruffling my hair. I paused, letting Ty, my pet T. rex, draw even with me. For being a magical construct, Ty felt real enough when I patted his side. A while back I had freed him from some nasty spells, and he had been with me ever since. Size-related problems aside—it wasn't easy to house a full-grown T. rex—Ty was the perfect pet, with the personality of a well-trained guard dog. Ty would keep me safe even if I was forced to endure a night in the woods.

  "Welcome to camp," Elron said, breaking my thoughts.

  I stopped at the edge of the clearing and tried to see this as a fun night rather than a miserable one. The tent was large enough for the two of us to fit comfortably, but it didn't look like it would keep us warm. On the bright side, we were camping next to Ty's shelter, which should help block the wind.

  As Elron walked over to the tent, I gave Ty a wide-eyed look. Ty nosed me, forcing me several steps closer to the tent. The traitor.

  Elron unzipped the door and motioned for me to enter. Inside the tent, a small lamp was hanging from the peak of the dome roof. It emitted enough light for me to make out two sleeping bags, complete with pillows.

  "Are you sure about this?" I sent a longing look in the direction of the lodge. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Ty head to his shelter. "We could wait until late spring or summer when the weather is better."

  "We will be fine. It is not going to be that cold tonight, and if something unexpected does happen, we are close to the lodge."

  "But we could be in the lodge."

  "You agreed to this."

  "Fine." I plopped down in the door and pried off my shoes. "But this one night is all you get."

  "Perhaps." Elron slipped out of his shoes as he stepped into the tent, quickly placing both pairs in the corner of our temporary dwelling. "However, you might enjoy the experience and wish to do it again."

  "I wouldn't bet on it."

  Elron shook his head, his waist-length silver hair swinging enough that his pointed elven ears showed. "Considering all the time you have spent in the woods in recent months, it would be prudent for you to develop some skills to aid you in those situations."

  Shrugging, I shimmied into my sleeping bag. There was nothing like the feeling of being surrounded by cold fabric and knowing that it was supposed to keep you warm all night. Most of it would warm up, but I knew the foot area was a lost cause. While Elron was arranging his sleeping bag, I risked a tiny spell to heat up my feet.

  After mouthing a few runes, I sighed as warmth began to seep through by socks. This was one of the times I was glad I'd been born a witch. You couldn't learn how to be a witch, just as you couldn't learn to be an elf or a shifter.

  "You agreed no magic." He glared at me. Elves couldn't use magic the way a witch could, but they had their own powers and, when in close proximity, could sense some types of magic. Drat him. "If you're working a case or being attacked by other witches—"

  "Hey," I objected. "I took care of that problem. No one is going to be hunting me."

  Elron ignored my protest. "—you will not be able to spare the energy."

  "My feet were cold. That's it. I was just warming my feet." The spell ended, having accomplished its task. My feet were now warmer than the rest of my body, but I had a feeling that would change if this argument continued.

  He continued glaring at me and motioned to the camping equipment. "The tent and sleeping bags were a compromise. Any more magic and we will be spending the night under the stars without these aids."

  "I'm sorry." There was more than a trace of shame in my voice. "I shouldn't have done that. I won't use an
y more magic."

  He looked at me.

  "No more magic."

  "And you will agree to survival lessons?"

  I swore. If I'd realized he would use that little heating spell as leverage, I would've suffered through the night with cold feet. "I'll think about it."

  "You did break your word. I am owed reparations."

  And that was the problem with a modern girl dating an elf who'd been around for more than a thousand years. "I said I was sorry."

  He was still frowning. "Are you sorry for using magic or for agreeing to this little adventure?"

  I was tempted to break my long-held belief that honesty was the best policy, but he knew me too well. "Both?"

  "Then you owe me an additional lesson."

  "You got me to go camping. Isn't that enough of a win?"

  The look on his face clearly said no.

  Closing my eyes, I knew I was going to regret this concession. "An afternoon. No more than five hours of whatever outdoor lessons you think I need. Deal?"

  "That is satisfactory."

  I nodded and sank farther into my sleeping bag. It was finally warming up, and I wanted it to be good and toasty when we went to sleep.

  "Would you like a game?"

  Rolling over, I saw a deck of cards in his hands. "What game?"

  "Lady's choice."

  "Slapjack."

  Elron's eyebrows pulled together. "What is slapjack?"

  Sometimes being young had its advantages.

  *******

  I woke up with a sore back from sleeping on the ground. Well, it wasn't really the ground, but it was closer than I liked. It was still dark outside, but my watch assured me I needed to get moving. Elron would want help tearing down camp. The way I saw it, a couple of sleeping bags, mats, and a tent were all that was standing between me and a hot shower. Oh, and a steaming cup of tea.

  I wiggled around and managed to dig my sweater out of the bottom of the sleeping bag. Stashing it down there had been Elron's idea. Sitting up, I quickly pulled it on, trying to ignore the chill. I really was grateful to have a prewarmed sweater.

  "Good morning." Elron's voice was soft and rough. He gave me a sleepy smile, and everything about him radiated contentment.

  "Morning." I smiled back, but deep down I was afraid he would want camping to become a regular thing.

  Reminding myself that he knew I was a creature who appreciated comfort, I went back to packing up. I found the stuff bag and, well, stuffed the sleeping bag inside. Then I let the air out of the sleeping mat and started rolling it up. After watching me for a moment, Elron got up and started to pack his things. At this rate, I'd be in that shower in ten minutes, fifteen tops. Go me.

  "When we are finished here, I have several things to show you outside."

  I shook my head. "Not today. I have a meeting this morning and need to get showered and fed."

  "You need to learn to use the land. Today you can do most of your morning routine here in nature so next time you are stranded in the woods you will be able to take care of yourself."

  It wasn't easy, but I kept my voice even. "Let's lump it in with survival training."

  He shook his head. "You told me you would go camping. This is part of camping."

  "I'll make it up to you." I finished rolling up my sleeping mat and buckled the strap around it to keep it from undoing my work.

  "Since it is part of the experience, you will do it this morning."

  I took a deep, calming breath. "I'm sorry, but I can't be late for my meeting. We can add time on to the survival lessons, but I need to get moving."

  "First you use magic, which was against the agreed-upon terms, and now you back out of the rest of this experience." He sighed and frowned. "I am disappointed."

  "Then be disappointed," I grumbled. After putting on my shoes, I unzipped the door and stepped into the cold morning air, pulling the sleeping bag and mat behind me. Turning around, I looked at him still sitting there. "Hurry up, we need to get this stuff put away."

  Elron shook his head. "If your work is more important than your promises to me, you should go. I will deal with this."

  It was all I could do to keep from grinding my teeth. "I will do what I thought I was agreeing to, which includes helping you pack."

  "If you will not commit to the full experience, it makes little difference." His voice was raw and pained.

  "It makes a difference to me, you daffy elf," I yelled. "I want to do what I can, but I have commitments, ones that put food on the table and pay for my apartment. I can't blow those off. I want to spend time with you, but there are limits."

  His blue eyes were shinning with unshed tears. "Yes, you put your job ahead of me."

  My heart constricted, and the part of me that hurt for him and wanted to fix things was overwhelmed by the part that was angry. "I'm trying to be what you want and keep my meeting. You never told me about all these morning things, so I couldn't plan properly. What do you want me to do about it now?"

  "What you promised," he growled.

  I wish I could say I said the right thing and repaired the poor start to our morning. But after a night of sleeping on the ground and the distinct absence of a shower or tea, the realization that I wasn't going to be able to keep both promises hit me hard. In a matter of seconds, I was telling him exactly how I felt. The morning did not improve.

  *******

  "Tea. Please," I begged as I dropped my purse in the corner of the dining room.

  Landa set a basket of muffins on the sideboard and looked up at me. I looked back at all four and a half feet of her, mahogany skin, and oversized ears. Gazing into her green eyes, I gave her my best pleading look. My haggard appearance must have been enough because she pursed her lips and vanished into the kitchen.

  I piled three muffins on a plate and sank into a chair. Normally I would've gotten the tea myself, but the hot water wasn't out yet.

  The door to the kitchen opened, and a giant cup of steaming tea floated into the room. That was Landa's work. Brownies had magic, most of which helped them maintain a home, but they were tight-lipped on exactly what they could do. Landa followed, holding a plate of eggs and strawberries, the cream and sugar hovering next to her.

  "You need more than bread, child." She scooted the plate of muffins to the side and set a more balanced meal in front of me as the tea settled onto the table.

  "Oh, thank you." I dumped two spoonfuls of sugar into the tea before taking a gulp.

  "Camping didn't go well?"

  I shook my head and started on the eggs. Landa eyed me, and I tried to find the right words. Not only was she the owner of the lodge, which housed permanent residents like myself as well as overnight guests, but she was like a second mother to me. Somewhere along the line, she'd developed a look that could pull anything out of me. The problem was she was also a longtime friend of Elron's and would be hearing about our overnight adventure from him later.

  "What happened?" she prodded.

  "Camping really isn't my thing."

  Landa looked at me.

  With a sigh, I started explaining. "I thought we had an agreement. I would spend the night outside, and in the morning I could go back to my apartment to get ready for work. So I'm packing up my stuff, and he tells me I need to learn how to use the land. I couldn't get out of experiencing the all-natural toothbrush and toilet, but after a lengthy disagreement, I was allowed to use my own shower."

  "You did agree to camp."

  "Yes, camp near the lodge because I see no reason to do without a real bathroom unless it's absolutely necessary. Since I'm due to meet Rodriguez in thirty minutes, today was a day when I needed a real bathroom, no matter what he says."

  "Did you tell him you had an appointment?"

  I held up three fingers and swallowed a bite of strawberries. "Three times. Three times, Landa."

  "Then it sounds like the two of you have something to discuss." Landa set the two uneaten muffins in a paper bag and folded down the top
.

  "I know." I grabbed my purse, gave her a hug, and took the muffins. "I have to go, or I'll be late. Thank you."

  As I rolled down the driveway, I did my best to leave the morning's trouble behind. No matter how much I regretted some of my actions or how frustrated I was with Elron, I couldn't fix any of it now. Hopefully we could work through things in the evening because I didn't want this to fester and hurt our relationship. I reached the end of the driveway and refocused my thoughts. I needed to get to the sheriff's office and do my job.

  Rodriguez had set up this appointment with me a couple of days ago. He had a cooler, some kitchenware, a fire poker, and some other things for me to look at. All of them had been enchanted but didn't function properly and had ended up in his hands. From his description of the items, they could be more of the black-market goods that had been flooding the area. Every county I worked with was having problems with illegal magical items, but none of them had any solid leads.

  Several of my evenings had been spent doing research. I'd taken a couple of the items sent to me for disenchanting and tried to find commonalities between the spells. So far I wasn't having any luck, but I was sure if I kept at it I could come up with something. Along with similarities in the spells, I was looking for a way to track the goods, but that wasn't going well either. Magic could be finicky, even for a witch, and this time it wasn't working in my favor. Maybe Rodriguez had something that would turn things around.

  I pulled into the parking lot, grabbed my kit out of the trunk, and hurried inside. A few officers waved or nodded in my direction, and I returned the greetings. Lately I'd been here more than any of us liked to admit.

  Rapping on the doorframe to Rodriguez's workroom, I said, "Howdy, howdy."

  He set down a cooler and spun around. "Ah, my favorite witch."

  "I brought some of Landa's muffins." I held up the bag.