Cherrie Mack [Witches of the A Late Summer Bloom [Evernight]

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.”Chuckling, the master continued.“First, you must train.Learn our ways.”When he clapped his hands together they made a most unusual sound, like that of a bell chiming in the distance.At once, a man stood at the master’s side.“Jacques LaFeoure is my servant.He will be your teacher and your confidant.Tell him the things you would tell me.He will be there for you.”“I will do my best to serve you.”Before the master quickly disappeared from sight, he offered Julien his insight.“The assignment you have before you is one of grave danger.It can lead you down the darkest of paths or it can lead you into the light.When faced with the choice, you must choose wisely.Everything is not how it seems.Follow your heart and you shall be saved.”“I will do my best to follow the right path.”The master bowed his head and in an instant, he was gone.Julien watched Jacques size him up.Feeling inferior, he assured him.“I want to kill the warlock, Judias.I live for revenge and that’s all I live for.”A tight smile was all he received in return.The traveler then turned away from him.“Come.We have much work to do.I will inform you of your assignment when the black and white moons meet in the middle.For now, we must train.”Julien furrowed his brow.“The next partial eclipse will not happen for months.I seek my vengeance now.”Jacques laughed.“Ah, you young ones have no patience.Your sister’s soul will be freed when Judias is destroyed.Do you know how to do that?”“You’ll tell me how and I’ll do it.”He cocked his brow.“You must learn how to track a warlock to its hunting ground.It’s not too hard when it is ready to feed, for the smell is—very pungent.A traveler’s sense of smell is rather strong.It is heightened ten-fold over that of a witch.You must remove the warlock’s venomous fangs, in one piece—and viola.Simple.”“Well—how do you get close enough to a warlock to do that? Don’t they have five blades on each hand?”“Yes.Did you also know that they can take the form of any soul they have trapped?”“I have heard of such a thing.The humans had a case of a serial killer whose description kept changing.I assume he was eventually caught by a traveler.”Jacques only affirmation was a smirk.“A traveler’s biggest worry is for a human, in a position of great power, to be devoured by a warlock.The warlock then assumes the identity of that human—and the consequences can be catastrophic.”“Such as the case of Hitler?”“Yes.”“But, doesn’t that human have to possess some supernatural gift?”“That is also true.It is rare, but history has shown us it can happen.And can easily happen again.This is why our covens do everything we can to make sure the humans dismiss these powers as nothing but hocus pocus.It is too dangerous, otherwise.Luckily, most humans with a supernatural capacity repress it.However, you do get some who learn how to use it to their advantage and control others.Charles Manson was one such human.It made him an easy target for the warlock who took his soul.”“A warlock can hide under the human cloak for how long?”“Until they get hungry.” Jacques raised his arms and within seconds they stood in a green field with nothing around for miles.“Come, Julien.There is much to learn.”Chapter SixIt was after midnight, and Giselle lay awake in her bed anxiously awaiting her vision.It had been the same scenario for weeks now.Coming only when she was relaxed, this vision was without malice.The faceless man, whom she assumed would become a lover, touched her in a way she’d never been touched before.Always bringing her to the height of desire, the experience was pleasurable as much as it was frustrating.She was sure she’d never met him before.And if her visions always came after the fact, then what was going on? Wishful thinking, maybe.She hunkered down under the sheets and stared at her ceiling fan.Around and around and around it went.Still nothing.Irritated, she threw back the covers and got out of bed.Retreating to the bathroom, Giselle threw cold water on her face.Dabbing her skin with a towel, she stared at her reflection.Her long wavy hair hung over her eyes, shameful eyes.As she pushed the thick, dark ringlets away from her forehead, Giselle realized she couldn’t get away from herself.Her twentieth birthday loomed ever closer, and her fear of the uprising took hold.Would she turn into evil incarnate? Or would she somehow manage to wield great power?She trudged back to her bed, sat on the edge, and thought about the last ten years.It was her tenth birthday when she had her first vision.Her need to understand what was happening to her outweighed the horror of what she witnessed.But it was her mother’s words that stopped her cold.Grabbing her arm, her mother spat.“It’s happening.You have the blood of Natas running through your veins! The evil you see foretells of your future.You will be what you see.Look away, Giselle! You must repel the visions.The evil is looking for a way in.Don’t let it in.Keep it out.”But it was hopeless.The visions came for her one night after the next.That summer, her mother woke her in the middle of the night, taking her from the only home she had ever known, and they left the French Quarter of New Orleans.They arrived in Washington, Louisiana, where her mother introduced her to an old friend of her great-grandmother’s, Angelique Fayette.The woman’s compassion fueled Giselle to be strong when her mother picked up, left her, and never returned.She climbed back into her bed.Sadness held her in its indelible grip until the second thing she craved most came for her.Sleep.****Angelique reveled in the placid quiet of early mornings.She took her time enjoying the most simple of tasks.Whether it was baking delicious sweet breads or brewing a strong pot of coffee, she practiced living in the moment.But on this morning, her usual routine had been interrupted, and her voice rose above its normal pitch.Holding the phone receiver to her ear, she violently shook her head, loosening the blondish-white bun at her nape.“No! I am adamant about this, Percy! Cecily Jareau took off and left her for ten years without so much as a word.Do you think, with everything going on, she is up for a reunion with that woman? I’ve told you everything I know.We’ve been over it hundreds of times.I—I don’t know who Giselle’s father is.These witches today are encouraged to bed all the males they can.I think it’s disgraceful.The ways of the coven should require the father and husband to be one and the same [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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