Shadowhurst Mysteries

Mirror of Secrets: Book 5

Brutal witch killers are coming to town, and guess who they can’t wait to see?

I don’t want to brag, but I’m pretty good at fooling people, but even my charm can’t save me or my witch friends from these guys.

A new plan is in order. I only wish I knew what that plan was.
The witch hunters know what they want—the High Coven. It’s up to me to make sure they don’t get anywhere near them. All I have to do is stay under the radar and try not to get killed.

Simple, right?

Not even close.

Let’s just hope I make it out alive.

EXCERPT

Chapter 1

Billie

I was in hell. Actual freaking hell.

The heat of the fires burned into my eyes and sticky tears pooled beneath my lids. I pressed a palm to my mouth, forcing down the acidic taste of bile that coated my tongue. The smell of burning flesh permeated my senses. I buckled back, stumbling across the laces of my combat boots and toppling over. My back hit tree bark. 

I gasped, blinking rapidly to clear my lying vision. 

Before me, the blazing stakes that held the witches disappeared and a lush forest unfolded. Trees burst from the ground, their massive trunks obscuring the sun above. Multi-colored vines hung from their branches and flowers I’ve never seen before spread over them. The air sparkled in a wet sheen and all around me, the heaviness of magic weighed down the forest. 

A light melody tickled my ears, and I snapped my head in its direction.

“Babe?” 

River’s voice tore my mind from the memory and wrestled me back to reality and away from the horrid memories of the nightmare visiting me almost each night now. It was the same scene over and over again—horrors and death in Shadowhurst followed by a strange land I couldn’t recognize. I had the dream so often, it was becoming difficult to wash it from my mind. 

I shook my head, blinking my eyes like a doe-eyed buffoon. Right. I’m not dreaming, and I’m not alone. Got it.

I scanned my bedroom, eyes dancing between my boyfriend and the others waiting impatiently in my bedroom while I zoned out of it like a freak. Savannah forced herself into my place in a whirlwind to discuss the witch hunters that creeped closer to town by the second, which wasn’t surprising for Savannah at all. If there was any drama that required attitude and an ass-kicking, you could be damn sure Savannah Michaels was on its heels. Though I still didn’t understand why she dragged Logan with her; the reaper looked more out of it than me. Then again, he did just find out his powers were a bit more complicated than those of other mind reapers. Actually, that was putting it mildly. A mind reaper possessing fae magic—the same shadow magic as me—was as far fetched as a flying pig. Maybe not in Shadowhurst though; here, pigs flying made for another average Tuesday. Still, the shadows were no joke, and I felt bad for Logan, since I remembered quite vividly how it felt to discover fae magic and the fear they instilled in your heart. Logan should be grateful he didn’t have the other fae elements coursing through his blood like me. There were worse things than shadow magic, that’s for certain. 

I frowned, thinking of all the surprises life threw our way in the last few months.

River’s brows furrowed, and he licked his bottom lip, letting his breath come out in quick puffs. My chest tightened as his worry pierced our bond and I gulped in air, shaking my again head to rid it of the dream remnants that ran amuck in my brain. “Hey,” I whispered. “I’m here. No need to worry. I just drifted off for a minute.”

River grumbled something under his breath but didn’t speak. Instead, his thoughts penetrated my mind like a dagger. You’ve been quiet and glassy-eyed for over ten minutes. What’s going on?

Nothing, I thought back to him. I’m fine, honestly.

That was a bald-faced lie, and we both knew it. To my relief, River didn’t argue with me, though I had a pretty good feeling that once we were alone, I’d not hear the end of it. 

My shoulders slumped. I squeezed his hand in assurance before turning to the other people in my bedroom. More than anything, I wished I could return to the comfort of my bed and shut my eyes, but I knew that would offer little comfort. The dream I had of the strange world and the horrors approaching Shadowhurst clouded my mind, and it would be a long while until I could rest easy. Judging by the looks Savannah and Logan had on their faces, they were in much the same predicament. 

The mind reaper’s silver hair drooped in slick clumps across his face and despite his attempt to look confident, I could tell the news Savannah delivered about the strangers making their way to us unnerved him. His stoic demeanor was shattered, leaving only a shell of the boy I had gotten used to seeing. 

Still shaken up, I glanced to Savannah, relieved to see some strength behind her hazel eyes. “Did you hear anything I said?” She asked, her gaze sharp and unrelenting. 

I shook my head. 

Savannah hissed air through her teeth. “Ugh, can we all just pay attention for a second? This is important.”

“Chill, Sav,” River scolded. “We don’t need a lecture.”

“You sure about that?”

My boyfriend, or mate I guess, arched an eyebrow and shrugged. “Just say what you told us so Billie can catch up. No need for theatrics.”

“I said,” Savannah stressed, “that whoever these people are, they’re no joke. They emailed their freaking itinerary this morning like I’m their office assistant or something. We have three days until they get here and I have no clue what we’re going to do about it.”

The air thickened, and I gulped down saliva, choking as it slithered down my throat. “How many are there?”

“They didn’t say. I only know the name of the asshole I’m assuming is their leader. Daemon. No last name like he’s some damn pop star. I hate this guy already.”

“We all hate this guy,” Logan ground out. “They’re hunters, nothing good can come out of this.”

“Logan’s right,” River agreed. It shocked me to see him side with the reaper, though after Logan almost died in the catacombs and his fae powers emerged, River seemed to be more at ease around him. One less problem to deal with. “Whatever you and me did back when the team was still intact,” he said to Savannah, “was child’s play compared to what these guys are capable of. Witch hunters are no joke, not like we were.”

A sharp pang rushed through my heart, and I wasn’t certain if it was mine or River’s. It had only been a few days since we buried Tyler. Every time someone spoke of the hunter group that once held all of River’s close friends, my body froze. Nothing was ever going to be the same for us and it sure as hell would never be the same for River. My heart broke for him whenever I thought about it. It broke even more when I realized Abigail and Jayden would not return to the group. Not that I could blame them; losing Tyler was hard on all of us but it was much harder on them. At least it was on Abigail; I had the feeling Jayden was staying away for other reasons, though I could not imagine what they were. Actually, that’s not true. I knew exactly why he was staying away. Fear. 

With Abigail and Jayden out of the equation, only River, Savannah, and Morgan remained of the original hunter group. For a brief second, I wondered why Morgan wasn’t here with us, quickly remembering that Peyton had her tied up in shadower business at the resistance house. Those two have been cooped up in that place for days, and I was really starting to miss my best friend. A foolish way to behave considering what we had to deal with, and I knew it. 

A muscular arm wrapped around me and my gaze met River’s emerald eyes. His features softened, relaxing my aching bones immediately. Stop freaking out every second, loser. He can feel everything. I thought, praying to the Goddess he didn’t hear it. When River’s lips curled at the edges, I violently cursed in my head. Of course, he heard it. The bastard could hear everything I thought now. This bond was as infuriating as it was wonderful, and in times like these, I was pretty sure I knew which side was winning. 

“Okay,” I said, turning away from River to face the others. “So we have three days. And there’s still no telling why these hunters are coming here or where they came from?”

“Yep,” Savannah answered. “Their stupid itinerary has them getting the lay of the town on the day they arrive. I’m assuming they’ll want the Shadowhurst hunters to show them around and whatever. I think between the three of us, we can keep them occupied long enough to figure out how to get rid of them.”

“And how exactly do you plan on doing that, princess?” Logan smirked. 

Savannah’s face dropped. “First of all, use that nickname again and I’ll personally chop your hair off with a dull blade,” she hissed. “Second, they’re coming here for witches, right? All we have to do is show them there are no witches in Shadowhurst and they’ll be on their way.”

Logan laughed while River's growl vibrated his chest. 

My attention turned to Savannah. “Not sure if you remember, but there are witches in Shadowhurst. You’re staring at one. Not to mention Vic and the rogue witches. Catarina said they’re going to stay in town until we know for sure the High Coven will not try what they pulled with the portal spell again. So yeah, there are witches in Shadowhurst, all right. A whole damn lot of them!”

At my words, Savannah’s resolve strengthened and I could see the wheels turning in her head. She tucked a curl of hair behind her ear and shoulder-checked Logan to get past him until she was right in front of me. Her gaze bore into me, and when she spoke, my entire body stood still. 

“The hunters don’t know any of that. Until we meet these bastards, we need to keep our act together. No one mentions witches and no one so much as breathes a word of magic. Think you can manage that?”

I gulped loudly, dropping my gaze to my feet. “Don’t have much of a choice, do I?”

Savannah didn’t need to respond, we both knew the answer. The hunters coming to town forced me into an impossible situation, and her plan was the most solid option at this point. My kind and I were going back into the shadows as they did so many centuries ago. When they tell you that history repeats itself, they forget to mention one tiny, important detail. History doesn’t just repeat—it morphs into something hideous and ugly and hits you right in between the eyes when you least expect it.