Charmed Souls (Black Souls Book 1) Read online

  I had never attended a regular wedding, but I assumed this one wasn’t that normal. My sister had researched weddings and refused any pagan rituals in their ceremony. She was determined to keep what she was from Miles. I didn’t know much about Catholics, but I knew none of their regular traditions were being represented here. That hadn’t gone over well with the Dartmore family, I assumed.

  Once the debacle was finished and everyone was directed to the cocktail and appetizer tent while the bride changed into her party attire, I was free to leave my family and go back to my friends.

  A swarm of workers from the event planning company that had been hired to transform the ceremony area into the after party came in once the guests moved to the smaller tent located on the west side of the house. My gaze found the Dartmore family, and I saw the mother forcing a smile as she spoke to guests I didn’t know. I truly felt sorry for her. I knew what was to come for not only Miles but also his relationship with his mother. A Kamlock woman could be deadlier than a disease. Just ask anyone who had ever loved one, if you could find them still living.

  With a sigh of heaviness, I turned slowly away from the parents whose son had just been lost to a darkness he had no idea existed.

  “She’s that bad, huh?” A deep voice was so close to me that I jumped and let out a startled squeal. I’d been so lost in my thoughts I hadn’t heard or felt Rathe beside me.

  “Holy crap! You scared me,” I said, glaring at him and wishing I didn’t like looking at him, or smelling him, or listening to his voice.

  He barely grinned. The left corner of his mouth lifted slightly. “I wasn’t trying to sneak up on you.”

  “Well, you did,” I snapped and moved away slightly to put some distance between us. I glanced around for Heath and Margo, but they weren’t with him. “Where are Heath and Margo?”

  He shrugged then looked over my shoulder toward Miles’ parents. “The way you were looking at the groom’s mother was as if they’d just attended their son’s funeral.”

  I didn’t want to talk to Rathe about my family. I wanted to find my friends and give their roommate back to them. He looked too dang handsome in the black suit he was wearing and I wished he was easier to ignore. “Kamlock women shouldn’t marry,” I blurted out, then wished I’d just ignored his comment.

  “I’m not a supporter of marriage but some couples manage to make it work.”

  I glanced back at him. He had no idea how quickly this marriage would be destroyed. “Good people, those who know how to love, who understand commitment and sacrifice. They make it work. My sister is not one of those,” I said, the last part full of sorrow for Miles.

  Rathe said nothing. I had expected him to ask more questions after my last comment, but he hadn’t. He did study me in a way that made me both warm and uncomfortable at the same time. This evening his eyes seemed more blue than steel. The voices around us were fading, and I heard the evening breeze in the trees, a bird nearby finding her nest, and Rathe’s breath. Being held in his gaze was like a drug.

  “All Kamlock women aren’t the same, it would seem.” His words were low, almost a whisper. I wanted to ask him what he meant by that, but I didn’t know if the answer was one I wanted to hear.

  “I don’t know what’s in this cocktail, but it’s ah-mazing!” Margo’s voice was loud and exactly what I needed as she appeared beside Rathe. Her interruption snapped me out of whatever I was allowing myself to feel about Rathe. What was wrong with me? I knew better than to entertain any attraction to a man. I turned my attention to Margo, thankful to be free of those hypnotic eyes. He was proving to be too observant. I would have to be careful around him. He saw too much.

  Before I could get annoyed with myself for Rathe not fitting the mold I had placed him in, Margo stuck her glass in my face. “Taste this magical liquid!”

  Taking drinks from Margo wasn’t something I normally did, but right now, a drink might be needed. I took a sip from her glass, and the too sweet taste of my aunt’s favorite drink made me pucker. “That’s not a cocktail. It’s Pomegranate Prosecco,” I told her, handing the glass back.

  “Fancy,” she said, doing a silly eyebrow wiggle before drinking some more.

  “Where’s Heath?” I asked, when he didn’t seem to be following her. She finished her glass then licked her lips. “Be careful with that. It’s not beer. Slow down or you’ll be bent over in the bushes sick,” I warned her.

  She rolled her eyes at me then pointed with her empty flute toward the west tent. “Your cousin is talking to him, the hot one who I can’t decide if he likes guys or girls.”

  Heath would need rescuing from Duely. “He likes both. Duely is not picky when it comes to gender. He is just a lover,” I said, with a trace of amusement in my voice. Margo was sheltered. I knew it would startle her. The shocked expression on her face gave me a laugh. “Let’s go free Heath,” I said, heading toward the west tent.

  “Okay wait… so he likes both… so that means he thinks Heath is better looking than me?” Margo asked as she fell into step beside me. “Because he seemed more interested in talking to Heath than he did me.”

  Of course, that would be her first concern, which amused me even more. I just shook my head and laughed. It took us a few minutes to reach the tent. I didn’t know if Rathe had followed us or not. He’d been silent, and I had been trying my best not to look back to see if he was still with us; however, just walking off and saying nothing to him seemed rude. I glanced back, and he wasn’t there. I saw him talking to Leanne. She’d made her move to talk to him as soon as she saw an opportunity. The smile he was giving her told me he didn’t mind being left behind.

  The sinking feeling that came with that knowledge was unexpected. My chest felt heavy, and something resembling disappointment settled in my gut. I shouldn’t be affected by the sight of them together. Rathe meant nothing to me, and until this evening, I had only been attracted to his outward beauty. Unfortunately, he’d let me see that he wasn’t just a pretty face. My guard had come down just enough to let myself hope Rathe was different, without even realizing I was doing it. It had only been a moment that made me change my opinion slightly. Nothing more than a mere moment. It shouldn’t have gotten to me like this. The sadness that came when he leaned in to whisper something in Leanne’s ear was bothersome.

  “You need to warn him about her,” Margo whispered, as if they could hear us that far away. She was right, of course, he needed to be warned. I just didn’t know if I should do it.

  I managed to shrug a shoulder like it was of no concern. “He seems like he can handle her,” I lied. Because no man could handle a Kamlock female. Not one with a soul at least.

  “Mmmm, I’m gonna have to disagree. Your sister is nasty,” Margo was still whispering.

  “Both her sisters are nasty,” Duely whispered, as he stuck his head between ours.

  “OH!” Margo cried and spun around with her eyes wide.

  I hadn’t heard Duely and Heath approaching us from behind. My thoughts had been too engrossed in my sister and Rathe’s private conversation. I turned my back to the view of Leanne and Rathe to focus on Heath and Duely.

  “She knows that well enough,” I assured Duely.

  He tapped his half full flute against Margo’s empty one and said “Cheers to that.” Then he shifted his gaze to me. “Why aren’t you drinking yet? We have two more hours of this charade to suffer through.”

  He was right. I should be drinking. “I was coming to save Heath from you first then I was headed to get a drink. What do they have other than that terrible Pomegranate Prosecco?”

  Duely held his glass up. “Some expensive Brut. When they have the larger tent transformed, there will be a full bar available, which you would know if you’d suffered through today with me.”

  Duely held up a hand to signal a server carrying a tray of drinks. “Please begin to numb yourself,” Duely en
couraged when the server arrived.

  I took a glass, and Margo did too. I started to remind her to go slowly, but I decided to let it go for now. She was enjoying herself, and I wasn’t in the mood to take on my role as mother hen.

  “How many is that?” Heath asked Margo.

  “Two,” she replied, frowning at him. “So Duely how have you been?” Margo asked, turning the attention away from her.

  I took a moment to peek back and see if my sister still held Rathe under her spell. I wish I hadn’t. They were still talking. Rathe was saying something that made her laugh. Her red hair elegantly curled and piled on top of her head like a goddess and the moonlight making her pale skin seem angelic made my stomach turn.

  Refusing to watch anymore and determined not to care, I swung my gaze back to Duely who was unfortunately watching me. “Isn’t that right, Cat?” he asked with a mischievous grin that said he knew what I had been looking at and he was going to drill me about it later.

  Instead of admitting I had no idea what he had been saying I replied “I’m sorry I need to go check on something. I’ll be right back,” and I walked away before any questions could be asked.

  Nine

  The Stranger

  I didn’t stop walking until I reached the front of the house, which was blissfully void of guests. Without Duely watching me closely, I could sit and digest the issue of my caring that Rathe was having a quaint chat with Leanne. Because he made me care should be reason enough for me to just let him sink into her dark pit. If only I were evil, life would be so much easier.

  That thought made my sour mood intensify. “You’re a Kamlock,” I said aloud. The disgust in my tone was evident, as I admitted something I normally tried to forget. Evil was there hidden deep inside me. It was in my blood. The darkness had always lurked there; yet, I had never wanted to give into it. I abhorred it, feared it. I could feel it at times, but I was always quick to fight it off. The memory of my father and his goodness was all I had ever needed to keep the evil buried.

  “Damn cursed lot to be from too.” An abnormally deep raspy voice came from the darkness. My attention snapped to the shadows behind the gazebo. I didn’t recognize the voice, but it did sound as if someone had smoked one too many unfiltered cigarettes in his lifetime. A strange man hiding in the night didn’t scare me, but his words said he wasn’t just a man. He knew the name Kamlock and I would guess from that one statement he knew what we were. That was enough for me to have my guard up.

  “I apologize, I thought I was alone,” I said, as I took steps around the ornate wooden structure standing between us.

  “A Kamlock female who apologizes. Curious.” There was a light teasing in the thick roughness of his voice. I halted a moment then and thought through the situation. A man hiding in the shadows, very likely knows who we are, and isn’t moving into the moonlight which would be the polite thing to do

  “Luceat lux illa minantur in obumbratio.” My cast was whispered, and when no light glowed in the shadows on his face, I relaxed.

  “Nice choice. Smart and subtle.” His voice expressed approval.

  “Who are you?” I asked, stepping closer. If he was a threat, the light would have illuminated the darkness. However, he knew the spell I cast, which meant he was, in fact, charmed or cursed himself. He was also still in the shadows. Why wasn’t he stepping out into the light? None of this felt right to me.

  A small orange flame lit the tip of a cigarette and I watched as the small light moved. He didn’t come forward, though, he only moved left until he stood under the moonlight. But that was enough for me to see him. I didn’t want him coming closer. I just wanted to see who it was I was talking to. His decision to move only into the light and not toward me could be a considerate choice on his part. I wasn’t sure just yet.

  The man was older. With a caster, age was a difficult thing to measure. If he were a normal human, he looked to be in his mid-fifties. If he was a caster, however, especially if he was a warlock, he could be nearing eighty years old. Magic was better than Botox or face lifts. He had allowed his hair to silver some, but most of it was still a dark brown or black. I couldn’t be sure in the limited lighting. His eyes were bright blue, and his tall lean body was not dressed for a formal wedding. Instead he wore ripped skinny jeans, black combat boots and a leather biker jacket. The cigarette hanging out of his mouth added to the older rock star appearance. I wondered if that was what he was going for, a Kurt Cobain look possibly.

  “Is this better, Catalina?” he asked, without taking the cigarette from his mouth.

  He knew my name. He knew who I was. I knew nothing about him. I kept my distance and studied him carefully before saying more.

  “You’re not here for the wedding,” I stated the obvious.

  He laughed then, after taking his cigarette from his mouth with his left hand. A loud rich cackle that sounded truly amused. “Another Kamlock witch getting married? Fuck no, I’m not here to see that shit,” he replied then shifted his weight to his right leg.

  “Who are you?” I asked again. I was beginning to think I should be more concerned about this man’s identity. I was almost certain this was a warlock and an old one at that. They could be very powerful. This one especially appeared to dislike my family as much as I did. His reason for being here could not be for a friendly visit.

  He glanced at the house behind me briefly, before turning his attention back to me. “I was here to… assess someone, but it appears this is as far as I can go… interestingly enough.” It looked like he grinned, but I couldn’t be sure. The moonlight was being hindered by a cloud. Lifting my face, I locked my gaze on the bothersome cloud and moved it with a small whisper sure he could hear my words anyway.

  The cloud evaporated, and the illumination from the night sky was once again surrounding the stranger. He smirked at me, but the gleam in his eyes was almost… proud. It was an odd response to what I’d just done. I took a quick pause to feel the barrier he claimed was in place, keeping him from coming further into the yard.

  I hadn’t known of any barrier cast around the house tonight. Yes, there was one in place most of the time for simple privacy, but tonight, with the guests coming, it had been lifted. It also was basic and wouldn’t hold off another caster. I felt nothing out of the ordinary from where I stood, so I moved forward, toward him, until I could feel the power simmering in the air around me. I froze then. Fear slowly creeping up my body from my toes to the top of my head. I rarely experienced fear. However, this spell, it was hot… sizzling in intensity and it was stronger than anything my mother or aunt could cast alone.

  “Who are you?” I demanded this time. This was no ordinary spell. I’d never felt something like it. Something this dark had to be here for a purpose. If this man was the being it was keeping away from the house, then he was far from harmless. Who or what could he be after?

  Could my sisters have been able to cast something like this with my aunt and mother? I didn’t just doubt that, I knew it was impossible. The depth of energy at its core was more than any single witch in my family possessed. That much I could tell. One Kamlock alone couldn’t do this… and I wasn’t sure even four could.

  “I’m the only motherfucker who can’t come to this party, sweetheart.” He sounded more amused than annoyed. His deep chuckle was gone as quickly as it had come. I expected him to say more, to explain what he meant, or ask questions. I expected several things, but what I hadn’t expected was for him to just vanish. Like a puff of smoke. Like the cloud I’d removed.

  The cigarette lying on the ground where he had been standing was the only sign of his having been there at all. I stepped back staring at the vacated spot he had been in seconds before. Was that even possible? To disappear so easily? I’d never seen it, but I’d heard tales and that was what I always thought they were… tales. Stories made up to scare children. Charmed children had their own set of fairytales that we
re more like cautionary tales.

  “Cat,” Heath’s voice called out into the darkness, reminding me I wasn’t alone here. There was a backyard full of people. Some I knew, most I didn’t. So many innocent people. Whatever this was keeping the stranger out no longer seemed enough. A caster that could vanish… that was the epitome of evil. He could have no soul, at least according to what I knew of those who had that power.

  Turning, I ran toward Heath’s voice. I didn’t want Heath or Margo near here or the stranger. I didn’t know who he was or what his intentions were. What I did know was that the ability to move through space with magic was rare. And it always belonged to those who were to be feared the most.

  Heath’s presence made me feel safe. Normal. He was what I clung to and wished for daily. Margo and Heath were my connection to a world I knew wasn’t mine; yet, I craved to belong to.

  “Hey! There you are. We’ve… or rather, I’ve been looking for you everywhere. Margo is dancing with Duely and is already past tipsy,” Heath rambled on until I reached him. I started to speak when I realized Mary was there beside him. Her gaze was fixed on the darkness behind me. I wasn’t sure what she could see or feel, but I knew she was with him for a reason. She was protecting him. Her eyes seemed hollow as she kept her gaze on the place I had fled from. I shivered slightly at her expression. It was as if she felt it. The danger.

  I glanced back over my shoulder to make sure the darkness was empty. It was the way I’d left it. Taking Heath’s arm, I forcefully nudged him back toward the party. “Sorry, I needed a moment of peace. I’m good now,” I said, not sure that sounded believable.

  I didn’t make eye contact with Heath, hoping he wouldn’t ask any more questions. I could lie, but I hated to lie more than I already had to. When I saw Margo bent over at the waist laughing and Duely looking genuinely pleased with himself, I let out a relieved sigh. They were accounted for and safely in the confines of the party. Keeping them from leaving the safety ring around the property was my goal. They didn’t need to go anywhere without me. Without knowing who the man was and why he was being kept out, they were in danger. I had to assume everyone was in danger. If I could get Duely alone then I could question him to see if he knew anything, but right now, he was entertaining Margo, and I preferred she be with him than to decide to leave.