High Witch (High Witch Book 1) Read Online Free Page A

talk more then.”
    She nodded. He reluctantly stepped back from her, and walked from the room. He shut the door behind him, then walked up the stairs. He sat on his bed, consumed with thoughts of her. He could still taste her.

Chapter 4

    “Hurry up with that. Three guests are leaving today. Don’t dawdle.”
    Brayden nodded as he swept the kitchen. Alistair left the room, grumbling to himself. Brayden barely noticed. His mind was full of questions about Ariel.
    He wondered about her past. How she’d grown up. Who raised her. Who she was running from.
    He wondered who knew about her powers. Someone must. Not many people knew what a High Witch was, a fact which had probably kept her safe — but it was obvious she had strong powers. Surely someone would have figured it out. His curiosity about her burned inside of him. He wanted to know everything.
    He was eager to visit Ariel, but he was busy all day. She wasn’t coming to the dining room to eat, he assumed because she was embarrassed in front of the other guests. He dealt with the people who were leaving, helped the maid sort out their rooms, and served the meals. After dinner he set up a tray of food to bring Ariel, before someone else could. He didn’t want to miss an opportunity to see her.
    Brayden nervously knocked on her door, waiting quietly. He heard Ariel inside, then she opened the door. She smiled at him, her blue eyes twinkling, free of her glasses. He smiled back.
    She stepped aside so he could go in, and he rested the tray on the desk. Several candles were lit around the room. She shut the door and sat on the edge of the bed. He looked at her, suddenly nervous again.
    He sat on the chair at the desk. His heart was beating loudly. She’d shut the door, so she must want him to stay for a while. The thought filled him with butterflies.
    “Thank you for talking with me yesterday,” she said. “No one has ever really spoken to me about my magic before.”
    He thought that was very strange. He was about to ask her about it, when she stopped him.
    “I want to know more about High Witches,” she said. “And I want to know how you know.”
    He frowned. “My family...”
    “But how do they know. I don’t get the impression that a High Witch is common knowledge.”
    Damn, she was smart. He sighed. He had to tell her. She’d find out eventually. “Lenora, the woman I told you about in the story,” he began. “I’m — she’s...” Dammit . “My family is connected to her. I’m...her descendant. She’s my great-great-great-grandmother.”
    He looked at his hands. Here it comes.
    “You’re related to Julius?”
    He took in his breath. “Yes. Distantly. Distantly, Ariel.”
    Brayden stared at her, not wanting her to despise him. He wasn’t bad just because he was related to a devil. To his surprise she walked forward and kissed him gently. He felt so relieved. She suddenly gasped.
    “Are all High Witches...related to each other?”
    He grinned. “No, no. Trust me. We’re safe.”
    She sighed with relief, then blushed. He laughed, standing up and putting his arms around her. She nestled close to him.
    “What happened to them? Lenora and Julius.”
    He shut his eyes, a chill running through him. “I’d rather not talk about that now,” he said. “That’s a very long story.” She stiffened slightly in his arms. He kissed her hair gently.
    “I’d like to know about you. Only tell me what you feel comfortable with, but I want to know about your life. It would help me, to help you.”
    She was silent for a moment. He sensed she was nervous. “There’s not much to tell,” she said. “My parents died when I was very young, and I was raised by my uncle. He’s a warlock, but doesn’t use his magic very much. He encouraged me to use my magic growing up, but when he saw how much trouble I had controlling it, he told me it would be better if I kept it hidden. He didn’t want to deal with the — repercussions. It bothered him.”
    Brayden