Shades of Magick: Daughters of the Craft, #1

One

There’s something to be said about the power of three, I thought as we moved through the campus. A slow smile spread across my face. The whispers of the ancient trees lining the immense property filled my consciousness. A vast concentration of magick hummed in the air over the campus grounds.

Not surprising with a name like Kingsbridge University.

This is going to be fun. Natasha’s smile broadened.

We were nineteen-year-old witches who knew their power. Individually, each of us were capable of incredible magick. Together, we were down right invincible. At least, we definitely felt that way.

I stifled a laugh when the human students skittered out of our way, as if they were scared to be touched by our darkness. And they were right to be afraid, because death was always close at the heels of a Grey Witch, if not from our magick, then because we were always in the crosshairs of our enemies, the Dark Witches.

A Grey Witch was neither light nor dark; instead we walked on the razor’s edge. It was harder than one might think to stay in the middle. People tended to fall one way or the other. But we did have the added benefit of being able to tap into both dark and white magick. And we did so, frequently.

If I had to guess the proportion of myself that was evil versus good, I was probably seventy percent dark and thirty percent light. Not much of a middle ground, yet I fit in well with the Grey Witches who adopted me into their coven when I was twelve. Upon discovering the depths of my dark magick, the Grey Witch’s coven saved me. They wanted to mold me before I could be enticed to join the dark side. Not that I found it all that enticing to tell the truth. Yes, dark magick was in me to the core, but my soul was good. The darkness couldn’t reach me there.

Not when I’m in control, I thought.

A human girl accidentally brushed Natasha’s arms, and her eyes widened in alarm. She jumped back as if she’d been burned. Knowing Natasha, she’d probably sent out a flare of heat just for effect.

Personally, I didn’t like to flaunt my power, but to each her own. Humans could not see the rims around the eyes of supernatural beings like us that distinguished us by breed, but they knew something was off. They just couldn’t quite put their fingers on exactly what that was.

Using my third eye, I scanned across the sprawling campus, and my stomach twisted into a knot. The rolling hills and perfectly manicured lawns gave the illusion of a peaceful campus. Yet my inner eye saw so much more.

I was unique, even for a witch, and could sense what others did not. It was going to be hard for me to live here. Not only because I possessed the gift of sight but also the ability to read and feel energy. There were too many emotions swirling around the campus.

Mentally I imagined wrapping myself in a protective layer of white light and silently asked the Goddess to keep any negative energy away from me. Protect me from the vibes that bind and make sure I don’t lose my mind.

It sounded silly, but the little rhyme was effective in a pinch.

Being an empath sucked. It meant I could sense the emotions of everyone around me, and if I touched someone, it was way more intense. Flashes of important events in their lives would overwhelm my senses. It was like I was there instead of them. The visions were usually negative in nature. For some reason, people held onto the darkness in their lives more than the light. Humans and supernatural creatures alike generally allowed fear to keep them from being truly happy.

The same could be said about me, I supposed.

Needless to say, I rarely hugged, shook hands, or made friends, if I could help it. And my romantic life—pretty much nonexistent.

More than anything else, I feared I would bring harm to others. I lived my life walking on eggshells, making sure my emotions didn’t get out of control. Because when I lost control, people died.

As the screams and memories from past instances entered my mind, I sucked in a breath, quickly pushing the visions away. Not now.

That was the thing about emotions. Just thinking about a memory made it as real to the cells in your body as the day it happened. It was best to leave the past in the past.

Natasha linked her arm through mine and I could sense her excitement and also a twinge of nervousness. Natasha was never nervous. Of course, she still walked with sure, purposeful steps. To anyone else, she appeared to be her usual smug self. Only, I knew what people genuinely felt at any given moment. Both a blessing and a curse, more often a curse. The only blessing was I knew when to avoid people before they even opened their mouths.

From the corner of my eye, I glimpsed Willow’s ebony face, serene as usual. I’d always envied her poise. Her name fit her well—tall, strong, yet able to bend with the wind while remaining firmly planted to the ground.

Aren’t you excited? Natasha peered down at me.

Excited? Not so much. True, it was surreal that I was about to start my first year of college at such an exclusive school. Until the Grey Witches came for me, I was raised by a single mother who worked the night shift as a waitress. We barely scraped by most of the time. If it wasn’t for my coven, I never would’ve been able to attend a private university. Natasha and Willow, on the other hand, were filthy rich.

With a shake of my head, I spoke the truth. I’m a little worried. I already feel like I’m going to crawl out of my skin, and we haven’t even made it to the front door.

You’ll be fine, Willow said with conviction. Besides, you have the two of us to help if you needed. As if to make her point, she laced her arm through mine and a sense of calm washed over me.

I smiled in thanks.

Natasha groaned when a group of bubbly girls flitted past us. It’s like we stepped into Preppy-R-Us.

Stop being such a downer. Maybe they’ll be our new friends. Willow shot her an amused grin.

We never made friends.

Right. Anyway … Natasha paused for effect, I found out there’s a huge party tonight. Of course, that means lots of hot guys.

I’m glad you got here early. Willow grinned.

Great, a party was the last thing I wanted to go to, but I knew it was useless to argue with Natasha. I’d do what I always did: show up, wait till Natasha and Willow found their latest conquests, and then sneak off to get lost in a novel.

Thankfully, it never took them long. Not only were they extremely powerful, purebred Grey Witches, they were also exotically beautiful. They attracted whomever they wanted. Natasha’s bloodline was Romanian and Willow’s South African. My own bloodline was Celtic—redhead, freckles and all.

I’m technically considered a Grey Witch, because the coven took me in as one of their own, but in truth I’m a half-breed. My mother was Pagan, but she wasn’t a natural born witch―like the sperm donor. He gave my mom one night and then he was gone.

Even though I’m stronger than most, I’m still looked down upon because my bloodline was seen as inferior. I wasn’t full-blooded. I rolled my eyes whenever I thought about it. Who would have thought there was discrimination in the world of magick? My father was nefarious in our circles, the most feared dark witch of our time. The infamous Colin Blackthorn. Leader of the Blackthorn coven of Dark Witches. He happened to be the most powerful warlock from one of the three strongest bloodlines in witchcraft. Natasha and Willow came from the other lines. The Maddox and Castella witch lines.

The three of us were unlikely friends, but somehow, it worked. I was grateful to have them in my life despite all the reasons why they shouldn’t have been, which is why I allowed them to drag me to parties and wherever else they wanted.

And I couldn’t forget that my father’s coven wanted to destroy ours. We were constantly in danger from their attacks.

Natasha nudged me with her elbow. I glanced up and locked eyes with a shifter. His hair was blond and cropped short, making his chiseled face stand out even more. As if he needed the help. The yellow rim around his pupils told us he was of the feline variety. Great, just what we needed. I should have known this highfalutin’ school would be crawling with otherworldly creatures. Where there was magick, there was power, and where there was power, there was money.

Welcome, ladies. His eyes flickered down our bodies, stopping at our breasts before continuing to our thighs and finally returning to our faces. His eyes lingered on Natasha. Not that I could blame him. She was stunning with lush, dark hair, honey-colored, slanted eyes rimmed with silver, and high cheekbones.

Well, look what the cat dragged in, Natasha said in a soft, breathy voice as she popped her hip out to the side and gave the shifter the same treatment with her own eyes.

Like what you see? He smirked.

Natasha pouted and widened her luminous golden eyes. I don’t know. What do you think, girls? Do we like what we see?

Natasha loved to mess with people. It was sort of her thing. She was the type of person who did whatever the hell she wanted, because it amused her. Believe it or not, there was a strange power in that, even for mere humans. Doing what made one happy, made him or her stronger as long as it didn’t involve anything that pulled someone into the negative vibrations.

This shifter could clearly handle himself. His eyes flicked back and forth among the three of us.

Doesn’t really do it for me, I said with a shrug.

Me neither. Willow’s gaze flowed down his lean, hard body before glancing away as if she were bored.

An amused grin crossed his handsome face.

I was thinking the same thing. He’s got the body. I’ll give him that, but something about the way he smells. Natasha sniffed the air. Reminds me of kitty litter.

The smile slid from his face. His eyes flashed, and his muscles tensed like he was ready to pounce. I freaking hate witches, he snarled and stalked away.

I didn’t have to be an empath to know the cat was seriously pissed off.

Natasha threw back her head, laughing.

Might not have been the smartest thing to piss off a shifter on our first day on campus, Willow remarked with the shake of her head.

Just having a little fun, Natasha said. I’ll find him tonight and make it up to him. Damn, he was gorgeous, wasn’t he?

I guess. If you’re into that All-American quarterback look, I remarked in an uninterested tone. He didn’t do it for me; too pretty, too refined.

I knew she was good for making it up to him, because our existence was all about walking that fine line, trying to find balance and managing the teeter-totter that was life.

Two

As soon as we walked through the door to our dorm room, the lights came on and slow jazz music filled the air. Just the way Natasha liked it. All she needed to do was think about the lights and music, and it happened … well, like magick. Any witch worth her salt could manipulate energy in such a way.

Out of habit, I pressed my hand to the wall, taking in its vibrations. A dull hum coursed through my hand. There were a few lingering bad vibes from the past owners but nothing major. Mostly arguments over dirty dishes or eating food that didn’t belong to them.

When erotic images of previous inhabitants flashed through my mind, I dropped my hand quickly. Swiping my hands together, I brushed away the impressions and willed them to transmute into the atmosphere. One day I would learn, but not this day.

Maybe a little sage wouldn’t hurt to clean up the energy of the room.

Our dorm room was way bigger than I expected, but I shouldn’t have been surprised. Money opened many doors. Lucky or unlucky for me―depended how I looked at it―my best friend, Natasha, demanded we all be roommates. Her family covered the expenses.

It looked more like a studio apartment than a dorm room.

A leather couch, love seat, and a huge flat screen made up the sitting area. The kitchen was open and on the small side, but still big by dormitory standards. At least, compared to what I imagined most dorm rooms to look like. A set of pots and pans hung from a rack over the countertop.

Kalista, is that all you brought with you? Natasha wrinkled her nose, looking down at my bag.

Yep. There was no sense in explaining to Natasha that was basically all I owned. She wouldn’t comprehend such a foreign idea. It boggled her mind I didn’t like to take handouts from the coven. She and the other members had more money than they could ever spend in this lifetime or next.

Natasha made a face. We’ve gotta share a bedroom. Sucks, but I guess it’s better than being on my own. Maybe next year we can live off campus.

I followed Natasha down the short, narrow hallway. She pushed open the door. The room was three times the size of my childhood bedroom at home. Three twin-sized beds were set up strategically to give the most privacy. I noticed Natasha’s altar was already set up, so she must have spent some time in the room before we arrived. She’d never let anyone touch her sacred tools, not even the hired help.

Frank’s going to install dividers later today. It won’t be the same as having our own rooms, she grimaced, but better than this open space.

Frank was one of Natasha’s bodyguards. Why the girl needed bodyguards was beyond me. All she had to do was say a little chant in her head and she could turn anyone to ashes. And that was no exaggeration. Fire was her element, and she knew how to use it.

Where is Frank? I could sense his lingering vibrations in the room. Usually he was lurking somewhere in the background, but his presence was absent.

I told him to make himself scarce. I don’t want to stand out like some freak for having a bodyguard.

I had to resist rolling my eyes. Natasha always wanted to stand out.

Your parents agreed? Willow stared at her in disbelief.

Of course not, but I’m on my own now. What they don’t know won’t hurt them. Besides, we all know the beefcakes are just for show. Yet another way for my parents to flaunt their outrageous wealth. Luckily I talked them into just sending Frank.

Her parents were legendary, feared by both the light and dark sides. Their bloodline dated back to the very beginning of time and has only grown stronger over the generations.

Same as Willow’s.

There was a time when Willow’s and Natasha’s families were enemies. Generations of hatred still festered between the two, but because of a common enemy, they set their differences aside and agreed to work together.

The common enemy? My father’s coven, the Blackthorns.

Willow and Natasha have been friends since childhood so there wasn’t any tension between the two. They were more like sisters. It still amazed me that I was allowed into their tight-knit circle and taught the craft. The three of us have been inseparable since then. Needless to say, we took the term blood sisters to a whole new level.

Willow took the middle bed. I grabbed the bed nearest the door and Natasha got the far right, closest to the bathroom. Big surprise there.

It didn’t take us long to get settled in. As usual, Natasha was feeling restless, which meant we would have to follow her while she searched for some kind of mischief to get into.

I think we should find a place where we can hold our circle when we need to be outside with the elements, Willow said as she arranged her books on the bookshelf. I could always count on Willow to reel Natasha in when needed. She was the only one with that power. Mostly she just manipulated the energy around Natasha. We all knew it but never spoke of it.

Natasha rolled her eyes. Can’t you take a break for a day? We just got here, for crying out loud.

I agree with Willow, I piped up. We have no idea what we’re dealing with here. We should know where to meet up if needed.

Natasha sighed. Fine, we might as well do a spell while we’re there. Bring your tools.

It took self-control to hide my smile. Even when Natasha folded, she had to make it seem like it was her idea.

We filled our bags before heading out.

The hallways were littered with co-eds standing outside of their doors, talking and flirting. Some were already drinking. Welcome to college, I thought with a grimace. I was a Debbie Downer at times, but I had a lot to deal with, and trying to manage my empath gift while surrounded by people made it worse.

As we moved down