A Witch in Blood: A YA Urban Fantasy Novel Read online

  Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright

  1

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  Ready for A Witch in Fear?

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  A Witch in Blood

  Sabrina Hale

  A Witch in Blood: Runic Magical Academy Series Book 1 by Sabrina Hale

  Copyright © 2021 Sabrina Hale

  All rights reserved. This book or parts thereof may not be reproduced in any form, stored in any retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwise—without prior written permission of the copyright owner and the publisher of this book, except as provided by United States of America copyright law and fair use.

  This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, groups, events, places, and incidents portrayed in this book are either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any similarities to real persons, groups, living or dead, are coincidental and not intended by the author.

  1

  I HEARD THE screaming even through my headphones. To be fair, they were pretty cheap, the kind you buy for five dollars at a gas station. I pulled them off and glanced towards the door and the deafening tones of the Youngs.

  They were going at it. Again. Typical. It was like they planned it for my study sessions.

  I sighed, pulling the SAT prep book I’d been using closer, and tried to remember what question I’d been on for my practice exam. A loud expletive issued from the kitchen. Why couldn’t they fight while I was at work?

  “Cora?” The small voice of my roommate stopped me as I put my headphones back on. I glanced behind me. Addison eyed the door with her big brown eyes.

  “It’s okay,” I said. I tried to smile, but I wasn’t sure it came across as sincere. Being comforting wasn’t high on my list of necessary skills. In fact, my list pretty much stopped at things to help me get into college. “They’re just having a little disagreement.”

  Her eyes were wide. Usually she slept through the Youngs’ fighting, which was a mystery to me. She was young, though, around seven or eight. From what I knew, she’d only been in the system for a year or so. Probably just naïve enough to believe the social worker when they said they were sending you somewhere safe. At least, I assumed that’s what they told you. I’d been in foster care my whole life, so I didn’t really know how the initial welcome went.

  I got up and slid a little wedge under the door. It was a trick I’d come up with when I was thirteen. Though you had to be careful. I had one foster parent who’d caught on and took away my door.

  “Look, see, we’re perfectly fine in here,” I said. She didn’t look convinced. I walked over and pulled the covers up around her again, just as a large crash sounded in the kitchen. I held my breath. Addison covered her ears, her small face pinched.

  The voices started up again. I relaxed, satisfied that neither of them was seriously hurt. Their fights didn’t usually get violent. Addison had curled into a tiny ball as she scooted towards the headboard. It made me wonder exactly what her home life had been like before the social workers had picked her up. Not that I’d ever ask.

  “I’ve got an idea,” I said, pulling her hands away from her ears. There was no way I was going to finish my practice exam, not here. “You want to go out?”

  Addison eyed me as if evaluating how much she trusted me. I walked over to the window and unlocked it, hoisting it up to let in the warm air of late May. Even though it was almost nine, twilight was just beginning. The sky was a light purple gray. It was the only thing I liked about summer, how late the sun set.

  Her eyes darted to the door and then back to the window as she thought through her options. It sent a small pang through me. She was too young to be making these kinds of decisions. But here we were.

  “I’m in my pajamas.” Her voice was thick with hesitation.

  “That’s okay, just put on your shoes.” Calling what she was wearing “pajamas” was a bit of a stretch. They were just a pair of sweatpants and a giant shirt, but I wasn’t going to burst her bubble.

  Another expletive sounded from the living room. That was all it took. She was up. She pulled on her shoes while I packed my book bag with the SAT prep book.

  “Ready?” I asked. She nodded. I eased my way through the window, landing on the strip of dry grass on the other side. Turning back, I helped Addison through, guiding her as she jumped down beside me. I pulled the window closed until my fingers just fit under it. That was another trick I’d learned.

  Odds were the Youngs wouldn’t even notice we were gone. Based on my last six months with them, after another thirty minutes or so, Mrs. Young would storm out. Mr. Young would spend the rest of the night getting drunk while blaring some detective show.

  I led Addison down the side of the house and out onto the sidewalk. We didn’t live in a great part of town, but there was a park not far away. Though it technically closed at sunset, no one had ever bothered me there.

  “Do you think they’ll be okay?” She asked me, glancing back at the Youngs’ house. It might’ve been pretty once, but the pealing layers of paint and dying grass gave it a forlorn look. Even the inside had a dreary feel to it, like being cloaked in muggy sadness.

  “Yeah.” I said as we turned the corner.

  At least, I didn’t think either of them would be much worse for wear. Neither of them were okay, in my opinion. But, hey, who was I to judge.

  “My mom says she’s going to get an apartment soon.” Her voice was small. “And then I can come live with her,” she added brightly.

  I bit my lip. Right, I’d forgot. She was in the reunification process, which meant monthly visits with her mother. At least that explained it. No wonder she was having trouble sleeping if she’d just had a visit with her mom.

  “Did she tell you this today?” I asked, glancing down at her.

  “Yeah.” She looked up at me. “Do you ever see your mom?”

  I couldn’t help the half-laugh that slipped out at her bluntness. “No. I don’t.”

  “Why not?” Her little brow furrowed.

  “Because I’m good on my own,” I said, forcing my lips into a smile. The last thing she needed was a lesson from me about the pitfalls of depending on other people.

  I wasn’t going to crush her dreams.

  She considered this. “Do you miss her?”

  I shook my head. Her small face turned to stone.

  “Sometimes my mom lies.” Her voice was quiet. “Do you think she was lying?”

  I chewed the inside of my cheek. What could I say to that? Odds were her mom was lying. There would be no new apartment, no new life. I couldn’t save her from that disappointment.

  “How about we get some ice cream?” I asked instead of answering.

  She nodded, and I breathed a sigh of relief as she fell quiet.

  There was a little walk-up stand that sold cheap cones at the corner. I had a little money thanks to a part-time job waiting tables over the summer. It had the dual benefit of letting me save money for college and also stay out of the Youngs’ way for a few hours. After we got our cones, we continued on towards the
park.

  I figured I could let her swing or something while I studied. The sky was just beginning to darken as we entered the park grounds. The lamps flickered on, helping to light up the grounds.

  We were a few yards away from the playground when a figure stepped out from beside a trash can. Addison pressed against my leg.

  A girl with short, mousy brown hair that obviously hadn’t been washed in weeks gave us a once over.

  “You got any change?”

  I dug out the change from our ice cream and handed the few coins over. Her nails were bitten down and dirty. Disgust and then shame washed over me as I tried to avoid touching her hand.

  “That’s all I got.” I said.

  “Thanks.” She blinked at me, cocking her head so that the greasy tendrils of her hair fell into her face. “Hey, do I know you?”

  I shook my head with a tight smile. “No.”

  It was a lie. I did know her. But it wasn’t like I knew her, knew her. She’d been in a placement with me a few years back. Just a couple of days. Obviously, she’d either aged out without a plan or ran away since then. It was exactly what I didn’t plan on happening to me.

  Steering Addison around her, I pushed on to the playground. We’d just reached the swing set when I felt the skin on the back of my neck prickle. I glanced behind me, ready to tell that girl I didn’t have any more money.

  But she’d already headed off. We were alone. Shaking my head, I turned around and froze. A man stood in front of us. Where he’d come from, I couldn’t tell. He hadn’t been there a second ago.

  “Well, hello there.” He said to Addison. His smile made my stomach turn.

  “Hi.” I gripped Addison’s shoulder, pulling her closer. He turned his eyes to me.

  “You know I’ve been looking for you.” He said to me, his eyes unblinking.

  I stared him down. Addison cringed into my side.

  “Sorry, I think you have me mistaken for someone,” I said. He took a step closer. I pulled Addison back, but he matched me.

  “Oh no, I think I’ve found exactly who I’m looking for.”

  “Addison,” my voice came out dry and scratchy. I cleared my throat. “Go back to the ice cream stand.”

  She glanced up at me. I saw her worried face out of the corner of my eye, but I didn’t dare take my gaze off the man in front of me.

  “Go. Now.” I said, pushing her back. “I’ll be right behind you.” I reassured her without taking my eyes off the man.

  “I don’t think so.” He said.

  He lunged. I whirled on my feet, pushing Addison back the way we’d come.

  “Run!”

  She didn’t need to be told twice. Like a shot, she took off. A piercing pain shot through my right temple. I screamed as a hand twisted in my hair. My fist, ice cream cone and all, slammed back. He dropped his grip on me, and I went sprawling, scraping myself across the sidewalk as I scrambled away.

  He screamed, a bloodcurdling sound that made my hair stand on end. I looked up and froze. Melted vanilla dripped off his chin. I sat, unable to move as he writhed, trying to scrape the ice cream off. Blister like burns appeared across his face.

  What the hell? It was like the ice cream was made of acid. Except that made zero sense.

  I scrambled away in horror. Before I could even get to my feet, he was after me. His hand latched onto my bag, tearing it from my shoulders as I tried to slip away. He tackled me, slamming my head against the park sidewalk. The park lights swam above me.

  He pinned my legs under his weight and leaned in.

  “Do you think the little human is getting help?” His breathing was ragged and heavy. This close, I could see the individual dots of blood and blisters on his face where the ice cream had touched him. I felt nauseous and my head rang as I struggled. “It won’t matter.”

  Behind him, a soft, glowing purple circle appeared. I bit back the feeling of throwing up to spit at him.

  “You’re going to need help when I’m done with you,” I said. I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of scaring me, and I sure as hell wasn’t going down without a fight.

  The glowing circle behind him was brighter now. I could just see it lighting up the night sky. I prayed it was someone’s flashlight coming our way. The pain in my head was throbbing. My vision dotted over as I willed myself to not faint from the smell of burned skin.

  “You can’t fight me, little one.” He said as I tried to buck him off, to no avail.

  “Well, lucky I can.” A masculine voice said. The man on top of me jerked up as a glowing blue blade sliced through his chest. His eyes widened in surprise as the life in them faded. His body slumped.

  I scraped my back and legs against the rough concrete as I tried to escape my attacker’s now lifeless body. His dead weight fell backward as I freed myself. I was on my knees and then my feet in seconds. Spinning around to run, only to be blocked by two figures. A guy with crisp black hair and an older woman with blonde curls pulled into a tight braid stared back at me. Both of them were armed with glowing swords similar to the one I’d just seen stab my attacker.

  “It’s going to be okay.” The guy said. His voice was soft. Whoever these people were, they saved me. Yet every single nerve in my body told me to run. If there was one thing I trusted above all, it was my instincts. Whatever weird turf war I’d stumbled into, I had no time for it. A gust of warmth blew over me and another shot of pain pulsed through my temple. In the distance, I heard sirens. Addison must’ve made it to the stand.

  It caught their attention, too. I took that second to run. The pain in my head threatened to send me back to the ground as I lurched forward.

  “Warren!” the woman’s voice called out. I’d only made it a few yards before something grabbed the back of my shirt, choking and tugging me backward. I collided with a broad chest as a hard arm wrapped around my shoulders.

  “Let’s try this again.” A masculine voice said. A second hand clasped around my throbbing forehead.

  “Try this.” I jerked up my arm and elbowed him in the stomach. It got me a grunt from him, but not freedom. He spoke a word I didn’t understand, but it sounded like an order. The pain in my head exploded. I screamed. He dropped me as I dry retched, collapsing to the ground. Black dots crowded my vision, as someone grabbed my chin, forcing my eyes up.

  Green eyes met mine.

  “We need to go now. Do the spell.” The woman said. Spell? The boy staring at me, Warren, shook his head. He seemed at a loss for words as he stared at me.

  “Warren!” A hand grabbed me from behind.

  I jerked away, but they forced me to my feet, pinning my hands down to my sides. My head throbbed as I kicked out at the black-haired boy.

  “Let go of me.” I snarled. The woman stepped forward to look into my face. Her eyes met mine, and I watched as they widened.

  She took in a deep breath.

  “It can’t be.”

  “We need to go.” Warren said. The sirens were louder now. I fought against the other guy’s grip on me as the woman studied my face. My heart thrummed in my throat. It was taking everything in me to keep my vision straight. My head was killing me.

  “It has to be a coincidence.” Warren said. The woman shook her head.

  “Bring her.”

  I screamed, hoping someone would hear me as her hand settled over my forehead again. Pain pierced my temple as the entire world faded away.

  2

  I WOKE UP shivering. With a start, I sat up and immediately regretted it as my head collided with the underside of the top bunk. I clutched my forehead with both hands as I waited for the pain to subside long enough to concentrate. If I didn’t have a concussion from earlier, I sure as hell had one now.

  Moving slower as to not aggravate it further, I took in my location. The room was plain, holding only two bunk beds and a wardrobe. The two beds across from me were empty. Holding my breath, I inched off the bed and glanced at the bunk above me. Empty.

  I tried the door
, just in case. Locked. I checked the wardrobe next. Empty. This wasn’t the first time someone had locked me in a room. It was, however, the first time I had no idea what was going to happen next. I bit the inside of my cheek, letting the pain calm me. Panicking wouldn’t get me anywhere. I had to think.

  Addison was safe. She’d made it to the ice cream stand. Right? I swallowed. Right. The other alternative was too awful. I’d taken her out of the house. If she was lost… No, she’d made it to the stand. That meant odds were someone was looking for me. A part of me had a distant hope that my social worker had picked me up, but I crushed that down. If that were the case, I’d be in the hospital.

  I thought back to the glowing swords I’d seen, the way the blue flames danced across the metal as it slid through my attacker’s torso.

  What if I was in a psychiatric hospital? The thought sent chills through me. If I was suffering delusions, I doubted the Youngs would take me back. Would I still be able to graduate? Panic set in as I took in deep gulps of air. Which option was worse? Crazy or trapped with a bunch of lunatics with swords and… spells? That’s what that woman had said. My mouth went dry as I remembered the pain of her hand on my forehead. What did she do to me?

  The inside of my cheek tasted bloody. I stopped chewing. If I wasn’t in a hospital, if that had been real, then any minute now the police would connect that dead guy to me.

  “You need to chill.” I said out loud just as the door opened.

  The woman who’d ordered them to take me stepped in.

  I scrambled back. At least she didn’t have a sword this time, but my head throbbed as I glanced down at her empty hands. Her braid was a little looser now, tendrils escaping to frame her face. She looked somewhere in her forties, soft lines branching from the corner of her eyes, but there was kindness in them - despite the seriousness in her face. Her eyes widened a little as she stared at me, followed by a flicker of anger that made my blood run cold. But as quickly as it appeared, it was gone.

  “We’re not going to hurt you,” she said. Yeah, I’d heard that before. It was usually a 50/50 toss-up. She gestured for me to step out of the door.