Initiate Read online

  Table of Contents

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Epilogue

  Initiate

  Book Two in The Witches of Coventry House

  Christina Garner

  Copyright © 2017 by Christina Garner

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  Cover by Deranged Doctor Design

  Contents

  Initiate

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Epilogue

  Thanks for reading Initiate

  Also by Christina Garner

  About the Author

  Initiate

  The brightest light casts the darkest shadow...

  Eden has killed the demon that hunted her. Too bad his words didn't die with him.

  Tormented by his claim she's the perfect monster, Eden is torn between the light she seeks and the darkness within. She struggles to perform even the simplest spell and receives an ultimatum—pass her next test or be bound from using magic.

  But that test turns deadly when a demon appears, set on taking Eden's power and killing anyone who gets in his way. Faced with pure evil, Eden must decide… Will she save her sisters or her own soul?

  With unending love for Brad, who appreciates darkness—even mine.

  “No soul should be split.”

  Carolyn

  Prologue

  Samhain.

  The day the earth began its descent into darkness. The one day a year the stones would reveal themselves. A chance to find what had been lost for millennia.

  Agamon twisted in his confines. What had begun as too small, now was unbearable. It wasn’t just his prison that pressed down upon him, but time.

  How many Samhains had passed before even the first stone was found? A hundred? A thousand? He’d lost count.

  Soon it would be one too many, and he would disappear from this world and all the others—dissolving with his prison into a sea of energy. Forgotten by all, save his most faithful acolytes, until they, too, forsook him.

  With only two stones left hidden, the wait became even more excruciating. He felt them pulsing, calling out to be found before the veil lowered once again.

  Power always gravitated to power, and he sensed one of the stones near her.

  How he cursed his followers’ humanness. Were they demon, he could touch their minds and narrow their search. As it was, they were children, stumbling in the dark.

  Yet they’d served him faithfully for countless generations. The legacy of his once powerful legion still survived, if only in secret.

  The stones would be found, and they would be broken.

  And then I will break the world.

  Chapter 1

  “This is a little darker than I intended.” Eden studied her reflection. “Am I pulling this off?"

  She turned to her best friend, Sarah, who stood next to her at the mirror.

  “With the sable hair and those baby blues?” Sarah paused in mid lip gloss application. “Trust me, the smoky eye is definitely the way to go.”

  Sarah had styled her own blond pixie cut on the spiky side which she always did when she was feeling sassy. Of all the sides to her friend’s personality, Eden thought she liked Sassy Sarah best.

  They were getting ready for Halloween—or as Carolyn called it, Samhain. All of Coventry House was headed to Haverland for a festival that celebrated the passing of seasons. There was more to it, but Eden had zoned out during the lecture. She loved magic and respected Carolyn, but she was more of a doer than a listener. Whatever the holiday was called, she was just glad to have the whole weekend off. Between college classes, rituals, and her private sessions with Carolyn, burning the candle at both ends was an understatement.

  Her only regret was not getting to spend Halloween with Quinn, dressing in some corny couples’ costume. It had only been a few weeks since they’d started dating again, and they were taking it slow, but things were going really well.

  “You’ve got that look.” Sarah gave her a coy grin.

  “What look?”

  “The one that says, ‘I’m a lovesick puppy.’ Are you wishing Quinn could see you looking this fetching?”

  Eden rolled her eyes. “No.” But a blush crept into her cheeks. “Maybe.”

  She really did look like a puppy. One with very dark eyeliner.

  “He’s on a field study with the Biology department anyway.” Four days he’d been gone. Eden met Sarah’s eye in the mirror. “You get that look too, you know. When you talk about Kai.”

  “I do not.” But even as she said it, the telltale grin spread across her face.

  Sarah hadn’t come out to the rest of the girls at Coventry House, but she was more than willing to tell Eden how amazing Kai was.

  She’s not going to keep it secret long if Kai keeps sneaking into her room after hours.

  A knock at Eden’s door sounded, and Eden called for the person to come in.

  “Ladies?” Paige popped her head into the bathroom that connected Eden’s room with Sarah’s, proffering a bottle of clear liquid. “Can I interest you in a one-dollar vodka shot? Samhain special.”

  Sarah shook her head while Eden replied, “I’m good, thanks. Tonight might be a good time to keep a clear head.”

  Paige shrugged and tucked a lock of her russet brown hair behind her ear. “Okay, but when it’s gone, it’s gone. Don’t come crying to me when you’re the only sober ones at the party.” She gave the bottle a shake, but when neither girl changed her mind, she left.

  “Is it me, or is she a little nicer since you saved her life?” Sarah winked at Eden.

  An image of the borahn demon—all pulsating veins and jagged teeth—flashed in Eden’s mind, and she took a breath to steady herself.

  “It’s not just you.
” Eden closed her makeup bag. “Get her away from Rebecca, and she’s downright pleasant—shameless capitalism notwithstanding.”

  Eden marveled at Sarah’s ability to have moved on already—mentioning the demon that had kidnapped and almost killed her without batting an eye. He no longer haunted Eden’s dreams, but a shudder still passed through her at the thought of him—at the memory of killing him. Of what he’d said…

  Another knock. This time it was Jules and a new transfer, Haley. Coventry House had only one pledge class a year, but transfers from other covens were welcome anytime.

  Haley was nice enough but undisciplined. Her dedication to magic was nowhere near Jules’s, and Eden thought their friendship might be more about proximity—sharing a bathroom—than affinity.

  “All set?” Haley glanced over Eden’s shoulder at her own reflection, tousling her honey-colored hair.

  Behind her, Jules tugged at the hem of a faded black sweater, her hazel eyes twinkling with excitement. Eden loved Jules, but she was a certifiable fashion disaster. She was guarded about her past, and Eden suspected she’d grown up without much money or opportunity to enjoy things like clothes and makeup.

  “Yep.” Sarah reached around to the door handle on her side of the bathroom and grabbed her purse. “Let’s get our ‘descent into darkness on.’”

  Eden missed a step. “Our what?”

  “Descent into darkness.” Sarah stared at her as if she’d sprouted a second head. “You know, the whole, ‘world in limbo, straddling the line between fall and winter, plenty and paucity, light and dark.’” When Eden didn’t respond, Sarah shook her head. “You seriously have got to start listening to Carolyn’s lectures.”

  The four of them left, but Eden was feeling less celebratory. With the possible exception of eyeliner, she’d had her fill of darkness.

  The trip to Haverland took thirty minutes, and it soon became clear which girls had taken Paige up on her offer. Two-thirds of the van was already in full-on party mode, talking too loud and laughing at things that weren’t really funny. Eden wondered if she got that way when she drank but knew the answer was probably yes. Luckily, it didn’t happen all that often because she was too busy to be drunk or deal with hangovers.

  Sarah bent her head close. “Obnoxious now, but less competition when we get there.”

  Eden was about to agree when Alex leaned forward from the seat behind them. “Eden’s not afraid of a little competition, are you Eden?” Her emerald eyes glittered. “I’d think the most powerful witch in generations would welcome a challenge.”

  Eden bit the inside of her lip, refusing to take the bait. At best, she’d fire off a lame response; at worst, she’d get in a good one, and Alex would make her pay for it later.

  Not provoking the fight she’d been after, Alex rolled her eyes and sat back.

  Eden regretted getting off on the wrong foot with Alex her first night at Coventry House. Their relationship had only gone downhill from there, and now she’d been made mentor of Eden’s practice group! Her only comfort was that Alex was a senior; there was light at the end of the bitchy tunnel.

  “Vortex.”

  Eden and Sarah turned to Jules, who glanced from her phone to the window outside. They were used to her non-sequiturs; she was often in a world of her own.

  “Down that dirt road.” She pointed to a turnoff as they sped past.

  “What’s a vortex?” Sarah squinted out the window.

  “You can’t see it. It’s like a Wi-Fi hot spot, but for mystical energy.” Jules read from her phone. “Stories date back several centuries—rituals performed, wishes granted. A few even claim spontaneous healing.”

  “What site are you on?” Eden wished she had Jules’s ability with computers. The minute she started talking VPNs and proxy servers, she was lost.

  “It’s an app.” Jules passed Eden the phone.

  “An app? Seriously?” Sarah leaned over to take a look. “I guess there really is one for everything.”

  “It’s hidden, of course. Any witch who published info like this for the general public is asking to get stripped of her powers. I found it on the deep web.”

  Eden smiled and shook her head. “Of course, you did.”

  Soon they were arriving in Haverland, which resembled Somerland with gable-front houses still standing from when the area was first settled more than a hundred and fifty years ago.

  They parked a block from the town square. Within minutes they were surrounded by revelers. The crowd was filled with zombies and sexy nurses, but others wore wreaths of leaves bursting with fall colors, signaling that they, too, were celebrating more than Halloween.

  None of the sisters wore costumes; Carolyn had told them it was traditional to wear black on Samhain. All of them together this way, Eden thought they appeared more like a roaming pack of cat burglars.

  Mixed in with the carnival games and food stands were signs of real magic: booths that catered to actual witches, not just wannabes. Carolyn had told them what to look out for—twigs tied a certain way, cinnamon brooms. Even then, the proprietor might not be a witch, but that was where the test came in. Even now that they were full sisters, everything was a test.

  “See anything?” Jules scanned the crowd.

  “Yeah, over—” Sarah shook her head. “Never mind. I think that’s an actual broom for sweeping.” She chuckled at her mistake.

  The search was a scavenger hunt meant to test their abilities. The prize was an ancient talisman. Carolyn claimed it was extremely valuable, and had seemed genuinely disappointed that the competition was only for witches-in-training.

  The initial test was to find the right booth. That meant starting with filtering through the possibilities by sight, then reaching out to sense true magic, and finally narrowing it down to just one. If they chose correctly, the person running that booth would give them the next mission, and so on. Guess wrong, and you were out.

  Only one of them could win, but Eden and her friends had decided to work together. There were other witches competing besides those of Coventry House, so it made sense to help each other, at least at first. If they passed the first few rounds, it would be every witch for herself.

  Eden felt someone bump into her and turned to see Rebecca, looking like her usual sex on a stick. Chestnut brown hair framed high cheekbones and cascaded perfectly. She could have just stepped out of shampoo commercial.

  The woman was beautiful right up until the moment she opened her mouth. “Watch where you’re going.”

  “I was standing still.” Eden didn’t expect undying gratitude, but she thought saving Rebecca and the others from being sold on the black market as a magical battery and plaything might have garnered more than a week of goodwill.

  “Then don’t stand in the way.” Rebecca gazed down at her through long lashes.

  “Rebecca…” Paige’s voice was soft and when Rebecca turned on her, she shrank back.

  “You’ve got something to say?”

  Rebecca didn’t like that Paige had become more amiable with Eden and her friends.

  Paige shook her head. “I just thought we should get back to the game.”

  “Good idea.” Alex joined them. “Courtney blew her guess on some Gaia-loving poser, so I guess I’ll join you two.”

  Rebecca seemed askance, but even she had learned not to take on Alex.

  “Great. Let’s go.”

  Rebecca set off, Paige in tow, but Alex turned back. “Don’t even think about following us.”

  Sarah flashed her teeth in what Eden had learned was not actually a smile. “Wouldn’t dream of it.”

  Alex sneered and spun on her heel, disappearing into the crowd.

  Haley stared at them, her green eyes wide. “Wow. Rebecca and Alex working together? That’s like bitch squared.”

  “All the more reason to crush them like bugs.” Three heads swiveled in Jules’s direction. She was usually so quiet, but now she just shrugged. “What? I want to win. And more importantly, I want
at least two of those three to very much lose.”

  “Ruthless,” Sarah said, her grin genuine this time. “I like it.”

  The first round turned out to be fairly easy. They spent time at each booth that sold actual items used in magic—not just plastic wands and unicorn statues—feeling for the one run by someone with magical abilities. Their group had been learning about resonance…how witches could sense each other. Carolyn said it was an important skill to have, especially when traveling.

  Eden picked up on it first. A distinct energy rippled around one of the booths. She called the others over.

  “It’s this one.” She cocked her head toward the table filled with crystals and jars of herbs.

  “Are you sure?” Haley didn’t sound so much skeptical as nervous. Her abilities were among the weakest in their class.

  Jules gave a slight nod. “I think you’re right.”

  “I agree,” Sarah said. “I’m not sure I’d have caught it if you hadn’t said something, but there’s definitely a vibe.”

  Haley grinned. “I’m convinced.” She walked up to the man running the booth. “Next mission, please.”

  The man smiled. “You’re the first to find me. You must be very strong.”

  Eden waited for Haley to share the credit, but that moment didn’t come. Instead, she took the envelope he handed her and stepped aside to let the other girls get theirs.

  Eden was last, and the man said, “Don’t worry. I won’t tell anyone you had help. Our little secret.”