Bewitched (6 page)

Hecate paused. I lounged back against the plush seat. “Yes, it is,” she finally replied.

Liar, liar pants on fire. I knew that gleam in her eye. It was the same look that a department sales woman gets when she thinks she can sell me last season’s Prada for this season’s price. When would people learn? Girl plus being really hot does NOT equal stupid.

So that meant the scroll was in this car. Hecate wouldn’t leave something she wanted so badly somewhere she wouldn’t be.

“Turn left here,” I told Bones and he swerved the car to make the turn. Hecate was jostled by the turn and I caught a glimpse of the end of the bronze tube in the folds of her cloak before she quickly adjusted to cover it. I pretended I didn’t notice.

I directed Bones to the street I lived on and when my house came into view, I turned to Hecate. “I’ll try to get the key tomorrow.”

“I’ll come by to get it.”

Bones pulled into the driveway and sat there, the engine idling while he waited for me to get out. “I’d open the door for you,” Bones said as he turned to look at me, “but I’m not wearing any pants.”

I rolled my eyes.

I opened my door and went to climb out when I made my move. I lashed out with my power, catching Hecate off guard and causing her to reach up and grab at her throat as she gagged. I pushed harder, using the element of surprise while I could. I used my hand and sent out a gust of wind to ruffle the folds of her cloak to reveal the end of the scroll. I grabbed it and lunged out of the car, falling onto the ground. I got up and began to run, for once wishing I had sneakers on and not heels.

Hecate threw off my magic quickly,, as I knew she would and came after me. I threw up my shield to block whatever she was about to do and was pleased when it worked—her spell bounced off. I made my way to the front door, concentrating so hard on my shield that I didn’t think it was odd the front door swung open when I approached. Grateful, I rushed inside and slammed the door shut. It wouldn’t keep her out forever, but it might for a few seconds. I pulled out my cell and hit the button for Heven. She would know what to do.

“Calling someone?” a voice from the bottom of the stairs asked.

I jerked, gripping the phone and the scroll. There was a man standing there. A man with dark hair and cold, cold eyes. I tried to throw up my shield once more, but it was too late. He had magic too, magic far more powerful than mine. I was knocked off my feet; my cell phone went flying, shattering against the wall. I hit my head on the wall and slid slowly toward the floor.

I still gripped the scroll, unwilling to give up my chance to win back my friends. I was half lying—half leaning against the wall as the man prowled closer. My vision was blurry, but I tried to get up anyway. I was held frozen in place, unable to even access the simplest of spells, but still I tried.

Cloak me til he can’t see

Bring the wind

Blow him away from thee.

Nothing happened. The man reached me, leaned down until his putrid breath brushed my face. I wanted to gag. He smiled. His teeth looked like he smoked six packs of cigarettes a day (smoking is so nasty), and I wanted to close my eyes against the horrible sight. Crest Whitestrips would do nothing for him.

Where is Hecate?
I wondered. Shouldn’t she be in here, trying to stop him? He wanted the scroll too and she had already made it perfectly clear that she thought this thing was hers. He reached down and ripped the scroll from my hand.

“No!” I screamed.

He slapped me. Stinging pain bloomed on the left side of my face. The front door crashed in and Hecate stepped through. She was carrying a long wide bone… a femur. “Apparently, that charm of yours inspires loyalty.” She poked me with the bone—hard.

Had Bones tried to stop her—had he tried to help me get away? Was that his… leg? Indeed, he really hadn’t been wearing pants.

I started to laugh. I laughed so hard that tears leaked from my eyes. Hecate and the man stood over me, watching with vacant stares on their faces. Abruptly, my laughter died away and I began to choke. I felt as if my windpipe was crushing, was twisting within my neck and that I was going to black out from lack of air.

I began to cough, wheezing, dry sounds that hurt. Hecate leaned down, reaching out with blood-red nails. “Betrayal has a price.”

Everything went black.

*   *   *

I awoke in the dark, with a hard cold surface at my back. My throat was raw and my head felt as if it had been hit repeatedly with a hammer. I got to my feet, looking around at the dark room I was in. The last thing I remembered was being at home, trying to get the scroll back and failing. From my right, I heard chanting:

Seal this cell

Make it tight

Turn everyday into night

Keep in the soul

Let the body be whole

Cast the dice

Betrayal has a heavy price

Hecate was standing on the outside of steel bars, holding a torch. She looked upon me with disgust, with satisfaction.

“Let me out,” I begged, my voice barely audible and hoarse. “I’ll do what you want.”

Hecate smiled. It looked sinister as the flames cast shadows over her face. “You had your chance. This is your new home.”

She began to walk away.

“Wait!” I cried, hurrying to the bars, slipping my hands between them. “Please…”

She laughed—a cackle that echoed off the walls and down the long corridor. Long after she was gone and as the darkness pressed in on me, I could still hear her laugh.

I tried to use my powers. They bounced right off whatever spell Hecate cast on my cell. I was trapped.

It was ironic really.

This all started because I had felt betrayed and alone.

Yet, here I was, more alone and betrayed than ever.

I was also bewitched.

Want to know what happens next?

Read
Tirade
coming November 2012

Secrets come out, tears will fall and people will die.

Cambria Hebert grew up in a small town in rural Maryland. She is married to a United States Marine and has lived in South Carolina, Pennsylvania, North Carolina and back to Pennsylvania again. She is the mother of two young children with big personalities, is in love with Starbucks (give the girl a latté!) and she is obsessed with werewolves. Cambria also has an irrational fear of chickens (Ewww! Gross) and she loves to watch Vampire Diaries and Teen Wolf. Her favorite book genre is YA paranormal, and she can be found stalking that section at her local Barnes and Nobles (which happens to be her favorite place ever!). You can find her never doing math. It makes her head hurt.

Cambria is the author of the Heven and Hell series, a young adult paranormal book series. The series begins with
Before
, a short story prequel and is followed by the first novel in the series
Masquerade
. Look for all her titles where all books are sold.

Cambria also co-hosts a live, internet blog radio talk show,
Journal Jabber
, (
www.blogtalkradio.com/journaljabber
) where she dishes about books, publishing and everything in between: hair in a can, toilet snakes, chicken phobias, etc..

You can find Cambria on Facebook, Good Reads, Twitter and her website
www.cambriahebert.com
for her latest crazy antics and the scoop on all things Heven and Hell.