Blood Prophecy: Kallen's Tale

Copyright

This
book is a work of fiction.  Names, characters, places, dialogue and incidents
either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously,
and any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is
entirely coincidental.

Copyright
©2012 by Bonnie Humbarger Lamer

All
rights reserved.

No
part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled,
reverse engineered, scanned or distributed in any printed or electronic form
without the express written permission of copyright holder.

The
Witch Fairy Series:

True
of Blood

Blood
Prophecy

Blood
Lines

Shadow
Blood

Blood
of Half Gods

True
of Blood: Kallen’s Tale

The
Eliana Brennan Series:

Essence
of Re

Exposed

As
always:

For Xenia,
Zuriq, Quinn, Conor and Jadyn.

The loves
of my life.

*****
Reader Message *****

Blood
Prophecy: Kallen’s Tale is meant to be read after Blood Prophecy. This is a
companion book that gives the reader a look into Kallen’s mind as he and Xandra
face the Witches who want her dead. In an effort to avoid as much redundancy as
possible, I have condensed some scenes, focusing less on Xandra and more on
Kallen. This could cause confusion if this book is read first.

I
hope you enjoy this look into Kallen’s world.

Please
join Bonnie Lamer on Facebook at:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Bonnie-Lamer-Author/129829463748061

Chapter 1

The number of milliseconds
it takes a brain to react when going from a dead sleep to registering that the
person in bed with you is about to kill you?  Less than one.  How do I know
this?  Because Xandra has just pulled a month’s worth of magic and I seem to be
the target.

Simultaneously pulling magic
and getting out of bed as fast as I can, I growl, “What are you doing?!”

Sitting up with her green
eyes wide, she looks at me and says, “Oops, I forgot you were here.  I woke up
a little nervous because someone else was in bed with me.”  If I was not this
angry, I would notice how cute she is with her sleep tussled, long black hair
going every which way.  I am so caught up in trying not to notice her physical
appearance, it takes me a moment to register what she just said.

Oops.  She said oops.  That
is not the answer I expected.  “A little nervous?  You categorize pulling
enough magic from the earth to cause an avalanche – one large enough that it
could bury this entire house, as being a little nervous?  Not to mention how
heartwarming it is that you completely forgot about my presence.”

Looking contrite, she says, “Sorry,
I’ve never had anyone else in my bed before.  You shouldn’t take it
personally.”

Even through the ire, I
register how good it feels that she chose me to share her bed.  Platonically,
for the most part, but it is a start.  Still, I cannot help but take her
comments personally.  I stay in this realm to be with her, and the very next
day she tries to kill me.  I find that to be rather personal.  My incredulity
leaves me speechless for a moment.  

Until it registers in my
mind that she is still holding all that magic.  If she loses control of it, it
truly will cause a catastrophe of monumental proportions.  Working hard to keep
my voice even, I say, “Do you think you could let it go now, or do you still
plan to use it?”

Xandra sighs and closes her
eyes for a moment.  I can sense her slowly forcing her magic back down to the
earth.  It takes a few minutes, but she is finally able to do it.  I cannot
help but be impressed by her growing control; she is doing so much better than
even a few days ago.  She still has a long, long way to go, though.  

When she is done, I try to
be sincere when I say, “Thank you.”  I do not believe I was successful. 
Running a hand through my hair, I take a deep breath and then try again.  “You
certainly do keep life interesting.  I find I am never at a loss for excitement
when I am in your presence.” 

Tilting her head with a
small smile on her full pink lips, she asks, “Is that a good thing or a bad
thing?”

It is impossible for me to
stay mad at her for long.  Just being in the same room with her is electrifying. 
I have never been in the presence of anyone else who has made me feel the way
she does, and I would much rather focus on that at the moment than on her
magical errors.  Sitting on the bed again, I lean in close to her.  “When I am
not in fear for my life, it is a very good thing.”  My lips are moving towards
to hers.  Eagerly.

I miss the mountains.  Even
the cold and snow is not as bad as having your girlfriend’s ghost mom float
through the door and catch you trying to kiss her daughter.  In her bedroom. 
On her bed.  I cannot imagine what her parents believe we did last night. 
Actually, I can, but this is not the appropriate time for such thoughts. 
Great, now I am even more embarrassed.  I move back from Xandra as soon as her
mother speaks.

“I thought I heard voices. 
Your father and I let you sleep in after the week you’ve had, but now that
you’re up, we need to discuss what we’re going to do about your grandfather.” 
Looking pointedly at me, she adds, “And we need to find appropriate accommodations
for your guest.”

I will admit; I was a
jackass when I first met Xandra’s parents.  I insulted her mother and belittled
her father, simply because I was still angry with Grandmother for forcing me to
come here.  I am much more comfortable with her doing that now that I figured
out she was dabbling in matchmaking.  That does not change the jackass factor
in Xandra’s parents’ eyes, though.  Now, it is up to me to make the situation
better.

“I do not feel that my gratitude
for opening your house to me was appropriately expressed last night.  I would
like to take this opportunity to thank you again,” I say.

Her response is a scowl.  A
deep one.  After several heartbeats, she says with tight lips, “You’re welcome.”
 Well, that is better than ‘get out of my house,’ I guess.  Or her using some
of her Witch magic against me.  She seems to have booby trapped a great deal of
the area around the house, so I would not be at all surprised to have a Witch’s
bottle shoot out of the floorboards.  One full of iron nails.

Turning her eerie, bright
blue ghost eyes to Xandra, she says impatiently, “Xandra, are you coming?”  Her
eyes are still pinned to me.  If they were swords, I would be in ribbons about
now.

Xandra groans.  “Mom, I already
proved that I’m stronger than he is.  If he comes back, I’ll just do what I did
yesterday.”  She is referring to the grandfather who tried to kill her last
night.  The one she impressively sent on his way with her magic.

With what looks like great
effort, the spirit pulls her eyes from me to look at her daughter.  “Xandra,
you have no idea how strong the Witan are.  You may be able to take them on one
by one, but when they combine their magic, there is no greater force on earth.”

I have heard stories of past
Witans.  The high court of the Witch world, supposedly made up of the most
powerful Witches in this realm, has a long history of corruption.  Grandmother
has told me of Witans who have committed grave crimes against humans, as well
as their own kind, to further their own interests.  It was a previous Witan
that started the Witch trials that spread across the world, deflecting attention
away from themselves and onto innocent humans.  From what I saw last night, the
current Witan is not any different.  What kind of person do you have to be to
try to kill your own granddaughter? 

Xandra shrugs.  “I guess
I’ll just have to take them on one by one, then.”

I am drawn back to the
conversation by her words.  I keep forgetting how naïve she is.  “And how do
you expect to work that out if they all attack at once?” I ask. 

After a scowl in my
direction, she throws back the bedspread and swings her legs over the side,
grumbling, “Fine, I’ll get up so we can talk about it.”  She uses contractions
in almost every sentence.  I am starting to get used to it.

Her mother looks relieved. 
“Thank you.  Your father and I will be waiting in the kitchen for you.”  Looking
back at me, she gives me a look that tells me exactly what she thinks of me.  I
believe rat droppings rank higher on her list of likes than I do at the
moment.  Yes, I have a lot of work to do if I want her parents to like me. 

I watch the spirit float
through the door.  How has Xandra lived with her parents like this and not gone
crazy?  I shake my head.  “I believe it will take some time getting used to
living with specters.  Providing they allow me to stay, that is.”  I fear that
there is a real possibility they will not.  So, for the moment, I am going to
turn my thoughts in a happier direction.  Smiling at Xandra, I say, “Perhaps
now I could have that good morning kiss?”

I take her answering grin as
a yes.  Leaning forward, I capture her lips with mine.  I groan as she opens
her lips for me, allowing me to delve into her luscious mouth.  I pull her
closer, wanting to deepen the kiss.  The same thought must be on her mind,
because she wraps her arms around my neck and moves closer yet by shifting into
a kneeling position.  She is the sexiest woman I have ever met.  I would like
nothing more than to lie back down with her and explore her body as I am her
mouth.  A soft moan from deep in her throat, as she presses her body even
closer, tells me her thoughts are echoing mine.  God, I love her. 

Whoa, what the hell?  Where
did that thought come from?  With impeccable timing, another spirit interrupts
us.  I immediately pull back from Xandra, not sure if I am more upset about her
father floating into the room, or the direction my thoughts were taking during
that incredible kiss.

 “Ahem.”  And I thought her
mother held the prize for ‘you are an egotistical ass and I do not want you to
touch my daughter again’ looks.  No.  Xandra’s father beats her hands down.  I
suspect that if he was still corporeal, he would be armed with one of those
Cowan weapons that Xandra had threatened me with when we first met.  I move a
little farther away from her on the bed.

With an ‘I will see you dead
before the day is through’ look, he says to us, “I believe your mother told you
we’re waiting for you in the kitchen?”

Even Xandra is eyeing her
father warily.  Without another word, she stands up, takes my hand in hers, and
pulls me towards the door.  We give her father a wide berth and I try to avoid
his eyes.  Not that he can actually harm me, but I believe I have overstepped
my boundaries in regards to my behavior in his house.  He has every reason to
tell me to get out.  In my realm, he could easily demand a hand-fasting after
catching us in such a precarious situation.

My plan now is to make sure
that I do not give her parents any other reason to not allow me to stay.  I
cannot change what just happened, but I can try to find a way for her parents
to like me.  Maybe even trust me with their daughter.  That might be asking too
much, though.

Her father follows us to the
kitchen, where Xandra stops and opens the freezer door.  She studies the
contents for a moment, and then says, “Kallen, would you like a toaster
waffle?”

I have no idea what that
is.  I hope it is not another food that comes in a can.  “What is a toaster
waffle?”

She sounds slightly amused
as she takes a box from the freezer.  Food should not come from a box.  “They’re
like pancakes, but crispier.  You cover them in maple syrup before you eat them.”
 She pulls several round discs from the box and places them in the toaster. 
“They’re delicious.”

I am doubtful that a frozen
disc from a box will be delicious.  “I will try one.” 

Xandra’s parents are hovering
together across the table from me when I sit down.  Their eyes have not shifted
in any direction except mine as Xandra moves about the kitchen making
breakfast.  It is eerie being glared at by spirits.  They do not blink.  Or
move a muscle. 

I am relieved when Xandra
comes to the table with plates and a bottle of maple syrup.  My plate has two of
the discs that are now toasted instead of frozen.  Taking the syrup she offers
me, I pour some over the discs.  Using my fork to cut a small piece off, I take
a bite.  To my surprise, they are not bad.  More of a vehicle for syrup than
anything else, but definitely edible.  I continue to eat, a welcome relief from
finding somewhere to look besides at the spirits.

After taking a bite of her
own waffles, Xandra looks up at her mother.  “So, what’s the plan?”

Her parents exchange a
somewhat nervous look before her father speaks.  “We kept you safe for
seventeen years from your Grandfather and his lackeys.  We think we can keep
doing that.  But we need to leave here, find a new place…”

They want her to run?  I
want to speak so badly that my skin is prickly.  I want to yell at them that
running away will not solve her problems.  But, it is not my place to decide
what Xandra should do.  Thank god, she feels the same way I do.

“What?” she says.  “You want
to run away?  You don’t want to fight?”

“Xandra, we want you to be
safe, and if that means going on the run like your mother did before, then
that’s what we’ll do.”  How do you shake sense into a spirit?  I could probably
do it with magic if I focused hard enough.  That probably would not have a
positive effect on their opinion of me, though.

Xandra is still on the same
page.  “No.  I don’t want to run.  We don’t have to let them chase us out of
our home.  And besides, if we leave here, we risk people finding out about you. 
I want to stay here.”

Her mother hovers closer and
puts a hand on her cheek.  I wonder what that feels like.  Cold, I bet.  “Honey,
I know you’re coming into all this power and you feel like you can take on the
world right now.  But, you have no idea what these Witches are capable of; the
magic they wield.  Theirs isn’t new magic, Xandra.  These are Witches who have
dedicated their lives to becoming stronger, more powerful, and they truly are
the most powerful creatures in this realm.”  I believe she left out corrupt and
without conscience; two of a Witan’s more classic adjectives. 

Xandra leans away from her
mother.  “I don’t want to spend my life running because we’re afraid to even
try to fight!  Grandpa’s magic was nothing compared to mine.  I didn’t even
feel his magic struggle against me when I was pushing him out of the house last
night.  I can feel Kallen’s magic when he and I spar, so it’s not like I don’t
have anything to compare Grandpa’s magic to.  I know I’m stronger than he is.” 
I would stake my life on it.