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  Hexed by Fire

  St. Claire Witches: Book 1

  Nola Robertson

  Copyright © 2019 Nola Robertson

  Website: http://nolarobertson.com

  Published by Nola Robertson, 2019

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the author.

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

  ISBN-13: 978-1-7341022-1-5

  Note: This book, previously published as a novella titled Deadly Demon Fire, has been updated and expanded.

  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  A Note from the Author

  Also by Nola Robertson

  About the Author

  Chapter One

  Alex St. Claire crept along the empty hallway of the Kochran College administration building. The after-hour lights were low, casting ominous shadows that had her heart pounding a rapid beat against her chest. She figured she had twenty minutes to find the information she needed, then get out before campus security arrived to lock the main doors for the night.

  After kneeling on the hard floor tiles outside Dean Brandt’s office, she unzipped her backpack and pulled out the pick set she’d borrowed from her brother, Aidan. Five frustrating minutes later, the lock still hadn’t budged.

  She groaned and sat back on her legs, shifting the weight off her aching knees. She’d watched Aidan manipulate the tools hundreds of times. He’d made it appear easy. So why couldn’t she get the darn things to work?

  Determination wasn’t something she lacked, and finishing what she’d started was important to her. She’d give it one more try, and if that didn’t work, then she’d resort to magic. She dreaded using her powers. Even if the spell was simple, something a novice witch could invoke by the time they were a teenager, her abilities usually backfired and got her into trouble.

  Leaning forward once more, she twisted the picks in a different direction, and heard the tumbler inside the lock click. Finally.

  Alex blew out a relieved breath, packed up the set, and opened the door. Once inside, she pulled out her cell phone, and called her best friend and roommate, Paige, who was waiting outside, acting as a lookout.

  Alex kept her voice low, barely above a whisper and spoke before Paige had a chance to answer. “I made it into the office.”

  “That’s great, but I still think this is a terrible idea.” Paige muttered her annoyance with a nervous quiver. She might have agreed to help, but she’d been against the plan from the beginning. “You know your uncle is going to kill us when he finds out what you’re up to, right?”

  “Drake isn’t going to find out because I don’t plan on getting caught.” Alex took a seat at the desk and started the computer. Once the screen lit up, she pulled a miniature drive out of her jacket pocket and inserted it into the USB port.

  “You say that now, but he’s a good detective and isn’t going to be happy when he finds out you hacked the dean’s computer to access the coven’s database.”

  “Hacking sounds so harsh. I prefer borrowing.” Of course, the borrowing was without permission, but Alex decided to omit that part. “He’s not going to find out.” The words came out a little louder than she’d intended.

  Paige was right about one thing. Drake St. Claire was a powerful witch and a damned good detective. The Wicks Hollow coven had recently hired his company, St. Claire Investigations, to find three witches who’d disappeared from campus—the main reason Alex wanted to use the dean’s database.

  The database had direct access to the coven’s records. Records with information that might help her solve the case. And prove to Drake she had the skills to be a private investigator, not just his low-level admin person who answered the phones, ran errands, and filed paperwork.

  “He always finds out.” Paige had a tendency to ramble and repeat herself whenever she was anxious. “He’ll know I knew and ask me why I didn’t stop you; therefore, my death is imminent.”

  Alex frowned and shook her head. She had no idea why her friend was talking about death. Sure, her uncle could be scary, but he didn’t kill people. At least nobody she was aware of. “I think you’re overreacting.”

  “I’m not overreacting. Remember prom night?”

  “Paige, that was eight years ago, and we’re still alive. Besides, I’m sure Drake’s forgotten all about what happened to his car.”

  “Yeah, then explain why he pulls out his handcuffs every time I see him.”

  Alex snorted. “He does not.” She pressed the speaker icon, set the phone on the desk, and began typing on the computer keyboard.

  “Wait, a minute. Don’t the campus computers have password protection? Please tell me you’re not using magic to access the computer.”

  Paige’s you-better-not-be-doing-something-stupid expression manifested in Alex’s mind, and she winced. “No. I’m not using magic.”

  “Sorry. You know what I mean.”

  Alex understood her friend’s concern. She had to be the only witch in the entire city of Wicks Hollow who couldn’t control her magic, and Paige had been around to witness her failed attempts on more than one occasion.

  The first time she’d worked a spell was over fifteen years ago. She’d been thirteen at the time and set the bedroom curtains on fire. After that, she’d practiced for years, and the only spell she could manage with any amount of accuracy was lighting candles without a match.

  Alex hated being reminded about her magically challenged abilities or their disqualifying effect on obtaining membership in the local coven. It didn’t matter if she was born a full-blooded witch, the high council elders refused to accept anyone into their community if they couldn’t control their powers. “I do. That’s why I borrowed one of Chance’s hacking devices.”

  “You told Chance what you were doing? And he agreed to help?”

  “Uh, not really.” If she’d told her uncle’s supernatural expert what she’d planned to do, he would have blackmailed her into letting him come along.

  Paige groaned. “That’s just great. What happens when he discovers the device is missing?”

  Alex cringed. She hadn’t asked Aidan for permission to use the pick set either. She refused to worry about what her uncle’s employees would do to her if they found out. She’d have to make sure they didn’t.

  “Alex, I still think you should get out of there.”

  She typed another command, and the device bypassed the computer’s security. “Too late. I’m in. Give me a couple more minutes.” She disconnected the call in the middle of Paige’s grumbled protest.

  It didn’t take Alex long to run a search and find the files with the profiles for the missing women. She replaced Chance’s device with another flash drive, then typed the commands to copy the files. Curious to see what else the dean had stored on his computer, she skimmed through the rest of his files while the data saved to the drive. She noticed a file labeled Maine Magical Arts Museum-Stolen.

  The coven’s museum sat on the property next to the campus and housed an extensive co
llection of artifacts, some pieces relating to witchcraft and dating back centuries. A month ago, the museum had a break-in, and she remembered Drake telling her the main display, which was left untouched, was worth a lot of money. At the time, Alex thought it was strange the thieves only stole a few invaluable pieces. The local police thought the theft was a sorority prank or committed by local vandals.

  Intrigued by what might be in the file, yet running out of time, she saved a copy to her drive. After the files downloaded, she turned off the computer and grabbed the drive. Luckily, when she peeked into the hallway, it was still empty. She slipped out of the office, locked the door, and headed out of the building. Once outside, Alex turned the corner of the building and found her friend where she’d left her, hiding behind some bushes.

  Paige rocked back and forth on her feet and hugged her jacket tight against her chest to keep out the chill in the evening air. As soon as she saw Alex, she blew out a relieved sigh. “Did you get the information?” She stepped away from the building, the light from an overhead lamppost adding a glow to her blonde hair.

  Alex grinned and tapped her backpack. “Got it. I told you this would be easy.”

  “Great, all-wise and knowing super sleuth. Now, tell me how long it will take you to make it across campus?”

  “Why?”

  “Because you’re going to be late for class.”

  Crap, she was going to miss taking the final test to get her investigator’s license. She’d been so focused on getting into the dean’s computer, she’d lost track of time. Alex pulled out her cell to check the time. Six forty-five and class started at seven. She gave Paige a quick hug. “Thanks for the help. I’ll talk to you later.”

  She hitched the backpack over her shoulder and took off running.

  #

  Alex loved her tall black leather boots, but running on concrete in two-inch heels tortured the bottom of her feet. When the burn in her lungs felt as if her chest might explode, she slowed her pace and gulped in air.

  She checked the time again. With only seven minutes left, she was going to be late unless she cut through the park that ran along the south side of the campus.

  Up until two weeks ago, the shortcut had been popular with a lot of students. Then Gwen Montgomery disappeared. The woman’s friends told the police the last time they’d seen her it was shortly after sunset, and she’d been alone and heading for a class on the other side of the park. Afterward, the campus administration had issued warnings for all students to avoid entering the park after dark.

  Alex knew it wasn’t smart, but she didn’t have a choice. Not unless she wanted to miss class. The college only offered the after-hours private investigator licensing program twice a year. If she didn’t take the final test now, she’d have to wait another six months and take the training all over again, which clearly wasn’t an option. She inhaled deeply and swallowed back her fear before she changed her mind.

  She took a worn dirt path through a thick row of birch trees, thankful there was still enough daylight left to see where she was going. Within minutes, the trees ended, opening into a large and well-lit grass-covered area—a clearing marking the middle of the park. Alex walked to the nearest sidewalk and started running again.

  She hadn’t gone far when the lights in the overhead lampposts flickered, and she heard an irritating drone, a low hum like static electricity running through thick power cables. At first she thought the school might be experiencing a power surge. Then the hum grew louder. Its vibration beat against her eardrums. She stopped and clamped her hands over her ears. The lights flickered faster, blazed to a bright orange, then surged to a brilliant blue.

  Being a witch, she recognized the magical properties of the energy spiraling through the air and skimming along her skin. This wasn’t ordinary magic. The strong sulfuric smell prickling her nose and making her eyes water signified the worst kind of magic. Dark magic.

  She turned in a circle, scanned her surroundings, searching for the source. The droning noise thrummed louder, beat harder, reached a crescendo. And stopped.

  What the heck is going on? She removed her hands from her ears. The bulb in the light above her head exploded, bursting into hundreds of tiny razor-sharp shards. Shards with the ability to cut flesh.

  Alex screamed, her heart rate accelerating. She covered her head with her arms and ran toward the trees, ducking underneath the branches. One by one, the rest of the bulbs in the lamps along the walkway shattered and sprayed glass fragments everywhere.

  Darkness swept over the park. The only light was a distant haze peeking above the treetops from the other side of the campus.

  The logical part of her brain told her to leave before she ran into whoever was responsible. The curious part of her brain wanted to know what had happened, take samples, study, and dissect.

  Alex pulled out her phone and flipped on the flashlight app. Glass crunched underneath her heels as she headed back to the sidewalk. She unzipped her backpack, pulled out a half-full plastic bottle, and drained the water.

  She crouched to examine the glowing blue fragments. Ice-cold energy radiated from the glass, sending shivers across her flesh. Making sure none of the residual magic on the glass touched her skin, she carefully scooped several shards into the bottle, then secured the lid, and returned it to her bag.

  A tingling sensation slithered along the back of her neck, one of those creepy someone-is-watching-you kind of sensations. Adrenaline spiked through her, and fear gripped her heart like a tight fist. She clamped her lips together to hold back a scream and slowly got to her feet.

  Alex aimed the phone at the trees, splashing light into the shadows. Something snarled and moved between the trees. Something taller and much larger than a human. Something with glowing red eyes and, if she was seeing correctly, covered with fur. At first she thought it might be a shifter, but the few she knew always took on the shape of their animal.

  This creature, or whatever it was, moved with the stealth of a predator, and it wasn’t alone. She counted at least two more sets of bloodred orbs glaring at her from the darkness.

  She tried not to move, had trouble breathing, and struggled to remain calm. Over the last few months, she’d had plenty of training, everything from surveillance to firearms. Too bad none of the courses had covered what to do when stalked by unknown creatures in a life-threatening situation. Alex swore if she made it out of the park alive, she’d demand changes to the curriculum.

  She kept her eyes trained on the creatures and slowly slid her free hand along the side of the backpack until she found the handle of her dagger, a gift she’d received from her uncle. The chances of surviving an attack from one creature were slim. Taking on three—suicide.

  The nearest creature growled and grunted, followed by several deep, throaty noises. The other two snarled, their short gravelly grunts sounding as if they were answering the first one. They spread apart until they formed a half-circle, then moved toward her.

  A desperate cry tore from her lips as she withdrew the dagger, spun around, and dashed for the path leading through the trees on the opposite side of the clearing. Being chased by hell hounds made more sense to her in that moment than any other time she’d heard the saying.

  The air echoed with the sound of snapping twigs as they chased her, gaining ground, getting closer.

  When the path veered to the left, she kept going straight. She sprinted over bushes and dodged low-hanging tree branches. Pain pounded the bottom of her feet and jabbed into her ankles. She kept running, heading for the light, the buildings, and hopefully safety.

  Chapter Two

  The last rays of sunlight faded through the treetops, replaced by a chilly breeze. Mason Connor zipped his leather jacket and adjusted the collar closer to his neck. He might be part wolf, but Maine’s late-fall temperatures took some getting used to for an ex-cop who’d lived his life around the palm trees and sandy beaches of Miami.

  He was freezing his ass off because he owed Drake. He�
�d let his friend persuade him that a career change and a new start would help heal his emotional wounds. He still wasn’t convinced, yet he’d shown up willing to try anyway.

  He’d only been in Wicks Hollow for a week, and his new job at St. Claire Investigations didn’t officially start for three more days. He could be at the bar with the Friday-night crowd— probably should be. Instead, he’d shown up at the Kochran College campus to get a head start on his first case involving the disappearance of some local women, all witches.

  His cell phone rang and by the second ring, he had it out of his back pocket. Drake’s name appeared on the screen and he frowned as he answered. “Checking up on me?”

  “Not unless you think I should be.” There was a hint of concern in Drake’s voice.

  Somebody probably should, but he kept the thought to himself. “What’s going on?”

  “I wanted to see if you were having any luck or needed anything.”

  “So far all I’ve seen is a couple of wolf shifters making out”—not an image he was going to forget anytime soon—“some undergrads testing the medicinal purposes of potions, and a group of drama students reenacting a dueling scene with wooden swords.” Mason had spent the afternoon working his way around the thick-wooded perimeter of the entire park and wished he could tell his friend he needed help. At least then he’d feel like he’d made some progress on the case.

  Shifters had heightened senses, relying heavily on instincts. And his were telling him that something was troubling his new boss. “Is there a problem, anything else I should know about?”

  “I just got off the phone with the high council, and they’ve given us two days to find the missing women before they enforce a campus curfew and bring in extra security.”

  No surprise there. Francesca Anderson, the third witch who’d disappeared less than a week ago, was the daughter of a coven elder. Her powerful father wanted immediate action and was pressuring the council as well as Drake.