Chapter 1
Spirit Malefic
The moment the front door to our enchanted cottage shut—she was upon me.
Pinning me to the wall, my wife’s lips dropped to the curve of my neck as her touch gripped my waist. “The kids,” I murmured, pushing against her shoulders without conviction.
“They’ll burst back in at any moment, you know they will. ”
Alchemy grinned that wicked and dark smile of hers lighting my chest ablaze with desire. “I told them I saw white squirrel-finches down by the great willow tree. They’ll be occupied for a while.”
A giggle burst from my throat. “White squirrel-finches only live by the coast of your hometown, Night Gale.”
“That’s right.” Alchemy flashed a dastardly smile before dropping to nibble my collarbone. “Now, where were we.”
“The shadow is back,” I confessed abruptly in a small voice. The girls were frolicking in the fields, yet I still felt the need to whisper so they wouldn’t hear.
My wife paused and slowly met my gaze. “Still sequestered within your dreams?”
“No,” I answered. “This morning… it appeared in the garden. Small and quick… but I know what I saw. It’s coming—it’s coming for her, and I don’t know what to do.” Tears welled in my eyes.
My wife wrapped me in her warm embrace, allowing me to hide in the veil of her long, dark hair. “I will keep her safe,” she assured me. “I’ll keep all of you safe.”
My chest tightened. The shadowy visions had haunted my waking thoughts and my eerie nights for weeks. Each time our children had ventured outside, my throat constricted with anxiety.
“You’re hiding runes in their braids and stirring their soup counterclockwise.
Each night you sleep less than the last.” My wife wiped a tear from my cheek.
“If we were near the ocean, I’d string a siren’s shell around your neck to ease your worries and repel the darkness.
For now, however, accept the spell of my kiss…
” Her lips softly brushed mine. “And know that I will employ every ounce of strength and sea-witchery within my bones to protect you and our daughters.”
“Until our last breath,” I whispered the vows of our wedding rite, kissing her softly.
Alchemy smiled against me, the smell of saltwater and sun enchanting my senses. “Until our last breath and then after,” she finished the vow.
“Promise?”
“I promise, Spirit.” My wife tucked my hair behind my ear. “No matter the darkness that plagues us, no matter the forces of evil that seem drawn to our beings… with every spark of ether within my driftwood bones, I swear to you, Rumor and Prism will be safe… always.”
“No matter what?” My plea, my hope… lie to me one more time, Alchemy.
“No matter what.”