The Sacrifice

The Sacrifice

Evangeline Anderson

KINDLE EDITION

* * * * *

PUBLISHED BY:

Evangeline
Anderson on Kindle

The Sacrifice

Copyright ©
2012 by Evangeline Anderson

Kindle Edition License Notes

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Author's Note--
I realize everyone is waiting for the next
Kindred novel, Exiled, and I promise I am working on it right now and hope to
have it out this fall of 2012. In the mean time, I hope you enjoy The
Sacrifice. Please don't pirate and hugs and happy reading to all!

Evangeline

Chapter One

“So what are you wearing to the Glen tonight?” Lexy sounds thrilled,
as though she can’t wait to offer herself up as a sex slave . Or maybe she’s
excited about offering
me
. Since I’m finally twice eleven, (twenty-two
in regular, non-witchy language,) I am finally eligible to be chosen as the
Sacrifice. Not that the Sovereign would pick me, but still, it’s a coming of
age rite.

“I don’t know…” I sigh and lean against the counter displaying
some of our most potent magical herbs. The dry, fragrant scent of them fills
the air around us, so much that sometimes I think I smell it in my sleep. This
shop, The Witch’s Brew, has been in our family for generations and I’m the
general manager. Not because I
want
to be but because I really don’t
have much of a choice.

“Come on, Emma—you must have
something
picked out. You’re
twice eleven now.” Lexy swishes her long auburn hair over one shoulder, still sounding
excited.

“I don’t see why I have to come at all, let alone get all dressed
up,” I grumble. “It’s not like I’ll ever get chosen.” Not that I
want
to
be chosen, of course—no one does. Being the Bloodlust Sacrifice for the Sovereign
of the Tampa Bay supernatural community is considered a deep honor—but it’s
also a hassle and a pain in the neck. And I do mean that literally—the Sovereign
is a vampire.

“You don’t know that—you
might
be chosen.” But Lexy sounds
doubtful. “I mean, you’re a member of an ancient family with a powerful magical
lineage,” she continues, obviously trying to be upbeat. “Your mom was the head
of the coven until—”

“Please, don’t.” I hold up a hand to stop her.

“Sorry.” Lexy looks contrite. She knows I don’t like discussing my
mother. She died in a house fire when I was only eight but the memories are
painful and I still miss her every day. “Anyway,” Lexy goes on, “I’m just
trying to say you
do
have a chance.”

“Right,” I snort disdainfully. “Lexy, I have
no
chance—I’m
a
dud
.”

Lexy puts one perfectly manicured hand on her slender hip. “Don’t
call yourself that, Emma!”

“Why not? It’s the truth.” A 'dud' is a person from a magical
family with no magic of their own. That description fits me to a T. After my
mother’s untimely death, I went to live with my aunt and cousins, of which Lexy
is my favorite. We were all about the same age and as we grew, my cousins all
began to exhibit signs of magical skill. Me, I exhibited nothing. Nada. Zip. Zero.
Zilch. Then when puberty hit us all, one by one, their powers grew. The onset
of menarche is a powerful time for a witch. A time when her hair and eyes take
their true and lasting shade and she comes into her own magically and physically.

All of my cousins came through puberty beautifully. Lexy, Trissa,
and Delilah each have flaming red hair and brilliant green eyes. They’re all
tall and slender and gorgeous—every supernatural creature with a penis within a
hundred mile radius is attracted to their beauty and magic. A fact that Lexy
and her sisters take full advantage of. In fact, Delilah, the most delectable
of the three, even specializes in sex magic. Making love with a lot of
different men isn’t looked down upon in the witch’s matrilineal society—it’s
more like a status symbol. Lexy and Trissa are a bit more sedate but not
much—they always have a date or three lined up for Friday night.

And then there’s me.

Puberty was not kind to Emma Krist. It didn't seem to matter how
ancient my lineage or how powerful my mother was, the whole legacy just passed
me by. All I have to show for my passage to womanhood is mousy brown hair,
muddy hazel eyes, and debilitating menstrual cramps every time my period rolls
around. Not to mention that I never got the tall, slender figures my cousins
inherited. Instead, I’m short and curvy—way too curvy, unfortunately, with big
boobs and even bigger hips. Add that to my lack of magic and the males of the
supernatural community aren’t exactly beating down my door. Or any other males
either, for that matter.

“Don’t be so hard on yourself,” Lexy says, frowning. “You’re
beautiful, Emma, and you’ll come into your power eventually. I know you will.”

“Yeah, right,” I mumble. “And until then, I’ll just keep minding
the shop while the rest of you actually practice the craft.”

“You don’t have to stay here, you know,” she points out. “You
could get a job in the human world if you wanted to.”

I’m planning on doing just that, actually. I’m getting a degree in
Herbology and Botany, taking classes at night whenever I can. But I’ve still
got a few years to go before I graduate so, in the meantime, the family shop is
my best option. Besides, somebody has to run it and it would be a waste to have
a real witch tending the shop when she could be out practicing the craft.

“I’ll be fine,” I say, wanting to change the subject. “Anyway,
what are
you
wearing?”

“A sexy sheer little something I picked up at the last festival.”
Lexy gives me a coquettish smile. “Guaranteed to get Alex’s attention and
keep
it.” Alex is the alpha wolf she’s been flirting with for the past few
months. She’ll probably get him during the Sacrifice Ceremony but knowing Lexy,
once she has what she wants, she’ll lose interest and move on to the next
interesting male. “So what are
you
wearing?” Lexy demands, returning to
her original question. “Something sexy, I hope.”

Actually, I plan on wearing a nice long black skirt and a long
sleeved silk shirt to go with it. Not very sexy and not very cool, considering
the Florida heat, but black is slenderizing and the long skirt and sleeves will
cover a multitude of sins. I can’t tell Lexy that, of course—she’ll have a fit.
So I just shrug vaguely. “I’ve got something picked out at home—it’s no big
deal.”

“Of course it’s a big deal—it’s your twice eleven!”

“I don’t know why you’re so excited,” I grouse. “It’s bound to be
the same as always. The Sovereign will chose one of the fairy girls because
they’re the prettiest and sexiest and their blood is the most potent. Then
everyone else will pair off and the whole thing will become one long orgy.”

“Will you
listen
to yourself?” Lexy shakes her head in
exasperation. “I’m telling you, it’s going to be different this year. Don’t
forget, there’s a new Sovereign ascending.”

“So?” I shrug. “He’s still going to be a vampire. What’s the
difference?”

“The difference is that he’s younger—only a little over a hundred,
and you know that’s not very old where vamps are concerned. Plus, everyone is
saying he’s into some pretty kinky stuff.”

I raise my eyebrows. “Kinky how?”

“You know,” Lexy says mysteriously. “Whips and chains and bondage.
Apparently he has unusual ways of taking blood and power. And he
fucks
like a bull.” She sighs. “I wouldn’t really want to be chosen but if I was…”

“If you were, you’d be stuck being some vamp’s sex toy for an
entire year,” I point out acidly. “Not to mention his personal blood bank.
Ugh.”

“It’s not so bad being bitten—if the vamp does it right.” Lexy
frowns at me. “Don’t tell me you’ve never done a vamp before.”

I shake my head. “Nope, sorry. Not interested.” Actually, my
closely guarded secret is that I’ve never ‘done’ anyone before. I’m a virgin—a
big no-no for a witch, who is supposed to use sex to augment her power. But
since I don’t have any power to augment in the first place, it’s really not a
big deal. Well, except to my ego but what can I do? As I said before, the guys
aren’t exactly knocking down my front door. And though I could probably hook up
with a human guy for a one night stand, I don’t want to lose it like that.
Somehow I can’t take sex as casually as Lexy and my other cousins—I want it to
mean
something. Which is stupid, I know, but I can’t help the way I feel.

“Well maybe tonight is your night,” Lexy says, interrupting my
inner pity party. “I happen to know of a really hot vamp who says he likes your
type.”

I narrow my eyes at her. “Are you trying to set me up again?”

“Well,
somebody’s
got to,” Lexy huffs. “It’s for your own
good, Emma. A witch needs company, you know.” Which is a nice way of saying she
needs regular screwing.

“No thanks. Not this witch.” I shake my head firmly. The last time
I let Lexy send me on a blind date, the guy she picked up turned out to be a horny
werewolf on a full moon night. I barely escaped with my virginity and my panties
intact.

“Emma,” she begins but I override her.

“I’m only going tonight because I
have
to go,” I tell her.
“If I wasn’t required by supernatural law to be there, I’d skip it and stay
home to watch a Gilmore Girls marathon.”

“Oh, you…” Lexy throws up her hands. “Sometimes I don’t know what
to do with you, Emma.”

“Just love me,” I said, giving her a winning smile. “And let me
live my life the way I want to.”

“
Never
,” she declares. “If I did that, you’d go on being
frumpy and lonely forever. I’m determined to transform you.”

“And just how do you plan to do that?” I put a hand on my hip.

“You’ll see,” Lexy trills. “I’ll be at your apartment around six
thirty to pick you up.”

“But the ceremony doesn’t start until eight,” I point out.

“So? We’ll hang out. We haven’t had any good cousin time in ages.”

“Just hanging out? That’s all you’re planning?” I’m very
suspicious of this—Lexy always has an ulterior motive.

Lexy gives me a wide-eyed glance that’s just a little too
innocent. “Of course. And also—”

But whatever else she was going to say is interrupted when the
string of chimes hung over the door tinkle a musical warning. Someone is coming
into the shop. A customer—time to be professional.

“I’ll see you tonight,” I tell Lexy.

“See you tonight.” She blows me a kiss and heads toward the door.

As Lexy is leaving, the customer is coming in. They brush
shoulders and Lexy stops to lift her eyebrows suggestively at me behind his
back. I make a quick shooing motion and point to the door. Now isn’t the time
to flirt. She giggles and leaves, the chimes tinkling a second time as she
flits gracefully through the door.

I put on my best 'I’m a professional witch' face and look up at
the customer…and up and up. He’s tall—at least six foot five, which makes my
own rather diminutive five four seem even shorter. He’s also handsome—all chiseled
features, dark hair and broad shoulders. He’s even got one of those little
clefts in his chin and some sexy stubble to go with it. No wonder Lexy was
making eyes at me behind his back. On his right hand he wears a heavy gold ring
with a strangely carved black stone. Onyx, maybe?
I’m not sure. But I do
know there’s something about him—a muted power I can feel thrumming in the air
around him. I’m sure he’s a supernatural being but I can’t place what kind,
exactly.

I get a chance to study him because he’s perusing a handwritten
list, staring at it fiercely as though he’d like to burn a hole in it with his
eyes.

“Yes, sir?” I say at last, when he continues to just stand there,
looking at the list. “Can I help you?”

“I certainly hope so,” he snaps. “That
is
why I came here.”
He’s wearing an expensive charcoal suit with a crisp white shirt and a solid
red silk tie that looks like it cost more than my car. When he looks up, his
eyes are cool gray, reminding me of a winter twilight.

Rich asshole,
I think, but don’t say. “All right then,” I murmur smoothly. “If
you’ll just tell me what kind of spell you’re trying to work—”

“These are the herbs I need,” he interrupts me, going back to the
list. “Mugwort, serpentavia root, yarrow, rosemary—”

“Wait a minute.” I hold up a hand to stop him. “Do you need them
fresh or dried?”