Read Online No More Black Magic by A. L. Kessler - Free Book Online Page B

take all my magic at once, didn’t it?”
    “Yes and I’m not sure how you survived it, but tonight we cleanse you of this hex and scrub your aura.”
    Sounded like horror day at the spa, but it had to happen. No matter how we did this, it would be less painful than the hex. So I hoped. I let her lead me to the clearing and I knew the moment that I walked into the circle. I also knew that somewhere there was a physically drawn circle that hadn’t been closed yet, but the magic was still there and growing. They would close the circle when everyone was here and we were ready to begin. From the looks of it, we were the last to arrive.
    Three men and two women stood talking amongst themselves, but they all stopped and turned towards me the moment I walked into the clearing. Clarissa left my side to join them. They reminded me of judges waiting to give me my final fate. I bowed my head in respect. I understood they were helping me and even if I didn’t like them and they didn’t like me, I owed them for this.
    I knew all but one of the women. Sean, Jack, and Richard were the men, the one woman was Sonya, and the unknown one was an older woman. They all wore long black cloaks as was tradition for formal events. Despite what books say, we all normally dress like most humans. I knew by memory that Jack had brown hair and eyes to match, and was the shortest of the three men. Richard had cropped blond hair, was a retired marine, and built like a tank. Sonya’s bobbed blond hair bounced around her chin as she moved away from them men and around the circle.
    Sean walked up to me, his gray eyes and brown hair were easy to see in the flickering light of the fire on the edge of the clearing. He smiled at me. “You look more and more like your mother each year.”
    I tried not to flinch at the mention of my mother. He didn’t look old enough to remember my parents, but I knew he was. “Thank you.” I gave a small smile. “I fear her legacy is what has brought me here.” I didn’t know how much they knew about my parent’s work. I was never comfortable talking about it, because I knew there were those who did not agree with it.
    “The hex is the doing of the Cult of Ra, or as they call themselves the coven of Ra. You’re too young to be mixed up in such a mess.” The unknown woman came up to me and tried to hug me. Her green eyes were crinkled in the corners, giving away her advanced in age. I couldn’t tell what color her hair was between the firelight and her hood covering most of it. A chill went through me the moment she reached for me.
    I took a step back. “Forgive me, I’m wary of strangers.”
    “If you came to our gatherings, you’d know me. My name is Michele.” She held a hand out. “I was your father’s research partner.”
    I shook her hand and then glared at Clarissa. How dare she not tell me? I didn’t care if my face showed my emotions. “Nice to meet you, that doesn’t mean you can hug me though.” I pulled my hand away from the handshake a bit too quickly.
    “You have to understand,” Clarissa interrupted. “She was raised by a vampire, she’s not fond of being touched and cuddled.”
    That made it sound like it was Levi’s fault. “Levi had never raised a child, he did the best he could. He also taught me to be cautious.” I smiled. “It’s been a great survival skill.”
    “Of course.” Michele smiled. “Shall we get this hex off you?” There was something in her voice. I didn’t know her well enough to place it, but I was willing to bet I had hit some sort of button with her.
    I nodded and touched the pentagram around my neck.
    “You can keep that on, but the clothes go. Lay down in the middle of the circle and close your eyes.”
    I took a deep breath and tried not to think about the people around me. I knew this wasn’t sexual, it was ritual. The earth grounded us, made us closer to Mother Earth and the Goddess. It was the easiest way to reset ourselves. Normally, walking