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  Blood Bound

  Book of Shadows 5

  Lacey Weatherford

  Blood Bound

  Book of Shadows Series

  Book Five

  Copyright 2019 Lacey Weatherford

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

  Published by Moonstruck Media, LLC.

  Edited by Weathergirls Editing and Proofreading

  Smashwords Edition

  Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.

  This book is available in both print and ebook formats.

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  He's the bad boy partier with a really BIG secret. She's the talented girl with BIG dreams for the future. Neither of them wants a relationship. But sometimes fate has a different plan.

  Full of teen angst, love, humor, drama, jealousy, drug dealers, even a murder . . . a lot more is going on in the halls of this high school than meets the eye.

  * * *

  The Crush Series is a #1 International and USA Today bestseller, published in multiple languages. Join our mailing list to get your FREE copies of the first two books in the series today!

  Author's Note

  Book of Shadows is a companion series to the #1 Bestselling Paranormal series, Of Witches and Warlocks. It's the same storyline of events but told from the main character perspective, and reader favorite character nominee, Vance Mangum. While this follows the same line of events in the previous books, there will also be unique new chapters, scenes, situations, and dialogue, that the reader hasn't seen in Of Witches and Warlocks, making both series a distinctive and exciting look into this magical world. You can continue the Of Witches and Warlocks and Book of Shadows storyline in the sequel series, Of Witches and Demons, book one, Craft. Both Of Witches and Warlocks and Book of Shadows can stand entirely on their own. You do not have to be familiar with one to read the other.

  For all the friends, family, and readers who've stuck by me through thick and thin, no matter what. You are the kind of people who make the world a wonderful place to live in. It's when times are tough that genuine people shine and the truth in hearts is revealed.

  * * *

  Unconditional love never ends. It conquers all demons!

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Epilogue

  ###

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  Books by Lacey Weatherford

  About the Author

  1

  Something was really wrong. I knew it the second my eyes popped open, and I dragged a deep breath in. I couldn't move, feeling restrained, but when I tried to look, my head wouldn't obey the command.

  A dark ceiling soared high above, and I realized I was in a cave. The light inside cast strange, flickering shadows over the uneven stones, and the heavy smell of wax suggested it was coming from candles.

  Calling on my magic, there was a slight fizzling feeling and then nothing. Experiencing a moment of panic, I couldn't get my powers to respond, similar to the sensation I had when the demon imposter posing as my mom tried to change me.

  Licking my dry lips, I didn't even have enough saliva to wet them. How long had I been out of it? Memories of my rampage outside the mansion danced through my mind, as well as the very last moment. I couldn't have seen my dad. It was impossible. Still, his face was the only clue I had.

  “Dad?” I croaked out, the word sounding both soft and strained.

  “Welcome back, son!” he replied, the familiar voice drifted over me, and I swore goosebumps rose over my skin despite my frozen state. Footfalls sounded as he came closer.

  “Let me go!” I demanded. “Portia's in danger. I need to go get her.”

  “Don't worry about your pretty wife. I've already seen to her needs for you.”

  The idea of him even touching her sent the creeps through me. “Where is she?' I demanded.

  She's fine,” Damien replied in his silky, smooth voice. “She's lying on the bed over there.”

  Instantly, my head was freed from his hold so I could turn it. Beyond my dad, Portia lay unmoving. Even in the dim lighting, I could tell she looked dirty, her body covered in black streaks and her hair tangled and messy.

  My heart rate increased dramatically. “What have you done to her?” I asked, afraid to hear the answer.

  “I saved her life from that asinine demon coven of yours. You need to be careful of the company you choose to keep. She'd be dead if I hadn't arrived.”

  I swallowed thickly. “I'd have been there to protect her myself if you hadn't interfered in the first place.” He didn't say anything, so I continued, pretty sure I didn't want to know more. “What happened?”

  “Well, I'm not exactly caught up on all the names of everyone involved, but the leader—”

  “Mayla,” I interrupted him.

  “Yes, Mayla. She called a meeting in your house, setting Portia up as bait.” He gave a strange laugh. “That is one delusional woman.”

  “I was discovering that,” I replied wryly, not that I was in any less psychotic hands now.

  “You're lucky I stepped in, or you might be off having sex with her in a field of crazy as we speak.

  I snorted. “I wouldn't touch her with a ten-foot pole.”

  “Are you sure about that? How do you know you haven't slept with her already?”

  “Because I know me and my vows to Portia. I would never break those!” I snapped.

  “Mayla was playing you for a fool, son. She's been drugging you with food, blood, her touch, even the incense she lights in a room. You've been persuaded to do all kinds of things you might not normally do. Hell, even I almost succumbed to her delusions during the ritual.”

  “Ritual? What ritual?” Apparently, I was missing some critical facts to this story.

  “The one where you were supposed to sacrifice Portia's life. I fought her magic hard, but still managed to draw blood on Portia's throat with a knife before I came out of it.”

  “You cut Portia?' I thundered, everything in my vision going red, signaling the return of my demon eyes. At least those still worked. Oddly, I felt relieved.

  “Be grateful that I did. It was the scent of her blood that brought me back to reality. I might have killed her otherwise.”

  “How come you were even part of the ritual? Mayla isn't very trusting.”

  “Sh
e thought I was you.”

  I glanced at him with disdain. “We don't resemble each other that much.”

  My dad grinned. “Sometimes we do.” In the blink of an eye, I was staring at myself where my father had been one moment before.

  What the hell? “How are you doing this?” I managed to ask, feeling more than dumbfounded.

  A shimmer filled the air, and he looked like himself again. Good, because I was flippin' creeped out right now.

  “I've acquired a few new tricks since we've last seen each other. This one came in handy since it allowed me to take your place and kill everyone before they realized what was going on.”

  “Everyone?” I asked, my eyes going wide, and he nodded.

  “You are the only member of that coven left. The rest were killed or perished in the fire.”

  “What fire?” I was so confused right now. Nothing was making sense.

  “I kind of burned your mansion down after I threw some fireballs around. Sorry.”

  I must be dreaming. “Fire isn't your natural magic.”

  “I performed a demon kiss on you, right before I killed you.”

  “What?” I could feel my face draining of color. Was this why I couldn't call my magic? Was it gone forever?

  “Don't worry. All is well. You still have your magic, and you're alive again. I just had to try a little experimentation on you.”

  “How is that even possible?” I asked, iciness crawling through my veins.

  He shrugged. “I'm not sure, actually. You and I seem to share something genetic that allows us to reanimate with full powers, regardless of what happens to us.”

  “Well, that's going to make my killing you a bit more difficult.”

  He laughed heartily. “I suppose it will.”

  “How'd you figure this out?” I asked, needing to pump him for as much information as possible.

  He sighed. “After you killed me in Las Vegas, Sean sent a tactical team to gather my remains. I was kept frozen in an underground, concrete vault, and used for study by the government, in Area 51, no less. It looked like a normal graveyard from the top, but the massive headstone moved to conceal the opening. There were many other headstones there, making me wonder if they all contain test subjects.”

  My brows shot up. “Are you serious?”

  He laughed and nodded. “I am. Near as I can tell, someone must've cut themselves and got blood on my corpse. It had to be a witch for it to start the reanimation process, I would think. Unless I just started regenerating on my own. I was unconscious for all that, so what I know is from retesting things on you and getting the same results.”

  “What?” I could feel my blood boil.

  “Apparently, you and I can reanimate. It takes only a small amount of blood to do so, but even without the blood, regeneration can occur, but it takes much longer. Months, or even years, I would imagine. And for reasons I can't explain, we regenerate with our full powers intact.”

  “I can't call my magic. Trust me, I've been trying this whole time.”

  He chuckled. “That's because I'm trying a new binding serum out on you and Portia right now. It seems to be working pretty good so far.”

  I hated this man. “Leave Portia out of this,” I growled, clenching my teeth.

  “I wouldn't dream of harming her, son. I love her too.”

  Rage flowed through me. “You are one sick bastard. Go find someone your own age.”

  “There's no one else out there who excites me the way she does. She’s quite the unique witch, you realize.”

  “You touch her, and I'll kill you!”

  “I'll just come back again,” he replied smugly.

  “And I'll kill you again, no matter how many times it takes.”

  “You can't stop me. I could go have my way with her right now, and you wouldn't be able to do a damn thing about it.”

  Nausea flowed through me. “Don't touch her. I mean it!”

  An evil grin crossed his face. “How do you know I haven't had her already?” He glanced across the room. “Her sweet body is so luscious, spread out nice for the taking.”

  “I'm not kidding. I will rip you to shreds, piece by piece.”

  “You could try, but you wouldn't succeed. I may have neglected to tell you that Mayla inadvertently gave me The Awakening during her ritual.”

  I felt the color drain from my face. “What? How is that even possible?”

  He glanced at his nails and shrugged. “I had your blood running through my veins.”

  “My blood is tainted now. The Awakening goes to the purest white witch.”

  “Yes, but you forget that The Awakening already belonged to you before your conversion was complete. It recognized you as the owner. You cannot lose the power unless you're dead. While you were hidden away and unconscious, it recognized your blood inside me and bonded with it.”

  This was bad. So, so bad. “But you said Portia was there. The Awakening had split and gone into both of us before. Did it go back into her again?” I was frantic for the answer, hoping, on the one hand, she did have it to protect her and knowing on the other that meant she could outlive me by thousands of years. Once again, my dad was messing with my life and my girl.

  Rage so intense billowed through me that I felt my magic suddenly activate. I shifted beneath the restraints and was rewarded with a moment of fear on my father's face. He grabbed a needle off a tray next to me. “Time to go back to sleep,” he said, jabbing me hard in the neck.

  “I will kill you!” I promised weakly, but all I heard was his laughter as I drifted off again.

  Over and over, he tortured and taunted me. Sucking my powers, killing me in a variety of ways, and bringing me back with drops of Portia's blood, testing how long it took for me to reanimate. I hated waking up each time, knowing he'd devised some type of new agony to experiment on me with.

  My only salvation was seeing Portia laying in the same place, hair and clothing unchanged, seemingly untouched. I hoped that meant he wasn't doing anything to her other than harvesting her blood. She had to be drugged or functioning on a diminished blood supply to stay asleep the way she was. She looked pale, but Damien wouldn't elaborate on her condition, other than to say she was alive. I often caught him staring at her with hunger and longing, and it made me sick. I needed help. We needed help.

  I wondered where Sean and the others were now. Did they know my dad was back wreaking vengeance? Or did they think we'd died in this fire Damien spoke of? There were so many ways he could've covered his trail.

  I'd lost track of time long ago. I had no idea if hours or days had passed. Truthfully, it felt like years. Sometimes I'd notice my father was wearing different clothing. Other times I was in too much pain to see anything. I'd been stabbed, poked, prodded, even had my arm cut off at one point, but somehow, I always ended up back together, looking as whole and unscarred as before. Damien was like a serial killer on steroids, and for the moment, I was his only victim. He got off on his extreme torture of me, joy written on his face. He was making me pay for everything I'd done to him.

  Mayla's words about him being a loving demon father came back to me, and I snorted derisively. I was glad he killed her. I hoped she suffered. It served her right for championing him since this man was nothing but evil incarnate. Most witches didn't believe in Satan, but they were wrong. My dad was the devil himself. The better I knew him, the worse he became. How had I never realized what he was when I was a child? I heard my parents fighting, but never questioned his love for me. I was the dumbest warlock around, unable to see what had been staring me in the face all along.

  I knew Portia was really out of it when my screams didn't rouse her. I started fearing that maybe she was actually dead and being preserved somehow. Regretfully, I started wishing she was, just to keep her from being tormented like this. But there was no gnawing ache inside me like I'd experienced in past separations, suggesting she was still very much alive. I didn't know if that made me feel relieved or terrified. I cou
ldn't let him hurt her.

  I wasn't afraid that he'd torture her like me. I was scared he'd rape her, knowing that would destroy both of us at the same time, so I did my best to keep his focus on me instead. I'd take it all if it meant she'd survive this without him forcing himself on her.

  Just the thought made me feel ill, and I gagged, needing to vomit. This was the worst kind of perdition. I looked forward to the moments when death finally overtook me, just to have some blessed relief. I struggled to make some kind of plan for escape when I was coherent but couldn't focus enough to get things together. I was a puppet, dancing on the end of the strings Damien had me tied to.

  There was no way out. I was living—and repeatedly dying—in this hell.

  2

  The smell of her blood overwhelmed me. Gasping, I sat up, grabbing Portia and dragging her to me. My teeth elongated, and I bit her.

  Sweet, delicious blood welled into my mouth, laden with incredible power. I drank with relish, knowing the truth with every swallow. My unanswered question was now revealed.

  Portia had The Awakening again. It meant I couldn't kill her, and I was glad for that because I was going to need every drop of her blood to regenerate from the hellish torture I'd been going through.