Crypt Read online

  CRYPT

  OF WITCHES AND DEMONS 3

  LACEY WEATHERFORD

  Crypt

  Of Witches and Demons 3

  Copyright © 2016 Moonstruck Media

  and Lacey Weatherford

  Edited by Weathergirls Editing & Proofreading

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

  Published by

  Moonstruck Media, LLC.

  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 eBook and print.

  CONTENTS

  Free eBooks

  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

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Chapter 38

  Chapter 39

  Chapter 40

  Chapter 41

  Epilogue

  Free eBooks

  Books by Lacey Weatherford

  About the Author

  FREE EBOOKS

  Get this reader-loved rockstar/friends-to-lovers romance story, Suicide Notes, for FREE when you sign up for Lacey’s email list. Stay in the know with upcoming release dates, sneak peeks, teasers, appearances, signings, and more at: www.LaceyWeatherford.com

  * * *

  (*Trigger warning: This story starts with the discovery of a family member/best friend who’s committed suicide.)

  For Kysee,

  Thanks for being my daughter, friend, and storyline coconspirator. I love and appreciate you so much!

  * * *

  For Tamara,

  Thanks for being my cheerleader when I’ve needed it. You rock, my friend. I appreciate your support. Love you!

  1

  Kenna-

  * * *

  It was so dark I couldn’t get my bearings. All my senses were on alert as I tried to figure out where I was being held captive. Gingerly, I probed my mind before risking an attempt at moving my fingers. They responded instantly to my command, and I sighed. Thankfully, I didn’t appear to be possessed by my not-so-lovely ghost friend, Dee Dee, anymore.

  Waves of discomfort washed over me as I remembered the strange sensation of having someone else in control of my body. I shivered, feeling like I needed a good scrubbing from the inside out. It was as if some kind of sticky residue from her still inked around every cell.

  Shifting, I held my hand out, trying to call my magic, but nothing happened. I must’ve been drugged with something, but what?

  “Seth?” I called, my voice sounding raspy. I needed a drink of water. When there was no answer, I tried again a bit louder. “Seth?”

  The only sound was that of my own breath. Worry for him filled my heart.

  Closing my eyes, I saw images of Rowan’s sword being driven through Jett’s chest horrifically in my mind. I couldn’t help the tears that slipped out nor the soft gulping sob that escaped.

  “Jett,” I croaked. The name sounded so broken on my lips, just like he was now.

  Jett was dead. My beautiful husband was gone after just one glorious day together.

  I tried to remember it all now, the room he’d created for us in the cave, the way he’d looked at me, the way he’d touched me. My fingers drifted to my lips, brushing them as I recalled him doing the same. I needed to keep every precious second we’d spent on our honeymoon night alive in my heart. Not one moment could slip from my grasp. These memories were all that was left of him. They had to last me a lifetime.

  Sorrow overwhelmed me, and I wept for my loss, curling into a ball. I didn’t know how to go on without Jett. Even breathing without him hurt too much. I should’ve been by his side and tried to protect him better.

  My tears fell to the earthen floor beneath me, and I lightly grasped at the dirt, wishing I could claw my way out of wherever I was. Escape should’ve been my priority, even though my battered heart simply wanted to lay here and die. It was time to find Seth, though. I couldn’t leave him in the clutches of my evil grandpa, Damien.

  Slowly, I sat up and began crawling on the floor as I felt around me with my hands. It wasn’t long before I encountered a set of bars. Groaning, I stood, following them up as high as possible, unable to connect with the top. Next, I moved to the right, grasping one bar after another, until I was reasonably sure I’d made a square. I was in a cage, a cell of some sort in a larger room.

  So far, I wasn’t caring for my grandfather’s hospitality, not that I expected much better from him. My parents had told me of horrible things he’d done to them in the past. I also knew about his sick obsession with my mother, Portia. She’d been his prisoner before me. At least I knew my dad, Vance, had her now. They were together again, but she’d been unconscious when I found her. What awful things happened to her while she was possibly imprisoned here?

  I didn’t want to think about that.

  Slumping to the floor, I leaned against the cold bars.

  “Seth?” I called again, hoping he was nearby. I listened intently, but there wasn’t even a rustle. “I hope you’re okay,” I said aloud. I may have chosen Jett, but Seth held a considerable chunk of my heart. It hadn’t been an easy choice, and I didn’t want him harmed.

  For now, it appeared there was nothing to do but wait. Even though I dreaded it, I hoped my captor wouldn’t take too long to make an appearance. I had a lot of questions for my undeserving grandpa.

  Closing my eyes, I began replaying the reel of my life with Jett in my head, from the moment we first met until the end. When it was over, I started it again. I treasured every moment and emotion he’d made me feel, from anger and irritation to confusion, happiness, love, ecstasy, and completion. He’d made me feel more alive than anyone I’d ever known.

  When the memories ran out, I started them over again, reliving and replaying every second until sleep finally claimed me and dried my tears.

  “Kenna?”

  “Jett?” I mumbled groggily, his face floating above me with a smile.

  “Kenna?” he said more urgently.

  Instantly, my eyes popped open, only to be met with darkness.

  “Kenna?”

  Brushing my tangled hair from my face, I blinked several times, trying to grasp reality.

  “Seth?” I aske
d, my heart rate suddenly increasing. I heard an audible sigh in the darkness.

  “Oh, thank god. You’re here. I can’t see a damn thing, and my magic isn’t working.” Frustration was evident in his voice.

  I couldn’t help the tears that sprang into my eyes. Overwhelming relief filled me, just hearing Seth’s voice. “Are you okay otherwise?”

  “Near as I can tell. I have some achy joints and muscles.”

  “Well, you were pushed down a flight of stairs.”

  A grumble sounded. “About that. I don’t think I like your grandpa very much. He seems like an ass.”

  “That would be a compliment compared to the things my dad has told me about him.”

  “I assume it’s wishful thinking to hope that you’ve somehow been able to connect with Vance through your shared mental connection?”

  Actually, I hadn’t tried since previously being possessed by Dee Dee, my thoughts being hung up on the loss of Jett instead.

  Dad? I said internally, concentrating all my energy on him. Holding my breath, I waited. Dad? Can you hear me?

  Nothing.

  Sighing heavily, I slumped back against the bars of my new home. “Sorry. Either something is blocking us, or he’s just as incapacitated as we are somewhere.”

  “Don’t say that,” Seth replied.

  “Why?” I asked, confused at his meaning.

  “Because if Vance Mangum is alive and well, nothing will stop him from moving heaven and earth to find you. Right now, he’s all we’ve got.”

  “I’m sorry, Seth. I didn’t mean for you to get dragged into this mess.”

  “You didn’t force me into anything. If anyone is to blame for me being here, it’s Jett.”

  “Stop,” I said before he could go further. “Please. I just can’t do this.”

  Seth shifted, and suddenly his voice sounded closer. “Forgive me, Kenna. I’m upset about what’s happened to him. He was my best friend, but at the same time, that just makes his betrayal worse.”

  “Then, you have to hate me, too.” Sadness filled my heart. “I chose to go—and to handfast with him.”

  A moment of silence floated between us before he replied. “I could never hate you, Kenna. Was I hurt? Yes. Incredibly. Did I want to hunt Jett down and beat him to a pulp? Maybe. But that being said, I would’ve done the same thing if it had gotten you safely away from Rowan’s castle. He saw a way to get you out and did it. Your escape allowed the rest of us to get away during the confusion.”

  “How’d you find us?” I asked.

  “Initially, the bond between Jett and me pointed us in the right direction, but my connection was suddenly severed once we’d managed to escape. I don’t know how Rowan has the power to interfere with that, but it just stopped. After that, we just continued toward the initial direction I’d felt you in, with Rowan pursuing us the whole time.”

  His words made me pause. “So, did you know. . .” I wasn’t sure how to phrase the rest of my question without hurting him.

  “I knew enough,” he answered, anticipating my meaning. “But if you’re asking if it was like I was in the room with you, then no, thank god. It was bad enough as it was.”

  “Please believe I never wanted to hurt you. Neither did Jett. We even spoke about it, and what he hoped might happen when he saw you again. He wanted your forgiveness and understanding—your friendship.”

  It was quiet for a moment. “Jett had my understanding from the start. He earned my forgiveness when he gave his life fighting for yours. As far as friendship, it would’ve been tough to stay around and watch the two of you go on living your life together. I would’ve always considered him my brother, but I don’t think we’d have been able to be friends. Not like we were, at least. I’d be too . . . jealous.”

  I took a deep breath, dragged my knees to my chest, and hugged them tightly. “Well, none of that matters anymore, I guess.” A wobbly sob escaped me as a batch of fresh tears hit me.

  “Kenna.” Seth groaned. “Come here.”

  I chuckled. “I don’t know where you are, and I’m in a cage.”

  “Just follow my voice. I’m in a cage too, but maybe we can reach each other.”

  Slowly, I crawled in that direction.

  “I’m sticking my hand through the bars near the floor,” he encouraged me.

  “Okay,” I replied, hoping I could reach out enough to touch him.

  “Ouch!” he said suddenly, then chuckled. “I think you’re kneeling on my hand.”

  What? Were we simply separated by a set of bars? “Seth?” I gasped reaching through the barrier. Instantly, he enveloped me in his embrace, and I slipped my arms through to hug him as tightly as possible.

  Unable to hold back the hysterical crying, I let the floodgates loose. “I’m sorry,” I hiccuped out. “I’m so sorry.”

  “Just let it go, Kenna. Get it all out.”

  Resting my head against the bars, I wished I could lay it against his shoulder. “I’m broken inside. I love Jett so much. I don’t know how I’m going to live without him.” I hated myself for having to tell these things to Seth, of all people. I knew my words hurt him. “I just can’t believe he’s gone.”

  “I love him too,” Seth said. His warm breath brushed the hair near my forehead. His grip tightened, and he rubbed my back. I didn’t care that we were both smashed against the bars. I needed this contact so badly. “I’m sorry, Kenna.”

  “We both loved him,” I said, stating the obvious but knowing Seth probably needed as much comfort as I did. He’d known Jett and been close with him much longer than I had. “You lost your best friend. I hate that.”

  “Me too,” he whispered. “But at least I still have my other best friend.”

  It took a minute for his meaning to sink in. He meant me, and I needed his friendship now more than ever. “You still want to be my friend?” I asked in a shaky voice.

  A strangled laugh escaped him. “Of course, I do. You mean everything to me. Kenna, I’d die to protect you.”

  “No!” I practically shouted. Releasing my grip on him, I jerked my arms back through the bars before readjusting them to the sides of his face. I stared where I assumed his eyes were. “No one dies! You hear me, Seth? I can’t lose you, too. We both get out of this mess alive. There will be no more dying. If I lost you both, I wouldn’t be able to breathe. I can’t live in a world where neither of you exists. Do you understand?” Panic filled me as I waited for his reply.

  He simply nodded, letting me feel his answer. I heard him gulp then. “I still love you, Kenna. I know you probably don’t want to hear that, but I do.”

  Sighing, I let my hands fall to his shoulders as I rested my head against the bars. His words were such a betrayal to Jett’s memory, but so were my feelings for Seth. Just because I’d chosen Jett didn’t mean my affection for Seth had ceased to exist. It was still there but buried under a mountain of pain—a mountain of pain I wasn’t sure I’d ever be able to dig my way through.

  “I know you love me, Seth.” I couldn’t say the words back to him, even though the emotion was there. I was too wrapped up in the loss of Jett. “But I need time to mourn. Honestly, I don’t know if there will ever be enough time for me to get over losing him. Right now, I just need you to be here for me. Damn, that sounds so greedy. I’m here for you too, of course. Whatever you need.” I let my hands drop down the bars to his and squeezed them both. “I hope you understand.”

  “I do. You take all the time you feel is necessary. Just know I’ll always be here for you.”

  He was still the same old Seth, always gracious and giving when it came to my needs. I hated that I couldn’t give him more.

  Glancing around the darkness, I changed the subject. “I wonder how much time we actually have. I’m sure my grandpa has something terrible planned for us if history is to be relied on.”

  Seth squeezed my hands tighter. “Don’t lose that famous Mangum resolve already. I have every intention of escaping this place.”

>   I couldn’t reply because the knot in my throat was too big. Just like that, I’d gone from being Kenna Blackstone back to Kenna Mangum. I was a widow.

  My heart was crushed to dust.

  2

  Seth-

  * * *

  Kenna was asleep. Even though I couldn’t see her, I could hear her breathing, deep and even. She still held my hand between the bars of our cells as if she were terrified I might disappear if she let go. I understood how she felt. It was the same for me.

  She shifted, curling her fingers tighter around mine. “Jett,” she whispered in the most mournful sounding tone. Even dreaming didn’t allow her to escape this awful reality. I squeezed her reassuringly, wanting to offer some kind of comfort. If I’d been the one to die, I was positive Jett would’ve consoled her over my loss. I’d do the same for him.

  My insides twisted painfully, a constant dull ache seeming to have taken residence inside me. Jett and I may not have always seen eye to eye, especially when it came to Kenna, but I loved him like the brother I never had. I couldn’t imagine a life without his snarky, overbearing presence.

  A small snort escaped me as memories of the two of us flitted through my mind. Jett was an asshole most of the time, but that’s what made him so fun. He didn’t care what anyone else thought of him—at least he hadn’t until he met Kenna. She transformed him completely, from dickwad to lovesick puppy. I chuckled again. Kenna had him eating out her hand from day one—hell, minute one. Not that I could blame him. She’d done the same to me.