Witch For Hire (Witch For Hire 1)

Ancestors be with me as I cast this circle

Grant me protection and power

Lend me your blessing

Guardians of the North, Element of Earth, I call upon thee I light the green candle with a thought and turn.

Guardians of the East, Element of Air

I light the essence. The sweet smell of sandalwood begins to fill the air.

Guardians of the South, Element of Fire

I light a red candle.

Guardians of the West, Element of Water

I warm the bottle in the bowl, feeling the connection to the four elements flowing through me. I slowly spin three times.

Bless this circle and keep me protected

No unwanted entities are allowed here

No harm can come to me

The circle is cast, so mote it be

A hum sounds as the protection locks into place, a barrier between me and the unknown.

I kneel and draw a smaller circle. Stepping out, I write lesser entity in the grass with the tip of my anthame and stand.

“Now it will be confined here, and we’ll benefit from the protective circle I originally created,” I explain, answering their inquisitive looks. I raise my hand in the air and picture a shadowy figure.

“Come … Come …” I push

out pulses of power with my words. Just like with fishing, I feel a jerk as I get a bite. “Come,” I command, and something obeys. A swirling black mass appears in the circle.

“I offer you blood in exchange for information. Do you accept?”

“Yes.” The disembodies voice is masculine and growly.

“Someone came to you seeking power recently. What can you tell me about them?”

“A lot of people come here for that.”

“I know you remember this one. They would’ve had a specific request, the ability to have power over vampires.”

The mass appears to grow more agitated. “Oh yes, that one had ambition.”

“What can you tell me about him or her?”

“She. Aren’t females always the deadliest of the species? It’s their ambitions. It makes their souls taste so sweet when devoured.” The pleasure in the voice is enough to turn a stomach.

“What did she look like?”

“Humans, so vain.” The censure is almost amusing. If I was incorporeal, I wouldn’t get the hype about a body either. “Too much and I ruin the game. Older. Hungry, so hungry. We liked that.” My stomach rolls. It wants the damage to be done. Even now it’s fighting to stay vague because it craves carnage.

“Malnourished?” I ask, trying to think like a being who may have never been human. It’s like figuring out a puzzle.