Trial by Fire (Covencraft Book 1) (36 page)

“Prove it,” she challenged.

He made a
tsk-tsk
sound. “You’ll never buy the cow if I give away the milk for free.” He tapped her on the nose. “I’ll let you stew on that for a while. Don’t worry, I’ll be back.” He straightened and took a step away from her. “Or you can always call me. Anytime.”

He shimmered and vanished, leaving behind his scent, clinging to her clothes, to her skin. She stared at the space where he’d just been, thinking.

Callie poked her head around the corner, blonde hair swinging. “Hey, who you talking to?” she asked, eyes wide and innocent.

“No one. Myself,” Jade muttered, finally looking away from where Seth had been and up at Callie.

Callie gave her a fond look. “You know what they say about talking to yourself?”

“That it’s fine as long as you don’t answer back?”

Callie laughed. “That too. But I was gonna say that it usually means it’s time for a coffee break. Henri just texted me. He wants to go to Crema. It’s happy hour in twenty minutes and that means half-price coffee. You in?”

“Yeah,” she said closing her book and her laptop. She looked up at Callie’s smiling face. “I’m in.”

She tried to push Seth’s words from her head as she followed Callie out of the library, listening to her bright voice telling her about the upcoming Coven Ball, but she was only half listening. Her brain was stuck on what Seth said, about what he’d implied. About how far she’d be willing to go to find out.

What if I told you all about Lily?

“Jade!” Callie said, standing outside the Covenstead, staring at where Jade was stopped still, staring into space. Callie shook her head at her. “What’s got you so pre-occupied?”

Jade shook her head and faked a smile, one of her best. “Text Henri if we beat him there, he’s paying.”

She tried to concentrate on Callie’s sharp laughter, warm and bright and not the chill that settled in her chest.

You think she’s your secret. But I’ll tell you something. I’ve got a bigger one about you both.

The cold feeling settled deep in her stomach. Jade wondered how long she could hold out against a statement with that much promise.

* * *

Continue the story in
Counterhex
, the thrilling sequel! Available worldwide.

When a hex falls upon the coven, affecting all witches but her, Jade feels downright ostracized. She knows who’s responsible but can’t prove it. What’s worse, trying to help only threatens her already scant number of friends. Can she control her own burgeoning magic and counter-hex the spell? Should she even try to aid a coven of witches who don't trust her?

Author Information

Margarita Gakis
loves the art, creativity and romanticism of storytelling. Sometimes, however, the act of putting pen to paper proves challenging, elusive. She develops genuine, relatable characters who grow in the hearts of her readers. From that foundation, the stories flourish into a warm friend.

She enjoys pursuits which blur the lines between the analytical and creative sides of her brain. This includes her day job in electronic data management, where she uses her creativity to solve logical problems, and also her lessons learning to play the cello, where she finds beauty in the structure of music and the instrument. She believes there is a place for both logic and imagination to work together. When they do, the results are magical.

Margarita has a special spot in her heart for dogs and lives with three of them. It can be a little overwhelming but the quality snuggle time makes up for it.

She lives in Calgary, Alberta with her family. You can keep up with her at
FablePress.com
or at
http://margaritagakis.wordpress.com