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  Witch’s Mark

  Willow Harbor - Book 7

  Sarra Cannon

  Dead River Books

  Copyright © 2018 by Sarra Cannon

  ©2018 Cover Art by Najla Qamber Designs

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  * * *

  Visit Sarra Cannon on the web at sarracannon.com

  Created with Vellum

  Welcome To Willow Harbor

  Strange Neighbors. Hidden Desires. Small Town Charm.

  * * *

  Come stay awhile…

  One

  Anna

  “Are you sure you don’t want to stay here tonight?” Gran asked, her wrinkled face tense with worry. “I don’t mind cooking for everyone. And I can make your favorite. Zucchini pasta with homemade tomato sauce. Oh, and I made carrot cake cupcakes for dessert.”

  I’d made it a point to stop rolling my eyes once I’d gotten past the age of seventeen, but she was testing me tonight.

  “I’m sure, Gran.” I leaned down and kissed her weathered cheek. “Lucy’s already gotten everything ready over at her place tonight. Stop fussing over me. It’s just one night out.”

  She sighed and wrung her hands together.

  “I know,” she said. “But you can’t blame me for wanting to spend your birthday with you. I can’t believe you’re already turning twenty-one. My sweet girl.”

  Tears glistened in her eyes, threatening to spill over her cheeks. I seriously needed to get out of there before she convinced me to stay out of sheer guilt.

  “Please don’t cry,” I said, taking her hand in mine and giving it a squeeze. “We can celebrate tomorrow night, I promise.”

  She nodded and sniffed, and I appreciated the fact that she was at least trying not to cry. But still, the fact that she was this upset and sentimental about me going over to a friend’s house for a few hours was enough to drive me insane.

  I really needed to get an apartment of my own, but it was episodes like this that had kept me here, despite a desperate desire to have my own space.

  Granny Tillman was good at a lot of things, but guilt was her specialty.

  I gave her one last hug and grabbed my purse and keys from the table in the entryway. Freedom was so close, I could almost taste it.

  “I’ve got to run,” I said. “I don’t want to be late. Lucy said she had something really special planned tonight.”

  Concern flashed across Gran’s face, so I counteracted it by pretending to be completely not excited about anything special that may or may not be happening somewhere that wasn’t here.

  I shrugged and wiped the excitement from my expression.

  “I mean, you know Lucy,” I said. “Special for her probably means she attempted to burn pizza again. I’m sure it will be an otherwise ordinary, safe evening.”

  “I’m sure it will be lovely,” she said. “Have I told you how beautiful you are? And how proud I am of you? If only your mother were here to see you.”

  The tears threatened to spill down her cheeks, and now, with the sudden mention of my mother’s absence, there were tears forming in my own eyes.

  God, I wished she could have been here, too.

  I hardly remembered my mother, anymore, and I would have given anything in the world to have her here with me now to celebrate this birthday.

  But she was gone. And I promised myself I wouldn’t dwell on it. Not today.

  “Thank you, Gran,” I said, kissing her cheek one more time. “I love you.”

  I ran toward the door before she could voice another protest.

  “Please be careful, Anna,” she called after me. “And call me if you think you might be home after eleven.”

  I bit my lower lip to keep from arguing with her. I was officially twenty-one, and she still treated me like I was a teenager with a strict curfew.

  “Save me a cupcake,” I shouted back as I threw open the door and stepped out into the freedom of the warm summer air.

  I climbed into my beat-up old Civic and waved as I pulled onto the long dirt-road driveway that led back toward the town of Willow Harbor, the place where I’d lived since I was four years old.

  The place I was sure I would never be free of, no matter how hard I tried.

  When I was out of view of the farm house’s front porch, I stepped on the gas, pushing the car as hard as it would go. As I sped toward Lucy’s house, I really hoped she had something planned other than a safe and ordinary evening.

  I was in the mood for something wild.

  “You can’t wear that,” Lucy said when she opened the door. The frown on her tanned face as she studied my outfit said it all. “I said to look fabulous. This—” she motioned toward my floral, floor-length skirt and white tank top, “--is not fabulous. This is everyday country.”

  “Nice to see you, too,” I muttered, pushing her aside.

  Lucy had been my very best friend since high school, and I’d given up trying to match her in the beauty department a long time ago. She had long honey-colored hair that was thick and perfectly straight down her back.

  Her dark brown eyes seemed to be infused with gold when she smiled, and don’t even get me started on her perfect skin. As a selkie, Lucy always looked like she’d just stepped off the beach.

  The fact that she’d also moved into a house with two of our other closest friends wasn’t exactly making me feel fabulous tonight. I usually didn’t spend so much time comparing myself to my friends, but Lucy’s tight, black dress and perfectly-applied smoky eye were making me want to crawl into a hole and hide.

  How did someone who had spent the first ten years of her life in the ocean learn how to do her makeup like that?

  “Where are Padma and Roni?” I asked.

  “Still getting dressed,” Lucy said. “Come on, we need to get you into something less farm girl.”

  “Hey.” I half-heartedly protested as she grabbed my wrist and pulled me down the long hallway toward her bedroom.

  I’d been a farm girl my entire life, and as much as I wanted to travel more, I really did love my life. I loved getting my hands dirty and watching the crops flourish under my love and care.

  If I had a little bit more freedom to do things the way I wanted or to get out a little bit more often, my life would be perfect. I had hoped that hitting this adult milestone of the big two-one would make Gran loosen the reins a little bit, but so far, it wasn’t looking good.

  We passed the door to the bathroom, and I waved to Padma and Roni, Lucy’s other two roommates, and our two closest friends besides each other. They stood in front of the mirror, each applying more makeup than I’d seen them wear in ages.

  My excitement level kicked up a notch. Where, exactly, were we going tonight?

  “Happy birthday,” Roni shouted, her short, blonde hair bouncing against her shoulders.

  “There you are,” Padma said in a sing-song voice. “You ready to party?”

  Lucy didn’t give me time to answer, but I did manage to note the matching slinky black dresses on both my other friends. I’d thought we were just going to cook and hang out here at the house for a few hours. Maybe get crazy and crack open a bottle of vodka or something.

  My friends weren’t dressed for hanging out here at the house, but I couldn’t think
of a single place here in Willow Harbor that called for tight black dresses on a random Wednesday night.

  That’s when my gaze landed on the equally slinky black and silver dress laid out on Lucy’s bed with a pair of high heels and silver hoop earrings.

  My mouth went dry, and my hands tensed into fists, clutching at my long skirt.

  “Wait a second, Lucy, you don’t expect me to—”

  Lucy grabbed both my shoulders and forced me to stare into her eyes.

  “I expect you to have the most amazing night of your life,” she said. “And since you put me in charge of planning your birthday celebration, that means you have to do whatever it is I ask you to do.”

  My face tensed. “I don’t think that’s what it means.”

  She ignored my protest. “I am your best friend in the whole entire world, and I think I know better than anyone what it is you need on your birthday,” she said. “So put your trust in my expert party abilities and get changed. You have ten minutes.”

  She turned me toward the dress and gave me a subtle shove.

  I flipped around, ready to tell her there was no way I was fitting my wide hips inside that tight dress, but before I could get a single word out of my mouth, she was already gone.

  And I was alone with the dress.

  Just looking at it made my stomach tighten into knots.

  Besides the fact that Gran would probably kill me if she caught me wearing it, I was terrified of anyone else actually seeing me in it.

  I took a deep breath and tried to calm the ridiculous beating of my heart. How many times had I said I wanted to take some risks for a change? Go wild for a night?

  Well, here was my chance staring me in the face.

  Maybe Lucy was right.

  Maybe it was time responsible, farm-girl Anna Tillman had some fun and let loose for a change.

  Besides, it was just one night.

  What kind of trouble could I possibly get into in a town where everyone knows everyone?

  Two

  Slade

  I watched the blonde on the dance floor, careful not to make it too obvious I was watching her. It was dark enough in the club that I doubt she could see me here in the shadows, anyway.

  I kept to myself at the end of the bar, only sipping my drink as I let my eyes wander across the entire room, but my attention was never far from the petite woman dancing with her friends like she’d never been so free in her life.

  I’d overheard one of her friends—Lucy, I think—talking about their plans to surprise Anna with a night of fun by bringing her here tonight, and I seized it as the perfect opportunity to “accidentally” bump into her.

  So far, though, she hadn’t left her little group once all night.

  She was tucked in so close to them, it was impossible to approach them without being obvious or sticking out like a sore thumb. I needed to find a way to make our meeting seem natural, and purely coincidental.

  It was her, though. I was sure of it.

  I’d been searching for her so long, I could hardly believe I’d finally found her. Elisha would be pleased with me, and maybe this time, I would be free.

  One last job, and I would be done with the Disciples of Light forever.

  “You want another drink?” the bartender asked, nodding toward my empty glass.

  He was a tall man with eyes that seemed to glow yellow in the half-light near the bar. Some trick of the light? Or was he different, like me?

  I probably shouldn’t have a second one, but I felt like celebrating tonight. Besides, the more relaxed I appeared when I finally introduced myself to Anna, the better.

  She absolutely couldn’t find out that I’d come here for her.

  I’d come too far to mess this up now.

  “Why not?” I said, sliding my glass toward the dark-haired man behind the bar.

  He was a shifter, if I had to guess, but I couldn’t quite put my thumb on what kind. There were so many supernaturals in this small town, it was hard to distinguish one person’s energy from another.

  Especially in a crowded bar like this.

  From what I could tell so far, Willow Harbor didn’t have a lot of party spots. A coffee shop, some beach-themed stores along the Boardwalk, an antique store, a bookstore. A few restaurants here and there, but I hadn’t noticed any big dance clubs or places where an outsider like me could hang around without getting looks.

  I hadn’t even noticed this place at all until I heard Lucy mention it. It took some asking around before someone finally pointed me in the right direction.

  The Veil.

  The only dance club in town, as far as I could tell, and a well-kept secret, even from some of the locals who’d been around a while.

  As a matter of fact, this whole town seemed to be locals. It didn’t seem that they got a lot of tourists, despite it being a beach town in the middle of summer.

  But I’d been travelling up and down the coast for the past few weeks, searching for a needle in a haystack. In fact, I hadn’t even meant to end up in Willow Harbor at all. It wasn't on the map anywhere that I could find, but my GPS had messed up somewhere just outside the city limits, and I’d found this place entirely by accident.

  Or fate.

  Anna was my Holy Grail. She was my ticket to freedom, and I had finally found her.

  She excused herself and headed toward the restrooms.

  It was the first time she’d left her friends all night, and I wasn't about to waste the opportunity to get her alone.

  I thanked the bartender for the drink and threw a twenty on the bar.

  The restrooms were located down a darker hallway near the back of the bar, just off to one side of the dance floor. I made my way down the hallway, staying far enough back that Anna wouldn’t notice me or suspect she was being followed.

  After she disappeared inside, I positioned myself just right at the end of the hallway and waited.

  A few minutes later, the door to the bathroom opened and heels clacked against the tiled floor. I didn’t have to look back at her to know her exact location. I could sense her energy. One of my many gifts.

  Just as she stepped forward, I moved in front of her. She ran smack into my back, causing me to dump my whiskey down the front of my shirt. A perfect accident.

  “Oh my goodness, I’m so sorry,” Anna said, her hand flying up to her mouth to hide her nervous giggle. “I must not have been watching where I was going. Are you okay?”

  I laughed and met her eyes.

  “Nothing a new shirt won’t cure,” I said, turning on my most charming smile and staring deeply into her eyes.

  She smiled, and I realized for the first time just how pure and genuine her smiles were. I’d spent so much of my life around people who faked happiness and contentment that I recognized the real thing immediately.

  A pang of regret passed through me, but I refused to let it take hold.

  This was a job. Nothing more.

  Anna walked over to a nearby table and grabbed a handful of napkins. She started to move toward me, but then laughed and handed the wad of napkins over to me.

  “Sorry, I guess you are fully capable of cleaning yourself up,” she said.

  I patted at my shirt, but I didn’t take my eyes off hers.

  “Thanks,” I said. “It was my fault, anyway. I must have stepped right in front of you.”

  “Oh, I’m always being clumsy,” she said with a shake of her head. “Are you staying at the inn here in town? I don’t think I’ve seen you around before.”

  “Don’t get many visitors here in Willow Harbor, do you?” I asked.

  “Is it that obvious?” she asked with a laugh that rose over the thundering music with a song of its own.

  “Ever since I got here, people have been either staring at me or asking questions,” I said. “It’s a little unnerving.”

  “And how did a newcomer like you find out about this place?” she asked. “I’ve been here almost my entire life, and I had never even heard
about The Veil.”

  “So that’s why everyone in here is shooting me daggers with their eyes,” I said, careful to dodge the question.

  She looked around and wrinkled her nose.

  “You can’t take that personally,” she said. “Most of us have been here since we were born. Outsiders are rare, and everyone around here is very curious.”

  “I can tell,” I said. “And yes, I’m staying at the inn. That seems to be the only real place to stay.”

  She smiled again, her eyes lighting up. “So, you’ve met the Finnygoods,” she said. “I’m sure they had their fair share of questions for you.”

  “You can’t imagine,” I said, casually leaning against the wall and blocking her view of the dance floor. The longer I could keep her here, the better. I turned up the charm. “I thought I was going to have to tell them my whole life story before they’d rent me a room for the month.”

  “Month?” she asked, both eyebrows raised. “That’s a pretty long vacation.”

  “Oh, I’m here on business,” I said. “But if I had known how beautiful it was around here in the summer, I would have brought my bathing suit and a snorkel.”

  She laughed. “Nothing a quick trip to Wicked Fun Surf Shop out on the Boardwalk wouldn’t cure,” she said, mimicking my own words from earlier. “My friend Lucy runs it with her brother. I could maybe get you a discount.”

  “I’ll have to check it out,” I said. “I wouldn’t mind spending some time out on the beach, to be honest. I’d never even seen the ocean until last month, and I’ve never even let my feet hit the sand.”

  I wasn't even sure where that admission had come from or why I’d bothered telling her something true about myself, but it had simply come out naturally. Maybe it was that second drink flowing through my system, but I felt totally at-ease with her.