The Accidental Invitation (The Chronicles of the Accidental Witch Book 2) Read online

  THE ACCIDENTAL INVITATION

  THE CHRONICLES OF THE ACCIDENTAL WITCH, Volume 2

  Gemma Perfect

  Published by Gemma Perfect, 2020.

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  THE ACCIDENTAL INVITATION (THE CHRONICLES OF THE ACCIDENTAL WITCH, #3)

  Ellis

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  Copyright © 2019 by Gemma Perfect

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  All rights reserved.

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  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.

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  Cover design by: http://covers.bzndesignstudios.com

  Ellis

  Gradually the table empties until it’s just me and Fletcher. He smiles at me, tracing the line of my cut with his finger, again. “That will fade,” he says. I shrug – it’s kind of the least of my worries.

  My worries are the same as his – supernatural creatures who want to kill us – but I’m still trying to wrap my head around the supernatural creatures bit, never mind the ‘want to kill us’ bit.

  Fletcher has known his whole life long that he’s a witch and that vampires, shifters and fairies exist.

  This is news to me.

  And now I am a witch – I have magic and visions and abilities I’m sure I don’t even know about yet. To say that life has changed in the last few days is an understatement.

  But despite almost dying – more than once – and despite my parents and Isaac being put in danger, and despite my sad and boring life being turned on its head, I am weirdly and deliciously happy.

  My stomach is churning in the most delightful way and it’s because of Fletcher.

  His face is inches from mine, and I could lean in and kiss him so easily and, while I’m a bit mad at myself for falling for his charms, I really can’t help it.

  Everyone fancies Fletcher. I never did. I was so annoyed by his easy handsomeness, his effortless good looking-ness, his gorgeous smile and floppy hair. But now I’ve caught up. I can see what everyone else sees.

  And I’ve shared my first kiss with him. Not his first kiss – life’s not that perfect – but still, it’s me he’s kissing now and not Sally.

  My toes curl with the loveliness of it all. And then my heart pounds with a bit of fear as I remember almost dying – and joy as I remember how tightly he has to hold on to me when we are flying.

  He takes my hand, and weirdly, a wave of sadness and worry hits me. I’m no match for Sally, she is glossy and shiny and beautiful – like an advert for teenage vitamins or something.

  Me, on the other hand, well, I only started washing properly and brushing my teeth again last week. I know my reasons for falling apart are legitimate. My best friend Molly dying, while expected, hit me like a bullet. I honestly wasn’t sure if I would ever recover. Now that I know I can live without her, and I’ve seen her – thanks to Fletcher – I feel better.

  And I’m mortified at how grotty I let myself become.

  And that’s what I feel nervous about with Fletcher. Nobody has ever fancied me, unless you count a boy called Neil who bought me a plastic rose in a box for Valentine’s day when I was about nine.

  I don’t count Neil.

  I’m punching way above my weight here and it’s making me feel nervous. I want to question Fletcher, but I also don’t want to point out my flaws. Maybe he genuinely hasn’t noticed them yet.

  I mean, we’ve been through some trauma here. That brings people together, doesn’t it?

  He leans in to kiss me and I refuse to let my fears stop me from kissing him back. His lips are soft and insistent against mine, and I’m melting. White noise is filling my head and I can’t think of anything except him... us... our kiss.

  We break apart and I could cry. Can I live the rest of my life just kissing him?

  Probably not.

  And then I can’t stop myself: “Why are you kissing me? What do you see in me?”

  He rests his forehead on mine, and when he pulls back, he’s smiling. “Ellis, have you ever met somebody and known they would be important to you, even before you even knew why or how?”

  It’s like he’s read my mind. This is exactly how I feel about him. I nod.

  He looks confused. “Who?’

  “You.”

  He laughs and kisses my cheek. “Exactly. That’s how I feel about you. I don’t know you, but I feel like I’m meant to know you.”

  And then the insecurities come crashing out. “But look at Sally and look at me.”

  He looks confused again, bless him. Can he really not tell the difference between her and me?

  I sigh. I’ve ripped off the plaster – why not pour a little salt in the wound? “Fletcher. You are the best looking boy in college. Every girl wants to go out with you. You could pick any of them. All of them. You’ve kissed Sally. Why me?”

  He leans in and kisses me very firmly on the mouth. “Why not?”

  I shrug. I can think of too many reasons, but I’m not going to embarrass myself and go into detail.

  “Ellis, I like you. I think you’re pretty. I want to kiss you. Don’t you want me to?”

  “Of course I do, but-” Go on girl – rub it in! “You’re way out of my league.”

  “Says who? Ellis, don’t be so hard on yourself.”

  I am silent. I feel a bit sick now. Why did I spoil it? Why did I have to rip off the plaster? Ellis – if a good looking boy is enjoying kissing you, don’t ask him why! Don’t interrupt him! And don’t let him stop!

  The moment has passed. He looks a little hurt and a little confused, and I feel stupid and unappreciative – ungrateful and very un-Sally-ish.

  Thankfully before the silence smothers me, Elodie pokes her head in the room. “Time for bed. We’ve got a busy day tomorrow. Ellis, I’ve checked on your family and they’re fine. The house is protected, and I think we can all relax. At least for the night.”

  Before Fletcher can say anything, and before I can put him off any more than I already have, I kiss his cheek and say goodnight to him. He calls after me, but tears are swimming in my eyes and so I rush up to his bedroom and close the door behind me.

  This is when I miss Molly the most; she was so good with boys! She always knew what to do and what to say, and she’d have given me a kick in the backside for that little performance downstairs.

  I wipe my eyes and undress, snuggling into his bed and imagining his lips on mine again. Then I cry some more. I have so little clue with boys, I’ve probably driven him away before we’ve even properly started.

  And yet what I said to him is completely true: I know he’s going to be important in my life, I feel like I’m meant to be here, a
s an accidental witch, with him. Maybe Thomas was even supposed to steal my chocolate bar so that Fletcher could bring it home to me.

  And now I’m pushing him away because I don’t feel pretty enough. That’s pretty sad. And pathetic. And very, very me.

  I close my eyes, determined to at least try to sleep, and then I hear the door open and close again. “Ellis.” It’s Fletcher, whispering my name.

  I sit up and pull the covers up to my chin. “What?” I try not to sound grumpy. I don’t think I quite manage it.

  He sits on his bed, facing me, touches my cheek with his thumb. I close my eyes. I can feel tears pooling. Great.

  He wipes my tears. “Ellis, you’re right, loads of girls say they fancy me.”

  Big head.

  “And loads of girls ask me out.”

  Really?

  “But do you know what I think when they ask me out? Why? Why me? Just like you asked me downstairs. These girls don’t know me, or talk to me, or like me. It’s just because I’m a witch – because I find everything easy and have this air of... something. Like the twins. All the boys fancy them and they’re horrible.”

  I laugh. He’s right there.

  “I like you. I did feel sorry for you when Thomas took your chocolate bar, but when I came to your house, I felt something: a connection, or chemistry; I don’t know.” He shakes his head. “Ellis, I sound like a dick, here. Help me out! Do you know what I mean? Or do I just sound stupid?”

  I shake my head. He doesn’t sound stupid. He sounds lush and I know he’s talking sense. I know half the girls in college who mooned around after him, had never even spoke to him. He could have been the biggest idiot in the world and all they saw was the floppy hair, which I kind of get. Now.

  I also know that fancying someone isn’t just about how good looking they are – it is chemistry. It’s connection. It’s personality. It’s how you gel.

  “I know what you mean. I don’t think you sound stupid.”

  He leans in and we’re kissing again and this time I don’t interrupt him or try to talk sense into him or make him change his mind. I sink into the kiss, into his body, into his arms around me, and I forget that maybe I’m too plain for him, and maybe he’s too good looking for me and I just melt.

  1

  “Out!” Elodie stands with her hands on her hips, a frown on her face, eyebrows raised, and Fletcher does as he’s told. He quickly kisses Ellis one more time and leaves her in his bed.

  “I was just kissing her goodnight.”

  Elodie rolls her eyes. “Fletcher – we are in the middle of the biggest catastrophe, the worst thing we’ve ever faced as a species since we were all burned at the stake, and you’re kissing?”

  “Sorry mam. I just really like her.”

  “As much as you liked Sally?”

  “More.”

  She reaches up and pats his head. “Well, rein your hormones in. We’ve got work to do. Tomorrow is going to be tricky and we need everyone to be on the ball.”

  “I will, Mam. Good night.”

  He tucks under a blanket on the sofa and is smiling as he falls asleep.

  Next morning, they are all up early, serious and sober around the table. They are soon joined by Sally and her parents, Jane and David.

  Elodie bangs on the table, calling them all to attention. The silence is instant; nobody has forgotten how horrific things were yesterday – how many people died. “First things first, Mya has been on the phone and the council don’t want to meet here. Their words: they’d rather meet on neutral territory.”

  “What does that even mean? We should be the ones feeling distrust, not them.”

  “True. But I agreed. I had no choice.”

  Griff scratches his beard. “Where? Scotland?”

  “Yes. The Laird’s farm.”

  They all nod, many of them have been there.

  “Is it a trap?”

  Elodie smooths down her apron. “It might be, but I don’t think we should go there with that attitude.”

  Ember tuts and Elodie turns to her sister. “What? We’ve never had troubles before. We’ve never had problems with the different species before. And, okay, so this group has been killing us, but we don’t know if this group is acting independently of their species, or if what they’re doing is secretly condoned. We just don’t know.”

  “So we should assume the worst. Elodie, you haven’t seen how murderous they’ve been.”

  “Because I knew nothing about them. Not my fault.”

  “Hundreds of witches – thousands – are dead.”

  “I know. And I know how sneaky they’ve been. I know they’ve been under the radar up until now, and now things are different. They’ve declared war. We need to see if they’re on their own, or if they have the backing of their species. And I can’t see any other way than to do it their way.”

  “If they start something, you know we’ll win anyway. Magic always wins, in a fair fight.” Griff says, slurping on his coffee.

  “Is it a fair fight if magic always wins?” Fletcher grins at Griff and takes a croissant off the plate in the middle of the table. He’s sitting next to Ellis, his new favourite place to be, and he’s wrapped his leg around hers under the table.

  “Maybe not, but it’s true.”

  “Unless they shoot you in the back.”

  “Talia!”

  She puts her hands up. “What? It’s true.”

  “They have been killing witches stealthily – making most of the deaths look like accidents. They wouldn’t have wanted to raise suspicions. They definitely haven’t been shooting people in the back.”

  “But they might now. Now that it’s all out in the open.”

  “We have no idea, and speculating is just upsetting. And while I’m on the topic of upsetting things, I don’t like having to admonish any of you after what you went through yesterday, but the way you left the safe house, the way you ignored our instructions, and the way you all put Ellis in danger was unacceptable, and must never happen again. She is too important to all of us.”

  Ellis blushes and stares at the table, feeling all eyes on her.

  Elodie brushes her apron down, removing non-existent crumbs. “Now, how long until we’re all ready to go?”

  Nobody needs much time, but they all disperse to get themselves sorted. Ellis stays at the table with Fletcher. “Will you need to fly with me again?”

  He nods and she smiles at him.

  “I’m scared about this. The council won’t like me, will they?”

  “They won’t like what’s happened, but it’s not your fault.”

  “Do you think it’ll end badly. Are we in danger?”

  He shrugs, and then rubs his hands through his hair, before putting a hand over hers. “I have no idea. I hope not.”

  “How many people are in this council thing, anyway?”

  “Altogether there are twelve. Three from each species, an odd number in each, in case they need to vote.”

  “And we have no idea if they know about this rebellion?”

  “No idea. I don’t think they can do. I don’t see why it would have been such a secret if everyone knew. They could have joined forces, openly, and killed us off much easier and quicker.”

  “Maybe they didn’t want to attract human attention. And if they got found out they could deny all knowledge?”

  He nods, a serious look on his face. “You’re right. I have no idea. Are we heading into more danger? Worse danger than yesterday? I hope not. I’ll do everything I can to keep you safe.”

  “Thank you. I’ll do everything I can to keep you safe, too.”

  He smiles and then rests his forehead on hers. “Thank you. Let’s hope we don’t have to do anything.”

  They sit quietly, foreheads touching, until they are joined by the rest.

  “Ready?” Elodie asks, her nerves evident in her expression. They all look the same way: pale, drawn, serious and sombre. They have no idea what they are heading into, but they have
no choice but to go.

  There has been some debate as to whether the youngsters should be accompanying the grownups, with Griff having the final word, for once. “They almost died yesterday. The council needs to hear them. And they’ll want to meet Ellis.”

  Sally’s parents are staying behind; they aren’t council members. They’ll wait with the other witches, the ones who already know about the rebellion and have fought in it. If they are needed for a rescue mission or anything else, Elodie will let them know.

  They congregate by the door while Ember and Griff check that the outside is safe. They aren’t going to take any risks after what happened yesterday. They are all on high alert, with additional protections in place.

  Ember nods at her sister, and they all head outside. As soon as the door is closed, Jane puts the protections back into place.

  Fletcher slips his arms, so naturally, around Ellis, ready to fly.

  “How do you know where to go?”

  “We just follow Griff – it’s magic. It means we don’t have to be aware of where we’re going or concentrate too much. I usually fly with my eyes closed. Hold tight.” She rests her head against his chest and closes her eyes. After a nod from Griff, they set off.

  It’s incredible to fly through the air, above the clouds, as quick and easy as a bird. Magic allows them to set an intended location and arrive there quickly and safely. And with almost perfect hair.

  Fletcher lets go of Ellis, reluctantly, but takes her hand instead. It’s like he has to be touching her.

  Ember smooths her hair and reapplies her lipstick. Elodie kisses Fletcher and pats his head. Then she smiles at Ellis, squeezes her hand. “It’ll all be okay. We’ll keep you safe.” Ellis is silent but thankful for the reassurance. The twins hold hands, and Thea links arms with Sally.

  The eight of them are almost humming with nerves, fear palpable.

  They are standing outside an enormous house. It looks a like a French chateau, with small windows and crenelated parapets. It’s set in its own grounds, and if they weren’t here for such a scary and possibly dangerous meeting, it would be ridiculously inviting.