Love, Lies & Blood Ties - Whitby Shadows Series Book 2

Chapter Eleven

I didn't know what to say. What? Had she just said that? I found myself more stunned than when she revealed she knew Marcus' secret.

"I...um...what?"

She grinned. "I know it's not what you expected but it's true. I'm a big bad witch."

"As in spells over cauldrons and frog legs under moonlight?"

"Kind of," she said, giggling. "Except I don't have boils, warts, or a broomstick. Oh, and the black cat thing?"

I frowned and cautiously replied, "Yeah..."

"Super-secret—black cats are witches."

My jaw dropped. "As in...you..." I waved my hand around looking for the right words, but I couldn't find them.

"As in we can turn into black cats. Cool, isn't it?"

This was completely surreal to me. As I struggled to take it in, I found myself nodding and agreeing with her. "Yes."

She smirked at me and cocked her head to one side. "You look a little shell shocked."

"If I'm being honest, I've had a lot of information over the past hour that has rather turned my world upside down."

Joanna retreated to the bed and patted the space next to her. "Come, sit. Talk to me."

"What about the rest of the rooms?"

"I can sort them," she said with a cheeky wink. "Come and talk to me."

In a daze, I wandered over and sat down next to her on the side of the bed. "Apparently my dad only has days to live," I said, holding my finger out as I ticked off a list. "I'm a witch. My blood 'sings like a siren' to born vampires who need the magic in my veins to stay alive. I've somehow fallen in love with a vampire who I thought felt the same but clearly doesn't." I moved onto my next hand. "I'm untouchable to other vampires, which is a good thing, but I feel rather used by Marcus. You're a witch. You know Marcus' secret. Oh, and let's not forget the whole doppelganger thing and my freaky dreams."

Joanna let out a slow breath. "You almost had to count your thumbs in that," she said, laughing.

I couldn't help but laugh with her. "I'm sorry, this is just...I think my head is going to explode."

"Let's break this down one thing at a time. Vampires aren't the only ones who can perceive a person's healthy status. Whilst they look at people like a predator and instinctively pick out the weak and vulnerable, witches look at people as fellow souls, we can sense their troubles, their sickness, their happiness. Unfortunately, I do have to agree with Marcus. Your dad doesn't have long."

I swallowed the lump in my throat and closed my eyes to fight back the tears. "If I'm some witch then why can't I sense this?"

"Whilst it's a natural gift, it's something you need to learn to tune into. Don't worry, we'll teach you everything you need to know."

"What do you mean 'we'?"

She grinned and patted my hand. "So perceptive. You're definitely a natural. It's not just me, Cat, there are a lot of us. There are two covens just in Whitby, let alone in Yorkshire or the rest of the country. We're not a minority, we're a majority."

I frowned. "Gordon said he has to hunt in the right places to find a witch to feed off of."

"Ah, you met Marcus' delightful cousin."

"You know him?"

She laughed. "Yes, unfortunately. He's somewhat of a Casanova with witches. He's got a fair-sized collection of us. He won't have to worry about his food source for at least a millennium."