Heirloom Magic (Paranormal)

Chapter Seven

"It is strange not to see Elizabetta here in your place," the creature said, his fetid breath puffing in her face, and Harper had to repress the urge to gag. She was sure he would be able to sense it, and she knew instinctively that weakness was not an option right now.

Mary stepped forward. "Caspian, allow me to introduce Harper, the newest witch in the Jones line." Caspian's eyes stared into Harper's own, and Harper began to feel an intrusion knocking at her head, almost like a tiny worm wriggling around in her brain. She gasped and instinctively pushed the tickle from her mind.

"Very impressive," Caspian growled in approval, and Harper tried not to act as confused as she felt. "Not even your grandmother was able to resist my powers the first time. Your mind is locked tighter than a steel vault."

Harper's mind raced. He'd been trying to read her mind? Caspian smiled, showing long, sharp, pointy fangs, and Harper's eyes widened. He was a vampire. She briefly wondered if that meant Jasper had tried to read her mind too—the thought was not a pleasant one.

"We have shown our proof, Caspian," Mary interrupted their staring contest with a bored tone.

Caspian shrugged. "You have brought me a witch, I can ascertain that, and one with a very powerful aura—but you have not proven to me, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that she is a Jones witch." Mary sighed. "You know that trying to pass off another witch would void any agreement we have..."

Harper's heart began to pound. How in the heck was she supposed to prove her lineage? Her birth certificate was back in Chicago.

The door opened and a dark figure swept in, coming to a stop beside her. Harper glanced over, startled, and relief coursed through her body when she saw it was Jasper at her side.

Caspian stared at Jasper with a smirk on his face. "Perhaps we don't need to do the test after all. The Jones lap dog has arrived—proof enough," he mocked, and the group assembled around the table began to openly laugh. Jasper's face tightened up, and Harper felt anger slice through her body at their mirth. Her temper snapped and every drinking glass on the stone slab, in front of the chuckling creatures, ignited into fire.

The laughter quickly died out when the small crystal clear pool across the cavern turned into a pool of fire, and the small water fall that fed it erupted into a blazing inferno.

"Enough witch!" Caspian roared, though he looked more than a little afraid—so was Harper. She had not intentionally started this fire; she hadn't even said the spell!

Jasper calmly took in the wide-eyed look on Harper's face, hidden from the others by the hood, and did the only thing he could think of. He reached over and pinched her, right in the ribs. Harper let out a tiny squeak and jumped, and the flames were instantly tamed, falling down into the smoking water and extinguishing.

Caspian looked pissed. "That was a bold move, and not one I think you should repeat," he warned her.

Harper nearly opened her mouth to tell him that she had not meant to, but the smallest jerk of Jasper's head warned her to keep her mouth shut.

"Give me your hand," Caspian demanded, pulling a ceremonial dagger from his pocket, and Harper balked. She looked to Jasper, not sure when he had become the voice of reason, but he was, and he nodded.

Caspian grasped her hand like she had some sort of disease that he did not wish to catch and quickly ran the blade across her hand. Blood blossomed across her palm and began to drip down onto the ground, and Caspian replaced the blade with an old piece of parchment. The blood ran in small rivulets down her palm, and as soon as her blood touched the Latin words written upon the page, the letters turned gold and stood up, flaring to life briefly before they lay back down, inanimate once more.