Bound by Magic Read online

  Contents

  Also by Nicole Coverdale

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  About the Author

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

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  Bound by Magic

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  Copyright © 2019 by Nicole Coverdale

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  Editing provided by Jade Hemming

  Cover art Copyright © Lafae Cover Designs

  Interior formatting by We Got You Covered Book Design

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  This book is protected under the copyright laws of the United States of America. Any reproduction or other unauthorized use of the material or artwork here in is prohibited without the express written permission of the author.

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  Printed in the United States of America

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  Paperback ISBN: 978-1-5136-5527-7

  E-book ISBN: 978-1-5136-5526-0

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  www.nicolercoverdale12.com

  “The truest treasure isn’t in the material objects you have, in the path you take, or the people you meet… the truest treasure of all is life itself, and the experiences you get to share with the ones you love. Treasure indeed… is in the eye of the beholder.”

  “Julie…”

  The deep voice echoed in her ears, and Julie squeezed her eyes shut, clutching the sheet and pulling it tighter around her, as the fog swirled around her.

  Where am I? she wondered, a whimper escaping her lips as she tossed and turned in the bed, heat washing over her as sweat beaded across her forehead.

  “Julie…”

  Again, the voice filled her ears, and fear washed over her. I know that voice, she thought, her eyes snapping open and she gasped as she stared out ahead of her. Her jaw dropping open as she gazed out across the white sand, as it went on for miles before her. Holy crap! What is this place?

  “Where am I?” she asked, as she raised her hand, blinking, as she shielded her face from the sand swirling around her. She shoved her way forward, the wind whipping against her face and she cried out, feeling as if she were being stabbed. Ouch! That hurts! Am I still dreaming? She couldn’t be, could she?

  She took another step forward, her feet seeping into the hot sand, the grains ticking her toes, and sweat beaded across her forehead. She swiped it away, raising her head to the pale, yellow sky to stare up at the bright, red sun as it beamed down on her. She blinked, momentarily blinded by the brightness, trying to make sense of what she was seeing. What is this place? she wondered, yet again. And just how did I get here?

  “Julie!”

  A shout sounded, and she jumped as a large hand wrapped around hers. She spun around, her eyes widening as she stared at the man standing next to her. His dark, brown hair was long, trailing all the way down to his shoulders. His blue eyes kind and a long beard was covering his face. “Dad?”

  “Oh my God Julie! I thought that was you!” Jeffrey Morgan cried, pulling her in for a hug. “But wait! What are you doing here?” he asked, pulling back and staring down at his daughter. “Julie, this is the wasteland! It’s dangerous for you to be here.”

  “The… the wasteland?” Julie asked, staring at her father in confusion. “What’s the wasteland?”

  “The place demons go once they’re vanquished,” Jeff said, nodding across the red river as demons scrounged for food. “Where they eventually perish.”

  “What?” Julie stared at her father in shock, sympathy for the demons filling her after what she’d gone through in the underworld. She knew what it was like to be evil, and just because she had killed demons, didn’t mean she didn’t understand what they felt. How they worked. They’d been her family! Even her friends. “But Dad! That’s horrible!”

  “They’re demons, Julie. It’s what they deserve,” Jeff said, as they walked. “Don’t let your feelings about the demons get confused. You still have a higher calling. A destiny to fulfill, but that’s not the most important part. There are demons here who know you, Julie. Who know who you are. Who know who your sisters are. Who your family is, demons who you have vanquished and who would love nothing more than a second chance to get rid of you.”

  “Jeesh, Dad. Thanks for the welcome party,” Julie muttered, as they walked. “Plus, it’s not like I came here on purpose. I was sleeping! Or at least trying to. How did I even get here?”

  “It must be your power,” Jeff said, as he lead her forward, walking along the red stream of water, blocking the demons view of Julie as they walked.

  “I have a new power?” Julie asked, her eyes wide. “But I already have two, Dad! They’re more than enough to handle!”

  “Not another power, Julie. It’s your power of premonition. It’s growing.” Jeff said, as he glanced over at her. “Which is interesting, considering you haven’t used that power in quite some time.”

  “It’s not like I can conjure a premonition up whenever I want to!” Julie cried, glaring at her father. “Plus, I’ve been a little busy. You know, with turning evil and becoming the queen of the underworld.”

  “You were almost the queen of the underworld,” Jeff corrected her. “The coordination was never completed and believe me there’s a difference.” He paused, glancing over his shoulder. “Come on, we have to keep moving. It’s coming.”

  “What’s coming?”

  “The thing that knows you’re here,” Jeff said, pointing to the skies as they changed from a pale yellow to a bright orange. White lightning struck through the skies, the sky opening and sparks of red falling through, zinging toward them. “Julie! Run!”

  “Not without you!” Julie cried, grabbing him by the arm, turning, and racing off across the sand. I can’t lose him! she thought, as they sprinted across the wasteland. Demons raised their heads, growling as they caught sight of them, and she stumbled. Her feet slid, and she gulped, glancing over her shoulder as the unknown objects drew closer. “What are those things?” she asked, as they rounded a set of rocks, fear filling her. “They look like stars!”

  “That’s because they are. They’re called the stars of death. Someone here controls them, but I don’t know who. Every time I get close to figuring it out, the world here changes, but one thing I do know is if one of those stars touches someone who has not been sentenced here, they will be stuck here forever.”

  “What? Dad, that’s insane! I can’t be stuck here! Our family needs me!”

  “Which is why we need to keep moving,” Jeff said, pulling her around a large boulder, the sand underneath their feet changing to dark, green grass. Julie startled, glancing around her, staring at the forest that now surrounded her. Jumping back and laughing, as a colorful baboon climbed up the
tree next to them. “Dad, look! A Baboon!”

  “Another fun fact about the wasteland,” Jeff said, as they walked through the vines, along the dirt path. “It can change in a matter of seconds.”

  “So, let me get this straight…” Julie cocked her head to the side thinking. “This wasteland, is where demons go once they’re vanquished, right?”

  “Yes.”

  “And someone controls everything that goes on here, but you don’t know who it is?”

  “Yes.”

  “And those stars, can change a person’s destiny?”

  “Yes.”

  “And this place can change, just like that?” she asked, snapping her fingers. “Dad, that’s insane!”

  “As insane as witches and demons roaming the earth?”

  “Well, you do have a point,” Julie muttered. “But what I don’t understand is why you’re here, Dad. You’re not evil. You’re good!”

  “And half-demon,” Jeff said, pausing, as a squirrel scurried across the forest floor in front of them. “A half-demon who broke a lot of rules, and who is now paying for it. Thanks to the Gods.”

  “But they can’t do that!”

  “They can do whatever they want, Julie. You know this. Just look at what they did to Sky.”

  “Yes, I know,” Julie whispered, remembering what Liam had done to Sky, their angel, and her sister’s boyfriend. Remembering how Liam had taken his powers, keeping him from helping other angels and witches throughout the magical world. “But it still sucks!” she cried, hating the Gods more and more every time she thought of them. It was like they always did something to irk her, and it wasn’t fair! “I hate them!”

  “Julie.”

  “I know. Watch my voice, but what are they going to do to me? I’m far away from them, plus I miss you!” Julie cried, tears filling her eyes. “I miss you so much.”

  “And I miss you too,” Jeff said, pulling her close and pressing a kiss to the top of her head. “But don’t let anger drive you, Julie. Remember, it’s anger for that man who hit you, that got you into all of this trouble in the first place. It’s what turned you evil, and you are anything but evil. You’re good, and you need to remember that if you are going to survive what comes next.

  “What do you mean? What’s coming?”

  “You’ll have to wait and see,” Jeff said, winking at her, before disappearing in a flash of light.

  “Oh! I hate surprises!” Julie cried, glowering at the skies. “You know this!”

  She sighed, turning, and continuing through the forest. She ducked underneath a tree branch, pushing through another set of vines and a noise suddenly filled her ears.

  “Hiss…”

  She froze, her entire body alert, looking to her right. Her heart thumped loudly in her chest, as a green and black patterned snake slithered up the tree next to her.

  “Hiss…”

  She stumbled back as a black snake slithered up the tree to her left, another along the branches above her, and footsteps sounded behind.

  “Hello, Julie.”

  She screamed, swinging around, as the reptile demon, Tony, appeared from out of the darkness. He opened his mouth, his forked tongue slithering out of his mouth and she shuddered, remembering back to when they had first become witches. When they had first learned of their destiny, and when they had vanquished Tony. He’d been the first demon they’d ever vanquished.

  “It’s been a long time, Julie,” Tony said, his tongue slithering out of his mouth once more, as his scaly skin gleamed underneath the bright sun.

  “Not long enough,” Julie muttered under her breath, stumbling back. She winced, her back slamming against the tree, raising her head to stare at the snakes above her. She averted her gaze, instead focusing on Tony. “What are you doing here, Tony? I thought you were gone!”

  “Weren’t you listen to anything your father told you?” Tony asked, his eyes gleaming brightly as they narrowed on her. “This is the wasteland, where all demons go once they are gone, and it is great to see you Julie, because now I get another chance to kill you!” He lunged forward.

  “No!”

  Julie ducked, just missing his outstretched hands, dodging around him and racing down the path. She turned, disappearing into the trees, and screamed, as the ground caved underneath her.

  I feel like I’m in Alice in Wonderland, she thought, as she fell downward. The trees passed her at a lightning-fast speed, and she gasped, her body falling and landing in the long grass with a loud thump. Her eyes widening, as she stared at the woman sitting on the stump in the middle of the grassy meadow. Holy crap! It’s Marlena! The evil witch from Halloween!

  “Well, well, well, would you look at that,” Marlena said, glancing over her shoulder at Julie, an evil grin spreading across her lips. “The little witch has come to visit me.” She rose to her feet, brushing the tentacles that dangled from her hair away, and strode forward. “So tell me, Julie. Did you enjoy it?”

  “Enjoy what?”

  “Well, the power of course,” Marlena said, stopping to stroke her hand over one of the giant jellyfish floating through the air. “Did you love it?”

  “Did I love it?” Julie asked. “You’re kidding, right? I hated it! It took everything from me. My family. What I stand for. Who I am. It ruined me!”

  “Nah, it didn’t ruin you, Julie. It brought you closer to the person you’ve been trying to run away from your whole life, and you can deny it all you want, but you loved it.”

  “No, I didn’t!”

  “Yes, you did, and I want that darkness inside of you… for me!” Marlena, glanced at the group of jellyfish as they danced in the air behind her. “Jellyfish, get her!”

  The jellyfish lunged forward, and Julie swallowed. She scrambled back, dodging their tentacles and spun on her heel. She turned, racing across the grass of the meadow, the ground giving way underneath her.

  “Ahh!”

  She screamed, her body propelling through the air. She hit the ground with a thunk and groaned. Where am I now? She wondered, staring at the orange flames surrounding her, and the volcanoes lying in the distance, lava spewing from the top as smoke rose high in the air. She shoved herself to her feet, walking across the stone covered ground. Flames sprung up from the ground around her, lighting up the darkness that had descended over the wasteland.

  “Why, with me, of course,” Satan said, glancing over his shoulder at her, as he tossed something into the pit in front of him. Flames rose up from the pit, smoke floating high in the air, and she narrowed her eyes as she recognized the familiar demon. The demon, who had almost killed them all.

  “Satan!”

  “At last we meet, again, even though I always knew we would,” Satan said, as he turned from the pit, striding across the stone ground toward her. “You and your sisters might have defeated me, Julie, but I will find my way out of this place!” He pointed a finger and arched a finger. “Come here.”

  “What? No!” Julie cried out, her throat closing, as her feet rose from the ground. Her body floated toward Satan, and she struggled against his grip. “Please! Let me go!”

  “Now why would I do that, when you’re my ticket out of here?” Satan asked. “And once I’m back on earth, I can get my revenge on your entire family! For what you did to me!”

  “Please. Leave my family alone!”

  “And what a wonderful family it is. How is Jade? Is she still as spunky as she was when I first met her? And what about Jasmine? She’s dating that angel, isn’t she? Oh, I’m sure the Gods are loving that. And Josslyn. How many times has she almost died? Do you really think she’s going to keep cheating death? And I hear you have another sister now. Jorja, I think it is.” He tapped a finger against his lips. “I’m interested to meet her, and of course, there are your nieces and the little one growing inside of you.” He touched a hand to her stomach. “You know, of all the girls to turn evil, I never thought it would be you.”

  “Leave us alone!” Julie shouted, clenchi
ng her fist, fire appeared in the palm of her hand. “Because no matter what you do. If you escape this place, if you find your way back to earth, back to the underworld we will defeat you over and over again. You’re done, Satan!” she shouted, flinging her hand up, a fireball smacking him in the mouth.

  “You witch!” Satan screamed, dropping his hand, and Julie dropped to her feet. She turned, racing off across the fiery depths, glancing over her shoulder as Satan, Tony, and Marlena chased after her. God, this is my worst nightmare! she thought, as she raced forward. Being chased by the demons of my past!

  And the ground opened up, sucking her downward.

  “Aah!”

  She screamed, her body floating through the air. She grimaced, her body hitting a large tree, and she reached for a branch. Her fingers slipped, and she plummeted downward and dropped right into the arms of Elijah.

  “Elijah?”

  Julie raised a hand, stroking his stubbled cheek as she stared at him. “Is it really you?”

  “Hi, Julie,” Elijah said, softly. He smiled, the dimple in his cheek flashing. “It’s good to see you again.”

  “Oh my God! Elijah!” Julie wrapped her arms around him, hugging him tightly. “All I’ve done is think about you since I sent you away. But why are you here? You weren’t vanquished! You’re alive!”

  “But I’m not on earth, Julie,” Elijah said, as she slid from his arms, and dropped to her feet. “That spell you cast sent me here, but I can’t get out. I need your help. I don’t belong here. I need you to set me free.”