Revealing the Truth: Book 1 (Last Witch Duology) Read online

  Contents

  Prologue

  1. Carmella

  2. Camelia

  3. Maverick

  4. Carmella

  5. Maverick

  6. Carmella

  7. Carmella

  8. Maverick

  9. Carmella

  10. Maverick

  11. Carmella

  12. Maverick

  13. Carmella

  14. Maverick

  15. Carmella

  16. Maverick

  17. Carmella

  18. Maverick

  19. Unknown

  20. Carmella

  21. Carmella

  22. Maverick

  23. Carmella

  24. Maverick

  25. Carmella

  26. Maverick

  27. Carmella

  28. Maverick

  29. Carmella

  30. Unknown

  About K. J. Lavallee

  Books by K. J. Lavallee

  Where to connect with K. J. Lavallee

  Copyright © 2020

  K. J. Lavallee

  * * *

  All rights reserved. No parts of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations and reviews.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are a product of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, places, organizations, or persons living or dead is entirely coincidental.

  Written by: K. J. Lavallee

  Edited by: Michelle Murray

  Cover by: Grapefruit Designs

  I’m sitting around the table with my three sons and my assistant, when I feel it. It’s slight. Nothing as strong as it has been, but the sensation is there nonetheless. A Warren witch is alive. That’s impossible. I’ve wiped them all out of existence. Every. Last. One.

  “What is it, father?”

  I give my attention to the oldest, the one most like me. The one that I groomed to take over if I fall.

  “There’s another.” I pause to think about it. “This one’s been hidden from me, but the spell is weakening.”

  My assistant leans forward, curiosity in her eyes. “Do you know where to start searching?”

  I shake my head at her. “No. But this Warren witch is close, Alita. I can practically taste their magic in the air. We’ll go hunting for them, tomorrow.

  Alita rests back in her seat. “Where shall I start?”

  “Start in the state we rid the world of the last Warren witch. The culprit may be there.”

  Alita nods and scribbles down a reminder in her notepad. “Shall I take one of the boys?”

  “Yes, take him,” I say, pointing to my middle son. He’s not the best, but he’s not as useless as his younger brother.

  I swear I did everything the same. But the youngest doesn't seem to have the desire to be the most powerful wizard as my ancestor had declared. As the way I’ve raised them all to be. He doesn’t like killing and believes they all deserve to live. But I don’t. I hate that he has a conscience. He gets that from his fucking mother.

  Alita jots that down as well. “As you wish, Sir.”

  She’s obedient, this assistant that I have. she came to me when I needed one the most, and she’s been a godssend since.

  “The others will assist me here. When you get a name, I want to know.”

  “Of course, Sir. The quicker we find this person, the better it’ll be.” Alita isn’t a witch of my house or name. But she’s always seemed eager to assist in helping to get rid of the Warrens and Bishops. As if she is striving for power as we are.

  “Indeed, it will. I’ll wipe them out before they can come fully into their magic.”

  My boys as well as Alita, share a similar grin, anticipation rolling off of them in waves.

  Tomorrow we start our hunt for the witch who thought they could trick me. I can’t wait to stare into their eyes as I take their life force. As they learn that hiding their magic from me didn’t save them at all.

  I grin wickedly, thinking about the moment where my family is the most powerful in the wiccan community. Soon. Then no one can contest us.

  “Maverick, what are you doing?” I shout, as he rushes at me.

  He has a grin that is positively wicked. His pale blue eyes glint with mischief. “You’ll see, babe.” The words are out of his mouth right before he reaches me. He wraps me in his arms and twirls me around.

  I can’t help the giggle that escapes. Maverick is my boyfriend of three years. Last month he set up a huge date where we got all dressed up and everything. But he still didn’t ask me to marry him. When I asked him about why we went to that fancy restaurant, he said he just wanted to treat me to a nice dinner. I can’t say that it didn’t disappoint me, even as it warmed my heart. He’s such a wonderful man. I feel so blessed to have him in my life. But I’m wondering what that means for us.

  I’m very happy with him. But I thought that once we moved in together, he would realize how well we fit together and want to marry me. It’s been two years since we made this house a home.

  He puts me back on my feet, gazing into my sable colored eyes. “Ella,” he starts, using my nickname. Almost no one calls me Carmella anymore. Even at work, I’m Ella to everyone, sometimes Carm to Mav.

  “Yes?” I ask.

  He inhales deeply, then lets the breath out slowly. “I want to take you to my favorite place in the entire world. Somewhere remote. We’ll be gone for the weekend. Will you accompany me?”

  I smile up at him. He has a strong straight jaw and sharp cheekbones. He is a glorious specimen. His skin is a creamy cocoa. Slightly lighter than my bronze. His chocolate cherry colored hair is long, to his chin. He keeps the loose waves tied back. When he’s home with just me, it’s always down. I love running my fingers through his beautiful silky strands. He’s very fit. He doesn’t have a huge frame like Dwayne Johnson, but he’s definitely fit enough to take him on and win. Maybe I’m biased.

  “Of course. Is that even something you have to ask?”

  He winks at me. “I just want to make sure you’re okay with leaving right after work tomorrow. It’s a long drive. We'll arrive there by midnight.”

  “That sounds like a great idea. I guess I need to pack. Where are we heading? What should I bring?” I ask him, excitement for the adventure making me giddy.

  “I’ve got your bag, don’t worry. Enjoy the dinner I’ve made for you. I already took half a day for tomorrow; my boss was perfectly fine with it. This weekend is all about you and me.”

  I pull him closer and kiss his delicious plump lips. “You’re the best, love. What would I ever do without you?”

  “I hate to think about what I would do without you.” His words are whispered as if he's afraid to say them any louder.

  I kiss him again. “Good. Because I don’t plan on letting you go.”

  His face turns serious. He drops his forehead to mine. “I wanted to get away this weekend because I have to go away for work next week. I’m needed to help train a new manager. I’ll be gone until next Saturday evening.”

  I deflate. I hate when he goes away. Usually it’s for three to four days. But a whole week? Ugh. This is going to suck.

  “I don’t like it, but I can’t stop it. You make good money doing what you do. I don’t want to be the reason for you being unhappy.”

  He cups my face. “Ella, I would never be unhappy with you. We will have a more even schedule one day. But for now, we’ve got to work with what we have.” He places a soft kiss on my forehead, then each of my eyes, and
finally my lips.

  I love when he does that. I don’t know why. At first, I thought of it as silly, but it’s just Mav. That’s how he shows me affection. “I know, Mav. I just hate being here alone at night.”

  He grins. “Do I keep the monsters away?”

  I whack his arm. He chuckles. “That’s not funny!” He knows I have a compulsion to check behind every door, shower curtain, and under every bed. Anywhere that someone could be hiding is checked before I'm able to relax. Even when he’s home, I still go and double check to make sure no one is ready to jump out and kill us. Am I overreacting? Yeah, probably. But here I am, thirty and I’m still alive.

  “Call over Angie,” he suggests.

  I exhale a loud breath. “She’s gone for the month. Some family emergency, she said she would tell me more when she got back. And don’t even suggest Martha. I can barely handle her at work, I don’t need her coming over and thinking we’re friends.”

  He holds up his hands in surrender. “Fine. When I get back, how about we get a puppy? Since I’m gone a lot, and your two best friends moved, you have no one when Angie is gone as well. I want you to have someone or something to keep you company.”

  I eye him for a moment debating if this is a joke or not. Finally, I decide it’s not. “I want a husky.”

  He laughs. “I figured you would. Those are the only ones you’ve ever wanted.”

  I shrug. “I know what I like and want.” I look around our home. We rent a house for now. It was the first step in becoming more than just a see you when we can relationship. We do have enough room for the Husky, so I’m not worried about that. I’m just not ready to dog proof my home. But I know we have to, puppy’s chew everything. But they're just so darn cute.

  “I’m glad you do. I wouldn’t be here if you didn’t.”

  He probably wouldn’t be. I was waiting tables at a restaurant a little over three years ago. He caught my eye, and he got his fair share of me, too. But he didn’t make a move to talk to me. So, I asked him if he was single. He said, “Yes I am. Haven’t found a female who was bold enough to claim me.” Yeah, I know, weird saying, but I pushed through and asked him if he would go out on a date with me. He took my number, and texted me yes, and the address to meet him. It was a little family owned diner on the other side of town. I went and we had a great time. Then he asked me out for the second date, but came to pick me up. The rest is history. I made the move because I knew I wanted him.

  “Let’s eat. We can talk dogs and time away when you get back,” I tell him.

  He leads me to the kitchen, where the table is set up for two, with candles lit and wine poured already. He pulls out my seat and pushes me in.

  He serves me a specialty of some kind of fish. He loves cooking. He's the training manager for a huge restaurant chain. He started off as a chief as everyone else, and worked his way up the ladder. He doesn’t get the chance to show off his skills that much anymore. But he always manages to make me a delicious meal just about every night. I’m not going to complain. If I went out, I’d be paying at least thirty bucks a piece for these plates.

  It smells delicious and tastes even better. We enjoy our dinner with just everyday chit chat. How our day was, and what’s new at work. He’s always very attentive to my moods. Even if I wasn’t aware that I was putting off any outward signs of it. Like this one time I was talking and acting normal, but he said "what's bothering you?" And I spilled my guts about my horrible day at work.

  After another long year of working at that small diner, I now work at a bank. Here I don’t have to work Saturdays. It’s great, really. I love having my weekends off, especially when Mav is in town. We always manage to do something. He takes great care of me. Spoils me, really.

  After dinner, I clean up while he sets up a movie. We don’t watch much television, but we both enjoy comedies.

  I join him on the couch, and snuggle into him. He smells like the kitchen, with a hint of earthy aroma. Like the hot ground after a rainstorm in the summer. It’s intoxicating.

  After the movie we both get ready for bed. I get in and roll to face him. His eyes seem to glow in the darkness. The first time I saw it, it startled me. But now? I love it. Only Maverick’s eyes light up when the darkness envelopes us.

  I mentioned that to him one time. “You’re not afraid?” He asked me.

  I shook my head. “No. It’s quite beautiful, actually.” His face relaxes as if he thought I was going to run for the hills. “Why? Has it caused problems before?”

  “Yes,” was his response. “But it was a troubled relationship from the start.”

  I remember gazing into his eyes as I watched the torment play throughout them. “I used to try and hide my,” he paused. Contemplated his next words to me. “differences. But I figure I’d rather know at the beginning if something as small as my eyes glowing will scare away a potential mate. It’s been several weeks, and you haven’t run. But now you want to know about them?”

  I nodded and pulled myself closer to him. “The truth is, I’m not entirely sure why they do that. But I know that anyone who ever sees it gets uncomfortable and decides I’m not worth their time, as a friend or a lover.” He reached a finger over and traced the right side of my face. “But you, my Ella, are different. A treasure. One I promise to do everything in my power to keep.”

  And three years later, he has kept that promise.

  He pulls me into him, resting his chin atop my head. “Rest, love. We’ve got a long day tomorrow.”

  “Okay,” I say, before falling into a blissful sleep.

  I wake for work before Mav. Always. I slide out of bed, and shower, brush my teeth, then straighten my tight curly, golden brown hair.

  I'm zipping up my boots, when Mav comes into the bathroom and kisses me quickly on the cheek. Then he pushes me out so he can take care of business.

  I roll my eyes. It’s not like we haven’t seen one another naked before. But he's a very shy bathroom user. He can walk in on me all the time, but he cannot go with me in there.

  I grab my makeup and head to the mirror in my bedroom.

  Mav may be the best at putting together a meal worthy of kings, but he can’t beat my eggs. Which is what I make for us this morning.

  I’m just about done when Mav comes walking into the kitchen. He’s got on a suit. He never wears his chief’s jacket unless he’s in the kitchen training. His cherry chocolate hair is pulled back into a tight pony, to keep the strands from falling out while at work.

  His suit is black, with a white dress shirt under it. But he’s not wearing a tie, and the top two buttons are undone. He has some nice dress shoes on, they’re a black suede.

  “Good morning, handsome,” I greet with a sweet smile, while I place the food on the table.

  “Good morning. You look ravishing.”

  I smile. I took extra care getting ready, I know he loves my hair down, curly or straight. I prefer it straight; I don’t need any products in it to keep it tamed.

  “Thank you.”

  We eat in near silence. I drink a cup of coffee with my food, and then fill a to go cup with more. I need my liquid gold to function.

  After breakfast, Mav loads the dishwasher. I grab my things and get ready to leave. “Have a good day, love. I’ll see you later,” Mav calls from the kitchen.

  “I will. You, too, babe.” Grabbing my keys, I shove my arms through my jacket and sling my purse over my shoulder, and head out.

  Twenty minutes left of work. It’s been a long day. It’s not busy, but it’s not slow. There isn’t enough to keep my mind occupied.

  The door opens and in walks two more clients. Good. This should take up some of my endless time before closing.

  On Friday’s there is only one teller until six. This week, that’s me. The manager is counting everyone’s drawers, and then she’ll do mine after I’m finished, after I count it myself.

  “Just cashing,” the gentleman says on the other side of the glass wall. He slides his license
and check into the slot.

  I grab them, look him up in our system. Count out the three hundred and twenty-one dollars and fifteen cents in front of him, and hand him the money and his license back.

  He smiles, and leaves. Nice talking to you, too.

  I call the other man over. His name is Adam Murphy. He’s a regular here. He hands me his license, deposit slip with his check and a large sum of money.

  “Good evening, Mr. Murphy, how are you?”

  He smiles up at me warmly. “Not too bad, Carmella. How are you?”

  “Fantastic. Thank you.”

  He grins at me. He’s such a sweet old man. He does odd jobs for some extra cash, and works at a family owned business to get some money, too. He’s retired, but he’s always keeping busy.

  I count it all, and get it all into his account. I hand him his receipt and license back. “Have a great weekend, Mr. Murphy,” I tell him.

  “You, too, Carmella.”

  With Mr. Murphy done, I can lock the doors and count out my drawer.

  It takes me a good ten minutes to make sure my drawer matches my slips. Then I print the final count sheet and carry it into the office.

  “Ella, leave it. I’ve got it. I’m going to be here late anyway. I’ve got to finish this application for a mortgage loan.”

  “Are you sure, Ellen?” I ask her. She’s never had me leave before her.

  “Yes. Go. Enjoy your weekend, I’ll see you Monday.”

  “You as well. Don’t stay too late.”

  Ellen smiles at me. She’s a few years older than I am, but she’s single. She spends all her time here. Ellen has a cute pixie cut with light brown hair. Her lightly colored skin is from a tanning bed. She wears contacts, but her eyes are always hazel, so those are hers at least.