The Windhaven Witches Omnibus Edition : Complete Paranormal Suspense Series, Books 1-4 by Carissa Andrews (graded readers txt) 📕

My heart lightens and I nod. “Yeah, but we’re a bit farther now. I don’t think we made it quite this far.”

The memory of that day rushes at me like a freight train. It had been a good day—a sexy, kinda romantic day. Well, until grandpa showed up, anyway.

I shudder away the remnants of that day and breathe out my trepidation. This might not be how I’d wanted things to play out, but hopefully it will all be over soon. At least the truth is out there now, and I don’t have to carry the burden of it anymore. When this revenant thing is done and dusted, hopefully Wade and I can work everything out.

Please, let us work this out…

Unfortunately, a niggling feeling in the back of my mind makes me uneasy. Colton mentioned Wade wasn’t allowed to be with me, and Dominic said something to that effect last year. It seems like everyone knows more about what Wade is than I do.

My gaze drifts over to him and again, a twinge of guilt and anxiety blossom through me. His dark hair flutters in the breeze and he keeps his eyes trained only on the path ahead. He hasn’t even tried to hold my hand once. I drop my chin and tuck my hands in my coat pockets.

For the next few minutes, only the sound of our feet crunching in the snow breaks the silence. Then, in the distance, an owl hoots, making me nearly jump out of my skin.

Dominic chuckles under his breath. “Kinda jumpy for someone who raises the dead, aren’t ya?”

I scratch at the side of my temple and make a face. “Yeah, well, I’m not exactly used to it yet. And I’m not overly looking forward to any of this, so…”

“Shhh… Do you hear that?” Wade says, holding up a hand and cocking his head to the side.

At first, I don’t hear a thing, but after a few seconds of holding my breath, a faint thumping echoes across the snowy landscape.

My eyes widen. “What is that? Do you think it’s your grandpa?”

Wade shrugs. “Hell if I know. I can’t say he normally made a sound like that.”

I shrink back, feeling stupid.

“We’ll know soon enough. If my abilities aren’t completely off base, he should be right over this crest. You ready?” Dominic says, lowering his voice.

“As ready as we’ll ever be, I suppose,” I say, shrugging. It’s not as if I want to stand outside all night. In fact, I’d rather hurry this up so I can talk to Wade.

Together, we make our way the remaining few feet up a small hill, holding onto barren trees for support so we don’t slip back down. The ground beneath our feet is disheveled and slick, as if someone—or something—has been here in the not-too-distant past.

When we reach the top, down on the other side is an enormous oak tree bigger than any tree I’ve ever seen before. Its trunk had been mostly obscured by the hill, showing off only its branches. However, its wide base spans at least five feet in diameter, probably more. Those large, gnarly branches claw upward, breaking off into hundreds, maybe thousands, of smaller branches.

Just beside the tree, as if it were built as a support, is a small stone entrance. It’s barely noticeable, but scattered on the ground are large icicles and a smattering of snow. When the icicles were intact, they would have easily hidden the entrance to the casual observer. I know I would never have thought twice had I seen it. Hell, in the summer, it’s probably equally hidden by all of the brush.

The dark mouth is no wider than two feet across and roughly five feet tall. But it’s just about the right size for a person…

Dominic casts a leery grin my direction, then shines the flashlight at Wade. “Well, it’s your grandpa. You go first.”

Wade scowls, dropping his arms to his sides and stepping in front to take the lead. I follow him, refusing to allow the panic welling up inside of me to win. We did deal with him before and I’ll be damned if I make Wade handle things alone.

As we get to the entrance, Wade pulls out his own phone and turns on the flashlight. Glancing over his shoulder, he says, “Stay behind me. If he runs at us like he did last time—just go. I’ve got this.”

My mouth drops open. “Got this? In what universe do you have this?”

Why doesn’t he want me here? Does he have a death wish now?

Instead of answering me, he turns back around, facing the way of the tunnel. Our curiosity doesn’t take long to catch up with us. The tunnel is barely longer than a room’s length—maybe ten or twelve feet. It’s made out of the same stone and mortar work as the resurrection chamber in my house...only at the other end is a large, ancient-looking wooden door. Ornate black iron details are strewn across its surface like some sort of incantation. And maybe it is.

Right in the middle of the door, bumping into it over and over again, is Wade’s grandpa.

“Is that—?” Dom whispers behind me.

I nod, refusing to take my eyes off him for fear he’ll turn around and run this way. Wade and I know first-hand how fast he can move and how strong he is.

Reaching for Wade’s shoulder, I lean in. His scent of sandalwood and soap tickle my senses and twist my guilt. Shoving it back down, I say, “What’s he doing?”

Wade shakes his head and shrugs. “I don’t know… I’m still new to revenants. It looks like he’s trying to get in, though.”

“What is this place? How did it get here?” Dominic whispers feverishly. “I can’t get a single read on it. It’s like a black hole to my ability. Is this part of your property still?”

“I’m not sure,” I say, running my fingertips over