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

“Wade, do you think you could bring our stuff to the bedroom? I’ll meet you there in just a second,” I say, turning to Wade. Thankfully, he takes the hint gracefully.

“Sure thing,” Wade says, grabbing the bag and walking to the doorway. He turns back before he exits and says, “It really was nice to meet you.”

When he’s left the room, I turn back to James, unsure how exactly to start the conversation I want to have with him.

“Ms. Blackwood,” James begins, setting the mop aside and propping it against the wall. “I appreciate your ability to sense my nuance. It’s a gift your father also shares.”

“No problem. I guess I have a few things I’d like to speak with you about as well,” I say, chewing on my lower lip. “You can go first. What’s on your mind?”

“Well, as I’m sure you’re aware, this…redecorating, so to speak, was pretty extensive. In all of my years here, I’ve never witnessed anything quite like it,” he says, as if treading softly.

My pulse begins to race and it’s all I can do not to gape at him. “So, things like this have happened before, though?”

“Oh, yes. This is a very haunted location. There’s history here. However, there have been extensive wards put in place to keep the manor in a state of relative peace. I’m concerned…” his voice drops off as he flits his gaze to the window. “I’m concerned there may be a failing in those wards as of late.”

I take a deep breath, nodding. “Yeah, that’s an understatement. And I’d have to agree—”

“Ms. Blackwood,” he begins slowly, his eyebrows tugging down.

“Autumn,” I repeat.

His warm brown eyes lift to meet mine and he nods. “Autumn, I am concerned for your father. Do talk to him. Make sure he’s okay.”

Alarm bells suddenly ring in my head and I step forward. “Did he get hurt?”

“No, he appeared in fine condition when we spoke, but…he just seemed a bit more agitated than normal.” James shrugs, considering. “Granted, the house’s state was quite enough to be upset over.”

“Okay, of course. I’ll see if I can find him and have a word,” I say, nodding.

“Excellent,” James says, smiling. He reaches again for the mop and pulls it in close.

“Wade and I are actually here to reset some of the wards. With any luck, things will be better after today,” I say, trying to sound more sure than I feel. It’s the first time I’ve done any such spellcasting, and, in all honesty, it’s still theoretical in my mind.

“Very good,” he says, tipping his head.

I take a few steps toward the doorway and turn back to him. “Thanks for telling me. About my dad, that is. I appreciate it.”

“Of course.”

I shoot him a final smile and walk out. Making my way past the flurry of activity in the rest of the house, my thoughts are drawn back to my dad. I’ve been worried about him for a while and now James is, too. It makes me uneasy.

When I get to my bedroom, I find Wade organizing the contents of our stash across the foot of my bed.

He looks up at me as I walk in. “Everything okay?”

I screw up my face with my conflicting thoughts. “Yes? No? Ugh, I don’t know.” I sit on the edge of the bed. “James said he’s concerned about my dad and it’s got me even more worried about him now.”

“What did James say?” Wade asks, stepping around the bed and taking a seat beside me.

“Well, besides the obvious concern about the house—he said my dad’s been off. Agitated. Well, we knew that already. I’m worried… Do you think he’s upset that we’re together? I mean, your dad is. Maybe mine is too,” I say, voicing a concern I hadn’t realized was there until it slipped from my mouth.

Wade’s forehead crumples and he shakes his head. “I doubt that’s it. As far as I’m aware, the issue is one-sided.”

“Hmmm…”

“What did James say about the house?” Wade asks, placing a hand on my knee.

I take a deep breath and exhale. “He said he’s never seen this level of destruction before. The house is a magnet for ghosts, for obvious reasons, but it should be warded. He’s concerned the wards are failing.”

“All the more reason to get these castings done,” Wade says, nodding to himself and standing back up. “I have everything laid out to do the banishing first. Then, we’ll need to set runes at strategic locations of the house. I have a compass in there that should help us map those out. Unless of course, you want to get your dad involved. He might be able to help us cut down the time it’ll take to locate them.”

I consider his words, weighing them heavily. On one hand, it makes sense, but after the reaction he had to Wade the last time, the last thing I want to do is upset him further.

“No, I think we can handle this ourselves. Let’s give him some time to get centered. This has been a weird couple of days,” I say, reaching for the sage. “If we run into him, we can reassess based on how he reacts. Otherwise, let’s give him some space.”

“If that’s what you want,” Wade says, nodding. He gathers up the conch shell, mortar and pestle, and the herbs we retrieved. Setting them on my desk, he places the sage, lemongrass, and lavender in the mortar and begins to mash it together. Under his breath, he mutters words I can’t quite make out.

From the bed, I grab the coarse-grain salt and the small, ornate metal bowl. I pour some of the salt into my hand, blessing it with white light before dropping it into the bowl. The granules hit the metal, ringing out in a magical sound that makes the hair on my arms rise. Next, I open the small bottle of purified water we picked up and pour it into the bowl. With a swish of the bowl,