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

Abigail, Warren Blackwood locked himself inside Blackwood Manor, refusing to leave again. Until his dying day in 1838, it is thought he spent his days adding rooms to the estate for all the children he and Abigail would never have. He then spent his evenings trying to conjure her spirit.” I stop reading and shake my head. “This is utterly ridiculous.”

Colton makes a face. “Keep going.”

My eyes narrow and I flip the page back to the photo. The blank stare of a little boy makes me shudder.

“So, if Abigail and Warren didn’t have kids…who’s this?” I ask pointing to the old photograph.

Cat’s eyebrow twitches upward, but she says, “That’s your great-great grandpa, or something like that.”

“Okay, so Abigail and Warren did have kids? I’m so confused,” I say, leaning back.

“That’s the part you’re confused about?” Colt says, cocking his head to the side.

“Well, it said he spent his days adding rooms for…oh,” I say, realization dawning. “They meant more kids. I get it. They wanted a bigger family.”

“Well, if the Blackwood legacy died with them, where did you come from?” Colton says, raising a knowing eyebrow.

“Good point,” I say, clicking my tongue and mock shooting him with my thumb and pointer finger.

“Your ancestry plays a role into how people in this town, uh…view you and your family, I guess…” Colton says, splaying his hands out in front of him on the table.

“Okay? I don’t get that. Why should I be judged by the heritage of my dead ancestors?” I ask, turning the pages.

“It’s hard to describe because in some ways, it doesn’t make sense to us, either. Keep going,” Cat suggests, tapping the book.

There are pages of black and white drawings, or pictures of paintings, along with stories of all of the founding families. My fingers stop when I reach a page that reads: The Gilberts.

“Is this your family?” I ask, pointing.

Cat nods, “Yup.”

“So our families go way back, huh?” I grin.

“Yeah, actually. Our families were very close. It’s why our house is across the pond,” Colton shrugs.

“Wow. Okay, now that’s kinda cool. I mean, what are the chances we’d become friends? I had no idea,” I say, snickering to myself.

“Well, we did,” Cat says, grinning sheepishly. “It’s part of the reason I reacted the way I did when we first met. Sorry about that, by the way.”

“Oh, right. Good point,” I say, butting my forehead with the heel of my hand.

I bend in, looking at the family resemblance between their ancestors and the two of them. It’s uncanny.

“Wait a minute…” I say, working through the timeframe and this revelation. “What about, and I don’t mean to be a total jerk, but what about slavery? I mean, back then, African Americans weren’t really free citizens. Right? Your family wasn’t owned by mine or anything, were they?”

“No, actually. I mean, yeah, slavery, especially with supernaturals was bad news. But the Blackwoods changed all that for our family,” Cat says, smiling.

Colt nods. “Your family was the reason ours was free to live and be a part of the founding of this town. It was practically unheard of anywhere else in the country. Though I gotta say, from the way our mom tells it, the town wasn’t real pleased at first. But Warren and Abigail had a…pull. No one else could deviate once they were involved,” Colt says.

“Cool,” I say, leaning back in my seat.

“I know it’s a lot to take in,” Cat begins.

“No, it’s not that. I’m just, things have been so weird since I first got back and now things are starting to kinda make sense in an uber strange sorta way,” I mutter. “I mean, if other people know this history, it makes sense they’d be a little dubious with me, I suppose. But they don’t have to worry. I don’t even believe in ghosts—or whatever the hell else my family was into.”

My insides churn and doubt tugs at the back of my mind. I’ve seen some weird stuff lately—stuff I can’t quite explain away just yet—and this is only making it harder.

“Hmmmm…” Colton asks, suddenly serious. He rubs at the space between his thumb and index finger with the opposite hand. “Other than Dominic carving up your car, what else has been weird?”

I meet his expectant gaze. For a moment, I consider telling them about the strange voice and the vision of the woman on the floor.

“Well,” I begin, trying to find the right words, “for starters, I think I…may have… You know what, never mind.”

“May have what?” Cat urges, her eyes wide.

“It’s stupid,” I say, shaking my head.

“You never know. It might not be stupid to us at all,” Cat mutters, shrugging her right shoulder. “There’s a lot you don’t know yet about your past and your family’s legacy. It would take a lot to surprise us at this point.”

Colton’s eyes are a dark pool of concern, but he leans in, placing a hand on mine. “Autumn, you can trust us.”

Surprised by the contact, all I can do is stare at the way his hand contrasts my own. Almost as if melding together in some sort of yin and yang, his darn skin is almost mesmerizing. Suddenly, the colors of our skin fade away from my consciousness and, instead, iridescent flames of blue and orange engulf our hands. When I look up, the same flames are mirrored in Cat’s eyes.

I tug my hand from his and the flames extinguish.

“I, uh—” I say, blinking back my bewilderment. “You know, I think maybe I should go.”

Chapter 16

One Step Forward, Two Steps Back

Thoughts tumble through my head and I can’t shake this uneasy feeling that when I uncover my powers, they’re going to be bad. Maybe not bad, per se, but definitely not the kind I was hoping for.

Then again, maybe I really don’t have powers at all and this whole thing was a huge mistake. Unfortunately, that would be the biggest let-down of the century, because I feel like I’m finally hitting my stride at Windhaven Academy.

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