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

walking around. You were recovering quickly, but we couldn’t get out of you what had happened. It’s like you had no memory of any of it. Your mother and I thought maybe…perhaps this was a way out. You didn’t have to follow in the footsteps of the rest of the Blackwoods. Your mother felt it was the right thing to do—to take you out of this world and embed you in her mundane one. I agreed…” Again, his gaze falls to the floor. “But I knew one day you’d be drawn back.”

“How could you possibly know that? I didn’t even know.”

“Eventually, our legacy catches up to everyone. It was just a little earlier with you,” he whispers.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” I say, shaking my head. This entire conversation is swimming around my head, simultaneously making zero sense, and resonating at soul level.

Dad’s eyes lock with mine, and he tilts his head to the side slightly. “Autumn, that day…when you returned to us… I don’t know how, but I’m convinced you resurrected yourself.”

Chapter 26

Showtime

A frantic knocking practically makes me jump out of my skin and interrupts me from the insane revelation my dad just dropped. My mind is reeling, but together, we make our way to the front door.

As I open it, there stands Dominic, his eyes and hair wild in the failing sunlight.

“Dominic, why did you come back?” I ask. “Now isn’t really a good—”

“Autumn, please,” he pleads, groping for my hand and pulling me up short, “you have to come with me. Something…something’s happened.”

“Come on, Dominic,” I groan, rolling my eyes. “I’m not in the mood for more games. I’ve just had a bomb dropped on me. I really need to talk with my dad about—”

“It’s Cat,” he says, his voice quivering. Until this very moment, I didn’t think Dominic cared about anyone beyond himself, but it’s clear something has shaken him to the core.

My insides contort by the simple look upon his face. Anguish, desperation, and fear radiate from his very atoms.

“What’s happened?” I ask, a strange calm settling over me, despite my heart thumping heavily in the silence.

He swallows hard and frowns as he shifts his gaze from me to my dad and back again. “She was just—we need you. She needs you.”

I blink furiously, my thoughts tumbling through my brain at warp speed.

“What’s happened?” I demand again.

He looks over my shoulder at my dad hovering just behind me. “There was a car accident. Colt’s fine, but Cat…she—”

“No…” I say, backing away and shaking my head.

“She needs a damn necromancer, Autumn,” Dominic sputters.

My body betrays me as I fight off the urge to puke. Continuing to back away, I turn to my dad. “I don’t have the kind of power or expertise for something like this. I—I’m just a post-mortem medium…”

Even as I say the words, I know they aren’t true. Somewhere buried deep inside me is an innate memory of being something much, much more. But whether or not I can bring anything back to life is another story.

“Autumn, I can’t,” Dad says matter-of-factly.

I whirl on him. “I can’t let her die.”

His eyebrows tip up in the middle, but his lips tug downward. “If I could, I would. But I can’t. I’ve never had that ability, sweetie. And if I tried—well, let’s just say, it wouldn’t end well. Witches without the power of necromancy bring back horrible things. And that’s if they’re lucky.”

“And what about me? I don’t know if I have this power. If I try, and I don’t—” I fight off the urge to be sick. What would happen if I tried to bring Cat back and they’re wrong? “What would I be bringing back?”

“A revenant,” Dad whispers.

“What?” I say, narrowing my gaze.

“A zombie,” Dominic says, scrunching his face.

“Swell… That’s just…awesome,” I say, panic threatening to blind me out of this entire situation.

“Look, Autumn, we’re all willing to take this risk. Without you, Cat is going to die. We need a necromancer fast or we’ll lose her. Her soul is only tethered to her body for a short time—” Dominic says, urging me toward the door.

My hands fly to my hair and I take a step back. “Shit,” I mutter, shaking my head.

“She’s gone, Autumn, but she doesn’t have to be. We gotta go, now,” he demands, holding a hand out for me to take.

“I don’t know how to do anything. I’m not the person you think I am. I’m just a girl—”

“A girl with immense power she has yet to understand. Trust me. I know it sucks and it’s horrible timing to test your powers this way, but I wouldn’t be here if we had another option,” Dom says, tilting his head to the side and glancing down at his outstretched hand.

“Dammit,” I spit, throwing a glance over my shoulder. He’s right. Dealing with zombie Cat is better than dealing with dead Cat.

“Go,” Dad says, tipping his head toward the vehicle in the drive.

“This isn’t finished. We need to talk about this,” I say.

“I’ll be here,” Dad agrees.

Racing behind Dominic, I fling open the passenger door and get back in. Before I even reach for the buckle, Dominic is in the driver’s seat and puts the car into drive. Pebbles and loose stones from the driveway kick up as we speed off.

Twisting around in my seat, I turn to face Dom. “Explain what happened to Cat. Now.”

His jaw clenches. “I honestly don’t know everything. Those two are hard to read because of their bond. But I got a desperate call from Colton—something about a car accident. He wanted my help, but I’m not a damn necromancer and he knows that.”

“He knows that? I didn’t know you all were friends. I got the distinct impression they don’t like you…” I say, trying to ignore the screaming in the back of my head.

“We were best friends as kids—all four of us,” Dominic mutters. “But you don’t remember, do you?”

“No, I—” I shake my head, refusing to take on more information that might