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

“I don’t know. I’ve never done this before,” I say, closing my eyes to hold back the tears threatening to emerge.

Suddenly, movement in the tree line draws my attention and out steps a man, dressed from head to toe in dark, tattered, soaking-wet clothes. His face is a muddy mess and his movements are slow, like he’s drunk or just woke up from a nap.

“Look, man…now’s not a good time,” Dominic says, stepping between us and the man.

The newcomer peers around Dominic, evidently unfazed by the scene. In fact, he grins, like he’s amused by it.

My insides scream. We don’t have time for this. Cat needs action, now.

“Guys, we need to go. Forget the guy. We need to get Cat somewhere safe to…”

Colton stands up, leaving Cat’s hand for the first time. With this single action, the man lunges at Dominic, throwing him out of the way as if he were a rag doll. Colt freezes, refusing to take another step toward him. The man tries to do the same to Colt, but the ground rises up, putting a barrier between the two of them. The man howls in pain as his right arm hits the shifted earth.

It’s the first time I’ve seen Colton use his powers, and he does so with surprising ease. A wave of jealousy rolls through me that I’m the last one to learn how to use my own gifts properly. It doesn’t last long, as the man takes another swipe at Colton, clearly trying to make his way to us.

Colton summons the trees; branches and roots flow out of the woods, groping for the man. One makes contact with his left arm, yanking him into the air and sending him flying backward into a tree trunk. He hits it with a thud, but immediately gets up and races forward.

The speed is so fast, it’s hard to even keep an eye on it. He slams into Colt, tossing him the opposite direction of Dominic. A smug smirk slides across his dirty lips and he makes his way to me and Cat, as if somehow, we’re the prize he was searching for.

Stopping inches from Cat’s orb, he raises his nose to the air and sticks out his tongue. “I can taste her…can you taste her?” he asks, his words tumbling out in a slow lilt. “She will be lovely for my collection. Never have I had a Gemini twin before.”

My eyes widen and I fight the urge to scramble backward and abandon Cat’s body. It’s not like I have any powers that match this creature’s. Worse yet, there’s a deep sense of familiarity bubbling up to the surface. Memories from the day of the Witching Stick, the morning right before the girls disappeared, I saw this man by my pond.

But more than that, I remember his smile… It’s the same one he used to lure me into the lake when I was a kid.

Chapter 27

I Can't Do This Alone

Before I can fully process, Dominic tackles the Vodník. Both land in the ditch with a hard thump. Despite the blows from Dominic’s fists, the Vodník seems completely unfazed as he waits patiently with a smirk on his face.

“I’m not gonna tire out, you piece of shit,” Dom says, possibly reading his mind.

“We’ll see,” the Vodník laughs. “Human will is so easily worn down.”

Dom raises a fist again and pummels the creature over the bridge of its nose, splitting it apart and sending blood splattering to the ground.

Again, it laughs.

Tree branches from the old oaks behind them wrap around Dom’s arms, lifting him off the Vodník. At the same time, rock slabs from deep in the earth push their way up, entrapping the hands and feet of the creature.

In the opposite direction, Colt’s dark face is scrunched in concentration as he clenches his fists at his side. The rocks bear down, crushing the creature’s extremities.

Colton’s eye sockets glow a blinding sky blue as the power he wields builds. Suddenly, he opens his fists. The small gesture expels all moisture from the creature’s body into the air. It doesn’t linger, either. Instead, it merges with the rest of the atmosphere. Water, blood…instantly, its skin shrivels and eyeballs obliterate.

Colton stands there, his glowing orb eyes refusing to leave the creature as it struggles to take its final breath. With a sneer, Colton crumples his hands back into a fist and the Vodník is reduced to nothing more than a pile of dust.

Dropping to his knees, Colt hunches over, groping at the grass. Dominic tumbles from the tree’s clutches and rushes over to him.

“Are you— Holy shit, man. That was awesome,” he says, a high level of admiration in his tone.

Colt looks up, his eyes now back to their dark brown. “I didn’t even know I could do that. Instinct just…took over.”

“Well, whatever your instincts, I do not wanna be on your bad side,” Dominic says, helping Colt to his feet.

In the center of the pile of Vodník ash is a clear, ornate glass container, no bigger than a shot glass.

“What is that?” Colt says, taking a step closer and picking it up. He rotates it in the light, peering into the contents. Colors swirl within in, spiraling around the edge, as if looking for a way out.

The tiny object emits an insane amount of energy and it makes my skin crawl. Overwhelmed by the intensity, I say, “Smash it.”

Colton doesn’t even think twice. He throws it to the ground and stomps down hard. The glass shatters into thousands of tiny shards and unearthly screams floods out, materializing into bright orbs of light in various colors. Some are white, blue, green, yellow… but only Cat is the bright orange. Each of the new orbs circle around each other, as if totally directionless.

My mouth drops open. “It’s where he trapped his souls.”

“How do you know?” Dominic says, taking a step closer to the broken glass.

“Can’t you see them?” I say.

“See what?” he mutters,