Free Duella Book 3: The Witch and the Vampire Series by Fawn Lowery

clenched in an agonizing grip as he realized that Drucella had disappeared right before his eyes—again. “I’ve got to find a way to destroy that fucking witch!”
    Miriam was before him, her hands clutching his face. “Who is she? What does she want?”
    He looked into her eyes. He had to be honest with her. She had given him blood when his body was suffering from the effects of the old book.
    “She’s a witch from my past. She wants…” He paused. Did he dare tell Miriam about the amulet?
    “She wants to destroy you?”
    “Yes. And she’ll stop at nothing.”
    Miriam covered her mouth with one hand, horrified. “What can we do? There must be something we can do?” She jerked her head toward the old book Duella had dropped to the floor when the witch arrived. “What did the old book tell you?”
    He noted the fact Miriam offered to help him. He smiled in spite of the circumstances. He drew her into his arms. “I read about creatures called Gideons . I think Drucella may be one.” He stopped short of revealing that Drucella had been a witch in the year 1185, thinking perhaps that Miriam might not understand time travel. He grimaced, once again feeling uncertain whether he should have come to this present time. He had encountered nothing but problems since arriving. He pushed Miriam to arm’s length and gazed down at her.
    Well, perhaps not everything he encountered could be classified as a problem. He lowered his head and brushed his lips across hers, then drew her against his chest.
    “What are we going to do, Duella ? We can’t just ignore the witch. She’ll come back and try to kill you again. I know she will.” She tightened her arms around his waist. “We have just found each other—I don’t want to lose you.”
    Her words tugged at his senses. Since meeting her, he had been in a quandary over his growing feelings for her, repressing them as best he could, but now that she had spoken her true feelings about him…
    “Come. I have something to show you.” He took her hand and led her to the windowsill where they had entered the building. Urging her to transform, he seeped beneath the pane and then reappeared as a bat, taking to the air. She followed close behind, soaring on the calm night breeze at his side. They crossed the city and flew into the suburbs.
    Duella arrived at the mansion he would soon be living in. He landed in a tree, then leapt to the ground and transformed. With Miriam by his side, he walked to the front door of the mansion and pressed one hand against the solid wood structure, ordering it to open.
    The mansion unfolded before their eyes, a lavishly decorated home that bore all the finery of the previous owner. Duella took Miriam’s hand and stepped across the threshold.
      She looked around in wonder, retuning her gaze to his face. Her lower jaw hung open in awe. “What is this place?”
    “My new home. Would you like to live here with me?”
    She bit her bottom lip, then smiled. Tears appeared in her eyes. “Oh, yes. I would like that very much.” She turned to have another look. “Should I ask about the previous owner? Or how you came to have the house?”
    He shook his head. “The less you know, the better. Know only that I have made arrangements for the future.”
    She nodded her head, satisfied with his explanation.
    The stench of death clung to the home office where Fred Glasco spent his final moments. Duella strode into the room, crossed the carpeted floor to the wide desk and gazed upon the array of papers scattered across its top. He gathered the sheets, stacked them neatly in a pile, then tucked them into a manila folder. Soon, he would put everything in order, but tonight he would entertain Miriam.
    She swept into the room, the long dark dress she wore billowing around her calves. She smiled, appearing happy for the first time since they left the library and their harrowing ordeal with the witch. “We’re going to live here forever, Duella ? We’re going