Free AWitchsSkill by Ashley Shayne Page B

around me. Yep. Ready.
The ritual was set to happen the next day so I headed home for an early night’s
sleep. Sadly, I didn’t sleep well at all. I was nervous about this job. I
considered the matter carefully, since I don’t like ignoring my instincts, but
I couldn’t figure out what was bugging me. It wasn’t as if it was my first time
performing this particular spell. And this certainly wasn’t my first time doing
magic for money. Maybe my unease simply stemmed from my dislike for my clients.
Still… That wasn’t anything new either, and I never ended up this on
edge. I tossed and turned through the night and when I finally got up I
realized I was in a horrible mood.
    I threw on a comfortable pair of black jeans, a baggy, gray
tank top over a sports bra and a soft, wool cardigan. I put my long black hair
up into a ponytail, grabbed my bag and headed out the door. I tried to think positively
and gave myself a little pep talk on the ride there.
    Both the men I’d met before were already at the warehouse
when I arrived. I nodded at them and Ryan greeted me. True to form, the taller
one remained silent. As I wandered around, lighting the candles, the tall man
went into a back room. When he returned he was dragging another person—a person
who was chained. His head was down and I couldn’t see his face. The taller man
was not particularly gentle with him and I winced as the chained man’s knee banged
into the concrete floor. I bit my lip and turned away to find Ryan watching my
reaction.
    “What’s going on?” I asked him, glancing back at the man on
the ground. “You said this was your friend. Why is he chained?”
    The chained man lifted his head as he heard my voice and I
caught my breath. He was gorgeous. He had dark-brown hair, olive skin and a
straight Greek nose under eyes that were so dark they were almost black. A
trickle of blood leaked from a cut on his forehead and he stared at me,
desperation clearly visible in his gaze. The tall man yanked on the chains and
quick as a flash, the prisoner turned his head and lunged for the tall man’s
leg, long fangs flashing. The tall man jerked out of the way and kicked the
chained man in the head as I scrambled back, gasping.
    “That’s a vampire!” I shrieked in surprise.
    “So?” Ryan approached me, his cold gaze pinned to my face. “It
won’t make a difference to the magic, so why does it matter?”
    I stuttered and hesitated, my eyes glued to the vampire as
he rolled on the floor, clutching his face and moaning. If this were how my
clients treated their friend, I would hate to be their enemy.
    “You said he was under a spell,” I told Ryan, fear making my
voice sharper than I’d intended.
    “He is,” he assured me, sounding as though he fought to keep
his temper in check. “Really, if he wasn’t, he wouldn’t be fighting us.”
    I heard a snort from the man on the ground and he looked up
at me.
    “Don’t listen to them,” he croaked, his voice dry and
cracking. “I’m not under a spell—I’m a prisoner. Don’t help them. They’re
evil!”
    “Says Satan’s spawn,” the tall man sneered, surprising me
completely with the unexpected speech, before he kicked the vampire in the face
again.
    Why wasn’t he using his powers to escape? I glanced at the
chains again and had my answer. They must be made of silver. Silver
drastically weakens vampires, though it won’t kill them.
    “Please don’t kick him again,” I said, horrified by the
unnecessary violence. Though I’d had my share of troubles over the years, torture
or anything like it turned my stomach.
    “A delicate witch,” Ryan sneered, grabbing me by the arm. “We
have a deal. You better not back out on us.”
    His tone was serious and he glared angrily. Fear ran through
me and I cursed myself heartily, wishing I’d trusted my instincts and cancelled
this gig. I swallowed hard and nodded unhappily at him.
    “Put him in the circle then,” I told them, trying to stop