Free The Enchantress (Wicked Book 1) by Blaire Hammond Page B

lightening
generating from the Wicked’s hands.
  He drew back his Light and lunged sideways, dropping to the ground, Stella’s
Lightening shooting straight over the top of him. She, too, drew back her power
and watched as the Wicked jumped up and scuttled off towards the car, dragging
the body of his friend behind him. The third Wicked was already behind the
wheel, engine roaring to life. The Wizard shoved his friend into the back seat
and dove in behind him as the driver screeched off down the driveway, wheels spinning.
  ‘They are so poorly trained,’ Stella said as the dust began to settle.
  ‘Lucky for us,’ Leo remarked, wincing as he inspected his injury. Stella tore
the hem of her shirt off, tying it around his injury.
  ‘I’ll treat it the second we get home.’
  ‘What do we do now? The Wicked will be on to us.’
  ‘Nothing but hope to find a lead soon.’ Stella said.
  The two of them made their way through the Harmers house, searching for
anything that could lead them to Cara. They turned the house upside down,
checking every nook and cranny, prying up floorboards, removing paintings and
photos from the wall in the hopes to come across a weak spot in the wall. They
came up short, not a single clue left behind, and the disappointment was
evident in them both.
  In a silent agreement, they decided not to say a word of their visit to
Laura. It would only upset her, and there was no point doing that. No, they
would have to go about the situation differently. In Leo’s mind he was already
formulating a plan.
    After
freshening up, Laura made her way to the library. The paintings sparked an
interest in her mind and new questions were nudging their way into her brain,
begging to be asked.
  As she entered the Library, she found Logan resting by the fire place
reading. He must have heard her come in, though, because he looked up and
flashed her a smile.
  ‘How was training?’ He reached up, brushing his dark hair from his eyes.
  ‘I’m still alive so that’s a plus.’
  He chuckled, ‘so what brings you here?’
  ‘I was hoping I could find the answers to some questions. Just little things
I have been wondering.’
  He happily closed the book, tossed it to the side and gestured to the seat
across from him, ‘sure, fire away!’
  Laura crossed the room, and as she sat down, the title of Logan’s book caught
her eye. Treasure Island. She was suddenly struck by the memory of her father
spending hours upon hours reading this book to her and she was overwhelmed by
the pain, the sadness, and the guilt that was consuming her.
  ‘Laura? Are you okay?’ Logan asked.
  She swallowed, meeting his kind eyes, ‘I will be.’
  ‘It’ll get easier,’ he said.
  She felt like burying her face in her hands and crying. Crying because she
wouldn’t see her father again, never hear his laugh, never go rock climbing
like they had planned, never play another ridiculous game of cards. Instead,
she drew on the strength he had given her, and straightened up, braving a
smile.
  ‘I was wondering what the strange W mark in those paintings was about?’ She asked, focusing on
both the question and the portraits, not allowing her mind to wander.
  ‘It is called the Identity Mark. You don’t receive it until the final
ceremony. If we stay an Enchanted we will receive a silver ‘ W’ on our wrist. But if not, we will
receive a gold one.’
  He sat forward in his chair, straightening his sweat pants, ‘they awaken the
power within us. If an Enchanted breaks the law, the Minor Courts are able to
destroy the marks, stripping them of their power,’ Logan explained.
  ‘So by destroying a person’s mark, you destroy them? And by receiving a mark,
you receive your Lightening power?’
  ‘Yes, although the power is always coursing through our veins, our decedents
and Gods simply established a way to control it with the mark.’
  Laura frowned at this, ‘what about when a mark is