Legacy

  The Aria Knight Chronicles #3

  ALESHA ESCOBAR

  Samantha LaFantasie

  Edited by

  iFlow Creative

  ALESHA ESCOBAR

  SAMANTHA LAFANTASIE

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  Copyright © 2019 Alesha Escobar

  and Samantha LaFantasie

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  Published by Creative Alchemy, Inc.

  Edited by iFlow Creative

  All rights reserved.

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  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

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  If you enjoy this book, please consider leaving a review at your favorite online retailer. It helps other fantasy readers like yourself find this book, and it means a lot to the authors. Thank you!

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  Acknowledgments

  We are grateful to all our readers, both new and old. May we continue to have compelling and magical stories to share with you.

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  Alesha Escobar

  Contents

  1. Aria

  2. Jacob

  3. Harry

  4. Aria

  5. Jacob

  6. Harry

  7. Aria

  8. Harry

  9. Jacob

  10. Aria

  11. Harry

  12. Harry

  13. Jacob

  14. Aria

  15. Aria

  16. Aria

  About Alesha Escobar

  Other Books by Alesha Escobar

  About Samantha LaFantasie

  Other Books by Samantha LaFantasie

  1

  Aria

  Aria held her hands in front of her, arms bent at her sides and palms facing down. The two hellhounds she summoned growled and snapped, fire glowing in their eyes. Instead of the caution and fear she had been taught to harbor in their presence, she actually felt the excitement rise within her. She had made the first step in controlling them, but for how long could she hold on to them before they turned on her?

  “They’re here,” Aria said to her mother, Clare. Those who weren’t sin eaters couldn’t see the hounds, but they often felt them. Even non-wizards felt hellhounds.

  Clare stared at the spot where the creatures stood. “I can feel the heat coming off them. Are you sure this is safe?”

  A door slammed, snapping Aria’s attention from her control of the hounds. They jumped to their feet and charged her. Eyes wide, she dodged out of the way then held up her right hand, which had an S-shaped birthmark. It pulsated, and a bright flame emerged. The hellhounds snarled but at least stopped in their tracks. Their prey wasn’t a sin eater, but that didn’t mean they wouldn’t take a bite out of one. She used her magical flame to cast a banishing spell. The last thing she needed tonight was to be their dinner.

  Harry rushed toward her with an apologetic expression. “I didn’t mean to distract you. Are you okay?”

  She extinguished her flame, and the warmth in her hand subsided. She dusted herself off with the palms of her hands and panted to catch her breath. Finally, she nodded and said, “They were a bit snappish, but I was able to make them halt.”

  “Until you lost concentration and they were almost on you.” Clare frowned. “Perhaps there’s a spell that I—”

  “No, Mom.” Aria shook her head. “It has to be me. I have to learn to do this. Otherwise, we’re defenseless against Mira.”

  “You’ll get there. You’ll master those hellhounds, no doubt.” Harry gave her a dashing smile that caused her cheeks to warm. She was glad they were on a dark rooftop, or her cheeks would’ve given her reaction away.

  Clare approached and cupped Aria’s chin, using her thumb to wipe off something she had on her lower jaw. “It just takes a little more focus and a little more practice. Harry, do you have the item I asked for?”

  He nodded. “That apothecary owner is creepy as hell, but I got it.”

  Clare thanked him as he handed her a brown paper bag. She reached inside and pulled out a thin gold bracelet. It shimmered with enchantment, and Aria could feel the buzz of magical energy emanating from it.

  “Is that the psychic bracelet?” Aria eyed it with interest. Sometimes she envied witches and the creative ways in which they could use their powers.

  Clare nodded. “This will only work once, so we’ll try to get an idea of where your sister is and what she’s planning to do.”

  “Okay.” Aria waited for Clare to slip the bracelet on, then she joined hands with her.

  She felt the warmth of magical energy travel up her arms and spread throughout her body. She concentrated on her sister—pale skin, dark hair, and powers which were the opposite of Arias.

  Soul Eater…Aria said in her mind. That’s what her sister was. Instead of setting souls free, Mira devoured them. She was an abomination, and she had come to Los Angeles pissed and looking for revenge.

  A circle of light formed in between Aria and Clare and a miniature image of Mira appeared. They had done it, they connected with the woman’s mind. Clare had already instructed Aria to speak with her sister as a distraction while she rummaged around her mind.

  Mira’s nostrils flared, and for a moment, her little image which floated in mid-air flickered in and out of view. It became more solid again. She stared at Aria. “What do you want?”

  Aria cleared her throat. “I know the last time I saw you, things didn’t go well.”

  Mira raised an eyebrow. “You think? You summoned a hellhound on me.”

  “Well, you tried to suck out Mom’s soul and nearly killed my friends.”

  Mira’s image flickered again, and she looked around. “It’s dark, where are you? Is Mother with you?”

  It would do no good to lie. “Yes, but I’m the one talking to you.”

  “What do you want?”

  “Let us try and help you. Stop hurting innocent people.”

  A wave of anger and sadness flooded Aria. She knew it came from Mira. It was the first time she had ever sensed any emotion from her sister. She had always seemed cold, calculating, and soulless.

  “Tell Clare to get out of my head!” Mira said.

  “Mira, you’re sick, you need—” Aria tried to reply.

  “Do you think I wanted to be born this way? Do you know what it feels like, to hunger and thirst?”

  “Yes.”

  “Well, I feel it a hundred times stronger. I must take souls. People deserve it anyway, look at them. Look at the corruption and evil they unleash on the world.”

  “Sister—” Aria tried to reach her sister.

  A flash of light nearly blinded them, and Aria felt like an invisible force had punched her in the gut. Her hands slipped from Clare’s, and she noted that her mother felt the same sensation. Mira’s image was gone, and the connection lost.

  Clare sucked in a quick breath. “She’s here, in the city, and her first target is the sin eaters—you and your kind, Aria.”

  Harry crossed his arms. “And we can’t find them. How are we supposed to warn them?”

  “Aria and I will work on that. Meanwhile, you need to go see your brother, Harry. We need that last ingredient for the Undoing ritual,” Clare said.

  “Right,” Harry said. “I’ll walk right up to my brother and ask him for some vampire blood. Easy-peasy.”

  Clare narrowed her eyes at him. “Call him and arrange a meeting, wise guy.”

  “On it.” He turned and left through the roof access door.

  Clare shook her head and walked over to the ledge, watching the city lights and traffic below. Aria joined her and asked, “What’s going through your mind right now?”

  “That this is my fault. I couldn’t destroy Mira when she was a child and ate your father’s soul. I kept telling myself she was ill and needed help, but the only thing I could do was lock Mira away because I was afraid the sin eaters would put her to death. I tried convincing myself I was not only protecting Mira but also the world from her but what I was really doing was protecting myself. I didn’t want to make a hard choice and live with the consequence. Now, look where we are.” Clare said.

  Aria placed her arm around her mother and gave her a squeeze. “When I was speaking with her during the connection, I felt a lot of anger and resentment. But you know what? I also felt her sadness. I think part of her hates what she’s become. She doesn’t like it, but she’s never known anything else, and she believes this is her fate.”

  Clare faced her. “Do you think we can show her a different way? She didn’t even want to speak with us.”

  “We can at least try, but we also have to be prepared to cast the Undoing.”

  The spell was the only one they knew of which would unravel Mira’s soul-eating powers, but it would also drain her of her life energy and kill her. Aria had never killed anyone, and it made her sick to her stomach to think she’d have to end her own sister’s life. But Mira had decided that she hated them and hated the world and that she was fated to be the Soul Eater, taking each and every life she came across without discrimination.

  And it came at the worst time when humans had been growing di strustful and fearful of wizards. She had already seen clashes and riots back in Miracle Falls, what would people do when they discovered someone like her sister?

  Mira was a dangerous threat, and if she refused to surrender or turn away from the path she was going down—well, Aria would have the Undoing to back her up, along with the hellhounds and hellfire.

  2

  Jacob

  Jacob could taste the magic in the air.

  The wizards outside might as well have made a huge “F-You!” sign for him. Hmph. Looked like one actually had. He was glad that the police had at least paved a guarded pathway for him to head through the front door. Now, the trick was getting there without being hit with objects or spells.

  A brash, ungodly mix of alchemical potions and hexes awaited. As a reflex, Jacob readied his own magic, feeling the vibration of his powers as they coursed through his body and sharpened his mind. As his driver pulled up to City Hall and parked at the curb, he eyed the crowd on the right. The wizards, who were ready to fling spells—and then the crowd on the left, non-magic folk who, for whatever reason, had been told to come out and protest the fact that the city of Miracle Falls dared make a magic-wielding man its mayor.

  But of course, he didn’t choose the position. It was thrust upon him.

  “Thanks, Andy.” He slipped the driver an extra sixty dollars.

  Andy flashed a nervous smile as he pocketed the money. “It’s all right, Mr. Wolfe. My dad was a regular guy, my mom a hedge witch. Been married thirty years. Not everyone is like those assholes out there.”

  “You’re a good man.” Jacob gave him a grateful nod. He hoped Andy decided to stick around. The last two drivers quit, and a third mysteriously went missing. These were dangerous times, and Jacob Wolfe was tasked with bringing order and unity. Too bad he didn’t have a ready-made spell for that.

  Jacob sucked in a sharp breath as he stepped out of the sleek black sedan. As soon as he closed the door, Andy hit the gas pedal and left him to his fate—otherwise known as another day at the office.

  As soon as both crowds saw him, the invectives came flying. “You’re tearing this city apart!” “Take our names off the Wizard Registry. This is America, you Nazi!”

  And of course, his morning walk up the steps wouldn’t be complete without the douche reporter running up to him with a camera and mic: “Mayor Wolfe, how are you going to solve the strife still lingering in Miracle Falls? Is it true that you’re favoring wizards over normal people?”

  Jacob gritted his teeth and gave a nod of acknowledgment to one of the police officers who stepped in and told the reporter to go wait with the other press members. The crowds on both sides grew belligerent, now focusing their anger and harsh words toward each other. The officers in their riot gear held the line, but for how long?

  Just as he made it to the door, he heard a young woman nearby shout, “You betrayed us! You’re supposed to be one of us.”

  Something in the tone of her voice made him pause and turn toward her. She wasn’t angry like the others; she was scared, and she was defeated. Her dark brown hair fell past her slumped shoulders, and her eyes were bloodshot and watery. He felt bad for her. He wanted to tell her that he was working on getting the Wizard Registry dismantled and that it was a mistake of his predecessor. But when emotions ran high, most people didn’t want to hear stories of what went on behind the scenes. They only wanted something different to happen. For anything to happen.

  Jacob’s gaze met hers. He felt a burning sensation in his chest that rose up his neck and to his cheeks. His tall frame towered over hers as he took a step toward her. “I’m sorry. I’m working on—”

  “Sir! Get away from her!” Officer Tanaka dove toward the woman, whose expression had morphed from despondent to crazed. Tanaka wrested what looked like a rag doll from the woman, except it had a crude resemblance to Jacob, and orange and jagged black lines ran across it with an eerie glow. He realized where that burning sensation was coming from.

  Damn...how could I have missed that? Jacob thought, stumbling backward.

  Tanaka let up when two other officers rushed over to apprehend the woman. He then held his hand over the glowing voodoo doll. At least, that’s what it looked like to him. A soft bluish-white light emanated from Tanaka’s hand, and the dark spell entrenched in the doll dissipated. Jacob took in a deep breath as the burning in his chest and neck went away.

  “You okay, Mr. Wolfe?” Tanaka placed the cursed doll in a pouch laced with magical symbols that would contain any lingering dark magic. “Thought you would’ve seen that one coming.”

  Jacob shook his head. “I’ve had a long night. I guess I need to knock back a few mugs of coffee and take care of this. Thanks, Tanaka.”

  “Just hurry up and finish this, sir. We need this.”

  Jacob nodded. He didn’t begrudge Tanaka his sentiment. The officer was one of the few wizards who stayed on the force even when some cops quit in protest or when rowdy protestors pelted them with eggs and dirty diapers.

  He finally made it inside, mentioning in a loud voice to the other reporters and photographers that his chief of staff would be answering their questions in a conference at 10 a.m. in the press room. He gave heavy emphasis to those last two words. If anyone followed him to his office, he’d probably lose it and punch someone.

  He took the stairs to the second floor, purposefully avoiding the confinement of the elevator. He nodded in greeting toward a few staff members. He noted the ones who gave him encouraging smiles versus others who averted their gazes and sped down the hall. When he made it to his secretary’s desk, he couldn’t help but grin. Amanda Lewis always seemed to know what to say to make him feel better and had been there for him through the worst.

  “Good morning, Mr. Wolfe. You look like crap.” She wore a playful smirk, though her eyes indicated a touch of concern.

  “And I feel like it too, but the city isn’t going to wait for me to get a makeover.” He grabbed a stack of papers she handed him and turned to enter his office.

  His stomach tightened as he saw Bruno Jones, his chief of staff, pacing back and forth in the middle of the office. Not good; the guy liked to pace when he was anxious about something. Jacob also noted Jones’s daughter, Margot, sitting in a corner seat, typing away on her laptop.

  “Morning, Margot...Bruno.” Jacob tossed the papers onto his desk, took off his suit jacket, and hung it on a coat rack behind his desk. He slid into his chair behind his desk and waited.

  Bruno ran a hand through his salt-and-pepper goatee and finally stopped pacing. “Well, before you throw me to that den of wolves for the press conference, I wanted to know if you had an answer yet about the Wizard Registry.”

  Jacob sighed. “I honestly think we need to finish breaking the last hold the Watchers and the Guardians have on people in the city.” Margot shut her laptop and went over behind Jacob’s desk to the windows. Jacob eyed her but continued. “How can we move forward when these two extremist groups are riling people up? I’d bet half the protesters out there wouldn’t even be on City Hall’s steps if they weren’t provoked by these organizations.”

  Margot raised the window screens to let more sunshine in. “We don’t know that, but what we do know is that there are a lot of scared people out there. I have friends who are wizards and…”

  Jacob eyed her with sympathy—which was tough, considering her blue pixie cut and goth makeup and outfit. Damsel-in-distress was one of the things Margot Jones didn’t do. He admired her for that.

  Bruno interjected. “And there are regular people out there as well who are scared. Let’s not forget them.”

 

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