Read Warlock Brothers of Havenbridge 01 - Spell Bound for Free Online Page B

inside.
    When I attempted to follow suit, she stepped in front of the door.
    “Move it or lose it,” I grumbled as she flipped her chestnut-colored hair off her shoulder.
    “Or what? You’re going to turn yourself into a roach again?”
    I rolled my eyes. “That news is about as tired as I am of looking at you.”
    “Ooh. Burn,” she said, mocking my attempt to insult her.
    “If it’s you on the stake, then I’m there.”
    “Will you two stop it?” someone behind Miranda asked.
    It was her older sister, Charlotte, who was home from school for the weekend festivities. She wore the same white blouse as her sister. It was the standard Proctor uniform, it seemed. But unlike Miranda, who had a sultry appearance with her perfect, rosy lips and long, straight hair, Charlotte had a more understated beauty. She didn’t care about her appearance like Miranda did. Her clothes swallowed her petite frame, and her short dark brown bangs made her look fifteen instead of eighteen. Since she wasn’t as annoying as Miranda, I could tolerate her in small doses.
    “I’d love to,” I said to Charlotte, who moved her sister aside. “But Miranda gets her jollies by making my life miserable.”
    “Everyone needs a hobby,” Miranda said as she walked away.
    Charlotte closed the door behind me, and together we cut through the crowd of magical families, who were chatting only with other members of their order. Sticking with our own kind was the standard operating procedure ever since we first evolved as a species. Only the protector covens could mix when necessary, but we usually kept to our own too. But on this Sabbat, covens of all orders across the northeastern part of the state traveled to Havenbridge for the festivities and a chance to be in our presence.
    We were celebrities in the magical world.
    “Greetings, Mason Blackmoor.” It was Leopold Edwell, a fellow warlock who lived across the river in Salem. He was short and squat and reminded me of the Penguin from the Batman comics. His wife, Agnes, stood at his side, her contempt hidden behind a thin smile. The Edwell family was richer than we were, but they envied our status. They were among the few families considered by the Council of Black back in the seventeenth century to become the chosen protector coven for our order, and to this day, every single member of the Edwell coven resented the Blackmoors for our blessing.
    “Greetings, Mr. and Mrs. Edwell,” I replied with a bow of respect. He returned the gesture, though he silently seethed.
    “Does your family take crap from other white-magic covens?” I asked Charlotte after we left the Edwells and their group of friends.
    She frowned. “You should know better than that. Our order doesn’t engage in such pettiness.”
    Charlotte was right. I should have known better. Witches prided themselves on being practically perfect in every way. Fucking Mary Poppins wannabes! “Then explain your sister to me. She seems to get off on it.”
    She shook her head. “If I could explain Miranda, I would. But I’ve given up trying to understand her. Every family has a black sheep.”
    I couldn’t argue with that. In my family, that was me.
    “Heya, Mason.” Adam Proctor cut through the crowd to stand along the back wall with his sister and me. Like Charlotte, Adam wore a white button-down shirt and went out of his way to say hello. I believed he did that to piss off Pierce. The two of them loathed each other to excess. It went beyond even the usual white- and black-magic animosity that typically existed between our two orders. Unlike most of the others gathered here tonight, I didn’t instantly dislike the other factions. I busted their chops because that was who I was. Take it or leave it.
    In order for me to hate you, you had to earn it. Like Miranda. And now perhaps even Drake. He was well on his way to being at the top of my shit list.
    Other than that, I didn’t fall into the magical cliques everyone else stuck to. I did