I have a new release this week called Spellbound, it’s the second short story in an upcoming collection of prequels for my Elfhame Academy series. All of the prequel stories are part of overall mystery and told from the perspective of different characters who are going to be in my new series is coming out in the New Year. You can get the story on Amazon.
Be sure to check out the short excerpt below.
Excerpt from Spellbound:
“Nina Morgan, you are hereby sentenced to ten years in prison for helping the suspect, Lucy Grey, escape from police custody.” A snooty looking man peered down his nose at where I sat beside my mum in the dingy little meeting room.
They had dragged me in for questioning and threatened to charge me as an accomplice. It hadn’t been my idea to help Lucy Grey, a girl wanted for questioning in a murder, escape.
But I knew why they wanted to include me in this nightmare. I’d been involved with an elf lord who had been found dead when they had first arrested Lucy for murder. Jared had been my lover, but I still didn’t know why anyone had killed him. Mum had started looking into the case but had soon been shut down by the Elven enforcers.
As a private investigator, Mum often bought in fugitives. She enjoyed the work, and the pay was good. Especially for serious crimes. It didn’t get much more serious than murder.
“Nina, you will be sentenced to a term in prison,” the snooty man continued, and dragged me back to reality again. “Your daughter will be included in this sentence and be spellbound and no longer permitted to work in any Elven territory.”
Spellbound. The word washed over me like ice. If I had my magic bound and my wings cut off, I wouldn’t be Fae anymore.
My stomach lurched. I’d grown up among Colchester’s mismatched community of humans and supernaturals. If I wasn’t Fae anymore, what would I be? Not human, but not Fae either.
One of the guards grabbed hold of Mum and dragged her toward the door. This had to be the worst day of my life.
“Where are you taking her?” I demanded.
I couldn’t believe this. I wanted to shout, to scream at them, not to take her anywhere.
“To prison where she’ll stay pending trial.” The gruff guard glowered at me.
“Olivia, don’t worry about me. Call your sister. Find the girl and bring her back,” Mum told me. Mum looked a shadow of her normal self. Her long purple hair hung loose around her shoulders. Her feathery wings drooped behind her and her grey eyes had dark circles under them.
Tears filled my eyes, but I refused to let them fall. I was twenty-years-old now. I wasn’t a kid anymore. I knew how the Fae and elf worlds worked.
“I’ll call her. We’ll find the girl,” I promised.
My mum and the two guards disappeared in a bright flash of light.
I took a deep breath as I headed outside. The Elven enforcer who’d brought Mum in, Cal Thorn, followed me out. He stood a head taller than me with short dark hair, piercing green eyes, large, pointed ears and a muscular body. I’d never met him before now, but I knew Mum had some kind of history with him. She had never had the chance to explain what that history was, though.
“What the hell do you want?” I glowered at him. “Happy with yourself, are you? My mum didn’t do anything wrong. She was just trying to help the girl.”
Cal leaned against the wall and crossed his arms. “Perhaps she was. I think she was trying to protect you as well. We both know you were involved with Jared, Olivia. You need to tell me what you know.”
Cal had already spent the last two days interrogating me, but I didn’t know what else I could tell him. Jared and I had only had a casual affair. I didn’t get involved with his personal life. His death had upset me, but I hadn’t been in love with him. I didn’t know what Cal expected me to say.
“I’ve already told you everything I know. I don’t know what Jared was doing inside that house. I don’t even know why he’d be here in the human realm.” My hands clenched into fists. “Mum took Lucy from the police station because she wanted to figure out what happened to the girl. She would never have had the chance to do that if you’d taken Lucy away.”
I still didn’t quite understand Mum’s reasoning for taking Lucy to the safe house. But she’d wanted a chance to talk to me as well as Lucy. She would never have got to do that whilst Lucy was in custody at the human police station.
“You know much more about Jared than you’re letting on. One way or another, I will find out why he died.”
I put my hands on my hips. “In case you didn’t hear, I’m free to go for now. So stay the hell away from me.”
Cal nodded. “You can go, for now. Besides, I have a fugitive to find. You wouldn’t know where she’s ran off to, would you?”
I unfurled my large purple wings. I didn’t have a car here, so I would have to fly somewhere and get to safety. “How should I know? I haven’t seen her since she ran off after she attacked us.”
“Remember, me and the other enforces will be watching you, Olivia. If you know where Lucy is, it’s better for everyone if you bring her in. You wouldn’t want your mum to rot in prison, would you?”
