Spell It Out for Me Read online

  Spell It

  Out for Me

  WOMBY’S SCHOOL FOR WAYWARD WITCHES

  SARINA DORIE

  Copyright © 2018 Sarina Dorie

  All rights reserved.

  ISBN: 1724174765

  ISBN-13: 978-1724174765

  BOOKS IN THE womby’s school for wayward witches SERIES listed in order

  Tardy Bells and Witches’ Spells

  Hex-Ed

  Witches Gone Wicked

  A Handful of Hexes

  Hexes and Exes

  Reading, Writing and Necromancy

  Budget Cuts for the Dark Arts and Crafts

  My Crazy Hex-Boyfriend

  Spell It Out for Me

  Hex Crimes

  Of Curse You Will

  Hex and the City

  Other Titles To Be Announced

  Table of Contents

  AUTHOR’S NOTE

  CHAPTER ONE

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAPTER THREE

  CHAPTER FOUR

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CHAPTER SIX

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  CHAPTER NINE

  CHAPTER TEN

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

  CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

  CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

  CHAPTER THIRTY

  CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

  CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

  CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

  CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

  CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

  CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

  CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN

  CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT

  CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE

  Hex Crimes

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  AUTHOR’S NOTE

  If you are reading this far in the Womby’s School for Wayward Witches series, I’m guessing you have read the other books as well. Whether you have stuck with the series because you love the quirky characters, you want to know if Clarissa will turn into a wicked witch like her mother, or you are waiting to see what happens with the potential love interests, I appreciate your enthusiasm.

  If you haven’t already signed up for my newsletter, I want to encourage you to do so. This helps me as an author connect to my readers, lets you know when books are being released, and gives me a way to gift you with free books and short stories.

  You can find the newsletter sign-up on my website: sarinadorie.com or you can go to: https://mailchi.mp/sarinadorie/authornewsletter

  Happy reading!

  CHAPTER ONE

  A Familiar Familiar

  Happy little pixies glowing in a rainbow of colors danced before my eyes. It was too beautiful to be real . . . which is how I knew it wasn’t. I’d mastered lucid dreaming enough to recognize the difference between fantasy constructed by my subconscious and reality.

  Most of the time.

  I didn’t care that this wasn’t reality. Polite unicorns dancing in the sunshine with Tinker Bell–like fairies made me happy. I deserved to have happy dreams without pornados for once. Wouldn’t you know it, fate didn’t think so.

  A demon leapt onto my chest, waking me. Luminous yellow eyes burned into mine. I sucked in a breath in fright.

  “Meow,” said the demon.

  My tormenter came in the form of a black cat. It was my roommate in her shifter form.

  I closed my eyes, wanting to go back to sleep. I made a groggy attempt to push Vega off me. “Leave me alone. I wasn’t bothering you.”

  Vega sank her claws through my clothes and into my chest and belly, proving what a demon she was. I sat up, shrieking like a banshee as I evicted her from my bed. She darted away, yowling in what sounded like an indignant manner.

  As the cobwebs of sleep left me, I realized I wasn’t in our room. I was in a large canopy bed, the stars twinkling through the skylight in the curtains above. Someone shifted beside me.

  “Clarissa, what’s wrong?” the man’s voice was deep, a slight accent flavoring his words, the sound somewhere in between British and Welsh.

  Elric, my Fae prince, sat up beside me. All I could see of him was his silhouette, his long hair flowing over his shoulders, melting almost seamlessly into his jacket. What was he doing here in my bed? No, this wasn’t my bed.

  He placed a hand on my back, the gesture consoling. “Love?”

  The past few hours all came rushing back to me. We’d gone on a date, and he’d taken me to this enchanting place in the woods. After we’d kissed, I’d had a spontaneous orgasm and fallen asleep. I hadn’t blown anything up, including him, and he hadn’t tried to drain me of the little magic I had or my life force.

  This one was a keeper.

  Now it was late. Probably past teacher curfew.

  “What time is it?” I asked.

  Outside the misty curtains of the canopy, the glowing orbs of will-o’-the-wisps brightened the surroundings enough that I could see the shadowy trees through a gap in the curtains.

  “Close to midnight.”

  “Oh no! I was supposed to be back at ten!” It was torture forcing myself to throw off the covers and get up. “I wasn’t supposed to fall asleep. I’m going to be in so much trouble.”

  “What’s the worst that could happen?” Elric asked in an infuriatingly cheerful way.

  “I could get fired, for one.” The principal had made teacher curfew very clear. My bare feet met mossy earth beside the bed. I patted the dirt, trying to find my shoes. The subdued light of the will-o’-the-wisps had been romantic earlier, but it was hardly practical to see by.

  “It’s the end of the year. Who would fire a teacher who hasn’t given finals or graded report cards yet?” Elric pushed the blankets back. “Besides, if they did fire you, next year you could get a new job at a better school where they’ll pay you a true teacher’s salary.”

  “I like Womby’s.” I didn’t care if they couldn’t afford to pay me what a teacher in the Morty Realm made. They made up for that with room and board. Plus, in the Unseen Realm, they didn’t mind that I didn’t have a teaching license.

  More importantly, I was surrounded by magic. I was helping students learn magic to protect themselves against evil Fae—the ones who weren’t my loving boyfriend. At least, I was helping them in theory. Mostly I taught them watercolors, collage, and perspective drawing.

  My shoes weren’t anywhere under the bed. Did I have time to look for my shoes? I had to get back to the school. If I’d had magic, I could have created my own flashlight spell in the palm of my hands.

  I paused. Did I have magic? After Elric had kissed me, I had felt magic awaken inside me. I placed a hand on my belly, bringing my awareness to my core. The librarian, Gertrude Periwinkle, had told me that she’d gotten it out of Felix Thatch that if I had sex with someone, my powers would return. I didn’t feel the red light of my affinity growing inside me. I felt empty and hollow. Of course, I hadn’t had sex, just one amazing kiss from a Fae prince. Actual sex might make a difference.

  “What are you doing?” Elric asked, bringing me back to the problem at hand.

  “I need my shoes.”

  The light of a bobbing orb illuminated his modelworthy physique dressed in a strange mishmash of Mor
ty clothes. Magic sparkled around his handsome face. I doubted it was any coincidence I had drawn all those pictures of Legolas in my teens and now ended up with a true Fae prince who resembled something out of Tolkien’s mythos. It had to be prophetic.

  Elric held up the comfortable pair of Mary Janes that I’d been wearing on our date, his grin growing wider.

  I snatched them up in relief. “Thank y—”

  He interrupted. “No. There will be none of that. I swear, I’m going to have to put an enchantment on you so you can never thank me again.”

  In my haste, I had forgotten the number one rule when dealing with Fae—never thank them unless you were prepared to owe them a favor.

  I shoved a foot into one shoe and then the other, not bothering with the worn leather straps. “Do I owe you a favor?” From the sensation of a little string tugging under my breastbone, I had a feeling I did.

  “Indeed, but a small one. Give me a kiss, and we’ll be able to call it even.”

  I hugged him and pecked him on the cheek, too flustered over missing curfew to do more.

  He shook his head and sighed. “I suppose that will do.”

  “I’m sorry. I have to get back.” I slipped out of the warmth of his arms and turned back to the forest.

  There was enough light from the will-o’-the-wisps to see the path through the trees. I started for the school.

  Elric grabbed my arm. “Not that way. You’ll go deeper into the forest.”

  I turned in the other direction. Another path, dark and almost invisible, awaited on the other side of the bed. I started for that.

  Elric took my hand. “You wish to hasten your journey? Let me guide you.” He tucked my hand into the crook of his arm in a gentlemanly gesture and guided me into the shadows. “I can create a shortcut.”

  I fought that urge to thank him and instead used the words he’d told me to say instead. “I have the most wonderful boyfriend in the world!”

  He chuckled. “I know.”

  We left the light of the will-o’-the-wisps behind and entered the blackness of the surrounding forest. The foliage grew so thick it blotted out the stars. Twigs crackled around us and whispering came from the boughs above as though the trees were speaking. Leaves brushed against my bare arms and sent shivers up my spine. I wished I’d brought a sweater, but I’d been warm earlier. Something snagged against my leggings, and I knew I was going to have a hole in my black-and-white stripes.

  The forest was so dark I didn’t know how Elric knew where to step. My feet stumbled over the uneven terrain. I clung to his elbow for support. I was thankful he was willing to walk me back.

  Despite the blackness, my eyes caught flickers of movement all around us. My heart thudded with nervousness. I trusted Elric not to lead me anywhere dangerous. He wasn’t like Julian who pretended to be someone he wasn’t in order to seduce me and use me for my powers. He wouldn’t be like Derrick who couldn’t protect himself from the Raven Queen, only to become enslaved and forced to attack the school with a crew of steampunk pirates in order to hurt me.

  I wanted to trust Elric. I loved him, didn’t I? Still, there was a difference between wanting something to be real and it being so. Anxiety contracted my chest, making it an effort to breathe.

  “Where are we going?” I asked, the quaking in my voice giving away my trepidation.

  “To the school. Just a few more steps.”

  Julian had said those same words to me when he’d tried to lure me off the school grounds. I pushed away that thought. Elric was not Julian.

  A light glowed up ahead. After a couple of seconds we slipped from the cloak of shadows. I found myself staring up at a light shining through the window above the school’s entryway. I sighed in relief.

  “And here we are. Safe and sound.” He patted my hand.

  Again, I wanted to thank him. It felt wrong and impolite not to. Instead, I placed a hand on his heart and stood on tiptoe to kiss his lips. “You are very good to me.”

  “Be careful.” He winked at me. “If you keep saying that, you might believe it.”

  “I do believe it.”

  He hugged me and kissed my forehead. I savored the comfortable sanctuary of his arms around me, knowing it might be my last moment of joy for a while. I squeezed him tighter before releasing him.

  I ascended the steps, wondering if the door would be locked. Dread built inside me. The principal had made curfew non-negotiable. Thatch had made his opinion of Elric clear. It was unlikely I would be able to sneak back to my room.

  Elric stood at the bottom of the stairs, waiting. He smiled encouragingly. “Nervous?”

  “Yeah.”

  He strode up to my side. “How about one more kiss for good luck?” He leaned over and kissed my cheek.

  I melted against his warmth. He knew exactly how to tempt me. He tilted my chin up and planted a line of kisses along my jaw.

  “That’s more than one good-luck kiss,” I said, trying not to laugh.

  “You need a lot of luck.” He pressed his lips to mine. He tasted like the forest and magic.

  The door to the school burst open and a shadow skulked out. Wearing a black cloak and armed with a wand, Felix Thatch strode onto the landing, his face transforming from concern to shock to anger.

  No number of good-luck charms was going to get me out of trouble now.

  CHAPTER TWO

  Teacher’s Pet

  It was bad enough being caught breaking school rules. Being caught kissing and making it clear why I had been late was ten times worse. Getting caught by Professor Felix Thatch, who already hated Elric and had forbidden me to see him—which I’d argued with him about and ignored—was a hundred times worse.

  The night breeze wafted Thatch’s midnight hair away from his handsome face. The light of his wand illuminated the fury in his steely gray eyes.

  Guiltily, I pulled away from Elric. Knowing how much Elric disliked Thatch, I wondered if he had planned this moment. It was hard to tell if the surprise on his face was genuine or an act. I would have a word with him later, but there was no chance of that happening now in front of Thatch.

  Thatch pointed to the interior of the school. “Miss Lawrence, if you would be so kind as to come inside. Now.” He spoke slowly, enunciating each word in crisp British so that there was no mistaking his meaning.

  “Believe it or not, that was where I was going,” I said.

  “Good night,” Elric called after me.

  I trudged forward, raising my hand in a halfhearted wave to Elric.

  “Do you know what time it is?” Thatch demanded.

  “I don’t have a watch, so no. But I’d guess it’s close to midnight.”

  Thatch slammed the door closed.

  “It’s after midnight. You missed curfew by two hours,” he said.

  “I’m sorry. I fell asleep.” I attempted to slip past the entryway of the school.

  Thatch stepped into my path, blocking my exit toward the main corridor. “That didn’t look like sleeping to me.”

  I bit my tongue before a sarcastic reply made its way past my mouth.

  His voice remained a monotone yet managed to drip with enough heated scorn that it could have melted Antarctica. “The principal fetched me to inform me you hadn’t come back from your excursion. Principal Bumblebub expected me to do something about it. Apparently being your magical mentor means I’m your keeper now, and I’m expected to know where you are at all times. As such, instead of sleeping, I searched the school for you and woke Vega Bloodmire to assist me. When she refused, I attempted to dowse for your whereabouts, a pointless occupation when a Fae uses magic to conceal you. For all I knew, you might have been enslaved in the Faerie Realm, and you were in danger.”

  “I am sorry. I didn’t mean to make you worry.” I could see he cared. Vega must have cared too, even if she wouldn’t let him see that, because she had found me and woken me.

  “Worried? I wasn’t wo
rried,” he barked. His face turned red and a vein throbbed in his temple. His voice rose. “You are the most infuriating human being I have ever come across. Again and again you completely disregard the rules created to keep you safe. You’re a selfish, thoughtless twit who thinks nothing of the suffering you cause others.”

  Had I made him suffer? I felt bad for distressing him. I didn’t want him to be angry. Tears filled my eyes.

  “Don’t you dare cry and try to make me feel guilty for chastising you.” He continued to rant. “You’re as bad as the students—no, worse. With the students I am given liberty to give consequences as I see fit. You’re an adult. I shouldn’t need to give you a detention. You should know better.”

  Some of my guilt evaporated as he prattled on.

  “It’s disgusting the way you go galivanting around into the late hours, setting a poor example for the students, who already use any excuse to ignore school rules. You will lead them down the path of indiscretions. They already know about your relationship with a Fae. They’ll get it in their heads that making bargains with the Fae is a good idea. You’ll romanticize the dangers of this world. Do you want our students to be snatched? Do you want—”

  My voice rose as anger consumed me. “I already told you. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to come back late. What else do you want me to say?”

  A knock tapped at the door. Thatch sneered. “Did you fornicate with him? Is that why you’re late?”

  “That isn’t any of your business.”

  “Since I’m in charge of you, actually, it is.”

  The knock came again. I turned to open it.

  “Don’t—” he started.

  Too late. I’d already opened the door. Elric stood there, his smile forced.

  “Leave,” Thatch said.

  “I don’t like the way you’re speaking to Clarissa.”

  “I don’t like the way you’re a bad influence on her.” Thatch waved his hand.

  The door handle yanked out of my fingers and closed. Or almost closed. It burst open again. I stumbled back before it could hit me.