Twisted by Time
Timecaster Chronicles
Book One
R.L. Perez
TWISTED BY TIME
Copyright © 2020 R.L. Perez
All rights reserved.
Published by Willow Haven Press 2020
United States of America
No parts of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the copyright owner.
This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, resold, hired out, or otherwise circulated without the publisher’s prior consent in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser. Under no circumstances may any part of this book be photocopied for resale.
This is a work of fiction. Any similarity between the characters and situations within its pages and places or persons, living or dead, is unintentional and co-incidental.
Cover Art by MiblArt
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Sneak Peek of Book 2
For Alex, the Cuban who stole my heart.
Chapter 1
THE CHILL OF NIGHTFALL tickled my arms as I ran my fingers through José’s shoulder-length, black hair. His eyes closed, and he smiled with lazy contentment.
“How do you keep it so smooth?” I asked.
“Ancient Cuban secret.”
I snorted.
“He means ‘ancient Cuban shampoo,’” Mia drawled from beside me, taking another swig of the liquor we’d passed around. She squinted at José. “It doesn’t look that smooth to me.” Her speech was slurred, and she swayed into Cameron, who sat next to her.
I eyed her and pressed my lips together. She’s had too much to drink. I forced a laugh. “You’re clearly too drunk to see properly.” I tried to take the bottle from her hand, but she waved it away from me.
“Yeah, Mia, ease up. Don’t overdo it.” Cameron snatched the bottle and took a sip. He offered it to me, but I shook my head, wrinkling my nose.
“Oh, please,” Mia said a little too loudly. “With my powers, I’m unstoppable.” She burped, and a sharp, musty stench assaulted my nostrils.
My arms and legs itched to move and stretch. I dropped my hand from José’s head and slid off the park bench, bending at the waist and touching my toes.
“Uh-oh, she’s doing yoga again,” José said with a chuckle.
Cameron set the bottle of liquor on the concrete and ruffled his long, blond curls. “Relax, Desi. Mia’s the only one wasted. We can protect her if we need to.”
“I am relaxed. I feel nothing but Zen right now.” I gripped the ends of my flats and glanced along the sidewalk. As dusk fell, the surrounding neighbors disappeared into their homes, and an eerie silence settled around the park. The swings nearby creaked ominously with the brisk spring wind. The small city of North Grove, Wisconsin didn’t see warm weather until almost summer.
I suppressed a shiver. We should really get home soon. “I may turn in early. All that Chinese food is making me feel bloated.”
José groaned loudly. “Desi, you are such a drag.”
“Maybe we should go,” Cameron said, his brown eyes widening as he glanced around the empty park. “There have been a lot of demon attacks lately.”
José waved a hand. “The four of us are the most powerful witches and warlocks around. Nobody will mess with us.”
Irritation prickled through me. I stretched to downward-facing dog, and the pull of my muscles soothed my agitated nerves. Deep breaths washed over me, bringing the sense of peace and tranquility that I longed for.
“Tell that to Levarret,” Cameron said. Levarret was the strongest known demon lord, and the flux of magical violence in the area was largely due to his growth of power. Oh, and he also killed my parents. Needless to say, I wasn’t fond of him, even if I didn’t care enough to try and stop him.
“Not this again,” José said in a sleepy voice. “Levarret only targets powerful Hunters. We’re nobodies. Why would he send his minions after us? We’re no threats to him.”
“So first we’re the most powerful witches and warlocks around, and now we’re nobodies who aren’t threats?” Cameron snapped.
“He might be a little wasted, too,” I said in a stage whisper, straightening to smirk at them.
Mia cackled, and José uttered an incoherent noise of protest.
I spun on my toe in a pirouette, transitioning effortlessly into my ballet routine. Though the absence of music made it more difficult to lose myself in the dance, it still soothed me like a massage. My torso twisted, my legs kicked, and I spun and floated like a leaf in the wind. The jeers of my friends floated away into nothingness. It was just me and the dance.
Desiree Campbell, you’d better have an excellent reason for being out this late, a voice chastised in my head, bringing my blissful dance to a grinding halt.
“Frack,” I muttered.
Feathers ruffled, and a black raven appeared on the sidewalk in front of us. It cocked its head accusingly at me. My Familiar, Kismet.
“I’m leaving now, Kismet,” I assured her.
Your friends should leave too, Kismet said. It isn’t safe.
“Guys, let’s go,” I said unenthusiastically. “Kiz is here.”
The group groaned collectively and shuffled to their feet. Mia stumbled, but Cameron caught her by the shoulders.
Where are their Familiars? Kismet demanded.
“How should I know?” I said, tucking my brown flyaway curls back behind my ears. Another gust of wind whipped at my face, tousling them wildly again. I dropped my hand, giving up. My unruly curls refused to be tamed. On a good day, they looked perfect and styled with no effort involved. But add wind or humidity, and I was a hot mess.
Kismet tilted her head toward Mia. What’s wrong with her?
“Nothing,” I said quickly.
Kismet hopped up and down more urgently. She’s drunk! Have you been drinking? Are you insane?
“I haven’t been drinking!”
