Witch Wars
Society of Ancient Magic, Book Three
Fiona Starr
Witch Wars: Society of Ancient Magic, Book Three
Copyright © 2021 by Fiona Starr
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Cover by: Raquel Lyon, Crooked Sixpence
Created with Vellum
Society of Ancient Magic
Three wolf shifters tormented by a deadly secret.
Two worlds torn by a twisted legacy.
One girl determined to choose her own fate.
Fall in love with Joely and her men!
Book 1 - Dark Arts
Book 2 - Over Hexed
Book 3 - Witch Wars
Book 4 - Cursed Souls
Dear Reader,
Welcome back to the world of Joely and her men…
Fall in love! xx
Contents
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
About Fiona Starr
Also by Fiona Starr
Chapter One
JOELY
When my magic sparked, it felt like it should have been a happy surprise, not the unraveling of a terrible secret. And yet I find myself in the middle of two awful conspiracies that have made me question everything I thought I knew.
“I wish you would just come home, Joely. You should be here.” My sister’s voice is soft through the phone.
Kate has no idea what’s been going on. All she knows is that I went from being her non-mage sister to a witch with powerful Ancient Magic, and in the process I managed to drive a mysterious wedge between me and the rest of our family. I wish I could tell her what’s happening, but I just can’t see my way through explaining any of it without wrecking her life—and the lives of several other people who don’t deserve it—in the process.
I play it out in my head over and over, every single day, each time trying to separate the pieces so I can give her only what she needs to know, but that unravels pretty quickly because it doesn’t really work that way. I’d love to tell her that my magic didn’t just spark suddenly on its own; I unlocked it. I happened to remove a powerful block that was placed on me when I was born. An illegal block that wasn’t supposed to come undone. Not ever.
She was never supposed to be a mage.
When I first heard my father say those words, I couldn’t have imagined at the time what they meant. Not really. But now…
Snow crunches under my boots as I walk the path behind the house toward the forest. I wish I had grabbed my coat. I left the house to take Kate’s call, hurrying outside so I wouldn’t wake the guys. I feel a smile spread across my face with the thought of them.
The guys. My guys. My wolves.
Of all the things that have changed since my magic sparked, finding my guys has been the most amazing—even more amazing than my magical ability, and that’s saying something. When I gained my magic, I lost a lot—too much, but I also found Angus, Marco, and Van. Van and I are… well, let’s just say we’re still trying to figure things out, but Angus and Marco… just thinking about them makes my skin go hot. I feel my face flush in the frigid air.
“Joely? Are you even listening to me?” Kate asks.
I close my eyes and bring myself back to the moment, pressing the phone to my ear. “Sorry, Kate. I’m here. I’m listening.”
She blows out her breath in a huff. “Look, I know we haven’t always been close. I am not trying to erase the past. It’s just… you have magic now. Magic, Joely! You’re one of us…”
I know she means to make me feel good, but her words slice right through my heart. You’re one of us? Only now, I am one of them? And that wasn’t the case when I was just her sister? I’ve spent my entire life living parallel to my family. Growing up without magic meant I was destined to live in a different world from them, but I never felt like that divide existed within our family. I guess all that time I spent trying to impress and being the good daughter was truly misguided. I don’t even know where to begin with my family. I have lived with the feeling of not being good enough for most of my life, and now I’ve become acceptable? It doesn’t sit right with me. And I don’t know how to get past it.
Kate continues, “You haven’t shown your face at all over Midwinter break.”
“I know,” I say, glancing up at the trees where a pair of large black birds have landed. One of them watches me as I step through the snow, its dark eyes blinking as it quirks its head.
“It’s Solstice Eve, Joely. Mom and Eliza and I are getting everything ready for tomorrow. Aunt Cecely and Uncle Drake are coming for the Yule celebration. And Nessa’s been asking about you.”
I know she’s trying to entice me, and part of me wishes I could close off my mind to the horrible things I now know. I’d love to celebrate the holidays like we used to, but…
“I can’t, Kate. I just can’t.” My words trail off as I try to formulate the reasons I won’t be coming home. Not today. Not tomorrow. Not ever.
I could just blurt it out, rip it off like a bandage. I imagine the words in my head and pretend I have the courage to tell her. Would I scream it? Or would I be calm and matter of fact?
Part of me wants to just do it. Flay her open and do to her what she’s just done to
