Bound In Blood (The Adams' Witch Series Book 1) by Erin Butler Page A

much for newbs.” Courtney shrugged. “But Jennie shouldn’t have acted that way. She’s new here. She doesn’t get how we do things yet.”
    “Yeah, you better watch her,” Drake said. “She’s strange. She said something to Sarah earlier today, too, when we were at the festival.”
    Courtney looked over her shoulder. “I’ll keep my eye on her.”
    I dropped my arms and rejoined Drake. Despite her eccentric behavior, and the fact that she practiced witchcraft, I actually liked Courtney. Could’ve even been friends with her even.
    She stayed a while and talked, eager to answer my long list of questions. When I asked if she did magic, the witch just smiled and said, “Some may call it that. We cast spells during rituals, usually calling on a certain god or goddess to help bring about physical changes in our world. We like to think of Wicca as working with nature though, not particularly magic."
    I liked that idea better than the vision I had stuck in my head from all those scary movies like “The Craft”. “Do you know about the history of witchcraft? Like, did convicted witches really get burned at the stake?”
    “Actually, that’s a common misconception. The majority of accused women were hung. There are only a few infamous cases of witches being burned. Some of them just happened to be in this village. Were you at the opening night ceremony?"
    “Yes.”
    Courtney leaned in closer, her smile growing. “That was the reenactment of one of our ancestors. She actually burned on a stake.”
    My jaw dropped. A nervous twinge fluttered in my stomach. “Wait. A reenactment? I thought you guys were just burning some doll that represented fear of witches and witchcraft.”
    The witch shook her head. “Nope. She represented one of the witches that burned here.”
    I stared to where the circle had been. The candles were blown out immediately afterward and now the clearing was as dark as the night sky had become. Now, those that drove up here, started turning their car lights on. Of course, I just happened to be looking directly at one when the light gleamed, effectively piercing my eye.
    I shielded my face and blinked. The lights caught on something else shiny. I blinked a few more times to return my sight back to normal and realized the shiny something hung around Marlene’s neck. It was the symbol from my father’s journal.
    “What is that symbol I keep seeing?” I asked, gesturing toward Marlene.
    She followed my gaze but shook her head. “What symbol?”
    “It has like a jagged line, a lightning bolt, maybe, with a circle around it.”
    Courtney’s eyes darkened, as if she stared out into an oncoming storm. “No one would wear that here.”
    “What is it?”
    She blinked rapidly then smiled. “It’s a common misconception. We work with nature. It’s not particularly magic.”
    “You said that already. The symbol. What’s that symbol mean?” I pointed again to Marlene’s neck.
    “What symbol?”
    “The one with the jagged line—”
    “Oh,” Courtney laughed, “that one. It’s just a symbol. Means nothing really.”
    “But you—”
    “Are you ready to go?” Drake laid his hand at the small of my back.
    I jumped at his touch. Both their faces were on full blast like a circus clown.
    This town was so weird. Twilight Zone mixed with Leave it to Beaver and everyone had Botox smiles. The forest could catch fire around us and I was convinced people would still be smiling.
    Jennie watched Drake and I as we left the clearing. She motioned for me to follow her to a spot behind a small car. When I didn’t move toward her, she waved at me.
    Yeah. Right.
    “Goodbye, Sarah,” Courtney shouted. “I hope to see you again.”
    The truck lurched and bounced on the dirt road back to the highway. Pete and the others stayed. They shook their heads and waved Drake away, all while eyeing me and sending curious glances my way.
    “Drake, if I told you something, would you think I was