Catalyst (Forevermore, Book Two)

  Catalyst

  Forevermore

  Book Two

  By K.A. Poe

  Copyright and Legalities

  This novel is a work of fiction. Names, characters, and locations are either a product of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious setting. Any resemblance to actual events, locations, organizations, or people, living or dead, is strictly coincidental. No part from this book may be used or reproduced without written consent from the author.

  This e-book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This e-book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each. If you are reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, please return to an online book retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  Copyright © 2014 by K.A. Poe. All rights reserved.

  A Frostbite Publishing Book

  Contact Information

  To learn more about the author, please visit her website at:

  http://www.kaylapoe.com

  Find her on Facebook at:

  http://www.facebook.com/kaylapoe

  Follow her on Twitter at:

  http://www.twitter.com/KAPoeAuthor

  Or e-mail her at:

  kayla.a.poe@gmail.com

  Furthermore, please sign up for the newsletter to be notified of new releases, as well as receive free stuff!

  http://www.kaylapoe.com/mailing-list

  Contents

  Copyright and Legalities

  Contact Information

  Blurb

  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

  From the Author

  About the Author

  Also By

  Acknowledgements

  Blurb

  I, like many of you, buy and download dozens of e-books. I get so many great books that often times, by the time I get around reading them, I have forgotten what they are about! For those of you like me, I have included the original blurb to remind you just what you are getting into with Catalyst.

  —

  Catalyst is the second novel in K.A. Poe’s Forevermore series and is approximately 86,000 words in length. If you have not read book one yet, please look for Kismet (Forevermore, Book One) available anywhere ebooks are sold!

  Madison holds two secrets, one from the mortal world, and one from her mother. She is a witch. And her father is still alive.

  As she struggles to maintain a normal life, the weight of Salem’s existence tempts her to reveal a truth Alexis has longed for. If her mental struggles weren’t enough, it turns out that the Nefastus, an evil clan of witches, now not only know of her, but are determined to take her for their own nefarious plans. However, she does not stand alone against the darkness.

  Vowing to protect her, the Castus Clan has agreed to take in the young witch. But when her silver-haired guardian becomes the victim of his own magic, Madison is forced to act on her own. Meanwhile, the war that Madison’s vampiric aunt warned of is brewing. Will Madison be able to save the boy she is falling for without jeopardizing her destiny? One thing is for sure – the Nefastus are watching. One false step could not only seal the fate of the young, purple-eyed witch, but the entire world.

  Chapter One

  The white walls of my room were adorned with framed images of my friends and family — including my white cat, Willow — a few of my drawings, and some of my favorite Thomas Kinkade paintings. Instead of the room I’d had at my adoptive parents’ house where all of the furniture was white, I had summoned everything in a dark, almost-black wood. My twin-sized bed frame, my dresser, desk, and the nightstand all stood out against the light-colored walls and dull tan carpet and off-white tile in the rest of the room. Along the wall opposite of me stood an identical bed, where my mom slept. It was still strange having her around all the time after sixteen years of not even knowing what she looked like, but it wasn’t something to complain about. I loved having her in my life and was so grateful that Artemis had willingly accepted her into the Clan’s home despite her being an ordinary human.

  My legs dangled over the edge of my bed as I looked around the room. Mom’s bed was empty, as it seemed to always be lately. She spent most of her time looking for work with Jason, and catching up with him; I wasn’t the only one she’d lost time with. Her bed was immaculate; the basic gray comforter pulled up to the pillows, and all of the creases were straight and tidy. It was a sharp contrast to my messy purple bedding. On the wall beside her bed, I had summoned a framed picture of her and my real dad on their wedding day — a constant reminder of the secret I was keeping. Serena nudged me on the shoulder, distracting me from my thoughts as I stared at the photo of the slender, handsome boy and a younger version of my mom.

  “You’re really not going to say anything to your mom about him?” she asked, turning a charm on her bracelet over and over; it had been a gift from her dad, and she only seemed to play with it when something was bugging her.

  I leaned my head against the wall and continued to stare across the room. “Hannah made me swear not to say anything, not until she is sure that I’m ready ... for whatever it is I’m needed for. She’s afraid my mom would run off to Romania in a heartbeat to find my dad.”

  The idea of hiding the news that my father was alive was nagging at me ever since I’d dreamt of it. It felt wrong on many levels; the big one was that he was out there somewhere being tortured. I knew there was nothing I could do about it yet … maybe ever … but it still weighed heavily on my heart and mind. That was one of the reasons I decided to move to Haven as soon as possible and dedicate as much time as I could learning how to hone my skills. Plus, being there gave me something to do outside of school, and gave me less time to be around my mom ..., which wasn’t entirely a good thing. After all, I’d just gotten her back in my life. But I needed to be away from her, or else word would slip that Salem was alive. It was good that she spent so much time lately with Jason, helping him cope with his dying marriage and lack of job — all of which I felt was my fault — though at the same time I felt conflicted; she was definitely not helping Jason and Eila mend their marriage. For the most part they had always enjoyed a happy relationship, or at least for as long as I could remember. My mom was driving a wedge between them, which may be too deep to reverse.

  “There’s no way I could keep a secret like that from anyone.”

  I didn’t doubt it. Serena had always sucked at keeping secrets and I sort of regretted telling her about it. The scent of perfumed litter reached my nose when I inhaled and exhaled a heavy sigh. I was supposed to go pick up Willow later from Eila’s house, and had made sure to get everything ready for her. There was a food dish and water dish in the small kitchen area of th
e room, and several cat toys spread around the place awaiting her arrival. That was another thing I was eternally grateful to Artemis for — letting me keep my pet cat with me, despite his alleged allergies.

  “Jason’s talked about going back to Willowshire to look for work,” I said.

  Serena gasped and sat up. “No way! You can’t leave me here!”

  “I wouldn’t be going with him ... unless my mom went, too. Even then, I might not.”

  “Yeah, right. If your mom left, you’d go with her. You two just got back together.”

  “Maybe ... ” I frowned. “But I couldn’t take the Clan with me ... and I think my mom wouldn’t put me in a position where I’d have to pick between her and them. I mean … we still barely know each other.”

  Serena nodded and looked away with the crease of a frown forming.

  “What’s wrong?” I asked. My best friend was easily readable, and something was obviously bothering her. I could tell that even without the constant turning of the charm.

  “Dad’s coming back from his trip in three days,” she answered and finally stopped toying with the bracelet. “I’m kind of nervous ... about seeing him again.”

  She’d never gotten along well with her dad, despite all of the spoiling throughout her life. He was rarely around and never gave his family a chance at being just that — a family. Sure, he made a lot of money … but what was the point when you were unable to enjoy the fruits of your labor? Working seventy hours a week or more just so you can occasionally come home and sleep in a slightly nicer house seemed beyond silly to me. Serena and I speculated that that’s why her mom cheated on him to begin with. With a flinch, I remembered the dream I’d had about Serena’s dad shooting and killing the man his wife had been caught making out with. I looked down at my wrist and for a moment wished I had my own charm bracelet to nervously twist about as I wondered if my nightmare would come true. Was it a vision like what I’d seen about Salem, or was this one only a dream? I forced a smile and asked how Zach was.

  Ever since the Halloween party, the two of them had been texting and calling each other almost non-stop; this had been the first time I’d seen her since then. He apologized through her numerous times for James’ behavior, even though it wasn’t anything he could have controlled. I hated thinking about James ... especially now that the police were searching for him, after he’d attacked me with the other Nefastus witches and was killed.

  I was glad that my best friend had finally gotten together with the boy she’d been fantasizing about over the last few years, although I guiltily thought that it wouldn’t last long. Thinking about the two of them made me wonder about Mathias kissing me the night of James’ death. There were very few moments where I wasn’t thinking about it, and wondering what it meant … if anything. And why he looked so pained at the gesture. That’s the part that haunted me the most.

  “Your mom’s not done anything this time though, right?” I finally asked, although I wasn’t sure she was paying attention any more. Her phone was in her hands and her fingers were typing speedily on the keyboard.

  “Huh?” she said, looking up from the phone, blushing. “Sorry. Mom’s been fine ... Cam’s still keeping an eye on her as much as he can.”

  “Good. I hope everything is okay now … or as good as it can be.”

  Serena shrugged. “I wouldn’t be surprised if they end up getting a divorce. They’ve never seemed like they’re happy together. It’s weird.”

  “Unlike you and Zach, right?” I teased.

  “Exactly,” she agreed and her lips quirked up into a grin. “Maybe you’ll wind up with one of the cuties here. I saw a few of them sitting in the front room when I first came in.”

  My heart raced at her words, but I kept my face blank. “Really? Which ones?”

  She shrugged again. “One of them had shaved hair; the other was blonde and had dark eyes ... yum. Then there was some weird girl.”

  “Noah was the one with the shaved head … no idea who the other boy was,” I said thoughtfully. I’d expected Mathias to have been with Noah. “The girl was probably Lydia ... I guess. She’s the only other girl I know of so far. No one’s really introduced me to anyone else yet.”

  “Well, if I wasn’t already with Zach, I’d go for that blonde-haired hottie,” she said playfully. “But, you have your eyes set on someone else, don’t you?”

  My eyes shot up to hers in surprise. “What are you talking about?”

  “The boy you said saved you at the party ... Matt or whatever.”

  “Mathias,” I corrected, “and I don’t really know him yet. He’s supposed to be my trainer, and Artemis put him in charge of protecting me.”

  “Mathias? What kind of name is that? Anyway, you like him, admit it.”

  I shook my head. “After what happened at the party, I don’t want anything to do with boys right now.” I shuddered.

  Serena frowned and put a hand on my shoulder. “I’m sorry. I still can’t believe that ... that happened. James is such a scumbag.”

  Was, I thought to myself glumly.

  There was a knock on the door to my room and I carefully slid off of the edge of the bed. My mom was standing outside with a look of interest toward Serena, who I quickly introduced after reminding her that she didn’t need to knock — it was her room, too.

  “So, this is the best friend I’ve heard all about,” she said with a smile. “I’m glad to finally meet you.”

  “Same,” Serena said. “It’s crazy thinking what you’ve gone through. I mean, being a vampire and all ... and having a witch for a daughter. If it wasn’t for Madison never lying to me before in my life, I would never have believed any of it … well … I mean I didn’t at first anyway. I almost passed out when she summoned these shoes.” She looked down at her feet and clicked the heels of the sparkly Converse shoes I had summoned for her to prove I wasn’t playing a joke on her.

  Mom blinked and glanced at me. “Just what have you told her?”

  “Just the basics, really,” I said reassuringly and sat back down. “She won’t tell anyone … not this anyway. No one would believe her if she ran down the halls at school yelling that her best friend was a witch and daughter of a former vampire.”

  “They’d probably want to put me in the loony —” Serena paused abruptly and slapped a hand over her mouth. “Oh my God, I’m so sorry ... I-I didn’t mean ... ”

  My mom didn’t look affected. “It’s fine. I’m not bothered by the fact that I was in a ‘loony bin’, because I know I wasn’t crazy. But yes ... that’s likely where they’d put you, or test you for drugs or something. Then again, being that you are a teenage girl, they’d probably pass it off.”

  “True. That is one of the perks of being young.”

  “I thought it was more of a flaw,” I said, then looked over at Mom. “Any luck today?”

  Mom sat on her bed and avoided looking at the picture on the wall beside her. “We stopped at maybe ten different places and submitted applications. All we can do now is wait and hope. I doubt many places are going to even give a second look when they see I was in a mental institute, but they were all entry-level things ... so there’s always a chance.”

  “You’ll find something,” Serena said positively. “Cam, my brother, got a job at one of the grocery stores near my house after only like, a week of looking.”

  “Cam’s working?” I asked, horrified.

  “Uh, yeah. Why?”

  “Because ... he’s supposed to be with your mom.”

  Serena laughed. “He was going mad staying home twenty-four-seven. Besides, Mom’s been behaving this whole time, and it’s only three days a week ... and Dad’ll be home before long. He can’t hang around Mom forever.”

  I felt uneasy as the images from the dream replayed in my mind once more. “I’m just surprised that he didn’t just wait until your dad was back, that’s all.”

  “Well, anyway, that should give you some hope … um … Mrs. Young.”

 
“You can just call me Alex,” my mom said, then turned her attention back to me, “Jason’s waiting for us at Hannah’s.”

  “What’s he doing there?” Serena asked.

  “That’s where he’s staying ... since Eila kicked him out,” I explained with a frown. “It must be really awkward for him ... for all of them, actually.”

  “He’s getting along well with Ezra, and Hannah doesn’t seem to be bothering him. She’s pretty much never there, though.”

  “This must all be really weird,” Serena mused. “I mean, the people you grew up with as parents are breaking up, then your mom is living in a cramped little room at a motel with you, and your dad is trapped —”

  I turned toward Serena and narrowed my eyes, silencing her immediately. “You mean Jason,” I corrected.

  “Yeah. Your ... adoptive dad is trapped ... with your aunt and uncle … who are like monsters or whatever.”

  My mom looked at us both awkwardly, but seemed convinced that nothing strange was going on, which was a huge relief. The last thing I needed right now was Serena blurting out that my dad was alive and sending my mom off to Romania to rescue him ... even if that’s what I wanted to do. I’d give up school, training, and anything else to go find him and reunite him with my mom ... and me.

  “It’s not so bad,” Mom said. “Eila and Jason never seemed like a fitting couple to me, and he was never happy with her. She’ll move on quickly, I bet. Or she’ll dedicate herself to her job, which is where her true passion lies. Jason will eventually find a job and a place of his own, and Hannah and Ezra don’t seem bothered by him living there until then.”

  She was right … sort of. They never seemed to have much in common while I was growing up, but they say opposites attract. They had always seemed happy, or at least content. Then again, a life of only contentment seems a waste.

  “How weird is it having an aunt that is the same age as you are?” Serena asked out of nowhere, a bewildered look on her face as though she’d just now realized the fact. “You said she’s like five-hundred or something though?”