Novels by Manita

While Summer struggled to contain the crisis at Morton Group, Will settled into his temporary quarters at the Morton estate.He rose early the following morning and went for a run. Years of training under Blind Crowe had made daily exercise a habit, and marriage wasn't about to change that.His route took him to Hawthorne Hill Park, where joggers and early risers were already making use of the open space. Will found a quiet spot, sat down, and closed his eyes. He followed the breathing pattern his mentor had taught him, gradually settling his mind and drawing arcane energy into a steady rhythm.Not far away, two people stood out among the morning crowd.One was an older gentleman in a neatly tailored linen jacket. He carried himself with the confidence of someone used to being respected. Beside him stood a striking young woman in workout clothes, probably in her early twenties, with lively eyes and a confident smile.“Grandpa, am I doing this right?” she asked.She extended her palm a

While Summer struggled to contain the crisis at Morton Group, Will settled into his temporary quarters at the Morton estate.He rose early the following morning and went for a run. Years of training under Blind Crowe had made daily exercise a habit, and marriage wasn't about to change that.His route took him to Hawthorne Hill Park, where joggers and early risers were already making use of the open space. Will found a quiet spot, sat down, and closed his eyes. He followed the breathing pattern his mentor had taught him, gradually settling his mind and drawing arcane energy into a steady rhythm.Not far away, two people stood out among the morning crowd.One was an older gentleman in a neatly tailored linen jacket. He carried himself with the confidence of someone used to being respected. Beside him stood a striking young woman in workout clothes, probably in her early twenties, with lively eyes and a confident smile.“Grandpa, am I doing this right?” she asked.She extended her palm a

Will forced himself to concentrate.He'd only just met his fiancée, and already things had become far more intimate than he'd ever expected. This was certainly not how he'd imagined their first day together.Even under the sleepbinding spell, Summer occasionally stirred and made soft, uncomfortable sounds. Will had to work hard to ignore the distractions while he drew the remaining drug from her system.Downstairs, the motel clerk heard noises through the walls and shook her head in amazement. Two hours had passed, and the sounds still hadn't stopped.“Good Lord,” she muttered. “That guy's got stamina.”Upstairs, Will finally wiped the sweat from his forehead.“Done.”After two exhausting hours, he'd managed to purge the drug's effects. Summer was sleeping normally at last. Concerned that she might have another reaction, he stayed beside the bed to watch over her.Before long, exhaustion caught up with him, and he fell asleep with his head resting on the mattress.A splash of icy wate

Will reached into his pocket and brought out a small, bright-red creature covered in fine bristles. It resembled a caterpillar, except that something about its twisted body was profoundly unnatural.Arthur recoiled at the sight of it.“Open your mouth,” Will ordered.Arthur shook his head frantically.“Oh, for God's sake.”Will caught him by the jaw with one hand and forced his mouth open. Before Arthur could struggle free, Will pushed the writhing creature between his lips.Arthur gagged and coughed so hard tears streamed down his cheeks. He bent over, trying desperately to throw it up, but nothing came out.It was gone.No. It hadn't disappeared.A searing heat was spreading through his chest and stomach, as if someone had taken his insides and held them over an open flame. The pain grew worse with every breath.“What... what did you do to me?” he managed.Will took a seat and poured himself a drink.“Nothing complicated. Just a hex-bred parasite. The Hellfire Worm, to be precise.”

Will took Summer's hand.“Don't worry, Mr. Morton. Arthur Lillard doesn't scare me. He's a bug I could crush under my shoe. I'll go with Summer, and I won't let anything happen to her.”Matthew considered him for a moment. The young man was a member of the Order of the Veil; he'd already shown what he could do. With Will beside her, Summer might actually be safe. Besides, hiding from Arthur wouldn't solve anything. If they could put an end to this threat now, Morton Group would finally have room to breathe.“All right,” Matthew said. “I'm trusting you with my daughter. Keep her safe.”Summer gave Will a skeptical glance. The whole Morton family couldn't deal with Arthur Lillard, and this guy thought he could handle him alone?Still, her father had made his decision.They drove to the Velvet Room, an upscale nightclub whose elegant name concealed a decidedly sordid reputation. Summer had never had any reason to visit a place like it.“Once we're inside, let me do the talking,” she warn

“Yes,” Summer said immediately.“I have several cats and dogs. Lately they've been crying and howling in the middle of the night for no reason. A few have gotten seriously sick, and none of the vets we've seen can figure out what's wrong.”She hesitated.“And I've been feeling on edge. Sometimes I see things around the house. Figures that look like ghosts. I assumed I was imagining them.”“You weren't imagining them,” Will said.Summer went still. “What are you saying?”“Someone has set up a life-draining curse circle on this property. Your father was chosen as the curse's anchor. It's been feeding on his life force to spread its influence across the entire estate.”Will's voice grew cold.“Whoever created it intended to kill him.”Black magic was practiced in plenty of places, but the Blackwater Isles had an especially ugly reputation for producing dangerous occult practitioners. Will had never had any reason to deal with their kind before. Now one of them appeared to have targeted h