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    Anna's Hope Episode Four: Anna's Hope, #4
    Anna's Hope Episode Four: Anna's Hope, #4
    Anna's Hope Episode Four: Anna's Hope, #4
    Ebook161 pages3 hours

    Anna's Hope Episode Four: Anna's Hope, #4

    By Odette C. Bell

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    About this ebook

    Anna's in trouble. Not because she's sought it out. This time, it comes for her.

    There's a new creature in Marchtown, and it has her in its sights. To get her, it'll go through Luminaria first. Though Anna once would've done anything to void her heirloom contract, now she'll do everything to save it. For without Luminaria, Anna Hope Summersville will die. And Aaron can't have that – not when they're finally drawing close enough to kiss.

    ….

    Anna's Hope follows a bumbling, allergic witch and the most powerful (and handsome) wizard in the city fighting to solve magical crimes. If you love your urban fantasies with action, heart, and a splash of romance, grab Anna's Hope Episode Four today and soar free with an Odette C. Bell series.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherOdette C. Bell
    Release dateJul 7, 2017
    ISBN9781386143925
    Anna's Hope Episode Four: Anna's Hope, #4

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      Book preview

      Anna's Hope Episode Four - Odette C. Bell

      1

      Anna should be riding high. She should be the talk of Marchtown. In fact, she was the talk of Marchtown. Not only had she defeated the dark wizard, K, and now the Giver, but she was turning out to be one of the strongest soul practitioners in centuries.

      She should be enjoying this newfound fame. For a woman as klutzy and awkward and unsure as Anna, she should be enjoying this complete change in fortune.

      She wasn’t, because she had something much, much bigger to think about.

      For the third time that morning, Anna walked straight back into the bathroom and frowned deeply at her reflection.

      She snapped up the hairbrush by the sink and tried to run it through her locks once more, but no matter how frantically she brushed, her hair just wouldn’t sit right.

      When she gave up, she promptly started assessing her appearance. Again. She had a little basket of makeup right by her toothbrush, and she plucked at her lips as she stared at it.

      She never usually wore makeup. So it would be conspicuous if she walked into his office wearing it, right? And he’d notice, wouldn’t he? Because Aaron Hart, the head of the Marchtown Enforcement Unit, seemed to notice everything she did these days.

      Come on, girl. Get a grip on yourself, Anna tried as she shook her head, shoved the makeup basket back under the sink, and took a glum step backward.

      And that would be when she promptly toppled over and fell flat on her ass, hitting the kitchen tile so hard, the window above the bath rattled.

      Luminaria, her evil cat, laughed as she slinked out of the way, promptly jumped up onto the sink countertop, and snarled. Her little whiskers darted around the move, and though, in some ways, she looked cute, if you locked your gaze on her yellow, sparkling eyes for long enough, you would appreciate they were two paths right down to Hell. You know there is nothing you can do to catch his eye, don’t you? Aaron Hart will never look at you. Especially when he spent so long looking at me. With a satisfied smile spreading her tiny little mouth, Luminaria brought up a paw and tapped it on her chest several times, her pride obvious as it practically lit up her face like a firecracker.

      Anna stopped herself from pouting as she pulled herself up, neatened her clothes, and cast herself one last wary glance in the mirror.

      Though Anna didn’t want to admit this, Luminaria was right – short of casting a magical spell that would make Anna look like a completely different person, there was nothing she could do to catch Aaron’s attention. At least his amorous attention.

      He had much bigger fish to fry, anyway.

      You do realize you’re going to be late, don’t you? Luminaria snarled as she whipped her tail back and forth, not caring as it banged into Anna’s toothbrush and sent it scattering over the bathroom tile.

      Anna walked over, plucked up her toothbrush, dusted it off with a few charges of magic – even though it made her sneeze – set it back on the sink, then turned. I’ve left myself plenty of time. Even if I have to expend a little magic to get there at 8:30 on the dot, I’ll do that, she said, and even she had to admit there was an unusual firm quality to her voice. A quality that had not been there before her recent successful fights.

      But despite the fact Anna Hope Summersville wasn’t riding high – a part of her appreciated how far she’d come and how much she’d changed. There was also a little nervous flicker in her stomach that told her one thing. She wasn’t done changing yet.

      She was a true soul practitioner, and though she still had ghastly magical allergies, theoretically, there was no limit to how powerful she could become.

      And that – that was why Aaron was paying her so much more attention these days, right? Because he was responsible for keeping the magical security in Marchtown, and he couldn’t have Anna stuffing up.

      He’s not bloody interested in you, girl. So get a grip, she whispered under her breath, sure that her words couldn’t carry to Luminaria as she continued to preen herself on the countertop.

      Anna walked into her kitchen, grabbed her bag from the table, secured it over one shoulder, then walked for the door. You can stay here until I’m back, she said.

      Fat chance, Luminaria chuckled as there was a soft thump from the bathroom, either the sound of her jumping off the kitchen sink or the prelude to a fight with the dark rats that infested Anna’s house.

      Despite the fact Anna was a hell of a lot more well-off since the day she arrived in Marchtown – considering the considerable bounties she’d received recently – she still hadn’t moved out of 666 Hollow Crescent. For a good reason. Weirdly, despite the fact this was one of the most haunted houses she’d ever come across, it also felt like home. It distracted Luminaria, for one – which was no easy task. For another, the house was so damn evil, most of the time, it could look after itself, and its four walls had only been breached when the Giver had stolen Luminaria from the basement.

      That being said, Scott had offered to help her bolster her defenses. And just the mere thought of it made her lips crinkle into such a girly smile.

      It was one she tried to swallow. Because if Aaron wasn’t interested in her, then his attractive, rugged, bad-ass brother definitely couldn’t be interested in a boring sop like Anna.

      Though Anna had been working hard on her self-esteem ever since she’d reinvented her life and started to practice soul magic, there were two facts she had to face sooner rather than later. Aaron and Scott Hart were out of her league.

      So it was time to get over them. As she thought that, she tilted her head up, ensured there was a strong angle to her jaw, and marched out of her house, not even bothering to close the door, let alone lock it. Though an open door could technically invite in criminals, the house would love that. It could offer the criminals tea, have a chat, then promptly haunt the hell out of them.

      As Anna reached the street outside, she tugged her head back and stared up at the sky.

      Not a cloud in sight. It was a glorious day. Birds were chirping, the sun was shining, and a gentle breeze was rustling the leaves of the trees that lined the street.

      In other words, it was glorious.

      But Anna frowned. Because this was Marchtown – and it was never glorious. Ridiculous, evil, and crazy – yes. But glorious? Marchtown was no fairy tale. And she imagined by the end of the day it would remind itself of that, chase the blue sky away and bring down the rain.

      2

      Anna stood nervously in front of Aaron’s door. She’d made it to her appointment bang on time, but Aaron, it seemed, was late.

      He wasn’t even in his office yet. The wizards at the front desk had told her he would be here soon, but for the fifth time, Anna shoved a hand into her bag, pulled out her phone, and checked the time.

      She frowned – one of those deep frowns that could cut your chin in half.

      Aaron Hart was 20 minutes late. Which was so damn unusual, she was getting ready to call a search party. Aaron was many things – from debonair, to suave, to charming, to extremely competent and powerful. But he was always prompt. He was never a man who kept anyone waiting.

      So where the hell was he? Anna plucked at her lips as she wondered whether Hell, indeed, could have something to do with his tardiness.

      Ever since the Giver attacked Marchtown, Aaron had been working 24-7. Apparently, Marchtown was becoming a hotspot for magical activity. Well, even more of a hotspot than it had been for its entire evil, murky life – and that was saying something.

      But, according to Aaron, something had changed with Marchtown’s energies, and it was attracting even more evil. And the thing that had changed? The soul catcher. For Anna couldn’t forget that she wasn’t the only soul practitioner out there.

      Her stomach hardened, and a slight cold sweat swept across her brow as she thought of the soul catcher. She didn’t have long to entertain that unpleasant thought, mind you. Because finally she heard Aaron rushing down the corridor.

      There was an unsteadiness about his footsteps – and Anna could tell that from here, even without clapping eyes on him yet. Because… even though she only ever admitted this to herself in the wee hours of the morning when she was safely tucked up in bed alone, she could appreciate one thing – she was becoming more attuned to Aaron. Though she was far too embarrassed to ask Luminaria – let alone Aaron himself – Anna could figure out what was happening herself.

      More soul magic. As Anna’s desires for Aaron were growing, somehow her soul was connecting to him. She just hoped he had no idea what was happening.

      He finally reached her, came to a stop, and allowed his shoulders to deflate. For the first time in his life, his suit was rumpled. Aaron had a real thing for looking his best. Which was great – as Aaron was extremely good at looking his best. He seemed to have a talent for picking just the right tailored suit, just the right color to bring out his blue eyes, and just the right shape to accentuate his powerful, but not overly muscular form.

      Today? His shirt was rumpled, there was a stain on his tie, and his pants looked as if he’d slept in them.

      Sorry I’m late, Aaron said with a warm smile.

      Anna tried to blink back her surprise. Though she’d been through a lot with Aaron, she’d never seen him looking this disheveled.

      He even had stubble on his usually clean-shaven chin.

      Maybe she was staring too obviously, because as Aaron took a step back and ushered her inside, he offered a wry smile as he brought a hand up and clamped it over his chin. Not looking my best this morning, am I? he said as he walked over and pulled a chair out for her.

      Though Aaron was always courteous, he never usually bothered to pull a chair out for her.

      She noticed this and more as she sat. And what was the more that she noticed? His gaze. It was locked on her. And the quality of it…? Even though she sat in her seat and could no longer see his eyes, that didn’t matter, because she swore she could feel the quality of his intention anyway. Though Anna was a witch, and in the witch world, concepts like gazes and attention were certainly more diverse and a lot stranger than in the mundane realm, she knew for a fact his gaze shouldn’t feel this… warm and welcoming.

      She couldn’t help but give a tight little shiver as she clamped her hands together in her lap.

      Cold? You’re not coming down with something, are you? Aaron asked suddenly, his face paling a whole shade whiter as he made it around his desk and slumped in his chair. And that was no overemphasis. Aaron didn’t sit – he practically fell into his seat, and the expensive leather creaked beneath him as it yielded to his weight.

      She shook her head, pulling her own attention off how damn tired he looked. No.

      Then why did you shiver? he pressed.

      Anna’s eyes opened wide. Usually Aaron wasn’t this forceful. Though he was always observant, he usually let things slide. But today he was obviously tired, and he was saying the first thing that came into his head.

      Anna wriggled around in her seat as if she was

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