Claiming the Witch (BBW Paranormal Shifter Romance) Read online

  Claiming the Witch

  By Melissa Barbers

  Copyright ©

  The rain splattered on the window of my apartment. Clothes covered the floor as a suitcase lay open on the bed. My dissertation was half done, all I needed was to gather a bit more information before it could be submitted.

  “Two weeks,” I sighed as I sat back in my chair. I had better get packing as the cab was to be here in an hour. The rain was pouring heavily as I got dressed—typical baseball cap, loose shirt and a pair of baggy jeans. My mom hated my sense of fashion, but what made me feel comfortable was better than any skintight attire.

  Honestly, I was particular about my figure. I wasn’t a size two - that only happens in my late night dreams. I dressed well for a big woman but today wasn’t going to be one of those days, blame it on the weather.

  The cab driver kept honking his horn. “I’m there! I’m there, hold your horses!” I shouted as I carried three bags in my arms. Yes, I am a woman. Even if it was just a two week visit I needed all the clothes I could bring.

  The cab ride to the train station didn’t take that long and I wondered if this dissertation I was doing was worth this long travel. “It would be fun!” I kept telling myself for weeks. I hated travelling, no scratch that, I hated mingling with people. I was that unsociable because of my weight.

  I had gained quite a lot of weight over the years I spent in College trying to finish my degree. The train ride to the city took a few hours. I had time to read a book. The books I read were all fictional stories. My degree in Occult studies suited me well.

  ***

  As I got down from the train, I took a deep breath and took a look at my surroundings. The air was fresh and clear like it had just finished raining. There were a lot of people, vagabonds and gypsies.

  Were there still gypsies?

  I wondered towards the platform and took a cab to the inn. It was already evening by the time I had gotten to my room. Excitedly, I threw my things on the bed and jumped on it. Despite being tired, I felt the urge to go out and explore the city. I changed into a pair of black pants, my favorite pair, and the ones that hugged my curves in all the right ways. I threw on a simple shirt, nothing too fancy as I didn’t want to attract any unwanted attention. As if, I thought to myself.

  New Orleans was superb. It had pubs and restaurants that served the best of different eras. There were people dressed like gypsies and people who dressed like whatever they wanted to dress like. I was starting to like the place, not one stranger stared at me like I was a walrus walking around their city.

  While walking, I noticed a store. It was an apothecary, a medicinal store. It had different dried animal parts, beads, medallions and things that I had never recalled reading or seeing in all the books I read about the occult. I crossed the street and made my way into the store. The bell of the store rang; I walked in looking at the various things that my whole master’s degree was practically based on.

  “Find anything you like?” a woman’s voice carried over from the back of the store.

  “You have a great collection of things,” I said. She walked out of the back parting the beads that served as a flap to the front part of the store.

  She had the skin of ebony, smooth like chocolate and her eyes were green. She wore a long dress, with lots of bangles and her hair was braided. She was stunningly gorgeous. She must have been around the same age as I was but there was something about her that made her feel younger.

  “It is what it is,” she said smiling. “I’m Callisto,” she reached out her hand. I shook her hand, “I’m Jodie,” I said to her. She felt my palms, “have you ever tired getting your fortune read?” she asked me.

  I shrugged, “I don’t think I believe in those kind of things,” and I smiled and walked around the store.

  “Are you new in town?” she asked me moving around a couple of things in the store. “Yes, I’m doing a dissertation paper and I thought that coming to New Orleans would be a great place to what I need for my paper.”

  “Well, you’ve come to the right place,” she said, “look around and tell me if you like anything.” I nodded and thanked her and started looking around.

  I came across a jar that was made of silver, within it was something labeled as “wolfsbane.”

  “Wolfsbane?” I asked her.

  She moved forward and looked at me, “this item isn’t for sale,” she said taking the jar away from me. I just stared at her awkwardly. I looked around the store a bit more, there were various things in it and I would have just lost myself in it if the huge grandfather clock standing in the corner.

  “Okay, I think I’ll be getting these,” I said as I placed different incents and candles on the counter.

  She packed the things and I just curiously wandered around looking at other items. “Who is this?” I said as I came across a photo of a man. He was young, around his late teens and was smiling in the photo.

  “Ah,” whispered Callisto, “a good friend of mine.”

  “That’ll be nineteen fifty,” she said smiling to me. I paid her in cash and as I started to walk out the store, she called me.

  “Jodie,” she said, “I know you’re new around town and I wasn’t being friendly enough. How about I take you out tomorrow for a few drinks? Tour you around the town?” she offered.

  I was genuinely delighted and said yes to her offer.

  ***

  I hadn’t slept well that evening. The scented candles had given me an allergic reaction and I was tired from the travel to the city. I had gotten up quite late and it was almost lunch time when I had left the inn to go and get something to eat.

  The cafés in the town were open to my delight and their menu served everything all day long. I got a cup of coffee and a bagel to go. I visited the local pubs and shops, simply looking at how they managed their little stores.

  “Hello there,” said an old man. He was dressed in a shirt that was dirty and a pair of old worn out jeans. “Welcome to Jeremiah’s Vintage Shop,” he said.

  “Hello,” I answered back politely. “What kinds of things do you have in there?”

  He smiled and said, “Well we have clocks to old books and things I might interest a young lady like you.”

  “Well, let’s see,” I said and walked in. The place was a treasure cove filled with an assortment of things. There were old clocks, wrist watches, antique boxes and almost everything under the sun.

  “Wow,” was all I could say. “Take anything you want,” he said kindly, “it’ a little New Orleans’ gift.”

  “Why that’s great!” I said to him. “So have you made any friends around town?” he asked me.

  “Yeah, her name’s Callisto,” I told the man. He stopped what he was doing and suddenly urged me out of his shop. “I’m sorry,” he said, “but I’d better not say why I’m doing this. Stay away from her, that woman’s a witch,” he said looking around as if someone was spying on him, “be careful. Just be careful,” he said.

  He handed me something then went in to his store. The sign on the door of the shop was changed; he had changed it from “open” to “closed”. I wondered why the man acted so strange. I took a look at what he had handed me and it was a silver dagger. It had carvings on its side, but I couldn’t make out what it said.

  She felt weird. Why did he call her a witch?

  I didn’t want to think about it, so I went to meet up with Callisto. She was wearing a deep bottle green dress today. It made the color of her skin standout.

  “Today is the festival of Luna,” she said as I entered her store. “I would like to invite you to the festival.”r />
  “Wow, the festival of Luna? I have never heard of such a festival. Don’t you guys have like the Madri Gras or something?” I asked her.

  “The Madri Gras is a different kind of festival; it’s for everyone to witness but the festival of Luna. This is a special festival and not many people know about it.”

  “Okay, correct me if I’m wrong but doesn’t Luna mean moon? So we’re talking about the festival of the moon?”

  Callisto smiled but it was a cold smile, the kind of smile that didn’t really reach your eyes. “This would be great for my paper,” I said to her, “if it’s rare then maybe I could write something about it.”

  She shrugged, “certainly.” I was getting the feeling like she was bored of my existence when suddenly, “okay! So I know this fantastic place where we can go while we wait for the festival to start.”

  I was starting to think that she had some serious attitude problem, but I shrugged it off. She was after all my guide around this city.

  ***

  New Orleans was a great city to be in. The people, the pubs and the restaurants had the best food and crowd. People however seemed to avoid me while I was with Callisto. “So tell me, I’ve heard rumors that you are a witch,” I said laughing trying to make it sound as if it was a ridiculous rumor. She looked at me like I wasn’t being funny.

  “The rumors are true,” she said as if it didn’t matter. “What is it to you?” she smiled, “shun me away like the others?”

  I didn’t know if I really liked how she was so straightforward. “Well, no. Just don’t turn me in to a frog,” I said smiling. “Okay so where’s the best place to get some drinks?” I said abruptly changing the subject. Something told me that it wasn’t a good idea to dwell on the subject.

  The evening came quickly and a really beautiful full moon was visible in the night sky. The pubs and restaurants all had chairs outside for their customers to enjoy the view. I was buzzed from the concoctions that they had. Scotch and whiskey wasn’t really my thing but the way it was made here and the good crowd made it worth the buzz.

  “We have to go,” said Callisto.

  “Where?” I asked her, “We were just about to get more drinks!”

  I didn’t really want to go to the festival but it seemed like Callisto wasn’t listening to me. “Okay,” she said, “come on let’s go.”

  ***

  The evening sky was dark and the breeze was cool. We had left the crowded streets of New Orleans. Callisto led me into a field, somewhat like a prairie. We walked among these grasslands. “Where are we going?” I asked her.

  She just walked forward smiling as if saying “just wait and see for yourself.”

  I moved slowly behind her. I had a feeling that something was amiss. I wish I had worn my shirt. The grass was a bit long and it itched whenever it touched my skin. I did have sensitive skin, to top off my being fat as well. The dark shirt I wore was awfully short. What was I thinking?

  The moon was high in the sky. I looked around the place. There wasn’t anything in sight except for a forest to which we were heading towards.

  “Any further?” I asked. I had half the mind to turn back but maybe this would make for a great learning and I was captivated once again. Maybe she was a witch after all.

  Howls, I had heard howls. Were those howls?

  The cool breeze blew across my face as we entered the forest. The trees were huge and to what I think, were as old as the city. I could hear voices that were carried by the wind. We reached an enclosure and in the middle was a bonfire. There were women dressed just like Callisto.

  “Sister,” they said to her and she greeted them back.

  Everyone greeted one another and I stood there looking like an idiot. Prom again?

  I stood there waiting to be given attention to until finally someone had asked Callisto, “who is this?” she said pointing at me. How rude!

  “This is Jodie,” she announced to everyone who was present around the bonfire. “She will be joining us for tonight’s festival of Luna. I am sure our ancestors would be happy of her presence.”

  I smiled awkwardly at everyone even going for a small wave. Such an idiot move.

  I could feel their eyes glaring at me. “Where are you from?” one of them asked me, “New York originally,” I said to her. She looked at me from head to foot. “Figures,” was all she had said and walked back to her posse.

  This was getting on my nerves. Bring someone to a festival then suddenly abandon them in the midst of her other friends? What was I, just someone to keep her company while she treaded the vast field of grass before getting here?

  “Callisto,” I called her, “Callisto!” she turned to look at me. “I think I’ll head back to the city and get a drink. Not really interested anymore on writing about this, this festival thing.”

  She looked at me like I was being an idiot. “I apologize,” she suddenly said, “sorry for not paying too much attention to you,” I didn’t think she was being sincere but I am a sucker for kind words.

  “Let me make it up to you, you can do the honors tonight for the festival,” she said smiling. “What honors?” I asked her.

  “The offering,” she said, “you can offer to the goddess Luna.”

  “Goddess?” I asked sheepishly, “Is this a cult?” I asked not wanting to be a part of anything that required sacrificial lambs or worst, virgin blood. Says the virgin.

  “Please,” she said.

  “Alright, just tell me what I have to do,” I told her. She smiled again with that same awkward smile. “Come here,” she said and took me into the middle of the enclosure. It was a totally different sight. The other side of the bonfire was some sort of ruins; it had steps that led to a flat piece of stone where the moon directly shone unto.

  Suddenly, someone had started beating the Congo drums, or I assume those were Congo drums. One by one the women started dancing around the bonfire, they were drinking being served. Why did I not see this coming?

  Everyone started mingling and started howling. “Here have a drink,” offered Callisto. I took a sniff of the drink, I smelled like rum and raspberry. I took a sip, it had alcohol in it. I drank it all up, the concoction started to burn its way down my body and I could feel myself starting to enjoy the noise and the dancing and the men. Men?

  Toned and muscular men started to blend in with the women who were dancing. I didn’t even see them arrive, but who cares, these were really good looking men.

  I stood there feeling a little insecure, when suddenly I noticed him—he was standing away from the crowd drinking probably the same drink I was drinking. He stood there eyeing the crowd.

  He had dark hair, messy dark hair that suited him well. It was a bit long but it fell in dark curls around his neck. He stood there looking like a warrior. A tattoo crawled down the length of his left arm, I didn’t understand what it was but it seemed to be some sort of writing in a different language. He was toned and I was happy that he didn’t have a shirt on because his body was that of a Greek god. Tanned with abs that looked like buns fresh out of the oven, I could swear I was drooling just looking at him. College all over again?

  He was barefooted and he stood there with his arms crossed over his muscled chest. Biceps bulging from whatever fitness regime he did. “Caleb!” I heard someone call from my side and the Greek god looked over and stared straight into my eyes.

  His eyes were the darkest blue you could ever see, how did I know from that far? I didn’t it just felt like an endless void that would suck you in as it had done to me. I stood there staring at Callisto as she walked away from me heading towards the stranger.

  “Caleb,” she said smiling, this time I knew how she really smiled when she really wanted to smile. White, beautiful teeth showing, she walked like a siren trying to seduce sailors into their watery death. Yes, she was a siren alright. I turned away from the little scene, another boy who has fallen into the trap of the façade that a beautiful and perfectly sculptured woman could make him
happy.

  I sighed. I should just go back to the city I thought to myself.

  I got another cup to drink and started making my way out of the crowd of people when suddenly I bumped into someone.

  “Sorry,” I said as my drink fell all over my dress. “No need for apologies,” said the voice, I looked up and it was the Greek god himself. “Hi,” he said reaching out a hand to me. “I’m Caleb,” his smile was bedazzling.

  I stood there like a flimsy school girl not knowing what to say, “uhh…” I mumbled. He smiled at me. “You can start by telling me your name if that’s okay?” he said.

  “It’s Jodie,” I said shaking his hand. I could feel calluses on his palms. They were rough, what a man. “So, are you new here?” he asked me. I nodded, “I’m doing a dissertation, mastering in Occult studies and New Orleans is the perfect place to get ideas and a lot of pagan history.”