Rise of the Witch (ePub)

Mark was the handsome, arrogant, spoiled little rich kid, who grew up getting everything he wanted, and it came easy until Jeanie arrived. Jeanie, the beautiful redhead whose emerald-green eyes held secrets, showed compassion, and maybe just a hint of danger, sparkled with magic that entranced all who could see it. But Mark was used to having everything he wanted, so the effects of her hypnotic beauty would not last long. Or so he thought. The more aggressively he pursued her, the cooler her response. Hard to get? Try impossible. Jeanie was not something to be won, like a prize or conquest. If anything, those characteristics had the opposite effect; they drove her away instead of drawing her nearer. Then caught off-guard in the heat of passion, Jeanie let her guard down for just a moment leaving her vulnerable. Bad mistake for a woman who thought she was immune to the love of a man she knew would exploit her every weakness. But she could forgive him even that. It wasn't his fault. Mark was raised to be the epitome of success, which meant conquering by any means necessary. In the modern world, this was through money because money was power! Mark didn't know that other parties were equally interested in Jeanie, for their reasons, just as selfish but not as benign. Jeanie's name was based on the word Genealogy. This was a secret keyword that designated her rank within a large network of families who worked for the shadowy branches of the government. Jeanie was needed because of her heritage. She was valuable, like her parents, who worked for them. But they were expendable if Jeanie could be acquired instead. Jeanie was not a woman who would allow her life to be defined by something as arbitrary as a bloodline, nor would she permit herself to be used as an instrument of evil by a secret faction, no matter what they promised; no matter what they threatened. If Jeanie did not come willingly, they would take her by force and initiate her into their circle with a hellish ritual that would take control of her mind, body, and soul. Especially her soul because that was the most precious commodity she had. It was not just an individual's identity; but also a power source of pure energy. And now that energy could be trapped and manipulated, with a nightmarish process provided by an alien race, entitled "sheering," which was a type of soul scalping. Once the soul was trapped in the material world and stored in a device apart from its body, this would make Jeanie a slave, not only in the physical world but on the spiritual plane, which was eternal. Could Mark's substantial wealth, power, and penchant for brilliant alternatives in hopeless situations aid in saving Jeanie? Or would Jeanie's powers in the supernatural be strong enough to protect her and the ones she loved from all those who threatened to destroy her...