The Seal of Solomon Read online

  Seal of Solomon

  A Lilandra Reeves Adventure

  Nadine Travers

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Also by Nadine Travers

  About the Author

  License Note

  Seal of Solomon – Supernatural Intelligence Agency © copyright 2020 Nadine Travers.

  Editing & Proofread: www.blackopalediting.com

  Cover Art: Christian Bentulan - http://coversbychristian.com/

  Stock Image: https://www.periodimages.com

  ISBN: 978-1-9990129-1-5

  All rights reserved

  All rights reserved under the International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, organizations, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Warning: the unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in prison and a fine of $250,000.

  For more information:

  http://www.nadinetravers.com

  https://www.supernaturalintelligenceagency.com

  Seal of Solomon

  Someone wants to control the demon with the Seal of Solomon. It magically called the warrior witch specialist, Lilandra Reeves.

  Lilandra needs to travel to Vancouver, and rescue the Seal of Solomon, but she’s tormented by the death of her fated mate, who was killed during a past mission. She throws herself into her work and becomes a faithful servant to her coven.

  But when she’s offered a chance to bring her mate back to life, in exchange for the Seal, she’s forced to choose between love and duty.

  Will Lilandra get herself tempting with the promise of a resurrected mate, and will the magical object spark a faction war if she does?

  Chapter One

  Lilandra

  A FEW HOURS AFTER MEETING CASEY, MONTREAL

  “It’s lucky for you we were able to retrieve the stone,” I say and smile at my protégé, Juniper, as we leave the Supernatural Intelligence Agency, or the SIA as it’s more commonly known.

  The agency is just inside the Old Port of Montreal, almost all the government buildings are in that area to allow access to, and communication with, each species without them having to cross into forbidden territories.

  She’d been having problems with her magic thanks to the calling from the stone but she’s looking a lot better now it’s in her possession. “It’s also good to know that with everything that’s been going on and with what we’ve started to notice, the factions, internal affairs, and the SIA are working together. This is bigger than all of us, and it’s going to take all of us to figure out what’s going on and who’s behind it.” Gwen, one of the witches helping the SIA, had updated us on the current situation, and we now know why everyone has been getting more calls than we used to.

  We head to Sherbrooke Metro Station and board a train to take us to the library where Juniper can hand over the stone. The witches’ territory, home to both big and small covens, is located beside the Paranormal University and neutral zone. The buildings within the area aren’t tall like they are in the neutral zone or within the other factions. What humans see as one area is, in fact, three separate ones.

  Several covens opened shops inside the neutral zone, and humans love the little boutiques. Since most of us are gone on missions or are devoted to our craft, we don’t have the time to make money in the neutral zone like vampires and werewolves do with their clubs, hotels, and everything else they own. The shops are our way of earning income.

  We leave Le Plateau-Mont-Royal and head outside. The weather is gorgeous, and we bask in the rare sunny day because it seems that this year mother nature has decided to take a long winter vacation and bring us more humidity and rain than usual.

  “Do you think the Librarian is already at the coven?” Juniper asks.

  We suspended our conversation so our fellow passengers wouldn’t overhear us, and even now, we keep our voices low. While there are a few humans that know about the paranormal community in Montreal—and the witches’ faction is the only one that has more humans than witches coming and going—most humans don’t know about us, and we’d like to keep it that way. The vampire, werewolf, and shifter factions are gradually opening up though since some of them have mated with humans, so the number of humans with knowledge of paranormal creatures is growing.

  “I’m sure she is. She knows she has to pick up this baby,” I say as I point to the stone in Juniper’s bag. “If she isn’t there, or if she’s busy, then we’ll call her. She knows we’re coming though, so we have nothing to worry about.”

  We arrive at the corner of St-Denis Street and Mont-Royal avenue east and head toward the library on St-Denis street. Entering the big building, we head toward the back, acknowledging the witches that are working who smile at us with a nod. We reach a door that says employees only and push it open. As soon as it closes behind us, we identify ourselves and the decor changes, revealing the warrior witches’ command center.

  “It’s about time you two arrived. The Librarian is waiting for you in the conference room.”

  I smile and look at Juniper. “I told you.”

  Juniper shakes her head. “Yeah, you did. Once I hand this over, I’m going to my place. If you need anything, come get me.”

  I nod and we head for the conference room. Usually, mentor pairings don’t have such a significant age gap between them, however, Juniper lost her mother when she was younger than most of the other warrior witches, and I’ve become a surrogate mother to her.

  On top of that, we have different callings. I’m a jewelry witch and she’s a stone witch. While they are close in nature, she really should have a mentor with the same calling, but for now I mentor her as best I can.

  We enter the conference room and see the Librarian.

  “Ah, Lilandra, it’s good to see you, and you as well, Juniper. I received a call informing me you’d retrieved the stone.”

  “Librarian, it’s good to see you again as well. I see you still have your bodyguard.”

  She smirks at me. “Don’t mind him, he wants me to know he’s there, but I try to ignore him as much as possible.”

  I laugh. I’d heard what happened to her and why she now has a werewolf as a bodyguard. “You know you can’t go off on adventures and avoid your duty.”

  She pulls a face at me, her small frame resembles a faerie. She replaced the old Librarian a few years ago but she’s wild with her short brown hair and bright yellow eyes. Her last unsanctioned adventure almost got her killed, which was why the Elders assigned her a bodyguard. Not that the Librarian is in danger from anyone per se, it’s more that she’s a significant danger to herself. “We’re not here to talk about that, are we?”

  “Sorry, and yes, I agree. You’re here for the philosopher’s stone.” />
  Juniper holds it out to her. As she was the one who received the call, she needed to be the one to retrieve it and hand it over or her magic would continue to be affected.

  The Librarian’s eyes sparkle when she gets a good look at it. “Oh, this is the one that gives invisibility to the person who wears it, and they can command it by will rather than with a spell.” She grabs an ancient cloth and places it over the stone. Her bodyguard brings her a wooden box to put it in. “Are you getting a lot of calls those days?”

  I sigh. “Yes. We’re all tired. We’ve been getting call after call lately. We’re still not sure who or what is behind it, but we’re working on it. Most of us aren’t in the coven for any length, and if we are, we’re only there for a day or two at most.” I try not to give too much info away. From what Gwen told us we need to be careful as no one knows who is working with the group behind the rebellion. While I trust the Librarian, I don’t want her saying anything to the wrong person and putting herself in danger.

  The Librarian passes her hand through her hair. “This isn’t a normal situation, Lilandra. You’re the oldest here, and you’re mentoring more and more new witches as the years go by. You can’t keep up this pace.”

  Everything she says is the truth. When my mate died, I threw myself into my missions as a warrior witch but I also continued to mentor any that needed it.

  The Librarian smiles at me then and changes the subject. “So, I heard your cousin Megan is at Paranormal University.”

  “Yes, she is, at least that’s what my aunt told my mother. I haven’t seen her yet, but I guess with everything that’s going on in the community, my path will eventually cross with hers.” It feels like such a long time since I was a student at the Paranormal University. All warrior witches go there for at least two years before they transfer to the coven within the witches faction. “I have work to do, Librarian, and I need some sleep before going out again.”

  Her eyes widen. “You’ve already received another call?” I nod and she smiles at me apologetically. “Be well, my friend, and maybe I’ll see you later.” With those words, she leaves with the box, followed by her werewolf bodyguard.

  Juniper turns to me then. “Mentor, you need to rest.”

  I take a moment to really look at her, she’s young but so talented, graduating from Paranormal University at the top of her class. All warrior witches have a unique ability, in Juniper’s case she can use her katana and gun with spells, which means she’s always ready to fight. She’s one of the best at hand-to-hand combat. “I know, little one.” I jolt a little, feeling the call go through me again.

  “It’s persistent.”

  I smile. “It is. I’ll grab a power nap then go and retrieve it.”

  She stays beside me as I head to my room. “You know what you have to retrieve?”

  “Yes. The Seal of Solomon needs protection, which isn’t good,” I say as we arrive at my door. All of us have a room to rest in within the coven, as well as individual houses or apartments. I have a small apartment, but I tend to not use it a lot, it brings back too many painful memories of the apartment I shared with my mate.

  “Why isn’t it good?” Juniper asks as I open my door. She follows me inside my small room and sits on my bed.

  “According to legend, the Seal of Solomon is a piece of jewelry that can control any kind of demon. If it needs protection, it means someone is after it, either to control demons or bring themselves power. Neither of which is good.”

  She stands. “I’ll let you get some sleep. I guess I’ll see you when you get back.”

  “You know how it works. You may get a call yourself before I return. Don’t worry. We’ll see each other soon.” She gives me a hug goodbye and leaves me alone in my room.

  Another jolt goes through me. “Virtus summon.” I cast a sleep spell but before the darkness claims me, I receive another strong shock in my magic. I suspect my power nap will be shorter than I need.

  Chapter Two

  The Lady

  INSIDE THE SECRET SOCIETY HEADQUARTERS, MONTREAL

  I sit staring blankly at my computer screen, my mind occupied with recent events, mainly Damaris, Jeremy, Lizbeth, and Casey. The vampire Damaris, had been working on convincing Jeremy to join our cause. We were lucky, because just after meeting with Jeremy, Damaris was caught and taken to the SIA for interrogation before being handed over to his brother Alto Sutton, head of one of the more ancient and powerful vampire families.

  Damaris doesn’t know much about our plans, but he knows enough to bring us to the attention of some of the factions. Since he was taken, we’ve been on the move and our plans have been accelerated. For all we know Damaris has already been tortured or worse, is dead.

  It was Alto’s son Bran who turned Lizbeth into a vampire. She was Damaris’s first mission after she overheard things she wasn’t supposed to, but he failed to kill her. Unfortunately for us, she found her mate, Kane, a half-demon, who works for the SIA when he came to her rescue.

  Casey, on the other hand, led the hunt to find and detain Damaris and when she succeeded, it compromised us all. Thanks to that daywalker bitch, most of the factions now know something is coming, but they don’t what exactly which helps us in our quest—or should I say my revenge—against the paranormal community that betrayed me.

  No one knows the full extent of what I’m planning, but they will soon enough. Now is not the time though. I need more power and possessing magical objects is the only way to get that power. Which brings my thoughts back to the Seal of Solomon and our search for it. Once I possess it, I’ll have control over the demons and I’ll be able to crush those who put me in exile, along with those that are pretending to help me while actually helping themselves.

  “My Lady?”

  “Yes, Selena, what is it?”

  “We have news, the Seal of Solomon has been located by our team, but it’s very well protected and has been hidden in one of the oldest New Ways Churches in Vancouver.”

  I focus on my assistant Selena and hide my joy at her words. “Why Vancouver?”

  “It was brought from Jerusalem for its protection and I guess they decided Vancouver was a good place to hide it.”

  “That’s good news. Which team did you send to retrieve it?”

  She looks down at her paper. “We dispatched Donovan and his mate. We also sent Jeremy with them as their backup. It will help to distract him from Damaris’s case.”

  Jeremy tried to rescue Damaris when he was transferred to his brother Alto. Fortunately for me, he wasn’t successful, but his failure left him unsettled and restless and wanting answers we aren’t prepared to give him. “The werewolf and his mate are more than capable of handling the situation with Jeremy. I’m sure it won’t take them long to succeed.” I don’t understand why people see problems and obstacles where there are none, instead of focusing and succeeding.

  “From what we understand, it’s hidden in an old part of the church. Not only is it underground, but it’s protected by magic.”

  “What kind of magic?”

  “That’s what we’re trying to figure out. It seems very ancient and so far, we haven’t found any documentation on it.”

  I pull up a photo of the church and study it. “Did Donovan and his mate scan it?”

  “Yes, they did, my Lady, and it came back with a signature our database doesn’t recognize.”

  I know from the history of the Seal that even demons have failed to capture it for themselves, despite several attempts. They don’t like knowing an object can control them and would rather be killed than have it fall into the wrong hands. I sit up straighter as a distant memory hits, inhaling as I try to recall the specifics. “If I remember correctly, and if what I was told was true, in addition to the normal protection provided by the witches, they added elf traps to keep it safe.”

  My assistant looks at me in disbelief. “What? Faeries helped to protect it? That’s not normal, is it?”

  “I was given some intel a
long time ago, but I didn’t believe it, and honestly, I’d forgotten about it. According to what I was told, some ancient witches were tasked with the Seal’s protection. It seems one of them had a link to the faeries. The fact the database doesn’t recognize the magical signature leads me to believe the story about the traps is true.”

  “No wonder we’re having problems recognizing it. ”

  I know those traps. I’ve never made any, but I’ve seen them. A light fairy did this, I’m sure of it. They’re the best in that field. Add in the power of the earth witches to the traps, and the magic effects of the barrier were probably multiplied. “I’m guessing they’re old. Very old. Donovan should be able to smell them, and his mate can hopefully keep them from going off. I’m sure they can do it and not set off the traps. If they do, they and the Seal could be lost to us. Tell Donovan to smell around and look for old magic, his wolf will alert him of any danger.”

  She nods and calls Donovan. If that is the case, this Seal will be more challenging to retrieve, which will allow more time for one of the warrior witches to get to it first.

  Chapter Three

  Lilandra

  I was able to get in a short power nap, but that was the best I could do. I need to go to Vancouver and get the Seal as soon as possible, the call I’d received was becoming urgent.