Cara Shultz: Spellcaster

“Whatever danger there is, it’s bigger than the two of you.

“It’s got more hate than you two have love.” Angelique looked at me with sad eyes. “Brendan would do anything for you. He has done anything for you. More of his energy should be reflected in the crystals. Something this dark, it has to have some kind of magical force behind it.”

“So what do I do now?” I felt the panic rising in my chest.

Angelique took a deep breath.

“I have absolutely no idea.”

“Shultz’s…has the potential to do for witches what Stephenie Meyer did for vampires”

—Pink Is The New Blog

“Spellbound captivated me from beginning to end!”

—Rachel Hawkins, author of the Hex Hall series

“My kind of enchanted read. Perfection: a spunky Buffy-licious witch, a good dose of mayhem,

AND BRENDAN!”

—Nancy Holder

LOOK OUT FOR…

SPELLBOUND

Available now from Cara Lynn Schultz

www.miraink.co.uk

Spellcaster

Cara Lynn Shultz

To Mom.

Thank you for all your support, strength

and love through the years.

Contents

Prologue Prologue You probably don’t remember me, but I remember you. And you and I have a common enemy. How do you feel about getting a little revenge on Brendan Salinger and Emma Connor? You’re just the person to help me hit them where it hurts… It had been only two months since I sent that email, and now, with our plan about to go into action, I couldn’t believe I’d almost abandoned my idea and deleted the message. I didn’t think anyone even remotely connected to Vincent Academy would want to associate with me. But I took a shot, and I did hit Send. And now everything I could ever want was at my fingertips. I hung back, following Brendan and Emma as they walked to the Eighty-sixth Street 6 train stop, passing an ice cream cone back and forth between them. Sharing an ice cream, really? What was next, holding hands and skipping through a field of daisies? Sliding down a rainbow? These two were idiots. I guess that’s what true love will do to you—turn you into a fool. Revenge was the bait I used to lure in my partner-in-crime, who relished the idea of terrorizing Emma. And watching her, blissfully happy, I could understand the hatred. Why is she so damn special? Here she is, basking in the throes of true love, not a care in the world. When Brendan looked down at her with this nauseatingly happy smile, I had an overwhelming desire to snap her neck. I really didn’t believe that old stupid legend was legit until I saw these two idiots in action—this was really true love. And this was going to be so…satisfying…to destroy. Oh, you have no idea, you weak little girl. You have no idea how I’m going to torment you, bit by bit. I hope you’re enjoying your time with your precious boyfriend, Emma. Because you’re going to run from New York. You’re going to be terrified. You’re going to be screaming—and Brendan won’t be around to save you. Because tomorrow everything changes. And then, I’ll be unstoppable.

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

Chapter 19

Epilogue

Acknowledgments

Playlist

Prologue

You probably don’t remember me, but I remember you. And you and I have a common enemy. How do you feel about getting a little revenge on Brendan Salinger and Emma Connor? You’re just the person to help me hit them where it hurts…

It had been only two months since I sent that email, and now, with our plan about to go into action, I couldn’t believe I’d almost abandoned my idea and deleted the message. I didn’t think anyone even remotely connected to Vincent Academy would want to associate with me. But I took a shot, and I did hit Send.

And now everything I could ever want was at my fingertips.

I hung back, following Brendan and Emma as they walked to the Eighty-sixth Street 6 train stop, passing an ice cream cone back and forth between them. Sharing an ice cream, really? What was next, holding hands and skipping through a field of daisies? Sliding down a rainbow? These two were idiots. I guess that’s what true love will do to you—turn you into a fool.

Revenge was the bait I used to lure in my partner-in-crime, who relished the idea of terrorizing Emma. And watching her, blissfully happy, I could understand the hatred. Why is she so damn special? Here she is, basking in the throes of true love, not a care in the world. When Brendan looked down at her with this nauseatingly happy smile, I had an overwhelming desire to snap her neck.

I really didn’t believe that old stupid legend was legit until I saw these two idiots in action—this was really true love. And this was going to be so…satisfying…to destroy. Oh, you have no idea, you weak little girl. You have no idea how I’m going to torment you, bit by bit. I hope you’re enjoying your time with your precious boyfriend, Emma. Because you’re going to run from New York. You’re going to be terrified. You’re going to be screaming—and Brendan won’t be around to save you.

Because tomorrow everything changes.

And then, I’ll be unstoppable.

Chapter 1

“They’re not looking at you. Those girls haven’t noticed you, Emma. You’re stealthy like a ninja. They’re not looking at you.” I repeated the mantra in my head as I pretended to study the beverage selection in the glass case before me, but a quick glance to the left told me I was lying to myself.

There, three girls in private-school uniforms similar to my own black, navy and green plaid one, were alternately staring at me and whispering to each other. I grabbed some iced tea out of the case and hurried to the cashier before they could say anything.

“It’s fine, Emma. They’re not going to say anything,” I silently promised myself, nervously tapping the sole of my Mary Janes against a rack of candy as I waited in line. You really need to stop lying to yourself, Emma. They’re so going to say something to you.

“Hey, are you, um… I’m not sure how to ask this,” the tallest girl, with black hair extensions that seemed as long as her legs, asked as she scrutinized my face. I wished I were wearing sunglasses. And a hat. And a ski mask.

I sighed, having been through this before. Yes, I’m Emma Connor. I’m the one whose boyfriend, Brendan, risked his life to save me in an epic battle with psychopathic classmate Anthony in Central Park after the winter dance. But what you don’t know is I used some of my secret magical powers to save us and you’re totally making me late for my spell classes with my friend Angelique. She’s a witch like me. That about cover it?

Okay, maybe I’d leave that last part out. Even I couldn’t believe it, and I’d lived it. And I really didn’t want to rehash the details of that night with some snooping schoolgirls.

“What she means is,” interrupted the shortest girl, who shot Extensions Queen a nasty look as she toyed with the glittering platinum-and-diamond pendant around her throat, “are you that Emily person? The one from Vincent Academy that was in that big fight a while back?”

I opened my mouth to correct them—a few papers had gotten my name wrong—but then a brilliant idea came to me. Lie. Of course. Why don’t I just lie?

“You know, I get that a lot.” I laughed casually, darting a quick glance out of the street-facing windows. Brendan was out of sight, talking to a basketball teammate on his phone around the corner. Liam had called him with some kind of crisis, forcing Brendan to wait outside while I grabbed a drink—ice cream made me thirsty. “I think it’s just that we both have long dark hair.”