Prologue

Death. Not something one thinks about while taking their sleeping child up the cream carpeted stairs to their nursery. It certainly wasn’t on Margret’s mind as she walked into the room, placing Lena into the wooden crib. She draped the pink baby blanket over the infant and softly pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Goodnight my angel”, Margaret said quietly before reaching up to set the hanging mobile going. As the stars slowly turned, Brahms Lullaby played. The 35 year old brunette sighed as she gazed upon her daughter.

“She’s going to be fine, Cassie”, Jonathan assured his wife as he came up behind her, placing a hand on her shoulder.

“Margret”, the witch sternly corrected, moving away from her husband to check the wards around Lena’s room.

“Sorry, force of habit”, the 38 year old man said, apologetically “but you do know she is going to be fine, right?”

Margret turned to him, candle in hand “you don’t know that” she lit the candle with a snap of her fingers and set it down on the windowsill.

“Maybe I don’t know for sure”, Jonathan said gently, going over to her and wrapping his arms around her from behind “though, one thing I do know for certain, we wont let anything happen to our little angel”.

“You’re right”, Margret agreed, turning around in his grasp so she was facing him “I’m just so scared that she will be forced to pay for my mistakes…for my past”.

“Don’t be”, Jonathan softly removing one arm from her waist and touched her face tenderly “she wont have to and neither will you, Mrs Margret McKenzie”.

The brunette smiled up at him, her brown eyes shining with happiness and love “what would I do without you?”

“You’ll never have to find out”, the blue eyed man assured her before giving her a kiss. Margaret pulled back and was about to say something when she gasped. “Honey, what’s wrong?” Jonathan asked, seeing her go pale, staring at something behind him.

“They’re here”, Margaret breathed “they’ve found us”. Her husband turned around to see what she’d noticed, a glowing red symbol on the window.

“Will the wards hold?” he questioned.

“I don’t know. Depends on how many of the Shadow Coven are here”, Margaret answered “but I think we should get Lillian’s help just to be safe”.

Jonathan nodded “yeah, good idea”, he agreed. Margaret scooped up their daughter in her arms and ran out of the room. The blonde haired man hurried after her but instead of going into their bedroom like his wife did, he went downstairs to grab his shotgun filled with special rounds designed to harm witches.

He took it out from where he’d hidden it behind the china cabinet, moved over to the front door and cocked the weapon. “Try to get past me, you dark bitches”, he muttered as the front door started to rattle.

Upstairs, Margret set Lena on the double bed and then rooted around in her jewellery box until she found what she was looking for, Lillian’s cameo broach. She clasped it tightly in her hands, her eyes turning brilliant blue as she started to chant “Ego invoco Lillian Endora”. The witch jumped at the sudden burst of shots from downstairs. “Jonathan!” she cried, hearing her husband screaming. She raced out of the room, dropping the cameo in the process and rushed down the stairs to save Jonathan.

Upon hearing her parents screams, Lena’s little face scrunched up and she let out a cry, her small hands curling into fists. A gust of wind blew through the room and Lillian Endora appeared. “Jonathan! No!” Margaret screamed.

The Endora witch pelted out of the room, down the stairs to find the bodies of Margaret

and her husband on the floor. Several witches from her cousin’s former coven stood over them. “Now we’re in trouble. It’s an Endora witch”, Seraphina sneered.

“Big deal. There’s six of us and one of you”, Moira added “you’re out numbered”.

“But not outmatched”, Lillian seriously. She raised her hands and started to chant “I call forth the witches of the past to cleanse this house of darkness”.

“Stop her!” Seraphina ordered as Lillian began to shout out names of some of her ancestors.

“Arianna Endora! Evangeline Endora!”

The other five dark witches surged forward to grab Lillian but they were thrown backwards before they could touch her.

“Elizabeth Endora!” a strong wind surged through the house as the energies of her ancestors built up “Isabella Endora! Margaret Endora! Rose Endora! Amanda Endora!” Lillian took a step forwards to which the dark witches tried to back away but they couldn’t “expel the darkness!” she pointed at the six witches and watched as they were forcibly thrown out of the house.

Lillian stumbled over to Margaret

“L-Lillian”, the brunette haired witch gasped, coughing up blood “take care of Lena…she n-needs your protection”.

Lillian nodded “I’ll take good care of her Margaret , I promise”, she vowed.

“Thank you”, Margaret

whispered, her eyes fluttering shut.

“Goodbye, my friend”, Lillian murmured, a tear rolling down her face. She wiped it away. There would be more time to mourn later. First, she had to get Lena to safety. She headed back upstairs, picked up the infant and the cameo. Lillian then left the Mackenzie house without a backwards glance at the dead bodies of her friends.

As soon as she had reached the street, Lillian turned to face the two storey building. She took out a small phial of powder from her pocket and raised it to her lips “ignis”, she uttered under her breath. The powder glowed red and she threw the phial at the house. As soon as it broke, the powder ignited the wood. Lillian watched the flames slowly begin to engulf the McKenzie home, effectively coving up Jonathan and Margaret ’s deaths.

The witch glanced down at Lena who seems to be staring at the burning building. “I’m sorry Lena. It had to be this way”, she said quietly “but I promise I will take care of you and your mother’s coven will never find you”, she vowed. Lillian turned on the spot and vanished.

She appeared on the steps number 13 Englewood Drive, a modest two storey building that she called home for the last 10 year. A house which had special charms placed on it that if she did suddenly appear by the front door, none of her neighbours would notice. Keeping a low profile was fundamental even more so now that she had her goddaughter to protect. “Welcome to your new home, Lena”, she said to the infant as she entered the house, the door swinging shut behind her.