The Lockwood Chronicles Episode 4: Origins

Over 900 years ago, Alexander Lockwood was just Alexander, a soldier, hoping to one day have sons to carry on his name. He didn’t expect anything beyond that as he spent his days training and his nights carousing with the other soldiers. But then he met Stormy—and then he died. And nothing was ever the same for him again.

Madeline Lockwood had always thought that her family was normal. She had no idea the legacy that had been passed down through the generations. So she’d assumed that it was all a happy coincidence, meeting Alexander, his changing her world and taking her out of the ordinary.

But Madeline and Alexander had a connection that went back centuries. Perhaps their meeting in that airport was not an accident, but fate’s way of bringing together two people who’d always been destined to meet. And if it hadn’t been for one woman, the link they’d never known about, they would never have met.

Excerpt:

Madeline looked up, the red glow lighting her eyes again as her gaze landed on Stormy, framed in the doorway. “Your resemblance to Moira stunned me for a bit, but I eventually realized who you must be,” Stormy continued. “So I came back.”

Madeline stood to face her, Alexander at her side. “You are not welcome here,” she said. She kept her voice as steady as she could, hoping Stormy wouldn’t realize how scared she really was.

Stormy smirked and sauntered into the room, her silk dress rustling with her every movement. “You think you have the power to challenge me?” she asked. … “I will eliminate you and take Alexander back before your ashes are even scattered.”

Alexander took Madeline’s arm and pulled her closer to him, moving to place his body firmly between the two women. “The only way you ever had me was through magic, and I’m immune to your potions now.”

“Every time I’ve come back for you, I’ve learned a little more,” Stormy told him, her tone dismissive. “Eventually, I will find a way to bend your will to mine again.”

Madeline felt Alexander tense and knew that the movement was so slight that Stormy wouldn’t detect it. He didn’t want to betray any fear to the witch, but she knew he would rather die than allow Stormy ever to control him again. She stepped around Alexander before he could stop her. “You haven’t dealt with me before Stormy. I am not my grandmother.”

Stormy turned glittering gray eyes on Madeline. They were only a couple of feet apart, and Alexander could see the contrasts in the two women, one tall, slender and willowy, the other shorter, curvier. Stormy’s fiery red hair and showy jewels flashing brightly still paled in comparison to Madeline’s cool beauty with her ebony hair in waves down her back and her brilliant green eyes. Madeline made Stormy look brassy and worn by comparison.

Stormy’s eyes narrowed. “I am going to take him back because I want him,” she announced. “And you, fledgling, are not woman enough—or witch enough—to stop me.”

Green sparks flashed at Madeline’s eyes and Stormy tried to stand her ground, but the red glow in their emerald depths gave her pause, finally making her take a step back.

“You have no idea what I am capable of,” Madeline hissed. “Would you like to find out?”

Stormy fell silent, her expression pensive. Alexander felt the ripple in the air as her power gathered and he braced. But just as suddenly as it gathered, it dissipated. And Stormy vanished, leaving little wisps of blue smoke.

Madeline turned to Alexander, her eyes still glowing. “She’ll come back.”

Alexander nodded. “I know,” he said, closing the distance between them and taking her trembling body into his arms. “She always does.”
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Origins is the fourth episode in The Lockwood Chronicles series. It contains adult situations and some violence and is recommended for readers over 18 years of age.