1 Chapter 1(Pilot)

Yesterday…

New York City Civil Court

11:30 am...

“Thank you, Miss Richelieu. You have saved me a fortune. I will be sure to send you that bottle of Pinot Noir,” Mrs Emily Darby said with gratitude as shook Eloise's hand with a smile.

“They don't call me the best closer in New York for nothing. I will be waiting on that bottle then. But one more thing, Emily. Don't go making more trouble, alright,” Eloise warned with a smug smile.

Emily Darby laughed and headed towards the elevator with her phone to her ear.

“The best closer, huh? I think you were just lucky as always, Eloise.” A voice said from behind.

Eloise turned to find Karim Forder behind her. He was her longest rival in the cooperate law business, ever since she started eight years ago. She had no idea why he didn't like her but like many others, he was intimidated by her.

Eloise De Richelieu was one of New York's top corporate lawyers. She worked at Parson Hermes Caldwell, one of New York's most prestigious Law firms. Where she had remained the youngest partner for two years now. She made number one in Today's Women Magazine one month ago, earning her more money and fame.

She was young, beautiful and successful. More than anything else, she was a game player. Eloise was hardworking, fierce, strong-willed, and proud. She was the one you called when you had no way out. Over the years, she'd earned the title of best closer because she was the best at what she did. She was relentless when she wanted something, and she always had her way. Always.

"There is no such thing as luck, Karim. You either lose or win and I always experience the latter," Eloise told him. "If you will excuse me, I have somewhere I have to be," she said and turned away to leave.

“That's where you are wrong. You are going to get what you deserve one of these days," he said with his tone full of spite.

Eloise slowly turned around with a raised brow. "Is that a threat?" she enquired smugly.

"Is it?" Karim retorted.

Eloise had been at this game with this man for years. This started from the very first day at the DA’s office, where they both worked as associates. She always thought he disliked her because he was just jealous because everyone liked her and not him. But never did he ever sound this serious and hateful.

"I've always wondered what this obsession with me was. Don't you get tired of following me around? Hmm, Forder?" She asked with a smirk.

"You...."

"You know what? Forget I asked," She abruptly cut him off.

"You know I love a good challenge, so bring it on. Sadly, you are always going to end up the loser. Good day, Mr Forder." Eloise said indifferently with a smirk.

The smirk on her face slowly vanished as she made her way to the elevator. A sudden shiver ran down her spine.

Call her crazy, but this was the fourth threat in a week. Once, she would've taken this lightly and laughed about it. But things were different now. She was different now.

Right now......

Eloise woke up abruptly, lying in a pile of ash. She groaned loudly and stepped out of bed naked.

"Not again!" she grumbled as she headed for the bathroom, leaving prints of ash with every step she took.

She died again. This was becoming more of a nuisance than the so-called blessing her people called it. At first, she thought it would be fine. She was the Eloise De Richelieu and there was nothing she couldn't handle. She'd been a witch all her life but that never interrupted her normal life. It didn't interrupt because she ignored that side of her. That side of her proved that the world wasn't just as it seemed.

The other side of her identity came from another world. The world of the supernatural. The world of vampires, witches, wolves, fairies, shifters, and other creatures. These were creatures humans believed were mere stories and myths. These stories were created from human propaganda based on half-truths that have been passed down and distorted for millennia.

But they were real and everywhere. Walking amongst humans, living ordinary lives like everyone else.

A world Eloise swore she'd never go back to. At least until she acquired this newly found power. A power that was overwhelming her and destroying her perfect life.

The power of the Phoenix.

A power that was believed to be lost over four hundred years ago. It was a sacred power that the witches revered and worshipped. A power of immortality, strength, unfathomable firepower, and magic.

Until a month ago, she was an ignorant witch, who had no idea how to cast a single spell. Now she was a full-blown witch with power and knowledge she never knew she had.

As part of the perks of her newfound power, she sometimes died and came back a few hours later. Usually naked, in a pile of ashes which she had an awful time cleaning.

She hate these powers and more often than not, she wanted to get rid of them. Not only was it interfering with the normal life she had worked her ass off and toiled for, but it also opened a new door for responsibilities she was not ready for.

She was now a Supreme witch, commonly known amongst witches as Suprema. The Suprema was a powerful witch, who was responsible for protecting the witches. What business did she, a twenty-eight-year-old woman with her whole life ahead of her, have with protecting a lot she didn't even know?

It sounded selfish, but she was never one with the superhero complex. She preferred her own quiet normal life.

Eloise stood before the full-length mirror and stared at her reflection. Her emerald eyes were bright as always and her dark copper-red hair had grown longer to her back. Her skin had a soft glow to it now. She looked beautiful and felt new. Everything felt different and she hated it. She admitted that being able to use magic now was nice. But there was nothing worse than the fear of not knowing when you'd pop into a pile of ash.

How was she ever going to explain it if there were ever human observers?

Her phone rang and interrupted her thoughts.

She grabbed a blue robe off the rack, pulled it on and walked back to her bedroom. She wondered who would dare call her on such a sore Saturday morning. She ignored the pile of ash on her bed waiting to be cleaned. She picked up her phone from the bedside stand and tapped the receive button.

"Be snappy, I'm not in the best mood," she said in a grumpy tone, to receive a peal of shrill laughter on the other end of the line. Her frown quickly morphed into a smile.

"Let me guess, you woke up in a pile of ashes?" Cole said in a teasing tone.

"Such a genius you are," Eloise said sarcastically. A small smile played on her lips as she slouched on the side of the bed where there wasn't a pile of ashes.

"Well, guess I called at the right time. I woke up this morning to find a bottle of Pinot Noir at my door. I was thinking dinner and a glass of this delicious wine would be nice. But it looks like we will be needing it this morning," he suggested.

Suddenly she heard a soft knock on her door. Eloise walked to the door and opened it. Her smile widened upon seeing who was at the door.

"Oh god, I love you!" She said delightfully. She hung up the phone and threw herself into Cole's strong arms.

"You better!" He responded smugly. He kissed on her head and she smiled broadly. His blonde hair looked darker, and so was his blue eyes. He was 6.3 feet tall, with a strongly built body and a handsome face. Unlike her, Cole Chamberlain was an eight-hundred-year-old vampire who didn't look a day older than thirty. This was because vampires aged slower, as compared to other creatures.

Growing up, she, like many of her kind, was never a fan of vampires. But she knew she loved him the very day she set eyes on him, two years ago. She didn't care what or who he was. Like her, he felt the same way about her.

"You in the mood now?" Cole whispered on her lips. He caressed and wiped a smudge of ash off her cheek. He slowly pulled off her robe, rendering her naked.

"I am," She whispered and tiptoed to kiss him. Their lips gently locked and their tongues intertwined.

They slowly trotted into the room with their lips still hooked. They fell into the heap of ash and they both burst into laughter. Eloise advanced to pull off his clothes as they kissed.

Suddenly, there was a loud bang downstairs that interrupted them. Eloise quickly sat up in alarm. She instantly pushed away from Cole and headed for the door.

"El, ignore it. Come back here," Cole groaned from the bed.

"No, did you not hear that?" she snapped and pulled her robe back on. She slowly opened the door and peeked through it.

“Come let’s go check it out,” she whispered and headed out quickly. Cole groaned but stepped out of the bed and followed her.

Eloise rushed down the stairs towards the kitchen where the sound came from. She was going to burn whoever it was to a crisp. Some nerve they had to interrupt her in the middle of the best orgasm, she could've had.

She flipped her left hand and created instantly a glazing fireball. Eloise stepped into the kitchen and froze in her tracks.

"Father, Mother?" She muttered in astonishment. Next to them were her five sisters and her cousin Verna. She had an apologetic look on her face. She was the only one who knew where she stayed. She probably told them after being threatened, either by her sisters, Herren or Lillian.

"What are you doing here?" Eloise asked flatly.

"El...." Cole trailed off. He walked in behind her with nothing but his jeans on, exposing his magnificent torso.

Her fifth sister, Catherine, whistled, and her other sisters chuckled.

“Mmm, yummy!" she said in a throaty tone.

"That's enough, the three of you!" Their father, Heron De Richelieu snapped.

"What are you doing here? Ten years and that's all you can say, Eloise?" Tarah, her second eldest sister, uttered blandly.

"She doesn't even look happy to see us," Veronica, her third sister, said.

"I told you this was a bloody waste of time," Lillian, her fourth sister, complained as she curiously prowled around the large kitchen.

"Same old Eloise. I see you haven't changed at all but you have made very good on your own. Nice house by the way," Catherine said with a sly smile. She was the fifth daughter and Eloise was the last. Her sisters were never fond of her, and neither were they of themselves.

"Thank you but no one forced you to come along, did they? If it displeases you so much, you can all go back to wherever you came from. And Lillian quit touching those," Eloise snapped.

"Jeez, looks like you still have that mouth on you," Lilian muttered.

"Looks like you still have those sticky hands," Eloise snapped.

"Eloise Bella De Richelieu, that is no way to talk to your elders," Her mother said sternly.

"Well, I didn't ask you to show up here, did I?" Eloise said flatly, with her displeasure showing on her face.

"Do not speak to your mother like that! Apologize now, Eloise!" Herren demanded. She was the eldest and the scariest, among all her siblings. She had a trimmed haircut and a military-built body.

She was fifty-two years old, ex-military, and married with three children.

"Whatever! Just show yourselves out when you are done with whatever this is," Eloise let out flatly. She turned away to leave but Cole blocked her path.

Eloise glared at him. "At least listen to them, "he suggested softly.

"Listen to the vampire, he seems wiser than you," Veronica said.

"And handsome too!" Catherine said while winking at Cole.

"Cole! That's his name and he is my fiancé!" Eloise snapped and her family gasped. The atmosphere suddenly turned tense and awkward.

"Excuse us. We will talk to your sister alone," Their father said. The sisters left quickly, leaving the four behind.

"I think I should leave too," Cole let out.

"No, stay!" Eloise said, ignoring the distasteful look her parents had on. She was probably a huge disappointment to her parents.

Not only had she left home ten years ago and abandoned her people, but she was also in love with a vampire, an enemy of her people.

But Eloise was past caring what anyone thought of her now, even her parents.

"You know there's no way I'm going back, right?" She stated firmly. She folded her arms across her chest defensively. She had on the same frown her father had. His curly dark copper hair had strings of grey in them now. The wrinkled lines on his face were wider than before. The years had indeed taken a toll on him.

"We didn't come here to force you to do anything, sweetheart. Trust me, we didn't want to show up here but...."

"Do not butter it up, Rebecca," Heron said abruptly interrupting his wife.

"Heron be reasonable," Rebecca pleaded quietly.

"You don't have to shield me from his words, Mom. I can take it!" Eloise said firmly.

Heron's eyes hardened but suddenly turned softened. He sat on the closest chair with a sigh. Eloise had always been his favourite. Not only did she look like him, but she also had his character too. There wasn't a day she didn't defy him when she was little. She was very stubborn and rebelled every chance she got. Heron was stern with all his daughters, raised and trained them like boys, and made sure they would obey his every will. But Eloise was different. She began disobeying him from the very day she learned to speak. She was a splitting image of him in his younger days.

Eloise always felt like she had the right to defy him. He couldn't really blame her, he wasn't the most ideal father figure. He chuckled slightly at her defensive posture. She looked like she was ready to lash back if he did or say anything that didn't sit well with her.

"Sit down, little flame," Heron said softly. Eloise's eyes wavered for a second. She wasn't about to let her guard down because he addressed her with the name she used to be fond of.

"Eloise, things are not well back at home. Our people are being terrorized by the day by the Enclave Society. It started with the kidnapping of witch civilians and then the murders. Now, there’s a wide outbreak of the witch plague. For some reason, only witch communities are being targeted," he informed her in a serious tone.

"First Salem, the French Quarter in New Orleans then...."

"Saint Tropez!" Eloise muttered. She saw a mass evacuation of that area due to the outbreak of an unknown disease, on the news yesterday.

Heron nodded. He was glad she had a fair idea of the situation at hand. "We fear human exposure. They have gotten too close to the situation as it is. Our people on the inside are trying to hush it up, but we fear it's just a matter of time before any of them make a discovery. Humans aren't as easy to handle as before," Rebecca told her and the worry in her voice evident.

The Discovery of Witches, how grand that sounded. It will remain in the top headlines and will blow the news for a century or more. Fueling more human propaganda and a risk of exposing the whole supernatural world. Witches have suffered too much as it is. The chances of them being wiped out if news of them came to light were very high. The extinction of her kind, she dreaded over the very thought of it.

"Both your mother and I, along with the other leaders have sat down and decided to take aid from the Imperium," Her father announced.

"What?" Eloise exclaimed with astonishment.

The Imperium was a sovereign nation of all supernatural creatures, under the authority of the Lord Imperio, who was a primal creature of every single race. A single creature yet of many races. Vampire, wolf, witch, shifter, daemon, and fairy all in one man. He was the strongest creature ever born, feared by every race including witches. He was hated by the witches. They saw him as an abomination to the very roots of magic. No creature was supposed to wield such powers, as it broke every rule of the Natural laws of nature.

The Imperium has tried to bring the witch under its rule for a millennium yet the witches have been able to resist them every time. It was the opposite this time.

"It's the only way, to protect our people...."

"Can't you see, you are eating right into their hands?" Eloise cut him off abruptly.

"Who knows if the Imperium is the one behind all this? Their sick attempt to get you to finally......"

"Nei was killed a month ago!" Heron yelled and Eloise gasped softly.

"She was sealed and bled out in a witch circle drawn in her blood, with the mark of the Enclave scorched on her forehead. She was tortured to death. This is a sign of war, Eloise. I will make sure to sniff out every single one of these evil bastards, even if I have to sell my soul. At least what's left of it," Heron said sadly. Rebecca placed a hand on his shoulder and squeezed it tenderly.

Eloise furrowed her brows in confusion. What more bad news did they bring, apart from the death of her teacher and best friend?

Heron slowly pulled off his left glove, revealing a nearly rotten hand. Eloise stood up from her seat in shock. She slowly walked to her father and knelt at his feet.

"Father!" She muttered sadly. He had been affected by the witch plague too. It was an incurable disease that rotted its host to the bones until there was nothing left. Its origins were traced to a forbidden spell that was created by the first heretic, Syphe. The spell could only be cast by powerful witches who were acquainted with the dark arts but never had a cure been found.

"I was in Saint Tropez when the last wave hit. We can't keep leaving in fear of death. I have to protect the last of our people at all costs..."

"What does the Imperium want in exchange?" Eloise asked and slowly stood to her feet. The

Imperium never gave without taking back. They weren't doing this for the good of their hearts.

Both Heron and Rebecca exchanged knowing looks as if they were about to drop the worst news yet.

"To accept this arrangement in totality, Lord Imperio has requested an unbreakable alliance between our two families. A bond that would tie us for generations to come," Rebecca began.

Eloise frowned. She didn't like where this was heading.

"This alliance will be sealed with a marriage," Her father said and Eloise sighed loudly.

"That isn't a problem. My four sisters are unmarried. You could get one of them to marry him. Catherine will be thrilled, I think...." she trailed off from the looks on her parents' faces.

"He asked for you!" Both Heron and Rebecca replied.