Sighing, I ran a hand down my face.
"What's up?" Miranda questioned, looking up from her own phone screen to see what had me being dramatic.
"Well, the guys have been really attentive, and I love that. It makes me feel special, but Cam in particular, can be over the top. I've been taking care of myself for a long time, and I don't need a guy to protect me. Don't get me wrong, it's nice to have someone care like that, but I'm capable, aren't I? I just don't want them to think I'm some helpless witch who can't handle my own shit, you know?" Damn, that was a lot of word vomit, but the feelings of anger were stirring now that I had everything out there and a small part of me felt irrational.
Miranda laughed, shaking her head. "Tell me how you really feel, huh? I get it. You were with a guy who essentially stalked you and had to know every move you made during the day, so I understand that any kind of attention like that might be upsetting to you. And hell yes, you're capable; you're awesome. Some men are just like that with those they care about, there's a line between being controlling and caring, between being possessive and being protective. Just make sure you know which it is before you blow up on him. Maybe just talk about it," she suggested, and I knew she was right.
"I'll do that later when I see him," I decided aloud. Shooting a quick text back to Kai to let them know I was at the park and completely okay, I sat my phone down and fanned my face with my hands. "Good grief, it's hot all of a sudden."
"You have been running hotter lately, probably the exposure to such hot dudes all the time."
Maven's bark drew our attention to where Annie was chasing him near the big oak that grew out over the lake.
"Not too close to the water, Annie!" Miranda called out, but my gaze was firmly locked on the side of the tree, the spot that I had healed when I'd been here with the guys last. Seeing the darkness along the side of the trunk had me hoping to the stars it was just a shadow, that I'd get over there and there'd be nothing wrong with the beautiful tree.
But deep down, I knew that wasn't going to be the case. I hadn't even thought about how I'd used my magic out here that day, but it made sense that the big tree would've been affected the same way everything else was that I dared to taint with my affinity.
My legs were carrying me to the lake, Miranda's voice behind me, asking what was wrong... but I couldn't speak yet. Not until I confirmed what I was seeing.
We stopped right against the tree, my hand running down the blackness that was spreading outward almost like veins in the body.
"Shit, shit, shit!" I cursed under my breath.
"Trees get sick sometimes, Saige. It'll be okay. You can heal it, can't you?" Miranda asked, placing a hand on my shoulder. She understood that the death of living things hit me much harder than the usual witch, my powers being so connected to life.
"Yeah, yeah, of course. But I need to do some digging first to see what the problem might be before I start pushing magic into it," I replied. However, the fact of the matter was I wouldn't be touching the tree or anything else with my powers, not until this mystery got sorted out. What a mess.
We walked for a bit, Maven and Annie darting back and forth across the paved walkway. It felt great to spend time with them, yet my mind was having a hard time not thinking about all of the shit going on that my bestie didn't know about. I didn’t tell her about everything because she had enough on her plate, I didn’t want to add to her stress.
We'd been sitting on the bank of the lake, our toes dipping in the water, laughing about things that had happened when we were in school, catching up on what we'd each heard about old classmates, but the sun was starting to sink lower in the sky, and I still needed to swing by the grocery store on the way home.
"Well, girls, I think it's time for Mave and I to head back home," I said, stretching out my back once I was standing.
"Aww, man, can't he spend the night with me?" Annie asked, her eyes wide like a little puppy.
Glancing a look at Maven, I swear to the stars, he shook his head no.
"Not tonight, hon. We need to get home so you can eat dinner and take a bath. What do you have there?" Miranda asked, leaning down to take the paper from Annie's hand.
"It's a picture I made for Saige," Annie smiled, waiting for me to look at it.
Miranda laughed and handed it over to me without peeking.
It was a beautiful forest, so green and alive. But the forest wasn’t the focal point of this painting. No, it was the large pentagram drawn into the center of the forest floor. The drawing itself was beautiful, she was incredibly talented for her age, but there was something ominous about it and I suppressed a chill that ran down my body.
After thanking her for the artwork, we went our separate ways. I had a stop to make before I could go home.
Pulling my bike up to Dinner Thyme, I rested it against the wall and ran inside quickly to grab a couple bottles of wine, and an assortment of meat and cheeses. Hell yes. Pushing my cart down the aisle, I passed by Randy Roger, who was dressed immaculately in a terry cloth romper with snakeskin cowboy boots. By the moon, the confidence on this mage.
"Seasons greetings, Saige, it's been a while. You look lovely, darling."
"Love the outfit, Roger. Where'd you find that?" I smiled, but for real, I really did like it and kind of wanted one for myself.
"Oh, this old thing?" He brushed his hand through the air, like I was the one being dramatic and I giggled. "Stole this right from your gran's vintage trunk. Don't tell her, she turns into a real hag when I borrow clothes without permission. But I figure it's easier to just do whatever I want and then beg for forgiveness." He winked and I shook my head at his ridiculousness.
"Your secret is safe with me, Roger, but you know she's going to find out... and there will be hell to pay when that happens."
"Pfft, I'll win her affections back with the tequila jello shots I have in my fridge at home.” He snapped his fingers dramatically, “Oh, that reminds me, I need to grab some limes. When you see Captain Cuke-zuke, let him know I'm ready for a rematch, and this time, eggplants and leek are acceptable weapon options."
Before I could even process what had just come out his mouth, he sauntered down the aisle, shaking his ass like he was born to. Strange duck, that one, but I adored his live and let live mentality.
My phone dinged and I smiled when I saw a text from 'Big Daddy'. Laughter slipped out from my lips at the name change, Kai must've done it when I was sleeping. Accurate though.
Big Daddy: Everything okay, little witch?
Me: Yes, Dad. *eye roll emoji* Everything is just fine. At the grocery store, the meat hasn't attacked me, don't worry.
Big Daddy: I have some meat that wants to attack you.
Bloody hell.
Me: Omg, Cam.
Big Daddy: Be safe, baby girl.
Me: Always. Gotta go, I wanna get home. I’m hungry.
I sent it off with four kiss face emojis and shoved my phone back into my pocket. Keeping in mind the advice my bestie had given me, I took a deep breath. I knew I needed to just talk with him about the coddling, and I should probably do it soon seeing as how my moods were zero to sixty these days.
The bottle of wine I wanted was a little out of reach, so I was stretching to grab it when a hand landed on my ass. Sucking in a breath, I froze. A large body pressed up behind me, and I was trying to figure out which of the guys had snuck up on me. Sighing, I closed my eyes and leaned back as a hand swiped my hair to one side of my neck, their lips hovering over my skin.
My nose wrinkled when a familiar magical signature skated along my body. That's when the scent hit me. His cologne. His smell. A hard ridge pressed against my butt and I stiffened, his hand clamping over my mouth before I could scream, his other arm snaking around my waist and securing me tightly to his body.
"I knew you still felt it, Saige. Look at how you respond so beautifully to my touch," Bryce growled in my ear and bile rose in my throat.
Shaking my head no, I called on my m
agic, vines immediately burst from my palms, wrapping around his wrists to pull him away from me, just as his hand was pulled from my lips, I opened my mouth to let out the loudest call for help, but instead, all that came out was water.
My eyes widened when Bryce spun me around toward him, his face furiously red and scary. The vines fell away, my panic caused me to lose focus on anything except for the fact that I was drowning. Bryce was fucking drowning me in the middle of the grocery store. Clawing at my throat, all I could do was watch as he chuckled deeply.
"Here's the deal, pretty. You. Are. Mine. You are always going to be mine. Your boyfriends won't be in town forever. You're nothing but a warm hole for them to fuck while they're here on business. They're not built for Emerald Lakes, they're always going to want more. Can you give them that?"
My heart was racing, tears stinging my eyes as I slowly suffocated. When had he gotten this powerful? This was next level magic.
His hand trailed down my waist, and he tugged on my t-shirt before leaning in to whisper in my ear, the heat of his breath and the feel of his hands on my body making me gag stronger on the water.
"You know I always enjoyed your body, but most mages aren't into fat witches, so maybe back off a bit on the snacking, hmm?"
Despite the fact that I was drowning, my face flamed in humiliation. I'd been trying so hard since I left his abusive ass to work on body positivity. He had always made comments about my weight, and I was ashamed that just one comment had me sinking back into a haze of embarrassment. My vision began darkening, bright circles floating across his hateful face.
My phone was going off in my pocket, the vibrations relentless, but I was helpless here. Scraping my hands down his arms, I prepared for the worst. Was he really going to kill me here, like this? No, he wanted my submission, and that was something I swore he'd never get again. What's one more psychological blow?
Nodding my head, and dropping my eyes and arms, I let myself go limp in his hold.
"That's what I thought."
The water evaporated instantly, as if it'd never been there to begin with and I started hacking, sucking in gulps of air.
"She's fine, she just choked on a sip of water," I heard Bryce telling someone who must've come to check on the alarming noises coming from this aisle. Peeking up at him, he was smiling, raising a friendly hand in a wave as his other hand gripped my wrist so hard I stifled a cry of pain. His grip twisted and I felt my bracelet break in his palm, pretty perfect symbolism for how all of my confidence just snapped and fell to pieces within three minutes of being in his presence.
Sometimes the most evil monsters wear the prettiest masks.
Bryce cupped my face with his hand, swiping his thumb across my cheek, clearing away the tears. "You know I love you, I just... I need you to stop pissing me off, Saige. The last thing I'd ever want to do is hurt you, but you're hell bent on pushing me to that point. You make me crazy." Releasing my wrist, the bracelet fell to the floor, destroyed. The little crystals rolled all over the ground.
My breathing was rapid, I couldn't think coherently, all I could do was stand there with hands on me that had no business being there, and the next thing I knew, his lips were on mine. Gentle, soothing, like he really did love me. And all I did was stand there. Pathetic. Weak.
"Do you feel what you do to me?" He pressed his hard cock against my stomach and I whimpered, a sound he mistook for want instead of what it really was, fear. Bryce had no concerns about anyone seeing us, the store was dead, and he lived to push his luck. My phone was vibrating again and I was positive it was the guys. A strangled sob came out of my throat when Bryce cupped my crotch through my leggings, pressing against my clit with his middle finger. No, no, not again. I can’t go through this again.
"I will have this. Soon." He stepped away from me and my knees hit the floor, "Oh, and Saige? This stays between us or I will drown every last one of those motherfuckers in their beds and leave them for you to find." And with that, he turned and left me a shaking, crying mess.
Abandoning my cart, I practically sprinted to the single person restroom and locked the door behind me. All I could hear was whooshing in my ears, like I was under water, and my hands were trembling as I gripped the sink. Fuck. What the fuck am I going to do? He fucking touched me, kissed me, tried to drown me!
My green eyes gazed back at me through the mirror, looking even more vibrant than usual due to the redness surrounding them. Black streaks from my makeup had me looking like a crazy person, like a weak person. Heat prickled at the base of my neck, spreading throughout my body in mere seconds. I'm not weak.
The vibrating in my back pocket snapped me out of the stare down I was having with myself and I saw Fischer's name flashing up on the screen. Fuck, how am I going to talk to anyone right now and not have them pick up immediately on the fact that something is very, very wrong with me?
Feeling guilty as hell, I let it go to voicemail, there was no way I trusted my voice right now.
Me: Hey, sorry. Forgot my phone in the bathroom at the store. Checking out now, gotta run.
Fischer would tell the others and at least I had a little bit of time to compose myself. I hated liars, I mean, it was really one thing that made my blood boil and here I was lying to the guys, and trying to figure out how I was going to be able to keep what had happened with Bryce to myself. He was a lunatic, and he'd somehow powered up in the time we'd been broken up.
My mind was racing and I felt like I couldn't take a deep breath. All I could do was hope that the guys would understand my reasoning for keeping this from them. I knew they were powerful in their own right, but they were just businessmen dealing with real estate issues, Bryce obviously can drown them just as he promised. He was as dangerous and unstable as a three legged stool. I couldn't give him that opportunity.
Leaving the restroom, I grabbed my cart and threw in a bunch of wine, it was definitely going to be a wine night. Needing to get home quickly, I made as little small talk as possible with Joanne while she rang up my things, and I quickly loaded my backpack up with the groceries. Maven was curled up in the basket on my bike and he slowly lifted his head when I made a clicking sound with my tongue.
I need a shower, I'd have one of the guys get my bike tomorrow. A shiver of disgust rolled through my body when I thought of Bryce touching me like that. The look in his eye so familiar, and I knew had we been somewhere private he would've taken what he'd wanted. My hands were shaking and I could feel the tears rising up now that the reality of what had happened was settling in like a dark cloud that I couldn't outrun. Shots. That's what would help.
Changing my path and heading to The Pig, I had one goal in mind. Drink all the drinks and hopefully numb myself to the feelings of violation and fear, then I'd head home and wash away the disgust and unwanted touches. Everything would be okay. It had to be. But Bryce was in my head now, and I wasn't sure that I'd be able to forget the comments he'd made. His words always had a way of cutting me so deeply and effectively destroying any self confidence I might've mustered up.
Placing my hand on the door of The Pig, the lock recognized my magic and opened, admitting myself and Mave. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up before I walked through the threshold and I turned my head to see who was watching me. A gust of wind blew my hair over my face, the breeze felt really good on my heated skin, but I didn't see a single soul. Shaking my head, I walked through the door and made my way to the bar.
Gods damn, I was one grumpy son of a demon king.
Fuckin' Khol sent me on this mission, and while in the past, I might've lived for the thrill of it, the possibility of maiming and killing... I just wasn't feeling it. Khol had pulled off the impossible, he had a daughter, a daughter who was not only a demon, but more demon than witch. That means that somewhere in her line, a demon would've done this before, maybe it had something to do with the fact that Laura had been a green witch? They were givers of life, so I suppose that made sense.
Apparently, his
daughter was shacking up with the entire team he'd sent here, those guys were brutal. I'd know, I helped train their asses. Sullivan and I had a healthy competitive streak between us, but he was that way with pretty much every person who so much as raised an eyebrow at him. Khol and I were fairly certain Laura would be showing up eventually, and we'd be here to snatch her when she did. The witch had some explaining to do.
Speaking of disappearing women... Goldie. I hadn't seen her since she'd been taken from me, and I'd texted and called the number she'd programmed in my phone so many times, but there was never any answer. The thought of her being in trouble had me teetering on the edge of homicide for the past few days, my next plan was to stalk her to the fullest extent over social media, but she had absolutely zero accounts. Then, before I could come up with my next plan of attack, Khol ordered me here, telling me there'd be plenty of time for pussy chasing when this mission was complete.
She was so much more than that, but I wasn't going to admit all of that to any other demon just yet. My father's reach was wide and all encompassing, and while I trusted Khol, the less he knew for now, the better.
The guys were all headed over to their girl's house this evening and by the stars, they were obsessed with this witch. Immediately upon my arrival, I had my ass parked in a chair and been given the sternest talking to I'd ever gotten from anyone aside from Khol and daddy dearest. Thinking about it now had a smirk pulling at my mouth, they were so easy to rile up.
"Johnny, have a seat," Cam directed me to the seating area in their living room and I plopped down on a chair, knees spread wide. Hopefully, they cut to the chase fast so I can get the fuck out of here and focus on more pressing matters. Like Goldie, pressing herself against my—
“Should’ve known he’d send you,” Sloane mused, sitting his grouchy ass down. He looked kind of tired, which was interesting since this was an easy as shit assignment. Why aren’t you sleeping well, Sullivan?
The Magic Of Betrayal Page 10