“It’s my price to pay,” she answered quickly, then glanced away from him to look at everyone else, all of whom were watching her with worried eyes. This was exactly the reason for the aversion spell. She should never have dropped it. It was much easier when no one really cared or thought they cared.
“Bullshit,” Bishop roared, his eyes black with anger. “It is not your price to pay. I can take that bastard down. I’ve killed powerful witches and warlocks, Bonnie. Why are you doing this?”
“Because it is my right.” Bonnie sneered, getting angrier by the minute. “And I’m done with this conversation.”
“Tough. I’m not.” Bishop pulled her away from everyone. “What are you trying to prove by doing this?”
“Prove?” Bonnie sucked in her breath. “Did you just seriously ask me that? I’m not trying to prove anything. What I am doing is saving the ass of my coven, revenging my mother, and making sure my father’s plan of taking over the world—making everything in his path utter chaos—is nothing but a distant memory. If I have to suffer for it, then so be it.”
“And what about the people who care for you?” Bishop hissed down at her. “What about them? Should they just say, so be it? That is selfish, even for a witch.”
The dig at her craft pissed her off, and it hurt just a little bit too. Witches were known to be selfish creatures, but if she was selfish as he obviously thought, she would have been jumping on her daddy’s bandwagon and joining his taking over the world bullshit. Yeah, it hurt that Bishop thought this of her. Yet deep down, she had expected it, and that killed her.
Bonnie leaned up and whispered, for his ears only, “Just because I opened my legs for you, doesn’t mean you can tell me what to do, Valentino.” She grabbed his shirt, pulling him closer. “I am doing this with or without your support. The only selfish thing I have ever done in my life is to lift the aversion spell, which was obviously a mistake, and open myself up so just once in my life I felt wanted. So fuck you and your selfish witch bullshit.”
The look on his face was priceless as she pushed away from him, but he grabbed her, tugging her back. “You go and do what you have to do, Bonnie. I will be right here, but it will be a race to see who takes out that bastard first. If I have to take that right away from you to save your life, then by damn, I will do it without regret. I would rather you hate me than be dead when I could have saved you. So fuck you right back.”
Okay, so to say she was shocked by his words was an understatement. To say she didn’t want everyone to disappear so she could open her fucking legs one more time for him would be one of the biggest lies she had ever told. And that was saying something ’cause she had told some doozies in her life.
Bonnie couldn’t help the small smile slip across her lips. Damn, he was sexy when he was fired up and he was pissed off to a level she had never seen. It warmed her that he cared so much, but he needed to learn and learn quick that she wasn’t a normal female in distress. She could and would take care of her own shit. “Then may the best—” She paused, looking for the right word. Her smile grew.
“—witch hunter,” he added, his eyes narrowing even more.
“—witch,” she countered quickly afterward, “win.”
“Oh, I will,” he promised, then grabbed her chin, tilting her face up. “I always win.”
“Not against this witch.” She touched his hand, then pulled it away from her face before turning toward Kira. “Let’s do this.”
She felt Bishop’s eyes on her back as she walked away, but she needed to focus on the now. This wasn’t something to play with and, in truth, he may win if she messed this up and freaking died. That wasn’t even an option; it couldn’t be an option. There was too much for her to do. Putting the bad thoughts to the side, she focused only on the positive.
“So is this going to be as intense as that just was?” Steve said, walking beside her, and glancing behind them at Bishop. “I thought Bishop was going to lose his shit for a minute.”
“Just stay out of the way and you won’t get hurt,” Bonnie responded, then stopped. “Seriously, everyone needs to stay back. No matter what happens, do not come near either of us. If you can’t do that, you need to leave.”
“She’s right.” Kira looked around at everyone, her eyes stopping on Ronan. “Once we start, it cannot be stopped.”
“I’ll keep everyone back,” Ryker promised, to which both Bishop and Ronan snorted.
“You can try, warlock.” Bishop sneered, shooting him a deadly stare. Ronan didn’t say anything, but he also gave Ryker a nasty glare.
Ryker ignored them. “I will do whatever it takes. Anyone breaking the connection will for certain be killing one, if not both of them.”
Okay, that seemed to change the mood a bit. Bonnie swallowed hard before nodding at Mira, who waved her arm as another large fire sprouted from the ground. Mira walked back toward Steve as Ryker moved everyone a good distance away from Bonnie and Kira.
“I have to ask again,” Kira said as a cloak appeared, draping around her, just as Bonnie’s cloak appeared. They were identical in color with the dragonfly emblem proudly displayed on the back. “Are you sure about this?”
“Positive,” Bonnie replied, and flipped her hood up. “If shit goes south, it’s totally on me. I’ve forced your hand, but we both know this is what needs to happen.”
Nodding, Kira smiled. “You’ve got this, witch.”
“Hell yeah, I do,” Bonnie vowed. Then lowering her head, she erased all doubts from her mind. Two memories came and went quickly. One was of her mother’s smile, her hand reaching toward her, and then, just as quickly as it appeared, it was gone, only to be replaced by Bishop’s handsome face as his hand reached out to her also. Both of them reaching for her wasn’t lost on Bonnie, but she didn’t have time to ponder it.
Soon, her mind went blank as both she and Kira spoke in mumbled tones. There was no turning back now. It had begun. In the distance, thunder rumbled and lightning streaked across the sky. It was the beginning of the end.
Chapter 21
Bishop’s body was wired as if thousands of electric bolts ran through it. He had to force himself to stand still as his eyes stayed on Bonnie. The sky had darkened as soon as Mira had called upon the fire that blazed multicolored flames. Black clouds swirled above them in every direction. Thunder surrounded them as lightning struck the field, not even fifty feet away. The wind picked up, giving Bishop only a glimpse of Bonnie’s beautiful face as it moved her cape’s hood in a peek-a-boo motion.
He could hear both women’s mumbled words, but couldn’t make them out. He stood, ready for anything, yet he felt helpless as he kept vigil, watching. He wanted to rile at the sky, at the unfairness of what could happen. If he lost her now, it would destroy him. The knowledge actually surprised him, but he knew for a fact that it would. Damn her and that aversion spell. So much time had been wasted by his true feelings being magically subdued. It still pissed him off. And now, within minutes, she could be lost to him.
As a rope of fire broke away from the blaze, both Kira and Bonnie held their arms out, hands fisted and touching each other knuckle to knuckle. The rope of fire floated above them as Kira’s words became clearer.
“String entwined my powers bind.” Kira’s voice rang out above the wind that howled around them.
Bishop actually hissed when the rope of fire wrapped around each woman’s wrist, snapping taut before running up their arms. He took a step, but Ryker threw out his arm, stopping him.
“No!” Ryker ordered, his head shaking slowly. “They do not feel it.”
“Do you accept these powers until the end of time?” Kira continued, her voice chanting and lyrical.
Suddenly everything stopped. The wind, the swirling of the dark clouds, the rumbling of the thunder, and even the fire seemed to be frozen in time. When a streak of lightning stopped in midair as if waiting for the right moment to strike, amazement kept Bishop rooted. Never in his life had he seen anything like it. The
air was electrified, and it seemed as if everything around them was waiting for Bonnie’s answer.
Her head was bent, though he could still hear her whispered chant that was spoken so quickly it seemed out of place in the moment of everything being frozen. Even his own small movements were sluggish. Bishop wondered if maybe she had changed her mind. He was ready to get to her if he needed to, but he didn’t know if he could even move quickly enough. He flexed his hand to be sure, his eyes shifting down to see his fingers move in slow motion. What the fuck?
Her voice grew louder, but he still couldn’t make out the words. His eyes shifted to Mira. Wide-eyed, she stared as if anticipating something Bishop was clueless to. He couldn’t move his neck as he once again shifted only his eyes to see Ryker’s mouth begin to move, but he had no idea what in the hell the man was saying. Panic set in. Either something big was about to happen or something was terribly wrong. His eyes slowly returned to Bonnie, just as her voice went silent.
Nothing moved. Nothing at all. It was as if they were a painting. It was odd he even thought that, but that was all he could think this moment as… a fucking painting.
Bonnie’s head snapped back, her cape falling off her head as her mouth opened wide. “I accept!” she screamed, her voice booming with an echo that went straight to his soul. Within seconds, all hell broke loose.
A burst of wind knocked everyone off their feet as if it had been held back by a force stronger than anything Bishop had ever felt. Only Bonnie and Kira remained standing. He quickly rolled to regain his footing, his eyes on Bonnie, who stood stiff, her body shaking slightly as thunder boomed around them. The wind blew them as if trying to push them away, but he refused to be moved. He heard Ronan cursing. His eyes quickly went to Kira to see her standing just as stiff, her teeth clenched and eyes squeezed tight.
Lightning began to strike near both women, but neither flinched. He felt the earth shake with each strike as he pushed his way closer to Bonnie.
“Don’t!” Ryker hissed over the wind. “It’s working. Just stay calm.”
“Fuck that,” Bishop growled as Bonnie’s mouth opened in a silent scream. No noise escaped her throat, but her body jerked as if she was being shocked. The lightning picked up in strikes, getting closer and closer to the women.
“They’re going to get struck.” Ronan roared over the howls of the wind and thunder.
“I swear if either one of you goes near them, I will kill you myself,” Ryker bellowed, grabbing Ronan and pulling him back. “Just stay the fuck back. Do not interfere… for their safety.”
Nothing in his years of fighting witches, vampires, and other unworldly things had prepared Bishop for what he was witnessing now. The power radiating around him was impossible, yet it was happening. He would never have believed it if someone was telling him this tale. He would have called it bullshit. This was far from bullshit.
Sparks shot from the thin rope of fire around their wrists. Bonnie’s body stiffened even more, and she bent back as if she was trying to pull away. It was more than he could stand watching her go through this. Three strikes of lightning hit at the same time. One behind Bonnie, one behind Kira, and one into the fire, sending showers of sparks everywhere. A thundering boom deafened him. His ears actually rang. The wind swirled around them, their capes blowing every which way, and then everything went dead, stopped immediately.
Bishops ears hurt, the ringing loud. His skin itched and his eyes burned, but they never left Bonnie, who remained in an awkward position with her back bent, mouth open, and her eyes wide looking into the sky. Suddenly, her mouth closed as she straightened her body back to normal.
Relief swiftly ran through him. It was over. She was alive and seemed unharmed. He glanced at Kira, who continued to stand and stare wide-eyed at Bonnie, whose mouth began to move again, but no sound was coming from her lips. He quickly looked back at Bonnie. Fuck! This wasn’t the end.
“Powers unbind, the power is mine!” Bonnie said over and over again, her voice growing louder and louder with each chant.
Something made him look up—a noise maybe or just instinct. Out of a deep purplish-black cloud that swirled in all different directions, a lightning bolt descended toward the women. He opened his mouth in warning, but it was too late. The bolt hit their joined fists, running along the rope, sending Kira flying backward. It continued along the rope on Bonnie’s arm, and suddenly, she was engulfed in electricity.
“No!” Bishop’s bellow put the howling wind and thunder to shame. It took both Steve and Ryker to hold him down as he watched Bonnie’s body literally being electrocuted in front of his eyes. He fought with everything he had to get to her, even dragged both men along with him. Ryker punched out, hitting him hard in the jaw, but nothing was going to stop him from getting to her.
Bonnie dropped to the ground on her hands and knees as the electricity seemed to slip from her body, disappearing into the ground. Mira ran to Bonnie as Kira crawled until Ronan reached to help her up.
“Bonnie!” Kira and Mira both called out.
Bishop roared as he threw both Steve and Ryker off him. He stumbled toward Bonnie, moving Ronan out of the way with a shove. He couldn’t believe his eyes. She knelt on the ground, looking as if nothing had even happened to her. Bishop had watched as electricity had run through her body, yet she still breathed. It couldn’t be, but it was. Shock and total relief made him feel a little weak.
“Let’s not ever do that again,” Bonnie finally said, her voice a little shaky. “Holy shit, that was intense.”
Kira fell back on the grass, throwing her arm over her face. “Goddess, you can say that again.”
“Are you good?” Bonnie asked Kira, who still lay with her face covered while Ronan stared down at her with a worried expression.
“No, not really,” Kira said, then waved Ronan away. “I just need a minute. I’ve done a lot of stuff in my life with the craft, but nothing, and I mean nothing, compared to what we just did. I think I’ll stick to basics from here on out. I cannot believe how powerful your mother was.”
“Am I the only one who shit themselves?” Steve added with a nervous laugh. “’Cause, son of a bitch, that was ‘shit your pants’ worthy right there.”
“Are you okay?” Bishop ignored Steve as he continued to stare at Bonnie. He couldn’t believe he was actually talking to her.
“Yes, I think so.” Bonnie stood with Bishop’s help. “It really worked. I can’t believe it. I seriously had my doubts.”
Those words hit Bishop the wrong way. “You had your doubts?” His voice was low and angry. “You. Had. Your. Doubts?” he repeated, punctuating each word.
“Uh-oh.” Steve backed away, then reached for Mira. “He’s about to blow.”
“Well, yeah. Magic is always unpredictable.” Bonnie shrugged, then smiled. “But it worked. I feel my mother’s power. Actually, I’m consumed with it.”
He could not believe she was so nonchalant about what she’d been through. Not much shocked him, but this shocked the shit out of him, and he didn’t know if he liked it or not. No, he didn’t like it at all, dammit.
“Do you have any idea what we all just witnessed happen to you?” Bishop said, trying to understand. Maybe she was crazy. No maybe about it. She was fucking crazy as hell—that was a fact.
“Ah, yeah. It happened to me, so I think I know better than anyone.” Bonnie frowned, giving him a sideways glance. “What’s wrong with you? It worked. I’m alive. It’s all good.”
Bishop just stared at her for a second before throwing his arms up in the air. His mouth opened, but honestly, he didn’t know what in the fuck to say to that, so he just turned and walked away. He didn’t know where in the hell he was going, but away from her for a minute was what he needed.
His strides were long and fast. He spotted a path through some trees and disappeared that way. Getting deep enough he knew he couldn’t be seen, he stopped and tried to get a fucking grip on what he just witnessed. It wasn’t easy.
&
nbsp; The pent-up emotions were too much. He cursed, then punched out, hitting a tree directly in front of him. Not once, not even twice, but four times, and it felt damn good. Controlling his breathing, he closed his eyes for a moment and counted to ten, trying to regain control.
Magic was never something he was comfortable with. He had seen a lot of it, but this was something he had never seen. More than once, he’d thought he had lost her, and then when the lightning bolt ran over her body, he was more than sure he had definitely lost her while he stood watching. That would fuck with anyone, but to a Warrior, to a man like himself, it nearly destroyed him.
Chapter 22
Bonnie watched Bishop walk away and frowned. Her excitement diminished with each step he took away from her. She really wasn’t surprised by his reaction, so she didn’t take it too much to heart. It actually showed he cared. He just didn’t understand.
“Not everyone is fit for the world of witchcraft,” Ryker said, breaking into her thoughts. “And not everyone understands. That was pretty dramatic. He didn’t take it well. Don’t be too hard on him.”
Glancing Ryker’s way, she frowned. “What? You’re his champion now?”
“No, but I saw how much he cares for you, and well, I’ve been there,” Ryker said, then pointed at her. “Don’t ask.”
Bonnie rolled her eyes. “Why do you think I’d care?”
“Because you’re female.” Ryker snorted, then glanced up at the sky before lowering his gaze to her. “Good job. I didn’t know if you could actually pull that off.”
“Thanks.” Bonnie took a step to make sure her legs were going to work. “Me either. Can you make sure they get back okay?”
“No problem,” Ryker replied, but stopped her before she could walk away. “Don’t push it, Bonnie. Rest before using your powers too much.”
“Okay, Dad,” Bonnie said in her usual sarcastic tone, but then put her hand on his arm. “Thanks, Ryker.”
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