The Cursed Witch

by Chandelle LaVaun

  Chapter Forty-Eight

  Riah

  Shit. Shit. Shit.

  Keltie stood outside the hot tub seething with barely controlled rage. The water around me heated to an almost unbearable temperature, burning my skin. It pulsed and bubbled, little whirlpools swarmed around my body pinning me in place. Her eyes flashed.

  “What…” she growled through clenched teeth, “do you think you’re doing?”

  “She started it—”

  “Really?” Her eyes widened. “That’s your story? At your age?”

  I groaned and scrubbed my face with my hands. “I don’t — I can’t — I just—” I slammed my mouth closed before I did something truly unforgivably stupid like professing my love for her. Goddess, I kissed her…and it was perfect. I was never going to be the same.

  But Keltie would not care how tortured I’d been for three-hundred-twenty-seven years. She would not care that my heart belonged to the fiery little half-breed. She would care that I had lost control. That I could not be trusted to carry out the plan we’d had for centuries.

  “What would Thorne say about this?”

  “He does not need to know,” I growled back. “She is safe. That is all he cares about.”

  She arched one red eyebrow and eyed me carefully. Her face softened. “You truly believe that, don’t you?”

  I sighed and nodded. “I’m sorry.” I am ruined. Everything has changed.

  She shook her head and crossed her arms over her chest. “I can’t decide if this makes me trust her with you more or not.”

  Chapter Forty-Nine

  Savannah

  Something was wrong with Saffie. She was quieter today, more reserved. Ever since we went on that Haunted Palace ride she’d been…off. I kept telling myself it had just reminded her of the séance but I wasn’t so sure.

  But Riah was definitely avoiding her. That much I knew, even though I couldn’t fathom why. From the moment he spotted her in the cafeteria back at school her first day he’d been watching her. I’d seen it. Gigi saw it. Hell, even Landreia saw it. And more importantly, Saffie looked back. They’d been so cozy on the plane. There’d been so much tension between them…and then…I didn’t know.

  I looked over at her and found her running her fingers over the bracelet he’d given her. She was thinking about him and my heart hurt for her. She rubbed her chest and I wanted to scream. It made no sense. He was giving her whiplash. If he didn’t get his shit together by the time we got on the plane again, I was going to have words with him.

  Emotions were not to be messed with.

  And neither were witches.

  “What’s this land called again?” Gigi nudged my arm. “Where’s the map?”

  Oh, right. I have it. I frowned and dug into my pocket for the map.

  “The Forbidden Forest,” Saffie answered without hesitation. She didn’t even look up.

  I watched her watching her bracelet.

  “Right. I think this is my favorite section of the park so far. It’s the prettiest.”

  Saffie smiled but her eyes were distant. “It’s the safest.”

  I frowned. The safest? What does THAT mean? I started to ask when Gigi’s stomach suddenly growled. I looked over at her and chuckled.

  She shrugged. “I smell pancakes.”

  “Pancakes?” I glanced up and down the path we were on. “Where do you smell pancakes from?”

  Saffie sighed. “Oh good, you smell that, too.”

  “I don’t know. I just smell maple syrup and —”

  She froze.

  “Gigi? What’s—” I stopped as a gust of wind swept over my face and the strong stench of maple syrup filled the air. My pulse skipped a beat. I swallowed and tried to keep my voice calm. Gigi’s eyes were wide as she turned to me. “Maple syrup.”

  She nodded.

  Fear prickled the back of my neck. Maple syrup meant only one thing to the non-human species.

  Saffie gasped and finally looked away from her bracelet. Her eyes were wide. “Demons?”

  “Yes,” I whispered back.

  Gigi’s face paled. “Savannah.”

  “In the daylight? Here?” Saffie hissed and glanced around.

  “Gigi…” My stomach rolled. I moved closer to her. “Where? Where is it? How many?”

  Shifters had better senses. She could pinpoint a demon from half a mile away.

  Saffie stopped up ahead of us and scowled. She cocked her head to the side and her long red hair swayed by her hips. “Guys, I thought they didn’t come out in the daylight? Are we sure—”

  “Get over here, Saffie. Now,” Gigi said in a rush.

  My heart dropped. “Gigi, where? Which way do we go?”

  “Saffie. NOW.”

  Saffie sprinted over in two steps. Gigi grabbed her by the wrist then dragged her behind us. Then she looked at me and I wanted to throw up.

  “G?”

  “We don’t.” She snatched my wrist and yanked me closer so the three of us stood together. “I’m sorry. This damn theme park, I thought it was a restaurant.”

  “It’s fine, G. Just tell me where.”

  “Guys? Where is it? What do we have to fight it?” To Saffie’s credit, her voice didn’t waiver even though she was new to demons.

  “It’s broad daylight, Savannah. This shouldn’t be happening.” Gigi took deep breaths and I knew she was focusing on not shifting. Because a penguin was not ideal for a fight. “Do you have a weapon of any kind?”

  “No, it’s a theme park. They check for that shit.” I cursed. “G, tell me where it is?”

  “They’re here,” she whispered, her voice shaking.

  “They?” Saffie hissed. “Like more than one?”

  A low growl ripped through the bushes in front of us, the leaves swaying like something moved beneath.

  Saffie gasped. “What do we do?”

  “Saffie, stay behind us, okay?” My stomach tightened into knots. It was our job to keep her safe, I couldn’t let The Coven down.

  “What do we do?” Saffie asked in a rush. “Guys?”

  I wanted to answer her, but I had nothing to say. I didn’t know. I was only a civilian. We didn’t fight demons unless we had to. There were Knights for that, or The Coven. We were trained to freaking FLEE. My heart pounded in my chest. Sure, Cooper showed us how to fight one…once… except he had a dagger. I had my wand but what was I to do with it when humans were around us? Where’s Cooper when we need him? Oh, right. The Empress called and he walked away so Saffie wouldn’t overhear.

  I licked my lips. “G, do we have time to run?”

  The trees hanging over the pathway like a tunnel swayed. The branches rustled and then bright sunlight poured down as a large, dark object crashed to the ground right in front of us. We screamed and dove backward but the demon lunged for us. I tackled Gigi and Saffie to the pavement and the demon crashed into the tree behind us. We rolled and then scrambled back to our feet.

  The demon jumped back to its feet. It was jet-black with big, beady red eyes that glowed. It had the body of a bear with eight legs and sharp fangs like a snake. It crawled into the center of the pathway without taking its eyes off of us.

  “No time to run,” Gigi said breathlessly as we stood side by side. “What now?”

  “Is that…—"

  “Spider demon,” Saffie hissed.

  I cursed and panic took over. Spider demons were some of the worst, deadliest demons out there – even Cooper worried about them. I hadn’t gotten a great look at it that night at the park, it’d been too dark and it happened so fast. Cooper had been so fast. We were screwed. We weren’t ready for this.

  The demon lunged for us again. I dove to my right then crashed a few feet over. I scrambled back to my knees and looked up – my heart sank. Gigi had dove the opposite direction. But Saffie stood in the middle of the street with her arms at her sides.

  “SAFFIE, MOVE!”

  But the demon sprang straight for her. Saffie gasped and threw h
er hands up in the air. Golden glitter exploded from her palms and slammed into the demon’s chest. It shrieked and rolled backwards.

  Golden light shot out of the bracelet on her left wrist like a laser. The metal chain moved. It coiled around her wrist then slithered up her arm. Saffie gasped and she stumbled backward. Her lavender eyes widened. The metal chains widened and turned into solid gold metal. It covered her left arm then went up and around both shoulders. Gold metal straps shot across her chest and a sick as hell popped collar stood tall up to her jaw to protect her throat.

  What the hell…

  The golden armor shimmered under the sunshine. Bright light flashed from her right arm as the metal covered her hand. Raw, hot energy exploded from her palm and the air pulsed around it. She twirled her wrist — a long golden sword popped out of thin air. The blade had to be longer than her arm and the edge glistened.

  What the hell, Riah??

  Saffie’s eyes were bugged out of her head. Her face flushed. She stared down at her body armor and weapon like it was going to bite her.

  The demon hissed and flipped back onto its feet. It snarled like a raging bull then charged.

  “Saffie DUCK—"

  Saffie dove forward and swung that sword through the air like a pro. She dropped down and spun in a perfect circle, slicing her blade through each of the eight legs in one perfect motion. She lunged out from under it then flipped in the air and landed on its back with that sharp blade protruding from its face. Black demon blood covered the ground.

  She looked up with her face sheet white. “What just happened? How did I do that?”

  “WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?” Gigi screamed.

  My jaw still hung open. Who the hell is this girl? Who WAS she?

  The demon crumbled to dust then vanished into thin air, its soul returning to its realm. Saffie landed on her knees, staring down at the sword in her hand with wide eyes. Her lips parted. I jumped up to run to her when three more demons dropped from the trees over our heads.

  They pounced on her before I even got to my knees. But Saffie was fast. She dipped and dove, swinging that sword like she’d done this a million times – and hell, maybe she had. The golden glitter of her magic exploded all around her. The demons shrieked and jumped back but then leapt right for her again.

  All I could do was stare in awe.

  Saffie sliced one of the demon’s heads off but three more emerged from the bushes. It was an ambush and we were the target. I scrambled to where Gigi was crouched on the ground then hauled her to her feet.

  Saffie spun to face us. Her face wore the mask of a soldier even though her eyes shined with fear. She raised her sword in the air then twirled it like a badass. “Go get Riah or Cooper. NOW!”

  Chapter Fifty

  Saffie

  “Go get Riah or Cooper. NOW!” I screamed at Savannah and Gigi then spun back to face the wall of demons headed right for me.

  In the corner of my eye, I saw them sprint out of sight but I couldn’t watch their back. I was too busy watching mine. What the hell are you doing, Saffie? You’re not a soldier. You’re not a ninja. You aren’t trained for this!

  Then what the hell do I call what I just did? How am I doing this?

  I couldn’t believe what was happening. Riah’s bracelet turned into…armor? And then my body just acted on its own, without me telling it what to do. The second that sword hit my palm I just knew how to fight.

  Don’t get cocky, Saffie. That was one. You had the element of surprise. I tightened my grip on the sword and moved into fighting stance – even though I had no idea what fighting stance even was. My body did. But my body was about to overload. Explode. My pulse pounded too hard and too fast. The world trembled and I couldn’t seem to get enough air in.

  But that didn’t matter because five demons crawled toward me at the same time.

  Oh, shit. What have I done?

  I knew we’d never be able to get away so my only plan was to stall. Cooper was in The Coven. It was his job to fight demons. And Riah. I had no idea what Riah was, but his bracelet had magic in it. Is he not human? Does HE have magic? What is going on here?

  The demons hissed and moved to form a circle around me.

  My stomach sank. I rolled to the balls of my feet and bounced. What am I doing? They had me surrounded. Wait, no they don’t. The last demon was still moving to fill in the last spot of the circle. There was no way I’d win if it got there, so I attacked. I couldn’t believe what I was doing even as I was doing it. I landed on the ball of my front foot and immediately dropped to spin in a circle. My blade sliced through demon flesh with every inch. Black blood splattered over me.

  The demon dropped but the others screamed and jumped for me — a large object dove in front of me and the demon flew backward in the air. I saw black combat boots and dark jeans and my eyes widened. I craned my neck back and looked up to see long, pale blond hair flying through the air around wide shoulders.

  “Riah,” I heard myself say.

  His head snapped to me for a split second, but it was enough to see the light pouring out of his golden eyes. He kicked his leg out and crushed one demon’s skull with his foot. He moved with beautiful grace, a ballerina with a sword. His sword was a lot like mine but a foot longer. The metal glistened in the sunlight as he sliced it through the demon’s bodies like they were butter.

  I tried to track his movements, but it was a blur of blond and gold.

  The smell of maple syrup filled the air and it made my stomach turn.

  Riah didn’t seem to notice. Nor did he need my help. I sat crouched behind him with my sword in hand, ready to fight but he was a terror with that weapon. Silver mist glittered around his hands and slithered up his arms. He dipped, dove, and ducked while delivering blow after blow. Black blood splashed like waves crashing against rocks.

  And then…they were gone.

  I blinked and stood up straight.

  Riah spun and a strand of his hair stuck to the sweat on his face. His eyes were sharp and furious. Energy and power radiated out of him. The sweat on his face made his cheekbones look sharp enough to cut. He stared at me and heat exploded inside of me. I panted and tried to breathe normal.

  He stomped toward me and my heart fluttered.

  I braced myself for yelling but he dropped his sword to the ground then gripped my face and dragged my mouth up to his. I gasped against his lips and fisted his long hair in my hands. My sword crashed to the ground, but with his lips on mine nothing else mattered. His hand slid up my jaw then cupped the back of my head, dragging me closer, but the metal armor was blocking me. I felt his fingers brush over my left palm and then the armor vanished and I crashed against his chest.

  His arm wrapped around my waist and lifted my feet off the ground. I coiled my arms around his neck. His tongue danced with mine and the world melted away. All I knew was the beating of our hearts. I hooked my legs around his hips and he groaned. The fire between us was volcanic.

  He gripped my hips — and pushed me off of him. He sat me gently on the ground then leapt away from me like I’d burned him. His face was red, his chest heaving. Or maybe that was mine, but it felt like the whole world was shaking. I pressed my palm to my burning chest and gasped for air.

  I looked up into his eyes. Say something. Anything.

  But all I saw was rage. Then he turned away from me and I wanted to scream.

  “SAFFIE!” Savannah shouted.

  I gasped and spun to my left just as Cooper, Savannah, and Gigi sprinted up to us.

  Savannah slid to a stop, her cheeks flushed. “Oh. Riah. Um…so…”

  “Is that a sword?” Gigi shrieked and pointed to where Riah’s sword lay on the pavement. “Damn, how long is it?”

  Riah bent over and plucked it off the ground. When he stood straight, the sword was half his height and as thick as my arm. His gaze went right to Cooper.

  Cooper cursed and glanced to each of the black puddles of demon blood. “You killed them all?”
>
  I pointed to Riah. “He did.”

  Cooper nodded then narrowed his eyes on Riah. He just stared for a long, long moment…then spoke to him in a language I didn’t know.

  “Yes,” Riah said with a single, curt nod.

  “Yep. Called it.” Cooper shook his head then put his hands on his hips and sighed. “This trip is over.”

  Savannah gasped. “Over? Like over over?”

  “Demons just attacked us, Savannah.” Gigi rolled her eyes but smiled.

  I peeked up at Riah. He was watching Cooper carefully.

  Cooper pulled out his phone, hit a button, and held it to his ear. “Hey, T. I need a favor. I’ll explain later, but can you open up a portal from where I am in Hidden Kingdom to Coven Headquarters in Salem?...thanks. Yes, yeah, I’ll be back in the morning – oh, you’re both in New York? Ok, then I’ll see you tomorrow night…will do. Thanks.”

  I frowned. Gigi and Savannah exchanged nervous glances.

  Only Riah looked calm, and it was driving me insane.

  I cleared my throat. “Um, Cooper? Why do we have to leave so soon?”

  “Demons are drawn to magic.” Cooper pointed to all the blood on the floor. “And blood of the non-human, including themselves. They’re not supposed to be out during the daylight hours and I cannot pretend I am not a little concerned about the how behind this. But if they came out here for you before, they’ll be gunning for you now.”

  Oh. I swallowed roughly. “Right. Best to go then.”

  Bright white light flashed and then there was a big white box in front of us. My jaw dropped. Riah arched one eyebrow at it and pursed his lips. Gigi chewed on her thumbnail.

  Savannah jumped up and down. “Oh my Goddess. WHOA.”

  Cooper chuckled and stepped up beside it. He gestured to it and smiled. “My sister’s portal. I promise it is safe. But it won’t stay open forever. Please, step on through.”

  Chapter Fifty-One