Branches of the Willow 3

by Christine M. Butler

  “When the plot to destroy the white wolf line was found out by my mother’s sister, Agatha, things took a turn for the worse. Agatha slew my mother in cold blood, and the rest of the elder witches forbid anymore mucking about in my mother’s business. There would be no further dabbling in creating new species, and those that were already in existence would be left to their own devices to either thrive or die off naturally.”

  I yawned.

  “Am I boring you?” Her eyes settled on me with a fire that I really didn’t want to see there. “I was just getting to the good part. This is where the revenge comes in, so pay attention dear.”

  “Being forbidden to create also meant being forbidden from mating with wolves, since the result of the last coupling between wolf and witch was your kind. So, it was your fault I couldn’t be with my love at first. I spent years after uncoupling his first bond, seeking out and slaying any witch who would object to our union. There are very few of us left these days, I’m afraid.”

  “I didn’t know he planned to take another wolf right away. She was not a true mate, but she produced a pup. Even though he was mated to her, he would come to me for comfort. He loved me and the only threat in the world to my love was you! You were going to take his power. He was, in fact, murdered by his own son, for you! So, you see, my revenge will be sweet. I get to end my traitorous sister’s line before I finish her. You’re just a means to a delightful end where Serena is concerned.”

  I finally managed to sit myself up inside my cage. My throat was still painfully dry, so I wasn’t trying to say much. Stalling became my new game plan though. I needed time to gather my strength again. The window caught my attention once more as the sunlight streaming through was high and bright. It had to be mid to late afternoon, which meant I had been out for a while. I had been almost dinner time when I was knocked out. I wondered if I had only lost a day or if it had been longer. I also worried about what may have happened to me while I was knocked out considering Zach was here. After taking inventory of how my body felt, I didn’t think anything else had happened to me. Thankfully, and if it did, I hoped that I never remember.

  Sophia mentioned that it would be a couple days before she could do whatever spell she had planned. I had to keep an eye on the window at night. To be sure a clear view of the moon was required for her spell, that was the way with these witches and their mojo. I wasn’t sure that anyone else could get me out of the jam I was in this time. Sophia seemed hell bent on her plan, and not a damn soul had seen hide nor hair from her, Zach, or Malachai in ages. Suddenly, she’s there on my father’s lands abducting me right out from underneath their noses. I wanted to keep the faith that things would work out. I barely had the chance to enjoy my happily ever after with Mikael, and now here I was, locked in a fucking cage again. Anger rose up inside me, filling every molecule that made up who I am. It became my fuel, the very air that breathed life back into my starving lungs. I would survive this, because I would not die in a cage. I would not give up on Mikael, and being able to find my own happiness. I would not do those things for crazy ass psychotic delusional boyfriend wanna-be douchebags or for nutso, obsessed witches. I would find a way out of here, and then I would never-ever end up in another damn cage as long as I lived.

  MOTHERS AND DAUGHTERS

  Eventually, Zach came back in the room and tried to give me some water in a glass. I refused to take it though. “What the hell, Jess? You have to drink something. You can’t even talk anymore.” I mimed unscrewing a lid on a bottle, but he was too stupid to realize what I was doing. I didn’t want to take the chance of my drink being drugged, but at this rate, I was going to lose the fight for my life, because Zach was a fucking moron. On the rare occasion that Sophia had given me food or water over the past few days, she just tossed in something prepackaged, so she wouldn’t be bothered with anything. Zach was bringing meals on trays, and cups with drinks. I refused anything I couldn’t inspect for tampering, which meant I was starving, and severely dehydrated at this point.

  “She wants a bottle of water, that hasn’t been opened, douche.” My head shot up at the sound of the deep voice resonating through the room from the door. At first, I would have sworn it was Mikael, but as I looked up, I realized it was Malachai. The instant swelling my heart had done when I thought I was going to be rescued, was deflated, and crushed repeatedly upon seeing his cruel smile from across the room. He had seen the flicker of hope, and then the shift to devastation. He knew, and I wished for the second time in my life that I had a better poker face.

  “Is that what you’ve been trying to tell me?” Zach turned to ask me. I simply nodded my head yes. “Holy shit. How the hell was I supposed to know that?” I pretended my finger was a gun, and shot myself in the head with it.

  “I think she’s saying you should go shoot yourself, you’re too stupid to live!” Malachai laughed, and again it threw me off balance a little. I never realized how much he sounded like Mikael before. He looked more like Evan, just a tad rougher around the edges, and he kept his hair short instead of long. Other than that slight difference and he and Evan could have been twins where looks were concerned. Malachai’s voice was a dead ringer for Mikael though, and it killed me. I found myself simultaneously wishing to hear it again, and hoping he would go away. It was heartbreaking. Zach came back over to the cage with a sealed bottle of water, and I took it, cracked the seal, and drank greedily.

  “You might want to pace yourself.” Malachai’s voice boomed from across the room. “You’ll make yourself sick.” I knew he was right, and I slowed my intake.

  “I thought you had somewhere else to be. Plan B isn’t going to finish itself, you know?” Zach was nervously watching Malachai as he stalked closer and closer to the cage I was in.

  “It’s handled, and well under way.” Malachai said in a monotone as he crept a little closer.

  “Malachai!” It was a warning from Sophia as she entered the room. “Don’t even think of touching her. I need her intact for the spell tonight.”

  Well, I guess that meant the full moon was tonight, which also meant I had been gone for five full days. Mikael must have been going crazy. I wondered if they had given up on me yet. Probably not, because he’d know I was still alive. The bond was still there. The minute it no longer existed everyone around Mikael would know for sure.

  “You need to be on your way, now.” Sophia’s voice was sharp and irritated. I looked up and noted that she was talking to Malachai. He had come even closer to the cage, and was watching me curiously.

  “I often wonder if any of us would have done for you. If you had bonded with Evan, would it have been a true bond? Or with me?” He was talking out loud and not expecting an answer. “It should have been me, since I was the oldest.” There was regret in his voice as he spoke.

  “You have a bonded mate already, now stop taunting her.” Sophia was in a bit of a mood.

  “My father told us Annabelle and Clarissa were the last females of our kind.” His head dropped for a second. “Had I known, I would have waited for you.” He turned his attention to Sophia then. “Speaking of which, the whole point in me coming here was to remove my bond.” I thought that was interesting, considering Malachai’s mate was the reason I was sitting in a cage again. I scoffed at him, and wondered if Annabelle knew what he planned.

  “What?” He questioned, turning back to look at me. “You don’t approve? Surprised I used her in order to get you here for Sophia and looney-tunes over there?”

  “That’s it!” Sophia stomped over to him, reached up, and grabbed him by the ear. She began pulling, and he grew red faced with each step she made him take back away from me. I just smirked in his general direction and tipped my water bottle to him in a mock toast. I couldn’t speak my threats out loud, because my voice wasn’t capable at the moment. It was a silent promise, that I would see him again, and make sure he met his end. “Get out! You have places to be, and I have preparations to make.” Sophia tossed Malachai out the door, a
nd shut it again behind him. One solid thwack against the door let me know that Malachai wasn’t happy, but the only power he had at the moment was one that allowed him to punch unsuspecting doors when he was angry. That gave me a little satisfaction anyway.

  Then I started wondering what Plan B was, and where Malachai was off to. Worry settled deep in my gut. It wasn’t worry for myself, but my family. If Malachai was out there putting together another plan that didn’t involve me, chances are someone I knew was in the crosshairs. Zach meandered back over to the cage, and stood there in front of me expectantly. I shrugged and widened my eyes in question.

  “I just wanted to remind you that when Sophia is done tonight, you will be mine. It’s honeymoon time, Jess!” The smile on his face was so genuine, it reminded me of when I used to like Zach. Back when we were kids, he hadn’t been so bad. There was a small part of me that wanted to know what the hell happened to change him so much. It was after his last transition that he became different. Maybe something had gone wrong for him. Actually, it didn’t matter anymore. Something had gone wrong. He was wrong, and he certainly wasn’t here to help me out of this situation. I had to think. I was nowhere near full strength.

  While I was sure I wasn’t being drugged by food, I couldn’t help but notice I never remembered sleeping or dreaming. There were gaps in my days or nights that were just missing, and I could only recall waking up afterwards. The thought startled me. I wasn’t sure if something were happening to me during that time, or if the witch was just trying to keep me from communicating with anyone via my dreams. Probably the later, but I couldn’t be sure.

  “Tonight is the night!” Sophia sang out cheerily from across the room as she mixed something in a small pot. “Remember when I told you my mother killed Serena’s mate?” She didn’t wait for me to acknowledge her. Sophia knew perfectly well that I could hear her. “I found my mom’s grimoires years ago. I never did get to finish going through them until recently. Guess what I found when I did? Mommy wrote down the steps she took to break Serena and her lover’s bond. It killed him, but left my dear sister in-tact. She was heartbroken of course, but otherwise okay. I’m afraid poor Mikael is going to have a very bad night!”

  “Please, just kill me. If you want to hurt Serena that’s the only way.”

  “Well, truth be told, I’m not sure if it will kill you or not. Serena was a witch. You are not. There could be different effects.”

  “No! You promised me!” Zach yelled out.

  “I’m fairly certain that she will be here, alive, for you in the morning Zach. My promise is in-tact, mostly. And I don’t need you dead, my dear. You are the last. I simply need you broken. It will hurt her worse to watch the last of her line limp and crawl along as a shell of her ancestors were.” Sophia turned her attention to Zach. “You need to go. The full moon is almost upon us, and I won’t have you getting excited and shifting in here while I’m trying to cast this spell.”

  “I don’t trust you.” Zach stated simply, refusing to budge from the room.

  “Well, the feeling is mutual. Now, get out before I force you, and you won’t like where you end up if I have to do that.”

  “She better still be functional when I get back.” Zach huffed as he slid out the door, and slammed it shut behind him.

  “If he only knew…” Sophia began. “His greatest power is in getting the right people on his side. Beyond that, I think even you as a shell will be too much for him.” Sophia laughed at her own words, and continued preparing whatever it was she had been working on. I just looked up at the window. The sky was dark, but I didn’t see any hint of moon yet. That meant I still had a little time. I wasn’t sure what I was supposed to do with it though. I still felt weak and dehydrated beyond reason.

  I tried clearing my throat, only to have the dry grating feeling send me into a fit of horrendous coughs that further inflamed everything. “That would be the sleeping powder I use on you. It causes a bad case of dry mouth, with repeated use, well…” She seemed thoughtful for a moment. “I’m not sure what the long term effects will be.” She shrugged and continued measuring the herbs she had out. “The plus side is, you won’t really want to talk to anyone when I’m done anyway.”

  I didn’t bother responding and Sophia busied herself with the preparations for my big night. I closed my eyes, and sat with my back as far away from Sophia as I could get inside my cage. I knew it wouldn’t do any good. She could make me cooperate, even if it was only by drugging me again, and doing whatever she needed. I sat back, watching as the moon ticked ever closer to its apex. Soon, it would be fully visible in the window, and I knew that signaled my doom. Not just my doom, but Mikael’s now that he was linked to me. I missed him. There was a huge part of me that wanted nothing more than to be in his arms again, but the fact that I ever was now meant danger for him. Anger welled up in me and sat there stagnant. I had no power to draw from. I’m not sure what Sophia had been doing to me when she knocked me out, but I couldn’t tap into anything. I couldn’t even feel my wolf inside. That realization sent me into a panic. My wolf was gone. How could that be? I closed my eyes and focused, digging deeper into myself than I had ever gone before. Finally, somewhere deep down in the center of me, she was curled around something protectively. I would have bet money that she was protecting the bond I had with Mikael. Maybe, she was our last line of defense. I didn’t know. I was snapped out of my internal exploration by Sophia’s excited voice.

  “The moon is high, let’s begin.” She snatched up a nasty little bubbly mix from the counter top, and started heading closer to my cage. Behind her, the door opened slightly, and for a moment I thought I would be rescued, until I saw it was Zach slinking back in. He stuck to the shadows and Sophia didn’t seem to notice him lurking there.

  “… by the light of the moon, my will be done…”

  Sophia was still chanting, but I was tuning her out now, watching as Zach crept along the shadows keeping a watchful eye on the witch as he went.

  “…bond, unbound… my will be done!” Sophia’s voice was getting louder, and maybe a bit shriller than it usually was. I took my eyes off of Zach then I focused on the witch for a moment. Frustration was oozing from her. Something wasn’t going as planned. “the bond of light shall be shadow bound, eternally wrapped, and never again found. By the light of the moon, my will be done.” She took a step back, looked up at the window, down at her concoction, and back at me.

  The longer she looked at me, the further it seemed she reached into the very essence of my being. What she was looking for, I had no clue. “Impossible!” She declared, but took another step forward. “I know, for a fact, that he stayed away during your cycle, but it’s the only reason…” her voice trailed off then. In a fit of rage, Sophia opened the cage door and snatched me up by my hair. She dragged me from the cage, grip firm on my hair, and my weakened muscles wouldn’t give my legs purchase beneath me to try to stop her.

  Before she could do any harm, Zach was there, knocking Sophia half way across the room with the blow he landed on the side of her face. He grabbed for me, snatching me up by the back of my neck. I tried to shift, to reach my wolf, but she wasn’t responding to me. She was still curled into a protective ball somewhere in my middle. I tried to claw at Zach, but my arms felt like jelly. I may not have been unconscious, but something Sophia had done to me was still working against my system. I had a brief moment to wonder if this was how humans felt when they were attacked. I was completely weak and helpless. “I will have you!” Zach’s rough voice was right there in my ear as he pushed me up against the stone wall. The side of my face scraped against the abrasive material as he did. My heart started thundering in my chest as I heard the metallic sound of his zipper being pulled down.

  I looked to my left, and right there, near the edge of Sophia’s table was an athame, her witch’s dagger. Zach was apparently lost in the moment, and decided to bend me over the table, since it was right there. As he slid my body left, I covered the athame
with my hand, grabbing hold of the handle as he tried to pull my pants down. “Don’t fight it Jess. She broke your bond, you’re my bitch now. I felt it. You can’t even shift anymore!” Zach’s laughter rang through the stone room, echoing back at me from every corner. Tears spilled free as I waited. I would only get one shot, and heaven help me, I needed him closer to me to make it count.

  He pulled my pants down, pushing them the rest of the way with his foot, and then he leaned over me, just far enough that I was able to take that athame and stab it up into his neck as he was trying to whisper something into my ear. His words died out as he startled gurgling blood. The acrid smell of burnt flesh made me want to hurl, but I held it together. The athame must have had a silver blade. Not only did it do the initial damage from the stabbing, but it was burning everywhere it touched. It took a second or two that actually felt like an eternity before Zach fell to his knees, pants around his ankles, athame protruding from his neck, and sightless eyes staring off into oblivion before I could move away. I reached down to pull my own pants back up when a flicker of movement caught my eye. Sophia was up, and she was coming for me with an actual knife in her hands. I had nowhere to go. There was a work bench on my side, and a wall to my back by the time I swung around to face her. At least, unlike Zach, I’d die with my pants up. Funny how that’s the sort of thing that goes through a person’s mind in their last moments.

  Time slowed, Sophia was two steps away when the air in the room shimmered and popped. A body formed out of the disturbed air, and suddenly Serena was there slamming a fist through her sister’s chest and ripping her heart out as she pulled back. Her hand and arm were covered in a thick, syrupy goo that started running in deep red rivulets to the stone floor. That was it for me. I’d had too much. My stomach pitched and rolled and my body followed shortly after. I found no purchase on my way down when I tried to grab hold of something to stabilize myself. Instead, I fell over, landing on Zach’s still form. It didn’t matter if I was still in danger. I was done. My body was too tired to keep going. As the darkness consumed me this time, I went willingly.