“You were supposed to protect her!” I yelled. He was clearly taken aback, and I surged ahead, glad. “Isn’t that what the town pays you for? Protection? How could you let that sorceress do that to my aunt?” I knew my face was red, but he deserved to hear it all, and worse.
He edged closer. “I did everything I could—”
“Not enough,” I shouted. I could practically feel the steam coiling out of my ears. I was crazy mad. “Why is she cursed and not you, huh? Why are you standing here without a scratch while my aunt lays dying? Explain that to me.”
Marcus clenched his jaw, his features tight, but said nothing.
Which only made my anger rise tenfold. “What the hell is the matter with you? Say something!”
“How can I take you seriously when you’re wearing… that,” said Marcus, his voice calm, stifling a smirk.
Oh. He was going down.
I inched closer until I was right up in his face. “I’m wearing this because I got my ass kicked by an evil sorceress’s pet dragon, trying to protect the wards in this town. And you… you look like you just stepped off the set of some Hugo Boss commercial.”
Ronin snorted. “Kind of annoying, isn’t it? Looking so suave and polished. I’m the one who’s supposed to look like that. I’m half-vampire. He’s… he’s a douche with really good hair.”
Marcus stiffened as his eyes traveled over me, evaluating. “You fought the dragon?”
“Yeah, that’s right,” I said, feeling a little sassy. “A fire-breathing dragon. Didn’t you see it?” I frowned when he put his hands behind his back to make himself look immovable.
“I did.” He pulled his eyes to the floor. “It killed the Unseen. They were shielding Dolores while she protected the ward.”
I rolled my eyes over. “You don’t even have a scratch on you. You weren’t even there. Were you?”
A muscle feathered along Marcus’s jaw, his eyes narrowing dangerously. “You calling me a coward?”
I raised a brow. “Maybe I am.”
The sound of a chair scraping the floor reached me, and from the corner of my eye, I saw Ronin.
“No one’s calling anyone anything,” said Ronin, his shoulder brushing up against mine as he tried to stand between us, but I wouldn’t budge. Neither did Marcus.
“What in cauldron’s name is going on here?” came Beverly’s voice.
I turned to see Ruth and Beverly moving toward us. Ruth’s face was twisted in worry while her sister’s eyes took in my appearance, looking mildly pleased that I dared to stand half-naked to get my point across.
Reluctantly, I took a step back, seeing Ruth looking at me like I was half-mad. Maybe I was.
“Tessa, I know you’re upset about what happened to Dolores,” said Ruth, her steps a little shaky. I could see the strain of working spells all night on her now. She was exhausted. “But you shouldn’t be saying those things to Marcus.”
“Why not?”
Ruth’s face took on a tight cast. “If it weren’t for him, if he hadn’t brought her straight here after what happened…”
“She’d be dead,” answered Beverly her tone matter-of-fact.
I looked at Marcus, only to find him staring at me too.
A thread of heat coiled in my gut. Stupid body, reacting to his uber hotness.
Okay, so maybe he had saved her life by bringing her here in time for my aunts to work their counter spells. If he was expecting a thanks from me, he’d be waiting a lifetime.
It didn’t explain how he’d survived when the Unseen, the unbeatable mercenaries, had been killed. How had he managed to survive? What made him so special?
“Here you go, Marcus. It’s the only one that didn’t get destroyed by House.” Ruth handed Marcus another vial of the same blue liquid I’d seen her give him the other day.
Marcus gave Ruth a sincere smile as he took the vial and pocketed it. “Thank you, Ruth. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
My aunt beamed. It took years off her face. “Anything I can do to help.”
“Help with what, exactly?” I stood with my hands on my hips, aware only after the fact that it pulled my T-shirt higher on my hips.
I flicked my gaze between Ruth and Marcus, daring them to answer. But they all avoided my gaze. What the hell was going on?
Ignoring the need to grab Marcus and shake the answer out of him, I focused on what really mattered.
House was falling apart. My aunt Dolores was dying. Like hell I’d just stand here and do nothing.
Everything was quiet as I passed through the plans formulating in my head, hearing only the sounds of my heartbeat and Ruth’s tiny sniffles.
“If I kill that sorceress,” I asked my aunts. “Will that break the curse?”
They both stiffened like statues, their mouths parting in identical O’s.
“Well?” I tried again, seeing as that was the only thing that would make sense. Destroy the one who’d created the curse and kill the curse. “Would that work?” I saw both Emmet and Kaito appear in my line of sight as they went to stand next to Marcus.
Beverly let out a long sigh through her nose. “Have you ever killed a sorceress before?”
“Well, no, but—”
“One that even your aunt Dolores, a powerful witch, couldn’t beat?” she pressed, smiling her dazzling smile, but without the warmth.
I got her point. “No. But that doesn’t mean I can’t.” Though I had never actually killed anyone before either.
Ruth patted my arm. “Tessa. No one denies your abilities. But have you ever killed a living being?” she added, as though she’d pulled the thought right out of my head. “Killing a mortal is a whole other beast. Some never recover from it.”
“Look. I understand what you’re getting at. I’m not the most experienced witch on the planet, but I’m not going to give up. I’m stubborn as hell. And that bitch will get what’s coming to her.” I stared at them both. “So. If the sorceress dies… will the curse be lifted?”
“Yes,” said my aunts together.
Okay then.
My heart pounded with the realization of what I’d just done and confirmed in front of everyone. There was no backing out now, even if I wanted to. I’d said it. And I would see it through.
Plans formed inside my head. “You said she’s beginning to tap into the ley lines, right? Which means she’s not all-powerful. At least, not yet.”
“That seems to be right, yes,” answered Beverly.
“So,” I said, my pulse thrashing with what I was about to say. “Then I need to hit her now. Before she continues to draw strength from the lines.”
“We’re coming with you,” said Emmet suddenly, throwing me off. He looked at Kaito for a moment. “We’ve got a score to settle with that ugly bitch. She’s taken three of our brothers. It’s personal now.”
I gave him a nod. They hadn’t abandoned me when things got rough on the bridge. Plus, I’d seen them fight. They were exceptionally good. For what I was about to pull, I needed exceptional.
“You’ll need me to watch your back,” came Marcus’s voice, and I nearly choked on my spit. “I’m coming too.”
I opened my mouth to protest, but one look from Ruth had me clamp my big ol’ trap shut. If she could have shot laser beams out of her eyes—she would have.
“Fine.” That was all I said to the chief. He had saved Dolores. And for that, I could be civil. Though could didn’t necessarily mean that I would.
Beverly wrapped her arms around her middle. “I’m afraid we can’t come with you.”
“We have to stay to keep the curse from spreading,” added Ruth.
I gave my aunts a tight smile. “I know. I didn’t expect you to come.”
“That sorceress,” said Beverly. “She’ll be more powerful now that she’s been dipping in the town’s ley lines. She’ll be stronger than any of us. Including you.”
“I’m not giving up,” I said. “It might seem like an impossible plan. Hell, I love im
possible. I strive for the impossible. If she can be defeated, I have to try. For Dolores. For this town.” And for me too. “This is my home now, and I will fight for it.”
“She’ll be using demons again,” came Emmet’s voice. “Probably more than what we’ve seen so far. Maybe bigger, meaner ones too. That dragon will be there. You can count on it.”
“Probably.” I’d thought about that too. But I was way ahead of them. I had a solution for her demons and the dragon. It wasn’t over yet. I was going to find this evil sorceress. Bitch-slap her a few times—then I would end her.
“This is all great, but you still have a major problem,” informed Ronin.
I shrugged. “What?”
Ronin lifted his shoulders. “Do you know where this infamous sorceress is? I mean, she could be anywhere. She flew in on a dragon.”
Damn. I knew I’d missed something. I paced the room, rummaging in my brain. “I know,” I said, looking at my aunts. “Can’t you do a locator spell or something?” I remembered reading about them, though I’d never tried one myself.
Ruth pursed her lips while she thought it over. “We could. But we would need something of hers. And we don’t have anything.”
Anger seethed, quickly replaced by dread. If I couldn’t find the sorceress in time…
The front door crashed open.
I jerked around, holding my breath.
“She took her!” Martha came barreling through the front door and came rushing through the living room, her tiny feet moving extraordinarily fast. Her face was red and wet from tears or sweat. I couldn’t tell which.
“Who took who?” asked Ruth rushing over to her friend. She tried to grab hold of her, but the bigger witch flailed her arms in the air, spinning around like a crazy version of a pirouette.
“She’s gone, and she took her!” Martha wailed, big fat tears gushing down her face.
The blood left my face, and my gut plummeted somewhere near my feet.
“The sorceress took Sadie?” I blurted, meeting Marcus’s eyes. His face looked troubled, but I could tell he’d made the same connection.
Marcus pushed from the wall and stepped toward Martha. “How do you know she did for sure? Sadie’s always sneaking around. Maybe she went to explore—”
“This!” Martha shoved a piece of paper in Marcus’s face.
The chief took it, his gray eyes intense as he read it. Then he looked up, not at Martha, but at me.
I frowned. “What?”
“Read it,” he said as he handed me the paper.
I snatched it out of his hand just as Ronin appeared at my shoulder peering down at the paper.
My heart thrashed as I read the note.
Little Tessa Peep has lost her sheep and doesn’t know where to find her.
Leave her alone, and she will come home, wagging her tail behind her.
If you want to see the kid again, come to Devilwood Thicket. You’ve got one hour, or the kid dies.
Samara
“Well, now we know what to call her,” said Ronin, leaning back. “Though I much preferred psycho red-eyed bitch. More of an authentic ring to it.”
Knowing her true name was useful, very useful. Having her name gave me some power over her. She’d known that, but she’d done it anyway. Either she was stupid, which I didn’t think, or so damn powerful it didn’t matter.
To beat her, I’d need some extra magical strength and some superpower.
I looked at Emmet and said, “Do you have an extra cape?”
25
Turned out Emmet did not have an extra cape. Either that, or he didn’t want to share.
After we’d all crammed into my aunt’s Volvo station wagon, me behind the wheel, it had taken us a whole twenty minutes to reach Devilwood Thicket from Davenport House.
Devilwood Thicket was just as creepy, dreary, and ominous as it sounded. Located in Cape Elizabeth, the next town over from Hollow Cove, it was eight hundred acres of dense, dark forest, that elicited feelings of dread. Every half-breed community had one or two of these kinds of forests and woodlands, not because they chose to make it creepy and filled them with the most “undesirables” of our races, but because most of the undesirables preferred to live there, in a secluded forest and away from the rest of us.
Rogue werewolves were infamous for abandoning their half-breed packs to live more like their beast and among other wolves and creatures. Elves were also another more secretive group who preferred to live in complete isolation from the other races, off the grid, and where their magic was strongest.
This secretive nature came to birth many other fairy tales and legends over the years in the human communities that were close to these half-breed forests. Forests became haunted, and more legends were born there. Humans made claims of seeing ghosts in some of these forests. And they’d be right, of course. There were ghosts. Thousands of them. And worse things too.
When I was little, my aunts told me the story of a family of shifters that resembled large ape-like creatures. They enjoyed a regular holiday in the forests up in the Champlain Mountains, where they’d spend months in their shifter forms, living off the land and enjoying the peace and tranquility of nature. They’d happened upon some hikers—and then the Bigfoot legend was born.
And on and on it went.
Yes, dark and dangerous things lived in Devilwood Thicket. You’d be mad to enter. Guess that made me mad. And maybe just a little stupid.
As soon as we hit the first line of trees, I felt it.
The constant drumming pulse, like a giant heartbeat. The thrum of magic, and the paranormal.
“Where do we go from here?” Ronin’s lanky form appeared to my right. The half-breed vampire had surprised me when he’d volunteered to come along on this magical excursion, especially after his history with sorcerers.
There was no telling where the sorceress took up residence in Devilwood Thicket. But it didn’t matter.
“This way,” I gestured with my hand to the right between two large oak trees. “It’s this way.”
I wasn’t pointing to a path. There was no path. I was pointing toward where the magic felt strongest. Where, without a doubt, Samara was pulling on the ley lines.
I knew Emmet could feel it too as he trudged forward before anyone else, snapping twigs and clearing a way for us. Kaito following closely behind him, her right hand resting on the hilt of the sword at her waist. As a fae or elf, she could probably sense the magic as well.
I trekked forward behind Kaito, and Ronin fell in behind me, still to my right. Marcus was content with taking the rear and keeping everyone in careful view.
I hadn’t spoken to him since we’d left Davenport House. He hadn’t tried to speak to me either. I wasn’t sure why he wanted to come. Maybe he felt guilty about not being able to save my aunt from being cursed. Or maybe, like me, he wanted to protect the town from this crazy sorceress.
We’d left the house seven minutes after Martha had barged in with her letter from the sorceress. I’d rushed up back upstairs, put on a bra (thank you very much) under a black t-shirt and leather jacket, with a pair of jeans and some sturdy flat boots for hiking. We were going to trudge uphill with underbrush, roots, and miles of rocks and trees. If I wore heels, I’d likely kill myself.
I couldn’t run in heels. Women who can run in heels are my heroes.
Even though it was only half-past one in the afternoon, inside the forest it felt like midnight.
The sun was high in the sky above us, but we couldn’t see it. Oak and ash trees as tall as three-story buildings loomed over us, shielding us from the sunlight. Slips of soft yellow light sneaked through leaves, but just barely. Leaves rustled, and a wind blew through the trees, brisk and cool and unnatural. The smell of moist earth and damp leaves rose up with the wind, and for a moment it did almost feel as though we were walking through a natural forest. But the thickening scent of sulfur and rot gave it away. There was nothing natural about this forest.
“I wouldn’
t be surprised if there were two or three more dragons when we get there,” came Ronin’s voice as he trudged next to me, his long limbs stepping over a large tree root and making it look easy.
I heard a series of quick steps, and then Marcus appeared in my line of sight to my left. He angled his head toward me, probably so he could better hear our conversation. A bubble of guilt—a very tiny one—formed in my gut. I might have gone a little hard on the chief back at Davenport House. I wasn’t perfect. I was high on emotions, and after seeing my aunt Dolores lying in the bed like a corpse, I’d lost it. The guilt wasn’t enough for an apology. Hell no. If anyone needed to apologize, it was Marcus. Especially, after the way he treated me when we first met. I still hadn’t forgotten, nor had I forgiven him for that.
“I know,” I answered, watching Marcus. “It’s why I brought a new toy.” Marcus’s attention snapped to me and I looked away.
“You know I’m getting some interesting visuals,” commented Ronin, a smile in his voice. “If you pull out a vibrator, I’m going to be really confused.”
I rolled my eyes and pulled out a big green leather-bound tome from my bag. “This,” I shoved the book at him. “This is my new toy, dumbass.”
Ronin jerked back like the book was crawling with spiders. He eyed it suspiciously. “How to Conjure and Train your Demon? Since when are you into Dark witch stuff?”
“Who’s into Dark witch stuff?” Emmet’s large body waddled over. “You? I thought you were a White witch.” He snatched the book out of my hands before I could stop him.
“White. Dark. It doesn’t really matter,” I said, never fully understanding why witches treated their magic separately. “Magic is magic. What changes is the magical practitioner. They decide how to manipulate their magic. You should know. You’re a witch.”
Emmet flipped through the pages. “I am. Never trusted the Dark arts. All that demon conjuring. You can’t trust demons. Why would anyone want to trade a part of themselves for a little of their magic? Nah. I’m happy with the elements. With a bit of ley line, I’m good. It’s enough.”
I grabbed my book from him. “It wasn’t enough for my aunt. And she’s been a badass witch for a lot longer than you or me. We’ll need all the help we can get. If it means I need to dabble a little in the Dark arts, then I’m gonna.” I had no idea how to do that, but they didn’t have to know.
Shadow Witch (The Witches of Hollow Cove Book 1) Page 18