Clearwater Witches Boxset

by Madeline Freeman

  “By torturing her. Are you really gonna let that happen?”

  Elliot shakes his head. “I think you’ve got the wrong idea about the kind of person I am. Was I pissed at Sasha for what she did to you? Yes—but because she was completely disregarding our orders. Because I’m loyal to Seth. He’s finally come back to set the world to the way it’s supposed to be, and I’ll do whatever he asks to help him accomplish his goals. If he says not to lay a finger on you or your circle, I’ll do it. But he didn’t say anything about Anya. And if she knows something that could keep Seth from regaining his full power, then I support Sasha in doing whatever she needs to do. And you.” He edges past me, eyes fixing on Owen. “Did you honestly think that was going to work? I can feel you trying to rattle around in my head. Don’t you realize I’ve been honing my abilities for years? Your month or so of practice is nothing compared to that.”

  Owen’s jaw clenches and he steps up into the camper. The floor shifts under his added weight. “Can’t blame a guy for trying, can you?”

  “Blame? No. But maybe you’d like a demonstration of how to properly dig into—”

  Owen’s fist collides with Elliot’s jaw so fast I almost miss it. But when his body collapses backward, I manage to jump out of the way. His head thuds dully against the floor. He’s out cold.

  “Dude,” Felix says, stepping up into the camper. “That was totally awesome.”

  “And unnecessary,” mutters Lexie from her spot by the door.

  “I figured this was the only way to get his defenses down enough to find out where Anya is,” Owen explains.

  His words cut through the shock still coursing through my body. He’s right. There’s no way we would’ve been able to read Elliot’s thoughts with him conscious. But maybe now he won’t be able to put up as much of a fight. Owen, Felix, and I stand in an elongated triangle around Elliot and connect our energies together. His mind is a churning sea of emotion. At first, it’s difficult to wade through the waves of pride, sadness, hope, and apprehension, but the three of us manage. I’ve never probed someone’s mind for specific knowledge—general impressions, yes, but this is different. Felix and Owen work together to lead the way, and I offer myself as strength and support.

  An image flashes through my mind so quickly I can’t make it out. Whatever we just stumbled upon is important. I focus in on seeing it more clearly. A cabin—dilapidated. The window beside the door is shattered. The wood paneling is gray with age and moss clings to the roof. This is it. I’m not sure how I know, but it couldn’t be clearer. But where is it? I allow myself to sense the space we’re inhabiting, the energy surrounding us.

  My eyes snap open. Felix and Owen stare back at me.

  “Let’s go,” Owen says, heading for the door.

  Night is falling in earnest now, and Lexie turns on the flashlight app on her phone to light our way as we run through the field toward the car. As we near it, Griffin’s Mustang pulls up behind Owen’s Grand Prix and Griffin, Fox, and Tucker emerge.

  “What’s going on?” Fox calls.

  “We know where Anya’s being held,” Owen responds, circling his car and pulling open the driver’s side door. “Follow me.”

  ***

  After the third time Lexie stumbles over a protruding root, Felix takes her by the arm to keep her upright. The hike through the woods is difficult and it’s only with effort that we don’t sound like a rampaging herd of buffalo. Griffin even casts a spell around us to muffle the noise to give us the best chance at the element of surprise.

  As we move, I reach out with my abilities in an attempt to sense Anya, but so far I haven’t been able to make a connection. I can, however, feel a quiver of energy I’m sure is the result of the concealment spell Sasha is casting to obscure their location. It’s nearly imperceptible, and I’m sure I’d gloss right over it if I weren’t already sure they were in this area.

  “I see a light,” whispers Tucker, who’s surprisingly good at leading us through the underbrush by little more than the light of the waxing moon. He pauses a moment to turn off his phone’s flashlight app, being careful to keep his fingertip over the bright light until it cuts out.

  I peer though the tree branches, comparing the shape of the building before us with the one I saw in the vision. Although we’re approaching it from the side, there’s no doubting it’s the same place.

  And then the screaming starts.

  High and visceral, it’s a sound I recall well from my alone time with Sasha. I do my best to block out the flood of sense memories threatening to assail me.

  Owen grips my arm and presses a thought into my mind. You don’t have to go in. We can handle this.

  I shake my head, swallowing hard. I’m fine.

  It’s a lie and he knows it, but he nods anyway.

  Sobs intermix with the screams and bile rises in my throat. We have to move now. We have the element of surprise on our side, plus there are seven of us and only one of Sasha. She’s already proven she can hold her own in a fight, but there’s no way she can take on all of us at once. I tap Tucker’s shoulder and point at the front of the house. Nodding, he starts off in that direction.

  The screams continue, twisting my heart and making my stomach churn. Still, part of me can’t help thinking this is a good sign: If Sasha’s still torturing Anya, it must be because Anya hasn’t given up the information about the plan yet.

  I hope.

  Tucker slows as he approaches the door, reaching tentatively for the handle. Felix waves him off. Holding his arms out in front of him, palms parallel to the walls, he links to the rest of us and sends a pulse of pure energy at the door, which flies off its hinges and lands flat on the floor of the cabin.

  Sasha jumps and Anya’s screams subside into whimpers. Felix and Tucker are first into the house, but before they take more than a few steps, they drop to the ground. Fox, who is barely a step behind them, ducks as if expecting to be hit by something, but a split second later he slumps to the floor as well.

  I grab Griffin by the neck of his coat and pull him back as he attempts to cross the threshold. “She’s booby-trapped this place with spells.”

  It’s the only thing that makes sense, and the smile curling Sasha’s lips tells me my guess is dead on. She turns back to her sister and the screaming resumes. Anya’s body goes rigid and I’m flooded with sense memory of internal burning. I’m sure Sasha’s doing the same spell on her sister now.

  Lexie grabs my wrist, her nails digging into my flesh. The pain is enough to bring me back to the moment, to our problem. “We can try a shield charm,” she says. “With you, me, and Griffin together, we can make one big enough for the four of us. It should keep us safe from whatever spells she’s got waiting in there.”

  I nod and allow her to take the lead in the spell. To avoid watching Sasha work on Anya, I turn to Owen, who looks pale but resolved.

  By degrees, the air around us seems to thicken. Even the sound of Anya’s voice is muffled slightly. When Lexie nods, Griffin leads the way into the cabin. Immediately, a tremble resounds through our shield, but Griffin remains on his feet. Lexie, Owen, and I hastily cross the threshold.

  Griffin is a foot behind Sasha when she whirls around, striking out at him with a knife. He jumps back and the shield charm flickers as Lexie lets out a surprised yelp. Does the shield protect us from just magic? Or will it deflect physical attacks as well? I wish I’d thought to ask.

  Anya slumps in her chair, blood streaking down her face and staining the front of her shirt. What kind of monster is Sasha that she could do this to her own sister? Anger bubbles in my stomach and I launch myself at Sasha, catching her around the middle and knocking her over. Pain slices through my upper arm but I grit my teeth and ignore it as I attempt to right myself and pin Sasha to the floor.

  Griffin and Lexie are at my side in a second, but before we can restrain Sasha’s arms, a pulse of energy knocks the three of us backward. My head bangs hard against the rotting floorboards and stars pop
in my vision. I prop myself up on my elbows in time to see Sasha approach Owen, who is removing the ropes binding Anya. Sasha raises the knife and my body shakes with a surge of adrenaline.

  “No!” My scream reverberates through the air as a swell of power leaves my body. Sasha screeches, dropping the knife as her arm swings down toward Owen’s back. The blunt edge glances against his shoulder before it clatters to the floor. Sasha grips her right hand with her left, examining the blisters blossoming there. I take advantage of her momentary distraction and summon another pulse of energy—this one the same kind of wave Felix used to knock down the door. Sasha’s body sails through the air and collides with the wall before crumpling to the ground.

  My limbs are heavy and wooden and I struggle to my feet. Anya’s eyes flutter open as Owen finishes untying her. Griffin kneels beside his brother while Lexie splits her time between Felix and Tucker.

  Anya’s lips move, but no sound comes out. I hold out a hand as I approach her. “Don’t try to talk.”

  Ignoring me, she clears her throat and tries again. “I don’t think she got anything from me,” she says, her voice barely carrying to my ears.

  “What’s important is that you’re okay.” I say it because it seems like the right thing to say in a situation like this, but I can’t deny the swell of relief in my chest. “When we get you back to town, Bria can get you healed up.”

  She glances over her shoulder at her sister’s crumpled form. “We have to do something about her.” She leans forward, wincing. “If we leave her, she’ll just come after us as soon as she regains consciousness.”

  Owen offers his hands to help her stand. “So, what do we do?”

  “Kill her?” Griffin calls. “Because, beyond that, I don’t see this chick giving up. She just tortured her own sister, for crying out loud.”

  Anya closes her eyes, swaying on the spot as she gets her feet under her.

  I gape. “You can’t be serious.”

  “Of course not,” Anya murmurs. “But we can subdue her. I don’t have the energy right now to do it myself, but there’s a way to put her into a kind of psychically-induced coma.”

  Owen nods. “Show me. I’ll do it.”

  As the two of them begin their work, I move to check on the others. Griffin’s jaw is set, his face tight. He brushes a lock of hair off Fox’s forehead. It’s odd—I know the two are brothers, but I’ve never really seen it before this moment. All of Griffin’s prickish bravado is gone as he focuses on his little brother. A tenderness I wouldn’t have thought him capable of radiates off him in waves, and I feel like an intruder on the moment.

  “Any idea what kind of spell did this?” I ask, kneeling on Fox’s other side.

  “No.” Griffin lifts his gaze to mine, and for the first time since Zane died, there is no malice in his eyes. “You have any psychic tricks that could help?”

  In truth, I have no idea, but I try nonetheless. I reach forward into Fox’s mind, digging deep for the light of his consciousness. It’s like everything in his head is enveloped in a thick, choking smoke. My guess is as the smoke from the spell clears, he’ll awaken, but there’s no telling how long that will take, and there’s no way Owen, Lexie, Griffin, and I can get three unconscious people plus Anya through the woods. I latch on to Fox’s consciousness and tug it gently toward the surface. He resists at first, and I’m not sure if it’s because he doesn’t understand what’s happening or if he’s refusing to follow because I’m leading, but after a few tries, he gives in. It’s harder to find my way out of the thick smoke than it was to get in, but slowly, carefully, I manage, and when I open my eyes, Fox’s stormy gaze greets me. His mouth twitches and although I’m sure he wants to say something, I stand before he has the opportunity and move to repeat the process with Felix and Tucker.

  By the time the two of them are awake, Owen has successfully managed to subdue Sasha. Griffin joins Owen in helping Anya out of the cabin, but once we’re outside, we don’t immediately start back into the woods.

  “What if she wakes up?” Lexie asks. “I wish there was a way to lock her in or something.”

  Something from Jodi’s grimoire bubbles to the forefront of my mind. “A confinement spell.”

  Anya’s eyes hitch upward but she nods. “That would work.”

  I quickly explain the purpose and mechanics to the others. It takes a couple tries, but after we cast it, Felix tests it to make sure it works. When an invisible force won’t allow Sasha’s arm past the threshold, he confirms our success.

  “We should probably do the same to Elliot,” Felix says as Tucker begins leading us back through the forest.

  Anya stumbles over a root and manages to stay upright only because of Owen and Griffin’s assistance. “We really need to get her back to Bria,” Owen murmurs.

  By the time we make it back to the cars, it’s decided that the witches and psychics will split up. The psychics will take Anya back to the shop while the witches will return to the camper to subdue and trap Elliot. Being both, I’m elected to have the honor of putting Elliot in the coma. As our two groups separate and Griffin drives toward Elliot’s field, Owen shares through our link how to put Elliot out.

  When Griffin parks the car, I reach my abilities toward the camper to determine whether or not Elliot has awoken since our previous encounter. When I sense no active consciousness, we start through the field without bothering to cast a cloak charm around us.

  The four of us slow as we approach the camper. Griffin reaches for the handle and does a three count before pulling it open.

  Except Elliot isn’t where we left him. A quick scan with both my eyes and abilities is enough to confirm he isn’t in the camper at all.

  “Let’s do another locater spell,” I say. “He’s gotta be in town somewhere.”

  “We can’t use the protective charm again,” Lexie says. “We used up the hair’s essence to find this place to begin with.”

  “He was staying here,” Fox says. “There has to be something of his around here.”

  We spend the next fifteen minutes scouring the tiny space, but none of us come up with so much as a hair.

  “He sanitized it before he left,” I murmur. “Of course he did. He couldn’t take the chance of us finding him again.”

  “So, what?” Griffin asks. “Does that mean we’ve got no way to track him down?”

  I nod. “That’s exactly what it means.”

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  On the way back to Griffin’s car, my phone buzzes with a text from Felix. Bridget managed to reverse the spell that knocked my dad out and the whole group was headed back to my house to work on Anya’s injuries. When I request Griffin drop me there instead of the shop, I expect him to grumble about it, but he just nods. I’m not sure if he’s spent from the events of the last few hours, still grateful I was able to help Fox, or whether his hostility toward me is finally fading, but right now I’ll take it.

  In the front passenger seat, Fox is doing his best to block his thoughts and I get the feeling his attitude toward me isn’t nearly so positive as his brother’s. I need to talk with him, to explain if I can. I hate the idea of him being hurt. That was the reason for keeping the truth from him to begin with.

  When Griffin pulls up in front of my house, Lexie unclasps her seatbelt.

  “Where are you going?” Griffin asks.

  “Bria’s my ride,” she says, opening the door.

  “I can take you home.”

  Lexie pauses long enough to shrug before climbing out of the car. A week ago, she would’ve jumped at the chance to avoid Bria, but a lot can change in a week. I can’t help wondering if being linked to Bria is bringing back memories of the time the two of them were friends. Was Lexie more like the person I remember from my timeline when they were close? If so, is it possible remembering that side of her could bring those characteristics out? Is there a chance this girl can become more like the person I knew?

  Griffin cuts the ignition. “I think I’ll pop
in and check on Anya.” He exits the car, leaving Fox and me alone.

  I should get out. This is my stop, after all. But can I pass up this opportunity to talk with Fox? He makes no move to follow his brother, which I take as a positive sign. At the very least, he’s not going out of his way to avoid being alone with me.

  But what can I say that I didn’t try to say earlier? Will he be any more willing to listen to the same reasons I told him before? Would it make things better or worse if I told him I planned to break up with him, but that he’d changed my mind? I’d been willing to give him a chance—give us a chance. And despite everything that’s happened since, I don’t want to lose him.

  But I’m too chicken to tell him that.

  I push the button to release my seatbelt and pull on the handle to open the door, but before I can get out of the car Fox speaks. His voice is so low at first I’m sure I’m imagining things.

  “You and Lexie were never close.”

  I pause, the door open and my feet on the pavement. “What?”

  “You were just thinking about her.” His voice is still barely above a whisper. “The other her. You’re not really blocking yourself right now.”

  This is it—my chance. He’s actually giving me an in. Before I can wuss out, I get out of the back seat and circle around to the driver’s side. Griffin will be pissed if he sees me sitting here, but I’m willing to risk it. I close the door and turn to Fox, but he’s not facing me, he’s staring out the windshield. I take in a breath. “I miss her. My Lexie. She was one of my first friends when I got to Clearwater.”

  “And Owen.” It’s not a question.

  “Yes,” I confirm. There’s no point in denying it. “He was nice to me on my first day at school. I bumped into Crystal and she spilled her coffee down the front of my clothes. Owen lent me his sweatshirt to cover the stain.”

  A muscle in Fox’s jaw jumps. “Quite the meet-cute.”

  I don’t respond, but he doesn’t seem to expect me to. I try to think of something else to say. I could tell him about the way I met the alternate him, but that story wouldn’t paint him in the best light. How do I explain that I was drawn to him during our first encounter, but only because of the attraction charm he’d cast on himself? But that’s not all there was to him. He stopped using the charm after I called him on it, claiming he wanted to be the kind of person I could trust. And when Jodi was cursed, dying, he was the only person I confided that fact to.