“We have to tread lightly. We don’t know how fast word has traveled from your clan to mine about this incident. Perhaps you can just hang back, and allow me to go talk to the head guard. I’ll make sure the alpha is here. If it seems they mean to arrest me, you should probably run, okay.”
Lily nodded although she wasn’t too keen on being left alone.
She watched with large eyes as he walked up to the front door and greeted the two guards that waited for him there.
"He's not here." The first guard said in a deep voice.
The guard didn't move or make any indication he was going to let Jeremy into the house.
"Where is he?" Jeremy asked.
The other guard seemed to be a little more laid back since he was twirling a stick around in front of him. "He's not been here in four nights. No one knows where he is."
"Reagan, can't you keep your mouth shut for two seconds?"
"They didn't say it was a secret he was gone." The guard named Reagan snapped back.
"Why do you think we're keeping up appearances by guarding the door and and allowing the patrols to still do their jobs?"
"Oh, so the alpha is resting," Reagan said, stupidly trying to cover his tracks though it was too late. Lily hid a chuckle at the whole exchange and wondered what was going through Jeremy's head.
"Since my idiot comrade doesn’t know how to hold his tongue.” The first guard said. “I’ll tell you what’s going on. The alpha went somewhere four nights ago. He told us he would be back when all was clear and said he couldn't tell us anything more."
"That's strange behavior for the alpha, isn't it?" Jeremy asked, arching his brow.
"Who is that in the woods?" The one called Reagan pointed at her. She knelt down beneath her cloak.
"That's just my grandma,” Jeremy said impatiently, waving a hand in her direction as though he were wiping away a spot. “Pay her no mind." "Your grandma is just hanging out in the woods?" Reagan was now the curious one. He was staring right at Lily.
"Let's get back to what's important here.” Jeremy snapped, drawing Reagan’s attention back to him. “The alpha, did he say anything that might lead you to believe he was planning a war?"
"What? We thought he just went to his summer home with the wife!" The first guard was now on full alert.
Way to go, Jeremy, Lily thought with an eye roll.
"Okay, maybe he did," Jeremy said, backing away. “I don’t know, I was just asking dumb questions. Sorry to bug you two fine gentlemen.”
The guards were starting to get suspicious Lily noticed. Even Reagan who'd been twirling his stick and wandering around straightened his back and returned to his post by the other guard.
Jeremy was moving quickly back towards her.
"Let's go granny, get it into gear."
Lily didn't even take the time to argue with him about being called granny and booked it to get out of sight. Once they’d ran far enough to know no one was chasing them, they stopped to catch their breath.
“The alpha never leaves,” Jeremy said. “There’s something very strange going on. I don’t know how your husband was, but Walter rarely leaves his house.
“What exactly do you do for him, Jeremy?”
“I’m a woodworker. I craft things from wood and provide wood to the village. I have a little shop in town. Well okay, it’s a huge shop, but that’s what I do for him.”
“So, it’s safe to say you would see him regularly?” Lily was a little more wary of her partner as they fled. The thought crossed her mind once again that she didn’t really know him, and she’d been fooled in the past by nice people hiding their true intentions.
“Yes, I did. However, I didn’t do anything with him, nor am I involved in his disappearance.”
“Okay,” Lily said, eyeing him thoughtfully. “I believe you. I think the best way to make this partnership work is for us to stop putting the blame on one another. It’s become quite clear that we’ve more than likely been set up. If you can set aside your suspicions of me and my credibility, I’ll do the same for you.”
“Okay, if you can bring yourself to stop being equally suspicious,” Jeremy said smartly.
“I’m serious about this.” Lily spat in the palm of her hand and held it out for him to shake. “From now on, we have to depend on one another. No more blaming.
He reached over and shook her hand firmly. “You’ve got a deal.”
Chapter Three - The Witch's Cottage
Much to Lily’s delight, the witch lived in a little cottage in the woods. She felt like she was walking straight into the pages of a fairytale. It was a strange thing to be giddy about, but with her fate uncertain, she needed to hold on to the little things that meant something to her.
The cottage was small and rundown. There were little white lace curtains in the front two windows and lavender beside the front stoop. Cobblestones led up to a small stone fountain with a short furry creature. It had legs like a goat, a human body, and horns like the devil. A feeling of uneasiness crept over Lily.
"You go hide around the back, and I'll knock on the front door. I want to make sure we can trust her before you show up all ‘I'm the widow of a man killed by magic’ and get yourself turned into a toad or something." He waved his hands to demonstrate what she might do.
"I would never just jump out and announce myself like that. I’m not a complete idiot.” She had planned on introducing herself as a huge fan of witches, but he didn’t need to know that.
"Just hide please?" His voice went down an octave, so she decided to humor him although she didn’t want to.
Reluctantly, Lily went around the side of the house. She had half expected it to be made of gingerbread, but further, inspection showed it was simply made of wood. It was hard not to feel a little disappointed. Her mother used to read her stories when she was still able to. The stories she told were straight from fairy tales, and not made up on the spot like dads. Unlike her father's story about the witch helping the town, her mother's stories were those of warning. They were cautionary tales, and the story of the witch in the gingerbread house had been her favorite.
Lily would sit next to her and lean in. If there was any doubt her parents were meant to be, you could just listen to them tell stories. The story was too scary for her little sisters, and that's why she was the one who picked it out. Their stories were easier to stomach like The Princess and the Pea. Her mother would make the creepiest witch voice, and it always forced Lily to hide beneath her covers. When she passed away, her father had tried to do the story justice, but he never got the witch voice down the way her mother had.
He'd tell her how sorry he was, and she'd hug him and tell him it was alright, but she missed her mother terribly. Lily had been thinking of her a lot because she wondered what she'd think of her marriage and that she was about to meet a real witch. A noise behind the house pulled her out of her thoughts once again.
The wood of the cabin was gray from age and cracked in places. A shovel and rake were propped up against the house. A little magic slipped away from Lily at the normality of the house. She didn’t forget the demon fountain, though. That remained in her mind quite clearly.
"No, he was supposed to be arrested." A man's voice came floating to her from behind the house. She flattened herself against the house and edged to the side so she could look around without being seen.
The witch, or who she assumed was the witch stood with her back to her. She wore a long black sweater with baggy sleeves and stars all over that went down to her knees. She was talking who she could only assume was one of Harold's guards. The uniform gave him away.
She bit back a gasp and tried to listen to what they were saying. This could mean danger, she thought.
"The magic I put on him will make sure he doesn't remember how he got there. It's unfortunate he's free, but I know him. He'll more than likely come here seeking my guidance with the poor widow and I'll keep them here until you all arrive.”
“Good, we hav
e over a dozen guards searching the woods. If they come to you, keep them here until we can get to them.” Lily stepped back, cringing as a loud crunch broke her silent creeping. Her whole body tensed as she waited to see if they had heard. She quickly pressed her chest to the wood of the house trying not to get caught.
“What was that?” The guard asked, placing his right hand on his sword.
“Relax. The woods are full of a variety of small creatures. It was probably just a rabbit.” The witch said.
Lily peered around the corner in hopes the guard wasn't looking her way. The witch still held his attention.
"The leader is dead. It's only a matter of time before the war begins. Your boss got what he wanted. So what if he escaped? You'll catch him, and it will all be over." The witch waved a hand in the air. “I want my payment."
"You'll get your payment when the boss says so."
The two started to head back into the cottage. Jeremy had knocked at the door as she went around the back of the house, but they hadn't heard him. Lily had to stop him from knocking again. She ran back to the front of the house, waving her hands wildly at him.
"Wait," Lily said in a loud whisper. As she fell down, the cloak got snagged on something. Catching herself, she jumped back up quickly.
“What are you doing?” Jeremy said grabbing her arm to steady her. “You're supposed to be staying out of sight.” Lily dusted the dirt from her hands, “She's in on it, Jeremy. in the witch will turn us in if we go to her. No time to explain, but we need to go, now.”
She tried to pull him by the sleeve but Jeremy was too sturdy for her to move and she bounced back into his chest. He was strong; she hadn't realized how strong. Pushing off of him, she tried yanking at his arm one more time.
“What are you talking about?” Jeremy asked through gritted teeth, clearly annoyed by her antics.
“I went to the back of the house to hide like you told me to.” Lily tried not to let the sarcasm creep into her voice, but by Jeremy's expression, she wasn’t doing a very good job of it. "I saw a guard talking to the witch.I assume that is who it was, anyway.”
“Lily get to the point,” Jeremy said, gently tugging on Lily’s arm, pulling her out of her endless babble.
“Well, I overheard them talking about us. The witch put a spell on you. She said so. And she got paid to do it! She said she'd keep us here until they came to take us."
Jeremy's eyes widened, grasping her hand and pulling her with him. “That's only if she sees us. We need to run. Now!” "That's what I was saying the whole time." Exasperation dripped from Lily’s voice as he dragged her along.
They ran down the forest path, hand in hand. Lily was trying to hold onto the cloak but it was slowing her down.
“Hey! Hey you, stop.” They’d been spotted. The cloak had to go. There was no way she could outrun them with its weight. She pitched it off of her and instantly felt lighter.
“You need to run faster,” Jeremy said.
Lily was too out of breath to even come up with a good comeback. She’d thought she had been going much faster without the cloak.
“Look over there! We can hide behind those bales of hay.”
“That might actually be the best idea you've had all day,” Jeremy pulled her behind the biggest bundle and crouched down. Lily turned and noticed that they were in front of another house. If the owners were home, and noticed Jeremy and Lily hiding out in their field, they’d probably give them away. They seemed to have made their way into some sort of town or community because there were now several houses along the road.
“The witch lives this close to town?” Lily whispered.
“Shhh, I hear someone coming.” Lily had forgotten how good the bear’s hearing was. Harold and Stefan always knew when she’d gotten up for the day or what part of the massive house she was in. At first, she thought maybe she walked a little too loudly but then she discovered their senses were much more in tune than hers.
A group of about four guards ran by them, and Jeremy pulled Lily close. The witch followed along behind them looking up into the trees. Lily wondered if she was trying magic to sense where they’d gone to. She leaned against him waiting for them to pass. The hay she leaned against pricked her skin, making her itch. She prayed the hay didn't somehow join the twigs still riding shotgun in her underwear.
"I think they went this way." Lily heard a voice she recognized. She looked at Jeremy questioningly. It was Donovan, but he was leading the guards away from them in the opposite direction.
"I told that big lug to stay home.” Jeremy quipped. “He's always worried about me."
He turned towards Lily, and she was suddenly aware of how close he was to her. She looked into his eyes and allowed her forehead to touch his. She hadn't really felt anything for a man in a very long time, besides a couple of fleeting feelings for Stefan when they were flirting in the garden, but her stomach did a little flip, and she closed her eyes.
She felt him lean in and she turned her head. One of his hands landed lightly on her arm.
"Sir, I found them." A loud voice sounded behind them. Jeremy jumped up without hesitation and knocked him out. Unfortunately, the witch saw the man and ran at them with her hands up.
Lily didn't know what to do so she stood up and raced toward the witch. The witches' hands seemed to glow, so she prepared herself for a shock as they wrapped around her wrist. Lily’s body buzzed as the witch began to conjure some kind of spell on her. Suddenly she was doused with water and dripping wet.
Jeremy had dumped a bucket of water on the spell caster and gotten Lily wet in the process. He pulled her free when the witch, shocked by the sudden chill, let her go and she was on her way again.
The witch angrily pointed a finger at Jeremy as they ran from her, and a single shot of magic came from the tip of her nail and hit him. Lily could see it as it moved through the air, shiny and fast. Once it struck him, he couldn’t move. The witch continued to point as she moved towards them.
“What’s wrong? Why can’t you move?” Lily pulled at him, but he stayed stuck in one place.
“Jeremy Stone,” the witch’s voice boomed. “You think you can just get away with your womanizing ways.”
She struck him with magic that seemed to flow out of her little finger, and his body lurched. “You can’t. I see you’ve taken up with someone of questionable character because you couldn’t possibly love a witch, could you?”
She hit him again, and all Lily could do was watch as his body jerked from the shock. Suddenly Donovan appeared out of nowhere and tackled the witch. Once she was on the ground, Jeremy could move again. He stood, dusting himself off.
“Didn’t I tell you not to come with us?” Jeremy said, grinning widely at his friend.
“And if I listened, you’d be in the guard’s custody right now.” The witch struggled beneath him, and Lily could tell he wasn’t even using his full weight to hold her down.
“Get off of me you idiot.” She said struggling to free her hands, but there was no way she could escape from him.
“Well, lady, if you would stop moving this, would be a lot easier.” He was such a gentle giant that Lily couldn't help but smile at him. She wiggled beneath him and he crossed his arms determined not to move. “Nice to see you again Lily.”
“You as well.”
“And if you guys are done with the love fest, we need to get the hell out of here. Tie her up to something. Just make sure she's not able to move her hands. Those things are pure evil. I mean it I have enough on my hands with trying to take care of this one.” Jeremy said nodding his head towards Lily.
Jeremy cut in between them, and as he shimmered and changed into a bear. Lily climbed onto his back and they rode off. She heard the witch scream as they got further away and wondered what exactly Donovan had done to her. Once he'd ran at least three miles, Jeremy stopped and let her get off his back. He changed back to his human form and knelt to get some water from the stream. She was getting better at riding on a
bear and didn’t have to bend over to get her balance back this time.
“So, you were in a relationship with her?” Lily couldn’t help herself. “I mean now that I've gotten a good look at her she's actually not like the witch in the gingerbread house at all. I mean she's not the prettiest girl out there. I guess she would be considered cute.” Lily tried her best not to let the words come off as jealousy, but she couldn't help but feel a little bit envious of the witch. She was pretty and a bit evil which somehow made her more appealing. She was rambling on again like a crazy person.
“Now is not the time Lily, if you haven't noticed I am trying to keep us from getting killed, and your questions are distracting me,” Jeremy snapped.
“You were in a relationship with her! You're changing the subject. Well, I need to hear all about this.” Lily said as she flipped her hair out of her face. She felt completely disgusting, and there was really no telling what she was covered in from the woods.
“We’ll talk later about it.”
Lily doubted he would be quick to bring it up again, but she knew it wasn’t something she could let go. Her stomach at the thought of him being with another woman, and she wondered why she was even feeling that way at all.
Jeremy didn’t stop running until he and Lily were back at the waterfall and staring at the wobbly bridge again. She wasn’t entirely sure how they’d gotten back so quickly, but Lily was glad to be away from her would-be capturers. Once they were safely over the unstable bridge, they ran to his house.
“Okay, I don’t think you killed my husband on purpose anymore.”
“Oh is that right? I didn't know there was still a doubt in your mind,” Jeremy’s tone dripped with sarcasm.
“I still think you did it, but not because you wanted to. Killed him I mean. It's possible you killed him under a spell.”
“Well, I hope that isn’t true. We can’t go back to the witch, and she was the only one I knew! We may never know what kind of magic has been put on me.”
Love Beyond the wall (A Rizer Pack Shifter Series Book 1) Page 35