by Isa Fae
Her breaths were short and shallow, almost hyperventilating as she homed in on the sound of his voice. The only thing she had left to hold onto as she fought her way through the darkness. The voice stopped and the flames reached out to her again. Please, keep talking. She needed him to keep talking. Needed to hear his voice. He was the only source of light she had in this black mass of nothingness. This man, this Fae, was the only one who could guide her out of this hellish place. She depended on him now, placed her life in his hands. A Fae. If she weren’t in so much pain and agony she would have laughed at the thought. Never in a million years did she ever think she would rely on a Fae to save her life. Not when they were so good at taking them.
“Eric,” she mumbled, her lips trembling. She wasn’t even sure if she spoke the words or if she only thought them. Her insides were now scorching, the intensity of his magic giving her the sensation of her veins melting. Miranda wasn’t sure if she could hold on. The heat. The pain. My goddess, the fire burning within her. All of it was driving her off the cliff of sanity.
Pressure increased over her chest. “I’m here.” A voice which was once strong and demanding had now grown weak and tired. “I’m so sorry for doing this, Miranda.”
It was him. Eric. He’d come back for her. She held onto his voice, using it to guide herself out of the darkness, wanting more than anything to escape the flames.
Another tingling sensation struck her in the chest, but this time it didn’t only merge with the heat, but it felt as if it had turned her own blood into lava. She tightened her jaw, unwilling to let her scream escape this time. Then, there it was. Her own power. It was now in her reach.
I just need… Her thoughts disoriented as she grasped her own magic. This time she couldn’t hold in her screams as the two sources of magic collided, creating an explosion inside of her. Never had she felt so much anguish or power before.
Her eyes flew open and she shot up from the bed, but Eric quickly pushed her back down, keeping his weight on her while she continued to scream in torment. Miranda had the sensation everything was melting. Her skin. Her insides. She’d had enough. Her body could no longer take any of this.
Miranda’s vision blurred. In and out. In and out. She’d lost Eric again. She’d lost herself. Everything. And as she fell back into the darkness, she knew this would be her end.
Her magic had failed her.
10
Eric
“Breathe, damn you!” Eric leaned over Miranda’s motionless body, one hand over the other in the center of her chest. Pressing firmly with all his strength, he felt her bones crushing under his palm. That was a simple fix. Her not breathing wasn’t.
Fear gripped his insides, his stomach knotting up and a lump forming in his throat as he continued the compressions. Her color was draining from her cheeks. Lips tinting blue. He was losing her fast. “Fucking breathe!” No, he couldn’t lose her. He refused to give her up so easily.
Eric thought by using his Fae magic he would heal her from the damage he had already done. But it didn’t. For some reason, it only seemed to make it worse.
He brought his ear down to her lips. A breath. It was faint, but she was breathing. Relief washed through him, the adrenaline fading, and Eric slowly backed away from her. Miranda Sage was alive.
Collapsing in the chair near the bed, Eric placed his face in his hands. What was wrong with him? He knew he shouldn’t feel so relieved this woman had survived. She was a witch. He hunted them and captured them. Sometimes torturing them and even killing them if he had to. He had no idea why he was so confused. Now he wondered if she had managed to put some kind of spell on him. No. He didn’t think that was possible. She wouldn’t have had time to do that.
Whatever this was, he had to get over it. He couldn’t let himself get lost in this witch. He was here for only one reason, and that was to capture her and take her back to the Lord. All he had to do was keep her alive and wait out the storm. That was it. Then he could go back to doing what he did best. Hunting.
Eric relaxed in the chair, his gaze on Miranda in case she surprisingly sprang up out of the bed. But from the looks of her, she wasn’t going anywhere soon. His eyes began to drift shut as he sat there, his body finally giving in to the exhaustion. That was it. Fatigue had caused these strange feelings inside of him. That was the only explanation for him to feel this way about a witch. At least, that was what he kept telling himself.
What secrets do you hold little witch? He couldn’t stop the question from popping in his head as he gazed at her. The child Fae had tried to protect her, she had been stronger than any witch he ever encountered, and Fae blood didn’t weaken her. Instead, it almost killed her. He needed to know what was so different about her. Maybe, this was why the Lord wanted her back so desperately even though she had killed his son.
Instead of giving in to sleep, Eric stood up and left the room, knowing it would be a while before he got any answers to his questions. He entered the bathroom. The same place where he first found the witch. The memory of her stretched out in the tub invaded his mind. The way her auburn hair flowed over the back of the tub and ivory skin shimmering from the moisture caught him off guard. Her breasts…so full and round. He wanted her all to himself when he first laid eyes on her, had so much desire to possess her. He still did.
“What the fuck is wrong with you?” He mumbled, shaking the memories from his mind as he reached over the tub and turned on the shower. Not only would the hot water relax his muscles, but he was hoping it would also wake him up. He needed to be as alert as possible around Miranda. No matter what, she was still a witch. And he knew one thing, and that was to never trust one.
Eric slipped off his shirt and dropped it to the wooden floor. Glancing in the mirror, he smiled as he took in the marks Miranda’s nails left on his face. While the marks would piss off most hunters, Eric found amusement in it. He loved how feisty this woman could be. In fact, it actually turned him on and made him wonder how she would be in bed.
After healing the wounds on his face, he took care of a few others he found on his chest. He lifted his arm and glanced at his black bracelet, shaking his head. He knew he had used a lot of atern, but he didn’t realize healing Miranda had taken off twenty years of his life. Twenty years he would never get back. It only reminded him he needed to be more careful how and when he used his magic. He may have been a hunter, but if he lost too much of his magic, he would die.
If he were anything like the other Fae, he would locate one of many scummy clubs around Faction Twelve and drain a witch. But Eric wasn’t like that. He knew doing something like that was risky, especially with all the overdoses of magic lately. Besides, Eric was sure the Lord would pay well for Miranda’s return. And the lord was the one who controlled the magic in Faction Twelve.
After stripping off the rest of his clothes, he stepped into the hot shower and closed the cloth curtain. Eric lifted his face and let the water roll down his body. All of his muscles relaxed, except one. He couldn’t seem to get the vision of Miranda’s naked body out of his head. As much as he hated himself for thinking about a witch in this way, he couldn’t help it. In his line of work, he’d seen many Fae and witches in the nude, but none of them compared to Miranda. Not even the lucky Fae woman he’d brought home on a few occasions.
Eric brought his hand down and gently wrapped it around his erection. He thought of many ways he could take Miranda. But before he did anything, he longed to taste her. Spread her legs wide and bury his face into her sweetness. He wanted her to wiggle and squirm. Longed to hear her moan and beg for more. He was sure she would be just as fiery in bed as she was when she was fighting him. That excited him even more.
With each thought, he stroked himself faster, harder, knowing he would be able to lose himself here and nobody would ever know. Outside this shower and this room, he would have to return to the cold-hearted hunter. The hunter who didn’t give a damn about anyone or anything, except finding his target. But right now he coul
d be a regular man yearning for a beautiful woman. An exquisite woman with toned legs that he wanted around his waist or on his shoulders. Miranda Sage. Her name echoed in his head as he backed up against the wall, his pulsing muscle growing bigger and harder. A growl rumbled in the back of his throat as he lost himself in the stream of hot water showering down on him.
As his racing heart calmed, Eric opened the shower curtain and gasped.
11
Miranda
“Are you finished?” Miranda couldn’t hide the smirk she wore on her face as she sat on the toilet. Eric’s stunned reaction was too amusing. As she expected, she’d caught the hunter off guard. She just didn’t picture him as the type to relieve himself in the shower. But he was a man, after all. And most men were the same in her book. Which was why she’d never found one she actually liked. Until now.
“What the fuck are you doing in here?” He snapped at her, not even bothering to try to conceal his body, but that was okay with her. She was enjoying the view.
She sat up tall, trying to ignore the moisture pooling between her legs as she clutched the only towel in the room in her hands, pressing it against her stomach. Miranda couldn’t deny her attraction to the hunter even though she considered him the enemy. She’d witnessed his strength, his power. And now, she’d witnessed everything else. Liking what she saw was an understatement. The hunter was…the sexiest man she ever laid eyes on. His well-toned body, including the part that took every ounce of her willpower to not let her eyes stray down to, excited her more than she’d ever admit. Miranda was sure he had all sorts of women lined up at home. She knew she would definitely not be on that list. Besides, he hated witches. He hated her. He already made that clear to her.
She cleared her throat and brought her green eyes up to meet his blue eyes as he glared at her. “I have some questions for you.” Miranda made sure to keep her tone even. She couldn’t afford to slip. While she considered herself pretty good on reading people, she knew he had far more experience than her.
Eric stood there, the pulse in his jaw twitching and eyes narrowed. It didn’t take much for her to know he was angry. She’d expected this.
“Could I get dressed before you decide to question me?” His gaze continued to stare her down, causing her to swallow hard.
“I’m not sure.” She crossed her legs, trying to make the tingling sensation in her thighs go away. An angry Eric seemed to turn her on even more. “You seem less…dangerous this way.” She wasn’t sure if those were the right words. “Besides, you saw me naked. It’s only fair I get to see you.”
His expression softened, and he smirked as he stepped out of the tub and onto the hardwood floor, moisture rolling down his body. “Do you like what you see?” Eric walked toward her, causing Miranda’s body to tense up.
She wasn’t sure if he was playing with her or if he was actually serious. “No.” Yes. She glanced up at him as he stopped directly in front of her. “I’ve seen better.” No, I haven’t. Breathe, Miranda, breathe. She was sure she was going to pass out because of his closeness. She had no idea what she was thinking when she decided to come in here. She only wanted answers. Never did she expect to be turned on so much by this man.
Eric leaned down until he was right in front of her face, his warm breath blowing against her skin. “I can play games too, Miranda,” he whispered. “But I guarantee I’ll play them better.” He stood up, taking the towel from her hands, and wrapped it around his waist, his eyes never leaving hers.
Entranced, she never felt the towel slipping from her grasp. The only thing she’d been aware of, besides Eric, was the pounding in her chest. By the way he smiled at her, he was well aware of it too.
Eric scooped up his clothes and walked out of the bathroom, leaving Miranda sitting there, trying to gather her thoughts. It only took a minute for her mind to start working again.
She shot up off the toilet and went after him, more aggravated than ever. Answers. That was all she needed, and she didn’t want to fight about it. Fighting would cause her to use more energy. Energy which she didn’t have. Nearly dying had left her body exhausted and her muscles sore.
He was standing next to the mattress when she stepped into the doorway. “I said I have some—” Shirtless, barefoot, and in jeans. She drew in a deep breath, unable to finish her sentence. Thankfully, his back was turned to her, so he couldn’t see her reaction. The reaction of her body betraying her again.
He spun around, his abrupt motion causing her to jump. “It seems we both have questions. But I’m willing to bet your answers to mine are a little harder to explain. But much more interesting.”
“I…I don’t know what you’re talking about.” She directed her gaze elsewhere. The wall. The floor. Anywhere but him. She should have stayed in the bathroom. Her secrets were safe there.
“You know exactly what I’m talking about!” Eric was in front of her face before she could blink. “How the hell are you so powerful?”
She swallowed hard, but that was the only movement she made. No, she would not tell him. Absolutely not. Eric’s anger wouldn’t break her. She wouldn’t let it break her.
He reached out and grabbed her arm, the tingling sensation unable to calm her this time as he squeezed her flesh, causing her to close her eyes and clench her teeth. Visions of the time she spent with the Lord crashed back into her memory. His anger. His possessiveness. That man was a monster, she reminded herself. He killed for power. To get a high off the magic. Eric may have been hard, but she didn’t think he was as bad as the Lord. Or was he?
“Tell me!” His voice was more of a growl this time. “Tell me how my blood almost killed you instead of weakening you!” He shook her as his temper soared.
“Stop! You’re hurting me!” This pain wasn’t as bad as the flames, but with her arms still weak and muscles sore, his hand gripped like a steel band. She was sure she’d have a bruise by morning.
“I want to know,” he hissed the words through his teeth. His eyes were no longer a pale blue. The two crystals which had once mesmerized her. They were a dark blue. The color of an angry sea.
“Let me go!” Hot tears stung Miranda’s eyes as she attempted to pull her arm away from him. He was too strong. Harder. She had to fight harder. This Fae couldn’t know her secret. Nobody could.
As Eric began forcing her down to the floor with his strength, she reached up with her other hand and placed it on his firm chest, pushing him away. She couldn’t stop the heat which centered in her palm.
Eric’s body jerked, his hand slipping away from her arm, and he fell to the floor.
Miranda twirled around, her head buzzing with static and her heart falling into her stomach. And she ran. No, no, no! Please don’t let him be dead. Please. Run. Get out. Get away. Please let him be alive.
She didn’t want to do it. But she couldn’t help it. It just happened. Miranda raced down the hall, through the kitchen, into the living room, and out the door. The pace of her breathing was just as fast as the beats of her heart. Short and fast.
Wind spiraled around her, her auburn hair stinging her face, as she forced herself through the snow. She hadn’t realized how deep it had gotten since taking shelter from the storm. Coming up to the middle of her thighs, she was drastically slowed down. But she was free. Free of Eric and free of revealing her secret. It was only once her adrenaline calmed down that she realized the danger she was in.
She hadn’t made it that far away from the cabin before the tremors set in. Her hands, face, and bare feet were burning. Her teeth chattering. Shaking violently, her legs had seized up on her and she crumpled to the snow.
Magic. She had to use her magic. It was her only hope for survival. Even though she knew she had to use it, she couldn’t remember how. The tremors had caused her mind to spiral out of control. Her vision blurred in and out as she lay in the snow. All she could think of was cold. Miranda was so cold. Freezing. Ice. And then the numbness set in.
12
Eric
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Eric picked himself up off the floor, cursing under his breath. As much as he hated to be taken down by a witch, her power impressed him. And he couldn’t argue, he had deserved every bit of what happened. He’d lost his temper and grabbed her arm. He never meant to hurt her. No. He only wanted some answers. Answers she refused to give.
Sighing deeply, he realized he had to change his strategy. Go in a different direction. Preferably a nonviolent method. Maybe then she would open up to him. Maybe. He’d just have to figure out a way feign the change, make her believe. His life revolved around violence. Even he would admit he had a cold shell surrounding his body. But he had to be hard. Except, hard wasn’t getting him anywhere with Miranda. Stubborn little witch.
Eric walked out of the room in search of her. She couldn’t have gone far since the cabin was so small. There were only so many places she could hide. He’d just have to be careful this time when he approached her. No unleashing his temper. It would be difficult to hold back his anger, especially with her. But it was the only way.
As he moved through the cabin, he checked the other bedroom, the bathroom, and the kitchen. The rooms were empty. When he reached the living room, he thought he had her cornered until he noticed the door was wide open, snow spiraling into the living room.
“Fuck!” The last thing he expected was for her to try to escape into the storm. Little fool. Anger rose up inside of him at the thought of her leaving him and at his gullibility. It dissipated as quick as it came when he realized she wouldn’t have had time to put on any clothes to protect herself from the elements. Her pants and shirt were no match for this storm. Hell, he didn’t even know if she had shoes.
Eric rushed across the room, stepping into his boots and pulling on his coat. He could care less about a shirt and socks, he had to find Miranda before it was too late. Once out the door, he pulled up his hood and shielded his eyes with his hand from the falling snow, surveying the area. The visibility in the blizzard was low, but he soon zeroed in on her tracks.