A Witch in Time

by Alicia Montgomery

  The stranger was a man, about her age, dressed casually in jeans and a shirt. “Miss, do you have a light?” He raked a hand through his raven-dark hair and smiled at her.

  “Uh, sorry, I don’t smoke.” Without waiting for him to say anything else, she turned around. She had only taken three steps when she felt her wolf’s hackles rise for the second time that day. But unlike the first time when they were outside Bloomingdale’s, this sensation screamed danger at her.

  She attempted to spin around, but a hand going over her mouth and around her waist prevented her from any kind of movement. When she tried to scream, a coldness washed over her and her surroundings shimmered away. Magic. Magic was being used on her, but it was a strange kind. It felt different … it felt unnatural and wrong.

  There was a loud pop in her ears, and when she blinked, her surroundings changed. She was inside some kind of cavernous, abandoned warehouse. Summoning her Lycan strength, she broke free of whoever was holding her down.

  “Get her!”

  She whirled around but was met with a cloud of green smoke. It must have been some sort of confounding potion because she suddenly felt weak and lost control of her motions. Arms wrapped around her again, and her vision began to fade in and out. Fight it, she screamed in her mind. Her Lycan metabolism would be able to burn through it, but they might dose her with more of the potion if they thought she was regaining her senses. So, she remained limp.

  “Excellent work, Malachi,” said a voice on her left. “I can’t believe they left her unguarded.”

  “The mother would have been better, but she will have to do,” said the man who held her. “We don’t know if the confounding potion will be enough to subdue her since she’s one of those half-breeds. So make sure you have enough ready.”

  Malachi, Elise thought, filing the name away in her mind.

  “Come on then, we can’t waste any more time,” Malachi said. “Hand me that knife.”

  Elise braced herself, anticipating the cut. Something sharp poked at her palm, and it was a good thing her mind was still cloudy as it didn’t feel as painful as it should. Warm, sticky blood flowed out of the wound, but she didn’t make a sound.

  “Will her blood be strong enough?” Another voice, this time, female.

  “It should,” Malachi said. “All we need is the blood from the spellcaster. A drop of this one’s blood and the spells used to protect The Enclave will be broken.”

  Despite the fogginess of her mind, fear rushed through her, paralyzing her as she realized what they were going to do. Long ago, her grandmother, Vivianne, and her mother had added spells of protection to The Enclave, to strengthen them and make sure no humans and magical beings would be able to enter their walls without permission. Since she was related to them, they must mean to use her blood in a spell to break the protections. And since they used blood magic, that only meant one thing.

  Mages.

  “That’s it … and now, break the spell and send us into The Enclave. The ceremony should be starting which means the artifact will be out in the open.”

  Artifact? What were they talking about?

  The arm around her waist tightened and propped her up. “Awake yet, little half-breed?” came the raspy voice in her ear. “Oh, this is even better than I planned. They won’t have any choice now.”

  She let out a soft whimper but remained a dead weight in his arms. Her mind was almost free and the feeling in her limbs was starting to come back. Can’t let them know. Can’t let them dose me again.

  Her heels scraped on the concrete floor as Malachi dragged her around like a rag doll. She opened her eyes to the tiniest slit she could manage and saw three figures in red robes surround them. They then began to chant. The coldness gripped her again, though their trip wasn’t as quick this time. Her body felt like it was ripping apart and a loud sound rang in her ears like the shattering of glass. When her feet landed on solid ground, she opened her eyes.

  “No one move or she dies.” Fingers wrapped around her neck as Malachi held her tight against him.

  “Elise!”

  Her mother’s voice broke through her confusion. Oh no.

  They were standing in the middle of The Enclave. She recognized the main courtyard, all decorated for Lucas’s ascension ceremony. The future Alpha himself was standing a few feet away from her on the dais where they had appeared.

  The magic moving around her mother was unmistakable. Lara Henney was a blessed witch after all with the power to control air currents. Wind swirled around her, as did the power she was summoning.

  “I said don’t move!” The fingers tightened around her throat and she let out a choked sputter. She saw her mother’s anguished face as she put her hands down and the magic surrounding her drained away. However, with Malachi’s attention on her mother, he didn’t notice two figures jump up on the dais and put themselves between him and Lucas Anderson. Elise recognized Julianna Anderson, one of Lucas’s sisters, and Cross Jonasson, Uncle Daric and Aunt Meredith’s eldest son.

  “Don’t hurt her,” Lucas said in a calm voice. “What do you want, mage?”

  Malachi laughed, the sound making Elise’s flesh crawl. “I want that.”

  She couldn’t move her head to see what the mage was talking about. What did he want?

  “You can have it. Just let her go.”

  “You! Bring it here.”

  Julianna grabbed the something from her brother and held it up toward Malachi. It was a dagger with a green jewel at the hilt, the blade covered in blood.

  “You stupid dogs!” Malachi sneered. “Using the dagger in your idiotic rituals. You have no idea what you’ve had all this time.”

  “Elise.”

  She froze, and her eyes met Cross’s gaze. His eyes were so like his father’s, though now they were a dark, stormy blue-green. And deadly serious. “Elise, do it.”

  “No, please, Cross,” she begged. “Don’t make me.” She couldn’t possibly do it. He didn’t know what he was asking her.

  “Do it!” Cross shouted. “Elise, NOW.”

  The fabric covering her hands disappeared, and she realized he was 100 percent serious if he used his powers to remove her gloves. Malachi’s eyes went crazy, and she felt his fingers digging into her throat, crushing her windpipe. And she knew, it was death or use her power.

  And so, she chose to live.

  She called up every ounce of magic in her veins and gathered it in her hands. White hot currents of electricity shot through her and to the mage. Malachi screamed as ten thousand volts of pure energy shot through him, and he let go of Elise. Threads of current kept them connected, and when she saw Julianna and Cross leap toward her, she screamed too, trying to warn them away. She tried to pull back her power, to stop the energy building and flowing out of her, but she couldn’t.

  It was too late. A hand held her on either arm, and her feet began to lift off the ground. Her body felt like it was being pulled back like a rubber band, then released, and she hurtled forward into a deep, dark tunnel, dragging Cross and Julianna with her.

  Chapter Two

  Time seemed to slow down as Elise felt her body careen forward in an endless spinning vortex. Cross and Julianna kept their hold, and she gritted her teeth as her arms were nearly pulled out of their sockets.

  “Ouch!” came a feminine shout.

  They all landed in a tangle of limbs and bodies, rolling on the damp ground. Elise ended up on her back, and she blinked a few times wondering if she was hallucinating. Above her, the skies had turned gray and foggy, while the scent of earth and grass wafted into her nostrils. Her wolf immediately went on alert.

  “What the hell—” Julianna gasped as she sat up and looked around her. “Where are we?” She turned to Cross. “Where did you bring us?”

  Cross’s golden brows knitted together. “I didn’t bring us anywhere.”

  Only a handful of people knew that Cross had inherited most of his father’s powers. Aside from changing the form of matter, w
hich he must have used to remove her gloves, the other power was the ability to transport himself and others long distances. But why was he denying that he brought them away from The Enclave?

  “Elise?” Julianna’s bi-colored eyes—one green and one blue—zeroed in on her. “What happened back there?”

  “Don’t look at me,” she answered.

  “But your hands … What did you do?”

  Elise clenched her fists. “I used my powers.”

  “You can control electricity?” Julianna asked.

  “I can create electricity,” she clarified. Controlling electricity was another matter. “You shouldn’t have done that,” she told Cross.

  “It was the only way, Elise,” Cross said. “He would have hurt you.”

  “Well, I hope we got rid of that mage, whatever it is you guys did.” Juliann got to her feet and brushed off the blades of grass sticking to her pants. “Let me see if I can call Papa or Lucas.” She slipped her phone out of her pocket and tapped on the screen. An audible tone made her frown. “No reception. How about you guys? What carrier do you use?”

  “Sorry, I must have dropped my purse.” When the mages kidnapped me, she added silently. A shiver ran through her.

  “I don’t usually carry one,” Cross shrugged.

  “Damn. Hopefully we’re not too far from New York.” Her eyes darted around. “This place doesn’t look too familiar. And, uh, why does it smell like shit?”

  Elise’s nose wrinkled. It did smell awful out here, worse still because of her enhanced senses. “Maybe we’re near a sewage plant?”

  “There should be several just outside the city,” Julianna said. “Oh, I hear something …” Her gaze moved into the distance, to a road just beyond the field. “What the … is that a horse? And a carriage? Oh my God, are we in Amish country?”

  Cross followed her gaze, then his entire body went rigid. “I think you two should stay here.” His voice was oddly calm.

  “Stay here?” Elise asked.

  “We don’t know where we are exactly,” he said. “I think it would be better if I went and asked.”

  Julianna shrugged. “Fine, go ahead. Let me see if I can try to find one or two bars.” She raised her phone up, waving it around.

  “Yeah, we’ll stay here,” Elise said.

  “I’ll be back in a moment.” Cross turned and suddenly disappeared.

  “Jeez, I can’t get over how creepy that is,” Julianna said. “But you’re probably used to it, being a hybrid and all?”

  Despite the fact that they were both the daughters of an Alpha, Elise didn’t really know Julianna Anderson too well, being a few years older than her. “Um, kind of. Why don’t we try going up that hill? Maybe you can find reception there.”

  The hill was farther than it looked, but they managed to trudge up—a feat considering the ground was muddy, and they were both wearing heeled shoes. It took them a good thirty minutes, and when they reached the top, Julianna examined the screen on her phone. “Ugh, this darned thing. Hey, maybe you can use your electric powers to boost my signal or something.”

  “It doesn’t really work that way,” she said glumly.

  “How does it work then?” She continued to move her phone around. “I mean, I’ve seen Astrid use hers while in training. It’s pretty handy. How do you use yours? Can you, like, jumpstart a car or something?”

  “Er … I wonder where Cross is? He’s been gone awhile. Maybe we should head back to where he left us.”

  Thankfully, Julianna agreed with her and didn’t ask any more questions about her powers. They walked back down the hill, and as they approached the area where they landed, a soft pop startled both of them, and Cross reappeared in the same spot. “I have some … news.” He shook his hair, sending droplets of water everywhere.

  “What happened to you?” Elise asked.

  Julianna seemingly ignored the fact that Cross’s shirt and pants were dripping wet. “Well? Where are we?”

  Cross actually looked hesitant which made Elise worry. In all the years she’d known him, Cross was always so confident and sure of himself. “I’d tell you both to sit down, but there’s no place to sit.”

  “For fuck’s sake, Cross, just tell us where we are,” Julianna said in an impatient tone.

  “We’re in England, just outside of London—”

  “That’s not so bad,” Elise interrupted.

  “In 1820.”

  “Where’s that exactly?” Julianna asked. “Is that a zip code?”

  Elise’s head snapped toward Cross. “Excuse me?”

  “We’re in England. In the year 1820.”

  The silence between the three of them was deafening, and Elise thought she wasn’t understanding him correctly. “We’ve … we traveled through time?”

  “That can’t be right!” Julianna said. “You can’t travel back in time.”

  “I’m afraid we did.” Cross rubbed a hand down his face. “It took me a while to get back because I had to make sure. I traveled to London to this place I knew well and, uh, landed in the Thames.”

  “The river?” Elise asked.

  “Yes. Uncle Sebastian has an apartment there, he lets me and Dad use it when we need a safe place to transport to.” He shook his head in disbelief. “The building isn’t there and I dropped straight into the Thames. After I got out, I walked around. I was definitely in London, but …” He took something out of his pocket, unfolded it, and held it up. “See?”

  It was the front page of a newspaper, and when Elise examined it closer, she let out a gasp. “Oh my God.” The date definitely said 1820.

  “What the fuck?” Julianna snatched the paper from Cross’s hand. “What the fuck, what the fuck, what the fuck!” Her mismatched eyes trained back on Cross. “Is this really happening?”

  “It is.”

  “Why? What did you do?” she railed. “Oh my God.”

  “Julianna, calm down,” Elise said.

  “Calm down! Calm down?” the younger woman exclaimed. “How can I be calm, Elise? We’re over two hundred years in the past!” She turned back to Cross. “There must be something we can do?”

  “I have a few ideas.” Cross’s jaw hardened. “And I’ll tell you both everything. But first, we need to find some shelter. While I was going around London, I found an abandoned house at the edge of town. We could stay the night there.”

  Elise looked at Julianna. “I don’t really think we have much of a choice.”

  Julianna opened her mouth, but only a small squeak came out. She clamped her lips together then spoke. “Okay.”

  Cross took their hands. “All right. Brace yourselves.”

  Elise closed her eyes feeling the coldness grip her. It was similar to the way the mages had transported her, but not quite the same. Cross’s magic definitely felt more natural and familiar to her. When she opened her eyes, they were indoors in a dark room. The musty, damp smell reminded her of the attic in Gracie Manor, her parents’ home in San Francisco. She let out a shiver.

  “Wait.” Cross waved his hand, and a fire began to blaze in the fireplace in the corner.

  Julianna sucked in a breath. “I can’t believe this.” Surprisingly, her voice sounded much calmer. “We’re really here. This is happening.” Though she began to pace, she was no longer hysterical.

  “I’m afraid so,” Cross said. “There’s no furniture around, but this place should be secure.” With another wave of his hand, three sleeping bags appeared on the floor around the fire. “It’s not much, but we can get some rest. I can make you guys some clothes, if you want.”

  “Whoa.” Julianna froze. “What the—”

  “Cross can change the form of matter,” Elise explained. “Transmogrification.” It was a powerful form of blessed magic, and as far as she knew, only Cross and Daric could perform it.

  “Can you make anything?” Julianna asked.

  “Not quite,” Cross said. “For me to change one thing to another, I need know how it works and what it
’s composed of. For example, I had to study the composition of fire to create it”—he pointed to the fireplace—“and learn about fibers and sewing to make the sleeping bags. The more I make something, the easier it gets though.” He waved his hand, and in an instant, Elise’s black dress and Julianna’s pantsuit turned into pajamas.

  “Wow!” Julianna ran her hands down her new outfit. “Lined with flannel too!”

  “Thank you,” Elise nodded at Cross gratefully.

  “Are you hungry?” With a wave of his hand, bread and cheese appeared on the floor as well as glasses with water. “It’s not much. Cooked food is really complicated to make, because aside from knowing the composition of ingredients, I would have to know the recipe. Meat is especially difficult.”

  “I guess I won’t be able to order a cheeseburger then?” Julianna asked.

  “Afraid not.”

  “This is fine, Cross,” Elise said. “Though I’m not really very hungry.”

  Julianna, on the other hand, was already stuffing half a loaf into her mouth. “Oh my God, I didn’t realize how starved I was,” she said through a mouthful of bread. She had already claimed one of the sleeping bags and was sitting cross-legged on top of it.

  Elise, not knowing what to do, followed suit and sat on the sleeping bag on the farthest left. “Cross, why don’t you tell us what you know?”

  Cross nodded, then took the last open sleeping bag, curling his gigantic body down. “I guess I should start from the beginning.” In the firelight, his ocean-colored eyes seemed to liquefy. “A year ago, my father felt a dark shimmer of power rising up. Then he began to have dreams of the future.”

  Elise shivered, despite the warm fire. “I didn’t know he could do that.”

  “Neither did he,” he said. “His premonitions only come when he touches someone. It’s usually my grandmother, Signe, who has active premonitions. And she was having the same ones.”

  “What did they see?” Elise asked.

  “That the mages would rise in power and finally defeat us.” Cross’s face turned grim. “So we went to the Alpha. Grant Anderson didn’t want to cause any panic, so he sent me on a mission to find out more.”