High Witch Box Set

by Mona Hanna

  Sean reached out and took her hand. “Why don’t you fight back, Hallie?” he asked her, a pleading tone in his voice.

  She looked up at him, wiping a tear from her eyes. “Not you, too,” she said. “That’s what the boy said.”

  “I don’t mean it like him,” Sean said, running a hand through his short hair. “He was just an idiot. But I’m not always going to be there. I don’t mean to fight back with magic, but you don’t have to let people speak to you that way. Why don’t you see how strong you are on the inside? Why don’t you see how brave you are?”

  Hallie felt a few more tears fall from her eyes and moved her hand away from Sean’s. “This is who I am,” she said, sniffing. “I can’t be more than me.”

  “But it’s not who you are!” Sean said. He sighed, then turned slightly so he was facing her. “All you see is what your parents have said you are, what all the idiots out there say you are. But I know you. You’re kind, and sweet, and caring, and strong—Hallie, you’re so strong! If you saw for a moment what you’re really like, you’d be able to stand up to all the people that hurt you—no one would ever be able to hurt you again! And you’d use your magic. You know how I feel about you hiding it.”

  Hallie gritted her teeth, all Sean’s kinds words wiped out by his last comment. “You know I have to hide it!” she exclaimed. She rubbed her face with her hand, hating that he didn’t understand. She huffed, wishing she could explain it to him. “I have to hide it after what happened. You don’t know what it’s like, being afraid of letting go. Being afraid of getting too emotional. You make it sound as if I just suddenly became more confident and believed in myself, all my problems would be solved, but they wouldn’t be! I still have all this power, power I can’t control, and it could hurt people! I just wish you’d accept me as I am.” Hallie crossed her arms over her chest, immediately regretting all she’d just said. She hated it when they fought like this. She expected Sean to get upset with her and argue back, like they sometimes did, but he only sighed.

  “How long are you going to make me wait, Hallie?” he whispered.

  She looked at him in confusion, seeing a pleading look in his beautiful green eyes. She frowned. “Wait for what?”

  He smiled crookedly. “Never mind. It doesn’t matter.”

  She sat up straight. “Wait for what?”

  He only shook his head, looking down. Hallie felt her heart beat faster. What was he talking about? Did he mean…? She found it hard to breathe. She wanted to touch him, to reach out and take his hand, but she was suddenly too nervous. Don’t get too emotional. She tried to breathe deeply, tried to clear her head, but her heart was beating too fast and her breath was shallow and her hands were starting to shake.

  Sean suddenly looked at her. “What’s wrong?”

  She only shook her head. I’m in love with you, you big, stupid idiot, she thought, and shut her eyes, trying to ignore him.

  Then his arms were around her and he leaned her against his chest. He gently kissed her hair, holding her to him. She melted into him, letting out a little sigh. He laughed. “I feel it too, you know,” he whispered, and she looked at him in surprise. He gave the same crooked smile. “I’ve been waiting for you to become more confident, for you to believe in yourself, because I want this to be right. I don’t want to be with you until you’re strong—if we’re together now, all your strength will come from me, and I want you to be strong from you. From inside. Oh, Hallie, I’ve wanted to kiss you since you were twelve, but I can’t. Not yet. Do you understand?”

  She just frowned. “No. If you want to be with me, you’ll accept me as me. Not wait until I’m different. Why do you always want me to be different?”

  “Not different—you. The real you. Hallie, I’ll always be there for you—I’ll always be your friend. But I can’t be more until you don’t need me. Don’t you see what I mean?”

  Hallie felt tears prick her eyes. She didn’t understand what he was saying. He… wanted her? Really? But… only if she was different. Only if she was stronger, braver, confident… and she would never be any of those things. She felt the tears start to come and desperately held them back, not wanting to weep in front of him. “You’re breaking my heart, Sean,” she whispered. “And if you wanted to kiss me all that time, why were you with those other girls? Why are you telling me all this? I can’t just suddenly be different—and if I tried, it would be for you, anyway. And you want me to be strong without you, to not need you. How can I suddenly change—what’s the point of telling me you want me if it’s not as I am?” She moved away from him, not looking at him. “You—you should go.”

  He touched her arm. “Hallie, no.”

  “I mean it! Go! I can’t be strong if you’re always rescuing me! And I don’t want someone who expects me to be different. Just go!” She dared to look at him, and his eyes were filled with pain. But he didn’t say anything, just slowly stood and walked away. Hallie waited until he was out of earshot and then her tears poured out of her, tears over the boy she loved with her whole heart. She would always love him. She knew it. But she didn’t think she could face him, be close to him, when he was just pushing her away. She sobbed, cries that shook her shoulders and made her lose her breath, and then she sat in silence. Maybe her and Sean would make up later. Maybe he would be willing to be with her as she was. Maybe…

  ***

  He left town that afternoon.

  Chapter 1

  Brayden sat on the settee, holding Ariel in his arms, gazing at her. She rested her hands on his chest and snuggled up to him, breathing deeply. He tightened his hold on her and began to gently kiss her hair. His wife. The woman he loved so much. He brushed the side of her face with his thumb, then leaned down and began to kiss her. Her arms went around his neck as she kissed him back. He held her close, wanting to take her to the bed they’d barely left over the last week since they’d gotten married. He began to kiss her neck, excitement running through him as she sighed in pleasure.

  She ran her fingers through his hair, then put her lips to his ear. “More,” she whispered.

  He didn’t need to be told twice. He took her hand and led her to the bedroom. They lay down, kissing each other, their clothes coming off and their bodies joining together. Every time with her was amazing. It was always so sensual, so exciting. He’d never tire of making love to her. Not for the rest of his life.

  He stared at her when they were finished, lying beside her, then trailed his fingers over her stomach.

  She giggled. “That tickles,” she said, smiling at him, her blue eyes filled with warmth.

  He smiled. “Well, I can’t be tickling the home of our baby,” he said, running his fingers over her stomach again.

  Ariel laughed, pushing his hand away. “Stop it. That’s not fair,” she said, giggling. “Don’t make me use my magic on you.”

  He raised his eyebrows but knew it was an empty threat. He drew her to him, wrapped his arms around her, and kissed her forehead. “Ariel,” he breathed. “I can’t wait for him or her to arrive. You think you’re a few months along?”

  “About that,” she said softly. “I can’t wait, either. I can’t wait to meet our baby. I wish I’d told you I was pregnant earlier, but I really thought the early symptoms were just due to stress over what I’d been through. By the time I realized I was pregnant, we were about to be married. I know I’m a few months along—your mother said it’s normal for some women not to show at this stage. I guess I’ll be huge later, though.”

  Brayden smiled, then kissed her forehead again. “You’ll still look lovely, though.” Ariel snuggled up to him, shutting her eyes and lying there silently. Brayden smoothed his hand over her long, flowing blonde hair, his mind drifting over how they’d met, nearly five months ago. They’d been thrown together but grown close so quickly. Meeting her was the greatest thing that ever happened to him.

  He’d been working at an inn, and Ariel had arrived there as a guest. When Brayden had tried to help her use h
er magic, he’d discovered she was a High Witch—one of only three witches in the world with a rare kind of power. He knew all about High Witches—his family was descended from one.

  They’d learned a man named Julius was after Ariel and wanted to put her through an ordeal called the test. Julius had used the test in the past to turn women who were High Witches, making them kill someone to save themselves when he tried to hurt them. When the women became turned, they lost any goodness inside of them and became enslaved to Julius.

  Ariel and Brayden ran, but eventually Julius caught up with them. The High Witch who was currently with Julius was named Nadia. She fought Ariel in a battle, and Ariel only just escaped with her life. Julius kidnapped Brayden’s mother, Emily, and forced them both to go to him. Ariel was stuck—she had to go through the test or Julius would kill Brayden’s mother.

  Julius killed Nadia, then tried to turn Ariel. Ariel was tortured by an enormous machine. If she killed Brayden, she would be turned but Julius would release her. But Ariel didn’t kill him. She let herself die by the machine, sacrificing herself to save Brayden. No witch had ever passed the test before.

  Ariel miraculously came back. They all saw the result of someone passing the test: she was revived, made whole. Ariel killed Julius, then Brayden and his mother and her were all safe. They went home, and four months later, she and Brayden got married. On their wedding day, Ariel told him she was pregnant.

  That was one week ago, and Brayden couldn’t be happier. He felt their lives were perfect. Just Ariel and him and soon their child. It was all he could ever want. Ariel worked with his mother brewing potions to help others, and Brayden sold them at the market. They had their own place and a new life. He had never felt so content before.

  Ariel sighed deeply in Brayden’s arms, and he smiled. He adored it every time she sighed.

  She moved to look at him. “Brayden?” she asked, looking a little nervous. “Are you mad at me?”

  He frowned, confused. “Why would I be mad at you?”

  “Because,” she began, “I haven’t started looking for the other High Witches yet. I told you I would—I told you I’d try to find them. I love living here, being with you, but I can’t put it off forever. They need to be protected. We know one is only a baby, born the day Nadia died, but the other one might be my age, or younger, or older. I don’t want someone to turn her.”

  Brayden kissed her hair. “I’m not even remotely angry with you. We only just got married—we deserve to rest for a while. But if you want to start looking, we can. The thing is, she could be anywhere. She’s not likely to be nearby.”

  Ariel sighed. “I know. But if Julius could find me, I can surely find her. We’ll start looking soon, okay?”

  “Whatever you wish, Ariel,” Brayden said, a little fear running through him but also awe at how kind-hearted she was. He held her closely, then ran his hand over her waist and down her thigh.

  Ariel smiled. “Brayden,” she whispered, kissing his neck. “You’re always distracting me.”

  “I’m just trying to make you feel better. I don’t want you to feel your morning sickness.”

  “Ha!” Ariel laughed. “You know I just use my magic to heal myself of that. But I’m not complaining, my love. Not for a second.”

  Brayden kissed her, becoming lost in the feeling, delighting in her touch. But in the back of his mind, he still felt a little fear.

  ***

  The next day they were sitting in their kitchen, a sunny room at the back of the house, drinking tea together. They had another week together before he and Ariel went back to work. Sunlight shone through the light curtains onto the wooden table, the bench and cupboards also bathed in the glow. There was a fireplace along the wall and various cooking utensils around the room. A vase of yellow flowers stood in the middle of the table.

  Ariel took another sip of tea, then gasped, putting her hand to her stomach.

  Brayden frowned. “What is it?” he asked.

  Ariel looked at him. “I don’t know. I just felt something. Like movement, or something. But it’s too soon for that yet. I don’t know what it was.”

  Brayden stood and walked over to her, placing a hand on her shoulder. “Do you want me to bring my mother here? Do you need some help?”

  “No, it’s probably nothing. It was only the once. It’s okay.”

  He sat back down, but felt a little uneasy. “Alright. Have you given any thought to how you want to locate the other High Witch? The older one? We don’t have a lot of money and aren’t really in a position to travel around. We’d need to hear stories about a witch with enormous power who may have done something big at some stage. She may not be aware of what she is, like you weren’t. I’m not quite sure how to go about this.”

  They were silent for a moment. “Surely there’s a spell I could cast, something that could reach out to her?” Ariel said. “There has to be some way I could use magic to find her.”

  Brayden shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe. Nadia certainly didn’t know of a spell, or she would have used magic to find you. But it does seem hard to believe that you have all that power—that the other witch has all that power—and you can’t find each other. Do you want me to find some books about locating spells?”

  Ariel nodded. “Yes, please. It would be a start. And then…” Ariel gasped again, then was thrown back in her chair. She held on to the table, breathing deeply. She looked at Brayden, her eyes wide.

  He stared back in horror.

  “Brayden, can a baby use magic in the womb?”

  Brayden shook his head. “That’s impossible. She—she’s not even big enough yet. You’re not even showing yet! She can’t… it can’t be! I… I…”

  Ariel put a shaky hand to her stomach, then disappeared on the spot, reappearing in a corner of the kitchen.

  Brayden rushed to her side and clutched her tightly.

  She reached out her arms and held on to him, shaking. “Something’s wrong,” Ariel said. “That wasn’t me. She’s using magic. It’s coming out of her somehow. I’m frightened, Brayden.”

  Brayden took a deep breath, petrified. Something was definitely wrong. He brought Ariel into a hug, determined to find a healer who knew about magic straight away. They didn’t need anything bad to happen.

  Heaven help them if something bad happened.

  Chapter 2

  Hallie sat in the tavern after work, trying to enjoy the meal of meat and vegetables before her. She was at a small table along the wall by herself, half-listening to the loud sounds of people talking and laughing. The dimly lit place had the aroma of smoke mixed with the smell of ale and the food people were eating. There were a lot of people there, but they all left Hallie alone. They didn’t know about her past. She was safe there.

  She took a sip of her wine, remembering with a heavy heart what day this was. It was two years exactly since she’d last seen Sean. After their fight all those months ago, he took a job on his uncle’s ship and left town. She hadn’t heard from him in all that time—not even a single letter. She had no way of knowing where he was, but she knew he could still find her because her parents knew where she lived. Didn’t he want to know how she was doing? Wasn’t he curious at all? She sighed, having to resign herself to the fact that he probably got married to someone and had forgotten all about her. She guessed she never meant as much to him as he meant to her.

  She gradually finished eating, then tucked her hair behind her ears. Her appearance had changed a bit over the last couple of years: she had gotten a little taller but not much; her hair was a little longer now, though still a wavy mess; she lost the extra weight she’d carried throughout her childhood, her face less round and her figure more slender.

  But her life had changed significantly in other ways. She had been copying letters and other documents for people in her town for years for free, just because she was good at it and enjoyed it. She had always been good at writing and was an excellent reader, much to her parents’ dismay. They alwa
ys wanted her to be good at more practical tasks, get married, and be a good housewife. But Hallie preferred reading and writing.

  When she was seventeen, the man who became her employer was traveling in her town and needed some letters copied at the last moment. Hallie did the work for him, and he was so impressed he offered to take her on as his apprentice as long as she was willing to leave with him. And so she went with him. The elderly man was a highly proficient writer, and Hallie had a huge amount of work to do. She had worked for the man for the last year, he paid her well, and she earned a reputation as a highly intelligent, hard-working woman. She was pleased she had started work, had started a new life, but there was a hole in her heart nothing could fill. She tried to ignore it with work, which was all she really had.

  No one in that town knew she was a witch—no one knew anything about her really. She mainly kept to herself, and while the people around her seemed nice and friendly, she just wanted to work and not get close to anyone. She didn’t want anyone there to know about her past. It was safer that way.

  Hallie took another sip of wine when she felt someone watching her. She looked around, then saw a young man of around twenty standing near the door. He was tall and slender, with short black hair. To her surprise he made his way towards her and stood by her table.

  “I hear you work for Amos,” the man said in a gentle voice.