High Witch Box Set

by Mona Hanna

  Nicholas reached over and grasped her arm. “Hallie, stop! I’ll tell you more. Just stop!”

  She took deep breaths, lessening some of her panic, and the room returned to normal. Nicholas put his hand over the candles and lit them with his magic. Hallie stared at him, still filled with emotion but trying to get a handle on it.

  Nicholas looked very pale but remained composed. He took a deep breath. “I’ll tell you more, just calm down. You have to control yourself.”

  Hallie only nodded, not trusting herself to speak.

  Nicholas sighed. “Like I said, I don’t want to hurt you and Sean. I used Sean to get you here, and I’m using you to get to someone else. Her name is Ariel. Because of her, someone I cared about very deeply is dead, and I want her to suffer for it. I need to avenge this person, need to make up for what was done to them. Ariel can’t get away with it. She needs to suffer, like my loved one suffered. She needs to pay for what happened. Ariel is looking for you, Hallie, and it’s only a matter of time before she finds you. When she comes for you, I’ll be waiting and then I can get rid of her. Nothing will happen to you—this is about Ariel. When she’s gone, you and Sean will be free. That’s all there is.”

  Nicholas sat back in his chair, as if he’d answered all of her questions, but Hallie had a dozen more. She was too frightened to ask them, as Nicholas was clearly disturbed. This was all about revenge? Who was the person he’d lost? Was Nicholas insane—would he just kill her and Sean if they tried to escape? And who was Ariel, and why was she looking for her? Hallie shook her head, too confused to make sense of anything and just wishing this was over. She glanced at Nicholas and found he was staring at her, as if he was trying to read her thoughts. She frowned. “Is Ariel a witch?” she asked. Nicholas didn’t say anything. She felt that confirmed it. “If Ariel’s a witch, she’ll fight you,” she said, looking at the table. “Unless her power is very weak.”

  She looked up at Nicholas again, and then it clicked.

  “Her power isn’t weak—her magic is strong, isn’t it? That’s why you need me—that’s why you’re not going to her. You want her to come to you, so you’ll have the advantage. Her power is strong.” Hallie gulped, wondering if she’d figured it out. Nicholas rested his chin on his palm, staring at her. She met his gaze with trepidation, wondering if what she was saying was going to get her into trouble.

  Nicholas sighed, lowering his arm. He ran a finger over the flame on the candles, their light reflected in his eyes. He chewed on his lip. “You’re a little too smart for your own good, Hallie,” he murmured. “I hope you don’t keep prying into things that are none of your business. We wouldn’t want Sean to stay trapped without food and water, now, would we? I’m the only one who knows where he is. I’m the only one who can release him.”

  Hallie caught her breath. The thought of the one she loved being trapped with no help horrified her. She shook her head. She had to stay calm. Had to play this safe. Had to bide her time until she could get Sean out of this. But then she started to think—why was this Ariel person looking for her? Did they have something in common? Was… she nearly couldn’t breathe when the realization hit her.

  Was Ariel like her? Did she have the same kind of strange power? Hallie looked at Nicholas, wanting to ask one final thing. Just in case he had the answer. Just in case he knew more about her than he was letting on. “Nicholas, what am I?” she said.

  He looked at her, seeming surprised she would say that. He took a deep breath. “A rare kind of person,” he admitted. “You’re both blessed and cursed. If you meet the wrong person, your life is over. I’m a kitten compared to some people out there, people who wouldn’t think twice about using you in far worse ways than I ever would. Be thankful I only want you to get to Ariel. Be thankful all I’m after is revenge.”

  Hallie felt her heart race in her chest. “And what is Ariel?”

  “When I get to her, she’s dead.”

  ***

  Brayden paced the front room of his house, two seconds away from going after Ariel, when she burst through the front door, slammed it behind her, and threw herself into his arms. He held her in astonishment, wondering what had happened to make her react this way. He held her face in his hands, staring at her. “What happened? What’s wrong?”

  “It’s—she’s—he’s….” Ariel shook her head and started to pace the room as he’d just been doing. “I had a vision of the other High Witch—she’s a teenager, about seventeen or eighteen. She’s going to cast a huge spell tomorrow to try and save herself and a man. They’re trapped. I also saw their captor. He’s… oh, Brayden, I can’t believe it.”

  “What? Can’t believe what? You’re scaring me.”

  Ariel stopped, moved towards him, and kissed him deeply. Brayden held her as she moved her mouth against his, her tongue dancing with his own. He was overcome with emotion, fear, arousal, but lost himself in the moment. She gasped in his arms, moaning slightly, and then she came up for air and kissed him lightly a couple more times.

  Brayden gazed at her in surprise. “Okay, I’m slightly less scared,” he said, suddenly forgetting what they were talking about.

  Ariel half-smiled at him, cupping his face with her hands. She bit her lip. “I saw their captor,” she repeated, her expression now serious. “He looked just like Julius. Younger—he’s only about twenty—but he could be his twin. They’re related somehow. I’m sure of it.”

  Brayden shut his eyes. Dammit. He thought they were rid of Julius, once and for all. He frowned at Ariel. “He really looked like Julius? Ariel, I want us to have seen the last of him. I don’t want to believe this.”

  She furrowed her brow. “I’m sorry, Brayden, but it’s what I saw. They’re practically identical.”

  He groaned. “And you’re sure this girl is a High Witch?”

  Ariel nodded. “The spell she cast, it’s too powerful for an ordinary witch, too intense. What if the man wants to turn her? Maybe she’ll get away from him with the spell, but she might not. Does she even know she’s a High Witch—what that means? Brayden, we have to find her!”

  Brayden hugged Ariel closely and felt how tense she was. He smoothed his hand down her hair. “You’ll keep casting the locating spell, and we’ll get to her. It’ll work. It has to.” Ariel sighed deeply in his arms. Brayden shut his eyes, wishing all of their trauma was gone. He moved his lips to her ear and kissed it gently. “Let me make love to you,” he whispered. She looked at him, and he softly kissed her. “I don’t want to argue with you, Ariel. I was just worried about you. I don’t want us to be angry with each other. I want you and the baby to be safe. Let me hold you, wipe out the memory.”

  Ariel looked at him tenderly. “We need to talk, Brayden,” she whispered. He kissed her again. “Maybe I do need to bind our child’s powers. I’ll think about it some more. I don’t want to be angry with you, either.”

  “Ariel.” He pressed his lips against hers, his anguish filling the kiss with intensity. They kissed until they were both panting and Brayden was desperate for her. They somehow made it to the bedroom and lay down together, resuming their embrace. Brayden ran his hands down Ariel’s body, and she drew his shirt over his head and began to moan as he kissed her neck. He moved his hands beneath her blouse, loving the feel of her soft skin, and brushed his fingers over her breasts. She gasped, and he removed her blouse, then took off her long skirt. He removed the rest of his clothing while still kissing her.

  They began to make love, and though it was beautiful, it wasn’t sweet or tender like it often was. Instead, it was intense, all their anxiety, their pain, and their worry banished as they lost themselves to each other. Their anguish dissolved as they writhed together, and Brayden wanted the time to last as long as possible. He made himself keep going, refusing to give in to his building climax, wanting them both to feel greater sensation. She clutched him the way she did when she was close to peaking, but he kept going and heard her cry out as her body trembled at the height of her pleasure
. He kept making love to her, wanting her to feel it again. She gasped, a deep moan escaping her throat, and Brayden couldn’t take it anymore. He led them to the end, giving in, screaming her name as he collapsed on top of her. He almost couldn’t breathe at his release, his heart pounding and his body trembling. He’d never felt anything so euphoric in all his life.

  Chapter 11

  Hallie woke up feeling sore and weary, and wondering why her bed was so hard and why she had a horrible feeling of dread hanging over her. She opened her eyes to the bare wooden room and shot up in bed, remembering everything that happened. Sean! How was he? She shoved aside her flimsy blanket and looked over to the chair near the door, where Nicholas had sat when she went to sleep. The chair was empty.

  Hallie stood up, shaking slightly, feeling full of nerves. Last night Nicholas had magically transported her to this room, presumably so she wouldn’t see the rest of the house, then told her to rest. She’d resisted at first, sat there looking at him in the dim candlelight, but finally weariness took over and she lay down. That was the last thing she remembered. Now Nicholas was gone. She knew he’d be back soon. She had to act fast.

  What was she going to do? She looked around the empty room as she thought. It contained only the bed and a table next to it—there was nothing else other than the chair. The walls and the floor were plain grey wood, not even a coat of paint to brighten the place. On the table was a tray with a plate of cheese and bread and a glass of water. She had no intention of eating; she didn’t trust anything Nicholas gave her.

  She clasped her hands together and thought of the obvious solution. Why not just magically transport home? She could get help and transport back here with someone. But what if Nicholas found she’d left? She remembered his threats. What if in the time she was gone, Nicholas killed Sean, thinking she’d left for good? Her stomach turned at the thought. She couldn’t just leave, but she wasn’t going to just sit there and do nothing.

  She started towards the door, but felt she had to be prepared somehow. Thinking back over her childhood, she remembered she could make herself invisible with her magic. It was something she hadn’t tried in years, but she knew anyone with magic could do it. She chewed her lip, the question she’d been asking herself since yesterday coming to the forefront of her mind: was she willing to use her magic to get her and Sean out of there? If it came to it—if there was a chance for them to get out—was she willing to use her powers? Even if it hurt Nicholas? Was she willing to hurt him?

  The thought horrified her. As much as she hated him, as much as she thought he was insane, she didn’t want to be responsible for hurting anyone else ever again. And she hadn’t used her magic on purpose in years; it pouring out of her when she became upset—or extraordinarily happy, like when she was with Sean—wasn’t the same as having control of it. Wasn’t the same as being able to cast a spell carefully and with finesse. Anything she tried would likely come out all wrong, and there was always danger when she used her magic. She couldn’t even think how to start a spell properly. She looked at the door, became sick of wasting time, and walked over. She just had to try something. Anything.

  ***

  Brayden watched Ariel as she sat at the kitchen table the next morning, the map before her just like yesterday, some of the potion in a mug, and the string attached the vial in her hand. She was very still, waiting. She’d been periodically casting the locating spell for the last hour, convinced it would work somehow. She said she wasn’t going to give up until she found the other High Witch. Brayden just hoped all her work wouldn’t be for nothing.

  “I can’t have had that vision for no reason,” Ariel said. “I’m just going to keep trying until I find her. You believe it will work, don’t you Brayden?”

  He tried to smile, but couldn’t quite manage it. “I think it’s your best shot. I think if anyone can make that spell work, it’s you. And no, I don’t think you had the vision for no reason. Just keep trying. It’s all you can do.”

  She nodded, shut her eyes, and took a deep breath.

  Brayden paced the room, wondering what was going on. He could barely sleep last night thinking about someone related to Julius trying to turn another High Witch. That was the man’s plan, wasn’t it? Ariel had seen the High Witch and a young man both trapped—what else could it be? It had to be about turning her. Ariel had been dreading this—dreading someone else wanting to hurt those like her. He knew this must be killing her; it was killing him. He looked back at Ariel, and she was gazing at him sadly. He frowned, going over to her and kissing her on the forehead. “Don’t you worry too,” he said. “I’ll worry enough for both of us. You just cast the spell.”

  Ariel bit her lip. “Do you think… do you think the man is Julius’ son? Julius lived for so long—it might be a distant relative who just looks like him. But it could be his son. I hate to think of what Julius would have filled his own son’s mind with. He’d probably think High Witches are there just to be turned. It makes me sick, makes me ill. I can’t stand it, Brayden. If I could just go to them, I’d stop him—I’d stop him any way I could. The poor thing, she might not even know how to use her magic! Although the spell I saw her cast was enormous. I hope she gets away from him.” Ariel shut her eyes, putting her head in her hands.

  Brayden grit his teeth, the tension he was feeling nearly unbearable. He hoped the girl would get away too. He hoped she wouldn’t lose her life.

  ***

  The door was locked. Of course it was locked. Hallie tried the handle again, but it didn’t budge. She clenched her jaw, feeling like an idiot. All her power and a locked door stumped her! She grimaced, then decided to magically transport to the only other room she’d seen in the house, the one she’d first arrived in. She shut her eyes, took a deep breath, and visualized the small room. She focused intently, felt the tug in her stomach, then the spinning sensation which came from transporting. When she opened her eyes, she was standing in the other room, the curtains now open and light spilling into the room. Nicholas was sitting on a chair next to the table, reading something in the black leather book filled with dark handwriting Hallie had noticed before.

  He looked up at Hallie and raised an eyebrow. “Good morning,” he announced. “Nice try. The door is locked in this room when I’m not in it, so had I not been here, you would have still been trapped.”

  Hallie clenched her fists. “I can use my magic to undo a stupid lock!”

  “And yet you didn’t. And for your disobedience, Sean will go without food and water today. Try something again, and he’ll have nothing tomorrow.”

  Hallie growled at him. “You can’t keep us here forever! What if this Ariel person takes ages to find me? What if she’d not even looking right now? I want you to take me to Sean—I want to see he’s alright. You might have killed him already! Take me to him!”

  She stomped her foot in anger, but Nicholas just sat there, staring at her. Maybe she should let her magic out. She could feel it, bubbling beneath the surface. She almost didn’t care that she couldn’t control it—she just wanted to stop him. But she looked at Nicholas and knew she didn’t want to hurt him badly. She hated him, she wanted to never see him again, but she couldn’t risk hurting him. She sighed, slumping her shoulders, then went and sat in the other chair. “Why are you doing this?” she murmured, rubbing her forehead. She glanced at Nicholas, and he only frowned.

  “I told you.”

  “But why do you want to hurt Ariel? Who did she hurt that’s so important to you? Your wife?”

  “No, Hallie. Ariel didn’t hurt my wife. I’m not doing this because of who she hurt.”

  “But, you said… you said someone was dead because of her. You’re not even making sense!”

  “I don’t need to make sense to you!” Nicholas shouted, glaring at her, his eyes bright and menacing. He put down the journal and clenched one of his fists, gritting his teeth. Hallie stared at him in awe, and he stared back, looking at her with such hatred she could barely breathe. He
narrowed his eyes. “You don’t get to control this,” Nicholas said, forcing the words out. “You’re behaving like a child, thinking this is some kind of joke, that this is all pretend. Do you know what it’s like to lose someone you love? To watch someone you love be destroyed and then ruthlessly killed? Ariel….” Nicholas shut his eyes, holding the bridge of his nose and taking deep breaths. He finally looked at Hallie with a dark intensity in his eyes.

  Her breath hitched, her heart starting to beat faster.

  “You think you have problems, Hallie, but you haven’t seen true pain. You haven’t lived true pain. You’re the luckiest girl in the world that no one knows what you are, but you don’t see it. You think your power is a problem, you think the way people taunted you was hell. But I’ve seen hell. You, with your comfortable life and a man who loves you and all the safety in the world, don’t know a thing about real torture. You hurt some people—they deserved it. You have power and strength and your life is your own! You have freedom, Hallie, and the only thing stopping you is you. So stop being a baby, stop talking, and be thankful I don’t wish you any harm. I’m a saint compared to some out there. You just don’t understand!” Nicholas slammed his fist on the table, then stood up and paced. He took heaving breaths, clenching and unclenching his fists.

  Hallie was frozen, a trembling mess, shaking and quivering and finding it hard to breathe. Her emotions were taking over, her magic flowing through her, the horrible feeling of losing control overtaking her. She tried to calm down, tried to think clearly, tried to stop. But she couldn’t. She clutched her heart—this was all wrong—then it started to escape her. She had to let it out at something—not Nicholas. She stood up and hurried to the door.

  Nicholas went to grab her arm. He was too late.

  Her magic exploded out of her. A wave of white light, strong and blinding and unbound, hurtled towards the door and blasted it from its hinges. It clattered to the ground, broken in pieces, a mess of wood in the doorway. Hallie scrambled over the remains and ran through a hallway with several doorways along one wall and a staircase behind her. Nicholas was hot on her heels, but she didn’t stop. She had to find Sean.