By the time we walk out of the store, I’m itching to get started on the charm. If I never see Mona again, it’ll be too soon. After everything she’s done to me, I can’t believe she thought I’d fall for her lies. She’s never cared about me. The only person she’s hoping to help is herself.
“Now I just need to find somewhere to make the charm,” I say as we step out into the glare of the early afternoon sunshine. “Is there a park nearby or something?”
Taj, Calder, and Silas exchange glances, but none of them answer. Of course they wouldn’t know. None of them are from here. The town is as new to them as it is to me. The only person who would know the answer is gone.
My heart twists at the thought of Poe. As soon as Elowen broke our curse, he left us. While I knew in the back of my head that he was on borrowed time and that he would need to return to the elders eventually, I didn’t expect it to happen so quickly. We didn’t even get to say a proper goodbye.
As if there is such a thing. There’s nothing proper about saying goodbye to someone you care deeply about.
At the Temple of Theurgy, I thought Poe and I made a connection. It wasn’t just about the sex—it was about the trust and desire. I wasn’t sure what bringing him into my life would look like, but I was excited to find out. Except it looks like we’ll never have that chance.
“We’ll find someplace,” Calder says, his voice overly bright. “I’m sure we could ask somebody.”
“In a place as thoroughly magical as this, I’d be surprised if there aren’t designated spell-casting areas,” Taj says with a smile that doesn’t quite reach his eyes. “And once you’ve got the charm curing, we can be on our way to the Front. Now, I know we made do to and from the temple in a sedan, but I was thinking maybe something a bit roomier for this journey, now that we don’t have to take the first available vehicle. Any preferences? Calder? Silas?”
Silas jumps at the sound of his name. “Me? Why would I care what care you rent?”
Taj’s brow furrows. “Just thought you might want to have a say.”
Calder clasps Taj’s shoulder and shakes his head. “He already said he’s not coming with us.”
The words twist a knife in my heart. Although I know they’re true, I can’t help hoping that Silas will argue, claim we misunderstood him or that things have changed.
But the closed expression on Silas’ face is a cold confirmation of my fears. “I’ll have to leave eventually, anyway,” he says, not meeting my eyes. “There’s a big market for daemon DNA. Someone probably has some of my hair in a drawer already. There’s no telling when I’ll be bound again. If I leave now, at least I can say goodbye on my own terms. When someone forms the tether, nothing but their order can keep me from going to them right away—no matter where I am or who I’m with. I can’t control that. But I can control this.”
I want to argue with him. He’s not bound yet, and there’s no telling when it will happen. He could have days—weeks, even. And during that time…
In the brief time we’ve known each other, Silas has carved out for himself a special place in my heart. No one understands better than he what it’s been like living a life where I’m not free to make my own choices. He’s proof that a person isn’t defined by their actions, and he’s hope that I can move past all the pain and suffering my magic has caused and use my abilities for good. He’s my friend, and I don’t want him to leave.
But if that’s the case now, how much worse will it be if he stays? Because I’m not naive enough to believe the day he’ll be forced to leave isn’t already approaching. He once told me the longest he’s gone without being bound. seventeen days. Now that the curse that linked the five of us is broken, there’s nothing keeping him from being summoned by a new master.
I try to swallow, but my mouth is dry. But even if I could speak, I wouldn’t have the words to express everything I want to say. Instead, I close the distance between us and wrap my arms around Silas’ middle. His muscles are stiff with surprise, but they relax seconds later as his hands find their way to my back. My body conforms to the lines and planes of his, and I rest my chin on his shoulder.
“Don’t go soft on me now, cupcake,” he murmurs, his lips close to my ear. “You can handle anything they throw at you. Remember that.”
I squeeze him tighter. “So can you. Remember that no matter what you’re forced to do, you are, at your core, a good person.”
He snorts softly. “I wouldn’t go that far.”
“I would.”
A deep sigh escapes him as he releases me, and for a moment I’m sure I catch a flicker of something flashing in his eye, but it’s gone too quickly to identify it. And as he turns to Calder to shake his hand, I wonder if I didn’t imagine the look to begin with.
After saying his goodbyes to both guys, he meets my gaze for a fleeting moment—just long enough to nod. I have to fight to keep my feet rooted to the spot for fear of grabbing his arm and doing everything I can to convince him to stay with us just a bit longer. Even if he agreed, we both know this story can’t have a happy ending. It’s better for all of us this way, and so when he turns his back and strides back toward the heart of downtown, I don’t follow him.
I slip one hand into Calder’s and the other into Taj’s, squeezing them both with as much pressure as I can muster. I’ve spent too much of my life looking back, wondering what it would be like if my mother had dealt with the pain of my father’s death instead of turning to drugs to numb it.
If I’m to forge a new path for my life, I have to stop looking back and fix my attention on what lies ahead.
Calder turns toward me, covering my hand with his free one. “Are you going to be all right? With Poe leaving, and now Silas, it’s kind of the end of an era.”
My chin jerks up and down by millimeters—the only response I can manage.
“You know you don’t have to worry about us leaving too, don’t you, love?” Taj asks. “I think I speak for Calder when I say we’re with you for the long haul.”
I manage to smile at the two of them as Silas’ figure is swallowed by the swarms of people strolling the sidewalk.
It never crossed my mind that either Taj or Calder might be thinking of leaving. They’ve made it clear that they want to be with me, no matter what. With them by my side, I know that future will be filled with love, contentment, and passion. But something in me still longs for the dynamic Silas would have brought.
But how can I tell them that? I don’t want them to think that they’re not enough for me—because they are.
Even if part of me is convinced I’m destined for more.
Chapter Three
Poe
My old room in the servants’ quarters of the elders’ mansion is exactly as I left it. Although the space isn’t much larger than the one I stayed in at the Temple of Theurgy, the small window along the far wall makes it feel bigger.
It should be a relief to be back here among my people and amid my belongings, but despite the fact that everything is as I remember it, it all feels different. It’s like Invasion of the Body Snatchers where the aliens are carbon copies of the people they seek to replace, except that something feels off about them. But in this case, I know I’m the something different. I’m what’s changed.
And I don’t know how to deal with it.
A knock at my door pulls me from my thoughts, and I fight the urge to ignore it and pretend I’m not here. The faint aroma of sage slips under the door, and I know the shifter outside will have already scented me.
I swing open the door to reveal the curvy form of Summer, a fox shifter who the elders brought in about a month ago. Word around the mansion is she made a name for herself as a thief of supernatural artifacts until a job went sideways and the relic she was stealing activated and killed an office building full of noms. Under normal circumstances, killing even dozens of noms wouldn’t necessarily earn a shifter a life sentence as the elders’ bitch, but Summer’s skill set makes her valuable to them.
> Her full, glossy lips curve into a smile when she catches sight of me. “So the rumors are true. You’re back.”
“I don’t think me coming back is particularly rumor-worthy,” I say, trying—and failing—to offer her a return smile.
She lifts a shoulder as she saunters into my room, uninvited. “The day that gang of supers attacked to free that witch on trial, Harvey said he thought you’d gone rogue. And then you disappeared as soon as the elders cleared the girl. People were wondering if we’d see you back here.”
I can’t quite suppress a snort. “You don’t just up and leave the elders’ service. Figured you’d know that by now.”
Summer takes slow, deliberate steps around my room, her fingers skating along the top of my dresser. “All the same, I’m glad you’re back. We haven’t had the chance to get to know each other since I’ve been here.”
When she turns to face me, a new scent joins her natural sage aroma. The musk of her arousal is unmistakable. And despite the fact that the shifters here abandoned the art of subtlety long ago, having this woman has come into my room with a mind to proposition me puts me off my footing.
Maybe I’m misreading things. The smell is off. If Summer is really turned on by the prospect of getting horizontal, her scent should be spicier. Sweeter. Like cinnamon.
Like Bryn.
The realization punches me in the gut. There’s nothing wrong with Summer, and I’ve been with enough women to know that each has a unique bouquet. It comes down to me wanting the woman before me to be someone else.
In equal measure, I regret what happened in the woods with Bryn and would give my right eye to relive it again and again. I’m convinced that if I’d made a move in the parking lot of Shipwreck Tavern, I could have had her in the backseat of the rental car last night. Rivers, could it have only been last night?
But at the end of the day, I knew if I gave in to the desire, I wouldn’t have had the strength to return here this morning. And as much as Bryn pretended otherwise, coming back to the elders was always nonnegotiable.
Two weeks ago, I’d resigned myself to the fact that this is my life and I’ll never repay the debt I owe for my past sins. But now, I wish more than anything that a different fate awaited me.
Summer leans against the low dresser, resting her hands on the edge. The position would look natural and relaxed if not for the slight arch in her back that makes her tits pop out like softballs straining to break free of their cotton prison. She’s not wearing a bra, and the taut peaks of her nipples poke up through the thin fabric like an offering.
I should take her up on it. Cleanse my palate. The sooner I’m inside someone else, the sooner I’ll forget the tight, hot silk of Bryn’s pussy pulsing around my cock.
The truth is no matter how much I want my life to be different, it is what it is and that’s the way it’s staying. I shouldn’t let myself get so hung up on one piece of unattainable ass that I ignore what’s right in front of me.
Except Bryn wasn’t just a piece of ass, no matter how much I may try to rewrite that particular part of my history.
“I’ve been here long enough to know no one’s looking for anything long-term,” Summer says, rolling back her shoulders.
I nod, my gaze not straying far from her face. “That’s accurate.”
A smile curves her lips. “Did you know the girls all keep score?”
I don’t have to ask what about. While some other beings might be squeamish about comparing notes about liaisons with the same partners, shifters aren’t known for their prudishness. “Doesn’t surprise me.”
She leans forward, and this time I can’t keep from staring straight at her tits. They’re the biggest I’ve seen in a while. Most of the women around here weigh in at just about a handful. Even Bryn wasn’t much more than that, although part of me wonders if that won’t change now that she’s not holed up in a jail cell anymore. But even though typically by now I’d be imagining how her breasts would feel in my hands, today they serve as a mere curiosity.
“I bet you’re also not surprised that you’re at the top of that list.” Summer bites her lower lip as her gaze dips below my belt buckle. “Every woman here sings your praises.” She pushes off from the dresser and takes slow, measured steps toward me. “I’m here to join the choir.”
My mind goes blank. Every muscle in my body tenses like a fucking rabbit caught in the eyeline of a coyote. It’s not the first time a woman’s come on strong, but it’s the first time I’ve had no idea how to respond.
The primal part of my brain rejoices at the easy conquest, but there’s a disconnect somewhere between it and my dick, which barely stirs in my pants.
A vibration against my upper thigh nearly makes me jump out of my skin before I realize the source. Turning from Summer, I dig my hand into my front pocket to retrieve my phone. For a split second, I’m convinced it’s Calder or Taj or Silas calling, but as joined at the hip as we all were while cursed, it never occurred to any of us to exchange numbers. Instead, the display identifies the caller as Fred.
I’ve never been happier to see his name pop up on my phone.
I tap to answer the call and bring the device to my ear. “Yeah?”
“I want to preface this by saying that unlike most of my calls, you have a choice about this one,” Fred says, his words tripping over themselves—as usual. Years ago, Fred was injured while bringing in a bounty. Not many things will take down a shifter, but some slippery summabitch sliced a tendon in his leg several years back, leaving him with a severe limp. For most of us, an injury like that would have been grounds for dismissal from the elders’ service, but for some reason, they saw fit to keep Fred on as something of a secretary. Usually he only calls when the elders have assigned me to bring in a bounty.
The idea that this assignment isn’t typical piques my interest. “What’s the job?”
“Possible breach of the Secrecy Act,” Fred says. “Her Excellency wants to send a team, and she asked me to assemble it. I’d like you as leader, but I know you just got back this morning from—”
“I’ll take it.” The words slip from my lips in a rush. I need to be in action. If I’m on mission, I won’t have time to think about everything that’s happened since the night I was cursed. And it’ll buy me some time to figure out what to do about Summer and her proposition.
“Sounds good,” Fred says, a note of surprise curling around the edges of the words. “Meet in the elders’ chambers in ten.”
I end the call and slip the phone back into my pocket. When I turn to Summer, I try to arrange my features into something akin to apology. “We’ll have to cut this short. I’ve got somewhere to be.”
Summer’s mouth twists into a disappointed pout. “I suppose we can pick up where we left off later.”
I grunt, letting her take from it what she wants. My head’s not on straight right now. What I need is a good old-fashioned mission to shake off the last week.
At least that’s what I tell myself as I show Summer the door and make a beeline for the main part of the mansion.
I make it to the chambers before even the elders filter in. The sooner we get this meeting over with, the sooner I can leave Twin Rivers and focus on something other than the someone I’d rather be with.
Slowly, others filter in. Dave and Lloyd, two wolf shifters who are almost always joined at the hip. Carmen, a cheetah shifter who’s been here longer than I have. A bear shifter named Marty who always proves to be an invaluable backup in sticky spots. All in all, a decent team for whatever mission the elders intend to send me on.
A door at the front of the room opens, and I straighten my back and stand at attention. Faro Calmus enters first. He is by far the oldest member of the council, and his long white hair is pulled into a braid that reaches halfway down his back. Mala Badamo steps onto the dais next. Her blonde hair is cropped short, and her pointed chin gives her a continually fierce look. Cassiel Dain follows her, his lips twisted into a perpetual scowl. The last t
o enter is Daya Ambrose, the interim leader of the elders—appointed after the murder of Amos Cross. Her raven-dark hair flows over her shoulders in thick sheets. The four of them sit in their appointed chairs on the dais, leaving one on the end conspicuously empty. It’s really a shame he was killed by the potion Mona forced Bryn to brew; he was always my favorite of the elders.
Daya lifts her chin in the maddeningly imperious way of hers, serving those assembled before rising to speak. “We’ve received reports that there was a breach of the Secrecy Act in the city of Nashua. Your team is to ascertain whether these reports are to be believed, conduct any damage control needed, and bring in the parties responsible, if the statutes were indeed broken.”
Door hinges creak in the back of the room, but I know better than to turn while Her Excellency is speaking. If this is another member of my team, I can reprimand him later about tardiness to an official briefing.
“Poe,” Daya says, narrowing her shrewd gaze on me. “I’m surprised to see you out on a mission so quickly after your last assignment’s resolution.”
I exhale through my nose, doing everything I can to keep my muscles relaxed. I won’t rise to her bait. My last mission was a bullshit one I pulled out of my ass to give me time to work with Bryn and the others to find the great mage Elowen and get her to remove the death mark we’d been cursed with. I never intended to come back with a suspect in tow. But I’ll be damned if I let Daya and the other elders know it.
“It pleases me to serve Your Excellency,” I say in a practiced cadence.
After an interminable moment, Daya nods. “May the Rivers guide your journey.”
I nod to accept the customary blessing, and I keep my head bowed until Daya shoos me and my team away.
I turn, ready to rip into the newcomer for not making it to the meeting in time, but my reprimand dies in my throat when I come face to face with Summer.
Rebel Witch Page 2