Witches Be Burned: A Magic & Mayhem Novel

by Stacey Kennedy

  “Yes,” she breathed, captivated by him.

  “Good.”

  His hands, his mouth, his everything that tempted her vanished. He rested his head against the bathtub, grinning at her.

  “Oh, so that’s how it’s going to be?” she retorted, eyeing the guardians’ gift to women who was completely naked and available to her. “You honestly think you can punish me by refusing sex?”

  His eyes twinkled. “Yes, I do.”

  Words would not win this battle. But a gal did have her ways, and as much as she lusted after Kyden, she held the same type of control over him. Instead of fighting him with words to indulge her, she swirled her hips against him, and his hard gaze reflected restraint not to touch her.

  She sensually leaned in, pressing her puckered nipples against his warm chest, and whispered in his ear, “I want you, Kyden. So very deep inside me. Owning me. Controlling me. Making me yours.”

  He grunted, going stiff beneath her.

  Determined now, she licked up the side of his neck and shoved her fingers through his damp hair. Then she yanked his head up, forcing him to hold her stare. Kyden liked it a little rough, and even if he was tough—so powerful and confident—with her, his resolve never lasted.

  Ever.

  Perhaps that’s why this thing between them was so special. Their relationship had kicked off in a blaze of passion, and that unadulterated lust had never sizzled out, not even four months later.

  Looking at him now, she saw nothing less than a man full of possession and outright hunger to devour her. Exactly how she wanted him. She kissed him, hard and demanding, hearing the answering rumble of need from his chest. When she backed away, his jaw was tight, tense with want. His muscles flexed as they always did before he eagerly claimed her body. The glow in his eyes made her belly flip-flop and everything inside her coil, ready for more.

  Kyden loved to dominate—in all aspects of his life—and he did it well. The bedroom was the only place she’d accept his dominance, and given that she’d just freely offered him the right to take charge, she knew his resolve wouldn’t last. It came as no surprise that his devilish smile appeared seconds before he lifted her bottom, positioning her on the tip of his cock. Her eyes had fluttered closed as she anticipated the fullness of him—the perfectness of him—sending her nearly clawing at him when a loud meow cut through the air.

  Then the kitten jumped onto the edge of the tub and meowed.

  Kyden cursed and pounced up, sending Nexi off his lap, causing a wave of water to rush over the tub. Nexi’s eyes widened and she shouted, “Oh, shit,” as the water was heading straight for her kitten.

  Chapter 3

  The kitten hissed as if a rabid dog were chasing her down seconds before the water hit. She became entirely soaked, looking like a drowned rat. “Oh my God, look what you did to her!” Nexi snapped, stepping out of the tub and grabbing a towel as the poor kitty cowered in the corner. “Geesh, you would think you’ve never seen a kitten before.”

  Nude, aroused, and hot as hell, Kyden glared at the kitten. “Whose is that?”

  “Mine.”

  One dangerously annoyed brow arched. “Yours? As in you’re keeping it?”

  Nexi regretted not running it by him before she brought the kitten home. But it was just a kitten—or maybe a werecat or something else entirely—but still just a kitten of some kind, for cripes’ sake. “Well, I’ve seen her around a couple times and it seemed like she wanted to stick with me.” She picked the kitten up, drying her off quickly with hard rubs. “Besides, what if she doesn’t have a home?”

  “Easy,” Kyden growled. “It can find another one.”

  “I don’t think she’d appreciate being called an it,” Nexi mused, before glancing to the kitten, knowing that if she was staying she needed a name. As she stared into the kitty’s bright green eyes, the name came to her easily. The kitten’s eyes reminded her of something else she loved. “How about Willow?” Her eye color was the same color as the leaves of Nexi’s favorite tree. A tree located in the Witches’ Meadow—the grounds the witches used for training—where she would visit with her mother when Nexi was a child.

  “Like the name.” Kyden crossed his arms over his chest, which seemed to accentuate his beautifully muscular form. “Not sure about the cat.”

  Willow hissed at him.

  Nexi placed the kitten on the floor and laughed. “I think the feeling’s mutual.” Even now the magical energy coming off the kitten was impressive—big waves of power rippling across Nexi’s skin. “By the way, what is she? A shifter of some kind?”

  Willow hissed again.

  Looking not too pleased to do it, Kyden wrapped a towel around his waist, and Nexi sighed in longing that his body was now covered. There went great bath sex. “Familiars are—”

  A loud knock on the door cut him off.

  Kyden finished, “I’ll explain later.”

  Then came his lingering look of regret that swept over Nexi.

  Yep, sex was no longer an option. That’d teach Kyden for drawing it out, Nexi thought to herself. With a long, somewhat suffering sigh, he exited the bathroom. Curious who was at the door, Nexi grabbed her housecoat off the hook on the stone wall and hurried into the living room, with Willow following close behind.

  When she entered the room, Kyden had already opened their front door, and a strawberry-blond beauty peered in. Tears filled Zia’s baby-blue eyes, and Nexi bristled at the sadness oozing from Zia.

  As the leader of the witch coven in the Otherworld and a member of the Council, Zia, Mistress of Witches, was as powerful with her magic as she was strong in her character. She’d also been the witch who had helped Nexi fine-tune her witch magic since Lazarus’s death.

  “What’s wrong?” Kyden asked, with surprise in his voice.

  “The Council needs you now,” Zia whispered.

  Someone has died ran through Nexi’s thoughts, which must have been pushed outward, since Zia replied, Yes, someone has, in Nexi’s mind. Zia hadn’t pinpointed the reason why she and Nexi shared a telepathic ability, since it was an unusual trait for witches to share. But the assumption had been made that it was because Zia was Tillie’s soul-sister. Zia thought, and Nexi agreed, that their bond just transferred this way to Nexi because Tillie was no longer alive and Nexi was her daughter.

  Sometimes it was easier to accept something than dig for answers. Nexi hadn’t questioned the ability much, because it often came in handy. Besides, Zia had become somewhat of a replacement mother to her—and she appreciated the closeness she shared with Zia. Nexi might have lost many that she loved, but she also gained so much, too. She tried—and often reminded herself—never to forget that.

  She gazed into Zia’s warm eyes, holding such love and kindness, and forced herself to ask aloud for Kyden’s sake, “Who died?”

  A hesitation. Then Zia’s voice was gruff. “There’s been a murder.”

  “A human murder?” Kyden asked, pressing a comforting, warm hand against Nexi’s shoulder.

  “No.” Zia sniffed, wiping away her fallen tears. “I’m afraid it’s one of our own. Please. You must hurry.”

  Trefan.

  Zia planted that one word in Nexi’s mind, but she couldn’t believe he was the one who had been murdered. She didn’t even want to accept that Finn had lost his younger brother.

  Nexi wasted no time getting dressed, and while Willow hissed at being left at home alone, Nexi slammed the door shut and ran after Kyden and Zia into the Council’s Foyer. The large room that was located to the right of the Council’s Hall, which was the Council’s headquarters, had white stone walls stretching into a vaulted ceiling. On the right were four windows with intricate stone carvings decorating the sides. A warm breeze soared through the room, which was typical of the Otherworld—the temperature always stayed a pleasant seventy-eight degrees. But as Nexi took two steps into the room, she nearly dropped to her knees as Haven’s emotions stormed into her like a disease—icy shock, crippling hor
ror, it all raced across Nexi’s senses.

  Kyden was quick to wrap an arm around her, and he always seemed ready to catch her whenever these fierce emotions took over. While Nexi loved the bond with Haven, there were downsides. Bad emotions were never fun to deal with—and Nexi was still getting used to dealing with an emotion that belonged to another. The upside was that the emotions were shared for an instant before they vanished away, and it happened only when Nexi was in close proximity to Haven.

  Kyden continued to assist Nexi toward the portal’s large wooden door, and that’s when Nexi noticed Finn, too. Refusing to believe what Zia had said, Nexi grabbed Zia’s outreached hand, noticing that neither Haven nor Finn held on to Zia, telling Nexi they knew exactly where the murder happened.

  The portal worked only if the specific location remained on the mind of the supernatural crossing through. And by the tears in Finn’s eyes, and the cold, horrific shock rushing through the bond with Haven, Nexi began to believe what Zia had told her. She forced her mind to go blank as Kyden reached for her hand, and they followed Zia through the portal, allowing Zia to lead them to the crime scene.

  Light hit. Wind roared. The squeeze of the portal was always slightly dizzying. Only when all the force stopped pushing against Nexi’s lungs and the buzzing in her ears faded to the sound of crickets could she draw air in again.

  Relieved that Haven’s emotions weren’t crossing through the bond anymore, Nexi took in her surroundings. She couldn’t identify what city the portal had taken them to, and she didn’t even know what state she stood in. All that made sense now was she’d arrived to a remote part of a forest that had a large area of flat grass.

  The night was dry, dark, and oh-so-eerie, which was amplified by the inhuman growl echoing the night sky. Nexi looked to Haven first, seeing her hands raised high to the sky and her magic pulsing like raw energy out of her. When the growl came again, Nexi narrowed her eyes on the tall, lanky vampire a few feet away from her as he snarled, “Your death will bring no mercy. Your blood will be our revenge.”

  She held her breath, unable to look away, as Haven’s magic showed more than twenty vampires now in the field. To her horror, she realized Zia hadn’t been wrong—the guardian, Trefan, slowly backed away—outnumbered and all alone. The scabbard across his chest lay empty as he held his mighty sword—his only defense—and it shook like a wet noodle.

  Stomach churning, she spotted the fear resting heavy in Trefan’s blue eyes as the vampires attacked. Desperate to defend himself, he swiped his sword, roaring with both fright and urgency, frantically trying to hit anything or anyone.

  Nexi wrapped her arms around herself as she watched in absolute repulsion as a vampire grabbed Trefan’s blade, tossing it aside. The silence in the air was crippling. The scent of fear was so thick that Nexi could almost taste it. Then, with a roar that sent chills down her spine, every vampire with fangs glistening under the moonlight plowed into Trefan. Pushed down to the grass face-first, Trefan screamed out in agony as the vamps drank heavily from his body in any spot they could find.

  Her heart shattered into pieces, and she looked to the grass beneath her boots, refusing to watch Trefan die. Even as witch and guardian, she was unable to help him now. He, sadly, had already died, as this was a vision of the past.

  Only when Trefan’s screams went quiet did she bring herself to raise her head, discovering that the vision had frozen. Trefan lay dead on the ground with the vampires still on top of him.

  Dead.

  Deep-seated grief nearly sank her to her knees, as she wasn’t sure what to do, what to say. The visions she’d seen before this hadn’t been of someone she knew. Sickness roiled through her. Trefan didn’t deserve this fate. Tears prickled her eyes as she turned to Haven, and now she fully understood Haven’s emotions earlier.

  A hard lump formed at the base of Nexi’s throat as everyone stood in shocked silence; only insects chirping cut through the night air. Her body lost some of its strength, her knees weakening, and she couldn’t understand how or why this had happened. She dug her fingernails into her palms, on the verge of tears, yet also knowing that breaking down wouldn’t help anything. Trefan didn’t need her tears. He needed her to get revenge and find out who murdered him, and also to discover the reasons behind such a grim death.

  Before she could say as much, Zia said, “These weren’t vampires lost in bloodlust.”

  “Didn’t seem that way,” Nexi agreed, ignoring the blast of cold and empty sadness flowing through her.

  She assumed that Haven had finally accepted that Trefan had died. For now, Nexi didn’t comfort Haven; she stayed focused on their next steps and turned to Kyden, who stood next to Trefan’s body. Then she glanced to his feet and heavy despair dropped right into the pit of her stomach, shattering her heart.

  Finn knelt on the grass with his head bowed, and Kyden had a hand on his shoulder. Her throat thickened as she regarded Kyden’s distant, empty stare. This was a blow, not only to the Council’s Guard but to one of Kyden’s closest friends, Finn.

  Nexi’s eyes shut without her say-so, understanding Finn’s pain, maybe more than most. Not allowing this moment to become about what she’d suffered, she approached, knowing Kyden’s misery didn’t come solely from Finn’s pain at the death of his brother. Kyden and Finn were close, and Kyden cared deeply for the people he loved.

  Maybe even Kyden was damn tired of so much personal loss.

  Once she reached Finn, she dropped down beside him, her knees pressing against the cool, damp grass. The breeze swept over her, raising goose bumps as she inhaled the woodsy scents drifting along the wind. She took Finn’s icy hand into hers. “I’m so sorry, Finn.”

  His blue eyes held no mischief, as they usually did. They were drowning in desolation. “You, out of everyone, understand what I’m suffering now.”

  She swallowed deeply. Yeah, she did. She also wished they didn’t have this in common.

  Tears welled in her eyes and she looked away, trying to be strong for Finn. Her attention fell to Zia, who hugged Haven. Damn sad this was. Haven and Finn probably needed each other more than anything else, but Nexi assumed neither of them held the capacity to move after witnessing Trefan’s death.

  Doing the one thing that helped her during these times, she wrapped her arms around Finn and stayed silent while he embraced her so tight and began to sob. An ache filled her chest at seeing such a strong guardian break. She’d been well acquainted with the stages of grief. Once anger set into Finn, nothing would stop his quest to shed the blood of the vampires who killed his brother.

  For now, grief outweighed his need for retaliation.

  With a heavy heart, she looked at Kyden. His eyes blazed as he thrust his fingers into his hair, a move that always showed both anger and frustration. Similar feelings descended through her also. The weight of her sword on her back brought forth the rich desire to hunt.

  She squeezed her arms tighter around Finn, hating life sometimes. Trefan had joined the Council’s Guard just a week ago, after training for the role. Nexi hadn’t even had the chance to really get to know him—she’d had only a few conversations with him. No innocent death was warranted, but somehow the loss of such a young, vibrant life seemed worse.

  A tear slid down her cheek and she rested her head on Finn’s shoulder, gazing at the forest a few feet away. The longer she stared, the more a shadow began to stand out. She leaned away from Finn, wiped her eyes, and squinted.

  “What is it?” Kyden asked, his voice tight.

  “I don’t…” Concentrating on that shadow, she pushed up off the damp grass. As her vision adjusted to the dark night, she noticed the shadow wasn’t a shadow at all. It was a woman—or, by the energy Nexi could feel, a witch. A cold shiver slid through her as she took a couple steps forward. “There’s a witch here.”

  Once she reached the edge of the forest, Nexi thought the witch was the definition of the girl next door—round, bright blue eyes and perfect curled long brown hair. Pr
etty, in an innocent way. “Who is this?” she called.

  “Astoria,” Zia hissed.

  Nexi jerked her head to the side. The scowl on Zia’s face matched her rigid voice. “You know her?”

  “That”—Zia’s features immensely darkened—“is a black-magic witch.”

  Icy fingertips crawled over Nexi’s flesh. Since joining the Council’s Guard, she hadn’t dealt with—or heard of—any assignments that included a black-magic witch. White-magic witches who used spells that hurt humans, yes, but a witch who possessed a different type of magic from Nexi’s, no. “Evil magic, you mean?”

  Zia bobbed her head. “We train young witches in how to fight against the pull toward black magic. Yet some cannot deny the strength and the appeal to hold such powerful abilities.”

  Pondering this new development in the rules of supernaturals, Nexi couldn’t help but ask, “Is dark magic gifted from the elements?”

  “No. White magic comes from the elements. Dark magic uses an ancient source—a rich, dark power.” Zia’s features tightened, dead serious, her voice equally so. “Believe me when I say that tapping into that magic is like dealing with the Devil himself.”

  Goose bumps rose across Nexi’s flesh and she rubbed her arms to rid herself of them. “Then why would anyone do it?”

  “To gain a higher power,” Zia explained. “While the witches who work for the Council’s Guard all have strong abilities, not every witch is gifted so well.” She gave Astoria a long regard, her lips pressing into a firm line before she returned her focus on Nexi. “Maybe jealousy plays a part, but some will do anything to be stronger. That includes abandoning the elements to receive it.”

  Unimaginable.

  The elements were now part of Nexi.

  To turn her back on her gifts to gain a higher power was unfathomable. Then again, she didn’t have to. The elements had gifted her with powerful Fire and Air magic. She could burn a vamp where he stood without touching him or cage him so he couldn’t move—how could she not appreciate that? “What involvement would Astoria have with these vampires? Why stay here to watch them murder Trefan?”