No, she needed to hear how he loved her, how both of them had always loved her.
Whoever took their witch, dead wasn’t good enough. If someone even touched her, he’d wish for death. Wish for it quickly.
“We’ll find her,” Royce told his brother. “We’ll find them.” It wasn’t even a question of possibility. They would find their witch or die trying.
Chapter Eight
Carmen’s head felt like it was hit with a truck. She tried to reach for it, but something restrained her. When she tried to open her eyes, she couldn’t because of a blindfold covering them.
That’s when she remembered what happened to her. Two men had come after her, and she hadn’t been able to get away. A third person had knocked her upside the head. That’s when the pain hit her. She felt dizzy and nauseous, but she tried to focus.
Feeling came back before her other senses did.
Now she was blinded and tied up like an animal. No, not even animals deserved what was happening to her.
Carmen had been fading in and out over the last few hours, but she remembered hearing her capturers speak earlier. They’d said something important. Something about someone else being there too.
She tried to shake herself loose, but it only made her feel more trapped and sent a splitting headache through her brain.
“Settle yourself, child,” a woman’s voice said to her.
Carmen stopped moving. “Who’s there?” When no one answered, she continued, “Things may go better for you if you let me go.”
The woman laughed, but she sounded exhausted by the effort. “I would be happy to help you, if I wasn’t locked up too.”
Carmen remembered what her captors had said.
“You’re the other person they were talking about. Where are we? What’s going on?”
“One question at a time. Even I can’t answer them all.”
Carmen tried to shift herself free again.
“If you keep that up, you’ll exhaust yourself out quickly. Calm yourself.”
“I was kidnapped and tied up,” Carmen snapped. “Kind of hard to stay calm right now.”
“What’s your name, child?”
Carmen tried one last pull until her body relaxed from the strain.
“Carmen,” she said through pants.
“Well, you’ve got spirit, Carmen. That’s a good thing to have. Trust me.”
Her head throbbed again. “Doesn’t feel like it,” she said. “I shared mine. Can I at least get your name?”
She heard chains rattle and figured they were holding the other woman down.
“I gave my name up years ago,” the woman said. “It’s required before becoming Mistress of Spirit.”
Carmen finally took the woman’s advice and stopped trying to get free. “You’re... Mistress of Spirit?”
“I am, or I was before I was brought here.”
Dread filled Carmen, especially from the awful way she’d talked back to the woman. If she remembered any of the witch history her mother tried to teach her and her sisters, people were imprisoned or worse for talking back to Elemental Board members. Since she was already imprisoned, she didn’t want to find out what else could happen to her.
“I’m so sorry, Mistress,” Carmen said. “I didn’t mean to—”
“Don’t worry about such things. Given our current situation, I think formalities can be forgiven, don’t you?”
Carmen took a deep breath. “I don’t understand. Why would they hurt you? Isn’t that punishable by death or something?”
The Mistress of Spirit was quiet.
Silence wasn’t a good sign at the moment.
Carmen tried to move her hands again. This time she could tell ropes were holding her down. At least they weren’t chains, which meant she could burn them away.
She attempted to focus on her power, think about it leaving her and burning the ropes loose. When she tried, a headache took over and made her lose her concentration.
“Save your strength, fire witch.”
Carmen turned her head in the direction of the woman’s voice. “How did you know that I’m a fire witch?”
“A gift of spirit is being in tune with the other elements, but you’re wasting your strength. They’ve given us both something to keep our magic down. We both need to wait. Have patience, Carmen.”
“If you knew me, you’d know that isn’t something I’m very good at. No Brixton is, really.”
“Brixton? You’re Carmen Brixton? Seraphine’s daughter?” the Mistress of Spirit asked.
Great, Carmen thought. What did my big mouth get me into this time?
She’d been talking to this woman, who claimed she was Mistress of Spirit, but she couldn’t even see the woman’s face. Not that she knew what the woman was supposed to look like.
“Why does it matter to you?” Carmen asked.
“Because,” the Mistress of Spirit said, “I grew up with your mother.”
Chapter Nine
Ryan watched as Carmen’s sisters used a scrying stone to look for Carmen.
When they came up empty, Claire tossed the stone across the room. Ryan knew exactly how the witch felt.
“How could this happen?” Claire asked. “I should’ve been there for her.”
Axel took his witch into his arms. “You can’t keep blaming yourself, Claire. It does her no good to beat yourself up.”
Charice placed a hand on her sister’s back. “We’re going to find who took our sister, and they’re going to wish they never messed with us Brixtons.”
Ryan had heard about the Brixton sisters and how strong-willed the family was, but seeing them in action was something else. The family had strong roots in Kala West, almost as old as his and Royce’s family. Brixton women seemed like strong witches, ones who needed worthy warlocks by their side.
He realized where Carmen’s passion came from, and that only made him want to kill whoever took their witch even more.
“If anyone’s to blame, we are,” Royce said. “Me most of all.”
Ryan stared at his brother, and realized he was doing the same thing as Claire was, blaming himself. Well, it wasn’t just Royce’s fault. They were brothers, and he’d be damned if he’d let his twin take all the blame for it.
“We both are to blame for her going off alone,” Ryan said. “We’re sorry for letting you down. It’s obvious how much you care for her, but you have to know you’re not alone in doing so.”
Claire lifted her head from Axel’s chest and looked right at Ryan. He felt the urge to look away from the intensity she gave him, but he wasn’t going to move away from her gaze. He could at least afford Carmen’s sisters the decency to face them, even if it meant receiving their anger.
“You both really do care about her, don’t you?” Claire asked.
“More than that,” Royce said. “We love her.” He spoke for them both. There was no need to question it anymore, because they knew.
Ryan knew his brother’s words captured what he’d always felt for Carmen. Royce may have been too afraid to claim her, but he wasn’t the only one. Ryan had fears too, fears of finding a witch without the only warlock who ever had his back. Even as Royce continued down his war path, Ryan knew he couldn’t find a third without him, but he was too afraid to admit it out loud, more so to himself than anyone else.
They both had been cowards. But not tonight. Not when Carmen needed her warlocks and those who loved her. Tonight, they would be the warlocks she deserved. When they found her, they’d keep her for as long as she’d have them. That’s all they could ask for.
“Even more,” Ryan added, “we’d die for her.”
Claire nodded her head. With her own warlocks surrounding her, hopefully she knew just how powerful Royce and Ryan’s bond with Carmen was.
“Let’s pray to the gods it doesn’t come to that,” Charice said.
Warren and Kye took her into their arms, leaving Ryan and Royce the only two without their witch.
Not for l
ong, Ryan thought. We’re getting Carmen back and fuckers are going to pay.
Charice seemed to get strength from the two men surrounding her before she spoke again. “Knowing our sister, she’d have our asses if we let anything happen to her warlocks.”
Ryan saw a small smile on Claire and Charice’s faces as they looked at each other, as if sharing a family secret only they knew.
He knew Carmen enough to understand it. Ryan felt the fire Carmen possessed within, one that could make any man burn for her. He wanted her safely back, so they could show her how good it was to be lit on fire from the inside with desire. She deserved that and so much more.
Yep, Ryan thought. Whoever took our witch is definitely going to pay with his life.
Chapter Ten
“What do you mean you grew up with my mother?” Carmen asked. Her thoughts of struggling came to a halt.
Her mother wasn’t a quiet woman, that was certain, but she never talked about her past much. In fact, whenever Carmen and her sisters asked about her childhood, she’d go quiet and tense up. They tried to find out why she acted that way, but their two fathers Dad and Papa told them that their mother would tell them when she wanted them to know. That only made Carmen anxious to know more, but her mother was like a secret vault. There was no getting into her head unless she wanted you to be there.
“Years ago, we went to school together,” the Mistress of Spirit said. “We were close friends.”
“She never mentioned you before.”
“No, she wouldn’t have. That’s Seraphine for you. Always one to tell you about your life, but never one to share hers.”
That truth about her mother made Carmen laugh, until it actually started hurting her head even more.
“That’s my Ma,” Carmen said.
“It’s been years since I’ve seen her.” The Mistress of Sprit’s voice was slow and careful.
Carmen wasn’t sure if she was hearing the woman’s regrets, sadness, or both. “Why haven’t you? I mean, Kala West is big, but not that big.”
“Sometimes the closer you are to someone, the farther apart you get.”
Carmen thought she heard the woman’s voice breaking. If she had any doubt of the Mistress of Spirit being friends with her mother, it vanished with the sound of her voice.
“I’m sorry,” Carmen said absently.
“Don’t be. It was a choice I made long ago. I have many regrets. One is not staying in touch with your mother. When you choose the position of Mistress or Master, you must give up many things. Your life is no longer your own.”
“I don’t understand. I thought El-Board members were allowed to have family and friends like everyone else.” Carmen heard the woman’s chains rattle as she shifted.
“Yes, we are, but so many secrets must be kept that it creates a wedge at times. Even my own daughter barely knows who I am, and I’ve only seen my grandson a few times. It’s meant to protect them, but it only makes that distance wider for many of us.”
“That sounds horrible.” Carmen couldn’t imagine what life would be like without her family. They made her who she was, and the more she thought about them, the more she wished she was surrounded by them in that moment.
“Leaders have to make sacrifices at times. Many Elemental Board members have suffered their own loses in different ways, but hopefully that will change in time for the future leaders of Kala West.”
“Change is coming,” a stern male voice said. “Just not the way you want it to, Mistress.”
Carmen turned to the new presence. She never heard anyone approach. She’d been too distracted talking and listening to the Mistress of Spirit.
Damn it! If she had any hope of getting out of there, she needed to get her witch senses into gear.
“Aren’t you going to say anything, Mistress? I’m sure you recognize my voice by now.”
Carmen thought she knew the voice too. It was just at the edge of her memory, one her headache was keeping at bay.
Who the hell is this asshole? She’d give anything just to have a peek at him, so she could remember.
She already hated him for his arrogance at thinking he’d get away with it. The sound of his false victory was all over his tone, like he knew he’d won the ultimate prize and there was no one else in his way.
“Even in the shadows, I’d know you. There’s nothing left to acknowledge,” the Mistress of Spirit said.
“Our all-powerful leader with nothing to contribute? Now that’s a first.”
“Your actions are your own,” she said. “You’ll be the one to face them in the hereafter.”
“There’s that self-righteous witch we have all come to love. Morals until the end. Just like my brother and his wife before their time was up.”
“No, Hugo. Tell me you had nothing to do with that.”
“It’s ‘Master of Fire,’ Thalia. I earned that much from my brother, at least. Use it when you address me.”
Memories started to flood back into Carmen. She remembered hearing the Master of Fire use her family’s name. That’s when she’d tried to run but was stopped by his two asses for henchmen.
There was something else she felt like she was missing, and she tried to figure it out as the two Elemental Board members argued.
“Those poor boys,” the Mistress of Spirit said. “How could you?”
“Ryan and Royce are no longer boys, and I think I did a spectacular job of helping them through the mourning process, don’t you?”
Fucking broken gemstones. The asshole in charge was her warlocks’ uncle. If that wasn’t enough, he’d practically just admitted to killing their parents.
Carmen’s heart ached for her warlocks. At least she no longer feared calling them “hers.” They may not have wanted her, but she’d wanted them from the first time she ever saw them.
She was probably going to die before telling them that or even letting them know the truth about their family. Witch life really sucked right now.
“When did you become so lost, Hugo?” the Mistress of Spirit said.
Carmen felt her fire stir as the Master of Fire’s anger came to the surface. He was pissed off.
When the guy holding you captive tells you to call him something, maybe you should just do that, Carmen thought. Still, she knew her own pride and anger, and she wouldn’t have called that idiot “Master” either, even if he did try to kill her. She wouldn’t give him such satisfaction.
She noticed a shift then. As his power filled the cave they were in, the pain in her head lessened. His power was actually helping her heal.
An idea filled her. Maybe she could feed off his strength and use it to get her and the Mistress of Spirit out of there.
“This is why you must be removed,” he said. Power rumbled through his voice. “Luckily, I’m not the only one who thinks so. Tonight, when the moon reaches its highest peak, I’ll take your magic with the greatest pleasure.”
Carmen heard the Mistress of Spirit groan, followed by the idiot’s snickering.
“Leave her alone,” Carmen shouted.
The painful noises the woman let out stopped, which made Carmen grateful.
“Carmen Brixton,” he said.
She felt hands touching her hair, and she tried to pull back. Then she realized him touching her was her best opportunity because he was distracted.
Carmen let out some of her fire magic but not too much. Just enough to find his source and not let him know what she was doing. Slowly, she fed off his magic, letting it aid her own.
The pain in her body eased from the new source of strength. Her fire wanted so much more. It was thirsty for energy and wanted to take gulps rather than the sips Carmen allowed it. Any more than that, and the master of his own universe would feel it.
“Having you here is a bonus,” he said. “Your mother and I go way back. She thought she was too good for me to touch her too.” He let go of her hair, cutting off the hidden link. “A Brixton and the Mistress of Spirit. Tonight, I take both of your
magic. Tomorrow, I’ll rule the witches and warlocks of Kala West.”
Carmen could feel him move away from her, and this time she heard his footsteps as he left.
She tried to aim her refueled power at her restraints, but a weak voice interrupted her.
“Don’t,” the Mistress of Spirit said. “You won’t get far, even with his energy to help you. I could sense you pulling from him. You’ll have to try something else.”
Carmen shook her head. “I don’t know what else to do.”
“Use the link you have with your warlocks.”
“How did you—”
“Who do you think initiated the Triad Bonds again? Many on the Elemental Board think it’s for power. In a sense, it is, but it’s not to protect us from other magical beings coming to Kala West. It’s to protect us from ourselves.”
“I don’t understand.”
“You will, in time. All you need to have faith in right now are your warlocks. Do you love them?”
Carmen couldn’t help but smile when she thought about them. Even after all that had happened to her, she still cared about Royce and Ryan. “Yes. I think I’ve always loved them.”
“Then all you need to do is say the words to initiate the bond. It doesn’t just help you find them. It’ll lead them back to you as well.” The Mistress of Spirit coughed, and it sounded wet.
They were running out of time. That didn’t stop the nervousness in Carmen. “What if they don’t feel the same way about me?”
The Mistress of Spirit took a deep breath and released it before answering. “Look deep within yourself, child. Do you truly think they are your bonded warlocks?”
So much had happened since she’d seen the brothers again in only a span of hours. So many years had separated them, but even if Carmen wasn’t completely certain about what the twins felt for her, she had faith in herself and her magic. Both said that Royce and Ryan were hers.
“I do,” she finally said out loud. “They are mine.”
“Then what are you waiting for?”
Carmen wanted to cry. Not because she was sad or frightened. It was because she realized the truth in her own words, and it took the Mistress of Spirit to help her realize it.
The Alpha Warlocks' Own: An Alpha Warlocks of Kala West Story #3 (A BWWM and BBW Paranormal Ménage Romance) Page 6