The Witch's Heart (The Rise of Orion Book 2)

by J. M. Davies

  Marcus and Jake darted forward to catch her. He held her with Jake as she lifted her head.

  “I’ll take her.” Jake lifted her up and trudged down the hallway.

  Marcus looked back and Ella ran to him. They made their way down the corridor. It was time to get the hell out of here and into the fresh air.

  Once outside, Isabella stood next to Jake, arguing.

  “I promised Marsha, that was the ghost in there, that I would help. I’m going to the cemetery whether you’re coming or not.” Isabella stared up at Jake.

  “Damn it, you all but collapsed in there. Now you want to go traipsing around some haunted woods,” he yelled at her.

  Marcus stepped closer, holding onto Ella as he observed the surrounding area. It remained quiet, but he sensed a shift in the environment. Did you feel that? He stared at Ella and she nodded.

  “I didn’t want to go inside in the first place because this is what happens—ghosts find me—but I did. Now, are you telling me you’re scared, Jake? Because I never took you for a wimp.”

  Jake stood open-mouthed as his eyebrows converged, and he didn’t speak for a moment.

  “There is nothing in this world that scares me, Sparkles, except maybe you.” He dipped his head inches from hers.

  Marcus stepped closer, with Ella by his side.

  “I hate to break this up, but whatever you need to do, you need to do it now. We’re not alone out here any longer.” Marcus watched the outer perimeter.

  “Follow me. It shouldn’t take long. At least, I hope not.” Isabella marched off, headed through the thick bushes to a dirt track that led into a hidden woodland. A thick crop of trees flanked them on either side as they marched at a steady pace. Marcus held Ella’s hand tight while he kept his focus on their surroundings.

  Marcus had had enough of today. The cries he had heard confirmed his baby was alive. The Elusti had taken him. He was as sure as he could be of anything and yet, he didn’t know where to begin to search for his son. He rubbed his forehead as he marched through the grass, making sure Ella was close to him. She had known all along they had a boy. At the realization of what he had put her through—the burial of a baby girl who wasn’t theirs—he stopped and pulled Ella into his arms. He pressed his lips into her silky hair, allowing himself to feel her softness.

  “We’ll make this right.”

  She leaned into him and he looked down at her pinched, pale face. The swirling emotions she had increased his throbbing headache, but he continued to cradle her in his arms. A short distance away from where they paused was a low-lying stone wall and a rickety wooden sign that read Metfern Cemetery. He watched as Jake stubbed his toe on something hidden in the grass, tripping and almost falling, but he righted himself just in time.

  “Be careful. You’re walking over someone’s grave,” Isabella shouted.

  “Shit. Well, it isn’t very clear. Again, what the fuck are we doing here?”

  “I need to let the spirits that remain here pass on.”

  Before anyone else could speak, Isabella stood in the center of the grassy field, her arms raised skyward. As before, the dark clouds rolled over and covered the sun. An unnatural darkness fell.

  “Hurry up.”

  A cold atmosphere descended and several white ghostly apparitions floated up from the ground. Young children, boys and girls. A woman. Each transparent silhouette wandered toward Isabella as if she were a magnet drawing them in. She spoke the same words from earlier with a deeper, more guttural tone. Her confidence and power surged as a strong wind picked up, forcing trees and bushes to bend and sway back and forth. The wind billowed around Marcus.

  “Viam ad domum ire retro progredi in lucem. Dimissi fuerunt.”

  To find your way home, let go of the past. Move forward into the light. Let go of the past.

  The ghosts formed a line on either side of her and as each one touched her outstretched hands, a break in the clouds allowed a bright-white light to burst forth. The souls of the departed each in turn ascended into the golden white streams of radiance. Each time, Isabella’s body twitched and she fell forward, until by the end, she dropped to her knees on the ground.

  Immediately the sky cleared and the sun shone brightly. Jake ran to her and gathered her up in his arms, lifting her without any struggle as she flopped against his chest. Marcus sensed a new presence and quickly eased Ella to his side before he pivoted around to face the unknown assailant, ready to shoot to kill. Standing in front of him was a handsome pale man with well-defined muscles and around the same height as him. He had a head of midnight-blue hair and a full, thick beard. His equally dark eyes scanned over him and shot toward Jake and more intently on the woman in his arms. The stranger bared his gleaming white elongated teeth and hissed. The man dressed in fitted dark jeans and a white sleeveless T-shirt showed off his tattoos that adorned his skin like a masterpiece painting.

  The gun won’t work on his kind, Marcus. He’s a nightwalker.

  How is he able to walk during the day?

  Some are more powerful than others, but I’m not entirely sure.

  The stranger, despite his modern attire, bowed before them. “I would like to introduce myself. I’m Roman. Isabella may have mentioned me; if not, she really should have. Now, I’m not here to fight, but you have something that belongs to me, and I’m here to take her.” He spoke directly to Jake. In a flash, Roman ran at Jake, and Isabella was removed from his hold. As Marcus moved to intervene, Roman whizzed past him and vanished. The speed of the nightwalker was supersonic.

  “Well, that answers my question about Sparkles having a boyfriend.” Jake stared at the dust left behind.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  Yesterday revealed what Ella had suspected for some time. Her baby lived. Last night, after they returned home, a discussion ensued until the wee hours of the morning. At times, Marcus lost his control at her suggestion of ways to track and find their child. In the end, both exhausted, they went to bed. Marcus fell asleep as soon as his head touched the pillow and although Ella closed her heavy eyes, sleep didn’t come. She drifted away to another time. Another body.

  The rank smell of damp invaded, but a soft, delicate scent of lavender touched her instantly as she opened her eyes in the old world.

  “I’m pleading with you by all things holy, if you use the leeches, Megan will die,” Gwen said.

  Her instinct drove her to beseech the woman once more, who by her distance and stance toward the intimidating priest, was scared to voice her opinion in case he judged her harshly.

  “Woman, if you do not leave, I will have you dragged away. Your presence is no longer required.”

  The priest stepped in front of Mary, taking over and hiding the mother from her view. This wasn’t new; the vicar was renowned for his controlling behavior, his strict sermons about sin and the consequences of not following a holy life. He may well say that God had chosen him among all men to do his bidding, but Gwen never believed that any merciful God would punish those for their weaknesses. After all, God created all mankind. Gwen didn’t believe the teachings of this man. She didn’t trust him one bit, and his desire to inflict leeches on a sick child brought her to react like never before.

  “No, sir, I will not. I have been treating her sickness. You must wait for the fever to break.”

  A determination to see her ministrations through to the bitter end come what may took over. A strength she didn’t know she had brought a new fire to her. The priest lowered his head to peer narrowly at Gwen.

  “Very well, I will leave this place, but mark my words: if the child dies, your fate is sealed. I will make sure of it,” he snarled.

  With that, he swiveled around. His long black cape swirled behind him as he exited through the small doorway and Gwen breathed out. She had made an enemy of him, she was certain. One that no matter the outcome would find a way to gain his revenge one way or another, she was sure. A high-pitched moan from the corner made her swish around.

  “Mam
a.”

  Mary squealed and darted toward the child. “My child, you’re awake.”

  The woman looked back at Gwen and nodded at her with flushed cheeks and tears streaming down her face. As she studied the woman, the love shined on her face. All she wanted was for her child to be well. Would she ever feel that kind of love?

  Ella slid out of bed and watched as Marcus lay asleep. In all her previous lives, she had never given birth, until now. She wrapped her arms around her narrow waist and stepped away until she was near the bedroom door.

  “Ella, where are you going?” Marcus spoke with a calm and clear voice.

  She twisted around to see him sitting up straight in bed. Waves of annoyance washed over her from him, and he stepped out from the bed in all his glory, totally naked. Her perfect warrior ready to battle and conquer at any given time. Without putting on any clothes, he strode confidently toward her and she knew it was pointless to resist.

  “The gray hairs you said I have not long ago are down to you, woman. Why do you insist on taking everything on alone? Have you forgotten we can hear each other’s thoughts? I may close my eyes but I am tuned into you all the time.”

  Marcus grabbed her shoulders and eased her body into his. She pressed her head against his beating heart, loving the warmth his body offered. The tension that filled her veins vanished as his rich scent filled her.

  “Now, I know you want to rush headlong into this, but we need to take one step at a time. You said when I was in Mexico, you could visit me. It’s how you were able to let the team know when to go in, right?”

  She lifted her head back and stared up at his dark, soulful eyes. “Yes.” Her voice was hoarse and dry.

  “You also said that you needed something of mine to do this?”

  “Yes,” she said, knowing what was coming.

  “Baby, we have nothing of Nate’s. How is that going to work in this situation? Look, Steel has a team that’s focused on tracking the location of the professor and there’s intel from the women we rescued. They’re looking at video feeds from the road and traffic cameras around the hospital’s vicinity. If we can identify a number or a plate, or catch him that evening, it’s a starting point. A dot that will lead to another and another. We will track and locate him. He will surface somewhere in the system. He can’t simply vanish.”

  Hearing Marcus use their son’s name squeezed her heart. She desperately wanted an end to this. She needed an end, and one that involved Nate in her arms. Pressing her lips tight, she held the sob that rose inside and willed herself to stay calm.

  “I know all of that, but I need to try this. Time is of the essence. They will use and test him. He will be no more than an experiment or a guinea pig to them. If Nate is calling out, there’s a connection. A bond—stronger than anything material I could hold of his. It doesn’t involve me going anywhere. I can sit here with you. All I have to do is focus on the morning he was born.”

  She could hear his heart rate jump inside his chest and he let her go. Marcus grasped her hand and directed her back to the bed. Watching his lean and rounded muscles in his arms and strong legs made her insides turn to mush. A fluttering of desire beckoned and rose, catching her breath. He always made her feel out of control and needy for his touch. Always.

  He rubbed his thumb across her palm and her heart sped up. “I know how you feel, Ella. Let me get showered and dressed, because if I don’t, I’m going to give in to the rising desire you feel. I bet if I touched you right now, you would already be wet for me. Am I right?”

  The backs of her legs touched the bed, and a quiver of anticipation thrummed through her belly at his sensual words. He was a master at seduction and as he leaned in close to her face, he brushed a soft kiss on her waiting lips. The beat of her heart tuned in with his, both succumbing to the rising need to be together. Marcus pressed his tongue along the seam of her mouth to gain entry, and she opened for him to deepen the kiss. A swirling of delicious sensations rippled through her body and she had no choice but to grip his arms as he devoured her mouth. She relished the warmth and spicy taste that was Marcus. He plundered her mouth and deepened the kiss. Ella couldn’t help but touch his skin and embrace his body as they shared this connection.

  When he broke away, he planted soft kisses along her chin and neck. A shiver erupted down her spine as she clung to him. His hand left her waist and touched the soft skin at the base of her short chemise. She wanted to stop to focus on what she needed to do, but as his hand skimmed over her thighs and found her delicate silky folds, she lost herself in the exhilaration he created. A groan of pure need escaped her, and without another thought, they fell on to the mattress.

  As the bed bounced with their weight, Marcus continued his assault on her senses. He lay by her side and kissed the sensitive skin behind her ear. She arched her body off the bed, riding the powerful sensations weaving through her blood. His fingers stroked her slick velvet folds, and her need soared. He thrust one finger deep inside her core and added a second, increasing the moisture already seeping from her sex. The need for him to fill her grew, and she dug her fingers into his back as he rose over her. His rigid cock prodded her thigh, and as she lifted her body up, wanting him, the pulsing sensation building in her core grew unbearable.

  Marcus withdrew his fingers and lowered his body to touch hers. His cock jutted at her wet entrance, and he groaned as he thrust deep inside, filling her. Her muscles tightened around his cock. Waves of euphoria crashed, and her entire body pulsed as he rocked into her. She tilted her hips each time he thrust deep inside to match his need.

  “You—are perfect for me, and you drive me to distraction,” he said.

  The male scent of Marcus danced in the air and the feeling of him buried deep made every cell in her body tingle with awareness. She pressed her breasts against his sculptured chest and ran her hands down his spine to cup his rounded bottom, pressing hard to bring him deeper inside still. Marcus growled out loud, but slowed his fast pace.

  “You’re my addiction,” Ella said. The climax that hit took her over the edge and Marcus followed, slumping his weight on her before he slowly withdrew.

  She moaned at the loss of contact.

  “I didn’t want to crush you,” he said.

  She leaned over, grabbed his chin and planted a soft kiss on his lips. “I love you.”

  “I know, and I love you. Go and shower because we need to discuss what you want to do before we go to Steel’s.”

  She nodded and reluctantly moved from the bed. The love she held inside for Marcus overtook her sanity, and her heart burst with love for him and their baby.

  After a shower, she dressed in her dark pants and a soft lilac T-shirt. Ella tidied the room and folded her arms to think about the professor and Nate. He couldn’t possibly know she could hear his thoughts. Or for that matter, that Marcus could. He may have let her go believing she had died, but he knew now that wasn’t the case. Focusing back to the scene at the hospital, she pushed all other thoughts away to concentrate on the morning she lay on the rigid and cold operating table, helpless.

  The heart monitor alarm kept beeping, and her energy and fight deserted her.

  “Do what you can, but make it fast. I’m leaving. I must report back to the Padre when they’ve finished with the baby. Dump her in the woods with the fetus.”

  His cold, emotionless voice echoed around the room as he talked about Ella and her baby. The man who thought so little of her life or that of her child walked closer. She watched as he stroked the top of her head and gazed over her body. The surgeon continued to work to stop the bleeding, but the machines beeped in the background.

  “You’re such a disappointment, Ella. Somehow, I always expected more of you. In the end, you’re just like the others. You’re nothing special. Last time, it wasn’t magic that saved you; it was simply good timing. This time, your luck has run out. In the end, you’re no different than all the others. Good-bye, sweet Ella.”

  The memory finished,
and Ella shook.

  “I heard that. Come here.” Marcus stood with his wet hair swept back and arms open wide, waiting for her.

  She ran to him and savored the strength he provided as he hugged her tight. She rested her head on his chest and he swiped her hair away from her eyes.

  “He thought you would die, didn’t he?”

  Ella nodded.

  “Now he knows you’re alive—his interest in you will be obsessive. I believe they left your body with the fetus to stop any further investigation or searching for the baby. He was tying up loose ends. I don’t understand why the DNA didn’t pick up the fact that the infant wasn’t ours. I’ll get Steel to check out who the medical examiner was. What’s clear is you’re not the only woman they have been using in this way. I believe there’s a connection with the missing women in Mexico. Ava has been working with the group we rescued to gather intel. Maybe she will have some news. Are you ready to try this?”

  Standing there in his warm embrace, she knew she could try anything. “Yes.”

  “Okay.”

  With his arms pressed firm along her back and the heat from their fused bodies, she relaxed into his embrace. She let go of the fear and settled her mind. The professor couldn’t touch her here. He didn’t understand the power she held. She hadn’t, until she talked to Ariana. Pressing her eyes closed, she stirred her senses. The fresh scent of lemon and coconut waved around her. Marcus had been using her shampoo, and she smiled. She could do this.

  Her mind wandered back to that morning. The vivid sounds and acrid smells in the operating room. Automatically, her stomach tightened and she guarded her belly. A quick and violent tugging pulled at her abdomen. The passing of a still bundle from her exposed womb to the nurse held her in absolute fascination. Time stalled. Her heart beat, beat, beat. Seconds ticked. No sound. No cries. The baby disappeared and a wave of bile rose.