I bit back a curse. Of course we would. That’s how this worked. How it always worked. I reached for the stone I’d brought to offer her. Sushna zeroed in on the amethyst, but when I tried to hand it to her, she waved me off. “No stones. No gifts. Just a trade.”
I tensed, thinking of the vision Sam had described—the one I remembered through the filtered memory of a five year-old. Sushna had refused her favorite stone then too. And it hadn’t ended well.
“What kind of trade?” I asked.
Sushna nodded at the hut behind hers. “Take her and I will tell you what you want to know.”
“Take who?” Sam asked.
The leaves rustled again and Sushna finally turned to acknowledge it, ripping away the branches that made up the walls. A mess of dark hair flashed and my stomach clenched. A dirty hand came up to swipe the hair away and my breath caught at the face I’d dreaded seeing more than any other.
Indra.
My breath caught.
Sushna turned back to me, her eyes fiery now. “I will tell you what you want to know. You take her with you. Deal?”
Every single nerve ending was frayed, pulled too tight, worn too thin. I opened my mouth, but no sound came. I couldn’t tear my eyes from Indra. Even though I couldn’t see more than her face, I knew she’d lost weight—and that confident, conniving gleam in her eye, thank the fucking goddess. But it was her; the same woman who had stripped me of the very essence of who I was and then toyed with what was left.
She was here. And there was no way I could take her home with me. Not for all the magic in the damned world.
Chapter Twenty-One
Sam
“This is bull shit,” Alex muttered. Without meaning to, I read the storm roiling inside him. I didn’t even have to use my magic to do it. The energy and emotions pouring off him were almost tangible enough to touch. I considered letting this play out, but one glance at him told me that wouldn’t be a good idea. Not with the hard stare he was shooting at a very dirty, very thin, very “other” looking Indra. In fact, he couldn’t seem to look away from her.
I took a deep breath and turned to Sushna. “I accept your offer.”
Her eyes lit up, and I couldn’t help but wonder what Sushna thought she was gaining out of this. Why did she want Indra gone so badly anyway? She was her own daughter after all. Well, not that the bonds of motherhood had been all that solid in my own life. But still.
“I accept your accept,” she said and I raised a brow. Some moments, Sushna was completely lucid and cunning and others … I wondered how she’d gotten this far.
“No way,” Alex hissed at me, finally wrenching his gaze from Indra’s dirt-streaked face and hollow eyes.
“If you want to know about your magic, we have to do this,” I said.
“Then I guess I won’t know,” he said, his jaw set stubbornly.
“Alex—”
“We cannot bring her with us. You realize Sushna is probably planting her among us to spy for Ea—who she helped summon in case you forgot—or for herself. It’s too risky—”
“I understand the risks,” I snapped because I damn sure hadn’t forgot, and he fell silent, his eyes hard on mine. But he didn’t realize how tied together all of it was. I didn’t either, not really, but Hina did. Inside me, the Knowing was practically screaming about it. And I couldn’t ignore that voice anymore.
I sighed. “It’s not your choice anymore,” I said finally. And then to Sushna, “Tell me everything and I’ll take her with me.”
Sushna smiled, revealing broken, black teeth. “Simple. The magic of the protector is for the warrior.”
I watched her, waiting for more of an explanation. When she didn’t continue, I glared. “That is not simple. Nor is it in explanation. Start at the beginning. Use all your words.”
Sushna huffed. “You don’t use all your Knowing. That is why you don’t understand my words.”
I folded my arms over my chest and fixed her with a pointed look. She rolled her eyes. “All right,” she said as if I were the one being difficult. Alex held my hand tightly as Sushna began. “As far back as time exists, the ritual of merging has been necessary for the Energy.”
“The merging,” I repeated. “You mean like the one I’m about to do?”
She nodded. “It happens to every creature. Even humans who do not understand the process or the power still do it. A puberty that transforms the ignorant to the wise. Or, for more and more humans now, it happens during the later shift.”
“You mean like menopause?” I asked.
Sushna shrugged. “Humans like to attach names to things.”
I bit back my own sarcastic reply about how she didn’t seem to mind the name “Witherer” attached to her and took a deep breath. “Got it. And for Alex? What does this merging have to do with him? With the vision I saw?”
“For every warrior there is a helper. Another yin and yang. It is the way of the universe. A synchronicity.”
“A balance,” I supplied.
Sushna nodded. “Precisely.”
I frowned. Her answer wasn’t what I’d expected, and I struggled to make sense of it. “So … Alex is a warrior and I’m his helper?”
Sushna growled, the sound suddenly much bigger than the space we were in or even the body that had emitted it. Clumps of dirt fell away, revealing wrinkled skin stained a rich brown. “No,” she said, the voice booming around us. I shrank back but Hina broke free and a growl escaped my own throat.
It shook the trees and leaves all around us, threatening to bring down the little huts. Alex’s hand squeezed mine, and for a split and suspended moment, it was the only thing tethering me to this time and place as Sam.
I took a steadying breath and shot him a grateful smile.
Sushna scowled. “You are the warrior. He is the helper. Yin and yang. Synchronicity chosen by the goddess herself. He must root you and then you can transform.”
My breath caught at everything she had just implied. I had questions. A lot of them. But none of them wanted to be spoken aloud. Not with Alex sitting so still next to me.
“Are you saying Sam and I are like soul mates or something?” Alex asked and I almost choked on the shock that he’d actually said the words out loud.
Sushna laughed harshly, revealing yellowed teeth. “Your souls are not my concern. That’s a different sort of magic. But your energy … your blood will temper the merge,” she said, looking at me again. “Without it … you will be lost.”
I swallowed hard.
“My blood is my magic?” Alex asked quietly, and I shook off my own fear as I imagined the merge backfiring and Hina taking me over completely.
“It was always,” Sushna said, solemn and staring at Alex. “That has been your destiny and hers since the beginning of the ages. It was placed inside you for this space and time.”
“What if I don’t want it?” he asked, and I ignored the pang of hurt. I knew what he meant. He wanted his mother back. Not this strange blood-power Sushna insisted he had.
But Sushna was unaffected. “It is already done.”
“How can it be done when I didn’t even know I had it?” he demanded.
“You were merged earlier than others. Your magic is buried for such a time as this.” Sushna scowled, and I shuddered at the wave of fury she shoved out alongside her words. “Believe me, I have tried everything to undo it, but the goddess has spoken.” She spat the last few words and Hina snarled.
Everyone stopped to stare at me, and I realized belatedly I’d actually snarled aloud. I cleared my throat. “I’m fine,” I said even though no one had asked.
Alex shoved the amethyst he’d brought into my hand. It steadied me, and I nodded at him to let him know. Alex continued to study me until he was certain I was the one in control and then turned back to Sushna. “But how could I have merged without my knowledge—?”
“Your mother,” Sushna snapped and anger flashed in her black irises. Behind her, Indra’s hut shook again. �
�She paid your price. She completed the ritual for you. For Hina.”
“My mother knew about Hina?” Alex asked.
“Your mother knew everything. Could have had everything,” Sushna spat. “But she refused me. It sealed her fate, and when she knew it, she took her power back. Now, it is done.”
“What are you saying? She knew about Ea?” Alex asked. “About the war with the gods and the sick werewolves?”
“The ages have known it would come. I have longed for it. To live in a world that no longer exists in the shadows. I offered her all the power I could give if she would let me have you,” Sushna told him. “No one refuses the Witherer. But she defied me, paid her price and yours, and what did it matter, really? In the end, still it came.”
“What came? What price did she pay for me?” Alex demanded.
“The price is always the same: a sacrifice. Your mother refused yours. But then she found out I was coming for her, and she paid it in order to stop me. To protect you. And now, after everything I did to try to stop you, it’s here. The magic has found its way into your blood after all.”
“What is the magic in my blood?” Alex demanded. “Where did it come from?”
“The wolves. The venom. Twice you were infected and survived. Your blood is the key. It was Made from a powerful mixture of both life and death. It cannot be extinguished as easily as most.”
“Wait. That was you?” Alex let go of my hand and went for his knife before his eyes widened, and I knew he’d just remembered he was unarmed. “You tried to kill me?”
Sushna scowled, her expression twisting into a horrific pile of dirt and wrinkles and magic so strong I held my breath from the smell of it. “More times than you know. You just wouldn’t die, and that’s when I knew she’d done it. You are merged and it is in you and now, you cannot die. Not at my hands. Maybe not even at his.”
Alex said nothing, his jaw tensing as he glared at Sushna.
My heart pounded, and Sushna looked at me. “You want to restore the balance,” she said. “You must use his blood. It is the conductor. It will keep you safe.”
“Why are you telling us this?” I asked. “You helped Ea, gave him your own daughter and almost got her killed for it, and tried to kill Alex and his mother. We can’t trust you.”
“There is no allegiance when it comes to survival.”
I huffed. Great. So she was just playing both sides now to ensure the winner didn’t come back to kill her. “And Alex?” I prompted, heart pounding because I had a feeling there was so much she wasn’t saying compared to what she was. “Who will protect him?”
“You,” she said as if that were the most obvious thing in the world. “You are the warrior. You will protect them all.”
I tried not to think too hard about the pressure of her words. I was just going to save the world. No big deal.
“What is the price?” Alex asked, his voice rough and raw and angry. I blinked, shoving aside the fear and overwhelm of it all and focusing instead on Alex’s words. “Sam’s merge. You said there’s always a price and my mom’s death was mine. What will be Sam’s?” His hand tightened in mine, and I knew he was most worried about this part.
Sushna looked just as serious which only made me worry more. “The price is always a sacrifice. The healer will learn soon enough who must die for her to live.”
Die? For me?
My head spun. Inside, my stomach churned and the view of the forest around me swirled, threatening to disappear …
“No,” I heard Alex saying. “It has to be something else.”
Sushna stood up suddenly, dirt falling away rapidly, and the spinning stopped. My head cleared and the urgency to get the hell out of here was all I could think about. When Sushna shed her gown of earth, I knew the meeting was over and all that was left was pain.
I got to my feet and tugged on Alex’s arm until we’d both backed out of the hut. “We got what we came for. It’s time to go,” I said.
“No!” Sushna straightened and wind tore at the hut, ripping the roof off so that she could rise to her full height. Or maybe it wasn’t height so much as a sense of bigness. Suddenly, amid a cyclone of dirt and leaves that I tasted in my mouth, Sushna was half as tall as the trees she stood between. “You will keep your bargain and take my daughter with you.”
The roof flew off Indra’s hut and she sat up, peering over the edge of the thatched walls with wide eyes and stringy hair. Alex was rigid beside me and I knew it was fury and not fear that held him that way.
Inside me, Hina strained for control, but I shoved her back.
“We will take her,” I said, struggling to be heard over the wind. “On one condition.”
“Conditions?!” Sushna raged, but I ignored her.
“You will not leave this forest again until after the equinox,” I said and this time somehow my voice boomed over hers.
It took every ounce of me—and some of Hina—not to bow underneath the weight of the monster’s stare. And the longer I watched her, the more monstrous she became. I had no idea if it was an illusion—something only I could see—because Alex didn’t react, but I didn’t care. I wanted to go. Now.
We’d gotten all we could from the queen of the dirt.
“Take her and go. The full moon is coming. Ea will see you. Ea sees all. He comes for you. Even now he watches and he comes. You will see, but you will not be ready.”
Sushna’s rants were out of control. And so was Hina. My stomach rolled, and I doubled over, vomiting up the contents of my stomach. Alex cursed and finally broke free of whatever had held him in place beside me. He marched up to Sushna and then around her, ignoring her rants and screams, and held his hand out to Indra.
She cowered, but he yelled something that was lost to the wind of Sushna’s temper. Slowly, Indra lifted her hand and Alex grabbed it, yanking her to her feet. She almost collapsed immediately but not before I got a glimpse of her emaciated frame.
My stomach rolled again at how her ribs poked out and her cheeks had sunk into her bones. It had been days since I’d last seen her. How had she deteriorated so fast?
Alex made a face of disgust and then reached over, scooping Indra up and tossing her over his shoulder. She hung there limp like a rag doll as he marched back to where I stood with my ears plugged against the sounds of Sushna’s cries. If Hina couldn’t hear them, maybe she wouldn’t fight me to break free.
Alex said something that looked like “Let’s go,” and I wasted no time in falling into step beside him. With his free hand, he held mine and we ran for the exit.
Behind us, the wind whipped and carried Sushna’s last words to us on the wings of the magic that lived here: “You are all witches, every one. And witches always burn!”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Alex
The Witherer had tried to kill me. More than once. And she’d planned to kill my mother until my mother had done the job instead. Sam and I were linked by magic and … the ages. Whatever the fuck that meant. And Edie still hadn’t called me back. I was a fucking wreck, but you wouldn’t know it in this moment.
In this moment, all that mattered was the girl in my arms and our bodies pressed together amid the tangle of sheets.
Somewhere else in the house, the rest of them slept. Finally. Coming home with Indra had been a clusterfuck. Harold had reacted the worst which surprised me. He’d had a complete melt-down, ranting about mercy killings and the prophecy being fulfilled with bloodlust. I’d secretly wondered if his mushroom crop was failing or something because there was nothing remotely lustful about my feelings for Indra—or hers for me.
But Sam had understood what I hadn’t and sent him out to collect Breck from whatever isolated camp site he’d used as a base. Time was short. Harold’s reaction was stress for what we would all be asked to do next. In two days, the witches would come, and we needed Harold and his trees available for them.
We needed the team home.
After Harold had left, Koby had done something
earlier to calm us all and we’d finished it off by locking Indra in the other guest room. So far, she hadn’t tried to leave. Or speak. It was creepy as hell, the silent stare she gave everyone, but it was better than listening to her say my name in that silky, seductive—and totally fucking crazy—way she used to.
I’d showered and scrubbed my skin four times before I felt clean again after carrying her home. Harold had actually helped with that by giving me some strange piece of bark that he claimed disinfected anything on the planet. Judging by the smell, which was straight shit, I believed him.
And now, Sam and I were finally alone, and I wasn’t going to waste it by talking about feelings or whatever else. I was going to use my body to show her how much I appreciated her. Even when I knew it had taken everything in her to control Hina’s urge to attack Sushna—which a part of me wanted—she’d thought of me first. Of the reasons we’d gone there in the first place and the answers that I craved. Now that I had them, there were more questions, of course, but those could wait.
“Look at us finally making use of a mattress,” Sam whispered from underneath me. Her naked body was smooth as silk underneath mine and my erection was standing tall, letting us both know exactly what it thought of the sensations.
But I planned to take my time tonight.
My mouth curved upward even as I pressed it to her neck. “We’ve got a lot of ground to cover then,” I murmured back.
I kissed a line from Sam’s mouth down her throat and chest straight to her belly, focusing on the way she writhed and moaned underneath my hands and mouth.
I meant it when I’d told her that I loved her in case I lived. Because more than killing, more than being a Hunter or anything else I’d ever considered as part of my identity, I wanted this with Sam. I wanted to matter to her. For her. Whatever it took.
My tongue dipped lower to her hip and then lower still to flick over her clit. She jumped and I smiled as I licked and sucked at her center. A lifetime of this wasn’t going to be nearly enough.
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