Captive Witch

by September Stone

  Calder meets my gaze for only a fleeting moment. “Fine.”

  Silas’s posture relaxes and he winks when I glance in his direction. “Can I call you crazy anyway?”

  Taj bristles, but I ignore him. “I wouldn’t recommend it.”

  But Silas’ smile doesn’t falter. “Cupcake it is, then.”

  I roll my eyes. “Let’s just find Elowen.”

  But three hours later, we still haven’t crossed paths with the elusive mage. Poe leads us to a stream—an offshoot, he claims, of the one we stopped at yesterday—and gives us twenty minutes for lunch. As he and Silas begin passing out cold meat sandwiches given to us by the driver Valor arranged to take us to the forest—along with a note from Sophie wishing us good luck—I slip off to find a private place to relieve myself.

  After some tricky maneuvering to avoid peeing on my clothes, I make my way back toward the stream. But a twig snapping behind me has me leaping for cover behind the first tree I see.

  “It’s just me,” Taj calls in a stage whisper.

  I press my hand against my chest in an attempt to convince my heart to slow its cadence. “What are you doing out here?”

  He hikes an eyebrow. “Same as you, I imagine. But while I’ve got you here…”

  He closes the distance between us and sweeps an arm behind my back, pulling me flush against his body. As his mouth finds mine, every sensation from last night replays itself on my skin. An ache builds in my core as I remember the look in his eyes and the sound of his voice when he called me his love.

  “We should add this to the list,” I murmur against his lips.

  He pulls back just far enough for me to detect the confusion in his expression. “What list?”

  “The list of all the places I want to recreate last night.” I kiss him again.

  Taj chuckles. “I like the sound of this list. But…” His lips pucker and his eyes cloud. “What about…”

  He doesn’t have to say Calder’s name for me to know exactly what’s on his mind. In this morning’s hustle to get out to the forest, I haven’t had a moment alone with Calder. And although Taj and I talked last night about the conversation Calder and I had about my feelings for both men, the tension in Taj’s shoulders tells me he’ll feel better once I’ve checked in with his friend.

  “Who wants trail mix?”

  Silas’ voice echoes through the woods, though not so loud that I imagine it will carry much farther beyond where Taj and I stand.

  He slips his hand into mine as we make our way back to the stream.

  Silas, Poe, and Calder are already munching on their meals. I settle down on a broad, low rock and accept the food Silas passes to me. When Taj settles on the other side of Calder, my body physically aches to be closer to him. But something about Calder’s carefully averted eyes keeps me rooted in place.

  “The second stop isn’t far from here,” Poe says after swallowing a bite of sandwich. “Shouldn’t take more than maybe fifteen minutes to hike there. I’m hoping that’s where she’s hanging out, because the last spot is up a slope I’d rather not hike.”

  Silas mutters something about Poe’s delicate kitty paws, but his jab doesn’t register. My attention is tuned to Calder, who grinds each bite as if the sandwich did something to offend him.

  Except that’s ridiculous. The sandwich isn’t behind the rigid set of his back. I am.

  When Poe packs up and announces it’s time to head out, I spring to my feet. “Calder, can I talk to you for a minute?”

  Poe crosses his corded arms over his chest. “Didn’t you hear me say we’re leaving?”

  I imitate his posture. “Didn’t you hear me say for a minute? We’ll catch up.”

  “You heard her, mate,” Taj says, his voice overly cheery. “They’ll be along in a wink. This way, yeah?”

  Fuming, Poe begins leading the way toward out next destination. Taj follows immediately, but Silas casts an unreadable glance in my direction before heading out.

  Calder hasn’t moved.

  I wipe my suddenly clammy hands against my thighs. “So, can we talk?”

  He doesn’t look at me. “I’m still here, aren’t I?”

  I inhale, pulling in strength from the air around me. “I just… Can we… Can you tell me why you’re upset?”

  He looks me in the eyes for the first time all morning. “I came to your room to check on you last night. But you weren’t alone.”

  Warmth flushes my skin before settling in my core. I edge closer and run my fingers through the short hair behind his ear. The fact that he doesn’t pull away gives me strength.

  I choose my words carefully. “I’m sorry last night didn’t turn out how you imagined. And I want you to know I didn’t, like, give Taj a signal to meet me in my room or anything. He showed up to check on me—and we figured something out that’s pretty important. The curse seems to be linking us. When you draw on your magic, it drains me. But being close to Taj gave me my strength back.”

  He winces. “I know we talked about this. I know I said I couldn’t deny you what you want. But I guess I just wasn’t expecting…” He sighs, tucking his chin to his chest. “I don’t know how to do this.”

  I slip my hand into his, linking our fingers. “Neither do I. But I’m willing to figure it out, if you are. I care for you both, and I don’t think I could ever choose between you. He makes me strong, but you make me brave. You always have. I can face anything if you’re beside me.”

  He closes his eyes, sighing. “I always want to be beside you. And if you want Taj next to you, too… I’m willing to figure it out.”

  I lean in and press my lips to his. He kisses back immediately, but it takes a beat before his arms find their way around my back. I can’t lie to myself. This three-way relationship is probably going to take a considerable learning curve for all of us. But in this moment I’m not worried. With enough love, there’s no arrangement we can’t figure out.

  Because I’m sure that’s what it is. I’ve loved Calder for years, and when I met Taj, my heart expanded to include him, too.

  My thighs clench with need, and the sensation pulls me back to the present. As much as I’d like to show Calder just how much I want to figure things out, I promised Poe we’d only be a minute.

  Although Calder’s eyes are bright with disappointment when I insist we catch up with the others, he holds my hand as we wind our way in the direction the others disappeared.

  “It’s about time,” Poe mutters when we finally reach them.

  “I’m glad you two made up,” Silas adds. “Calder’s sulky ass has been bringing me down all day.”

  There’s a question in Taj’s eyes as he glances at the place where my hand joins Calder’s. In response, I tip my head back and press a kiss to his lips. Although Taj’s eyebrows are drawn when I pull away, the corners of his mouth twitch.

  I think we’ll be fine.

  “If you three are done with your foreplay,” Poe grumbles, his eyes lingering on mine, “we have a mage to find.”

  A jolt courses through my body, straight to my slick folds. I felt the same heat at the bed and breakfast when I brought blankets out for Poe to sleep on. For a moment, I imagine what it would feel like to have his hands exploring my body.

  But when Calder squeezes my hand and tugs me forward, I shake the images from my head.

  Poe doesn’t slow his pace until we’re nearing the field Valor marked on the map. Goosebumps erupt on my skin despite the warmth of the day. As much as I hope we’ll encounter Elowen here, I can’t help dreading coming face to face with the mage. Although I know she’s the only one who can help us, part of me fears the cost. Maybe it would be better to hole up in a hotel for the next three weeks, filling my final days with love and pleasure.

  But if there’s a chance I can ensure these men will live the long lives I’m positive they’re destined for, I’ll do what it takes.

  No sooner have we stepped into the sun-soaked clearing than Poe comes to a stop, holding up
his hand. “Something’s not right.”

  The hair on the back of my neck stands up. “What? Do you smell something?”

  “No,” he says, glancing over his shoulder. “That’s the problem.”

  Before I can puzzle out what he means, shouts erupt from the other side of the field. For a wild moment I imagine these are Elowen’s guards bent on protecting her from intruders.

  But then my eyes land on one familiar figure charging toward us. McDee.

  Mona’s people have found me.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Bryn

  “Fall back!” Poe shouts as he takes off back into the forest.

  There are too many of them—well over a dozen, and more pour into the field by the second.

  Calder pulls me back the way we came, and I hold onto him for dear life as I focus on not tripping over a tree root.

  This can’t be happening. When I saw McDee in town, I knew we needed to be careful, but I never imagined dozens of Mona’s guards would be lying in wait for us. How did they even know Elowen was our target? I don’t for a moment believe Sophie, Valor, or Hagan gave us up—but what if someone else at the Nightshade told the guards?

  “What’s the plan?” Taj yells as the five of us crash through the underbrush.

  “We get the hell out of here,” Silas replies immediately. “We should split up.”

  “No, we have to fight!” Poe returns.

  “He’s right,” I say, jumping over a fallen tree trunk. “We can’t just give up. If we don’t meet with Elowen, we’re as good as dead. We have to fight.”

  “We have to fight,” Taj says, panting with exertion. “Bryn, you keep running. We’ll find you when it’s safe.”

  Fresh panic floods me. “No. I can’t just hide knowing you’re all in danger because of me.”

  “Taj is right,” Calder says, squeezing my hand. “They’re after you. You need to hide.”

  Arguments order themselves in my mind, but I don’t voice them. He’s right. I pull him close and press a hard kiss to his lips before turning to Taj and kissing him, too. When I glance at Silas, something flickers behind his eyes as I grip his hand. “Be safe.” I squeeze Poe’s shoulder. “You, too. I’ll see you all soon.”

  Poe nods once before surging into the woods. Silas and Calder follow, with Taj bringing up the rear. He summons a fireball that quickly grows from the size of a walnut to the size of a volleyball, and I wait for weakness to darken my vision. When a full thirty seconds passes and nothing happens, I take it as my cue to find a place to hide.

  My feet pound the hard earth. Branches scrape across my face as I speed through the forest. I have no idea where I’m going—except away from the muffled sounds of shouts and tree limbs cracking in the distance.

  There are too many of Mona’s guards for Calder, Taj, Silas, and Poe to take alone. I can only hope Taj’s theory is right and the four of them can pull enough energy from me to give them an edge when they’re so greatly outnumbered.

  A new sound pricks my awareness. Running water. My feet beat a path toward it before I make the conscious decision to change my trajectory. Without seeing it, I know it’s not the same stream we ate lunch beside. That waterway gurgled—this one murmurs hastily, its volume much louder. It’s a river and, if I’m lucky, one broad enough that I can cross without being followed.

  Because I am being followed. While most of the cacophony of battle fades the farther I travel, one noise remains at a constant volume. Someone is chasing me.

  The trees thin ahead, and I burst out onto the clearing around the riverbank. I underestimated the size of the river. It’s both too deep and too swift to dare crossing here, but I don’t stop moving. I have the advantage of speed on my side for the moment, but it’s only a matter of time before my pursuer makes his way out of the woods.

  My lungs burn as I pump my legs harder. The river narrows ahead, and if I can get across, I can lose my pursuer in the thick foliage beyond.

  A large fallen tree crosses my path. There’s no way around it, and it’s too high to clear if I try to jump it. Timing my steps, I step onto the center of the log, prepared to launch myself over.

  The wood cracks and splinters as my foot comes down on it, and my body lurches forward with the momentum of my run, slamming me into the ground. I try to pull my foot free, hissing as the jagged wood digs into my ankle.

  “So we meet again.”

  The voice sends ice racing down my spine. I thought I’d heard the last of it in the woods outside Mona’s compound, but I should’ve known I wouldn’t be so lucky.

  Aldridge.

  He licks his lips as he approaches. “Did you miss me?”

  An indignant snort escapes my mouth. “You’re kidding, right?”

  He smiles as he draws nearer. “We have some unfinished business.”

  My blood runs cold as I recall our last encounter. The phantom sensations of his hand on my body make my stomach heave. I pull harder to get my leg free, but my ankle only wedges more firmly in the hole. “How did you find me?”

  “Did you really think Mona would give up so easily? She’s got ears everywhere.” He reaches the fallen tree and walks around the end, his eyes not leaving me for an instant. “Mona sent us here to intercept you. Once the others do away with your bodyguards, we’ll take you back.” He draws nearer, his eyes growing hungrier with each step. When he reaches me, he plants one foot on either side of my hips, his body blocking out the sun above. “She promised to reward whoever captures you. And I know exactly what I want.”

  Bile rises in my throat at the lust in his eyes.

  He can’t have me. I’ll never give myself over willingly to this man, and I’ll be damned if I allow him to touch me by force. For the first time in a long time, I’m not someone’s property. I belong to myself, and I get to choose what I do and who I’m with.

  Calder’s face fills my mind’s eye, followed by Taj’s. I have to get free and get back to them. There’s no telling how many guards Mona sent to retrieve me, and I know her character well enough to be sure she’s given the order to kill anyone who tries to intervene on my behalf. I can’t let anything happen to them—and I can’t let anything happen to me or else there’s no chance of lifting this curse.

  No one else will die because of me.

  Magic seeps out of me before I call on it, sinking into the sandy ground around me and seeking out tree limbs and vines to come to my aid. I feel them like extensions of my own body as they lengthen and slither over the ground and through the air before wrapping around Aldridge’s throat, torso, and legs. My blood boils as I recall every unwanted touch, every leering glance, every single time he and his ilk made me feel dirty and unsafe. The vines tighten like tentacles as the rage of years of mistreatment bubbles to the surface.

  Energy flows through me, surging with such a force it takes my breath away. With a thought, a pulse of magic splits the tree trunk in half. I pull my foot out and stand as Aldridge topples to the ground. His fingers scrabble at the vines twining around his neck, and his mouth opens and closes like a fish out of water. It’s pitiful, but no part of me feels sorry for him. For once, I’m in control. Aldridge can’t rub himself against me, run his hands down my sides, ogle me with undisguised desire. I hold all the power. His movements become more jerky and erratic and his red skin tinges an unhealthy blue.

  It won’t be long before he can never threaten me again.

  Blood rushes in my ears, drowning out the sounds of the river and Aldridge’s sputtering. He deserves this. Some people are devoid of even the slightest bit of human decency. The world will be better without him in it.

  Besides, it isn’t as if I haven’t killed before.

  The thought rockets through me and the vines under my control flex, causing Aldridge’s back to arch as he writhes under the plants’ pressure.

  Yes, it’s true that potions I made at Mona’s behest were used to kill people, but it was never my choice. I was never the murderer—it was Mona. As p
owerful a being as she is, with the ability to control someone with her words, she could have done remarkable good in the world. Instead, she chose to use her powers to enrich herself at the expense of others. I was a weapon in her arsenal, used at her direction to take out anyone who stood in her way.

  It was never my will to hurt people. But Mona isn’t pulling my strings anymore. If I kill Aldridge now, it’s all on me.

  It’s my choice.

  I pull on the threads of my magic to unwind the vegetation. Aldridge pitches forward as the vines release him. His fingers claw at the sandy earth below him as he sucks in breath after breath.

  “Get out of here,” I say through clenched teeth. “Go back to Mona. Tell her she doesn’t own me anymore, and she’ll be sorry if she comes after me again.”

  Aldridge’s face glistens with tear trails when he looks up at me. He opens his mouth, but after a few raspy breaths he closes it again and nods. He scrambles to his feet, keeping as much distance as possible between us. His first few steps are labored and staggering, but then he’s running as fast as his portly body will allow.

  Something in the air changes. A charge builds, and a metallic pang stabs the back of my throat. In the next breath of cloyingly sweet air, Aldridge stumbles to a stop, and I focus on the magic inside me, afraid I’m doing something without meaning to. But no sooner have I ensured I’m not controlling the elements around me than Aldridge explodes into a million pieces of red confetti before disappearing into a cloud of gray smoke.

  The words, “You’re welcome, dear,” caress my body as everything fades to black.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Bryn

  Air squeezes from my lungs for an insufferable eternity before light fills my vision again. The green grass beneath me smells sweet as I press myself to my hands and knees.

  Movement beside me draws my attention and a moan of relief escapes when I catch sight of Taj and Calder to my right. On my left, Silas and Poe climb to their feet.