by A. N. Sage
“I have some questions for you. About who we are, our family that is.”
She laughed. “We have no family, baby. We only have each other.” Her eyes drifted past me and grew darker like she was remembering something she’d have preferred to keep hidden.
“Stop lying,” I snapped. “You’ve done enough of that to last a lifetime.”
“I’m telling you the truth, dear. No one is on our side in this world. No one at all.”
“Graves.”
“I’m sorry?”
“I said, Graves.” I sneered and leaned into the table, placing my palms on the icy surface of the concrete.
Beatrix widened her eyes and her jaw slacked. “How do you know that name?”
“I know a lot more than you think so you better start talking.”
“Not until you tell me what you already know.” She forced a smile, but it didn’t reach her eyes. “No point wasting time since I doubt they’ll let me talk for long after they hear what I have to say.”
She gestured to the blinking red light in the corner of the room and I nodded in recognition. So I was right, we were being watched. Without thinking, I reached for my ring and felt instant disappointment when it wasn’t there. I had to leave all my crystals and herbs with the wardens before I came in but not having my crutch nearby was debilitating. I don’t think I realized how much I relied on the moonstone ring to calm me down until that very moment. My hands fisted and I squared my shoulders, gaze trained on Beatrix.
“I know our real last name isn’t Stonewall. It’s Graves, isn’t it?” Beatrix nodded and a sense of resentment rushed over me. “I also know that we have fae blood coursing through our veins, Spirit blood.”
As promptly as I uttered the word ‘fae’, Beatrix’s face dropped. Her eyes grew dark and pensive and the two inner points of her eyebrows met until she looked like she only had one brow to begin with. The wrinkles in her forehead were so intense that I nearly started laughing while picturing her forty years from now as an old lady. Get over it! You will never see her again, especially not forty years from now.
“Wilhemina,” she whispered, “you need to stop whatever it is you’re doing. You can’t go looking into the past. It isn’t safe.”
She leaned in and I followed her lead. As her hands reached further on the table, I inched my fingers toward hers but stopped before we touched. Tears were already starting to form under my lids and I had to push them away. I couldn’t let her know she got to me. “Why isn’t it safe?” I asked and leaned back again.
“Our past is complicated. Your past specifically. Stop asking questions before you put yourself in danger.”
“I’m already in danger, Beatrix!” I wailed. “So you better help me. I know you don’t care for me and I know you never wanted to have me around but you have to help me!”
“Baby,” she said, “of course I care for you. I love you. You’re my daughter.”
“Didn’t love me more than magic, I guess.”
Beatrix cocked an eyebrow. “Is that what they told you? That I’m here because I misused magic? Figures.”
“What are you talking about? It’s the damn truth mother!”
“Baby,” she whispered and leaned in, “there are two sides to every truth…”
Loud footsteps sounded in the corridor and worry flashed over her eyes. Her hands reached for mine and I let her snatch my fingers into a firm hold. My entire body vibrated and the tears I was trying to hold back were streaming down my face. I wanted to press her more, to find out what the hell she was hinting at but the fear on her face stopped me cold. Whatever lies Beatrix spewed settled in my gut and I instantly hated myself for falling for her garbage.
“Listen, baby. We have little time left but you have to promise me you’ll stop what you’re doing. Getting mixed up with the fae is a death sentence, just look at me!” She gestured to her gray uniform but her one hand stayed cradled on top of my own. “Do you still have that ring I gave you?”
I nodded.
“Good, that’s good. Keep it close and never lose it! The only thing your father ever did right was give you that ring.”
“My father? Who is he? Is he still around? How do I find him?” Questions poured out of me like a waterfall but I couldn’t stop myself from asking them.
“You must never look for your father, Wilhemina,” she said and her voice was stone. “Promise me!”
“I can’t do that!”
Beatrix’s lips opened but before she could say anything else, two witch wardens pushed into the room and grabbed her by the elbows. They pulled Beatrix to her feet, shoving her away from me. My mother’s bare feet dragged on the cold floor and she fought their hold but her body was too weak. She’d been without magic for too long and it surprised me she could even walk anymore. Most witches that have been caged for this long were nothing but vegetables by now.
“Promise me, Billie!” She shouted before they shoved her through the door and into the corridor. “Promise me!”
Her screams echoed through the room, sucker-punching me in the gut. I bent over the table, breathing so heavily that my lungs felt like they would explode. My body shook and I scraped my nails over the table, breaking another one in the process. Why did I come here? Why did I think she would help me get answers?
My head pounded and I threw a fist down into the concrete, wincing at the jarring pain it sent up my arm. Beatrix was right about one thing, in this world, there was no one on my side. Not her, not my friends, and not the High Coven. If I was going to survive being the killer’s next target, I had to do it myself and on my own terms. My spine uncurled and I clumsily shoved hair out of my face, scrubbing the skin clean of the tears that stained it. A plan formed in my mind, clearer than anything I’ve thought before. It wasn’t safe and it wasn’t coven sanctioned but these were desperate times and I couldn’t wait around to get their permission. My days were numbered and this was the best play I could think of. There was only one way to get to the monster that wanted me dead.
I’m going to bait the witch out by giving what she wants most. I’m going to give her me.
Chop Chop
“You’re the next target?” Savannah’s face looked like I just ran over her puppy with a pickup truck. Why was this girl always making my life so hard? By the looks of her, you’d think she was jealous it wasn’t her on the list of next to die in some creepy ass ritual.
I rolled my eyes and turned my back to her, facing the rest of the hunters. “Anyway, looks like my mom lied about our family history and I have fae heritage.”
“Mind,” Jayden said, “blown. Like totally. I’m speechless here, guys. For reals.”
“You’re spewing a whole lot of bullshit for someone speechless,” Morgan teased and tapped her palm a couple of times on his cheek. “But you’re lucky you’re cute.”
My gaze turned to River beside me. “Are those two a couple?”
“Ew!” Jayden and Morgan yelled in unison.
“Besides,” Morgan added and waved her arm over Jayden, “I don’t do whatever this is.”
“Ouch! Shots fired!” Jayden yelped. They both laughed and I found myself more confused than ever.
“Morgan’s into the ladies,” Abigail offered when she noticed my blank stare. Beside her, Tyler growled in approval and she smacked him on the shoulder. “No picturing my bestie doing her thang, we talked about this!”
Tyler’s face dropped, but he still managed to fist pump Jayden when Abigail wasn’t looking. Beside them, Morgan only rolled her eyes and continued to paint her nails.
Huh. Would Morgan and Peyton get along? I cursed myself for even thinking of Peyton right now but the last couple of days without her were horrible. I reached for my phone every half hour to text her but no words came out. There was no way to describe the loss I felt over finding out my best friend was a shadower but the most confusing part was that I was starting to come around to it. Agony spread over my bones and I groaned. Sooner or later, I’d have
to tell the High Coven who she is and they would swoop in to take care of the problem. My stomach turned just thinking about what that meant. River rolled his shoulders in my peripheral and my stomach turned. When the High Coven was done with Peyton, he and his friends would be next.
“Seriously, though, you?” Savannah sniped. “You’re so… unimportant.”
Maybe I’d be okay with her getting axed.
“Yes, me,” I hissed. “And it’s not some badge of honor. I’m going to die if we don’t stop this witch or did you forget that part?”
She flipped her curls and rested her head on Abigail’s shoulder. “Yeah, yeah, whatever. Just get on with it. You had some plan?”
“And shouldn’t Peyton be here?” Morgan asked.
Interesting.
“She’s busy,” I answered a little too quickly. “And she wouldn’t like what I’m about to say so…”
Everyone looked at me with wide eyes and I shifted my weight in the stool. As usual, we gathered in River’s kitchen which I was realizing was ground zero for the hunters. They all seemed so comfortable here but that was likely because no one else had the pleasure of being told off by Evanora. Although no one else was caught sucking face with River on this very counter, at least I hoped no one had. My arm brushed against his and I sucked in the familiar scent of his cologne before gritting my teeth. Get a good whiff while you can.
“We’ll use me as bait,” I said matter-of-factly. “This witch is gunning for me so we present me on a silver platter and see if she shows.”
“Then what?”
I haven’t thought that part out yet which was exactly why they were here. The witch was powerful, even more so now that she had four fae bloodlines coursing through her veins. I couldn’t defeat her on my own and bringing in the High Coven was out of the question. Not until I was ready with whatever tale I would spin to convince them not to throw me in a cell for keeping the identities of the hunters secret for this long. Plus, if I took care of the witch myself, there was more of a chance they’d look the other way when I told them. The problem was that I didn’t know how to proceed once I had her where I wanted her. Luring out the witch shouldn’t be too difficult but what’s to stop her from killing me and completing the ritual before I dealt with her? I needed help and as it turned out, my only lifeline was the group of witch hunters crowding the kitchen counter.
“You deaf or something?” Savannah asked and knocked on the marble to get my attention. “What do we do when she shows up?”
“I don’t know yet,” I answered. “You’re the hunters here.”
“Um, we haven’t met a witch before,” River admitted. “So we’re kind of rolling with the punches on this.”
“What would you do if you have met one?”
I wasn’t sure I wanted to know the answer but they might think of something I couldn’t.
“Chop her head off?”
Yeah, that’s not going to work. “That won’t work,” I said, cringing at the thought.
Tyler leaned in, his face peeking through Abigail’s long locks as he rested his head on her shoulder. From this angle, they looked like creepy conjoined twins in one of those old-school circus movies. “I’m pretty sure chopping anyone’s head off is a sure way to get them nice and dead.”
“Not this witch. She’s too powerful.”
“You got all that from some books you read back home too?” Savannah asked and her eyes narrowed my way. “No offense, but we’ve been training for this our entire lives. I vote for the chopping. Who’s with me?”
She glanced around the table two hands popped up. Tyler and Abigail, no shock there. The other two kept their gazes down, except River—his eyes were only on me.
“You’re sure it wouldn’t work?” He asked.
I shook my head. “Think of it this way, she was already a powerful witch before she started this ritual because no way in hell someone can suck in that much energy unless they knew what they were doing. But now, she has four potent, elemental fae lines running through her. She’ll strike you dead before you even make do with this chopping you’re so into.”
Abigail and Tyler exchanged glances and shrugged.
“Fine, no chopping. What’s the alternative?” Tyler asked.
This was the most I’ve heard him say to me since we’ve met and it was refreshing to know he could string sentences together. What was even more exhilarating was that he was willing to go against Savannah’s plan and side with me. It felt like I was justified somehow; like the hunters accepted me. A warmth spread through me and I noticed myself unable to stop the smile that crept over my face. Was I happy that the hunters liked me?
Never mind, you can deal with your bullshit feelings later. Eyes on the prize!
“So what’s plan B?” Abigail asked.
I scrunched my nose and rested my chin in my hands. “I think we can use the ritual she was trying to perform against her. I’m still not sure of the details but I can hit the—” I stopped before the word ‘grimoire’ escaped my lips. “The books I saw at the Crystal Cauldron. There was a bunch there with spells and rituals so I’m sure I can turn up with something.”
“That’s an excellent plan and all,” Savannah purred, “but there’s one minor problem.”
“What?”
“We’re not WITCHES!”
Ugh, right. As far as they knew, I was a regular human like them. I had to think of something to convince them to follow through with this. If I was going to use the killer’s spell against her, I needed five points in the circle which meant I needed five living bodies to fill the spots. Sure, they weren’t witches but energy was energy. They didn’t need to have magic to stand in, they just needed to be alive. It was so simple I couldn’t believe I haven’t thought of it sooner. I could recreate the Drawing of Life ritual the witch was using but instead of fae energy, I use the hunters. If I could drain enough of their life force to strengthen myself, it should give me enough of a boost to knock the monster on her ass. Shit! This would go against so many coven laws my head hurt just thinking about it. My mind raced as I thought of a plausible explanation and landed on keeping it as close to the truth as possible.
“As far as I know, magic is all about energy. This isn’t Hogwarts. We don’t need to perform any magic but we need to convince the witch that we can and are going to. Then we keep her busy enough to knock her out.”
“And then chop chop?” Jayden asked.
“NO!” I yelled. “Then call the cops and tell them we found the murderer. What is with you and the decapitation?”
“Meh.” He shrugged. “Just would be cool to slay a witch like we’re supposed to.”
My shoulders dropped and I looked around the table. “How about this? If my plan to trap her doesn’t work, you can chop her head off.”
“Preach.”
Everyone nodded and I felt sick to my stomach. I was teaming up with people who wanted nothing more than to kill a witch in the worst way possible. I could only imagine what they’d do to me if they found out I was one too. The hunters cheered before diving into a deep conversation about who would be in the circle and who was nominated for the kill if things went wrong while I closed my eyes, taking deep breaths like I was in a Lamaze class. Beside me, River cleared his throat and I turned to look at him.
“You okay?” He asked.
“Who, me? Yeah, super. About to lure out a powerful witch and hope she doesn’t kill me. Couldn’t be better.”
“I meant because of that visit with your mom?”
Oh, right. I told him about that.
“I’m fine. I haven’t seen her in forever, so it’s not like she’s my mom anymore.” My heart ached from saying that even though I knew it was true. “Sorry I didn’t tell you about her before.”
“You mean the jail part?”
I nodded. “Yep.”
“Don’t sweat it. If it helps, I wish my dad was in jail so I wouldn’t have to think about why he never bothers to come see me.”
> “You don’t mean that.”
“You’re right.” He sighed. “I don’t. But it still feels like crap.”
My hand reached for his under the table and our fingers intertwined. River’s gaze found mine and I couldn’t help but smile at the childish grin on his face. The pastel pink cotton tee he was wearing was doing all the right things to bring out the green in his eyes and the pressure between my thighs increased. For once, I was grateful to have the hunters there or I might have pounced on him like a lioness protecting her cubs. I squeezed his hand and let the tension in my neck drift away.
“I get that,” I whispered. “If anyone knows what it’s like to have an absentee parent, it’s this girl.”
“Well, I, for one, like this girl.” His smile widened and I leaned in, oblivious to the fact that we weren’t alone.
River’s hand squeezed mine harder and blood rushed to my face. You hate him, you hate him, you hate him. I recited to myself but my stupid body had other ideas. All I could think of was his fingers around mine and the smell of his cologne in the air.
Something vibrated in my back pocket and I jumped up. River’s arms dropped to the side and I grit my teeth as I tried to smile while whispering ‘sorry’ before pulling the phone out. My eyes were still on his yummy lips when I pressed the home button and Peyton’s message popped into view.
I don’t care that you’re a witch. If you want to vanquish my ass later, I get that. But I sure as shit will not let you do whatever it is you’re planning to do without my help. I have a particular skill set we both know about and you need me.
River grabbed my arm and pulled me back down to sit. “Who’s that?”
“Someone’s that going to help.” I scowled. “Whether I want her to or not.”
Just A Drop
Freezing cold air nipped at my skin as I finished drawing the last rune in the circle. Around me, the cornstalks of Savannah’s family farm whispered in the wind, their rustling deepening the uncontrollable nerves settled at the base of my stomach. Even though I hated agreeing with Savannah on anything, using her family farm as the spot to draw out the witch was an excellent plan. It was far enough out of the way—about a twenty-minute drive from the Chandlers—that we’d be well hidden from the human eye and the large cornstalks helped muffle any sounds that might arise should a fight break out. I was hoping it wouldn’t come to that but there was no actual way to know what to expect at this point. Lucky for us, Savannah’s parents were in Costa Rica on vacation so at least we didn’t have to worry about them interrupting our plans. I could see the enormous farmhouse that Savannah called home in the distance and even in the dark of night with most of the lights off it still looked intimidating. I couldn’t help but wonder if Savannah ever got lost in the halls when she was a child and if she was lonely growing up in such a sizable place all alone. As far as I knew, Savannah had no other siblings which explained her mightier-than-thou attitude well. The one best thing to come out of the spoiled brat’s upbringing was that we now had this killer spot to perform the ritual to draw the witch out.