Cursed Witch

by September Stone

  I try to force a smile, but nothing about his expression says he’s joking. “I thought you were sending me because she wouldn’t try to grab me?”

  “I don’t pretend to know the mind of nymph,” Poe says. “And I don’t trust what I don’t know.”

  My heart hammers against my chest, but before the dread can overtake me, Calder pulls me into his arms. “You’ll be fine.” He presses a dizzying kiss on my lips before passing me to Taj.

  “Be sure she agrees to the trade before you give her the Hand of Glory. Once she accepts the terms, she’s bound by the magic of her kind to hold up her end of the bargain. She’ll have to tell you what she knows.” Taj cups my cheek in his hand, and a measure of the peace I felt in bed beside him last night washes over me. He leans in for a tender kiss, smiling when we break apart. “See you soon, love.”

  Poe nods a goodbye, but when I turn to Silas, he only stares at me, his brow knit.

  “Well, see you all in a little bit, I guess,” I say, starting toward the waterfall.

  “Wait,” Silas says before turning his attention to the guys. “Maybe I should go with her.”

  Poe scoffs. “What part of feeds on the souls of men isn’t clear to you?”

  “I don’t think she’ll bother with me,” Silas says. “I don’t have what she wants.”

  His words send a shiver through me. Is Silas saying he doesn’t have a soul? A few days ago, I had no concept of what a daemon is. While the name conjures up images of evil, that hasn’t been my experience with Silas. Sure, he was pretty scary when we first met—but he was being controlled by Lillian Castle, a vampire who wants my magic for herself. Since he’s been freed from her service, he’s been normal—funny, even. But there’s still so much about the supernatural world I don’t know.

  Calder shakes his head. “Still too risky to send you in, Silas. Our best bet is for Bryn to go alone.”

  Silas opens his mouth but closes it again quickly. “Fine. Good luck.”

  I force myself to swallow around the knot in my throat. As I turn toward the waterfall, I hope luck is enough to get me through this encounter unscathed.

  Chapter Seven

  Bryn

  The magic pulsing through the ground intensifies with each step I take. If I didn’t already know a supernatural being inhabited this area, it wouldn’t take much to figure it out.

  As I go, I try to keep my breathing even and focus on the sounds around me—the rush of the waterfall, the call of birds in the surrounding trees, the hum of insects, the call of frogs. I’ve been out of captivity for days, and it still surprises me how loud the silence can be. After the sum of my auditory experience being limited to the drone of the HVAC system and the rough calls of guards as they stomped past my door, the simple sounds of nature are like a symphony.

  I near the waterfall and a shiver envelops my body, but I have a feeling it has nothing to do with the cold spray coming up off the lake’s surface. I’m nearly to the undine’s lair, and the earth below my feet wants me to know it. My magic coils tight in my belly, ready to spring to life at the first sign of trouble.

  The rocks leading behind the waterfall are slick with the kind of slime that seeks damp spaces. Just like Calder said, there is a cave opening behind the falls. I approach cautiously, not sure what the protocol here is. It isn’t as if there’s a door to knock on.

  “Um, excuse me?” I adjust the straps on my backpack. “Thalassa? Are you here? I’ve come to speak to you.”

  It’s darker here behind the falls, but the sunlight still penetrates, leaving everything washed in a shadowy blue glow. The rush of the water is immense, and I worry that I won’t hear a response even if I get one.

  Steeling myself, I step closer to the mouth of the cave. It’s four or five feet wide at the base and tall enough for me to step through without hunching. I keep my hand pressed to the slick stones on the wall as I step inside.

  When Calder said the undine lived in a cave, I imagined a small, dark hole in the side of a mountain, but the sight that greets my eyes is nothing short of breathtaking. The inside of the cavern is at least as large as Elowen’s cabin in the woods, and most of the space is dominated by a dark, still pond. Light filters in from somewhere above, bathing the whole place in a shimmery glow.

  “Thalassa?” I ask, my voice loud enough to echo off the sloping walls. “Are you in here?”

  For several seconds, the only sound comes from the rush of the falls and the muffled sounds of frogs and birds beyond. But then air bubbles appear in the center of the pool—first slowly, but then faster until the water ripples and a figure emerges from the depths.

  The woman tosses back her head, shaking droplets of water off her face. She bobs in the water higher than she should, with her body visible to the navel. If she’s wearing clothes, I can’t tell. Her long, dark hair cascades over her shoulders, molding to the shape of her full breasts. Wide, dazzling blue eyes fix on me, filled with curiosity and something else I can’t put a name to.

  “Who wishes to speak to Thalassa?” Her voice has a musical quality that makes me want to listen to her. My fingers trail off the slick cave wall as I take a step toward the water. I need to be closer to her.

  I give myself a mental shake and stop myself from moving any closer to her pool. She’s descended from the same supernaturals as Mona. I have to stay on guard against her.

  “My name is Bryn,” I say, the words coming out more forcefully than I expect. I clear my throat and start again. “I’ve heard that you have information about where the Staff of Rahn is located. I’ve come to offer you a trade for that information.”

  “Let us speak,” she says, nodding to a spot by the side of the pool. When she begins gliding toward the edge, for a moment I’m too transfixed to move. She slips effortlessly through the water, like her motions come about from thought rather than physical effort. Although I can’t see her feet, the stillness of the liquid surrounding her leads me to believe she’s barely moving them—if at all.

  She’s nearly to the edge when I come to my senses. I stuff down the urge to hurry so as not to make her wait for me. It’s better to move slowly on these slippery stones and make it there without incident than to fall flat on my face.

  Thalassa studies me as I close the remaining distance between us, that odd mix of curiosity and something else still on her face. She sweeps a hand toward a low, flat stone, and I sit on it, careful to keep my feet as far from the edge of the pond as possible. With a grace I’m sure I couldn’t match, she places her arms on a similar rock just below the water’s surface and lifts herself to sit upon it. “What is it you wish to trade, young Bryn?”

  Despite myself, my eyes travel the length of her body. Her shapely thighs seem to float just below the surface of the water, and the dark triangle of curls nestled between her legs makes my skin flush. I bite the inside of my lip. Could I be any more rude? I’ve come into this being’s home uninvited, and she’s being entirely hospitable. The least I can do is not gape at her nakedness.

  I pull the pack off my shoulder and unzip it. Even with my attention on the task at hand, I can feel Thalassa’s gaze on me. Although Poe warned me to be on alert, I can feel my body relaxing. Even the magic coiled in my core begins to loosen up. Surely if this woman meant me any harm, she wouldn’t be so willing to discuss my terms.

  With trembling fingers, I pull the Hand of Glory out of my bag, and Thalassa doesn’t quite disguise a flash of longing. “I was told you would part with the information for this. Are those terms okay?”

  Thalassa reaches out, but she’s seated too far away to touch the hand. “If I say yes, we’ll make our trade and you’ll be on your way. Is that right?”

  I open my mouth to answer before stopping myself. Something about her question sounds like a test. “That was my plan,” I say carefully. “I don’t want to take up too much of your time.”

  A smile curves her lips, and her face is transformed. I don’t think I’ve seen anyone more lovely in al
l my life. It’s as if every sunrise and sunset, every flower and butterfly, every ray of sunlight glistening off the surface of every body of water in the world is contained within Thalassa’s smile. How can so much beauty be contained in one person? My heart hammers against my chest as if begging to be allowed to draw nearer to the vision before me.

  “I have little else to occupy me,” Thalassa says, a distinct note of sadness tinging her tone. “And it would be a shame not to get to know a little about one another. After all, I’m willing to bet you’ve never met one of my kind before.”

  Panic flickers in my chest for a moment before sputtering out. Although a nagging voice in the back of my head says I need to be careful, I’m sure that part of my brain is being extra cautious since undines and sirens are distantly related. Thalassa isn’t Mona, and I shouldn’t allow the sins of the latter to color my view of the woman before me. “How can you tell?”

  Thalassa’s smile broadens. “You have the air of someone for whom the world holds unceasing mystery. I, on the other hand, have lived more years than you might guess, and I’ve gone on countless adventures and seen wonders few earth-walkers could even imagine. If you could stay for even an hour, I could regale you with wondrous stories you could cherish in your heart forever.”

  Something in my core lurches forward as if it’s being pulled toward the water. While my body doesn’t move, every atom in it seems willing to do so at the slightest provocation. Hearing the stories an undine could tell sounds thrilling, and an hour isn’t too very long…

  Except the guys expect me back soon. And there’s no telling where the Staff of Rahn is. If we have to travel to the other side of the world, sparing even an hour here could spell disaster. We have just over two weeks to find the staff and bring it back to Elowen.

  “I’m sorry. I can’t.” The words grate against my throat like gravel. My legs feel wooden, like they’re rebelling against the idea of leaving Thalassa’s presence. I’d love to hear her stories. They could go a long way in making me feel competent in interacting with the world around me. It seems like every day contains major revelations for me of things that others take for granted. I’m eager to stop feeling like an ignorant fool. “Maybe after I’ve gotten the staff and taken care of what I need to, I can come back.”

  Thalassa’s shoulders slump, but her smile doesn’t entirely disappear. “Well then, how about one story? What’s a few minutes in the grand scheme of things?”

  Another tug jolts me and I have to lean backward to keep from scooting forward on my rock seat. A war rages inside me. I long to move closer to Thalassa, but Poe’s warning rings in the back of my mind. And although Thalassa is the exact opposite of dangerous-looking and I can’t imagine she wants to harm me, my brain won’t shut up about listening to Poe’s advice. “One story,” I agree. “But we should do our exchange first.”

  She nods. “As you wish.” She holds out her hand, but I don’t place the item in it. If I part with it now, she has no reason to give me the information. What will the guys say if I come back without a location? No, I have to be smart about this.

  “If you don’t mind, I’d like to hear the information first,” I say in the most polite voice I can muster.

  If I’ve offended Thalassa, her expression doesn’t show it. “Very well. Since the death of the great mage Rahn, many have claimed to possess his staff. Some have insisted its power was at their command in an attempt to dominate foes. Others have hoped to solidify their standing within the supernatural community. But none have been the true holder of the staff.”

  As she speaks, I can’t keep my eyes off her. My gaze drifts from her eyes to her red lips to her round breasts hidden behind the curtain of her hair. She’s more beautiful than anyone I’ve ever seen before. I can’t believe she’s taking the time to talk to me. The desire to be near her builds in my core and my fingers twitch against the Hand of Glory on my lap.

  “Some years ago, during my last dalliance with a land-walker, the two of us happened upon a peculiar group of reclusive priests and priestesses. Though they never spoke the name, the staff’s magic called to me. Rahn’s scepter can be found among the members of the Order of Theurgy. Go to their temple and you’re sure to find it.”

  “The Order of Theurgy?” I’ve never heard of such a group. She could be making up the name and I’d never know the difference. Except Taj said that once she agreed to our trade, Thalassa wouldn’t be able to lie. I can only hope he’s right about that.

  The worry spinning in my head whirs to a stop when Thalassa reaches for the Hand of Glory again. A deal’s a deal. I can’t very well leave to check on her story with the guys without giving her what I promised. When I place the hand in her palm, she pulls it back toward her chest greedily, a hungry look contorting her features. But in a blink, she’s back to her beautiful self. She settles the curled appendage on the surface of the water, and it floats there for a few moments before sinking so slowly there has to be some kind of magic involved.

  “Now, before I tell you another story, I’d like to learn a little about you, young Bryn.” Thalassa’s musical voice reverberates off the cave walls, sending a tingle down my spine. “You are something of a curiosity to me, because while you appear to be yet a babe in the ways of the world, I sense on you the life energy of not one but two men.”

  Heat creeps up my neck at her assessment. Is my sex life that obvious to every supernatural I come in contact with? Or does this have to do with undines and their desire for a man’s soul? Maybe she can sniff out masculine energy the way I can sense the magical properties of an herb or crystal.

  I mean to say, “What I do with the men in my life is none of your business,” but what comes out is, “You sense correctly.”

  Thalassa smiles. “Two lovers. You are a lucky woman indeed. To have two men satisfying your every desire is something most only dream of. And yet…” She leans forward, her dark hair swinging incrementally away from her chest. “Can it be you long for more?”

  My thighs clench in spite of myself. It’s insane to even consider, but yes. Yes, I long for more. After sparring with Poe yesterday, he hasn’t strayed far from my mind. The memory of his body pressed against mine heats my skin even now. I know the way his hands feel when they’re on me in a fight, but what would it be like if he were caressing me? I know the feel of his rock-hard abdomen pressed against mine, but I want to know what another rock-hard part of his anatomy feels like.

  “Ah, to be so young and yet so well-versed in the pleasures of the flesh,” Thalassa says longingly. “You’re lucky, young Bryn, to have experienced so much despite your sheltered life. And yes, another man will always be waiting. But my gift to you, if you’ll receive it, is beyond what any man can ever give.”

  “Yes.” The word slips from my lips in a whisper, charging the air between us.

  Thalassa dips her head in a demure nod before inhaling a deep breath that accentuates the fullness of her breasts. On her exhale comes a single note so sweet it carves out a hole in my chest. But as her voice soars to sun-kissed heights before swooping back to heart-wrenching lows, the empty space inside me fills with a tight bud that the sound of her song coaxes open, petal by petal.

  My heart flutters in my chest as her hauntingly beautiful music seeps beneath my skin and courses into my veins. Wetness begins slicking my intimate folds. My body warms and writhes with the sense memory of my encounters with Calder and Taj, as if every touch is happening all at once. Each swell of Thalassa’s voice intensifies the sensations rushing through my body. A delicious agony builds at my apex and I clench my thighs furiously to provide the friction I long for. My head tilts back as a moan gathers in my throat.

  The echo of water dripping captures a measure of my attention. What am I doing? I know exactly where I am—beside the cavern pool home of an undine. I can feel her eyes on me as she sings. My body climbs to its fever pitch, but I can’t make myself care that I have an audience. Hands cup my breasts and pinch my nipples, and it takes
a moment before I realize they’re my own. Each tweak sends a zip of energy straight to my aching clit, and the rock I’m sitting on seems to warm as I twist upon it.

  “Yes, young Bryn,” Thalassa purrs, her head tipping back. “Almost there.”

  Her words should break my spell, but they only urge me on. Somehow, knowing she’s watching me makes every sensation more acute. I’m so close to the edge now, my whole body feels like it’s one with the universe. It’s as if every gust of wind, every blade of grass, every wave upon the shore is part of me.

  My right hand drops from my breast and seeks out my apex, which throbs with the need for release. It takes barely a touch for the world to explode around me, and the screams from my climax echo off the cave walls for so long I’m sure the world must have ended and have been born anew.

  When I finally come back to myself, I open my eyes and my gaze lands on Thalassa. She’s still sitting on her seat in the water, her attention fixed fully on me. I’m sure I should feel embarrassed about what just happened, but the emotion doesn’t come.

  “You’ve known great pleasure, young Bryn.” Keeping her eyes fixed on mine, Thalassa sweeps her dark hair over her shoulders, exposing her voluptuous breasts. My mouth goes dry as her pink nipples pucker against the sudden chill. “But, if you’ll allow it, I can teach you the meaning of ecstasy.”

  I open my mouth to answer, but no words come. I’ve gotten what I came for. I have the information we need to locate the staff. The guys are waiting for me. Calder. Taj. Every touch I just relived came from them, and I very badly want to return.

  But Thalassa is offering me a gift. A being so ancient and mysterious must know secrets few could dream of. And she’s so lonely here in her little cave. We both win in this situation. She gets some much-deserved company, and I get a glimpse into a world of ecstasy that no man could possibly every show me.