by Kensie King
Kill him, Link, and you can be the most powerful witch Knob Creek has ever seen.
“No,” I hissed.
Gage pulled back. “No?”
“I wasn’t talking to you.”
He glanced behind him. “Then who?”
“Savannah.”
He angled his head. “She’s still with you, isn’t she? Since you contacted her for help at my house.”
I nodded, my teeth still clenched. I should have already been inside, safe from his charms. But my feet didn’t want to move.
Gage leaned in, careful of the necklace, but still close enough to feel his breath on my cheek. “Let me help you.”
“Gage, no.” I set one hand on his chest, prepared to push him away, but he just covered that hand with his own. “Gage—”
“Tell me.”
“Savannah wants me to hurt you.”
He blinked, then shook his head. “What?”
I sighed. “She’s still angry. She wants me to hurt you. Even after all these years, she wants revenge.”
Gage didn’t say anything for a long moment. His eyes were dark in the dim lighting on the porch, and I couldn’t read the emotion there. But it looked like he was solving a puzzle in his mind. “Wait. Is this why you’ve been trying to avoid me?”
“Yes.”
Then he did the last thing I expected. He smiled. “So you’re trying to protect me?”
Damn, the man was more stubborn than me. “I should go in now.”
“No, Link—” He put his hand on the door before I could open it. “Please don’t go.”
“I’m tired.”
He nodded and went back to business in the blink of an eye. “I didn’t know what was going on. I thought you were still mad about what I’d done. Instead, you’ve been trying to stay away from me so you won’t hurt me. I’m kind of relieved.”
I stepped away from him, forgetting the door for a moment. “Well, now I am angry with you. You won’t listen to me. I’m trying to help you and you’re making a joke of it.”
“It’s not a joke. It makes sense. And like I said, I’m relieved. No, I’m flattered—”
“Asshole,” I muttered, looking at the door again.
He held up his hands, but his lips curved. “It was a joke and I’m sorry. It won’t happen again.”
My lips twitched but I folded my arms and tried to remain serious. “Now do you understand why I need space?”
“I understand why you want space. But I’m not worried you’ll hurt me.”
“Dammit, it’s not me, Gage. It’s her. She keeps talking to me—telling me to do things. She’s been showing me images of you hurt—”
“All right, hold on. Link,” he said, stepping up to me again and gently putting his hands on my arms. He ran them up and down, warming me up some from the chilliness of the night. “You’re not going to hurt me.”
“You really don’t—”
“I’m serious.” He eased in closer, putting his arms around me. He hissed when the necklace touched him, but he wouldn’t let go. “It’ll be okay. I promise.”
I clung to him, hanging onto his reassurance for one long, sweet moment before Savannah started whispering to me again. He’s using you. He doesn’t care about you. All he wants is your power.
“She’s doing it again,” I said, my voice muffled against his shirt.
“Try to shut her out.” Gage leaned back and met my eyes. “I’ll help you.”
He captured my mouth with his. The assault to my senses was potent and strong, like a drug washing over me. I ran my hands up his arms, over the strong ridge of muscles and then to his neck so I could hold on.
Yes, make him think you want him.
I made a noise low in my throat. Gage held me tighter, mouth breaking away long enough to say, “Ignore her.” Then his tongue found my lips again, parting them. It pressed inside my mouth and mingled with my tongue, making me sigh.
Set him on fire.
I squeezed my eyes shut tight, trying to block out everything but Gage. Trying to lose myself in the kiss and the moment. Trying to break free.
My hands fisted in Gage’s shirt, and he swiveled us, so my back was pressed against the house. His fingers dug into my hair, holding me close.
“Is she gone yet?” he asked, breathless.
“No.”
His mouth moved to my cheek, then over my jaw while his hands wandered. One moved under my shirt in the back, his fingers like fire on my skin. And the other slid down my abdomen and to the bulge in my pants. I arched to him, and he made a sound of pleasure in his throat.
“Link, I want you.”
I was too afraid to repeat those words, afraid Savannah would take that away from me. And take away this moment, too.
“Please make her go away,” I whispered.
You’ll never get me to leave.
Flames burst inside of me, like I’d been hit by lightning. “Gage, stop.”
I shoved him back as fire shot from my fingertips. It barely missed him, hitting a plank of wood on the porch and singeing it. I froze, staring at my hands. I hadn’t even had a chance to make the fire go away. It came too fast.
Slowly, my eyes lifted to his. “See? I told you.”
“Link.” He reached for me, but I jumped out of his way.
“Stop. Look what I did to the porch. That could have been you.”
There was a burn mark on the wood about the size of a basketball. Large enough it could have seriously hurt him.
He shook his head. “You can’t hurt me like that.”
“Yes, I can. And she wants me to do more.”
“You won’t.”
“You don’t know that.” I shot him a warning look. “Leave me alone, Gage. Keep your distance until I figure this out.”
He didn’t come after me this time but didn’t look agreeable. “I can’t guarantee that, Link. I want to be here for you.”
“You won’t if you want to keep from getting burned.”
Before he could answer, I pushed open the door and rushed inside. Audrey was still sleeping on the couch and I could hear Grace in the bathroom down the hall. I blew out a breath and slumped against the door. My fingers still tingled from the fire but when I looked at my hand, my mouth dropped open.
My wound was completely healed.
Chapter 12
The next day, I bit the bullet and visited my mom.
After a lot of internal debating, I forced myself to drive to her house, get out of my car and knock on the door.
All I had to do was keep reminding myself that it was business. It was here for Audrey.
But the moment she opened the door, emotions got involved. I couldn’t get over how much alike we looked. And how much I missed her—even if’ I was still angry with her.
She smiled. “Hi, Link.”
“I hope I’m not bothering you.”
“No, not at all. You’re welcome to stop by anytime you want. Or call me.”
I gave a jerky nod.
She sighed. “Yeah, I guess that’s not the impression I’ve given you these last several years. But I’m hoping that can change one day.”
Business, I reminded myself. “That’s not why I’m here.”
She was silent a moment, then stepped back. “Why don’t you come in?”
I followed her inside the house. Instead of stopping in the living room, she guided me down the short hallway and to a tiny kitchen. There was a small spread of food and drink on the table. Lemonade and iced tea, muffins, scones and croissants.
I cleared my throat. “I’m sorry. Were you expecting company?”
She smiled. “Yes. You. I had a dream you were here. They don’t all turn out right but this one did.” She gestured. “Let’s bring this to the back patio and I’ll tell you more.”
I grabbed a tray loaded with food and shadowed her outside. The sun was warm and high in the sky, just a few lazy clouds floating above. I thought about my hike with Gage and how I’d like to do
it again, as long as we didn’t end up at Savannah’s house.
But then I’d have to be around Gage, and I wasn’t sure if I could handle it. Especially because he’d convince me he was perfectly fine, and I’d probably give in even though it was against my better judgement.
When a blackbird perched on the rail of the patio, I narrowed my eyes at it. It couldn’t be the one I kept seeing. I was sure they were everywhere around here. But, for some reason, it was starting to creep me out.
“Have a seat,” Helen said. The bird flew away, and I turned my attention to the table as she poured lemonade into clear glasses. “I love this spot in the mornings. You can hear the creek back in the trees. It’s peaceful.”
It was peaceful. But I found myself looking over to Dylan’s house and wondering if he was home. If he was doing okay.
“Do you do that a lot?” I asked. “Have dreams about the future?”
“A lot, yes, but it’s usually random. Most of the time I know when it’s something that’s really going to happen, but not always. I didn’t know you were coming to Knob Creek.”
“Would that have made a difference?” I asked, unable to keep the hint of anger from my voice. “Or would you still have left?”
She lowered her gaze. “I left because it was necessary. But I also left because I heard about your father and I needed to do some research.”
I straightened in my seat. “What do you mean?”
“I think his death might have had something to do with everything that’s going on here.” She looked thoughtful. “It was definitely supernatural.”
I’d figured the same thing—supernatural because of the marks found near his body. Evidence of the occult. Dark magic. But I hadn’t thought they were related to anything happening here in Knob Creek.
“Someone was trying to get you to come here,” she said.
I nodded, eating a bite of a scone. “I know. Gage sent me a letter.”
“It’s more than that. I mean, I think something might have happened to your father because someone wanted to get you interested in the history here. In your witch roots.”
My heart slammed hard against my ribs. “You think someone murdered him because of me?”
“No, not because of you. Just—just because they wanted to get you here—or to learn more about your history.”
I set down the scone. “Why didn’t you say something? Why didn’t you at least call? I might have known he was in danger. Or maybe there’s something I could have done—”
“Link, there’s nothing you could have done. Keeping you away from all this was a decision we made together—your father and me. It kept you safe your whole life.”
I swallowed and stood. “Right. All the way up until someone murdered him and I got stuck here.”
“I didn’t expect someone from the outside would get involved.” She glanced away. “Or someone from the inside.”
I stared at her, uncomprehending. “What? What do you mean someone from the inside?”
She folded her hands on the table, looking hesitant. “Did Gage tell you he sent you the note?”
“Yes.”
“Did he admit to anything else? Anything about your father?”
“You think Gage killed Dad? Or had someone do it?”
Her mouth opened, but she didn’t answer right away. “I’m trying to figure it out.”
I ran a hand through my hair and started to pace. “I don’t think he would do that. He was just trying to help Audrey.”
But now that she’d brought it up, I wasn’t sure. There was a chain of events that lead me here, starting with the boy in the dorm room and the fire. Once my powers started, I was already curious about them—and it seemed like I kept being put into situations where I was forced to use them. And then Dad died, and I started researching. Even if I hadn’t gotten the note, I probably would have ended up here at some point.
Had someone been a part of making all that happen? Had Gage been a part of that?
I dropped back into the chair, shaking my head. “This is… I can’t deal with this right now. I’m supposed to be helping Audrey.”
She nodded. “Of course. That was selfish of me. I guess…I felt like I owed you an explanation for why I wasn’t there all those years and I wanted to give you that reason, but maybe now isn’t the best time to talk about all that. Or your father.”
“You’re right, now isn’t the best time.”
“So.” She leaned in. “Please try to eat and we can talk about Audrey.”
I reached for a muffin this time and set it on my plate. “How do we help her?”
“I’ve done some research. There are herbs that will help her feel better.”
“Feel better? But can’t we heal her or something? I mean, I keep setting people on fire. That’s a lot of power. Shouldn’t we be able to do more?”
She chewed thoughtfully on her food. The sun went behind a cloud and the wind teased her hair. “You can do more. Not me.”
“What do you mean?”
She smiled gently. “You’re a Master of the Flame, Link. They’re the most powerful of witches. The rest of the coven can increase their power and the other way around. But without you, most of us are only able to do the most basic of spells.”
“But…you’ve been a witch your whole life. You know about these things, right? You’re having dreams about the future—that has to mean something.”
“Of course it does. We’re all endowed with special powers, and the gift of prophecy is one of mine, though I regret I haven’t taken much time to focus it. But that’s not an active power. I can’t change things, I can’t heal people, and I certainly can’t set them on fire.”
I dropped my head into my hands. “So what am I supposed to do?”
“Learn more about your powers. I’ll help you. It’s a matter of exercising them—like a muscle. In time, they’ll get strong enough if you keep practicing.”
“In time,” I murmured. I looked up, meeting her familiar eyes. “But will it be enough time?”
There was compassion in her expression, and for a minute, I wanted to pursue it. I wanted her to tell me it was all going to be okay and maybe even fix it for me.
“I can’t say,” Helen told me. “But…”
“What?”
She set her napkin aside. “There’s another way to increase your power, but it’s dangerous. And with what you’ve already told me—”
“What is it?”
She shook her head. “I don’t know if—”
“What is it?”
“Use the power from our ancestors. Another Master of the Flame.”
Fuck. “You mean Savannah.”
“Yes.” When she saw the look on my face, she immediately shook her head. “But it’s out of the question. You’re already linked to her, aren’t you?”
I didn’t answer. She already knew I was.
“Link,” Helen said, “it’s not your fault. I’m amazed, actually. That your connection is so strong—and that you knew to contact her like you did.”
“Our connection is stronger than I thought,” I said.
“How so?”
“I still see her around sometimes. And she’s speaking to me.”
Helen set her hands calmly on the table. “What is she saying?”
“Stuff I don’t want to hear,” I retorted.
“You don’t have to tell me.”
I rubbed my hands over my face. “It’s…” I couldn’t even rationalize it, so I just told her straightforward. “She wants me to kill Gage.”
I looked up to see her reaction. She looked troubled, but I had no idea what else was going on in her head.
“That’s pretty serious,” she finally said.
I choked on a laugh. “You think?”
“Especially because he cares for you.”
I stared at her. “What?”
She smiled. “Come on, Link, you know this.”
“It’s not—I mean, we’re both determined
to fix this. And he understands me. Which is just—”
She started laughing. The more she laughed, the more I frowned, until she finally stopped and wiped her eyes.
“I’m sorry, Link. I don’t mean to laugh. This is all just so…” She sighed, sobering some. “Ridiculous. I’ve spent my whole life trying to keep you away from witches and vampires and everything that might hurt you. And now you’re right in the middle of it. With a vampire who’s half in love with you.”
I stepped away from the table, almost knocking it over. “You did not just say love. Are you crazy?”
Instead of being offended, she started laughing again. “Sometimes I wonder.”
I glared at her. This wasn’t what I came here for. And damn, this was hitting way too close to home. I did have feelings for Gage, but I was burying those along with the idea of reconciling with my mom in any way—or even considering that she might have had a good reason to keep me out of her life.
My mom stood and walked over to me. “Listen, Link. Savannah is still strong. And if she’s telling you these things, she’s trying to use you. We need to find a way to distance you from her—or the other way around. I’d like to help you figure this out.”
“I need to help figure out how to help Audrey,” I told her, unable to meet her gaze.
“I know. We’ll work on that, too. And hopefully it doesn’t involve getting Savannah’s help.”
“What if it does?”
She sighed. “We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it.”
“And Gage?” I asked grudgingly. When I came here, I figured I wouldn’t be getting any useful advice from my mother. But she was proving me wrong.
She met my eyes, like she was surprised I’d even ask her about something personal. “You care about him, don’t you?”
“I think so.”
“Then listen to your gut. If it says he’s trustworthy, then he is. As far as Savannah…I don’t think you’ll let her convince you to do anything you don’t want to do. But just in case, we’ll try to find a spell to protect you from her.”
I swallowed down a wave of emotion and nodded. “Thank you.”
She returned the nod and gave me a tender smile I thought I’d never see from her. “You’re welcome.”