The Witching Craft (The Witches of Redwood Falls 2) (3 page)

Z
ander cursed
as the cloak lifted. She wasn't in her house any longer but in town. What could she be thinking? Didn't the woman have any idea how dangerous it was for her to be out alone?

He cursed, hopping on his motorcycle and jetted down the road. He didn't admire the rural feel of the area anymore. He scrutinized the shrubbery, trees, heck, even the ditch for irrigation water beside the road as hiding places. Hundreds of bodies could be concealed in either the waist high grass of the field next to the house or the forest across from it.

Being one of those bodies in the past, he knew just how easy blending in, even without the aid of magick.

He pushed himself hard, imagining wringing her neck once he got ahold of her. They'd be having a talk about her safety, and he didn't care whether she wanted to hear about it or not.

She had no idea how many enemies he'd taken down since he'd stationed himself outside her home. Only a handful slipped past him to attempt her barriers. They'd come in packs, flushing through the woods like vermin.

He hated to imagine what would happen if he wasn’t there. She was strong. So much stronger than he remembered, but one person couldn’t fend off the rest of the world. And the entire magical realm sought that talisman. Sought
her
.

He rounded the bend, wobbling his bike as he slowed to a stop at the scene before him. Seph coiled to strike in the middle of a group of men he wouldn't relish tangling with. Charging to her rescue would only worsen the situation, but if he did nothing, they'd hurt her. Or worse.

Eyeing their leader, he knew Seph wouldn’t escape the ambush intact. He'd squared off with Branson once before, and he never wanted a repeat.

His hands tightened on the handlebars as one of the men laughed.

Zander didn't look at Seph. He couldn't. If he saw even an ounce of fear on her face, he'd lose it.

Gathering his magick, he waited for the right moment.

When the men attacked, he shot the bike toward the fight, ready to give his all to protect her.

Seph froze in the chaos, and he cursed. She wouldn't be alive when he reached her if she didn’t act.

When she jerked into action, relief flooded him. He'd make it in time.

The hairs on the back of his neck stiffened from the deluge of power saturating the air. Fear raced down his spine as the urgency to flee such potent energy assailed him.

He'd
never
felt such a concentration in his life.

In horror, he witnessed lightning shoot from Seph into the men a moment before they collapsed. An arc of power pulsed through the air, knocking him from the bike like an explosion.

And then she screamed as if her soul rent in two. The agony in the tone, the spasms of her body as she fell, boneless, unleashed a primal reaction.

Zander yelled, angered by his mate’s pain.

Shaking his head, he attempted to clear the fog from his eyes, the buzzing in his ears. Pressing a hand to his head, a trail of blood soaked his palm. He must have hit his head when he collapsed.

He pulled himself up, frantic to get to Seph.

She lay in an unnatural position, one leg bent beneath her and arms tossed as if a doll thrown by a petulant giant. Her head had been thrown back and her face turned away.

Was she breathing?

Don’t be dead.
Don’t
.

He sank at her side and held back tears of gratitude when her chest continued to rise and fall. He’d never seen anything more beautiful in his life.

He couldn’t discern any other injuries, but she was unconscious.

What the hell happened? How had she shot lightning from her body?

White
magick didn’t work that way.

The thugs weren't dead. Yet. But if he left him here without help, they might die.

He didn't care. They'd take care of themselves. Hunters always manage to make it through scrapes alive.

Lucky bastards.

Seph needed to be moved. Staying on the road was too dangerous. Even after creating a new cloak, they’d be lucky to avoid other magicks. They’d sense the outburst of power.

Damn it. He’d driven his motorcycle. There was no way he could get her to Juliette on it. His sister would know how to help her.

Cradling her in his arms, he murmured to her as he carried her back to her house, moving as quickly as he dared before tucking her in her car.

“Hang in there, Seph. Just a little longer.”

He drove to the other side of town, alternating between talking to her, telling her she'd be okay, and praying.

Screeching to a stop in front of a one-story house, its garden overflowing with blooms, Zander vaulted from the car. "Juliette!" he screamed. "Juliette!"

His sister ran from the house, sable hair billowing behind her. "Zander? What is it?" she gasped when he whipped around the car with an unconscious Persephone in his arms. "Put her on the table," she called, already running for her kit.

He shuffled as quickly as he could while securing her head. He didn't know if she could feel her injury at the moment, but he didn't want to cause any more pain than she’d already endured.

What had caused such an injury? He sure as hell hadn’t seen anything like it before.

“Put her on the table.” Juliette rolled her kit out on the countertop, and moved in to examine Seph once Zander laid her down. "How long has she been like this?" All traces of emotion vanished from her voice. She was gifted in healing and had learned to remove that part of herself when working. It was easier to cope that way.

"Ten minutes."

Her eyes narrowed. "How did this happen?" she asked, as white tendrils of magic flowed from her hands, mystically checking her body for injuries.

He rubbed the back of his neck. If only he
knew
. "A pack of hunters surrounded her. As they attacked, she raised her arms, casting, and then lightning shot from her body, incapacitating the group simultaneously. She collapsed, screamed.” Oh, how she’d screamed. The echo of her inhuman cry would haunt him forever.

Juliette worried her lip. "She has no injuries from what I can tell… except some bruising on her right leg and arm which I assume are from her fall.”

“She must have hit her head. Are there any problems with her brain?”

Juliette shook her head, just a little.

Frustration surged. “Then why isn’t she conscious?”

“It appears she depleted all of her reserves and collapsed."

His jaw fell open. "From one spell?" Unheard of. It took hours to tire out a witch as powerful as Seph.

Then again, he'd never seen anything like what she’d unleashed. But to pass out? Others collapsed in exhaustion during battles but no one he’d ever heard of had succeeded in pushing themselves passed their limits and blacking out.

What had she done?

Juliette raised Persephone’s right arm, eyeing a twisted silver bracelet, no more than a few wisps of metal around her wrist. "What is this?" She cocked her head.

He sensed the pulse of power flowing through it.

The talisman.

He’d never seen it before. Had she cloaked it the whole time?

His voice hoarse, he caressed the metal, surprised by its heat. "It's the talisman."

Juliette’s eyes widened as she carefully dropped Persephone's hand. "Don't touch it, Zander. There's more to it than it looks."

She had no idea how true her words were. His magicks gifted him with the ability to sense layers in magick, its strength and depth. He'd never beheld such potency.

And
she'd
crafted this.

Awe filled him as he glanced at Seph. His Seph. Whether she accepted him again or not didn’t matter. She’d always be his. And he, hers.

Tenderness filled him as his gaze swept over her. She’d changed over the years, had developed physically as much as her powers had. She’d lost the girlish physique and transformed into a powerful, sexy woman. A woman he’d die for. A woman he craved more than any other.

He swallowed hard as his eyes flicked to her lips. As much as he wanted to kiss her, to taste her, he’d wait until she made the choice. Her choice meant everything to him.

His eyes moved back to the talisman.

What had the balance demanded of her to harness and infuse that level of power? How long had it taken her?

Questions surged through his mind faster than he found answers. Disabling five powerful hunters was unheard of, but doing so after one spell was impossible.

And yet she'd done it. She’d done the impossible.

This fragile, delicate, gorgeous woman, his
mate
, had changed everything he knew about magical limits.

He’d only heard myths of one thing that could enable such an outcome. His eyes drifted back to the bracelet on her wrist.

She'd used the talisman. That’s what had happened, what that electrical strike, the immensity of power so raw, so brutal to take out five hunters—

The force she controlled, if it fell into the wrong hands... if it fell into
anyone's
hands...

He rubbed the back of his neck. Who knew what else the bracelet was capable of?

"I'll be right back," Juliette said. "I need a few things to rejuvenate her energy."

He nodded, taking Seph’s hand in his. “I’ll let you know if anything changes.”

Juliette hovered at the door. “I’m sorry, Zander. This must be so hard for you. She really will be all right. With no severe injury, her powers will recharge and she’ll wake after she’s rested.”

He appreciated his sister’s sensitivity. Seeing a mate wounded was torturous. And although he’d been gone a long time, Persephone was still his mate. Always would be.

And dammit, she wouldn’t die and leave him alone.

Smoothing his thumb over her hand, he studied the woman destiny paired him with. She’d never lacked in beauty, and even though it seemed impossible, she physically appealed to him even more than when they were teenagers. The years had been generous to her. Her rich red hair flowed in fiery waves down her back, caressing porcelain-fine skin of her shoulders. Her eyes, an emerald green that flashed with temper and desire, called to him more than any siren’s song.

Why had he ever left? Their mating was a gift, not something smothering him. Why hadn’t he seen that at the time?

His fingers slipped up her wrist, connecting with the talisman.

He could take it. Right now. He could slip it off her hand and be gone before she woke. A perfect opportunity.

Temptation lingered.

He willed himself to take it, regardless of their connection and his desire for her, but couldn't. He wouldn’t do that to her,
wouldn’t
betray her like that. He may have believed he’d had solid reasons to steal the talisman before he’d seen her again.

He caressed the talisman.

He’d been wrong.

The bracelet would be his. He genuinely believed he could secure and keep it away from both sides of the war. But instead of stealing it, she would entrust it to him.

He’d find a way.

For now, he’d protect her
and
keep the talisman safe. It had to be enough.

P
ersephone woke slowly
. Her vision flickered to blackness and back but consciousness drifted out of reach. Determined, she focused on the light, pushing herself toward it.

"Seph?"

She groaned, everything coming back to her, the men, the fight. The pain. "Stop calling me that." Only Zander could annoy her awake.

She cracked an eye open as he grinned at someone across the table.

"See that? She's back."

A woman sighed. "Oh, be quiet, Zander. She'll want to slip back into unconsciousness just to get away from you."

Persephone willed her head to turn but only accomplished a spasm in her neck. Pain blinded her.

She closed her eyes and breathed. A bed. Soft and warm beneath her. The familiar and soothing tick of a clock. It somehow helped to focus on stimuli outside her throbbing head.

Juliette—ah, yes, that’s who the voice belonged to—pushed Zander away and took his place. "Take it slowly, Persephone. You're still weak, and if you push it, you'll pass out again."

Of course Zander would bring her to Juliette. She should have realized.

She was safe. Juliette used only light magicks. They’d been friends for almost their whole lives, growing closer once her power mated with Zander’s.

"Mmm hmmm," was all Persephone could manage. The room spun, but she didn't fight it. She'd learned from experience resistance only made it worse. Instead, she floated with the feeling. "How long have I been out?" she asked, her throat scratchy.

"Two days," Juliette said.

Persephone moaned. Two days. She'd been unresponsive for forty-eight hours? The one and only time she'd attempted to use the bracelet, she'd been out for four hours. Had the spell used even more reserves than before, or were its effects getting stronger? Or was it possible the cumulative effects upon her were to blame?

If Zander hadn’t brought her to Juliette, Persephone would’ve died. "Water, please."

Zander nudged his sister away and braced Persephone’s head, gently tilting liquid between her lips. His hand shook when he withdrew.

Had he worried about her?

The thought brought too many feelings to the surface, ones she couldn't handle right now. "What happened to the men?"

"You mean the guys you fried?" His lips firmed. “Who knows? I didn't bother sticking around to see how they fared. I gathered you up and brought you here."

She assumed the hunters escaped. If five men were found dead on the road, Zander would’ve heard about it.

Reluctant appreciation stuck in her throat. "Thank you."

He snarled. "Don't thank me, Seph. I should have been there to help you."

"I can take care of myself." She’d certainly thought so, but her words rang false. She'd always believed she could protect herself and the bracelet alone. For the first time, she questioned that.

Zander didn't argue, and she was grateful. If he'd decided to dispute the point, there wasn’t much to say to defend herself.

"What happened out there?" He narrowed his eyes. She remembered that look from when they were younger.

Juliette cleared her throat, looking between the two of them. "I’ll, ah, be back in a few minutes." She slipped from the room before either of them could say anything.

Persephone closed her eyes on a groan. How much had he seen? She didn't want to lie to him. Not after that first night and then yesterday when he’d rescued her. Again.

The urge to be completely honest with him because he’d helped her, pissed her off. Why couldn’t she blow him off? He’d walked away from her as if tossing away an empty can of Coke.

No matter what had happened in the past, he was here now, and although loathed to admit it, she needed his help. She wouldn’t repay him with lies.

He didn’t need the whole truth either.

She cleared her throat. "I used the talisman's power." She tried for an easy tone.

"That much was clear. I've never seen that kind of energy. You could have been killed." His voice was hoarse at the end.

Her eyes met his. "Don't you think I know that? The first time I used it, I thought I'd die, and that time, I was only unconscious for four hours. I was alone on the road when those men ambushed me. I knew what would happen if I used the talisman to defeat them, but I didn't have another choice. There was no way I could fight off that group alone."

"I was there!"

"I didn't know that. I didn’t see you."

He glared. "I would have been there from the start had you not run off."

She flushed, unable to deny his words. "I'm sorry."

His shoulders dropped as he pressed the heels of his hands to his eyes. "I should have been there."

Using the minimal strength she’d regained, she eased onto her elbows. "I won't take that chance again. It was stupid of me. I see that. I won't risk the talisman again."

"Or yourself."

Her stomach flipped as his chocolate eyes blazed into hers. Why did he have to
do
that? It was hard enough resisting him, her magick aching for his. But this. The physical attraction, his caring, made it so much harder.

She nodded as best she could, the pain ebbing. “Or myself.”

He took her right hand, lifting it… and the bracelet… to eye level. He studied her wrist and a cold sweat broke out on her back.

He couldn’t know it was there. It was impossible for him to detect—

"Why does it disappear sometimes?"

"You've seen it?" She choked.

He nodded. "Not often. It comes and goes. It appeared the first time right after I brought you here. Since then, it's faded in and out."

She tried to slow her racing heart. "Can you see it now?" she asked evenly.

He pursed his lips and set her arm down gently. "No."

Happiness warred with frustration. He’d stopped wanting it during pockets of time, but it wasn’t enough. He wanted it now, or else he’d see it. She shrugged. "Weird."

He flattened his hands on the table and leaned toward her. "Juliette can always see it. It never fades away from her. Why is that, Seph? What kind of spell did you put on it?"

Regardless of what he'd done for her in the last week, she couldn't trust him. Not if the bracelet was hidden from him. "Not one I can tell you about." She should’ve lied but couldn’t bring herself to do it. She’d always been honest with him.

He turned away, but not before she glimpsed hurt in his eyes. He didn't argue. Didn’t press for information. That alone made her want to reach out, to tell him everything, to confide in him.

Before, when they were kids, she would have. She would have told him anything. But back then, she never would’ve worried he’d double-cross her.

A frown marred her brow. She'd been unconscious for
two
days. He'd seen the bracelet, known what it was.

And he’d left it on her wrist.

More important, he’d stayed.

Why hadn't he stolen it? The curse didn’t affect him. He would’ve been long gone before the consequences of taking it killed her.

She pushed away the flutter in her stomach. She couldn’t afford tender thoughts toward him, refused to see anything honorable. She couldn’t pretend, even for a second, that he cared about her. It would destroy her.

"If you know what it is," she glanced to her wrist, "why didn't you take it when you had the chance?" She held her breath.

He let exhaled deeply. "I'm not a monster, Seph. I wouldn't do that to you."

"I know you want the bracelet."

He tugged his hair. "Yes. I do. I've been upfront about that. But just because I want it doesn't mean I'd take it from you when you're vulnerable. It doesn't mean I'd leave you on the side of the road to die. Or worse, leave you to the hunters, should they wake up first."

He didn’t need to say more. Death was a blessing in comparison. "You could have taken it after bringing me here. Juliette would have cared for me on her own."

He paced away. "I could have. I won’t lie…I thought about it." Just as she forced her heart to harden, he turned back to her. "But I couldn't. I still want the talisman, Seph. Not to use it, but to keep it away from others. That kind of power... no one should have it. It's too dangerous for either side to possess."

She'd concluded the same thing at its inception. It hadn't mattered. Halting its creation proved as impossible as stilling her own breath.

"I'll possess the bracelet," he said, just as she softened toward him. "But you'll be the one to give it to me."

"Never."

A slow smile crept on his face. "We'll see."

The arrogance!
How had she
ever
found that particular trait attractive? "It'll never happen," she affirmed, holding up her hand when he argued. "I'm telling you it won't happen, it
can’t
happen, because if I take it off, I'll die."

His body froze. "What?"

"I'll die. All magic comes with a price, and a charm this powerful exacts the ultimate one. There must be balance."

He gripped her hand. "How would it kill you? How does it work?"

The haunted look in his eyes, the care, the worry, entranced her. It arrested her, persuaded her to unburden her heart. "I'm the caretaker. That's all. It's not meant for me, but I’m charged with its safety until I find the one it's meant for. The price of using it is great. If not, I’d be tempted to harness its energy, to keep it for myself. Anyone could become addicted to that kind of power. Only the True One will be able to control it. All others will suffer as I have."

"But how will it kill you?" His naked determination to understand, to ensure her safety, reminded her of the slippery slope beneath her proverbial feet. It would be so easy to fall for him again.

Don’t think about it.
Don’t
.

What had he asked?

She blinked.

He gestured with impatience, the universal signal for ‘get on with it’. “How will it kill you?”

Oh, right. "It needs to be protected. You're right, it's dangerous, and I can’t let it fall into other hands. If it's removed from my wrist, a magical poison releases in my blood, weaving through and destroying until I'm dead. I don't know how long I'll have. But I wouldn't want to chance it for even a moment."

“Why would you do that?”

She swallowed hard, struggling to admit the truth. “You’ve seen what it’s been like the last week. I can never let my guard down, never relax. The attacks won’t ever stop. Not until the True One is found, and that could take years. I need to make sure I won’t hand the burden off to someone that could abuse its power.”

Zander's jaw clenched but he stayed quiet. He glanced at her wrist, his eyes tracing the bracelet’s lines.

Her eyes widened. He could see it again.

Was it was enough to know that the talisman would kill her if removed? Could that one fact really change his mind?

"It's beautiful, Seph." He ran a finger along the shining surface. “It's the best you've ever created."

Pride filled her.

Yeah, it was the best. She’d thought the same since crafting it. Destiny foretold she would create it, but Persephone wondered if she'd ever design its equal.

She emptied her lungs heavily, needing to finish telling him it all. "That's not the only catch of taking it off."

His eyes met hers again. Echoes of so much happiness, so much love lingered there. "What else?"

She glanced away. "I cursed it so if it was taken from my wrist and not activated on the True One's, it wouldn't work. Not in the way they'd want it to."

"So, its magic would void."

"Exactly."

His lips curved. "Brilliant. But why not let others know that? They'd stop looking for it, stop hunting you." She struggled to sit up, and he jumped forward to help her. "Easy."

"I couldn't. Telling others puts it at risk. Spells aren't invincible. There's always a way to break them, always something that counteracts. Again, there’s a balance. If someone knew about the curse, they’d look for a way to break it. Withholding information is safer."

"Not for you."

"No." She shook her head. "But it isn't about me anymore. Until I find the True One, the focus is on keeping the bracelet safe."

"All right." He tucked a fiery curl behind her ear. "You’ll keep it safe, and I'll be here to protect you."

"No, Zander. You don't need to stay. I know you have a life, a job. I don't know how long this will last." She tried to turn away, unable to look at him, worried her need, her weakness for him, would show on her face.

He forced her to look at him. His mouth, a whisper from hers, hovered enticingly.

Her stomach flipped. He could kiss her right now. Part of her ached to feel him. She'd kissed other men, but none had ever charged her the way he had. Would the heat still be there, the untamable passion that had exploded as teenagers?

His eyes devoured hers, mirroring her thoughts. “I'm not going anywhere, Seph.” His thumb brushed over her jaw. “I'm here, whether you want me or not.”

Oh, she wanted him all right. And there lay most of the problem. "But your job," she argued lamely.

"As you said, I'm a freelancer. I pick and choose what I want."

His soft caress clouded her brain. She couldn’t think when he touched her, couldn’t focus when he held her close.

Reluctantly, she nudged his hand away. She needed her brain intact. "I don't know how long this will last. As I said, it could take years."

"I have enough money to hold me over for the rest of my life. I could retire right now and live like a king. I'm staying."

She searched his eyes. The fire in his eyes, the play on words said far too much. Why was he forcing the issue? Was this really all about the bracelet and protecting it? Or was it something more?

She cursed herself. One conversation and her heart knotted. She couldn’t afford to care for him, and she couldn’t allow her heart to believe, even for a breathless moment, that he cared for her. She'd barely survived his abandonment the first time. If she let him back in, if she allowed herself love him again, she wouldn't survive when he left again.

For now, he was a guardian, like her. One that was barely trusted around the talisman, but a guardian never the less. "I guess it's settled then."