As we pass the road that takes visiting humans towards the picturesque town of Banff, I think about the coven there. Amongst them, a witch named Carina.
Soon to be the witch who’ll save my father, even if she doesn’t know it yet.
“Take a break,I’ll stay with him.” Xander rests his hand on my shoulder, urging me off the chair that’s been my permanent spot since carrying Dad back home.
Marissa once again wipes his forehead clean of sweat before looking up with a grim expression. There’s nothing that can be done but make Dad comfortable as his body fights the unnatural substance.
“I agree, Ryder. Get out of here.”
A break feels like the last thing I should be doing but seeing as Xander’s already pushing me off the chair, I slap his shoulder in gratitude and slip from the cabin, down the single wooden step and into the forest behind it.
I’m three steps in, my eyes adjusting to the darkness, when a lone figure appears suddenly, the black cloak telling me all that’s important.
Witch.
Again. They can’t leave us the fuck alone.
I manage a single step her way before a barrier like the last witch used blocks me, throwing me back a couple feet with a huffed growl. “One trick pony, all of you.”
The witch nears and lowers her hood, revealing her face. She’s young—or at least appears to be, but who knows how witches’ aging works. Long, pale blonde hair falls to her waist, and a face that seems angelic but is probably bred by the Devil stares up at me. She isn’t one of the five who came earlier and there’s no scent of Highridge clinging to her either.
“I’mthe one-trick pony for protecting myself, yet we’re two for two on alpha males who lunge before asking questions?” She scoffs and crosses her arms over her chest; the cloak shifting with her movement and revealing a glittery tank beneath, which raises more questions about my limited knowledge of their species. “You should meet your counterpart.”
“Counter…?” The shield between us fades, opening the possibility to charge. I get to my feet, planning my move.
Only, end up doing nothing, because something tells me this one isn’t like the others, and that continuing to target her will be waste of our time. If she wanted to harm me, she’d have done it by now.
“Who are you?”
Her responding sigh is drawn-out and dramatic, like my initial question should have been something else. “You even ask the same kinds of questions as him. Time isn’t really on my side right now, so the explanations need to be kept to a minimum. My name is Freya. I’m the First Witch, which is literally what it sounds like—I was the first witch on Earth, helped establish the covens, and act as a go-between between them and our Goddess. You’re Ryder, the new Alpha of Coldcrest Pack. If you’re wondering how I know that, please refer to my explanation of who I am. I’ve been around for a while and see all—literally. I’m sorry about your father, who’s caught up in something bigger than us all. You need to capture Carina Hargrove to save him, and no, I will not be stopping you. That’d render my presenceuseless, so here.” Suddenly, her hand darts my way and a small potion vial with pink liquid gets thrown at me.
“This will fix him?” If this witch helps then we won’t have to kidnap Carina, and it will end any potential wars before they even start.
She hums, pursing her lips. “Not the way you’re hoping. No, that’s for Carina when you capture her. It’ll render her powerless for twenty-four hours because have you considered how she’ll act after you capture her? I’ll go ahead and answer that and say, no, probably not. Which is where the potion comes in. Have her drink it and it’ll block her magick. You’ll thank me when she’s unable to blast your ass clear across the camp—though that’d be funny as hell. Don’t ask questions. No, I’m not fucking with you. No, I’m not on her side. Well…not really. Anyway, gotta go. Be a good doggy.”
Between one blink and the next, the First Witch is gone, only the indent in the leaves below indicating she was ever here to begin with.
As well as the vial between my fingers.
Two
CARINA
Jasper
Your mom’s looking for you. She’s annoying. Get her to stop. Seriously, where the hell are you?
The car is setto cruise at the maximum speed the road allows for, and I steady it with my knee while swiping my phone awake to type my response.
Me
She’s not only my mom. She’s your aunt. You’re good at lying to her too.
Jasper
She’s also my HP and will kick my ass from here to Vancouver if she figures out I’m keeping your location from her. Give me something to tell her.
Me
