“Draven, I am trapped!” I exclaimed, panic rising within me as fear clenched my chest and the hairs on my neck stood on end. Draven’s eyes widened in alarm as he glanced at me.
Before I could comprehend what was happening, a cloaked figure materialized beside Draven. Reacting swiftly, Draven swung his arm, striking the intruder, then seized them and tore off their head in one swift motion. The body crumpled to the ground, lifeless.
To my horror, Draven held up the severed head, its long white hair shimmering in the moonlight, before tossing it. As it rolled toward me, it breached the circle, momentarily disrupting the barrier of salt. Seizing the opportunity, I dashed out of the circle and into Draven’s protective embrace.
“Draven, what is happening?” I looked up at him; he was scanning the trees.
“That’s a witch circle.” He took off his jacket and rolled up his sleeves, continuing to glance around us. He looked as if he were preparing for a fight. He turned to me and pulled the hood of my cloak over my head.
“Listen to me, Rosalia. I have been in this situation before; this is a trap. Witches have discovered us, and they know where we are and who we are. Did anyone in town see you when you were there? Did you talk to anyone?” He stared at me.
“I didn’t talk to anyone,” I told him. “Only Vail, she found me—”
“Dammit, Rosalia,” Draven cut me off, his frustration evident. “Vail is a witch, and she thought we were dead.”
“She did think that! She almost killed me. I had no choice but to tell her. Ultimately, she came to my aid. I assure you, she would never betray us,” I protested, tears welling in my eyes.
“It is all right,” Draven reassured me, drawing me close for a kiss. “Rosalia, you have to listen to everything I say,” he implored, setting me down and meeting my gaze. “We are in danger, and we cannot use our carriage; the horse is dead. We must run. We are close enough to Thornwood, but dawn is approaching swiftly. We must go now.”
With urgency propelling us forward, Draven grasped my hand tightly, and together we sprinted toward the trees.
We ran through the forest, the ground slick with mud. It clung to the hem of my dress and my shoes as Draven pulled me along. We were faster than humans, and the trees seemed to blur around me as we moved through them. We ran for a while, never slowing down, and I could sense how close we were to home. We entered a clearing at the edge of the forest and stopped.
“We have to backtrack,” Draven declared, his tone urgent.
“Can we not run along the road?” I suggested.
“We cannot afford to be exposed; it's far too easy for the witches to strike if they see us,” Draven explained, his voice laced with concern.
A sense of foreboding washed over me, causing my skin to prickle with unease.
Something was not right.
Draven tightened his grip on my hand, pulling me into him. “Stay close,” he whispered as we turned around.
The shadows in the trees surrounding us seemed to come alive as seven cloaked figures emerged from the darkness. One by one, they pulled back their hoods. The first glimpse of golden hair confirmed my worst fear before the hood was even fully removed. I felt as if I had been punched in the gut as betrayal washed over me. There stood Vail and Agnes.
I wanted to scream, but the anger left me speechless. Vail had sold us out to her grandmother’s coven. I couldn’t bear to look at her. Instead, my gaze fixed on Agnes, hatred churning in my core.
Agnes stepped forward from the group, her eyes fixated on us. “You,” she pointed her long finger at Draven. “You have chosen to defy the laws of nature by turning Rosalia into a Blood Hunter. You disrupt the delicate balance of life and death, and for that, you must face the consequences.”
She then looked at me. “I thought I knew you better, Rosalia. I welcomed you, fed you, and gave you the friendship of my granddaughter, all while you were bedding a Blood Hunter. I felt the darkness in you long before now. You deceived my family.”
Draven stepped forward, pulling me slightly behind him, not letting go of my hand. His voice was calm and measured. “We mean no harm to anyone,” he insisted. “We simply seek to live. We have no desire to hurt anyone, including you and your coven.”
Agnes, however, held a different conviction. She raised her head high; her voice filled with a steely determination. “Peaceful coexistence is not an option. Your kind is a blight upon nature, and we are the stewards of that nature.” As sheraised her hands, the winds around her swirled, blowing at my skirt.
“We will leave. We can journey across the country, distancing ourselves from Elmcross and your coven. I assure you, your safety will be secured.”
“Even if you flee, it shall never be sufficient. We will not allow the presence of your kind to continue to disrupt the natural world as it should be.”
I turned to Draven, realizing with a sinking feeling that this was destined to end in bloodshed. “Draven, I don’t know how to fight.” Panic crept into my voice.
He squeezed my hand, a small corner of his mouth lifting. “Trust your instincts. Your body will know what to do.”
The witches unleashed their magic. The trees shuddered violently, and jagged splinters erupted from their trunks like spears. Chaos erupted in the clearing. Draven pulled me close, deflecting shards with fluid precision as he guided us through the storm of flying timber.
The witches moved in choreographed grace, their voices rising in unison as they chanted incantations. A furious gust of wind tore through the clearing. Roots ripped from the earth, hurling wooden shards that twisted and spun like whips aimed straight at us.
