The Witches of White Willow: A Witch Hospital Romance

by Angela Addams

  She tried to walk away. He followed her. His body pressed close, his hand gripping her arm, his head nearly touching hers as they walked together.

  “Oh yeah? Well, your mother specifically requested that I train you. She came looking for me because I’m the best. You want to explain to her that you can’t be my intern—why you can’t be my intern?”

  Hazel gasped. “She can’t know.” She pulled him toward the staircase, and nestled them behind a statue, out of sight. When she looked up at him, she had to stifle her reaction. His eyes were dark, brown, and deep, easier to see in the light of day. Mesmerizing. His cheekbones high, he had a widow’s peak and his hair was parted in the middle, hanging loose and out of its usual ponytail. She wanted to put her hands on him. Run her fingers through his hair, breathe in his scent, eat him alive. Instead she wrapped her arms around herself. “I am a Promised One. My destiny isn’t my own. It belongs to the Circle. You’ve heard the stories. You know. Nothing can jeopardize that.”

  “Like me?” He smirked. “Why Hazel, are you saying that your feelings for me could put your devotion to your mother and the Circle in danger? I’m flattered.”

  “Shut up, you know what I mean. Listen, my mother doesn’t know I’ve been sneaking out… If she found out.” Hazel shuddered. “She doesn’t like humans.”

  “She doesn’t like humans?”

  “She doesn’t believe they are worthy of anyone’s time. And if she found out what I’ve been doing, going to the rituals, seeing you, she would be dishonored. Disappointed. I would ruin her.”

  “She’s making you take her place—”

  “It is my destiny. She’s not making me do anything. I can’t work with you. I won’t. Please don’t make this harder than it has to be.” Fate could be cruel and perhaps this was punishment for the indulgences she’d had all year with him. Putting him there, with her, uniting them in this way, it was beyond what she could tolerate. If there were a way to get out of it, she’d have to find it. For both of their sakes. If her mother found out that he’d sullied her or threatened to harm the family name, she’d bury him. Figuratively, perhaps literally. Her mother was a powerful woman and feared for a reason.

  “I just don’t see what the harm—”

  The conversation was going in circles. Hazel sighed, then zapped a disorientation spell his way with the snap of her fingers. It was cowardly, she knew, but she needed to get away from him to regroup and figure out a plan.

  He stumbled back, frozen by her spell. She took off at a run. It would be a good few minutes before he figured out what had happened, or at least registered her skill level, and regained the ability to move.

  Fifth year spells, my ass.

  She barged into the intern lounge where she knew Mahdyia would be waiting for her. She had to change, then find her mother, then figure out how to tell her that she couldn’t work with Healer Hart in a way that it didn’t mess with his reputation, or hers.

  “Whoa! Slow down!”

  In a tangle of arms and hands, she tackled the guy who’d just been trying to exit the lounge. They both tumbled backward, her landing flat on top of him, his wide blue eyes full of shock. With their arms and legs entangled, their position was nothing short of awkward.

  “Oh shit, Hazel, you okay?” Mahdyia was there, hooking her under the arm and hoisting her up.

  “I’m so sorry,” Hazel breathed. “I should have been watching where I was going.”

  “No worries.” He rolled himself to his knees, grunting a bit. He was rather hefty, and dusted his legs as if there was dirt. He held his hand out as he stood. “Tate Martin.”

  “Hazel Knight.”

  “As in, The Promised One, Hazel Knight?” A tall dark haired girl who was standing at a locker sounded incredulous.

  “Yeah, what of it?” Mahdyia snapped. “She’s an intern, just like us. Get over it.”

  “She’s doomed!” the girl said. “Sorry, that slipped out.” She closed her locker. “I’m Chanda Raj. Sometimes things fall out of my mouth. Some people think it’s endearing.” She pointed her apple at Hazel. “I’ve heard things about you.”

  “Everyone has heard things about her,” Mahdyia snapped again.

  “No, I’ve heard things about you!” Chanda continued moving her apple until it rested on Mahdyia, then she poked out her finger. “You’re the cousin right?

  Mahdyia stood taller. Hazel knew she loved it when people recognized her. “You’ve heard of me?”

  “Yeah, I have.” Chanda nodded slowly, a smirk spreading on her lips. She took a bite of her apple and spoke between chews. “You’re the crazy girl who was at the keg party last summer, who put her mouth on—”

  “Okay, enough!” Hazel raised a hand. “I need to speak to you.” She pulled Mahdyia toward the bathroom. “Privately.”

  “Wait, what?” Mahdyia pointed toward Chanda. “I want to hear the rest of that story!”

  “You were there, you know what happened.”

  “Yeah, but it’s always more epic when someone else tells the story.” Mahdyia beamed.

  Hazel shoved her through the door then followed and locked it behind them. “I am in serious trouble!”

  “What, did your mother tell you that you had to wear that hideous cloak for the rest of the day?”

  Hazel sighed, unclasped the cloak and let it fall to the floor. “No! Will you shut up and listen to me? I am in serious fucking trouble. Big eff trouble!”

  “Oh my!” Mahdyia perched herself on the closed toilet seat. “You’re swearing. It must be bad. Do tell.”

  Hazel leaned back against the door, her eyes burning like she was about to cry. “You know that guy I’ve been seeing?”

  “The hot human who’s been slipping it to you—”

  “Stop!” Her cheeks were on fire once again. “Please, just stop…”

  “Haz, what the fuck?” Mahdyia chuckled. “You look like you’re ready to burst into tears.

  “My mother… She arranged for me to be mentored by this Healer, Hart.”

  “No shit? Healer Duke Hart? You lucky little shit! I’ve heard he’s super hot and—”

  “He’s the guy!” Hazel tossed her hands up as she paced the room. “My human, except he’s not a human at all! He’s a powerful fucking witch and my mother wants him to be my mentor! My mentor! For a whole year!”

  Mahdyia whistled. “Now, that is the best thing I’ve heard all day! Again I say, you lucky little shit.”

  Hazel turned to face her. “It’s a nightmare! Mady! Come on! I can’t work with him! I can’t even be near him without wanting to…well…wanting to…”

  “Jump his boner?”

  “Mady!”

  “What? I don’t see a problem here.”

  “You don’t see a big problem with me being mentored by the man I’ve been having a secret affair with? Who I thought was a harmless human? Who, if my mother found out I’d given my virginity to—”

  “Wait… Whoa… He was your first?”

  “How do you not know this?”

  “Geez, I thought maybe Henry…”

  “Cousin Henry?”

  Mahdyia shrugged. “What? Grosser things have happened in our family.”

  “Mady, what am I supposed to do here? I was going to say goodbye to him—the human him. I was going to give him one last night at the solstice celebration and say goodbye. Devote myself to my year of internship and then be on my way. Chaste, regrow my virginity, or whatever, and forget all about him.”

  “Honey, that’s so not how it works.”

  “I know not technically, but I thought with enough time and devotion to my studies, I’d forget and be back to the way I was. I’d move on. Close enough to purity.”

  “There’s no way that was ever going to happen.” Mady sighed. “Not with the way you’ve talked about your human…er, Duke.”

  “I can’t work with him and keep my promise to my mother. Not with the way I feel.”

  “Well, you’re going to have to.”


  “What? No! Why?”

  “If you refuse to work with him, she’s going to want to know why, and if he doesn’t tell her, then she will get it out of you. We both know when she wants something she gets it, including private information. Especially private information.”

  When Hazel opened her mouth to argue, Mahdyia put her hand up for her to stop.

  “You have no backbone with that woman whatsoever. So this is either the hill you die on or it’s not. And I’m thinking not, because what’s more important to you is pleasing that woman and obliging some duty you feel you owe her.”

  “She’s my mother.”

  “She’s sending you off in her place so the Circle can suck the life out of you.” Mahdyia moved to her, taking her hands in hers, her scowl deep, her tone fierce. “You’ll age a decade for every year you’re there. She is literally stealing your youth.”

  “Not this again.” Hazel sighed. “It’s my destiny. Etched in stone, remember?”

  “That’s bullshit. Destiny is what you make it.”

  “Destiny is destiny. Now, will you help me figure a way out of this mess?”

  “Nobody but your mother has actually seen this stone.”

  “Mady…”

  “What?” She threw her hands up. “Okay, fine. I’ll help you. I love you. I want what’s best for you. So I’ll help you.”

  “Thank you.” Hazel felt relief flood through her. Mady would come up with a plan. She always had a plan.

  Hazel flipped the lock, then opened the door.

  “I’m looking for my intern, Hazel Knight.”

  “Oh shit.” Hazel slammed the door shut. “You have to distract him, get him out of here. Tell him you’re his intern now or something.”

  “You want me to lie to Duke Hart?” Mahdyia crossed her arms and smirked.

  “Yes, what’s the big deal? You lie all the time! Tell him I left. Went to speak to my mother or something. Please, Mady, I can’t do this. I can’t be partnered with him. Not after what we’ve done together. Not when I have to cleanse.”

  “I can’t lie to him.”

  “What the hell do you mean? Of course you can!” Hazel tried to shoo her to the door.

  “No, honey, I can’t. Oh my, how do you not know this? You and your sheltered life. Duke Hart is known for his uncanny ability to detect bullshit… He has a built-in lie detector. He’s an empath, you dolt! A renowned one.”

  “An empath? Holy shit.”

  And then it all made sense. How he made her feel, how her guard was always down around him. Why she couldn’t get enough. Empaths were like honey. They fed you power in whatever way you needed it. Bolstering, amplifying, layering. The perfect companion. Something a witch like her would crave without even realizing what was happening, how an addiction was building. He’d give her everything she needed or wanted. That was his nature. And he’d read her like an open book the more time they spent together.

  Sweetheart, I know there’s something wrong. Her mind drifted to their last night together. How he’d known. He’d known. She groaned. “What am I going to do?”

  “Run away. With him.” Mahdyia winked. “Fuck destiny.”

  Hazel’s eyes grew wide; she looked at the door.

  Mahdyia yanked it open. “She’s right here, Duke. Ready to get a thorough internship from one of the greats.”

  “Mady!” Hazel hissed, eyes wide.

  “I told you, I love you. I want what’s best for you.” She kissed Hazel’s cheek. “And he, my friend, is exactly what you need.”

  4

  Duke only saw a glimpse of Hazel before the bathroom door slammed shut, practically in his face. He could hear furious but hushed arguing happening on the other side.

  “I think she wants some privacy,” one of the interns said, his voice quavering slightly. He coughed when Duke shot him a raised eyebrow. “I mean, she seemed upset.”

  Upset? She wasn’t the one who had just been dealt a dirty spell, frozen in place for anyone to see. To think a first year had gotten the better of him. “This is ridiculous.” He shook his head, then raised his hand to the knob. “Haz—”

  “Duke Hart? Is that you? Can’t be… Duke?”

  Yet another voice he’d thought he’d never hear again. “Bridget Rose.” He didn’t totally have to force the smile that pulled on his lips. Bridget Rose. Although she had a good ten years on him, she was still and would always be a striking woman. “It’s been a long time.”

  She had him in one of her bear hugs before he could think about a next move, her arms gripping in a way that was only slightly emasculating. She was a brick house of a woman, trained for Battle magic and a hardened explorer—lean, fit, powerful and damn sexy. Aggressive as all hell too. Her way or the highway kinda woman. He returned her hug. She felt the same as she had ten years before. Soft in all the right places, welcoming, interested. Very interested.

  His hand automatically dropped to her hip, a familiar grip that had his mind going other places. Forgotten places. Not unwelcome places, if he was going to be honest. At least not where his body was concerned.

  “Okay fine! I’m going!” The door behind him whooshed open. “You listen to me, Duke Hart…oh…”

  Duke loosened his grip on Bridget and glanced over his shoulder, letting a lazy smile show and giving Hazel a wink before turning back to Bridget. He planted a kiss on her cheek before letting her go.

  “Duke, you smell the same. Sweet and spicy,” Bridget said, her smile wide, like she was genuinely happy to see him, somewhat surprising given how they’d parted all that time ago. “I’d heard a rumor, wasn’t sure it was true. So you’re back to complete your assessments? Ready to be anointed a Master?”

  Duke chuckled. “Yes. Havenbridge said it was either that or I’d be pulling Scrub duty for the next ten years.”

  Scrub duty—a dirty and painful magical fix for the worst of the worst of their kind. If they broke too many universal laws, put too many witches in danger, they were scrubbed. Washed of their magic for a period of time. It wasn’t overly complicated work, but it was torturous for the giver and the receiver, just for different reasons. There were only so many times you could hear a fellow witch scream in that kind of agony before it got to you. For a Healer, putting time in at the Scrub was a fate worse than death. Tending to the magically shackled, caring for their wounds, mostly emotionally, was very unpleasant. He didn’t relish the idea of ever going back there.

  “Sheesh, I’ve seen him follow through on that threat.” She laughed with a shake of her head. “Your talents are better served elsewhere.” She gave him a once over. A very suggestive once over. He could have sworn he heard Hazel make a muffled sound that might have been a jealous harrumph.

  “I’ve been following your career here and there. You’ve mastered a few things yourself.”

  “Oh well.” She brushed down her lab coat, a pretty blush rising to her cheeks. “Mastered, hardly.” She waved him off. “It will take a lifetime to learn everything from the Hags.”

  “The Storm Hags?” one of the interns, a tall brunette blurted. “Master the humans’ magic?”

  Everyone heard the tone. The typical discriminatory tone of that most witches had toward humans. It was inbred from birth, taught to them by old school thinking and traditionalist families. At least the chubby kid had enough sense to wince.

  Bridget narrowed her eyes, snapping her head so she could address the intern with a hard stare. “Those humans and their magic could obliterate your sorry witch soul. They have more combined power, more natural control, than most witches in this building. Innate talent like that should be revered, cherished, and honored.”

  Duke stifled a snicker as a look of dread flattened the intern’s incredulous expression.

  “Oh no, no, no, don’t get me wrong, you misunderstood,” she sputtered, her face going paler, her lips quivering. “I love the humans… Really…I’m all about the human love.”

  Bridget turned away, dismissing the intern wi
th an eye roll. “And so it begins.” She lifted a hand to squeeze his shoulder, then to run down his arm, appraising his muscle tone to be sure. “So what about you? Are you taking on one of these”—she waved her hand around—“unformed vessels of promise?”

  She was mocking the words of the Mother. Seemed uncharacteristically cynical. He quirked an eyebrow. “Actually, I was asked to mentor her daughter, Hazel.” He nodded over his shoulder, adding a sarcastic bite to his next words. “But I think she’s perhaps too good for a teacher like me.”

  Bridget scoffed. “Indeed, she’s too good for any teacher if the rumors are true.” She glanced over Duke’s shoulder, narrowing her eyes at the girls behind him. “Are you two planning on getting dressed in your uniforms any time soon? Training started twenty minutes ago and we have places to be.”

  “Unifor—” Hazel started.

  “Move, now,” Bridget barked, her tone brokering no argument.

  He’d always admired that about her—she had the ability to make you jump to action even if you weren’t under her command.

  One of the other interns waved the girls over, frantically motioning to a box behind her. It was then he noticed the military attire. Black fatigues, standard issue, tank top, cargo pants, steel-toed boots. The tanks had a white willow embossed above the heart. There had been no such uniforms when he was in training. “Are you taking the interns out?”

  Bridget crossed her arms and shifted so that they could survey the interns as they scrambled to locate correct sizes. “Too easy.” She laughed. “So anyway, yes, I’m taking them out to the field. Got clearance from Mother.”

  “A problem with the Hags?”

  “Mmm, maybe. Hard to tell. I got a message, well, a series of garbled messages from one of my contacts at a remote witch village in the hills. Humans with limited magic mostly, Storm Hags too though. Powerful people. Mother thought it would be a good crash course for the new interns. These ones are with me.” She shrugged. “I hadn’t realized Hazel was going to be with someone else though. Mother hinted that she had a special request with an experienced Medic. I will admit, I felt a bit miffed that she didn’t entrust her precious to my care, but seeing that it’s you she’s given the sacred duty to, I’m less so. You’re a fine addition to our team. Speaking of which, you interested in coming along?” She turned her stormy blue eyes on him, batting them like she needed to convince him to go on a field trip. “Your expertise would be greatly appreciated and perhaps badly needed if things go sideways as they sometimes do. And it would give us time to catch up.” She winked. “I know how much you love the forest.”