Maddox’s dad glared at his son but didn’t bother to berate him. We all knew Maddox was too stubborn to listen to anyone else.
Eliza turned to Maddox and smiled. I swear I heard Maddox gasp as he took in her beauty radiating in front of him. “The only way to stop them is to trick them and kill them,” she said.
“How?” Asher asked, speaking up and following Maddox’s lead.
“Laney and grandmother are not stupid. They may be sinister, but their moves are always premeditated and calculated. If they know you are on to them, they will find a way to create a surprise attack. You must not make it known you are after the Witches. Somehow, you need to lure them to you—hold the upper hand in this battle. Make them think you are going about your life as usual. Any change in your everyday routines will alert them and cause them to act before you are ready,” Eliza stated, her voice firm.
“If you need us, please let us know. However, we are unsure of what they will do to us,” Eliza said, as she stepped back and formed a line with her sisters.
“Ladies, we thank you for your time,” Vincent said, as he stood and ended the meeting.
All three thanked us for allowing them in our meeting and my dad and Jim showed Vincent and the Witches out. The rest of us remained in the cellar, stunned by the information given to us tonight.
When my dad and Jim returned, everyone in the room looked at them. We were all waiting on our next move, to learn what they had in store for us.
Taking a look around the room, my dad locked eyes with me. “I think we all learned a great deal of information tonight,” he began. “What happens next will determine the fate of not just Shifters and Vampires, but for humanity. I never thought I would say this, but I agree with the Witches. We must bring these rogue Witches to us. Put ourselves out in the open. Become targets. Only then, will we be able to attack them. From now on, all meetings will be held in this cellar. Daily. No mention of this meeting will be spoken outside of these walls. If anyone refuses to comply, no mercy will be given to you,” he stated, venom racing through his words. I almost cringed, fear rising in my stomach as I realized my dad was planning on luring the Witches to us and also noting he was willing to kill members of his own pack, if needed.
Everything was becoming so blurry. Right and wrong blended together as did war and skill. What we had once been taught was now thrown out, leaving us open and vulnerable to the powers of two deceitful Witches.
“What happens next?” I asked, standing and walking to my dad. Even though he was the leader of our pack, he was still my father, my protector and a man who I had always looked up to. Order of command didn’t’ matter when it was family.
Looking down at me, my dad smiled as he placed an arm around my shoulders and pulled me into him for a hug. I felt so small against his large frame and I enjoyed the feeling of being hidden and protected. “Elle, I have a theory I am working on. Tomorrow evening, we will all meet back here at 8 pm. Until then, I am granting you permission to return to all normal activities. Your guards will back off. You may return to cross country and your life. I just have to place my trust in Asher and Maddox who I know won’t let anything happen to you,” he said, eyeing both boys carefully. “These Witches won’t know what hit them,” he said, before leading me out the door and back to our house.
After everyone left, I sat alone in my bedroom. Turning off my cell phone I feared the next day and what my life would hold next. For now, I just wanted to sit without any voices interrupting my own thoughts. For the first time in a very, very long time I was without a plan. I didn’t’ have a secret strategy or a scheme to take on my enemy myself. I knew deep down in my heart and soul that I would have to rely on my pack and family to help me out of this situation. As much as I hated to admit it, I needed help.
Chapter 13
As instructed, life went back to normal. And it sucked.
All of my daily routines continued on like there wasn’t a deranged Witch lurking somewhere in Shady Oaks, just waiting to get to me. Sure, I could just go on and pretend like nothing had ever happened. Yeah, right.
My dad had called off the pack from being stationed outside of school and my shifts at the coffee shop went back to normal, too. As cross country started back up, I found that my training times were the only times I felt free.
As I stood at the counter of the coffee shop, wiping away crumbs from a child who had just destroyed a cinnamon muffin, my mind began to wonder, and I didn’t’ hear the bell chime alerting me to a customer.
When my eyes finally looked up, I saw Asher standing in front of me. I hadn’t expected to see anyone, so I gasped as I took him in.
“You scared me,” I said, trying to calm my now racing heart.
“Sorry, I assumed you heard me coming in,” Asher said, his eyes questioning me. “What’s wrong?” he asked, knowing that I was freaked out.
Sighing, I shook my head. “I am just distracted. I hate how everything is so…calm,” I said.
“Isn’t calm supposed to be a good thing?” Asher chuckled.
“Sure, if you are normal. But, we are not normal,” I whispered. “I’m used to attacks and threats. This is so different; it’s so eerie. I feel like I am just a sitting duck waiting for death,” I finished as I tried to hold back the fear in my voice.
Reaching out, Asher took my hand in his. “Elle, I know you are scared right now. The uncertainty of all of this terrifies me, too. But, we are all here for you. This time, you won’t be fighting alone,” Asher stated.
He was referring to not long ago when I had tricked my friends and family and sought out my own plan to end the Huntress. Only this time, I knew I wouldn’t be able to defeat this enemy alone. What the Witches were able to do sent chills down my spine. My privacy had been invaded. They had stolen something from me and intruded on my mind and fears. They had watched me like an invisible force. I was not safe anywhere, and they were basking in that thought.
Suddenly, the chime rang again and this time I was alert enough to look up and see who was walking into the shop. It was Maddox.
Looking at Asher and I holding hands across the counter, Maddox tried to hide the disdain in his eyes. Sitting down at the counter, he reached for one of the menus. We had been coming to this place since we were born, he had that menu memorized. I hated when he played coy like he was right now. He was getting some type of sick pleasure out of knowing he was frustrating me and Asher.
“What?” I asked, knocking the menu out of Maddox’s hands.
Raising his eyes at me, Maddox faked being offended. “Is this how you treat your customers?” he asked, his eyes narrowing in on me.
“Maddox, cut the crap. You never look at a menu. What do you need?” I asked again.
“Man, she is crabby tonight,” Maddox said, pointing at me while he looked at Asher.
Holding his hands up in defense, Asher took a step back. “Don’t involve me in this. Elle is very upset right now. She might just leap over this counter and attack you,” Asher said, his voice full of joy at the thought.
Rolling his eyes, Maddox just huffed. “Whatever. Anyway, I came here because I was craving some chocolate chip cookies I know that are stashed under the counter and to tell you something,” Maddox said, as he leaned across the counter and grabbed the bag Mrs. Allan always made for him.
“What do you need to tell me?” I asked, this time interested in why he is here.
Taking a big bite of a cookie, Maddox began to talk with crumbs falling from his mouth. “After practice tonight, a couple of guys were talking about seeing two women down by the pond yesterday. John and Kash had gone fishing and said they heard two female voices. When they looked around, they saw an old woman and a younger woman walking around the forest.”
“Did these women see John and Kash?” I asked.
John and Kash were brothers who had been playing baseball with Maddox for years. I was suddenly struck with worry for them, hoping it wasn’t the Witches they had seen.
“They don’t think so. They said the women were talking, but they couldn’t make out what they were saying. Like it wasn’t English. They also said they were in a sort of trance,” he said, taking another bite of the warm cookie.
“What do you mean, a trance?” I questioned.
Asher stood next to Maddox and he was listening to every word, mentally taking notes to use to talk to everyone later. Asher was always great at remembering the facts.
“I’m not really sure. All they said was that the women seemed really out of it. Like, they were talking and walking, but their eyes weren’t focused. Maybe they had gotten into some powerful drugs?” he asked, shrugging his shoulders.
“Or, maybe it’s the Witches. I mean, it matches the description we were told. An older woman and a younger woman. The grandmother and cousin. But, that doesn’t explain why they were walking around like zombies,” I added, trying to think.
“I texted my dad and the pack is meeting at your house tonight for the daily meeting. They want us all there to go over this news,” Maddox said, standing. “I gotta get home and shower before the meeting.”
“Ok, thanks for the information,” I said, starting to feel bad for being so mean to him earlier. With everything going on lately, I just couldn’t seem to calm my nerves.
Asher sat down after Maddox left and waited with me until my shift was over. When we finally left the shop, it was after eight. I was exhausted from school and work and knew I wouldn’t be getting much sleep tonight. I had cross country practice tomorrow afternoon and needed to be well rested.
Yawning, I got into Asher’s car and closed my eyes while he drove me home. I knew once we walked into my house, I would be faced with the task of trying to sort out what John and Kash saw by the river.
***
The meeting lasted well past midnight. Everyone was on high alert as they were sure the women that John and Kash had seen were, in fact, the Witches. What we still couldn’t understand was why they were acting so odd. The only theory we had was maybe they were practicing spells and were so entranced by their magic, they didn’t’ notice the boys. This was something we would have to verify with the Witches again to make sure. When my head finally hit my pillow that night, I was instantly asleep.
“Elle, I know you can hear me. I am near. It won’t be long before I find you and take your powers forever,” a female voice sang through the darkness.
I struggled to open my eyes, but I was unable to. I cried out for help, but my voice wouldn’t speak. It was as though I were frozen in place. I could hear leaves rustling and a branch breaking somewhere off in the distance. I was in the forest. I knew that, but where exactly I wasn’t sure. I was blinded and paralyzed, unable to control any of my movements.
Without warning, I felt hands wrap around my neck, closing off my ability to breathe. I struggled to reach out, but my hands were locked at my sides. Fingers dug into my skin as I felt myself slipping farther and farther away. Just when I felt like I was about to reach my end, the hands gave up and my body fell to the ground below.
Jumping, I sat up in bed gasping for air. My body was soaked in sweat and my clothes clung to my skin. I felt suffocated like I needed to escape from everything around me. It had all been a dream, but this time, it had felt real. Like someone was really trying to strangle me. Without thinking, my hands reached up and touched the sensitive skin of my neck. It was sore and painful to the touch.
Before I could get out of bed, my bedroom window flew open and Asher jumped through and landed on my bed.
“What happened?” he asked, looking around the room like he expected to find an intruder.
Still shaking, I wrapped my arms around him and began to sob. “My dream…” I tried to speak but my tears were overtaking my voice.
“It’s ok, I am here now,” Asher soothed, as he held me tightly to him.
Even in Asher’s arms, the one place where I always felt safe and at home, terror still reigned.
Finally calm enough to speak, I tried to tell Asher what happened. “I was in the forest like I always am in the dreams. I still couldn’t see anything; it is like I am always blinded by darkness. Only this time, I felt hands trying to strangle me. When I woke, my neck was sore like it really happened,” I said, shuddering at the thought.
Taking out his phone, Asher used the flashlight app to look at my neck. Even through the darkness of my room, I could see his eyes grow wild with anger.
“Asher, what’s wrong?” I cried, worried by the rage on his face.
“Your neck…it’s red. You have marks like you were…”
He didn’t’ have to finish that thought. I knew what he was going to say. Only, there was no way that could be possible. It was a dream. How could I have real pain and markings?
“This can’t be right. It was a dream,” I cried.
“I don’t understand this either, but from what we know, nothing is impossible when it comes to our lives. These Witches are unlike any enemy we have faced before. They have something the human Hunters didn’t’ have-- magic. They can manipulate time, minds, and themselves. We just need to identify how they are able to get into your dreams and why you still can’t see them,” he finished, leaning back against the bed frame and allowing me to lay back on him for support.
“I’m scared,” I admitted, holding on to him tightly.
“I know you are, but I swear I won’t ever let anything happen to you. I knew you were hurting. I could feel it inside my body and my mind. That is why I came rushing over here,” Asher stated, placing a gentle kiss to my forehead as he held me tighter.
I hadn’t even thought about how Asher had known that I was in danger. When he rushed through my window, I was so relieved to see him, the thought had never crossed my mind.
“We have to tell your parents and the rest of your pack,” Asher said.
Shuddering, I hated the thought of having to tell the pack of yet another serious incident with these Witches. They were cunning and far braver than my previous enemies. Our pack was taking this all very seriously; but if the Witches could get into my head, there was nothing anyone could do to protect me now.
“I know, and I promise I will tell everyone, Maddox included, in the morning. For right now, I just want to stay here in your arms. Is that ok?” I asked, fearing he would want to leave the comfort of my room and blankets and venture down to share the horrifying news with my parents.
Nodding his head, Asher smiled in the darkness. I could barely make out his features, but through the glow of the moonlight coming through my bedroom window, I could see the sharp edges of his jaw and the sparkle in his eyes. He was breathtaking and almost made me forget about my current predicament.
“Elle, I will hold you as long as you need. Forever if you would let me,” he stated, his voice barely above a whisper, but I heard each word loud and clear.
I snuggled deeper into his chest and allowed myself to find comfort in his arms. I was hiding—from the Witches, my family, and myself. While I knew I would have to share this news soon enough, I just needed this peace that came with being alone with Asher. Fooling myself or not, I just needed this for me.
I realized at that moment that holding back wasn’t going to help me. I needed to confront this power that the Witches had over me. In my dreams, I was paralyzed by my own fear. Was I causing the blindness? Were the Witches able to manipulate my mind because I was allowing them to? I had to figure this all out before the Witches ended my life.
Chapter 14
The next morning, I woke alone.
Asher had slipped out of my room sometime early in the dawn of the morning sun. He always did.
Stretching my arms above my neck, I allowed the covers to slip down my body. As my eyes caught my reflection in the mirror hanging above my bedroom dresser, I gasped.
My neck was still red and there were markings that only fingers could leave from someone attempting to strangle me. I slowly lifted my hands allowing my fingers to gently trace the petrifyin
g markings. Tears stung my eyes, and my lips quivered as I fought the urge to scream and cry like a little child. But, this was downright chilling. Somehow, a Witch had ventured into my room or my mind; I still had no clue how she did it, but she was able to startle me in my dreams and physically assault me. I knew I couldn’t wait any longer. I had to tell my parents and we had to find a way to end this nightmare for good.
Throwing the remaining blankets off my body, I jumped out of bed and bound down the stairs as though I were being chased by a demon. Which, in some ways, I was.
Hearing my loud footsteps at such an early hour, my parents both bolted from their bedroom and caught me just as I turned to enter the kitchen.
“Elle, what is going on?” my mom asked, alarm filling her voice.
“Are you alright?” my dad asked, looking behind me as though he expected to see an assailant chasing me.
Without skipping a beat, I opened my mouth and began telling them the chilling accounts of the night before. As they listened to me recall my dream and the vividness of the menacing voice, their faces paled, and their eyes grew wide with concern.
When I was finished, I felt exhausted like I had just run a marathon. Placing a hand on my shoulder, my dad trys to relax me. “Elle, we will take care of this now,” he said, as he pulled out his phone and began typing messages.
Wrapping her arms around me, my mom led me to the kitchen table. Sitting down next to me, she grabbed my hand and held it in hers while we patiently waited for my dad to finish typing. It didn’t take long for his messages to send and for the news of what had happened to me to spread. My eyes were fixed on the back door, waiting for it to open.
As expected, Maddox came bursting through the door, almost knocking a hole in the wall as the door handle slammed into the gray walls. Almost jumping from her seat, my mom was startled by his quick intrusion.
“Maddox, did you really need to slam through the door?” my mom scolded.
Looking over at her, Maddox offered mom a sheepish grin. “Sorry. I’ll fix it if there’s any damage. I just heard the news and…”
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