Forbidden: an Adult Paranormal Witch Romance: Othala Witch Collection (Sector 12)

by Shannon Eckrich

  He turned his head and pressed his lips together, drawing in a deep breath of air through his nostrils before speaking. “Carefully. The current is strong, and it won’t take much to pull you under.”

  “Have…have you ever crossed it?” I could swim, but I was in no way an expert. I didn’t even know how deep it was.

  “All the time.” He smirked, like it was something he was proud of.

  “What?” He crossed this thing all the time, and he found it amusing? Was he insane?

  He shrugged his shoulders like it wasn’t a big deal. “I like the challenge.”

  I shook my head. Unbelievable.

  “Come on, Layna.” He pulled me down the incline before I could respond. “We don’t have time to be standing around here discussing what I like to do in my free time. We can do that later.”

  When we reached the side of the river, Seth never slowed down. He jumped into the water, pulling me along with him. The water rushed at me fast. I didn’t even have time to prepare before I went under. I quickly swam upward, desperate to get a breath of air. Once my head surfaced, I took in three gulps of air to satisfy my lungs. “You fucking bastard!” I wiped the water from my eyes. “You could have warned me you were jumping in!”

  Seth grabbed my arm and pulled me over to him as he laughed. “Then, my dear, you would have been on the bank all day debating whether or not to join me. And we clearly didn’t have time for that.” He kissed me, and then he turned in the water. “Put your arms around my neck.”

  “Want me to break it for you too?” I slipped my arms around him and tightened my muscles as I smiled. Two could play this game.

  He started off in the water, his body shaking with laughter, as I clung to him tightly, hoping my weight wouldn’t be an issue for him. With each stroke of his arm, the muscles tightened under his skin. His shoulder blades hardening under my breasts. The weight of my body didn’t cause him to falter at all. He moved smoothly over the water, and when we reached the current, he swam with it with ease.

  Before I knew it, we were on the other side of the river. The trees only a short distance away from us. I loosened my grip around his neck and slid off of him. Seth helped me up on the bank of the river, and I ended up crawling on my hands and knees in the mud. By the time I stood up, I’d looked like I’d been rolling around in the stuff. I glanced over at Seth. Besides being soaked, and a few spots of mud here and there, he was nearly spotless. “How are you so clean?” I narrowed my gaze at him.

  Seth pressed his lips together tightly. He was clearly holding in his laughter. Letting my anger get the best of me, I reached down and scooped up a pile of mud in my hands and tossed it at him before he even knew what was happening. The ball of mud splatted against his chest.

  His gaze shifted down to the muddy spot on his skin, and then he looked up at me from underneath his lashes, a playful grin appearing on his lips. “You’re going to regret that.”

  Oh, shit! I spun around without a second thought and rushed into the trees behind us. The last thing I needed was for him to throw me back in the river. Seth’s heavy footsteps were close behind me as I weaved in between the tree trunks. He knew this terrain. I didn’t. I had no idea where I was going or anything that might lie ahead of me. None of that mattered, though. He had me on the ground before I even knew what was happening.

  He was on top of me, his face hovering only inches from mine. “I can play dirty too.” The light in his eyes outshined everything around us.

  “No, Seth…stop!” I pleaded through bouts of laughter as I attempted to fight him off, but he was too strong.

  He leaned in, pressing his soft lips to mine. I accepted his kiss without hesitation. Reaching up, I placed my arms around his neck as he parted my lips with his tongue and tasted every inch of my soul. His excitement grew, his hardness pressing against my pelvis, and I closed my eyes, letting the heat rush in between my legs. Amun’s angry face greeted me. His eyes were black as coal. I inhaled sharply, and my body tensed. I won’t let him take you, he repeated the words from before.

  “Layna, are you okay?” Seth’s voice whispered above me.

  I opened my eyes and swallowed hard. Amun was gone and Seth was now in his place. Unable to speak, I nodded my head slowly.

  “You’re trembling.” His gaze roamed down my body and back up to my face. “I didn’t hurt you, did I?”

  “No.” I pulled myself from under him and sat on the ground. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean…” My words trailed off. Why was this guy still in my fucking head? He was dead. I saw Seth slice his head from his body. “Amun. His face. He was in my head. I’m so sorry, Seth.”

  “No, no.” He had me in his arms in an instant. “It’s not your fault, Layna.” He cradled the back of my head with the palm of his hand while the other hand lay upon my cheek. “Layna, do you hear me?”

  Yes, I heard him. But I couldn’t seem to look at him. What he saw in the oasis. The embarrassment. Me not being able to get away. How could he hold onto me after something like that? He was wrong. It was my fault I couldn’t get my powers to work properly. My fault I had even been in that position.

  “Layna.” He turned my head so I couldn’t look away from him. “None of this is your fault. It’s mine. I shouldn’t have left you alone. I promise, that will never happen again. As long as I’m with you, no harm will come to you. I will give my life to keep you safe.”

  I placed my hand over his, a weak smile forming on my lips. “I believe you.”

  I did believe Seth would give his life to keep me safe. There was no denying that. But he wouldn’t be able to rid my mind of the horrible images haunting me. From my past experiences, I knew those memories would fade over time. I just needed to make sure I wouldn’t be put in that position again. I refused to be put in that position again. I’d have to learn to fight. And only Seth could show me how, whether he liked it or not.

  Chapter 20

  Seth and I crossed through the rough terrain without any more issues. I’d seen many oases in the desert, but none as vast as this one. It seemed to extend for miles. And with the light fading around us, I was beginning to worry we wouldn’t make it in time. Seth, on the other hand, didn’t look bothered at all. He continued forward, swiping at the brush with his bare hands where it had grown too thick to pass.

  We were both exhausted and suffering from dehydration. We had finished the last of the water bottles long ago, and we were too far from the river to turn back. Our only hope was finding the place he spoke about. If it even still existed. He had never told me how long he’d been held captive in the Cell before he managed to escape, and before that, he was a part of Zane’s army. How did he know the other Naturals were still in the same spot? They could have moved on by now. Even out here, Tiahna or Zane’s army could easily find out about them. There was no place in Sector Twelve where they would be safe. They would have to keep moving to keep from being discovered.

  “It’s going to be close.” Seth maneuvered through the foliage in front of us. The moisture glistened off his back and leaves were entangled in his dark hair. His appearance only made me want him even more. It wasn’t only his strength I was attracted to, it was his essence, the energy surrounding his soul.

  “That’s not very encouraging, Seth.” I followed behind him, my legs achy and sore. I needed to rest. But with time running out, I knew I had to keep going.

  He parted the heavy brush in front of him with his hands, and that was when I saw it. A small clearing with water behind it. It wasn’t as big as the bodies of water in the other oases, but none the less, it was water.

  I tried to hurry past him, but he grabbed my elbow with his hand, spinning me around to face him. “We need to be careful, Layna. Zane’s men could be anywhere. They split up and travel great distances on this side of the sector, searching for Naturals and any outsiders. They will kill without hesitation.”

  “I guess you would know.” My voice was low, distant. I wondered if Seth killed other Naturals a
nd outsiders without hesitation as well.

  He swallowed hard. “It’s not like that.”

  “But you trained them,” I reminded him.

  “We need to be careful,” he said the words through his teeth, not denying anything I’d said. But his actions warned me not to bring it up again. He released my elbow and stepped in front of me, surveying the area. Then he glanced back at me. “Only a quick drink, do you understand?”

  I nodded, and then walked off toward the small body of water while Seth trailed behind me. When I reached the pond it was nearly dark. I reached down, scooping some water in the palms of my hands and drank. The water was pure, cool, and tasted better than any thing I’d ever had. I lingered in the water, needed a little more time to cool myself down, but Seth wasn’t having it.

  “We have to go now,” his voice was an urgent whisper. “There’s a group of ravagers on the other side of those trees.”

  I drew in a deep breath and listened. Besides a few twigs snapping, nothing gave me the impression the blood sucking beasts were that close. But of course, I wasn’t trained like he had been. There was no need for me to survive in the wild when I lived behind the safety of the border.

  “The place we need to reach is further up, on the left side of the lake.”

  I looked in that direction and saw nothing but another group of trees. “Seth, there isn’t anything there.” Maybe, the heat and dehydration had caused him to hallucinate. If that were the case, both of us would be good as dead soon.

  “Walk out of the water slowly, Layna,” he whispered, taking my hand. I did as he told me to, and once I reached the land, he shoved me off to the left. “Run!”

  Once out of the water, it didn’t take long for the ravagers to pick up on the scent of fresh blood. They growled and snarled as they pushed themselves out of the trees. I raced over the land, hoping and praying Seth had been right about the Naturals residing in this direction.

  Seth’s heavy footsteps pounded behind me. He was much faster than me, so I didn’t understand why he lagged behind. I turned to see what was holding him back, but he only screamed at me to keep going.

  The blood thirsty beasts were gaining on him fast, and fear stabbed my gut. We’d made it through so much this far. This surely couldn’t be the end of us now.

  I continued to run as fast as my legs would take me, concentrating on the spot Seth had told me to go. He grunted in pain behind me, and the terror of what could have happened launched up my throat. I wanted to turn around, to help him, but he yelled from behind to keep moving. I could hear the beasts closing in behind us. And I knew there was no way we could possibly out run them. They snapped and snarled. Their sharp claws penetrating into the wet sand, creating a sucking noise that made me sick to my stomach. I’d finally come to the realization we were going to die. There was no place in front of us. Only an endless array of trees. Ready to face my death, I stopped and turned around. Seth didn’t.

  Determination swirled in his bright blue eyes as he lunged in the air toward me. My jaw dropped, breath halting in my throat, as he slammed his heavy body into me. The force threw me backward, my back hitting the sand, and the weight of Seth’s body lay on top of me.

  I stared up at the starry sky, my breath heaving in and out and my hands holding onto Seth’s back tightly. Warm moisture ran through my fingers, and I picked my hands up and looked at them. Blood. There was so much blood.

  “Seth! Seth!” I screeched his name, fearing for the worse. He couldn’t die on me now. I needed him more than I’d ever needed anyone before. I attempted to roll him off of me, but he was too heavy. All I could do was lie there and cry.

  “Get him up!” a male voice yelled somewhere close by.

  Footsteps sounded around us, and then the weight had been lifted off of me. I stared up at them. Six men I had never seen before. Two of them carried Seth away from me, and the other four looked down at me with wide eyes. They backed up, their faces pale with fear as they shook their heads.

  “Get out of the way!”

  A female voice. I knew that voice.

  Kesi’s face appeared over mine. I knew then I was the one who was hallucinating. Maybe, I’d already died and this was some sick joke the universe was playing on me.

  “I swear, you two.” She shook her head. “Not only do you make a grand escape, but you also make one hell of an entrance.” She smiled. “Come on, Layna.” She reached down and grabbed my hand, helping me to my feet. “Let’s get you cleaned up.”

  Chapter 21

  Kesi led me to a small tent and sat me down in a chair. “What in the world have you been doing since you left with him? You are a mess.” She rambled on as she moved a large bucket of water from the corner and then sat it next to me. “He seriously has some explaining to do. He told me you were in good hands. Ugh…that man.”

  My mind was in a daze. All I could do was watch as she walked around the room. None of this made sense to me. Why wasn’t she at our Residency? And where was Seth? Was he okay? The last I saw he was unmoving and bleeding fiercely.

  Kesi stood in front of me and pulled me into a standing position. “Lift your arms,” she commanded. I lifted my arms and she stripped my shirt off of me. Next, she pulled down my shorts. “Step out.” She tossed my shorts aside, leaving me completely exposed.

  “What…are you…doing here?” My body shook from the shock.

  “I’ll explain everything after I’m done.” She walked around my body, her fingers tracing my skin. “Scratch marks, bruises, cuts.” She shook her head when she reached the front of me again. “He’s going to wish he were dead now. He promised me.”

  “Promised you what?”

  “That you would come back to me as you left me. Untouched and in perfect condition.”

  “He saved me, Kesi.” I swallowed hard. “Not once, but multiple times.”

  “I’m sure he did.” She frowned. Then she picked the bucket of water up and dumped it on my head without warning. “But that’s no excuse for bringing you back like this.”

  I’d expected the water to be freezing cold, but instead, it was relatively warm. Before I could protest, she picked up a rag, rubbed it with soap, and began bathing my body. This was not the Kesi I knew, but I was too exhausted to stop her.

  “Sarrah, bring me another bucket!” Kesi yelled.

  A moment later, a young girl, maybe around fifteen, raced into the tent and dropped another bucket of water. “Here, ma’am.” She quickly left the tent.

  Kesi wasted no time dumping the second bucket of water on me. “That should do for now.” She grabbed a white cloth, one as big as a sheet, and wrapped it around me. “There are some clothes in the corner. Dry off and get dressed. I’ll be back shortly.” Then she rushed from the tent.

  I sighed deeply and took a seat on the chair, my body continuing to shiver from the shock. I couldn’t fathom what had just happened. What did Kesi have to do with any of this? Seth said we were going to join other Naturals. I’d known her all my life, and not once had I noticed a spark of magic in her.

  Seth. I had to find him, had to make sure he was okay.

  I quickly dried off and walked across the small area, discovering the clothes Kesi had informed me about. Another tank top and a pair of shorts. After I dressed, I cautiously walked to the entrance of the tent and peered out. Torches sitting on poles encircled a large group of other tents, lighting up the area. People walked back and forth. None of them looked familiar in any way. We had to be under some sort of massive shield. That was my only explanation as to why there were no ravagers in sight. But how would such a shield be created to protect an entire village?

  I slipped out of the tent I was in, making sure to stay in the shadows. The way the men looked at me earlier told me they were terrified of me for some reason. I was sure nobody here would pose a danger to me, but I wasn’t about to take that chance, especially since I was without Seth. Besides, I needed to locate him without any further distractions, and most definitely bef
ore Kesi returned. She may have been my best friend, but she seemed more than ready to impale his balls on a sword after she saw the state I had been in. And I knew she would have forbade me to see him.

  As I walked in the shadows, I jumped from tent to tent, peering into each one of them. Some of them housed entire families while others were completely empty. There were so many of them, but I refused to give up. He had to be around here somewhere. And I wouldn’t rest until I found him.

  Finally, I’d heard yelling coming from three tents down from the one I was behind. It was Kesi, and she was clearly upset about something. I darted behind the last few tents, and then peered into the one with all the commotion. Jackpot.

  Seth was sitting on a small cot, and Kesi stood in front of him, hands on her hips.

  “I knew this was a bad idea to begin with!” she scolded him. “I told you to wait until it was time.” She began pacing in front of him. “But did you listen? No.” She stopped in front of him. “You didn’t. What if she had been killed? Do you realize the stress you must have put her under? She hasn’t been outside the border since…” Her sentence broke off. “Does she even know everything about you? The things you’ve done?”

  “No, she doesn’t!” he snapped back. “And I’d appreciate it if you didn’t bring up the past. I was a different person then. Besides, you’re at fault just as much as I am. You told me where to find her that night.”

  “Only because you forced me too!” She threw her hands up in the air, clearly frustrated.

  I quickly moved around to the rear of the tent and sat down, my back only inches away from the flimsy material, as I took short labored breaths. She knew about him and didn’t say a word? Kesi had been my best friend for as long as I could remember. She was like a sister. Why would she keep something like this from me?

  A loud bang sounded inside the tent, causing me to jump. I slowly pulled myself up off the ground and walked around to the entrance of the tent, peeking inside. Kesi was gone and Seth had his face buried in the palms of his hands. I stepped inside, my heart racing and pulse pounding in my veins.