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

by Shannon Eckrich

  I couldn’t breathe, and my heart was beating so fast it felt as if it were punching the inside of my chest.

  He moved his hand around so our palms lay flat against each other. The heat between us now a roaring flame. “And a symbol devoting my love and my soul only to you. Forever. This is better than my word, for this ring was mixed with my blood. And it will remind you of my promise as long as you wear it.” He slipped it on my ring finger, and then lifted my hand, kissing the ring.

  I grabbed the sides of his face, not waiting for him this time, and pulled him to me, kissing him on the lips as I blinked back hot tears. “I love you. Seth.” I kissed him again and again. Loving this man with all my entirety.

  He reached up and took my face, holding me back. “I love you too, Layna.” His smile was vibrant, putting the light of the moon to shame. “Again, you look amazing tonight.” He reached back and tugged, releasing my hair. “More than amazing, if a word even exists.”

  We both held each other, sinking down to our knees on the blanket, eyes not straying one bit.

  He reached down, catching the bottom of the dress and yanking it up. I lifted my arms, uncaring about shedding the perfect gown. “I want to feel you next to me,” he whispered, his voice rough but well controlled.

  I kicked off my boots, having no trouble at all submitting to his request.

  He lay me down gently on the blanket and stood before me, unbuckling his belt and sliding it out through the loops. He dropped it on top of the dress, while my hand drifted down between my legs, ready and waiting for him.

  He licked his lips in anticipation, the boots and pants coming off fast. The shirt even faster. He was solid, ready, and one hell of an amazing man. The moon caused his already perfect body to glow, and he became magical as he lowered himself to his knees and grabbed the folded up blanket, shaking it out with one hand.

  The fireflies had since faded away, but I had a new light coming down on me. A light which made my body forget everything else existed, made my soul tingle and dance and mingle with the stars.

  “What if Kesi shows up to check on me?” I suddenly remembered how she crashed in on one of our other intimate sessions.

  “Nobody but you can get in.” He nudged my legs apart with his knees and settled in, the weight of his body pushing down on me. “So, no interruptions tonight,” he assured me, pulling the blanket over his back.

  God, he feels good against me.

  “None at all.” I tried to sound serious but my voice failed me. “We could be broken and sore and possibly suffering from exhaustion by morning.” The ring heated up on my finger.

  “Then let it be.”

  Those were his last words as he completely covered us with the blanket, taking one world away from me, but giving me an entirely new one. One I rather enjoyed.

  Chapter 37

  His chest slowly rose and then fell, his heart beat strong and steady under my ear. I raised my hand, admiring the silver circle. Touching it. Twisting it around. The morning light reflected off of it caused a magnificent glow.

  Then, his fingers were on it, and he twisted it around the same way I did. “This was my favorite dagger. When the man melted it down, he placed the silver liquid in a bowl. I sliced my palm,” he released the ring and turned his hand over, revealing a small indent in the palm of his hand, “and let my blood drip into the bowl. He mixed it all up, and then created this for you. He did a fine job.” He smiled.

  “Why would you add your blood?” I traced the healing wound with the tip of my index finger. “And why didn’t you heal this?”

  “So you’d have a part of me with you, always.” He lowered his hand, wrapping his arm around me. “I didn’t heal it so I’d always remember. I’m hoping it will scar.”

  I knew what this was about. The prophecy. He still thought he was going to kill me, like his mother predicted. He wanted to not only promise me his protection, but he wanted to promise himself to protect me.

  “Seth,” I said in a low voice. “If I tell you something, will you promise not to get mad or upset?” I had to take it slow because I had no idea how he would react.

  “You can tell me anything, Layna.” He hugged my body in his arm. “What’s on your mind?”

  “Well, the day we left the village, when I was waiting for you. A girl had approached me, and her name was Zinna.”

  “Ah…Zinna. Yes, I know her. She is still learning her powers. A seer, isn’t she?”

  “Yeah.” I gazed at my ring again. “The thing is, she told me why the Naturals were afraid. The prophecy. Which I totally get. And I told her if I was destined to die, going up against my sister was a lost cause.”

  “Layna.” His voice was soft. He didn’t want to discuss this. I could tell.

  “I’m not done.” I rolled over so we were facing one another, my eyes on his. “She saw the vision, Seth. She’s not exactly sure I die. The reason why your mother assumed I’d die, was because you were on top of me. I tried to get Zinna to tell me how we get in that position in the first place, but she said she only sees the visions as they come to her.”

  “Layna, love,” He reached up and pushed a strand of hair away from my face, “Zinna is only a child.”

  “You’re not listening to me,” I stressed, starting to get frustrated. “Yes, you are on top of me, but I disappear in the vision,” I blurted out. “She doesn’t know why I disappear or how. She doesn’t even know what happens to you. She can’t see that far. But the main thing is, nobody, not even your mother actually saw me die. Zinna said she thinks it’s because the future can be changed.”

  “Maybe, it can be changed.” He looked at me with deep overwhelming sadness. “Hopefully, it will, because I struggle every day. Especially when I look at you and touch you. Even now it’s on my mind. And I keep going over it and over it. But I can’t seem to wrap my head around why I would want to harm you at all. You’re my life, Layna. I could never hurt you.”

  “I know, Seth.” It was me this time that touched his face. “God, I know you speak the truth.”

  He leaned over, kissing me on the lips. “We should probably get dressed and get back to the cave. It wouldn’t surprise me if Kesi was already throwing a fit.” He grinned amusingly, causing a smile to tug at my own lips. This was him telling me he didn’t want to talk about this anymore without actually saying it.

  “You’re right.” I’d let him have his way this time, but he couldn’t avoid it forever.

  He rolled away from me and got to his feet, fetching his shirt and pants. I stood up and retrieved the dress off the ground. By the time I managed to get back in it, he was dressed and ready to go. I pulled on my boots and evaluated the mess.

  “Shouldn’t we get this cleaned up?”

  “Kesi told me not to worry.” He shot me a quick grin. “She said she would take care of everything.” He reached out and took my hand, leading me to the trees.

  After our short walk, we arrived back at the cave. I went in behind Seth, Kesi eyeing us both. Her gaze fell on me, and she laughed.

  “Rough night?” She had a variety of fruits on her stone by the fire. Oranges, bananas, and apples. And, of course, she had her berries. It looked as if she were mixing them all together. “Your hair looks like a flock of birds bedded in it.”

  “Thanks.” I kept walking, ignoring her as I made my way over to the area of her cave. I grabbed her bottle of Jasmine. “I’m going to go get cleaned up some.”

  “Your clothes are on your stone.” She chuckled. “They’re washed and dried.”

  “Thanks,” I said again, making my way over and scooping them up, and then turned to leave. I couldn’t explain why, but I just wanted to be alone for a moment. It wasn’t the conversation with Seth, and it wasn’t Kesi’s remark when I entered the cave. I had no idea what it was. I felt angry, and I didn’t know why.

  I lay my clean clothes down and kicked off the boots. Slipping out of the dress, I carefully placed it on the ground. In less than a minute, the
cool water splashed against my hips. I submerged my body, dipping my entire head under. When I came up, Seth was walking toward the water, holding his clean shorts in his arm.

  He dropped his shorts and got undressed. Then he waded through the water toward me. Stopping, he left a gap between us, but not too much. “Are you upset with me?”

  “No, Seth.” I began blinking back tears for no reason at all. “I just…I don’t know.”

  I was suddenly in his strong arms, my face pushed against his chest, weeping uncontrollably. My arms and legs even shook. No matter how much I tried to stop, my body wouldn’t cooperate.

  “Layna, it’s okay, love.” He attempted to soothe me, one hand behind my head and the other on my back. “Talk to me, please.”

  “I’m just angry…mad and sad.” My voice broke as I cried. “I don’t know if it’s the prophecy or what Tiahna’s doing to the sector. I just don’t know, Seth.”

  “Look,” he pulled me away a bit, wiping my tears with his hand, “whatever happens, it’ll be alright. We’ll make it through this. Do you understand?”

  I nodded.

  “God, Layna.” He rested his head on mine. “I won’t let anything happen to you. I’ve told you that before.”

  “I know.” I laughed this time. “You’ve told me many times. I have a ring to prove it, remember.”

  He kissed me on my head. “Let’s get cleaned up, get something to eat, and I want you to rest. I may have kept you up too late last night.”

  “But it was well worth it,” I reminded him.

  “Yes, it was,” he agreed, loosening the bottle of jasmine from my tightly wrapped fingers and taking it from my hand.

  He washed my entire body, and I his. After we finished, we left the water and sat on the edge of the spring. I sat in front of him, and he behind me, sharing another blanket Kesi had taken from the village. We didn’t say a word. But we didn’t have to. We just enjoyed the moment; the solitude, the calmness of the water, and the way our heartbeats seemed to dance together.

  Chapter 38

  A few days had passed since Seth and I had our romantic night in the clearing. While Seth worked with helping me control my magic, Kesi had taken his place and made a few trips to the village. Every time she returned, she brought more things back with her. Supplies, such as blankets and different foods, and news from the outside.

  The border continued to shift, little by little each day, drawing in toward the Capital. I knew at the slow pace it was moving, we still had time to prepare, plan, and try to win over the trust of the other Naturals. But the process wasn’t easy. The Naturals, especially, Re wouldn’t listen either to Seth or Kesi no matter how much they pleaded.

  He still insisted the shield he had created would keep them all safe, but I knew otherwise. I knew what my sister was capable of. When she wanted something, she would take it. She wouldn’t give up until she had it. And if she ever caught word about the Naturals, she would destroy them and their shield without a problem.

  “Close your eyes,” Seth whispered to me as he stood behind me, holding either side of my arms. “Tell me what you feel.”

  That was an easy one. “I feel you. Your heat, the strength of your hands holding me. Your breath on my shoulder.”

  “What else do you feel besides me?” He had a hard time controlling the amusement in his voice. “Search beyond me.”

  I moistened my lips with my tongue. The energy, was that what he meant? “The air tingling on the surface of my skin. The water. Cool wisps mingling with the sensation of the air on my face. And the sun.” My muscles relaxed as I brought all these senses in. “It’s warm. But there’s more. Something…” I was attempting to put it into words.

  “Open your eyes and concentrate on the trees, Layna.” His voice remained soft as he spoke. “Find the sun.”

  I looked at the trees like he had asked. Yes, they were definitely in the way. I lifted one arm, lining my hand up with one of the trees. As if it were a natural reaction, I slowly moved my hand to the left, thinking the tree must be moved. And it did. The trunk curved, taking the branches and the leaves with it. The same thing Seth had done in the clearing. Bringing my hand back in a sweeping motion, the other tree bent to the right, the massive sun shining brightly between the gap of trees.

  “That was…amazing.” I was awestruck. Sure, I did a few things now and then if I had to protect myself or heal myself. Even played around with my magic with Seth. But this…this was incredible.

  Seth spun me around and looked down at me with a smile, his eyes shining bright. “I knew you could do this. You’re powerful, Layna. You just did something in seconds that took me a year to accomplish.”

  “Really? An entire year?” No, that couldn’t be right. Seth was so much stronger than me. He knew his one true power, and could now control it. I didn’t have that one power. I only knew the basics.

  Kesi appeared behind him, coming out of nowhere. I didn’t even see her figure blur by. Her face was pale and her cheeks were flushed. Something was wrong. Kesi never seemed tired or even faintly effected by her supernatural speed.

  “Kesi,” I called to her, wanting her to say something. Anything.

  Seth noticed my anxiety and swung around. “What’s wrong?” His arms fell to his sides and his back tensed as he took in the same horrified appearance on her face as I did.

  “The border…” She looked at both of us, in dismay about whatever thoughts she hadn’t told us yet. “It’s shifted faster than expected. It’s going to leave half the village of Senta exposed after dark, and Arados refuses to listen to anyone. He’s not magical, Seth. He doesn’t understand what will happen to him and the village if they don’t get away. Re says there’s nothing to be done. He won’t risk exposing any of the Naturals. He won’t send anyone out to help them, to warn them or persuade them to migrate further in. They’re going to die, Seth.”

  Senta had no meaning to me, but the name Arados did. He had been in the first village Seth took me to, the one after we fled the Capital and Seth saved me from the sandstorm. Senta had to be that safe haven Seth had sought for us. There were children there. The people were already starving, and their buildings crumbling. Now they had to face the ravagers. A sickness swirled in the pit of my stomach as I thought about it. Those poor people would be ripped to shreds come dark.

  “I’ll go there and see what I can do.” There was no hesitation in his voice, only determination. Like me, Seth wouldn’t care about being exposed. The Capital already knew he was a Natural the day he transported me out of the Cell. What he did care about, were those people, and his friend, Arados.

  “Take me with you,” I said, placing my hand on his left shoulder blade before he managed to disappear. The muscle twitched under my palm.

  “Not a chance, Layna.” He turned around, his eyes serious and not to be negotiated with. “My father had reason for concern. This may be a trap. I would have no trouble escaping, but you…I can’t risk losing you.” He flinched at the thought flashing in his mind. “You stay here with Kesi, inside the safety of the cave. You’ll be safe here. I’ll return as fast as I can.” He bent down, kissing me once on the top of my head. And then he was gone.

  “Dammit!” I yelled, narrowing my eyes at the empty spot in front of me, wishing it all to hell. He always thought about my safety, but not my feelings. So it was okay for him to possibly be running into a trap, but not me? Damn that man!

  “Layna, trust him,” Kesi finally spoke, but her words gave me no comfort. “He’ll save them. I know he will. I told you, there’s a different side to Seth than what you see. “And, besides, he is right. You’ll be much safer here. Nobody can get close to the cave. This is the safest place for you now.”

  I wasn’t denying her words. She spoke the truth. Seth would save Arados and the villagers in Senta. They would not be a meal for the ravagers tonight. But how far would he go if they wouldn’t listen to him? Would he try to fight the beasts? Or, what if the Regent’s army was sitting in
side the village waiting for him, waiting for us, knowing what he was and that he could prevent the massive amounts of death getting ready to be bestowed upon the village? And with me knowing this, I couldn’t do anything but sit and wait for him to return. Hoping he would return.

  “I do trust him.” I looked at her with all honesty. “But I won’t be able to sleep, let alone breathe properly, until he comes back.”

  “I know, Layna.” Her voice lost all emotion, her cheeks now blending in with her colorless skin. “I doubt I will be able to either.”

  No, sleep wouldn’t come easy tonight. Not for either one of us.

  Chapter 39

  I woke sometime in the night, my hand searching for the other part of my soul, but the spot next me remained cold and empty. Seth hadn’t returned yet, and it worried me madly. It was dark and the ravagers were out, searching for fresh blood to satisfy their thirsts.

  I rolled the blanket away from my body and sat up, placing my feet on the cavern floor. The fire continued to burn in the center of the room, the warmth causing an eerie glow and revealing the shadows hidden in the corners of the room. Kesi lay on her side of the room, silently, deep in sleep.

  Sighing deeply, I stood up, unable to calm my restless thoughts, thinking food might be able to distract me a bit from what might be happening to Seth. If he wasn’t already dead by now.

  I crossed the room and found a plate of fruit and berries Kesi had left out for me. She knew lately I had been getting up often in the middle of the night to search for food, so she always made sure she left some lying around. She didn’t seem to mind doing this. I think it was because she was happy I’d started eating again.

  After a few pieces of watermelon, also compliments from Re’s village, I made my way outside to relieve myself behind some bushes. I washed my hands in the spring and walked back inside for more fruit, but when I stepped back into the cave I felt it again. The same draw toward the back of the cavern that I’d felt when I first came here.