Wicked Witch (The Royals: Witch Court Book 1)

by Megan Montero

  Tucker ran ahead of me. “Brax, hoist!”

  “Da, I go.” Brax rushed up beside him. When they stopped, he pressed his back to the fence then cupped his hands in front of him. “Up and over.”

  Without hesitation, Tuck stepped into his hands, then put his foot on the top of the fence and hopped over like he was climbing stairs. He landed soundlessly on the other side. His deep voice carried over the fence. “Come on, Zin. I got you.”

  I looked down at Brax’s hands and up toward the six-foot-tall fence. “Say what now?”

  “Step in my hands, I’ll boost you over. Tuck, he will catch you.” His eyes were wide and round as he gazed over my shoulder. Lights reflected in his feline gaze. “Come now.”

  “Zin, I’ll catch you. You can trust me.” He waved his hand over the fence to me.

  I hesitated. “I don’t know about this.”

  “It’s either trust me or you can see what your mom says when the police call her. Your choice.” When I didn’t move, he placed his hands on the fence and lifted himself up to meet my gaze, then winked at me. “What’s the worst that could happen?”

  “Hey, you kids! Stop!” a deep voice called from behind me. I glanced over my shoulder. At the stop of the porch steps stood a man wearing a button-down shirt, khaki pants, and loafers. He held his fist up. “I’m going to call all of your parents!”

  Left with no other choice, I lunged forward and planted my foot in Brax’s hands, then reached for the top of the fence. “Up and over, it is!”

  With all my strength, I pushed up with my legs. I flew over the fence. Although my hands were latched to the top of it, my feet went straight over my head. My body stretched into a momentary handstand, and then the momentum carried me forward as I swung down toward the ground. My heart skittered wildly, and I let go and dropped. A set of thick arms caught me just under my legs and around my back. Tuck smiled down at me, cradling me to his chest as though I weighted nothing.

  My hands wrapped around his neck of their own accord. “Um, thanks?”

  Heat seeped into my body. His arms and chest were so warm, like lying on a heating pad. “Oh, it was my pleasure.”

  “Elle’s coming over.” Brax’s accent was so thick I almost didn’t catch what he said.

  “Better put you down.” Tuck didn’t move to let me go.

  “Yeah, you should.” I wrapped my arms tighter around his neck. His sweet scent surrounded me, and I sucked in a deep breath.

  Elle had one foot planted on the top of the fence the same as Tuck had done. “Yeah, never mind guys, I got this.”

  Though her tone was sharp, I could tell she was teasing the moment she winked down at me. Tuck gently placed me on my feet, then walked over to help Elle down. The heat seeped from my body when he stepped away. I pulled my jacket tighter around my shoulders, wanting nothing more than to curl up next to him.

  Elle came to stand next to me, her eyes dancing with mischief as she bumped me with her shoulder. As soon as Tuck turned away to help Brax over the fence, she leaned in to whisper in my ear, “Bet you’re glad you came to the party now.”

  “I’ll let you know as soon as I’m no longer in danger of getting arrested.” I bumped her back.

  Once Brax was over the fence, Tuck returned to my side and clapped his hands together. “Let’s go. We’re parked a couple blocks that way.” He pointed in the opposite direction of where we needed to go.

  Elle stepped toward him, but I reached out and grabbed her elbow. “We’re the other way.”

  “Then we’ll walk with you.” Tuck shifted to the side, about to step closer to me.

  I wanted him to come with us, wanted to spend more time with him, but something in me needed a minute to breathe, to think. How could I be so instantly attracted to someone? “No, I think we’ll be okay.”

  “Oh, I insi—”

  A flashing light shinned down into my face. “Hey, you there. Stop.”

  I grabbed Elle’s arm. “Time to go!”

  We turned and ran away from the adult, away from Tuck. I instantly regretted not taking him up on his offer for a ride home. We went on for a few blocks until the mayhem of the party silenced and no one was in sight. At night, the streets were eerie and dark, and if I let my imagination run wild, I could picture the things that would seep from the shadows and come after us. Even the street lamp only provided a pinprick of light in the darkness. No cars drove by, and the rustling of leaves made me feel like we were being followed. I wrapped my arms around my waist and hunched in on myself. All I could think about was getting home to my nice warm bed where I had no chance of suffering my mother’s wrath.

  Even so, I couldn’t help but love the moonlight on my face, the cool night air, and the quiet of the streets at night. I felt…alive.

  “So, what was up with you and Tucker Brand?” Elle asked breathlessly.

  What was up with us? It was like we were instantly pulled toward each other, like I’d known him all my life. “I have no idea.”

  “It was weird. I’ve never seen him react to a girl like that before. He usually keeps to himself.” She looped her arm through mine and rolled her eyes. “Like, every girl at the school has tried to talk to him and here he was with you, practically babbling away.”

  “He barely spoke.” I couldn’t see him as the type who would talk my ear off.

  “My point is, he actually paid attention to you. And for him, that was babbling.” She smiled brightly.

  “It’s not that big of a deal. Plus, I think he has a girlfriend.” We turned down my street and were only a few houses away from mine. I sucked in a relieved breath.

  “What girlfriend?”

  “The gorgeous girl who came in and handed him a drink. She was a perfect match for him.” She was lean and beautiful, graceful in ways I never would be. I could easily see them together.

  “Oh, Serrina? Nah, they aren’t together. It’s a weird relationship for sure, but if you see them at school, it’s like he’s her big brother. Besides, I’ve never seen him look at anyone the way he was looking at you.” A giggle escaped her lips. “Not even Serrina.”

  I pushed my hair behind my ear and gave her a half smile. When I pictured him in my mind, there was something that stood out to me. “Why do Tuck and Brax have those wicked animal tattoos on their necks?”

  “What tattoos?”

  How could she have not seen them? To me, they stood out like a beacon of danger screaming warning, don’t get too close. Deep down, something told me neither of them was to be messed with, especially Tuck. He had this air of power mixed with enough cockiness to have everyone bowing down to him.

  “Brax had a huge tribal tiger, and Tucker had a phoenix in the same style. Are they like in a gang or something?”

  Elle titled her head back and laughed. “Are you serious? One, I’ve never seen either of them with a tattoo, and two, they definitely aren’t in a gang. That’s just ridiculous.”

  “Oh, I was just…” The words died in my throat the moment I saw the figure standing just before my house. The person was cast in shadows. I couldn’t even make out a face. But in the pit of my stomach, I felt something was wrong. I startled back and pulled Elle to a halt beside me and squeezed her arm. “We need to turn around.”

  Her eyes went wide, and she nodded yet didn’t say a word. Her body shot tight with tension. I guided her around, and we began to walk in the other direction. I didn’t know where we were going, but I knew we had to get away from that person.

  I dragged Elle along with me. “Just stay calm. We’ll be okay.”

  But I wasn’t calm. My mind raced with images from self-defense Youtube videos I’d watched. What would I do if that person followed? What if he—or she—attacked us? The one night I decided to sneak out of my house and I was faced with getting arrested or worse, attacked by a stranger. In that moment, I wanted to run back to the party house and let the police take us to the station. But I was here now.

  I glanced over my shoulder. The f
igure began to follow us down the street. “Elle, we’re being followed.”

  A tiny sob broke past her lips. “Oh god.”

  “Don’t panic. It’s going to be okay. We just have to get out of here.” I told her it would be okay, but in the pit of my stomach, I knew it wouldn’t be. I quickened our pace, but before we reached the end of my street, another person stepped out from behind a large bush.

  I leapt back, startled. “Shit.” I pulled Elle alongside me. “Leave us alone or I’ll scream.”

  “Queen of Essence, I’d very much like to hear that.”

  I spun around to face where the voice had come from. There before me stood a girl no older than I was. Long dark braids fell down the sides of her head all the way to her waist. Her face was sickly pale, with dark soulless eyes. She held no expression, only gave me a blank stare. I pressed Elle behind me. I didn’t know why, but I felt the girl in front of me was more dangerous than the man behind me.

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  She canted her head to the side. “Don’t you?”

  “No, you’re looking for someone else.” I shook my head, then glanced to the side, looking for an escape. That’s when I noticed the others joining her. At least five more people surrounded us. Each of them stood motionless, expressionless. Yet there was something off about them, as if the soul inside of them was gone and in its place was a mindless soldier. Every one of them moved and stood in the same position with their hands carefully folded in front of them and their legs apart. Large dark sunglasses covered half of their faces, like freak CIA agents. At night?

  The girl stepped into the middle of their circle. “I don’t think so.”

  Elle pressed her back to mine, and tremors wracked her body from head to toe. “Zin, what is she talking about?”

  “I have no idea.” I shook my head and held my hand out in front of me, trying to ward her off. “Look, whoever you think I am, I’m not her. I’m not this queen.”

  “Ophelia!” a voice bellowed from the end of the street.

  The girl tilted her head to the side, and a sneer crossed her face. In the next second, her impassive face was back in place. “This must be the Tucker Brand I’ve heard so much about.”

  At his side was Serrina, Brax and another girl I hadn’t seen at the party. She was about my height with white blond hair down to her hips. Black gloves ran from the tips of her fingers up to her elbows. Though it was a cool night, she still wore a thin pink tank top and cut-off denim shorts like it was summer.

  Tucker strode toward us, and a wave of relief walked over me. We weren’t alone. “Ophelia, get away from her.”

  She came so close to me that her lavender smell tickled my nose and made me want to sneeze. Ophelia didn’t touch me; she just looked me straight in the eye and whispered, “For the biding of one you must do, and let me take control of you.”

  Thick energy swirled around me and shot through my limbs. They hung heavy at my sides. I wanted to lift them up, to fight back somehow. But I couldn’t. I just stood there with my mind screaming for me to strike out at this girl in some way, yet my body wouldn’t respond. Panic like I’d never known hammered at my chest.

  A look of pure satisfaction came over her face. “Sucks, doesn’t it?”

  I didn’t answer, only fought a war within myself. This was my body to control and no one else’s. I focused my mind on my finger, trying to wiggle it. It gave the faintest twitch. I wanted to sigh with relief, but I couldn’t; all I had was that single solitary finger on my side.

  “I said it sucks, doesn’t it? Answer me now.” She stomped her foot like a small child about to have a tantrum.

  “Yes, it sucks.” Was that my voice? That monotone slave-like answer was mine?

  She looked over my shoulder toward Tuck. “It appears you’re too late.” Then she leaned back and met my gaze once more. “Turn around.”

  Without a thought, I spun on my heels. What the hell? I wanted to jab my elbow in her face, to fight against this hold she had on me. Behind me, Elle was utterly paralyzed with fear. Her mouth hung slightly open, and tears streamed down her face. If I didn’t get us out of this soon, she’d go into shock for sure.

  “Looks like you’re too late, Mr. Brand. Imagine that, a knight without a queen to protect. How sad for you.” She stepped around me, completely ignoring Elle.

  Tuck marched toward us. He extended his hands out to his sides, and balls of light gathered in his palms. What the heck? Did I drink some spiked soda at the party? This couldn’t be right. Long thin blades emerged from the center of his hands, the metal a gleaming white, and when the hilts hit his palm, he wrapped his fingers around them. “I’ll give you one last chance. Let her go.”

  Ophelia tapped her finger on her chin. “Hmm… no.”

  “Suit yourself.” He glanced at the girl with the white blond hair. “Nova, take them down.”

  The girl stepped up beside him and pulled her gloves off, then tucked them into her pocket. She knelt down on one knee and place her fingers to the ground. Moments passed and nothing happened. “There’s something wrong with them.”

  Them who? Some of the movement was returning to my body. I could wiggle all my fingers and move my eyes to look around. Them? Did she mean the men who surrounded us, who still had yet to speak or move?

  “What’s wrong?” Tucker spun his swords with fluid motions.

  When she picked her head up, her lips pulled back from her teeth in disgust. “They’re not Reanimants. They’re”—her eyes flared—“Thralls.”

  Brax’s nostrils flared, and he sucked in deep panting breaths. His body shook from head to toe, and if possible, he got even bigger. Black stripes slowly slid across his skin in a tiger-like pattern. His teeth lengthened, and he snarled at Ophelia. “Thralls, you made Thralls?”

  Ophelia examined her black nails. “My father made them, not me. Why would I waste my time doing such things?” She turned toward one of the people standing closest to us. “Even so, they have their uses.”

  Nova shot to her feet. Her straight hair blew away from her face as she fisted her hands at her sides and spoke through gritted teeth. “Murderers!”

  “For this and many more crimes, Alataris deserves to die.” Tucker twisted his swords in his hands, flames erupting from the tip of the blade all the way down to the hilt.

  Wait… Thralls? What are Thralls? I wanted to demand an answer, to know what was going on.

  Serrina turned toward Nova. “What are thralls?”

  Nova held her hands up, and dark purple sparks gathered at her fingertips. The wind kicked up. “They’re witches who’ve had their powers sucked dry along with their souls. They’re controlled by black magic.”

  “Oh, hell no!” Serrina turned to face them. She held her hand out in front of her, puckered her lips and blew across her palm. Red streams of dust spiraled out toward the people surrounding me. The stream spun around each of them and into their noses. “You want to come to me.”

  I could hear the power in her voice, wanted to follow the command it warranted. But I was powerless. I thought the men would move to her command the way I wanted to. And yet they didn’t.

  Ophelia tilted her head back, chuckling. “They have no soul! You have no power over them. But I do.” She waved her fingers. “Kill them.”

  They moved as one, surging toward Tuck and his crew. Nova threw her arms down, and purple light shot from her hands into the ground. It vibrated under my feet. The asphalt upheaved, knocking us sideways. But I still hadn’t regained my ability to move, not completely. I had control over my hands all the way up to my elbows. I turned my focus to my legs, and I felt my toes wiggle in my boots. I wanted to look down to see if my legs were moving, but my eyes were locked on Tucker.

  One of the Thralls lunged forward, his body was only slightly bigger than Tuck’s. The man kept those black glasses in place. He wore only a tight, bright green t-shirt and black track pants. With each swing of his arms, he grunted an
d growled. Thick corded muscles ran from the top of his head all the way down to his legs. Tuck narrowed his eyes at the man and ducked under his swinging arms. He twisted his shoulder, pulled the blade back, and drove his sword straight up through the man’s torso. The Thrall’s body screamed and twitched as the sharp metal jutted from its back. A moment later, the body exploded into a cloud of black smoke and drifted up toward the sky. I wanted to scream, to cover my face and not see these horrors. He just killed someone? I was so confused by what I was seeing. The person turned to dust… or was it not a person at all? Real people didn’t turn to dust…

  Without a look back, Tuck strode toward me. Every muscle in his body was tense and ready to strike. Beside him, Brax dove at the next Thrall to come between Tucker and me. I took one step. Yes! I was finally starting to make serious progress. Another step forward and then another. My heart thundered in my ears. I was going to be free.

  Skeletal arms shot from the ground, one after the other. Their boney fingers scraped against the pavement as they pulled themselves up. The skeletons formed a wall in front of Nova. She held her hands out in front of her and marched forward. She was a puppeteer, and they were her puppets. Thralls came at her, but each one was captured by the skeletons and ripped limb from limb. They were a wave among the chaos.

  Elle’s eyes rolled into the back of her head. Before she hit the ground, Brax was there to catch her.

  Tucker leapt into the air, to an impossible height. “Get her out of here, Brax.” Wings of fire shot from his back.

  What the hell? Wings! I was dreaming. I had to be.

  “You need my help,” Brax growled as he tossed Elle over his shoulder.

  Just when I thought they were making progress taking down the Thralls, more emerged from behind Ophelia and surged forward.

  She spun in a circle and clapped her hands together. “Fun! This is fun!”

  My definition of fun does not include this.

  Tuck barrel rolled to the side, plucked up one of the Thralls and dropped him to the concrete. The body smacked down. It’s arms and legs jutted at weird angles before it disappeared into black ash. “Beckett and Gray are coming.”