Bitter Thorns (The Entwined Book 1)

by Chrissy Jaye

  “So have you.” In truth, I felt a bit guilty about that. They’d made it clear everyone was sticking around the house to be around me and help me adjust.

  He nodded, glancing at me. “Lately. We usually spend a lot of time outdoors. Camping and such.”

  “Camping?” I asked. I loved camping. I remembered doing it a lot with my parents. When Emma had learned this, she purposefully planned camping excursions. Mostly we stuck close to the house. There’d been a small lake only a mile or two away and we’d spend entire weekends hanging out there. Our foster parents didn’t care as long as we checked in. With no money, except for what Payton made part time, it made sense for us to be within walking distance if we ran out of food or the weather turned sour.

  “Yeah. Once things settle down, we’ll probably plan a big trip somewhere,” he answered.

  “Cool.” Oh my God, could I be any lamer? Cool? Cool! We walked for several minutes in silence while I mentally kicked my own ass. Without the others as a buffer, I felt incredibly awkward.

  If Flynn noticed my internal struggle, he didn’t say anything. At least until he reached out to grab my hand. When I gave him a confused and probably frightened look, he shrugged, saying, “Bond.” My brain short circuited after that. His hand was warm in mine and I could feel that slight tingle Luc had told me to look for. At least he didn’t shove his energy at me like Luc had done.

  “Did you read the cards?” he asked suddenly.

  I looked up, caught off guard. “No,” I answered. “I…uh. I didn’t want to give it power over me.”

  He pulled on my arm, leading me down a smaller track of dirt off the main road. Glancing around, I realized I had no idea where we were, and I was letting a guy I barely knew lead me off into the woods. Not that I thought he would do anything to hurt me but the situation sort of smacked me in the face with a whole lot of you are stupid.

  “You shouldn’t ignore it. I know you don’t like it, but I don’t think it’s a good idea. Guardians are there for a reason.” It was getting darker now, whether because the sun was finally setting or because the trees were getting thicker, I wasn’t sure.

  I grimaced at his admonishment but didn’t reply. He shook my arm lightly. “Are you okay?”

  I nodded quickly, even though I wasn’t. My head felt too full. Entwined. Witches. Flynn. My brother. Everyone. Just… I wanted it to stop. I blinked several times and clenched my fists, trying to collect myself but nothing helped. Flynn’s hand tightened around mine, returning the pressure in a reassuring way.

  The first random thought that entered my brain flew out of my mouth. “So, Ben’s a Disney addict.”

  Flynn tipped his head back and laughed as we walked. “Yeah, he’s a secret Prince Charming,” he quipped. “Which makes you…never mind.” He raked a hand through his hair and walked a bit faster.

  That was stupid. So stupid, Livvy.

  Flynn pulled me into his side wrapping an arm around my shoulder as the sound of rushing water invaded my ears. I was so obsessed with clearing my head that I hadn’t registered the sound at first. “Welcome to my favorite spot,” he said, still giving me a one-armed hug that I almost wished would end. We were approaching what appeared to be a small brook. He pointed upstream and I saw a waterfall. We veered in that direction as the rush of water grew louder until we were standing at the edge of a moderately sized pond that fed into the brook. The pool couldn’t have been more than thirty feet wide. Water fell from a cliff above, making it ripple. I had to admit, it was very pretty, especially in the low light.

  Flynn shifted around behind me and pulled me backward into his chest, which made it impossible to ignore that he was there. He leaned down to talk loudly in my ear. “The water’s high right now because of the warm weather, but once it cools off, the water slows to a trickle.”

  I turned my head, trying to imagine what this place would look like in winter with snow and ice everywhere. “Have you lived here your whole life?”

  He nodded against the side of my face. “Kieran and I grew up with Ben, Brooke, Emma and Ella.” He pointed back the way we came. “My parents live just a few miles down the road from us. Only reason you haven’t met them yet is because they’re giving you time to settle in.”

  “Are twins really that common here?” I asked, perplexed about how that worked. No one had given me a straight answer before.

  His lips brushed against my ear, his breath against my neck as he answered. “Single births are rare for our people.” My insides coiled, my breathing hitched, and I struggled not to squirm, either away or toward his mouth. I couldn’t decide. Why was this so fucking hard? “Every set of twins born in the world are sensitive to the Arts, but we have people in place who screen twins born to human couples for their potential as well. Not all of them are gifted, but occasionally, we find full blooded Entwined. There have been more cases of Entwined disappearing in the last hundred years, only for their line to reemerge thanks to scientific advancement.”

  I turned my head, shocked to hear these people were so involved and froze when his lips grazed my own. It felt soft, gentle, like butterfly wings. Both of us tensed for a second. Flynn unfroze before me and nuzzled my nose with his own, staring into my eyes. Then he closed the small distance and pressed his lips against mine. My reaction was instantaneous as heat raked over me and my fingers clenched into his shirt. When his hands came up to my hair to deepen our kiss, I wrenched myself away and took off running.

  Chapter 21

  “Olivia!” Flynn yelled behind me, but I didn’t wait. Why did I kiss him? Or let him kiss me? Or kiss him back? Ugh, I was so stupid.

  I had no idea where I was going as I tore between the trees, pushing myself as hard as I could. I needed distance. One thing I knew was that while I was fast, he could catch me in no time. He had longer legs and years of training, whereas I only ever ran when I had to.

  Sure enough, after a few minutes, I recognized the sounds of pursuit behind me, and I opened my pace even more. I did not want him to catch me. If he did, we’d talk about it, or he’d say something scathing. Everything was complicated enough as it was.

  Fear tore at me, growing stronger with every second, every thud of my feet on the forest floor. I didn’t check over my shoulder, just kept my eyes in front of me, making sure I wouldn’t trip over anything. It didn’t help me in the slightest when a figure stepped out in front of me.

  I ran full tilt into them, hard enough that we went rolling through the brush until we hit a tree with a heavy thud. Pain, white hot, seared up my back, making me scream. The person was half on top of me, but they clamped a hand over my mouth, cutting off my yell.

  “Shut the fuck up, bitch,” Evan hissed down at me.

  My head spun as his voice registered and then I was fighting him with everything I had. Nails raked against his skin. I bucked as hard as I could. I screamed when his hand slipped as he fought me for control. “Get the fuck off me, you psycho!”

  The ground dug into my back as we struggled against one another. A wild fear gripped me as I fought him with everything I had. My body was covered in sweat, making it hard for him to hold onto my wrists. I slapped at him whenever I could, using my short nails to do as much damage as possible. We struggled for what felt like hours but was probably only minutes until I was panting, and he finally managed to pin my hands in the dirt above my head. Not once did I stop trying to dislodge his considerable size or cease screaming. I had no idea what I was screaming but I prayed Flynn would hear me. Once my hands were secure, he fisted my hair in his hands and slammed my head backward into the ground, making me see stars.

  “You thought you could just run away from me? That I’d let you? You’re fucking mine, you whore!” His spit hit my face as the world spun around me.

  “Get off,” I tried to shout but my voice was slurred. “I will never be yours.”

  “No,” he growled, shaking my head with his hand. The motion sent a searing pain through my head and I screamed. Through the p
ainfilled haze, I saw him grin down at me, as if he was enjoying himself. He probably was, the sick fuck. The thought was horrifying. “I’ve been all over this fucking island trying to find you. Lucky for me, you ditched your boyfriend.”

  He released my hair and started tearing at my shirt. A new panic filled me when I heard the buttons rip and I managed to get one of my hands free. I palmed his face, trying to dig my fingers into his eye. He howled, rearing back, giving me enough space to get one of my legs up between us. I pushed as hard as I could before he crashed down on top of me, forcing the air out of my lungs as my body was contorted in a painful position.

  He snarled in my face. “Don’t be so fucking difficult,” he hissed. “If you’d stayed like a good little bitch, I wouldn’t have to punish you now.” He snaked a hand down between us, pushing my leg down. He fumbled with something at my waist as he tried to jerk down my pants. I could barely breathe. No, no, no this couldn’t be happening. I could not be losing my virginity this way. My brain scrambled and my stomach heaved. I didn’t know what else I could do to escape him. I was frozen as the top of my leggings ripped. “I’m going to show you you’re fucking mine to do with what I wan—”

  He jerked sideways with a scream as something heavy connected with the back of his head. He fell off of me. I scrambled up, crab walking as fast as I could away from him and whoever had attacked him.

  “Livvy, no,” Payton called, dropping the branch in her hands. Evan was slumped on the ground, barely moving, save for breathing. “I’m not here to hurt you. I followed him. I knew he was looking for you.” She stepped forward cautiously, but I scrambled further away until my back hit a tree. Through the tattered remains of my shirt I could feel the bark grate against my spine. I hissed at the pain.

  A growl sounded through the trees and Payton’s eyes widened in fright as two large figures appeared on either side of me. Shimmering ghostly wolves bared their teeth at her. Their pale fur was nearly translucent with gray thick strands that practically stood on end. I had to blink several times before I could believe they were real. I brought a trembling hand up to my mouth to choke back a sob. My brain was finally catching up with what had almost happened. The wolves flanked me on either side as Payton stared at us.

  “I’m not here to hurt her,” she said softly before glancing over at Evan’s still form as he groaned. Please don’t let him get up. Let him stay down. Payton stooped to the ground and collected her branch again before stepping closer to me. The wolves growled at her, but she turned her back, putting herself between me and Evan. “Are these your guardians?” she asked over her shoulder.

  “I… what?” I said, still trying to make sense of the situation. “How do you know about that?”

  “Liv, I’ve been your friend for two years. And I know a lot about Entwined from Emma. More than my coven does.” Her voice shook. If I hadn’t been terrified out of my mind, I might have admired her fearlessness.

  “He...wha…fuck. He wasn’t supposed… I can’t think,” I finally forced out. Evan groaned again and shifted on the ground. One of the wolves paced forward, stepping in front of Payton.

  She backed away until she was right at my feet before spinning to eye the other wolf. It seemed to be in guard position, but it wasn’t looking at her as it growled softly. It stared beadily at Evan. Satisfied she wasn’t about to be mauled, she stooped. “Are you hurt anywhere? You might have a concussion. I’m sorry it took me so long to get him off of you. I had to find something to use. No spells on me. So stupid. What witch goes somewhere without ingredients?” She rambled on as she checked me over. “I’m so sorry, Livvy. I don’t think you’re bleeding anywhere but you have a nasty bump on the back of your head.”

  “How did you find me?” I asked wincing as her fingers trailed over a tender spot.

  She snorted and offered me a weak smile that didn’t reach her silver-grey eyes. “I knew where you were the whole time. It just took Evan a bit longer to figure it out. I’ve been keeping an eye on him, but I think he found some of my spelled ink that has yours and Emma’s blood in it. Don’t worry, I destroyed the rest after marking myself. He won’t be able to do it again.”

  “You’re not making sense,” I muttered, resting my head in my hands.

  “Olivia!” I heard as footfalls thudded through the trees. Flynn crashed by but skidded to a halt as he saw the wolves. “Good girls,” he panted. The wolves growled louder as Evan groaned again. His eyes followed the sound until they settled on my attacker and then raked over me. He grabbed the wolf by the scruff of the neck. “Get him off this island before I murder him,” he spat. He let go and moved to me, pushing Payton aside with barely a glance. His stare caught mine as he bent over, trying to catch his breath. He pointed between the wolves as they surrounded Evan. “Nymphs. All over in these woods. I asked for their help.”

  I stared at him, overcome with the bizarre need to hit him. “I hate you,” I hissed before eyeing the wolf-nymphs. “Fucking nymphs? Like real nymphs?”

  He smirked at me for a second before he pulled something out of his pocket. “Grab onto my neck and think of the house,” he instructed and then to Payton, “I suggest if you don’t want to be mauled, you grab my arm.”

  It was the only warning we got before he cracked something in his hand and the world jerked sideways. My body slammed into his. I briefly recognized the thorn jungle before we were moving and then spilled out onto the kitchen floor.

  Payton stared around her in shock and fell over before she promptly vomited everywhere. The commotion brought a stampede of footsteps before Ben, Lucien, and Liam appeared in the doorway.

  “Holy fuck, what happened?” Liam shouted. He bent to help Payton stand. As soon as he had her upright, his face flickered with recognition. “You brought a witch here? Are you insane?”

  Flynn shrugged him away, already lifting me onto the counter and raking over me with his eyes. They were wide, almost fearful, as if he didn’t know where to start. In the harsh light of the kitchen, every scrape I had was on display. Lucien and Ben bypassed Payton and Liam to come stand on either side of Flynn. Ben reached forward and pulled my shirt closed but when it wouldn’t stay shut, he quickly took his own shirt off and pulled it down over me. His hands slid down my waist and then settled on my thighs.

  “Is she okay? What happened to her?” Lucien demanded, his brown eyes round. His hand found my hair as he pushed it away from my face. It had fallen out of its braid during my struggle with Evan.

  “He tried to rape her,” Payton bit out, finally recovered from Slipping. My stomach rolled as she told them, but I shoved my discomfort away. I was rattled, but I reminded myself that Evan hadn’t succeeded.

  “I’m okay,” I said quickly.

  Flynn growled, startling me. The last thing I needed right now was an aggressive man growling at me. I pleaded at him with my eyes. I needed him not to make a bigger deal out of this. I knew it was bad, what had almost happened, but if he kept looking at me like a victim, I would lose my mind. Maybe I wasn’t okay, but I would be. His eyes softened and I slumped in relief on the counter.

  I looked over at Payton. Liam had her arm in a vice-like grip. He wore a haggard expression, but it didn’t look like he was hurting her. Payton looked paler than she had before. I catalogued her features, matching them with how she normally looked. Thinner face washed in grief and desperation, and no small amount of anger. My heart broke for her even though I was still mad. There were so many lies between us. Did I even know her anymore? But she’d also stopped Evan so maybe our friendship wasn’t entirely lost.

  My vision tunneled for a moment. Emma’s face flashed in front of my eyes. Ashes swirled. Then Evan’s horrible expression as he pressed me into the ground. For a moment, I was drowning in fear. But it wasn’t right. I couldn’t smell him. Ben’s scent wrapped around me, mixed with Flynn’s. With effort, I pushed the visions away, digging my nails into my palms. I used the pain like a beacon to come back to myself.

  I was s
afe.

  My guys were with me. Everything was okay. I couldn’t let this break me.

  Sometimes bad shit happens to good people. I heard Brooke’s words replayed for me. Everything in me would use this to make me stronger.

  Only a few seconds had passed, but it was long enough that every eye in the room was turned in my direction. I forced myself to sit up straight and met their stares. If my breathing was heavier, let them think it was from anger.

  “He who?” Liam asked in a deadly quiet tone. Internally, I sighed with relief.

  “Evan.” My tone was steady, despite the tension in the air. The room was thick with it, nearly suffocating and I knew I was partly to blame for it. If I hadn’t run off…

  Liam’s gaze turned darker. His brown eyes were almost black. His fingers flexed around Payton’s arm, turning white as he glared at her. “Start talking, Witch.

  “I followed him here, you idiot,” Payton snapped, tugging her arm out of his grip. She pushed him away from her and turned, trying to head in my direction but he stepped in her way.

  “Fuck you if you think I’ll let you anywhere near her.” I could feel the rage pouring off Liam in waves as he glared down at Payton. His eyes begging her to make a move. Even I was afraid of what he might do if she did.

  She squared up to Liam, only being a few inches shorter than he was. “If I wanted to hurt your Lehnu, I would have done it already. Now back off so I can check on my friend.” The guys looked from her to me for a second and then back. I wasn’t sure what they were looking for. Permission? It didn’t make sense why they would start asking me what I wanted. No one ever did.

  “It’s fine,” Flynn finally said to Liam’s back. “She got there before I did.”

  “Why was she alone in the first place?” Ben asked quietly. His eyes were hard as he stared at Flynn and I realized this was the first time I’d seen him even marginally upset. He was always so… not relaxed, but mellow. His long fingers flexed on my thigh, like it was an effort for him not to squeeze them.