by Cece Rose
Medea, unaware of my nausea, continues to dole out advice, “For now, I would look through your ancestors’ grimoires, you might find some enlightenment in the pages. Start as far back as they go, as you said it seemed like it happened a very long time ago. You should hold off any attempt to force another dream just yet, however if another comes, I would like to remain informed.”
“Sure… I can keep you in the loop,” I agree awkwardly. “So, you think this dream really happened—that I saw the past?” The prospect of it being real seems a little bleak to me, but, I suppose, at least the witch is long dead by now. Even if this insanity does somehow connect with my life now.
“From what you’ve said, I do. You should take this very seriously, Kayla. Dreams like this are both a gift and a warning.”
I nod in agreement with her words of advice. I know I’ll have to take this seriously. Witch dreams happen for a reason, and I’d be a fool to ignore a warning the universe is trying to give to me. That’s why I’d come here, even if I really didn’t want to.
“Well, that was actually really helpful, Medea. Thank you for the help and everything.” I move to stand up, when I notice her narrowing her hazel eyes at me.
“Leaving so soon after getting my advice, are you? No further reason for you to be here, I suppose?” Medea demands, her voice icy and cutting.
“It’s not like that… I just—
“What is it like, then? The first time you come by in months, and you get what you need and then simply leave. Not one other witch in this coven has the audacity you do, Kayla Harlow.”
“I’m sorry, I’ve just been really busy, I swear,” I apologise, feeling my nerves spike and my hair stand on end. Why does she have to bring this up right now? She was being so helpful before… almost nice, even. For Medea, anyway.
“Look, Kayla. I’m not going to beat around the bush. You need to pull yourself back into line with the rest of the coven. You never show up for our weekly meetings, you associate with black witches, and your former best friend is a murderer who’s been shunned. Do you want to get yourself thrown out of our coven too? You know it’s nearly impossible to join a new coven once you’ve had your reputation tarnished like that. Witches work best in groups. We need each other—and you need us. So start acting like you want to be a part of this and stop embarrassing our entire coven with your actions. We’ve taken enough hits recently, without dealing with speculation that more of our witches are going bad.”
“Did you have something to do with Blaise trying to talk to me?” I demand, my earlier confusion now gripping at a new obvious answer presented by her words.
“It’s a two-way street, Kayla. I’ve asked the other members of the coven to help bring you back to us, that’s all.” Another fake smile. “I helped you, did I not? That’s what we do, we help each other out, and work together to be stronger and happier. You just need to fall back into line. I’m sure you’ll see the true benefit when you do.”
As much as I want to tell Medea to suck it, and say fuck you to the coven, I know how stupid that would be. Much of what she’s saying is true. If she were to shun me, I’d be shunned by all the white covens. I may not come by here often, but when I need to, I know I can. Like today, Medea may not be the most pleasant coven leader around, but she’s a powerful witch, and she knows a lot. More than me, more than my Aunt Silvia, or Lizzy. I need her and her shitty coven, and she knows it. As much as I hate to admit that it’s true, she’s right.
“What do you want me to do?” I hedge, licking my lips nervously.
“Make an effort. Involve yourself more, at the very least show up to the month’s end gatherings, and for the love of the goddess, stop associating with black witches. A vampire hybrid doesn’t make good company for a good white witch.”
She wants me to stop talking to Kier? How does she even know I’ve spent time with him?
I don’t want to agree to what she’s asking, my stomach twists at the thought of it. But it’s not like I can be around him right now anyway… with the weird connection we have at the moment. It probably would be best for both of us if I stayed away until I figure out another way of getting my magic back. She doesn’t have to know that’s the reason I’m not seeing him, though.
“Fine. I’ll stay away from Kier.” For now. “And I’ll come to the monthly meetings… but I really do need to go now. I’m meeting someone.” A lie. But what’s a white lie to escape a witchy bitch?
“You can go, you’re not a prisoner, I just want to help you.”
Sure you do. Just like demons love to help people from the warmth of their evil, demonic hearts.
“Thank you,” I mutter, suddenly understanding Nina’s reaction to escaping the room as quickly as she could before. I sure as hell want to run and slam the door behind me. Get as far away from Medea as possible.
Has she always been this intense?
“I’ll see you on the last Friday of this month,” Medea responds, and it’s clear from her voice I better not miss it. I give her a small nod in answer.
Despite the urge to run, I force myself to exit slowly, calmly—not wanting to show how rattled she’d made me, without her seeming to give much effort to the task at all. Relieved to put her and this conversation behind me, I shut the door as gently as possible after me. No need for a dramatic exit. I’m calm and collected… and why the hell are the lights in the hallway flickering?
I pause and stare at the flickering light bulbs for a moment. They stop nearly as soon as I pay them attention, switching off and leaving only the natural light illuminating the space. A shudder rushes down my spine.
That couldn’t have been me. I barely have enough magic left to even count as a witch. Weird dreams aside. But, despite that, it felt like my magic. And it felt like I was what made it stop, simply by giving it my focus for a second.
I shake my head, trying to clear the bad vibes, and head for the front door. I want to get the hell out of this creepy coven house already. Maybe it’s freaking haunted or something… anything makes more sense than my magic doing that without my control.
Twelve
A Rude Interruption
Hands caress my body from both sides. There’s too many hands rushing over my body to keep track of them as they entice pleasure from me with every brush against my skin.
What’s going on?
Lips move against mine and I kiss them back without thinking. My hands wander, slowly moving over the broad chest of the man across from me, while a hand buries in my hair from behind and tilts my head to the side. I moan as teeth slide into my neck, unable to stop the sound from escaping my lips.
My eyes open and I look at the face across from me, freezing as I recognise it even through the darkness. The body behind me presses closer as his teeth withdraw from my neck. I shudder as he slides a hand slowly around my waist, before trailing it down.
What am I doing? Why am I not stopping this?
His hand stops, having reached its destination, then he gently grazes his fingers against the tops of my thighs. Rhydian steals my lips again, ensnaring me into a passionate kiss as Kier uses his fingers to pleasure me.
Kier bites my shoulder, and instead of pulling away, I push back against him, all sense of self-preservation apparently lost as I let the witch-vampire hybrid drink from me. He grabs my hand, pulling my arm behind my back and up to his lips, and then bites me again, this time on my wrist. Before I can really focus on this, Rhydian starts running his hands over me again, resting one hand on my throat, somehow managing to catch my breath in it as he does.
“Kayla?” A voice whispers quietly, but it doesn’t come from the bodies either side of me.
The men continue to try and pleasure me, but their touch feels faint, like a ghost brushing against skin. A cold chill shudders through my body.
“Kayla, wake up.”
I shake, feeling my stomach churn as everything blurs around me. My eyes really open, and I blink as things slowly come into focus in front of me.
“Darren?” I mumble questioningly.
“You wouldn’t stop tossing and turning,” he comments. “I was worried you might be having a bad dream again.”
I cringe internally.
No, it was just a sex dream about two other guys... both of which we actually know.
“I don’t really remember what was happening,” I lie, hoping he’ll leave it.
“You’re lying,” he accuses quietly, covering my body with his underneath the covers. He rests his elbow beside my shoulder, and props himself up over me so that I don’t get crushed. “Tell me what you were dreaming about.”
“Not a chance,” I answer quickly, before inquiring, “How did you know I was lying?”
“Your heart beat doesn’t lie with you.” He taps his fingers over my heart. “So if it wasn’t a nightmare, then was it a more pleasurable experience?” he asks teasingly in a low voice.
“Shut up; I said we’re not talking about it,” I insist, wriggling underneath him. He easily subdues me, moving his position to keep me more effectively pinned down.
“So it was?” he whispers in my ear, as he moves one of his hands in a movement that almost matches Kier’s from my dream. I relax as he moves two fingers inside of me, a small sound of pleasure slipping out from my lips as he begins to increase the pace of his movements.
Reservations gone, I pull his face to mine and kiss him. My hands then move and graze down his naked back, and I’m glad that there are no clothes separating us.
Darren pulls away and sits up, before turning me over and covering my body with his again. My eyes close as he pushes into me, his breath hot on my neck as he begins to move. I push back against him, shifting up my position a little so he can reach his hand around my waist.
He notices instantly, so in tune with me, and his fingers drag slowly across my skin as he reaches around me, before moving his hand ever so slowly down. I bite my lip to smother a moan as he finally puts his fingers where I want them while continuing to move inside of me from behind.
He pushes harder, moving his hands to grip my hips tightly, his sharp nails digging into my skin. His lips brush up against the side of my neck, and my breathing turns into ragged gasps as he plants kisses across the sensitive skin. An image of teeth biting me flickers through my head, and I get a little lost in it, wishing I could actually feel those teeth sink into my skin.
“What the hell is this?” a furious, feminine voice demands, pulling us both out of our lust-driven haze.
Darren and I spring apart, and I quickly grab the covers from the bed to hide myself, as I scan my eyes around the room for the speaker. They widen as they land on her.
“More like, what the hell are you doing in my bedroom? Ever heard of knocking?” Darren stands up, grabbing a pair of jeans from the floor as he questions her.
“Cia?” I blink at her. Why would she come here?
“Don’t even speak to me, witch,” Cia seethes in my direction. I share a concerned look with Darren as he pulls the jeans on, before looking back as Cia who is visibly enraged as she stares unblinkingly at the both of us.
“Why are you here, Cia?” Darren asks, sounding tired, and a little bit frustrated at her rude interruption.
“Why am I here!? Because one of two things is happening right now. Either one, she’s lying about her engagement to Rhydian—most likely because he paid her.” She shoots me a disgusted look at the idea of that. “Or two, you’re cheating on my brother. And neither of these options are acceptable with me.”
“Okay, just calm down a second,” Darren begins, and I breathe in a sharp breath as Cia turns even more furious at his words.
“Calm down? Calm down! This bitch ruined my engagement party—She’s ruining my entire life! She’s just as bad as my stupid, interfering, asshole of a brother!” Cia rages, glaring at both of us hatefully.
“She’s right here,” I remind her, returning the dirty look as I stare right back at her.
Screw helping Rhydian’s sister, our cover is blown and she’s clearly completely insane and unreasonable...
“Oh, but in a minute you won’t be,” Cia threatens.
What the hell does that mean?
In less than a second, she crosses the room and grabs me. Darren turns and moves, but it’s too late, too slow even with supernatural speed; It’s not a match for the fae’s ability to phase themselves through reality.
I shut my eyes to protect them from the blinding light, and grab hold of Cia’s hand that’s holding me. I may not want to go with her, but I don’t want to pass out mid-journey, fall, and let her lose her hold on me.
Who knows where I’d end up, or in how many pieces?
She shoves me away from her, and I hit a cold, hard floor. My eyes open, and I look up at a black ceiling. I sit up, and cross my legs, holding an arm over my chest in an attempt to cover myself as much as possible. She’d kidnapped me, and didn’t even let me put on clothes first. What the hell is her problem?
She steps back out of the empty room and turns away, not giving me a word of explanation.
“What the hell am I doing here? What’s going on?” I demand, forcing myself to stand up as she continues to walk away from me. On unsteady legs, I attempt to follow her, but as I go to exit the room, I find myself caught in the doorway. I can’t step any further despite no physical barrier being placed in my way.
“This isn’t a room, it’s a damn cell,” I whisper to myself, staring out the doorway at the empty room across from me and the ones exactly the same either side of it. Shit.
“Cia?” I call loudly, praying that she’ll come back and speak reasonably about this. She can’t leave me naked and alone in a freezing cold cell. “Cia!” I shout even louder, knocking my hands against the invisible barrier, my modesty forgotten at the rising panic of being trapped in here. I listen quietly for a moment to hear for any sound of her, footsteps, anything, but there’s nothing.
I’m completely alone.
I pace back and forth for a moment in the cell, trying to think of a way to escape. With my magic weak, a portal is out. I consider summoning Solas, and then remember the fact that I’m completely naked. I shudder. That’s definitely not an option. I’m not that desperate, yet. Summoning a demon without a circle, while completely naked, sounds like a recipe for disaster if I ever heard one.
With no way to get myself out of here, I walk to the corner of the room and sit down, leaning my back against the smooth wall of my little prison. I bring my knees up to my chest and wrap my arms around them to keep me somewhat covered from anyone who may happen to walk by.
All I can do now is wait for someone to come down here, and hope that person isn’t Cia. I know Darren will tell Rhydian what happened, and then they’ll come for me. I just have to wait it out and hope they get here quickly. Before I get too cold, or too hungry. As if on cue, my stomach growls. I let out a slow breath.
If not… I may have to summon the damn demon after all.
Thirteen
Rescued
A blanket appears from nowhere, draping itself completely over my body. Relieved by the softness and actually having something to cover me, I pull it close, letting a long sigh out. I’m not going to have to freeze to death or summon a demon naked, maybe my luck is turning around finally?
After a moment just relishing in the warmth, I look up and notice Rhydian walking through the doorway of the cell.
“Took you long enough to get here,” I mutter, annoyance clipping my tone. “Please tell me that you’re here to take me home, and that this whole charade is over?”
“I’m not,” he answers honestly, though he has the decency to look guilty about it at least.
“How exactly are you planning to keep this up after what Cia saw?” I demand before adding awkwardly, “You do know what she saw, right?”
“I’m going to tell her—we are going to tell her, that we’re in an open, but committed relationship,” Rhydian answers calmly. “I mean, really, I don’t
know why I didn’t think of this happening before. I just never expected her to hunt you down to try and apologise to you.”
“Apologise to me?” I huff indignantly. “She did nothing of the sort!”
“She found her brother’s fiancée in bed with another man, she wasn’t exactly going to be thrilled,” he responds, a small smirk curving across his lips.
“She kidnapped me and then threw me in a cell, Rhydian! This isn’t funny,” I snap. “Her reaction is hardly the definition of ‘not thrilled’. She may be your sister, but she’s crazy.”
“Well, maybe for some people it’s not, but this is pretty tame for her.” He shrugs, before moving to lean against the wall of my cell.
“Well, her response to what she saw aside, an open relationship—really?” I give him a sceptical look. “You can’t seriously think they’ll buy this. How could we be in an open relationship and getting married?”
“Don’t be so naïve, sweetheart. You’d be surprised what people do behind closed doors… and in front of them.”
“What would you know about what people are doing behind closed doors? Don’t tell me, you stalk other girls too? Should I be jealous?” I question sarcastically, feeling more than a little pissed off as I shiver under the blanket. The warmth coming off it isn’t quite enough to remove the chill that’s settled right through me from my time sitting in the cold cell. I must have been sitting here freezing my ass off for several hours at least. What the hell took him so damn long?
“Well, apparently it’s me who should be jealous from what Cia said about what you and Darren were up to,” Rhydian drawls, his green eyes looking over me slowly.
I turn away, feeling self-conscious. My hair is probably messed up from sex, no make-up, and wearing a blanket isn’t exactly flattering. My teeth grind together.
