Hex Bound

by Ben Alderson

  Of course she is. Think. Clear your mind, Abraxon reprimands me, but I want to laugh.

  Then one of the piles begins to move and a hand snakes out, pushing snapped wood and plaster out of the way. Chad releases me and races for her. Quickly, he frees Savi, whose face is as white as fresh snow.

  “Are you all right?” he asks, scanning her from head to toe.

  Savi looks at me and nods my way. “Is he okay?”

  Chad shakes his head. “We need to get out of here and stop the bleeding.”

  I know they are talking about me, but I’m not worried about my bleeding. I just want to know why they’re not bleeding.

  Vampires, George. You know this. They heal quickly. His voice sounds strange.

  Are you worried about me? I ask Abraxon. He shivers with a strange urgency.

  Behind Savi and Chad, in a place where they cannot see, I watch as bricks and rubble lift from the ground on invisible strings of air. I lift a hand and point, mesmerized by the magic trick. Chad and Savi turn their heads, following my finger to what holds my infatuation.

  “Get down!” Chad cries.

  In one beat of my heart, the floating debris slices through the air toward Savi. Abraxon moves my hand and calls forth its power. In one single moment of clarity, I wonder why I didn’t do it first. Abraxon conjures the element of air, shielding us from attack. One by one, the pieces of broken bricks slam into my elemental wall.

  Elder Jane stands, hair disheveled and a river of blood leaking from a gash on her temple. Her hands are twisted, her mouth moving as she calls on magic that even Abraxon cannot place. She is fueled by anger and pain. She screams with hatred but her wincing expression tells of the agony the explosion has caused her.

  “Demoness! Disgusting. You cannot leave the protection of my academy alive. You are an abomination!” Elder Jane shouts her frantic, disjointed words. She spits saliva tainted by blood onto the floor.

  All around us, the commotion of incoming teachers echoes. As they approach, I see their faces. Students follow them, ignoring the shouts for them to stay back.

  Savi and Chad are still hunched on the ground together, arms wrapped fiercely around one another. I hear names of hate called at the both of them. Even my name is thrown into the mess.

  “Seize them!” Elder Jane commands to the many teachers around us, although her gaze is pinned on me. Is that regret I see behind it? Or do I see something more sinister?

  This is my fault. I tell myself that over and over, my headache only increasing by the second.

  Pathetic! Abraxon hisses within me. You don’t even realize that you’ve created the most powerful living beast.

  Savi stands, shivering. Chad hisses, teeth bared and ready to do anything to protect his one and only sister. And I stand, weak and unsure, looking at the only woman I ever truly looked up to give the death command to my best friends. Savi should not be killed for this. She didn’t ask me to turn her into… into…

  I will not watch this, Abraxon says, interrupting my mind. He fills my entire body with his essence. I have no control as he takes over. The open sky above us brings down natural light over us all, but Abraxon extinguishes every part of it with his darkness. He twists the light into a circle that roars with air like that of a hurricane.

  Beckon them, Abraxon tells me.

  “Savi, come to me!” I shout, gaze flicking to Elder Jane, who watches this strange circle of shadow grow from a speck to a bizarre, shifting hole.

  Jump, Abraxon orders.

  Savi reaches for me, and my body falters once again. Is Abraxon consuming my lingering energy or is the blood loss catching up to me?

  Abraxon moves my legs for me, making me sidestep into the unknown. I pull Savi along with me, knowing Chad will follow right behind us.

  Heat bursts beside us, warming my cheek and licking across my hair.

  Fire.

  Someone sent fireball after us. The witches began to attack just as the dark hole devoured us. Savi cries out, but I cannot see in the dark to know if it’s from shock or if the flame actually touched her skin.

  I expect to fall freely, but I don’t. The darkness lasts for only a second before my feet touch solid ground. The world around me is still black until, like a cloud across water, it skitters away.

  The dark clouds disperse, and we are left to look upon a different scene. No longer do the crumbled walls of Elder Jane’s office surround us. No longer are we looked upon by the accusing eyes of witches brimming with magic and hate.

  Tall pines tower over us. A large expanse of identical huts goes on for as far as I can see. But it is the mixture of human bodies and wolves that walk freely among each other that snatches my breath from my lungs.

  We traveled through the dark, straight into the heart of the wolves’ camp.

  You are welcome, Abraxon says snidely before falling silent.

  Heads and snouts snap our way. Savi calls out in relief, falling to her knees and pressing her head onto the mossy ground.

  I stumble, reality slamming into me at full force. The hairs on my arms stand on end. Chad takes cautious steps backward, eyes unmoving from the creatures that surround us. I cannot help but relive flashbacks of the fight we three had alongside these creatures. These beasts are ruled by the alpha, and the alpha murdered my mother.

  I ball my hands into fists and bite down on my lip to stop my head from spinning.

  “Breathe,” Chad says. His gaze is glued to his sister, who reaches out to the man who walks toward us, parting the sea of wolves like a false prophet. “Take my hand and don’t let go.”

  Chad’s fingers link with mine, and he squeezes.

  “I am not leaving you,” I whisper.

  Much has happened. With the attack and my injuries, I should focus on myself and what I just did to escape the academy. Elder Jane will be hunting us now. There’s nowhere safe we can hide if we stay in Hillcrest. I should worry about that and about how I’ll save Father if I can’t even get home.

  But seeing the alpha again ignites an inferno.

  One only his death will put out.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Savi

  I walk toward Zane, who opens his arms to me. Something about seeing him after the hell the witches just put us through sets me at ease. I know I am safe here. I know the wolves would die to protect me. As someone who has very few allies, I appreciate how much he tries to make me feel comfortable around him and his pack.

  We embrace, and I can feel the angry stares on my back. I glance over my shoulder. George and Chad hold hands, and I can see George is losing his battle to control his emotions. He wants nothing more than to kill the alpha. But I can’t let him. Not just because our sire bond prevents me from putting my safety first, but because Zane killed George’s mom in order to protect me. He made a decision he knew went against the treaty. He risked his neck to save mine. Not many would do that for me.

  When Zane pulls away, he says, “I was worried about you, mali volk. You simply vanished.”

  I nod. “I know. I’m sorry. I was summoned by the witches. Involuntarily, I should add.”

  Zane’s gaze lands on George, and I can hear my best friend’s heart rate increase. He’s trying so hard to keep his cool, and really, I’m honestly proud of him. I can’t say I’m sorry his mother is dead—she did kill my parents after all—but I know how hard it must be to hold back when all you want to do is lash out.

  “We have a problem,” I say, and his gaze flickers back to my own. “The witches know.”

  Zane’s eyes widen slightly before returning to normal. I’m sure the world finding out his newest recruit is, in fact, different, isn’t exactly information he wants revealed.

  “Tell me everything,” he urges.

  “George summoned me to Elder Jane’s office, and since I was, you know, in half-wolf form, she freaked out, screaming to the others that the abomination must die. You know, I’m really starting to take offense to that word.” I cross my arms over my chest.<
br />
  “Did she hurt you?” he asks. His gaze swipes up and down the length of my frame—such an intimate moment for a public place. The other wolves watch on, some in wolf form, as their alpha awaits my answer.

  “George is worse,” I say. I turn toward my friend and mentally assess the damage done. He’s covered in gashes and clutching his stomach. I’m not sure what lies beneath, and I worry it may be worse than he can heal on his own. “He used a lot of magic to get us out of that place before Elder Jane could—”

  “He’s too weak to heal himself,” Chad interjects. His main concern is for his boyfriend, and I don’t blame him.

  I nod. “Of course.”

  “We have a healer, but I’m not sure her methods will work on a witch,” the alpha says.

  “I’ll be fine,” George sneers.

  I exhale loudly. “George, we haven’t the time. Vendettas can wait. The witches—and hunters—won’t. We need to figure out what we’re going to do, where we’re going to stay.”

  “We can’t exactly go home,” Chad agrees. He holds George’s hand and runs his thumb against the soft skin there. I yearn for a love as strong as the love they share. Sure, I love my brother, and I love my best friend, but it’s not the same. Sometimes, I wonder if I’ll ever find someone who will look at me the way they look at each other.

  “You can stay, mali volk, as long as you wish,” Zane says.

  “And my friends?” I ask.

  “We’ve never allowed their kind here, but for you…” He smiles, his eyes shining brightly. “We’ll keep them safe.”

  “George?” I ask, knowing his answer will be what determines if we seek refuge among the wolves.

  He exhales sharply and scans the increasing number of wolves that surround us. Shrugging, he says, “For now.” Inside, I know he’s screaming that this isn’t over. “I should get started then.”

  “Get started?” I question.

  “Elder Jane has the entire academy’s resources behind her. They’ll find us here in no time at all. We must put up protection barriers to stop their magic from locating us,” George explains.

  I nod. “But are you strong enough?”

  “I have to be,” he says simply, and my heart aches for him.

  “What about Savi?” Chad asks.

  “What about me?” I say.

  “Are we all going to ignore what just happened? Savi, you—you… exploded! I may not be a witch, but I can recognize magic when I see it!” Chad yells. He throws his arms out to his sides, as if we need a physical representation of what just happened.

  I run a hand through my hair, shuddering as I recollect everything that’s happened over the past few hours. hunters are in Hillcrest, and they’re looking for me. Somehow, I used magic to protect Will and me from being seen by his fellow comrade in the woods. I used it again to protect myself from Elder Jane’s ruthless attacks. It flows through me even now. I can feel it inside of me, but I know it doesn’t belong there. The magic feels… darker than even the wolf’s blood flowing through my veins. Maybe everyone is right. I am an abomination.

  “We’re not ignoring what happened, Chad, but right now, we have more important things to worry about. We need protection, and George needs to heal.”

  “You used magic, Savi,” George says.

  “Maybe you can help George with the protection spell,” Chad says quickly.

  I snort. “Do you really think I have that kind of control? I mean, if I can use magic. I’m not completely certain we even know that for sure. What if it only looked like magic? I mean, I’m already part-vampire, part-wolf. How would it even be possible to throw in part-witch too?”

  “You can use magic, Savi. The demon… He said I lost part of myself that night, when I saved you from the wolf bite.” George glares at Zane, but only briefly. When his gaze lands back on my own, it’s softer and filled with sorrow. “It’s like a piece of me is stuck in you, and I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to get it back.”

  I pull George into a hug, noticing how he squirms beneath my grasp. “I promise, we’re going to fix this, fix you. You’ll be whole again. If it’s not supposed to be in me, then we’ll get it back in you.” I kiss his cheek before he pulls away from me. “Until then, you need to heal.” I put up my hand, stopping George from the argument that rests on his lips. “You can’t very well protect us when you’re this weak. We both know that.”

  “Our healer’s cabin is just over here,” Zane says, turning toward the row of identical homes. “She has spare rooms where we keep our wounded. Thankfully, they’re all vacant at the moment. Avel, show our guests to Althea. She will do what she can.”

  “I’ll be there in a minute,” I say, offering my friends a soft smile to let them know that I’m okay to be left alone.

  “He’ll need your help,” Chad says, voice stern.

  I nod. “I know. This’ll only take a minute.” I meet George’s gaze. “I’ll do what I can to help.”

  George winces as Chad tries to steer him toward the healer’s cabin. “You’re no novice, Savi. Not with part of my magic trapped in your body. Give yourself some credit.” He winks, desperately trying to and failing miserably at hiding how much pain he’s actually in.

  I watch as they walk away with Chad toward the healer’s house. Soon, we’ll cast a protection spell around the wolves’ home to protect us all, but until then, George must regain his strength. After all, even with George’s magic cloaking our location, it’s only a matter of time before the witches find us. His spells won’t last forever, not with the resources of the council on our enemy’s side.

  I wait until I’m sure Chad is out of earshot, and then I turn back to the wolves. I thank them again, and I catch sight of a shirtless Mekhi. He smiles at me, but my attention is on his bare torso. Small scars are splattered across his chest, and I find myself drawn to them. I’m reaching for him and running a hand across his sun-kissed skin before I realize that I’ve even moved.

  “These are my favorite scars, mali volk,” Mekhi says.

  I look up, meeting his gaze. He’s tall, like Zane and Chad, so tall I have to crane my neck back to get a good look at him when we’re this close.

  “I got them from you.”

  Memories from that night dance before my eyes. I remember the day I was bitten as if it happened just yesterday. I know it wasn’t that long ago, but I remember it in great detail. I remember the fight, the pain of being bitten, and my desperate attempt to save us from the wolves.

  “I remember… I grabbed a handful of stones and threw them. They made impact, but I missed the heart.”

  Mekhi chuckles. “I’m grateful you’re aim isn’t the greatest.”

  I swallow hard and whisper, “That’s the thing… I never miss.”

  To think Mekhi would have died by my hands makes my insides burn. He hasn’t been in my life for long, but I feel connected to him—and to all the wolves—in ways I don’t understand. I know it is because of the blood bond we now share, but it feels like he’s been in my life forever.

  Movement from behind Mekhi catches my eye. In the distance, I see Will, caged and pacing, eyes on me.

  “Will!” I shout as I push past the wolves, who part to allow me through. I’m at his side in a flash, and the wolves struggle to keep up. “What happened? Why are you in here?”

  He grumbles something unintelligible under his breath before shouting, “Ask your friends!”

  I turn to face Zane, who now stands mere feet behind me. “What is going on?” I don’t hide my annoyance.

  “When you left, we didn’t know where you went. For all we knew, this hunter did something to you. I wouldn’t allow him to simply walk away.”

  “But he’s been in there this whole time, even after I told you the witches did this. Why didn’t you release him?”

  “Savannah, we cannot simply allow him to walk away. He knows too much.”

  I gasp. “Are you suggesting what I think you’re suggesting?”

  “Th
e hunter must die,” the alpha says plainly.

  “You know I won’t let that happen,” I growls.

  “Why? Why do you continue to protect him after everything we’ve lost to his kind?”

  “He saved my life, Zane. I would not have escaped that prison if he didn’t…” My lips tingle as if the taste of his blood still lingers there. “We’ve all made mistakes. Forcing him to pay for his with his life is what makes us monsters. Be better than that.”

  Time seems to stop as Zane considers my request. As the alpha, I’m sure he can use some kind of mind compulsion to force me to do his bidding against my will, but I pray he will not. If he wishes for a real relationship with me, then it needs to be on our terms, not just his.

  “If he turns on us, the blood will be on your hands, mali volk.”

  I nod. “But he won’t.”

  “You trust him completely?”

  “I trust him with my life.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  George

  We are led into a clearing within Bane’s Forest, occupied only by an endless row of wood cabins which align perfectly around the tree line. The identical houses surround a massive fire pit at the center of the small clearing. Savi and Zane are speaking with a newly freed Will, but they’re out of earshot. The werewolf guiding us is completely silent. He probably doesn’t want us to be here as much as I want to go home and pretend this all never happened.

  If it wasn’t for Chad’s cool familiarity next to me, I am sure I would explode being this close to the creatures that aided in Mother’s death.

  “Never did I think we would be relying on the wolves for sanctuary,” Chad says as he squeezes my hand. “But it goes to show that so much can change in such a short time.”

  “This is not right,” I reply. “The wolves are beasts. We do not need them to keep safe. I can do that on my own.”

  Chad falters as we walk. “Funny thing is, George, you also have changed. The wolves are gracious enough to help after everything we’ve done to them. I understand why you hold such hate in your soul, but you need to look past it if you are ever going to be at peace…”