Captive Witch

by September Stone

  It was a long time ago, and the memories are like flashes from a half-remembered dream. Precious little has changed in my life since the last time we saw each other, but the same can’t be said for him. Perhaps too much time has passed and too much has changed for him.

  But then he brushes his fingers beneath my chin. An invitation. When I lift my face, he brings his down until our lips brush against each other.

  Fireworks ignite in my core, along with the old rush of adrenaline that would course through my body when the two of us moments alone when we were younger.

  But there are no guards now—no rules against fraternizing, no punishments for physical contact. For the first time, it’s just Calder and me.

  My lips part and his tongue slips inside, exploring. He’s tentative at first, but when my fingers slip around to run through the hair at the back of his head, he presses in deeper as if making up for lost time.

  His hands slide around my back, pulling me tight against him. Each touch erases a memory connected to Aldridge until all I know—all I’ve ever known—is the feel of Calder’s hands on my body. His embrace wipes away the years in isolation. It soothes the ever-present ache of betrayal left by my mother when she traded me away to maintain her euphorium habit.

  “I’ve missed you,” he murmurs against my mouth. “When Mona sold me, I thought I’d never see you again. I can’t believe I’m not dreaming.” His embrace tightens as if to convince himself I won’t disappear into thin air.

  “It’s not a dream.” I say the words as much to convince him as myself. Tonight has been a whirlwind of emotion, and for the first time since I realized the kind of potions Mona’s been forcing me to make, a wave of calm rolls through me. His strong arms envelop me in a cocoon of safety I never imagined possible. I could live in this moment forever.

  Except it can’t last. We’re not alone, and we’re not safe. Mona could have more guards out looking for me right this second, and others could be tracking me down to pay for sins not my own. But with Calder by my side, I feel like anything’s possible.

  I pull back, the night air on my skin a sting. I long to close the distance again, but I can’t. Not yet. “Let’s leave before Taj comes back. We can start a new life together. Come with me.”

  Calder blinks. “What?”

  “Don’t take me back to whoever you work for. Taj says they want to help, but I don’t need it. We don’t need it. We can go—we can start over together.”

  But the smile splitting my face fades when Calder doesn’t immediately agree. While he doesn’t take a step back, his body shifts away, leaving me cold.

  “It’s… It’s not that easy.”

  His words hit me like a physical blow. “Why not?”

  He blows out a breath. As he runs a hand through his blond hair, he steps backward, creating a chasm between us. “I have responsibilities. I can’t just disappear. And I can’t screw over Taj like that. Bringing you in is a big deal.”

  I bristle. “Bringing me in? You make it sound like I’m a criminal.”

  “To some in the magical community, you are.”

  I recoil, pressing a hand to my stomach. “So that’s it? I’m a criminal, and we can’t be together?”

  Calder cuts his eyes to mine. “I didn’t say that. You just don’t understand how complicated things are right now. And I get that you’ve got no reason to trust that the Front has your best interests at heart, but they do. Without their help, you’ll be looking over your shoulder for the rest of your life, wondering if today’s the day your past is finally going to catch up with you.”

  “So, what?” I ask. “I let you take me to your liberator friends and they map out the rest of my life? Do I even get a choice in the matter, or are they going to ship me off wherever it’s convenient for them? Don’t you see? It’s just a different sort of prison.”

  Sadness flickers in Calder’s sapphire eyes, and for a split second, I wonder if I’ve convinced him. Maybe he’s right—maybe there are dozens—hundreds—of people who think I’m responsible for the victims Mona killed. All I know is that if Calder is by my side, I’m sure I can get through it. Things were always better when we were together.

  He wrinkles his nose the way it used to when I tried to convince him to stay hidden for just a few minutes more. But before he can respond, a dry branch snaps, the resounding echo cutting through the air like a bullet.

  I sigh. “I guess that’s all the time Taj is going to give us.”

  But Calder tenses, crouching as if prepared to spring. “Taj didn’t walk off in that direction.”

  “Then who else could it be?”

  The thundering sound of an oncoming stampede is my response.

  Calder grabs my shoulder, his eyes wide. “Run!”

  Chapter Eight

  Bryn

  I don’t ask questions as Calder grips my hand and pulls me away from the relentless pounding of feet. It’s too loud to be coming from just one person, but when I dare to glance over my shoulder, only a single path of vegetation is disturbed as someone races toward us.

  My first thought is Aldridge. He woke up, somehow untied himself, and is coming to finish what he started in the field. But that’s insane—there’s no way out-of-shape Aldridge could move like that. And there’s no way the portly guard would elicit the fear I feel rolling off Calder in waves.

  The thundering steps grow louder until they fill my ears. “We’re never going to outrun him!” Despite the adrenaline surging in my veins, my muscles are weak. My legs threaten to give way.

  “You’re right.” Without warning, Calder skids to a stop and turns toward our pursuer. He raises both hands skyward, his fingers curling like claws, before bringing them down in a sharp motion. A limb cracks from a nearby tree before dropping to the ground with more than the normal force of gravity.

  Our pursuer releases a surprised grunt as the branch flattens him beneath it.

  I stare at Calder. I knew he was telekinetic, but I’ve never seen him move something like that. The last time I saw him, he struggled to coax pennies to slide across a tabletop. Despite our circumstance, I can’t help a swell of pride within me. It’s not just his body that has grown stronger, it’s his power.

  “That won’t hold him for long. Let’s get some distance before he comes to.”

  I gulp down a breath as Calder slips his hand into mine again. “Who—what is that?”

  He tugs me into a brisk jog. I’m thankful for the slower pace as I pull cool night air into my burning lungs. “A bounty hunter, probably. I didn’t get a look at him, but most bounty hunters are shifters.”

  A shiver courses through me. Bounty hunters are already here? It doesn’t seem possible. I assumed we would have time to find safety. Maybe Calder is right—maybe the world is far more dangerous than I can imagine.

  “We need to regroup with Taj and—”

  Whatever else we need to do is lost as a roar rips through the night. Wood cracking and splintering fills the air. Calder’s grip tightens. “Shit. That didn’t take long.”

  As we run, he swipes his free arm behind us, and more crashes fill the forest in our wake.

  The trees thin ahead of us and before I can decide whether that’s a good or a bad thing, another sound fills my ears. Running water.

  A river too wide to jump and too fast to attempt crossing stretches in front of us as we clear the tree line. Calder curses under his breath before taking a right and running along the bank.

  My lungs burn and my left thigh is cramping, but I don’t slow down. If only we had some kind of weapon, maybe we could fight this guy. But if throwing trees at the man won’t stop him, I doubt a bullet would keep him down for long. We just need to buy enough time to get away.

  My magic. The answer is so obvious; I don’t know why it’s taken so long to consider it. Like when I was trying to stop Aldridge, I reach deep within me to my connection with my element. But between the adrenaline of the run and my focus on my footing, I can’t locate the sour
ce of my power.

  Movement flickers in the forest to my right, but before anything more can register, something large leaps from the woods, slamming into Calder. The two forms arc through the air, seemingly suspended for an impossibly long time, before Calder crashes to the ground, his head slamming against a fallen log at the water’s edge.

  A scream rips itself from my throat as the attacker rises. The man is broad-shouldered and lithe and his movements are graceful and catlike as he turns toward me. In the moonlight, I can only make out the rugged angle of his jaw against the surrounding night.

  It’s not until he steps forward that I realize I should be running. I’ve wasted too much time already. Although the thought of leaving Calder twists my heart, I can’t do anything for him. If I go to him now, the bounty hunter will simply drag me off. If I can get away, though, maybe I can come back for Calder once the bounty hunter gives up.

  If he gives up.

  I race back into the forest, figuring cover is my best bet. With each press of my feet against the forest floor, I try to center myself. Pushing down my terror and my fear for Calder, I attempt to clear my mind. If I’ve ever needed to connect with my element, it’s now.

  An arm rigid as iron slips around my stomach and pulls me back with such force, my feet fly off the ground. I collide with a rock-solid chest as a hand holding a cloth presses over my mouth. I try to scream, but the sound is muffled.

  My vision blurs and darkens. I try to hold my breath to keep from inhaling whatever chemical is on the rag, but after a handful of seconds, my lungs scream for more air. My exhausted body can’t fight.

  This is it. I tasted freedom for a couple of hours, and now it’s all over. This bounty hunter will take me back to the elders or whoever else sent him, and I’ll be imprisoned again—or worse.

  But would death really be worse than a life unlived?

  Light blazes in my vision, and I wonder if I’m not dying now. Is this the tunnel I’ve heard spoken of before?

  Except the light isn’t white—it’s yellow and orange and brings with it a searing heat.

  “Let her go!” Taj’s voice rips through the night as my captor howls in pain, loosening his grip on me.

  The woods go dark for a moment before Taj summons another fireball in his hand. He launches it at my captor, whose grip slackens again as he dives away from the undulating flames.

  I use the momentary distraction to pull myself from the hunter and stumble away, wanting as much distance between me and the man who would capture me as possible. Part of me wants to run and keep running, but Calder’s words echo through my mind. If I take off now and try to disappear, I’ll always be looking over my shoulder, waiting for the next bounty hunter to come for me. That’s no life.

  Adrenaline surges in my system, strengthening my shaky limbs. The spark of magic in my core flickers and I don’t think before grabbing hold of it. I funnel every emotion, every desperation-soaked moment, and send the power into the plants around me. Tree branches sway and groan as they lengthen, twisting toward the bounty hunter. Vines snake up his arms and legs, binding him against a thick trunk.

  “Bryn!”

  I turn from the mass of coiling vines and limbs slowly encasing the hunter. Taj’s expression is awash with relief as he appears through the trees. He takes in the scene, his eyes lingering for a moment on the snarling bounty hunter, before scooping up the chemical-laden rag and pressing it to the man’s face. The hunter jerks and twitches for a solid half-minute before going limp.

  “That should keep him out for a few minutes, at least,” Taj mutters, dropping the rag to the forest floor. “Shifters metabolize things faster than other supernaturals.”

  I almost don’t hear his words. My limbs tremble as I try to even out my breathing. How many more people are closing in on me right this second, just waiting to attack? And how much more can I endure before someone manages to take me back to Mona—or worse.

  “Hey, it’s all right,” Taj murmurs, closing the distance between us and settling his hands on my shoulders. “I’m here now. I’m sorry. I wandered off too far. I wanted to give you and Calder some time together, but I should’ve insisted we keep moving.”

  Releasing a shuddering breath, I collapse against Taj, looping my arms around his back. After a split second, his hands slip from my shoulders until his arms encircle me. All this time, Taj was trying to protect me from something like this happening, and I wrote him off as having ulterior motives. He didn’t deserve that. He’s been nothing but kind to me, even when he was pretending to be loyal to Mona.

  My heartbeat slows as I relax against him. As my breathing syncs with his, a simple fact clarifies itself in my mind: I’m safe. Taj doesn’t want to hurt me, and he truly believes the Liberation Front is my best bet.

  His warm hand rubs a slow circle on my back, chasing every other thought from my mind. I sink into the calm of the moment.

  “Where’s Calder?”

  His words pull me back to the present, and panic flares in my chest. “The hunter slammed into him, and he knocked his head against a tree.”

  “Can you take me to him?”

  “Yeah, I…” I glance around the area, trying to remember which direction I ran in from. “I’m not sure. But if we find the river, we’ll see him.”

  Taj takes a step back, putting a whisper of space between us. I have to fight to keep from stepping forward into the void. This night has been too much, and I long to feel safe. But as the bounty hunter groans against the tree, I know it’s more important to actually be somewhere safe.

  “What do we do about him?” I wrack my mind for anything I know about shifters. “Is he part of a pack? Does he have friends out here in the woods somewhere?”

  “He’s not part of a pack.” Taj squints and tilts his head. “Not formally anyway.”

  “How do you know?”

  Taj eyes the man warily. “The Liberation Front has dealt with him before. His name’s Poe, and he works for the elders in Twin Rivers. The elders have all sorts of shifters working for them, but as far as I know, Poe here’s the only panther shifter in their arsenal.”

  “Still. How do you know he doesn’t have a friend nearby?”

  “The elders usually send one hunter at a time. They never want to overcommit their forces, and they certainly don’t want to risk them all being taken down at once—in an ambush or something. But if Poe doesn’t check in, they’ll send someone else out, as much for him as for you.” He offers a grim smile. “But the faster we get you back, the faster you’ll be safe from the likes of them.”

  Poe moans again, the sound morphing and sending a shiver down my arms. Taj picks up the discarded rag at the base of the tree, but before he can bring it to Poe’s face, the man drags his head up from resting on his chest, a throaty chuckle bubbling over his lips. “You should’ve left when you had the chance.”

  I lock eyes with Taj, who shakes his head ever so slightly. He brings the rag toward Poe’s mouth, but the man is speaking again before he can cover it.

  “You can’t smell him, can you?”

  Instinctively, I sniff, immediately feeling foolish. I can’t smell anything but the sweet decay of fallen leaves, the damp earth, the sharpness of pine. Forest scents.

  But all the same, something in the air changes. Dread curls like a snake in the pit of my stomach.

  Someone’s coming.

  Chapter Nine

  Taj

  “Run!” I shout.

  Bryn grabs hold of my outstretched hand and stumbles forward. Overhead, branches begin to twist as an unearthly wind howls around us. She yells something, but it’s lost in the noise.

  “What?”

  “We have to find Calder!” The look in her eyes is both pleading and determined, and I have no doubt that she’ll go after him even if I refuse to go with her.

  But I won’t make her go alone. “Lead the way.” Something cold splatters onto my arm. A second later, more droplets splash onto my back and my head. Th
e icy rain sends a chill to my bones.

  Bryn pulls me forward, but the swivel of her head makes me wonder if she knows where she’s leading me. “What the hell is after us? A witch?”

  “Best guess? A daemon.” I peer ahead, waiting for our surroundings to start looking familiar. But with the trees swaying as if alive, nothing looks like it did minutes ago.

  She glances back at me, her nose wrinkled. “Wait. A daemon? Those are real?”

  Her disbelieving tone barely registers. Ahead, I catch a glimpse of a lighter patch of darkness void of twisting limbs and shaking leaves. “Over here!”

  Bryn allows me to take the lead. Her pace increases as the trees begin to thin. As soon as we step out onto the riverbank, she points twenty meters up the river. “There!”

  Something hard and cold slams into my arm, hitting with such force I’m sure I’ll have a bruise. Dull thuds echo around as more golf ball-size objects pelt the ground.

  I pull Bryn toward me to shield her against the increasingly heavy hail falling around us. By the time we reach Calder, he’s pushing himself up onto his hands and knees.

  “What’s going on?” Calder calls as I pull him to his feet.

  “Daemon,” I say.

  Calder winces as a ball of hail collides with his shoulder. “Oh, hell.”

  “Not exactly.”

  The silky voice rides on the wind like a boat on the waves. The speaker stands several yards away, looking no more dangerous than a man on an evening stroll. He wears a dark sweater with the buttons at the collar undone to reveal a V of smooth light tan flesh. His belted pants taper at the ankles to meet a pair of boots that look ill-suited to hiking. But the most striking thing about his appearance is the shock of silver hair on his head, glowing like a beacon in the moonlight.