Cursed Witch

by September Stone

  Poe sighs. “Watch me. Pay attention to how I move my body, to what I do with my eyes.”

  I open my eyes to an exaggerated degree. “Okay, I’m watching. Now what?”

  “Now, I’m going to put you in a headlock.” The corner of his mouth quirks upward. “You ready?”

  “Yeah, I’m—”

  He’s in motion before the sentence is out of my mouth, and before I can draw my next breath, the front of his body is pressed against my back, and his forearm is against my throat.

  I double tap on his arm until he releases me.

  “What did you see?” he asks, gripping me by the shoulders and spinning me to face him.

  I shake my head. “I… I don’t…”

  “Think,” he insists. “What did I do?”

  I wrack my brain for details, but everything happened so fast. All I can do is shake my head.

  Poe takes a few steps back. “Again.”

  We go through the exercise a dozen more times, each ending just like the first. And no matter how much I try to pay attention, my answers are never enough for Poe.

  “Again,” he says, putting space between us for the umpteenth time. “Tell me what you see.”

  But when Poe starts for me this time, there’s something different about his motions. Instead of his right foot darting out at an angle, he comes at me head on. In less than a heartbeat, I know something has changed.

  I don’t think. There isn’t enough time to let everything solidify in my mind; I have to trust my instincts. As Poe’s hand darts out, I leap backward, leaving him grasping at empty air.

  He skids to a stop, turning a broad grin on me. “Well, there you go! What happened?”

  “You did something different,” I say, not sure exactly what he wants to hear. “You weren’t going to put me in a headlock that time, were you?”

  He shakes his head. “And you knew that, because you’d seen it so much you knew what to expect. That’s what sparring’s about. Not beating the hell out of someone for fun. It’s about studying how different people fight, the similarities and differences between different attacks. Once that’s ingrained in you, you know how to react.”

  A flush of pleasure surges through me. Maybe I’m not so hopeless after all.

  Poe takes a few steps back, rubbing his hands together. “This time, I want you to counter me.”

  The satisfaction from a moment ago ebbs. “What?”

  He doesn’t quite suppress a chuckle. “I’ll go back to the headlock attack. Instead of just letting me do it or jumping out of the way, I want you to counter me. Use my own movements against me.”

  I want to tell him I have no idea how to do that, but I’m sure my argument will fall on deaf ears. Besides, he’s been right so far. I just need to trust my instincts. I already know every move he’ll make. I just need to figure out how to use those moves to take him down. Easy.

  I hope.

  Poe retreats to his starting position and I fight the wave of panic that threatens to rise up in me. Although I know that the worst thing that could happen is me ending up in a headlock for the billionth time today—and that that fate is far kinder than the one I suffered for hours before Poe switched tacks—my adrenaline spikes before he makes his first move.

  How am I supposed to counter a headlock? Get him in one instead? I’m not tall enough to slide my arm around his throat, so that’s out. I could avoid him and mount my own attack, but I don’t think that’s what he wants me to do.

  He’ll have to arc around to get behind me, and if I could use that momentum to my advantage, I might gain the upper hand.

  As Poe begins the move I’ve seen him do so many times before, I prepare myself. When he’s nearly to me, I swing for his shoulder, hoping my added force will knock him off balance. But he grabs my wrist, yanking me off center until I crash into his chest. We topple to the ground and he rolls until he’s on top of me, his hips pinning mine to the ground.

  I twist beneath him, but he’s as immobile as a block of granite. One hand still circles my wrist, holding it fast to the ground above my head.

  “What happened?” he asks.

  “I can’t do it, that’s what happened.” I wriggle harder, but it’s no use.

  “You didn’t do it on your first try. That’s fine. You just need to learn and keep going.”

  “I don’t want to keep going,” I say, pushing against his shoulder with my free hand in an effort to dislodge him. “I’m not a fighter. And if I need to go up against someone, I can just use my magic. That worked against Aldridge, and it’ll work against whoever else comes along.”

  “Is that so?” Poe grabs the hand assailing him and pins it to the ground near my other arm. “You know, I didn’t take you for a quitter, Bryn.”

  Tears bite at the corners of my eyes. “I’m not a quitter. This is just stupid.”

  His lips twist. “Fine. I won’t push you to train anymore, if that’s what you want. But only if you can get me off of you.”

  I take stock of my body. I can move my feet at the ankles, but the rest of my legs are pinned beneath Poe. My hips are stuck to the ground, and my chest is pressed beneath his. “You know I can’t get you off me.”

  “Use your magic,” he says. “If you’re so sure it’s all you need, prove it.”

  I suck in a breath, but all I inhale is the sweet, earthy basil scent of Poe’s skin, which makes my head swim. I dig down deep for the magic in my core, bidding it to press out into the ground beneath me, but it doesn’t obey. Instead of moving down into the affinity it’s bound to, tendrils curl upward like tender shoots seeking sunlight. And when the first one emerges from my skin and brushes against Poe’s, my whole body begins to hum.

  I search his eyes for any clue that he’s feeling the same thing I am, but there is no fear or wonder there, only concentration. The tight line of his jaw speaks to tension of some sort. Is he mad because I don’t want to train anymore? Or is he simply unsure what to expect from my magic?

  At this point, I’m unsure what to expect from my magic. More tiny gold and green strands make the leap from me to him, no matter how hard I try to send them into the earth below. A delicious hum builds in my core and I curse my traitorous body for responding to Poe’s closeness.

  I attempt to clench my thighs to relieve some of the pressure building between them. Poe shifts in response and my breath catches as a fiery heat begins to burn against my leg. His body is reacting to mine, and I can’t deny something inside me desperately wants to explore the source of the scorching pressure in his pants.

  I shouldn’t want this. I shouldn’t want him. Calder and Taj are both so amazing. Calder is my rock. I feel like I can do anything with him beside me, supporting me. Taj encourages me to grow, to create, to think for myself. I wouldn’t be who I am today without his influence.

  Poe isn’t like either of them. He challenges me. I have to fight for every inch with him. He won’t give me the benefit of the doubt or take my word that I can defend myself in the event I need to—he needs me to prove it. And that makes me want to prove it to myself. He pushes me out of my comfort zone, and although I’m not sure who I’ll be on the on the other side, I very much want to find out.

  A thrill of anticipation courses me. “Poe, I…”

  “I’m waiting for that magic,” he says, his voice deeper than usual. “And unless you’d like to stay like this for a while, I suggest you get on it.”

  His words send a flush through my body. The fact is, I do want to stay like this for a while. Pressed beneath Poe’s rock-hard body, the weight of him is both crushing and comforting.

  I give myself a mental shake. What am I thinking? I have Calder and Taj—their companionship, care, and affection. But I can’t pretend like I don’t feel this connection to Poe. My magic is reacting to him like it knows something I don’t.

  Before I can respond, Poe springs to his feet, leaving my body cold in all the places he was touching. He squints into the forest to the right of the cab
in, tilting his head like an animal trying to suss out the source of a sound.

  I climb to my feet as well, and as I’m brushing dirt off my clothes, I detect some rustling in the woods beyond. “Poe?” I whisper.

  He doesn’t respond, but when he starts for the spot he’s been watching, my body goes on high alert. Has Mona sent another team after me? Or did the elders realize they did something wrong when comparing my magical signature to the one on the potion that killed their member?

  But when a figure finally emerges, my worries melt away. I take off at a run for Taj and Calder, embracing each of them in turn before squeezing Silas’ shoulder. “I’m so glad you’re all back. How was the trip? Did the Shadow Sisters have what we need?”

  Silas’ expression is so blank, I’m afraid of what the answer might be. But Taj’s smile puts me at ease.

  “It’s not exactly what we’d hoped, but we’re one step closer.” Taj slips his arm around my waist, pulling me to his side. I fit against him like I was carved to belong there, but my skin still tingles where Poe’s body brushed against mine.

  Poe crosses his arms over his chest. “We’re one step closer? Exactly what does that mean?”

  “It means they didn’t have it, and they don’t know who does have it,” Silas mutters darkly.

  I glance at Calder. “How is that good news?”

  Taj squeezes my hip. “Like I said, we’re one step closer. They told us where to find the being who does know who has the staff.”

  This doesn’t sound like good news to me, but I trust Taj. “So, who has the information?”

  Taj’s lips curve into a smile. “Fancy a trip to the beach? Because we’re off to see an undine.”

  Chapter Six

  Bryn

  After a dinner of deli sandwiches the guys picked up in town, I change into an oversized t-shirt and a pair of cotton shorts and settle down on the daybed in the cabin’s main room, but sleep doesn’t come.

  I’d love to say it’s because I’m nervous about meeting with the undine tomorrow. But no matter how much I try to convince myself that the prospect of the five of us facing a water nymph is unsettling me, the truth is more complicated. I’m still wound up from what happened earlier with Poe.

  He barely looked at me all through dinner, but it didn’t feel like he was trying to ignore me. Rather, it seemed like he simply had no reason to look in my direction.

  To be honest, I’d almost rather he was upset with me about something. At least that would mean he has some kind of feelings about me. His indifference cuts me to the bone.

  It was a struggle for me to keep my gaze from straying to him. Even when I wasn’t looking in his direction, I could feel my magic reaching for him. I don’t know what to make of it.

  Maybe it’s because I’ve been locked away without physical touch for so long. Being close to anyone is making my magic go haywire.

  Or maybe there’s a different reason entirely.

  I roll on my mattress, trying to get comfortable. For as sore and exhausted as my body is, sleep should come easily. I’m already dreading the hiking we’ll have to do to the undine’s cave. If I can’t rest tonight, I’ll be a disaster tomorrow.

  I don’t know how long I’ve been lying there when a noise in the kitchen draws my attention. I sit up and peer into the darkness as the pump handle squeaks and water splashes into a glass. The black figure gulps down the liquid and sets the glass back on the counter before speaking.

  “I didn’t wake you, did I?” Taj asks in a whisper.

  “No. I can’t sleep.”

  I lose sight of him for a few moments as he moves away from the kitchen window. The only sign he’s coming toward me comes when he bumps into a book someone left beside the long table.

  “Are you worried about tomorrow?” Taj asks, perching on the side of my mattress.

  I shake my head. “It’s not that. It’s…” How can I tell him about what I’m feeling toward Poe when I can’t even put it into words? I’ve grown to care for him in the last few days because he’s part of our group. We’re all in this together to break the curse. But that sentiment is nothing compared to my depth of feelings toward Taj and Calder.

  “It’s my magic,” I say at last. “It feels… restless inside me. Does that make sense?”

  He shrugs a shoulder. “Sure. I mean, you’ve been using magic to cast spells for years, but this is the first time you’ve been able to connect with your element in, what? A decade? Maybe you’re overloading. Not only are you in nature, you’re in Twin Rivers. I’m sure you can feel how strong the magic is here. Your affinity could just be responding to that—trying to figure out how to manage it.”

  His words lift a weight off my chest that I didn’t realize I’d been carrying. He’s right. I’ve been so shut off from the real world for so long that it’s normal for me to be especially sensitive to everything I encounter. “That’s a relief.”

  He traces his thumb down the side of my face. “Glad to hear it. Now, do you think that’s enough to get you to sleep?”

  I take in a deep breath and wait for drowsiness to overtake me, but it doesn’t come. Still, my magic isn’t as restless as it was minutes ago, as if Taj’s simple nearness is enough to tame it. “Could you stay here with me? Until I fall asleep? For some reason, when you’re near, my magic feels more calm.”

  A smile curves his lips. “It’s adorable that you think I need an excuse to sleep beside you.”

  I scoot over on the mattress and lay down as Taj slides in beside me. When I roll onto my side, he settles in against my back and drapes an arm over my waist.

  My sex clenches at the feeling of his body against mine. When I invited him to stay with me, it was without ulterior motive, but now that he’s here, I wouldn’t mind if his motives weren’t entirely innocent.

  But a moment later, as my magic simmers and my mind empties, my physical exhaustion wins out and I slip into slumber.

  The next morning, we wake early and grab breakfast on the road as we drive north to the lake the Shadow Sisters told the guys about. We have to park on the side of a two-lane highway and hike in through the woods due to the lake’s seclusion.

  I can feel the difference immediately between this forest and the one surrounding Twin Rivers. Although the trees are of the same species—fir, spruce, maple, alder—they’re nowhere near as large. And the air feels different, too. While there is still elemental magic thrumming through the ground, it isn’t as palpable as it is in Twin Rivers.

  But even that changes as we draw nearer to the lake, though whether the nymph chose this location due to the magic present in it, or whether the magic is present because the nymph lives here, I can’t be certain.

  “How much do you know about undines?” Taj asks as we follow Poe along a deer trail.

  I wrack my brain for any information I’ve overheard over the years, but the well is shallow at best. “They’re water spirits. And they’re women.” I offer an apologetic half smile. “Sorry.”

  Taj grins. “That’s quite all right, love.”

  Ahead, Poe snorts. “It’s the polar opposite of all right. The girl’s got to know what she’s walking into. Those creatures are dangerous.”

  I scowl at the back of his head. “Well, I guess it’s good I’ll have you there to protect me.”

  Poe tosses a sneer over his shoulder, but it’s not directed at me. He catches Taj’s eye. “I told you this was a bad idea. We should’ve told her last night. She would’ve had time to prepare.”

  My stomach drops at his words and I turn to Taj for reassurance. “Prepare for what?”

  Calder jogs forward a few steps, inserting himself between me and Taj. “We can’t come with you to talk with the undine.”

  Panic floods me. When they announced I’d be coming with them today, I was so excited. I figured Poe must have given a good report about my training. While I know I still have much to learn, I thought Poe had deemed me battle-ready—at least preliminarily. I should have asked more
questions instead of making assumptions. “What do you mean, you can’t come with me?”

  “It’s not safe for us,” Calder says, his voice soothing. “Undines—they feed their magic and extend their lives by tethering themselves to the life force of men. By having sex with them.”

  A blush rises in my cheeks. “Well, then, just don’t have sex with her and you’re all set.”

  “It isn’t that simple,” Taj says. “Sirens, like Mona, share a common ancestor with undines, and undines have the same ability to make someone obey them when they speak.”

  “So none of us is safe,” Poe says, swinging a drawstring bag off his back and holding it out to me. “You’re our only chance, kitten. Get in, make the trade, get the information, get out.”

  My stomach drops. For the first time since we started on today’s adventure, I wish they’d forced me to stay home. This creature is like Mona? I was subject to that monster’s whims for twelve years. I gained my freedom only days ago. The last thing I want to do is to walk right back into the clutches of the same sort of being.

  But before I can mount a defense, the forest clears and a glittering lake comes into view, nestled among mountain foothills.

  “Her name is Thalassa. She’ll be in a cave behind the waterfall,” Calder says, pointing. “We probably shouldn’t draw too near, because if we hear her song, it could be game over.”

  Taj scoops up my hand and squeezes it. “You’ll be fine. The Shadow Sister said undines are very particular about what they take in trade, but a Hand of Glory should be more than tempting enough. She should give up the information pretty quickly when you dangle it in front of her. You’ll be back to us in no time.”

  I swallow the hysterical lump rising in my throat. “Sounds easy.” I glance at Poe. “Any tips before I go?”

  He looks at me for a long moment before speaking. “She can walk on land, but she’s more powerful in the water. Don’t engage her there. In fact, do yourself a favor and don’t get so close to the lake that she can grab you.”