“In the meantime, I am just supposed to sit here and wait for this location to be divulged to me…” Turning away from them, I rubbed at my brows, trying to relieve some of the tension that was settling over me. “I’ll just wait here…”
We waited for hours before I finally received a text on my phone from my brother’s number. I jumped up from the couch, nearly stepping on Keegan, where he sat on the floor, pouring over the books Dylan pulled from his family library.
“Guys! They texted me. At least I assume it’s the rogues since it just says Mount Kineo State Park at nine tonight.” I quickly checked the time. “That’s in two hours. Why did they wait so long to get back to me?” The question wasn’t directed at anyone in particular, so I wasn’t expecting an answer, nor did I receive one. I made eye contact with my Protectors. “Remember, they said to come alone, or they kill my brother. I cannot risk my brother’s life because of your macho heroism.” When they opened their mouths to protest, no doubt, I held a hand up. “It’s my brother’s life at stake.”
“It’s also yours, Kirsten. We cannot lose you either.” Kyler, ever the voice of reason, spoke softly towards me.
“I can do this. I am supposed to be this all-powerful witch, remember? I cannot be a powerful witch, nor grow into one if I am constantly babied or smothered. A flower needs sun and water to grow.”
Dylan rubbed at my arm. “But too much water can also kill the flower. We don’t want that to happen. We just found you. We can’t lose you now.”
His logic and passion pulled at my heart, trying to dig at my resolve. “But if they see you, they will kill him.” I could feel my determination weakening. I couldn’t deny them anything that I could so willingly give. Tears sprang to my eyes as I eyed them all. They gave me weak smiles in return.
Branden jerked up. “What if we don’t let them see us? If we get there before them, we can scope out some hiding spots and be prepared for the nine o’clock meeting.”
My eyebrow raised in consideration. It sounded like a solid plan, but what if they showed up early too? Then our whole plan would be blown. “We’d have to leave now. I bet they will be getting there early to just to prevent this very thing from happening. But if we leave now, we might be able to get there way before them.” I ran my fingers through my hair before dragging my palms across my face.
All five guys jumped up at once. “Done.” They said in unison.
We filed out, leaving Mom sleeping in her room. She needed a nap after what she had to wake up to. She just couldn’t take much anymore and losing Kian was a sharp blow to her already cracked psyche. All six of us crammed into Branden’s truck and we took off, leaving my mother and familiar behind for safekeeping.
The ride there was quiet as we were all deep in thought. I kept chewing on the side of my thumbnail to the point that it was now bloody, raw, and hurt like a bitch. I winced as I pulled my thumb out of my mouth for the umpteenth time. The side of my nail was soggy and ragged from the nervous chewing. I knew I had to stop, but as soon as my mind went elsewhere, my thumb was back in my mouth.
Kyler grabbed my hand, pulling it into his lap as his thumb caressed my palm, sending soothing tingles up my arm. I leaned into his warmth, laying my head on his shoulder. “We will make sure everything comes out as it should. You will be protected, and we will do everything in our power to bring you and your brother home safe and sound. That’s why you have us.”
The certainty he spoke with helped soothe some of the anxiety that was bubbling up inside me. It put a cap on those feelings, but it was only a temporary fix to a bigger dilemma. I rubbed my face against his shoulder, trying to pull some of his confidence into me. “I trust you. I trust you all. Let’s get this thing taken care of and get my brother back.”
Branden pulled into the darkened parking lot to the park, killing the lights before anyone could see. We needed stealth, and that’s what he was doing. He found a parking spot in the back corner of the lot that was hidden in shadows, so his dark truck would blend in among the darkness and trees.
As soon as he came to a full stop, all doors opened, and the guys piled out. I was much slower at following, my reluctance to be here overshadowing my worry for my brother. My feet crunched down in the snow, which was much deeper here at this higher elevation. Shaking my feet from the thicker white crystals, I closed the door as quietly as the others did, but of course, with the still air, it echoed through the night, bouncing off the surrounding trees.
“Oops…” I looked around at the others, but they didn’t seem that worried. So, it must have just been me who thought it sounded louder than it did.
Keegan and Branden put their noses in the air, doing their sniff tests.
“You’re okay. There hasn’t been anyone around here in so long that there are no smells out here except for animals; no humans, no supes.” Keegan gave me a small smile, but I couldn’t return it.
“Let’s move out.” Kyler grabbed onto my hand again, which was a relief, because I didn’t think I could move on my own. The anxiety and fear were trying to keep me rooted to the spot. But when Kyler and the guys started walking, I was dragged along. Once my feet got moving, I was able to keep them going.
31
DEMAND SURRENDER
Kyler
I huddled against the cold bark of a tree, hiding in the blackness of the shadows as I watched Kirsten rub her hands together in the middle of the clearing. She looked cold and miserable. I glanced back down at my watch for what felt like the hundredth time. They were twenty minutes late, so far, and we were all growing impatient.
Dylan
I had the advantage of height as I sat on the limb high up in the tree across from where Kyler was currently hiding behind a tree. I could see where each of the group members were, and I also had a view of the entire clearing. I would be able to tell when they finally showed up. They had to pull a power move first and show up fashionably late to their own little pow wow.
Kirsten shuffled along in the snow, creating a path as she paced back and forth. I could tell she wanted to look to us for comfort, but it would give us away, so she continued to glance around, not seeking us out in particular.
Keegan
My breath came in small plumes as I exhaled, watching Kirsten. I could see her face from where I knelt. She kept worrying at her bottom lip, to the point it was slightly swollen. Her thumbnail kept creeping towards her mouth for her to chew on, but when she caught on, she yanked it down and started rubbing her hands together. I wished I could tell her everything was all going to be okay, but frankly, with these types of people, I just didn’t know for sure. Kyler could feign confidence like no other, he was trained to be able to, but me? I would have her panicking more than she already was.
I had to bottle my negative emotions behind a very thick brick wall so that she wouldn’t feel what I was feeling. I didn’t want to lose something like this after just finding it. It would be the cruelest fate in the world.
Rhydian
The snow and freezing temperatures didn’t bother me. It was hard to feel such trivial things when you were undead. Of course, I never thought I would feel love again after losing who I thought was my soul mate over three hundred years ago. But I was proven wrong when Kirsten came crashing into my life, quite literally. Now I was on the verge of losing her. None of us wanted that, least of all, me. She snagged my unbeating heart and made it metaphorically start beating again. I owed her everything.
But these rogue Witch Hunters were trying to take her away. There was no way in the nine realms of Hell I was going to allow that to happen.
I looked over at Branden, where he sat a few dozen yards from me. He looked miserable without his wolf pelt to keep him warm.
Branden
I could feel eyes on me, but they weren’t malevolent, so I paid them no mind. All my attention was on the witch in the middle of that clearing and on keeping my nose in the air for any changes of smells other than our own. But I was still caught off guard w
hen a sudden stench wafted under my nostrils, causing the urge to sneeze to flare up. It was hard to keep that in, but I did it. Kirsten wouldn’t forgive me if I gave myself away with a sneeze.
The crunching of snow followed the scent, and it wasn’t long before a small group of men came out from the tree line. They came from the direction of the parking lot, but I bet they probably took a trip around the clearing before coming back together over there. They didn’t see us of course; we were well hidden.
Kirsten stopped her pacing and turned in their direction.
Kirsten
I was frozen stiff when they finally showed up. The noise of their feet on the firm snow gave them away before I actually saw them. I looked among the men coming towards me, but my brother wasn’t there.
“You told me that if I came here alone, you would release my brother. Where is he?” My voice rang out through the night, angry at the betrayal. But I really shouldn’t be surprised; they were scoundrels after all.
The one that led the group came to a stop a few yards from me. “We don’t know that you came alone. Our kind doesn’t trust witches, and with good reason. But your brother is safe, for now. To keep him safe, we want your surrender. Surrender to our justice, and we will ensure your brother stays safe.”
I stepped closer to them. “By justice, you mean, you are going to kill me. I broke no laws. I have kept my heritage a secret from the human world. You have no claim to me—to me, nor my brother. Release him and then I may go into your custody. But I want to see him first. I want to make sure he is whole and well.”
The man, who I presumed to be the leader since he was the only one doing the talking, scoffed at me. “You are in no place to make demands of us. And you are a witch; you will break the law. All witches do sooner or later. I’d rather get the justice taken care of before humans start questioning about the supernatural world. It will save so much pain.”
“Pain? What pain have I caused?”
“You are an abomination! You have caused so much destruction in your wake. That destruction causes pain in and of itself. You can’t deny that you’ve destroyed things. Everywhere you go, you leave damaged buildings. And that football field? That school had to cancel its entire season because repairs would not be done in time. That caused a lot of monetary pain, and seniors lost a chance at scholarships because they couldn’t show off their skills; scholarships that would have made some of them have the chance to go to college finally. You took that away from them.
“Witches are a black stain on this Earth. We are the only ones who see it, so we are tasked with eliminating your kind. You are the epitome of witches and their disgusting kind.”
I rolled my eyes at this hate speech. Admittedly, the first part made perfect sense, and I felt horrible about all the damage I had caused, but once he started saying all witches were bad, then he started to lose me. “And how did you come to this decision about all witches?”
The leader stalked closer, rage in his eyes. “Witches caused the Great Plague of London in 1334, the smallpox epidemic that killed about twenty-five million people in Mexico in 1519 and then in the United States in 1633 and 1901, and the great flu pandemic in 1918. That’s just the illnesses that witches have caused. There was also the Great Fire in San Francisco in 1906. Need I go on?”
He was nearly in arms reach now. “Surrender for prosecution, or we will go to war.”
I growled. “Then, war it is.”
32
PREPARE FOR WAR
Kirsten
My bond was flooded with emotions when they threatened my life. I tried to send soothing thoughts to them, but there was no comforting the guys when it came to my personal safety. I should be grateful, but I also feared these villains would do something with my brother. His life was important to me too.
I jerked around when I felt them coming to me. Anxiety spiked in my blood.
“I thought we told you to come alone.” The leader took another step closer, but the man at his side grabbed his arm.
“Father, don’t. We will get her, but it will have to be another way. We may not be outmanned, but we are outgunned.” The leader’s son was smart; I had to give him that.
Kyler stepped up to my side, and Rhydian mirrored him on the other side, crossed arms across their chests, muscles bulging. I could feel Keegan and Branden coming up behind me. Dylan was the only one who didn’t show up right away. I didn’t even know where he was, except the direction.
I stepped closer to them. “Harm a hair on my brother’s head, and I will wipe you all off the face of this planet.”
The leader scoffed. “You dare threaten me when you don’t have all the cards?”
“That isn’t a threat, bastard, it was a promise. I will destroy you.” Admittedly, I didn’t know how to control my powers, but they didn’t need to know that. I walked right through them towards the parking lot. They parted, some of them stumbling backwards and one or two may have fallen into the snow when I shot them a glare. It was comical the way the minions reacted. The leader was more stoic, and the son just stared at me. That was fine, as long as they knew I would go to the ends of the world to protect what was mine.
Kyler
The balls on this woman impressed me, but I was still a little peeved about the fact she just declared war on them. She was impulsive, which I usually loved, but not this time. My parents weren’t going to be happy, even though they said they would protect her as long as she followed the laws. Causing a war may not have been so wise. It could lead to humans discovering us.
But I had to show her my support, even if I didn’t agree. My hand stayed on her lower back as she walked confidently through these murderous asshats. They were terrified of her and for good reason. If she just learned to control her powers, she would be extremely formidable.
Rhydian followed right next to me, creating a wide space between our girl and them.
When we got to the parking lot, Dylan was standing by the truck, drag marks in the snow lead from near the truck back into the forest. I lifted an eyebrow at Dylan.
“There was a little trouble here. I had to clean it up.” Dylan didn’t sound the least bit apologetic, but I also knew he didn’t kill the person. He wasn’t like that. But I had a feeling we would have to learn to kill—and fast.
Branden pressed the key fob to release the locks, and we all piled in to head back to Kirsten’s house.
Rhydian
I opened the door and led Kirsten into her dark house. The only light in the house was from the full moon shining through the windows. It left too many shadows for thugs to hide in, and after losing Kian in this very home, I was very wary.
Branden and Keegan must have been thinking the same thing because they pushed their way through and went sniffing about. I kept my arm around Kirsten’s waist, keeping her in place without seeming possessive. Keegan sprinted up the stairs, his nose working full speed as he went. It was a large house, so there were a lot of places to search. When Branden finished looking downstairs, he followed Keegan up.
Kirsten crossed her arms over her chest and stared upstairs, waiting for them to come back. When she let out a sigh of relief, I knew the coast was clear.
I left Kirsten in the entryway to turn on the lights in the living room. It was the best place to house us all while we discussed our next steps.
Kirsten was hot on my heels, splitting off to kneel in front of the fireplace. She stacked wood carefully with enough space to let air flow through the logs, then she took a match from the box on the mantel and lit the fire. Her hands went out towards the heat it was already starting to create—holding them close to the flames. She stayed there until all six of us were together. Her fox came trotting into the room and went straight to her witch, providing comfort to her inner turmoil all of us could feel.
“Did I do the right thing? I feel like I made the biggest mistake of my life, yet it also feels so right.” Her voice trembled with her hands, tears leaking down her face, creating shiny tr
acks down to her chin where they dripped from her beautiful, yet broken face.
I came to her side, pulling her into my arms. “That is up to you. But I am with you no matter what you choose. I am with you to the very end if that’s what it takes.”
“We all are.” The others said in unison. We were starting to sync up with each other even more. We would need to be with the coming storm.
Kirsten looked into my eyes before looking deeply at the others. “I don’t like the idea of others dying for my vendetta—if it even is a vendetta. I was also thinking of the fact that if or when they kill off the witches, who will be next? Will it be werewolves? Camasotz? Who will they target next?”
Kyler looked at her with shock. “I never thought of that. You are probably right. They won’t stop until they have every supernatural, but the Witch Hunters, destroyed, wiped off the face of this planet.” His eyes widened as he stared at her. “My parents need to know.”
“They all need to know, Kyler. Everyone has the right to know and to defend themselves.” Kirsten looked at all of us, one by one, staring at us hard. “We need to tell them all.”
“You’re right, K. They are an abomination.” A weak voice slid into the room, followed by the speaker. Her mother leaned against the frame of the arch, her greying brown hair laying haphazardly on her head, falling loose from her bun. Her blue eyes were red-rimmed and watery. She was trying to hold back tears, and actually doing a pretty good job. But you could still tell with the quivering in her voice. “I am with you for this, no matter where it leads. You know that. I will always be on your side. Plus, we need to get Kian back, at all costs.”
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