My nose lifted, and I inhaled, noting the subtle scent of sage and lemongrass. Not even a whiff of their scent remained. Swallowing past the unease that knowledge created, I worried my lip, as the sound of footsteps filled the hallway. Hurriedly, I started forward as familiar magic slithered through my body, igniting everything around me.
Corpses filled the hallway leading up the staircase. Whoever that man was, he’d sent his magic through me, clearing my path from witches. I paused, midway up the stairs, noting the carnage. The witches weren’t just dead; they were ripped apart and left in mangled heaps of flesh and bone. Snorting, I continued up the stairs until forced to stop, coming face-to-face with a group of black-eyed witches.
“Aren’t you pretty?” I asked, unleashing magic on them.
They recoiled, shrieking as I bathed in the chaos that ensued. My hands pulsed with magic, sending it rushing toward those who stood between me and exiting the keep with the books I’d come to retrieve.
I’d watched this place for over a week, unable to gain entry, and during that time, these withes had slaughtered people like they were cattle. I’d tried to get in, to no avail, so I’d made sure I was in a spot well patrolled, and that they’d bring me in through the front door, locking their death warrants soundly into place.
Witches detonated as I dropped my head back, enjoying the sounds of diminishing evil. My house was so freaking dirty that bleach wouldn’t cut it. It needed more than just elbow grease to rid the world of the evil that had taken root in the realm of my bloodline’s good intentions.
Fire leaped from the candles, rushing toward the curtains that barred the moonlight from entering their dark home. Rolling my head back, I heard Ciara’s rendition of Paint It, Black in my mind, humming the song as I moved through the witches. I watched them burn to nothing more than ashes as I passed by, the intensity of my flames burning too hot for the naked eye to see until it was too late.
“I see your red door…” I laughed before continuing to hum, pushing my tongue between my teeth. I sent fire sailing toward the strongest witch, watching as she combusted. My arms went wide as I twirled, slowly moving through the castle as my clothes disintegrated, and everything around me caught fire.
The flames danced seductively, echoing with a crackling sound that sung to my soul as my creature rejoiced from within, dancing to the song I sang as the surrounding witches melted. I grinned as she clapped, fueled by the flames that beckoned to us.
“We are like Oz!” My creature purred happily.
“Wait; what? No. Oz was the city… we’re the good witch. You know, the wicked witches melt and shit?”
“I want to be Ozzy and eat things.”
“Ew, no. Bats are a hard limit for me. Yucky,” I spat out before gagging, noting the shadows moving near me. “Time to go. We’re off to see the next evil witch on our hit list.”
“That didn’t rhyme.”
“Can you just give me one thing where you’re not making fun of me?” I asked.
“Not until I get Knox’s dick and make it sick! See, that rhymed.”
“No, it did not! Okay, maybe a little, but I’m afraid to ask what you meant by making it sick. It’s hot in here,” I muttered, staring down to the bones fusing to the floor as it bubbled from the intensity of the heat.
“So, did you enjoy my dream? I thought you would like him to find us and stripping… and things.”
“I see what you did there.”
“It was a nice touch, right? I even showed you his wee-wee, instead of just Barbie vag and cobwebs.”
“What are you? Five years old? Don’t ever say wee-wee again, ever. Also, I hate spiders.”
“You get pissy when I mention cock. Knox has a nice cock. We like his cock. It hits everywhere! So good. So thick. I crave his dick. Plus, now you know why we need dick… because spiders are bad! You hate spiders, so if you get his dicker, he will eat the spiders and our pussy. It’s a win for all of us!”
“I said no Knox’s cock!”
“Look at you, growing up and shit. You rhymed! You either get his dick into our happy pouch, or I’m going to take control, and you’re going to wake up choking on his cock. I will unlock my jaw that Lore loves, and you can stay locked on Knox’s cock forever!”
“And no more talk of spiders. You’re giving me the creeps. Wait, you can do that? Never do that to me! Ever. Promise me you won’t,” I muttered, staring at the flames as a hooded figure stepped out of the darkness, watching me through the inferno. I turned, moving in the opposite direction of the shadow. I wasn’t falling for that shit!
My bare feet padded across the floor. I moved into the cool evening air, peering at the dark sky before looking over my shoulder, staring through the flames, noting that something watched me. My heart echoed painfully in my chest, battering against my ribs as I swallowed. I inhaled, smelling only the scent of burning flesh through the blaze.
Exhaling, I shivered as the cold air touched my skin and sizzled, sending steam from my naked body. I forced myself to move into the woods where I’d hidden my clothing and pack before allowing the witches to capture me.
Digging through my pack, I grabbed some fresh clothes and dressed. Lifting my nose to the air, I caught a strange scent. Turning to scan the woods, I slipped my pack on, looking at my feet, then tossing an angry glare at the castle that was now a raging inferno. I whispered a spell for the dead, slowly melting into the darkness.
Strange men had invited me to god knows where. Strange men who claimed to know who and what I was. Should I have gone blindly? No. That was how people ended up on stakes, burning brightly into the night like a bonfire. Plus, I had no idea who or what they were. No one in the Nine Realms was honest, or friendly, so why would I willingly go into a portal with strange, but rather hot men? It was either a recipe for disaster or the start of an orgy, neither of which were on my schedule.
I had felt the men, though; felt them on a level I couldn’t understand, but I hadn’t caught their scent. It was as if they’d purposely concealed it from me. I stubbed my toe and paused, turning as I felt eyes heavy on my spine. Shadows moved, and I swallowed down the urge to tuck tail and run like a bitch.
My gaze slid into the shadows once more, and my nose lifted, catching the faint trace of Knox in the air. Smiling, I hid behind a tree, listening as feet moved on a road beside the copse of trees where I stood. Pulling my scent in and whispering the spell for invisibility, I hid within the shroud of it, as I moved toward the sound of horse hooves trampling cobblestone. Knox wasn’t the only hunter, nor was I the only prey.
Chapter Ten
I entered a town teeming with life. My gaze followed some of the men from Knox’s army, who had broken away to go deeper into the village. Men and women danced on the streets, drunk with wine that smelled sour, and not to my liking.
Knox spoke to Brander, who seemed distracted, looking over his shoulder and then spinning on his heel, catcalling to a woman that swayed her hips, licking her lips seductively as she moved toward him.
Knox shook his head and slipped into a building, but I didn’t dare follow, sensing the wards around the structure. Instead, I crossed the road carefully, dodging drunken villagers who danced to a flute that someone played deeper in town. Leaning against a wall, I rested my head while searching the windows across the road for any sign of Knox.