Chapter 42: The Witch’s Trap

 

The Whispering Woods didn't whisper tonight. They screamed.

The wind howled through the skeletal branches, and the red moonlight turned the mist into a sea of blood. I gripped Nyx’s hand so tight my knuckles turned white, my bandaged palm throbbing in rhythm with the pulsing moon.

"We're here," Nyx whispered, stopping at the edge of a clearing.

In the center stood the Coven. Twelve women in green and black robes, their faces hidden by hoods, forming a perfect circle around an ancient stone altar. The air smelled of sulfur and old, dried blood.

The green-eyed hawk was gone. In its place stood the witch I had met in the garden, her mossy skin glowing under the crimson sky.

"The servant arrives," she cackled, her voice amplified by the trees. "And she brings the key."

"I did what you asked," I said, my voice shaking but loud. "The seal is active. Killian is safe. Now, tell me what you want with my daughter."

"Safe?" The witch stepped closer, her emerald eyes shimmering with malice. "He is only as safe as your heartbeat, Elena. But tonight, we don't want his life. We want the girl’s Potential."

She pointed at the altar.

"Place her there. She must spill the shadow-blood to open the gate. The Abyss is hungry for its Queen."

"No," I stepped in front of Nyx. "That wasn't the deal. You said she was just to come here!"

"The deal is whatever I say it is!" the witch roared.

Suddenly, the trees behind us exploded.

BOOM.

A massive, golden wolf—larger than any I had ever seen—burst through the brush, followed by a dozen elite warriors of the Blackwood pack.

The golden wolf shifted mid-air, landing on his feet with the grace of a god and the fury of a demon.

Killian.

He stood there, shirtless, his eyes glowing a lethal, molten gold. He looked at the Coven, then his gaze landed on me and Nyx.

"Elena," he said, his voice a low, dangerous rumble. "Move away from them. Now."

"Killian, wait!" I cried out.

He didn't wait. He lunged for the green-eyed witch.

But the moment he crossed the threshold of the clearing, I felt a sharp, agonizing stab in my chest.

“STOP HIM,” the voice hissed in my head.

My body moved on its own. I wasn't in control. I lunged forward, throwing myself in front of Killian’s path.

He stopped, his claws inches from my throat, his eyes wide with shock.

"Elena? What are you doing?"

"I... I can't let you," I choked out, tears streaming down my face.

Killian’s gaze dropped to my chest. My dress was torn from the struggle, revealing the black rune—the Coven Seal—pulsing with a violent green light.

He looked at the seal. Then he looked at the bandages on my hand. Then he looked back at the witch.

The realization hit him like a physical blow. The pride and strength drained from his face, replaced by a hollow, devastating horror.

"The miracle," Killian whispered, his voice breaking. "The pain going away... it wasn't a miracle. Was it?"

I couldn't speak. I could only sob.

"You sold yourself," Killian’s voice was barely a breath. "To save me? You made a pact with the Coven?"

"I couldn't let you die!" I screamed. "You were fading, Killian! Every time Nyx used her power, you were dying!"

"I WOULD RATHER BE DEAD THAN HAVE YOU BOUND TO THESE MONSTERS!" Killian roared, the sound shaking the very earth.

The green-eyed witch laughed, a sound of pure triumph. "A touching reunion. But the pact is blood-deep, King. If you kill me, she dies. If she leaves this circle, you die. You are all tied in a knot of my making."

Killian stood trembling, his wolf spirit howling in agony. He was the strongest Alpha in the world, but he was trapped by the love of a woman who had sacrificed her eternity for his heartbeat.

Nyx stepped forward then. She looked at her father, then at me, then at the witch.

Her violet eyes weren't crying. They were cold.

"You hurt my Mommy," Nyx said. Her voice was tiny, but it cut through the wind like a blade.

"I gave her a gift, child!" the witch sneered.

"No," Nyx said. She raised her tiny hand, and the shadows of the entire Whispering Woods—every tree, every stone, every witch—began to rise.

"You gave her a cage. And I don't like cages."

The red moon above turned a blackish-purple.

"Daddy," Nyx said, looking at Killian. "Close your eyes. It’s going to get dark."