CHAPTER FOUR: THE WITCH OF SLIVER CREST

The next morning, I got dressed and headed downstairs for breakfast. I was surprised to find only my dad at the table. I joined him, and he immediately looked up.

"How are you feeling after yesterday?"

"I'm fine," I replied, even though I knew he could tell I wasn't completely fine.

He nodded. "What are you doing today?"

"I'm going to hang out at Chloe's house."

He finished his breakfast, stood up, and kissed me on the cheek. "I'll see you later. I have to get to work."

"Okay. Bye, Dad."

I grabbed my keys and drove to Chloe's house. When I got there, I found her lying across her bed with a book in her hands. I walked over to her, and she suddenly looked up, startled.

I burst out laughing. "You should have seen your face."

She shoved me playfully, making me fall onto the bed. "You're so annoying."

"How's school going?"

She immediately started complaining about her professor, and I couldn't help laughing.

"Chloe, you're probably the one who's wrong. You argue with everyone."

"I do not argue with everyone."

I gave her a look.

"Okay, maybe I argue a little."

"Exactly."

We continued talking until she suddenly asked, "Are you going to the royal celebration tomorrow?"

My mood immediately dropped. "Yes."

She smiled. "I wish I were the one with a fated mate."

I rolled my eyes. "What's so great about being magically tied to someone for the rest of your life?"

"Everything?"

I shook my head. "You're crazy."

She laughed before suddenly becoming serious. "Actually, I heard something interesting."

"What?"

"There's a rumor about a witch in Silvercrest."

I looked at her. "What kind of rumor?"

"Apparently, she can change a fated mate bond."

I stared at her. "That's impossible."

"I thought so too, but I've been researching it."

"Of course you have."

Chloe was a researcher by heart. Once she heard something interesting, she wouldn't rest until she got to the bottom of it.

She reached for her phone and showed me something. "I even found her address."

I stared at the address on the screen. "You actually believe this?"

"I'm not saying I believe it. I'm saying we should find out."

I shook my head. "You know you can't interfere with destiny."

"That's what everyone says."

"And they're right."

She shrugged. "Maybe the witch is lying."

"Exactly." I handed her phone back.

But then my mind went back to the previous night. Emily's smirk. The pantry. The darkness. The way she'd deliberately used my fear against me.

My hands tightened.

What if the witch wasn't lying?

I could break Emily and Devon's bond. I could take away the one thing she had always been so proud of.

But I immediately pushed the thought away. I didn't want Devon. I barely knew him, and I certainly didn't want the chaos that would come from stealing the future king from his fated mate.

Still, the thought refused to disappear.

I left Chloe's house around noon, but I couldn't stop thinking about the witch. By the time I reached my car, I'd already made up my mind.

I was going to Silvercrest.

The drive took almost three hours, but I didn't care. By the time I arrived, the sun was beginning to set. I followed the address Chloe had given me until I stopped in front of a strange looking house surrounded by trees.

The place gave me an uneasy feeling. I ignored it and knocked.

A few seconds later, the door opened. An old woman stood there. She had extremely long dark hair, a slender figure, and a strangely beautiful face. She looked nothing like the frightening old witch I'd imagined.

She studied me for a moment before stepping aside. "I've been expecting you."

I froze. "How did you know I was coming?"

She smiled. "Come inside."

I hesitated before following her. She led me into a dark room with blackout curtains covering the windows. Books and ancient scrolls filled the shelves, and the smell of incense hung heavily in the air.

She gestured toward a chair. "Sit."

I sat across from her. "I came because I heard you can change a fated mate bond."

"You heard correctly."

My heart began beating faster. "Is it really possible?"

"Yes."

Relief washed over me. So it was true. I could actually do this.

"I want to change the bond between Emily and Devon."

The witch studied me carefully. "And why?"

"Because I want revenge."

She didn't look surprised. "If you do this, the bond cannot be changed again. Once the ritual is completed, there is no undoing it."

I swallowed.

"Are you sure this is what you want?"

"Yes."

I didn't care about the consequences. I only wanted Emily to suffer the way she'd made me suffer.

The witch stood and motioned for me to do the same. "Then prepare yourself."

I stood in the middle of the room as she lifted a strange wand and began speaking in a language I'd never heard before. A strange sensation moved through the room.

Then she pointed the wand at me. A flash of light surrounded my body.

And then... nothing.

I looked at myself. "That's it?"

She lowered the wand. "The spell has been cast."

"But I don't feel anything."

"You aren't supposed to."

"How will I know if it worked?"

"You'll know when the time comes."

I frowned. "When?"

She smiled mysteriously. "Go home, Anna. Tomorrow will answer all your questions."

I left the house feeling strangely disappointed. The entire drive home, I kept checking myself, waiting to feel something different.

Nothing.

By the time I arrived home, I was convinced I'd wasted three hours of my life on a crazy old woman. I went upstairs and tried to think of another way to get back at Emily. Maybe I could ruin her engagement dress. It was petty, but it was the best plan I had.

Later that evening, I went downstairs for dinner. As expected, the entire conversation revolved around the royal celebration. Donna and my step-grandmother kept asking Emily if everything was ready for tomorrow.

Emily smiled confidently. "Everything is perfect."

Then she looked at me and smiled.

I stared at her. I wish that stupid spell had actually worked. Then we'd see who was smiling tomorrow.

But since it probably hadn't, I'd just have to settle for destroying her dress.