Witch Undecided by Debbie Cassidy

Chapter Two

Tor had just topped me up on tea when there was a knock at the door.

“I’ll get it,” Leif said.

He’d run upstairs and pulled on some clothes. Shame, because I’d been enjoying the view. Yeah, I was depraved, but heck, there had to be some perks to this arrangement, and hot naked shifters was definitely one of them.

Anna, Jessie, and Elijah entered the room a moment later. I’d expected to see Sloane, and my gaze went over their shoulders, looking for The Elite witch leader, but then it hit me—Brie, Sloane’s best friend, was dead. Sloane was grieving and sorting funeral preparations, I don’t know…What did you do when a witch died? Were there different rules to supernatural death?

Jessie’s jaw was tight, her arms crossed over her chest. She didn’t want to be here, that much was obvious. I didn’t blame her.

The faster we got to the bottom of this vampire issue, the quicker she could get back to her friends and mourning.

I fixed my attention on Anna, the witch who had the answers. “Who are the Sons of Adam, and what do they want from me?”

The air beside me crackled and fizzed. “Do tell,” Jasper said. “I’ve been dying to know.”

My gaze flew to his face, harsh lines and an angry slash of a mouth. He was here. He was okay, but where had he been when I needed—

No. I didn’t need him.

But there it was, the tug in my chest, the one that yearned for him. Leif had said the binding would get rid of any outside influences messing with my emotions, which meant—

Now wasn’t the time to think about this. Original vampires wanted my blood and there was no doubt in my mind they’d be back.

I tore my gaze from Jasper and fixed it on Anna once more. “Why do the Sons of Adam want me?”

Jessie’s brows came down in a frown. “What’s this about, Anna?” she demanded. “You dragged me away from The Elites. You said the anchor was in danger, so spill it.”

Anna pressed her lips together for a long beat, as if searching for words. “Revenge,” she said finally. “The Sons of Adam feel wronged by the coven and they want vengeance. They mean to exact it by taking you.”

“What did you do?” Tor asked.

“Yes.” Elijah slipped out from behind the witches and joined Leif on our side of the kitchen, physically dissociating himself from Anna. “What did the coven do to the original vampires?”

“The accounts are… incomplete,” Anna said. “Most of the journals perished in the east wing fire centuries ago, but from what I’ve pieced together, the coven drew power from the Sons of Adam to create the prison where Croatoan is held.”

“I don’t understand,” Jessie said. “They’re vampires. What could you possibly gain from them?”

“Original vampires,” Anna said. “Descended from Lilith and Adam’s bloodline. Demons spawned from Lilith’s union with Adam were called Sons of Adam. One of them procreated with a human, resulting in the birth of the original vampires, bastardized demons. They went on to create more vampires, and each generation was more inhuman, the rats of the outlier world. Accounts say that Lilith set about slaying the vampires, but they bred too fast and it was an impossible task. There were three vampires who retained a more human form, who had strong celestial blood, and for some reason, these three were permitted to live. They call themselves Sons of Adam, even though, technically, the Sons of Adam bloodline died out a long time ago. As far as I’m aware there’s only one left, a Dominus reaper named Conah.”

Jasper’s gaze flew to mine. We knew who Conah was. Heck, I’d lived with him for a while. Had Fee mentioned he was a Son of Adam? No, I would have remembered, but it made sense. The reapers were mainly from Lilith’s bloodline and they all drank blood. I should have made the connection.

“How do we kill them?” Tor asked, straight to the point.

“I don’t know,” Anna said. “I don’t even know if they can be killed.”

“Lilith managed to kill a bunch,” Leif added. “There must be a way.”

“If there is, then it’s not common knowledge.”

Not common knowledge for witches but maybe for reapers. I’d need to call Fee again. Soon.

“Why are they attacking now?” Elijah asked. “You said the coven drew power from them, what? Twelve hundred years ago?”

“It’s taken this long for them to recover,” she said. “And they’re pissed.”

The conversation I’d eavesdropped on a few days ago came to mind. “Is that what Dimitri was talking about in your study the other day?”

“Yes. Dimitri is a Renfield. He’s a human who feeds off the Sons of Adam’s power and works for their interests. The original vampires can’t go out in the day. Dimitri is their eyes and ears in sunlight. He’s been their carer for centuries, but they’re only now awakening, and they need blood.”

“My blood?”

“You’re the anchor,” Anna said. “Your blood is powerful.”

Talk about shitty timing. “Then let’s just give them some blood. Can’t we just stick a needle in me and take a pint?”

“I suggested that.” Anna looked sheepish. “They want you. The body that produces the blood. They want you for the next one hundred years as payment for what the coven did to them.”

“Like fuck!” Tor vibrated with indignation. “No one touches our mate.” His eyes darkened with rage, pupils dilating in warning of a shift. “Your coven did this. You fix it.”

“It’s not that easy,” Anna said. “The Sons of Adam aren’t willing to negotiate. I was hoping they were simply blustering, that they were too weak to come and collect. I guess I was wrong.” She pressed her lips together. “Dimitri was clear. If we don’t hand over the anchor, they’ll attack the coven.”

Jessie’s lip curled. “I’d like to see them fucking try. We just beat back four revenants and five banshees. I think we can take three vampires.”

“They’re not vampires,” Anna said. “They’re something else. Something ancient and powerful, and if they attack, I’m not sure we’ll survive it.”

“So, what do you suggest?” Elijah asked.

Anna shook her head. “I don’t know. You say only one attacked you?”

“Yes.”

“Which means we have time. The other two must still be too weak. We could have years before they’re strong enough to retaliate. In the meantime, we can strengthen our wards. It won’t stop them from getting onto the grounds, but it will weaken them while they’re on our land.” She nodded to herself. “There are precautions we can take. Jessie, can you ward this house and the cabin?”

Jessie nodded. “I’ll go get my supplies.” She headed off.

Anna turned to me. “Cora, you’ll be safe during the day, but you can’t be alone at night.”

“She won’t be,” Tor, Leif, and Rune said in unison.

My gaze flicked to Jasper to find him watching Anna with narrowed eyes. “And what happens when these vampires are strong enough? What happens when they’re ready to attack?”

Anna lifted her chin and met his gaze levelly. “Then we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.”

“Not good enough,” Jasper snapped. “I heard your little meeting with your fellow elders. Some of them want to hand Cora over. What was it they said?” He tapped his chin. “Oh yes, she can be the anchor whether she’s here or there.”

A growl erupted from Tor’s throat and Leif stepped in front of me. The air crackled with tension, and the scent of pine and earth filled my nostrils. The guys’ wolves were close to the surface, and the threads that bound us thrummed in warning.

Anna must have sensed it too because she backed up, hands in the air in a placating gesture. “I would never do that. You must believe me.”

Tor’s chest rumbled; he was clearly unconvinced.

“I believe you,” Elijah said.

“And that makes it okay?” Jasper snorted. “Forgive me if I don’t drop my guard.”

Elijah sighed, shooting Jasper a wry glance. “The Sons of Adam could drain Cora and shatter the seal. Handing her over is too risky for the coven.”

“Exactly.” Anna smiled gratefully at Elijah. “Our purpose is to protect the seal. To maintain the barrier. We will not compromise that.”

The rumble in Tor’s chest stopped and his hand came to rest on the small of my back, a welcome brand of heat seeping through my shirt.

Anna’s shoulders sagged in relief. “I swear to you that the anchor’s life is our priority. We cannot risk it.”

“Especially when you no longer have any potentials to take her place,” Jasper said dryly.

“Yes,” Anna said simply. “Especially now.”

Wow, at least she was honest. I respected that.

“But.” Elijah’s gaze flicked to Jasper. “We need to be proactive, not reactive.” Jasper nodded in agreement. Elijah focused on Anna. “Where’s their base?”

“I don’t know,” she said. “Any accounts we may have had of their whereabouts were lost in the fire.”

Jessie returned. “All set. I’ve etched the runes. I just need to adjust the central wards back at the mansion.”

“I’m sorry,” Anna said to me, “for everything. But I promise you, we won’t allow any harm to come to you.” Her gaze lifted to Tor’s. “Nighttime will be when they might try to take her. Be vigilant.”

“We’ve got this,” Tor said.

“She won’t be alone,” Leif added.

Anna took her leave with Jessie, but Elijah lingered. “Can I have a word, Cora.”

I followed him out into the lounge, leaving Jasper in an eye-off with Tor. They’d be fine, right?

“I’m sorry I wasn’t there,” Elijah said. “I want you to know we would have been there if we could.”

“We?”

“Jasper and I were magically locked in my office. By the time the spell broke it was too late. The attack had already taken place and been dealt with, and you were gone.”

“Wait, Charlotte locked you in your office?”

“Yes. We just finished interrogating her, actually.” His mouth turned down. “Bramble wanted to be there, but Anna vetoed the idea, so she left.”

“Oh fuck, where did she go?”

His chest heaved and he shook his head slightly. “I’m not sure, but I believe she needs time to grieve the loss of the mother she knew and reconcile to the fact she was used as a pawn.”

Poor Bramble. She adored Charlotte. Trusted her. Loved her. “I need to see her. She needs to be with friends.”

“She needs some time. Give it to her. She’ll come back when she’s ready. What Charlotte did was unforgivable, and it’ll take time for Bramble to process that.”

Charlotte betrayed everyone, but it wasn’t all black and white.

It never was. “She did it for the love of her mates, the family the coven gave her, the one she’s loved for a century.” I gave Elijah a wry smile. “The coven did this. They put her in an impossible situation. They gave her everything she could ever want and then they said, sorry, time’s up. Time to take it all away and you can watch it burn. Thanks for your service, love.”

His brow crinkled in a frown. “You empathize with her?”

Fuck me. I guess I did. “I don’t agree with her actions. She put a lot of lives in danger for selfish reasons, but yeah, I get why she did it.” I pressed my fist to my chest. “It’s why I’ll never let my heart get invested in this. I made the decision before, but Charlotte’s actions have made me even more determined. Loving my mates is too dangerous.”

My stomach went hollow with the words, as if protesting. But in this case, I’d be thinking with my head, not my heart.

Elijah studied me for a long beat, his turquoise gaze drifting over my face. “I’m proud of you, Cora.”

“Eh?”

“Your resilience and determination and the way you’ve adjusted to all this.” His gaze dropped to the bandages on my neck. “I promise you I’ll do everything I can to stop the Sons of Adam. I’ll find a way to protect you from them.” He grazed my cheek with his fingers, and my eyes fluttered closed briefly beneath his touch. “Stay with the wolves. Stay safe.”

My pulse hitched in understanding. “You’re leaving?”

“I won’t find the answers I need here. And we can’t rely on reacting. We need to be proactive.”

Foreboding raced through me.

I gripped his fingers. “Elijah, please tell me you’re not going to go looking for these vampires.”

He’d been my anchor for almost a year as I navigated the outskirts of the witch world and tried to keep my distance from what I was. He’d been the soothing voice on the other end of the line no matter what time, day or night. He’d been my counsel and my friend and now…now he was about to go looking for danger to protect me.

Panic was a hot coal in my belly. Panic and fear. Fear that he’d be hurt or killed. That I’d never see him again. I couldn’t bear that. I couldn’t lose him.

He studied me with a frown, gaze tracking across my features, and then he blinked, the corner of his mouth lifting in a teasing smile. “Why, Cora Dawn, are you worried about me?”

I rolled my eyes. “Of course I’m worried. These are original vampires. Like uber powerful blood-sucking ancients. They’re unique.”

“So am I, Cora. So am I.” He dipped his head, pressed a quick kiss to my forehead. “I’ll be back before you know it.” He strode out the door before I could protest.

It hit me that I had no idea who Elijah was, or why he worked for the coven, or how powerful he was, but he couldn’t be that powerful if Charlotte had managed to lock him in a room for hours, right? Fuck. I hated that my stomach was now churning.

“He’ll be fine,” Jasper said.

“Yeah? And how can you be so sure?”

He smiled thinly. “The spell on the room to keep us pinned was Order-made, a level-ten enchantment.” He arched a brow. “Do you know what one of those is?”

“You know I don’t.”

“It’s one of the most powerful binding spells out there, and it takes blood and chaos magic to weave. Elijah broke it.” He looked at the door Elijah had just exited through. “I have a feeling our resident warlock is more powerful then he allows any of us to believe.”

I glanced up at him. “You sound almost impressed.”

Jasper looked at me, his emerald eyes bright in the gloom. “Oh, I am, Cora. I am.”

A shiver ran up my spine at his words, because up until I’d put the amulet on, Jasper had been one of the most powerful entities I knew. And if he was impressed with Elijah, then what the fuck did that make the warlock?

Elijah had a story, and my gut told me it was one I needed to learn.