Witch Unbound by Debbie Cassidy

Chapter Two

The inside of the bar was retro décor, with a jukebox flashing in a corner and loads of framed photographs plastered to the wall above it. The bar itself ran along the left side of the room, with lights hanging down from the ceiling and high-backed stools pushed up against it, most of which were occupied.

Guitar music played and people stood or sat about, drinks in hand, chatting, laughing, eating food. The atmosphere was warm and inviting. No one glanced my way as I stepped further into the bar. Most people had their attention on something up ahead. Someone up ahead. Probably whoever was playing the guitar. Wait. Rune played guitar. Could it be?

This was where being short was a disadvantage. I dove into the crowd, weaving my way toward the front, toward the music. Toward Rune, I hoped.

I was halfway there when the crowd parted for a moment and I caught a glimpse of a man sitting on a stool on the stage. His head was bowed as he played, golden hair catching the light.

My heart leapt.

Rune?

The gap in the crowd closed, cutting off my view, but the pounding of my pulse told me I was right. I’d found Rune. I just needed to get close enough for him to see me. He’d see me and he’d remember me.

“Excuse me, sorry.” I pushed through. Almost there.

A smooth baritone rose up to mingle with the dulcet notes of the guitar, and I froze as every hair on my body quivered. Rune sang with emotion, and the ambient hum in the room quieted until the only sound was his voice echoing and reverberating around us.

For a moment I was enraptured, caught up in the melody and captivated by the words that tugged deep at my soul, but then my heart galvanized me into action. I slipped through the crowd with ease now that everyone was enthralled and broke out of the throng to stand on the edge of the circle of light that haloed Rune.

Because, yes, it was Rune. My Rune. Golden hair pulled back in a messy tail, face tipped up to the ceiling, eyes closed as he sang his heart out for the crowd.

It was suddenly harder to draw breath, even though my heart was working double time. I’d seen him in my dreams, touched him and tasted him, and I’d held him just before he’d died, but this…This was Rune’s soul, bright, vibrant, and powerful, and it lit up the whole damn room.

Every atom in my body screamed at him to open his eyes and look at me. To see me.

And as the final note fell from his lips, he dropped his chin and looked out into the crowd. There was a long beat of silence before the place erupted with applause.

His mouth moved in a thank you as he stood and unhooked his guitar strap from his neck. I took a deep breath and stepped into the light.

See me, Rune. Please.

His gaze zeroed in on me and my heart shot up into my throat. “Rune…”

His eyes flinched in a do-I-know-you way, and then he smiled and nodded and stepped off the stage into the crowd, away from me.

An empty pit opened inside me and I remained rooted to the spot, breathing shallow and fast.

The noise level picked up as patrons rekindled their conversation and reclaimed seats, as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened. But it had…Something momentous had happened. Rune, my Rune, had stared at me like I was a stranger.

He had no clue who I was.

* * *

I’d never beenone to admit defeat. Defeat was for suckers, and Loke had said this wouldn’t be easy. But I still had my connection to Rune. I could feel the thread binding us, even if he couldn’t. It meant my Rune, complete with his memories of me and our world, was still in there somewhere. I just needed to break him free.

I found him perched at the bar alone, but a quick survey of the terrain showed me that he was being watched like a hawk by several women seated or standing at a respectable distance. There was hair flipping, tinkling laughter, and plenty of posturing as they attempted to get his attention, but no one approached.

Weird, but also good, because if any of them touched my man, I wouldn’t be responsible for what I’d do to their itty-bitty fingers.

Rune sat with his head bent over a paperback, a beer at his side, seemingly oblivious to the attention he was getting.

Okay, showtime. I cut past the preening women and walked right up to him. “Hi.”

He didn’t look up from his book, but a slight frown marred his forehead. “I’m reading.”

In other words, fuck off.

“I can see that. What are you reading?”

He sighed. “A book.”

I needed him to look at me. To see me. “What book?”

He finally glanced up. “I don’t…” His gaze roved over my face and the tension in his features melted away. “Hi…”

I smiled. “Hi.”

Tendrils of hair had come loose from his tie to kiss his cheeks, and I ached to tuck them behind his ears, to cup his face and claim his mouth.

His hazel eyes went from cool to warm, as if sensing my thoughts. “Can I…Can I buy you a drink?”

I was peripherally aware of the women around us, the whispers and the wave of confusion and irritation.

I smiled. “I’d love that.”

Rune kept his attention on my face. “Barney, can I get a…” He gave me a questioning look.

“Whiskey. Neat.”

A smile tugged at his lips. “Whiskey. Neat.”

The barman slid a drink my way.

“I saw you by the stage,” Rune said.

“I know.”

“I haven’t seen you in here before, but…” He chuckled softly. “For a moment, I thought I knew you.”

“Maybe you do.”

He arched a brow. “I think I’d remember that.”

I shrugged. “Maybe we knew each other in another life.”

He sat back on his stool, one arm braced on the back. “Uh-huh. You believe in that stuff?”

I sipped my drink and peered at him over the rim of the glass. “Don’t you?”

He looked thoughtful. “I’m not sure. I mean multi-verse theory would explain things like déjà vu.”

“It would explain why we connect so quickly to some people and not others too.” I took another sip. “Why we feel an immediate draw to them.”

He was studying me intently now. “Your eyes…I’ve never seen eyes quite that color, but I feel like…Like I’ve spent hours looking into them.” He blinked and gave a self-deprecating chuckle as if embarrassed by his own candor.

My pulse quickened. “That’s because you have, Rune.”

He sobered. “How do you know my name? Wait.” He narrowed his eyes. “Someone told you.”

“Not someone, you. You told me. In another life.”

“Oh, very good. I like it.” He picked up his beer and took a swig just as something inside me tugged hard.

I bit back a gasp. What was that?

He set down his glass, concern etched across his face. “Are you okay?”

No. No, I wasn’t, because my gut told me I was running out of time. Loke had said that Tarrifel would eject me. The tug had felt like someone yanking on my essence. There was no time for roundabout conversations. No time to ease him in.

The women who’d been on the prowl were gone. No one was watching us.

“Look, Rune. I’m going to tell you something, and it’s going to sound insane, but it’s true.”

He looked wary. “O-kay…”

“This isn’t your world. You don’t belong here. You’re a shifter, a dire wolf shifter from my world. You’re my mate, and I’ve come to take you home.”

He nodded, his mouth turned down. “Okay…Riiight.”

Shit, I was losing him. “Your memories are still there, buried deep in your mind. Our connection is still alive, but it’s weakening. I don’t have much time before this world ejects me. I need you to remember who I am. I need you to remember our home, our cabin with Tor, Leif, and Wren.” His expression shut down. I was losing him, and tears of frustration blurred my vision. “Rune, please. Remember me.”

He tucked in his chin and shook his head. “Honestly, for a moment there I thought we had a connection, but I seem to attract the crazy.”

Dammit. “I’m not crazy, Rune. You have to listen to me.”

He climbed off his stool. “I think I’m going to head home now. You should do the same. Get some sleep.” He looked almost sorry. “Get some help…” He walked away, leaving me numb.

“Nice try, sweetie.”

I glanced up at the woman with a sleek bob and over-the-top red lipstick. There was something familiar about her, and then it hit me. A set of horns and a tail were all she needed to complete the picture.

“Simone?”

She winked. “The one and only. Prime hunting ground here, but that one…Oh, he’s not interested in any fun. Thought you might have snagged him, but he’s a slippery one.” She tapped her watch. “Time’s almost up. If I were you, I’d grab another drink and some cheesy nachos while you wait. They’re damn good here.”

“You know who I am?”

“Everyone knows what you are, sweetie. You’re the only one who doesn’t.”

As she sashayed away, it hit me that she’d said what you are, not who you are.

Another tug in my chest propelled me out of my seat. Simone was right. Time was almost up. But I wasn’t ready to give up. Not yet.

* * *

I ranout into the parking lot, prepared to search for Rune. I mean he couldn’t have gotten far unless he had a ride, in which case I was fucked. But like a gift-wrapped present, he was standing right in front of me, leaning up against a battered truck with his head bowed in thought.

He looked up as I approached and sighed. “You…”

My pulse raced. “You haven’t left.”

“I don’t know why.”

“Yes, you do.”

He shook his head. “You’re crazy.”

“No. I’m not, and you know it.”

“This is crazy. I mean…what you said isn’t real, so why does my gut tell me it is.”

“Because—”

Something grabbed hold of my nape and yanked me away from Rune. I hit the ground with my ass and pain spiked through my tailbone.

“Shit!” Rune hovered over me. “What happened? What was that?” He helped me up.

“This place is trying to eject me. I don’t have much time. You need to remember. You need to—”

I was dragged away from him again, butt scraping cement. Anger surged up to choke me.

“No!” I lashed out with my power. Lightning sizzled over my body and the invisible force lost its grip.

I sprang to my feet as Rune ran toward me. “I know you.”

“Yes, you do. You just need to tap into your heart and deep into your mind.”

He was so close that I could feel his heat and inhale his scent. I tipped my head back. “Come home with me, Rune.”

His hazel eyes shimmered with flecks of gold as he drank me in, but the recognition was missing. The love was missing, and my heart ached, because I wasn’t going to make it. We weren’t going to make it.

The world went still and silent.

A shiver ran up my spine, my hackles rose, and my body flooded with the heat of adrenaline. There was something here with us. Rune’s gaze flicked over my head and narrowed.

He felt it too.

“What the fuck are those?” he asked.

I turned to face two huge wolf-like creatures with spines on their backs and glowing red eyes.

They looked like varga but not varga, and they were padding toward me menacingly.

Was this Tarrifel asking me to leave? I held up my hands. “Please, just a few more minutes.”

Loke stepped out from behind a van. “Doesn’t work that way, Cora. Time’s up, but it seems like you’re stronger than the usual ejection protocol, hence the sentinels. Problem is, they don’t eject, they destroy.”

The sentinels moved closer, baring fangs.

“You need to come with me,” Loke said. “I can hold them off for a few minutes, but I don’t have power over them, and if they get their fangs into you, it’ll all be over.” He held out his hand. “Take my hand. Now.”

I looked to Rune, but his gaze was blank, his body frozen as if on pause. This couldn’t be it. It couldn’t be over, but the sorrow washing over me told me it was. “I can reach him, Loke. I just need more time.”

“There is no more time.” The sentinels drew closer and Loke positioned himself between them and me. “Your world still needs you, Cora. Your friends and your mates need you. Your story can’t end here.”

My heart warred with my mind. The thread between me and Rune still thrummed, telling me there was time, but the sentinels argued otherwise. If I left, then there was no doubt in my mind our connection would be gone, and the seal would be at risk. Maybe we could find a way to plug the hole Rune left, but if I never made it back, there would be no hope for the seal at all.

I couldn’t allow myself to be destroyed because that would mean dooming humanity.

“Cora, hurry,” Loke said.

Instead of taking Loke’s hand, I turned to Rune one last time. “I’m sorry, Rune.”

I grabbed his shoulders, pushed up on tiptoes, and kissed him hard on the mouth, chest swelling with sobs, because this was goodbye for real.

Low growls tore at the silence.

“Dammit, woman.” Loke snagged me around the waist.

I didn’t fight him, but I kept my attention on Rune’s frozen expression, memorizing his every feature for the last time. “I love you, Rune.”

He blinked and focused on me.

“Rune?”

Loke wrapped his arms around me and pulled me to his chest.

Rune’s eyes flew wide. “Cora?”

“Rune!” The world melted away.

* * *

“No!”I thrashed against Loke’s grip, but he was no longer there.

I was back in the amber light with a heavy heart and a scream of frustration trapped in my throat.

“He saw me. Rune saw me. He knew my name, and you made me leave.” I jabbed a finger at the air, rage leaving me shaking.

“Not I, Cora. Tarrifel is a world with its own rules. You did not belong. Your time was up. It’s a testament to your power that you were able to linger for those extra precious moments.”

“Bullshit. Fucking bullshit. I could have reached him. One more minute was all I needed.” I glared at the light. “Fucking show yourself.” I needed a focus for my rage.

“Maybe you did reach him,” she said so softly I almost didn’t catch it.

My breath stalled. “What do you mean?”

“Look inside, Cora.”

What was she talking about? Look inside? Inside myself? The threads…was she talking about the connections? I reached inside and found Tor, Leif, and…Rune. He was there. Still connected.

Oh, shit.

“There is no more time for you, Cora, but there is a little time for Rune. It’s up to him now.”

“Are you saying he can find his way back?”

“It can be done. It has been done. But it’s rare.”

If Rune remembered me, then he’d do everything he could to get back to me, to us. “I need to go home. I need to tell the others.”

“Aren’t you forgetting something?”

Crap. The price. The foreboding I’d put on hold flooded me anew. “What do you want from me?”

“I want you to free the varga.”

Huh? Wait, what? Okay, I hadn’t been expecting that. Why did she care about the varga, and what did she mean by free them?

“I didn’t realize the varga were trapped.”

“They are. Trapped and doomed to kill. Slave to the virus. The truth lies in their collective memories, but they aren’t able to share those with outsiders. Soon, they’ll be able to share them with you, and you, my child, will set them free.”

Why did she want this? It made no sense. But then I didn’t know a damn thing about her except that she was powerful, and that she’d saved me.

Still, I’d made a deal, and I’d keep my word. If this was the price to be free of her, then so be it.

“Fine. I’ll pay your price.”

“Oh, that isn’t my price, Cora.” And for the first time since we’d spoken, there was a sly edge to her tone. “You’ll do that because you’ll need to. You’ll need allies for what’s to come.”

My scalp pricked. “What’s to come?”

“A war, Cora. A war that you must champion and win.”

I didn’t like the sound of this. Not one bit. “And what if I don’t want a war?”

“It doesn’t matter what you want, Cora. Events have been set in motion and they cannot be averted. You must be prepared, and the varga are key to your preparation, as are the Sons of Adam.”

My lip curled. “Those bloodsucking fiends?”

“Could tip the balance in your favor.”

Okay, so a war was coming, and I was going to need backup. But she still hadn’t told me her price for saving my ass, and I needed to pay that debt, because my gut told me remaining beholden to this entity would only bring grief.

She’d changed me and I had no clue what I was becoming, and she refused to tell me, and now she was insistent that I’d have to free the varga and play nice with the Sons of Adam because a war was coming. But once again, she couldn’t or wouldn’t tell me any more than that.

I was fed up, tired, and done with this. “You saved my life. I owe you for that, and nothing more. Just tell me what the price is?”

“If you fail to pay my price, what I gave you can be taken away.”

“What? You’ll infect me again and let me die?”

“I saved your life. We cheated death with a bargain. A bargain I made on our behalf. I paid my price. You must pay yours. And if you don’t, then death will claim you.”

“I get it. I don’t pay the price, I die. Fine.” I sounded normal, almost flippant, but my insides were shivering because the foreboding that had been edging my consciousness was getting stronger. “Just tell me what you want me to do.”

The air seemed to vibrate against my skin in excitement, and then her voice swelled around me in booming command.

“I want you to free Croatoan.”