Witch Unbound by Debbie Cassidy

Chapter Five

As I made my way through Grimswood Manor to Anna’s office, I dropped Bramble a text to let her know I was back. I could have jumped to the office, but part of me was afraid that I wouldn’t be able to. Yeah, I was avoiding discovering if the change in me was responsible for my power fritzes or whether the mutagen had been.

I couldn’t deal with any more shit right now.

I turned onto the corridor to Anna’s office and came to an abrupt halt to avoid colliding with another body.

Elijah.

He blinked in surprise, as if he hadn’t been expecting to see me, which made sense. I was meant to be on a three-day love nest break with my guys.

“You’re back early,” he said. And then, in immediate concern, “Is everything okay?”

I gave him a wry smile. “Would you be surprised if I said no.”

“What happened?” He dropped into mentor mode. “What can I do to help?”

I opened my mouth to spill the deets but snapped it shut again.

This was a coven problem, an Anna problem, and he already had his hands full with heading up the search for Razor Mouth. The original vampire who’d made it out of Lilith’s barrier and was probably hiding out somewhere, making more ice walkers. Still, I knew that if I dragged him into my problems, he’d find a way to do both and end up stretching himself too thin.

“Nothing. I’ve got it under control.”

“Cora…” He tipped his head to the side and gave me the don’t-lie-to-me frown.

I mock-frowned back at him. “Elijah…”

He sighed and relaxed. “I get it, you’ve come a long way. And although it pains me that you no longer need me as much, it also makes me very proud.”

Whoa, wait a second. “I do need you. You’re my friend and I care about you a lot.”

He blinked and looked down. “I know. I care about you too.”

Something passed between us, a moment that felt as if we’d missed a turn in a road. I studied his downturned face, trailing over the lashes fanned across his cheeks and lingering on his wistful smile. My heart swelled with emotion. This man was important to me. There’d been flirting and moments when I’d considered taking things further, but those moments had passed for me.

But had they passed for him? “Elijah… do you have feelings for me?”

His gaze shot up to meet mine, then he let out a soft chuckle. “You don’t pull your punches, do you? I guess that’s what I like most about you.”

“You didn’t answer my question.”

“You’re important to me, Cora. I care about you a great deal, but that’s all.”

He sounded and looked sincere.

I grinned. “Good, because I can’t have you all moony-eyed around me.”

He arched a brow. “I think you have enough of that, don’t you?”

I sniffed and looked mock-offended. “Tor, Leif, and Rune don’t make moony eyes, they’re much too macho for that.”

“And I’m not?” There was humor in his tone.

Our gazes locked and another understanding passed between us, an unspoken agreement that evoked a feeling of nostalgia I couldn’t explain.

I cleared my throat, ready to deflect. “How’s the hunt going?”

His smile told me he knew what I was doing. “Slow. No sign of him. No reports of ice walkers. It’s like he vanished into thin air.”

“Cora!” Bramble rounded the corner, all purple hair and clompy boots. “Elijah.” She looked between us. “Everything okay?”

“Yes, we’re fine,” Elijah said. “I best get back to work. Call me if you need help with that problem you won’t tell me about.” He gave me a pointed look.

“What problem?” Bramble asked.

But I was busy watching Elijah walk away.

“Don’t go there.” Bramble gently gripped my chin and turned my head to face her. “Bad idea.”

I didn’t bother playing. “I won’t. He’s a warlock, I’m a witch. We’re just friends.”

“Not like it hasn’t been done before.”

“What do you mean? I thought it was forbidden.” I widened my eyes to emphasize the final word.

She pressed her lips together. “When has that stopped people from pushing boundaries. Look, it’s not common knowledge, but you know me, I dig, and I find shit out. Elijah’s parents were witch and warlock.”

“Wait, what?”

“Yeah, they were executed for their crime of being together, but Elijah was spared because he was an innocent. An abomination but innocent. The coven claimed him even though the conflagration of warlocks his father belonged to wanted him.” Her mouth turned down slightly. “Elijah won’t make the same mistakes as his parents.”

I’d known that witches and warlocks weren’t allowed to be together, but I’d had no idea the punishment was death. There was an attraction between Elijah and me, no denying that, but that’s how it would stay. I would never let it be any more than that. Attractions came and went, but good friends were for life.

“So.” Bramble nudged me. “Why are you back early? And what problem was Elijah talking about?”

“I’m about to see Anna about that, so come with, and that way I only have to tell the story once.”

She rubbed her hands together. “Intriguing.”

* * *

Anna wassilent as I relayed what had happened on my retreat with the guys. She listened without interruption, but I could almost feel Bramble ready to explode with questions in the seat beside me.

I hurried to the end of the account and delivered the bomb. “And then the entity said she wanted me to free Croatoan.”

Anna flinched, stunned, but Bramble’s reaction was slightly more explosive.

“Motherfucker!” She leapt out of her seat. “That sneaky fucking bitch.” She began to pace. “This was her plan all along. Get her hooks into you, then use you to get Croatoan out of his prison.” She stopped pacing with a frown. “But why?”

“That’s what we don’t know.” I shrugged. “But she said death would come for me. I’m assuming this death is an entity too?”

“No.” Anna laced her hands together on the desk in front of her. “Death is a force of nature. An event that finds us. It found you once, and this entity somehow tore you from its grasp.”

“Unless Cora wasn’t meant to die,” Bramble said. “Maybe this entity was meant to save her and there is no death coming for her.”

“A possibility, but we can’t know for sure.” Anna jotted something down. “Still, we should be on the safe side. I’ll contact the silent sisters and see what they can do to help.”

I could see she thought that was the end of it. I was going to have to disappoint her. “There’s more.”

Her brows shot up. “Go on.”

“The changes she made to me might be interfering with my connection to my mates, which could affect the security of the seal.”

She sat forward slightly. “What do you mean? I thought you said the mutagen was gone?”

“It is, but our connections haven’t strengthened, and the change to my DNA might mean they never do.”

“But you still hold a connection?” Anna asked.

“Yes, but—”

“Then you’re fine.” She gave me a close-lipped smile. “As long as the connections are intact, then you’re fine.”

I opened my mouth to argue, but she cut me off with a stern look. “I understand why you’d be worried. I’m glad you came to me, but as long as the connections remain stable, we have nothing to worry about.”

“So basically, only worry if they weaken further?”

“Yes.”

That was a crappy plan, but she was the expert when it came to this stuff. “Okay, you’re the boss.”

Anna smiled warmly and sat back in her seat. “You’ve been through a lot, Cora. Take some time off. Rest, recharge, and allow your bonds to heal. Having Rune back in human form is something you should celebrate.”

My heart lifted. “Yes. We’re having a gathering at the Holm Pack later this afternoon.”

“Good. Go do that. Enjoy. Leave the death issue with me. This entity won’t get what she wants. We’ll make sure of it.”

We left the office and made our way back down the corridor.

“That was weird,” Bramble said. “Like, she doesn’t seem too bothered that your connection is weakening even though she knows that the entity wants you to free Croatoan.”

Yeah, I knew what she meant. It was bugging me a little too. “Anna knows more about this shit than we do, and she’s right, the connection is stable right now, so unless it drops, or I do something to fuck it up…” My mind went to last night with Rune and our almost moment. “Um… yeah. Unless I—”

“Ride the cock?” Bramble provided with a dirty smirk.

I chuckled. “Yeah, unless I do that. But I won’t. We’re careful.”

Bramble narrowed her eyes. “You’re also blushing.”

“I don’t blush.”

“Your face begs to differ.”

I nudged her with my elbow. “Shut it.”

She slung an arm over my shoulder. “So, am I invited to this shindig at Holm Pack?”

“Actually, you are, and so are The Elites.” I took a flight of stairs toward The Elites’ quarters. “I’m going to invite them now.”

“And Jasper?” Bramble asked. “How are things with him officially being in the mix?”

I hadn’t mentioned Jasper in my story to Anna. I hadn’t wanted her asking questions about it with Bramble there because the whole blood witch thing might have come up, and I didn’t want Anna forbidding me from taking the witch up on her deal to save Jasper.

“Cora?” Bramble prompted again.

“He vanished. He actually got to me before Rune, and he vanished before he could save me. He’s been gone for hours, and if he isn’t back by tonight, I’m going back to Shady Lane.”

Bramble lifted her chin. “Then I’m coming with you.”

“I was hoping you’d say that.”

“Doh!”

We turned onto the corridor that housed The Elites, and my stomach trembled as I approached their door. The last time I’d been here, Sloane had pinned me to the wall and tried to bite me. We’d cleared shit up via text, but I wasn’t sure how she’d react to seeing me.

Maybe this was a bad idea?

Maybe I needed to stay away?

But we worked together, and I wanted to be around her, even if it was for short periods of time. A shindig was a good way to do that. The place would be crawling with other people to defuse the tension between us.

Plus, she had bagged blood now, so she’d be good.

And yes, I was doing a fabulous job of convincing myself.

I knocked on the door, and a moment later Poppy answered, looking harassed. Or maybe upset. Yeah, she looked more upset.

“Poppy?”

“Who is it?” Jessie called out.

Poppy looked over her shoulder. “Cora and Bramble.”

“Tell them to go away.”

“Um, Jessie, they can hear you.”

The sound of violent retching drifted out to greet us.

“Fuck,” Jessie said.

“You need to go.” Poppy tried to close the door on me, but I slammed my palm against wood and shoved.

“What’s going on? Is that Sloane being sick?”

Jessie appeared behind Poppy. Her dark curls were pulled back and her eyes looked much too big in her pale face. “Just get in and shut the damn door.”

We hurried inside and Poppy closed the door behind us. More retching drifted out from Sloane’s room.

“What’s wrong with her?” Bramble asked. “Is she sick?”

“You could say that,” Jessie said. “She can’t take the bagged blood. She just throws it back up. She hasn’t been able to keep any down.”

Oh, shit. “What do we do?”

“I did some research last night.” Poppy twirled a tendril of pink hair around her finger, unraveled it, then twirled it again. “There have been a handful of cases of vamps who can’t feed unless it’s from the vein. The blood has to be fresh from the source.”

I looked from Sloane’s room back to Jessie. “You sure about this?”

“It’s the only thing that makes sense,” Poppy said. “But she refuses to feed like that. We tried to get her to…” Poppy looked to Jessie.

“She won’t feed from us. She says she’d rather die than feed off anyone. Her fucking willpower is gonna get her killed.”

Yeah, that sounded like Sloane.

But there was a solution to this. “Then there’s only one thing to do.”

“What?” Jessie asked.

I adjusted my collar to expose my neck. “Make her an offer she can’t refuse.”