Witch Unbound by Debbie Cassidy

Chapter Nine

The basement had been converted into a workroom with vials, potions, and bookcases lined with old texts. There were a couple of strange-looking machines and a wall hung with sharp, pointy implements.

Fee had told me about the blood witch who’d held Jasper captive, about her torture devices, but there was nothing like that here, and I wasn’t sure if that made me feel less or more nervous.

Ida pulled a stool out from beneath one of the work counters. “Have a seat.”

I parked my ass as she gathered supplies. A few vials, a bowl, a knife, and some white cloth.

“How long will this take?”

“Not long.” She held out her hand. “Let’s do blood first.”

I laid my hand on her palm and she drew the blade across it, leaving an icy numbness in its wake that erupted into fire a moment later.

She pushed the bowl under my hand. “Squeeze, please.”

I obliged. Blood dripped for a moment, then stopped.

“Harder.”

I squeezed. “I am.”

She turned my hand over to reveal a bloody, unmarred palm.

I’d healed.

She arched a brow at me. “Something I should know about?”

I shrugged one shoulder. “I’ve been going through some changes.”

“We’ll have to cut again.”

We went through the motions three times before she had enough blood.

“Now for pain,” she said with a slight smile.

Sadistic much. “Fabulous.” I grinned brightly at her and took a moment to block my connection to the guys. The last thing I wanted to do was freak them out.

“Ready?” Ida asked.

“What’re you going to do? Poke me with your pointy implements?” My gaze flew to the wall lined with sharp things.

“No need for that.” She rubbed her hands on her thighs and then handed me the white cloth.

I took it. “What’s this for?”

“Nosebleeds and drool.”

“Huh?”

She pressed her fingers to my temple so hard they dug in.

“Ouch.” I glared at her.

She looked amused. “Seriously?”

“Just do whatever it is you—”

Knives sliced into my head. Fire erupted in my blood. Coherent thought shut down and a scream tore from my throat as agony claimed my body. Every synapse, every nerve ending blazed. I tried to jerk free of Ida’s grip, but her fingers were blades pressed into my brain, and every movement sliced and cut, tearing more screams from my raw throat.

Then the pain winked out.

Over.

Done.

I sagged, twisting to the side to lean against the counter. Crimson dripped onto light wood. The connections between me and the guys thrummed as the block I’d placed disintegrated. Thank God it had held through that.

I reached up to touch my nose and my hand came away bloody. I guess the cloth was gonna come in handy after all. I pressed the fabric to my face and glared up at Ida through tears.

“You did good,” Ida said. “Most people pass out.”

She stuck a cork in a vial that contained something black and writhing.

I stared at the live thing. “What is that?”

“Pain.” She held it up. “Pure, unadulterated pain. Pretty powerful.”

The thing inside looked like a fat slug. It morphed from solid to smoke and back again, sliding against the glass and twisting as if desperate to be free.

I wiped my eyes with the sleeves of my top.

“Now for the next bit,” she said.

“Ah, the enjoyable part.” I wiped at my nose again and then tilted my face up for her examination. “Did I get it all?”

She studied me for a long beat. “Yeah. You ready?”

“As I’ll ever be.”

She pressed the tips of her fingers to my temples again and I couldn’t help but flinch.

“It’s okay,” she said. “Relax.”

I exhaled and closed my eyes.

“Now I need you to summon a sexual memory.”

Shit, the last time I’d had penetrative sex was with Jasper many months ago. “Does it matter if it’s not penetrative sex?”

“Not as long as you climaxed. I need that climax.”

This was gonna be weird, but whatever. I needed to get to the abyss, and I couldn’t do that unless I gave Ida what she wanted.

Tor came to mind. That delicious time in the bathroom with his cock sliding against me as I straddled him. God, it had been hot, and I’d been so wet. My body tightened at the memory, breath coming faster as his voice filled my head and sensory memory took over. The scent and feel of him beneath me filled my mind. I clung to that memory, riding it until my body was trembling and my clit throbbing.

“More,” Ida demanded.

My mind flipped to Leif’s mouth on my intimate place, his tongue lapping at my heat, then straight on to Rune and his cock pushing into me in our almost moment. My stomach flipped hard with desperate need. My thoughts finally skipped to Sloane’s fingers inside me, hitting my G-spot, thumb circling my clit until…

I cried out as heat bloomed between my thighs and shockwaves rippled across my lower belly and pelvis.

Ida stepped away, licking her lips, her eyes dark and bright as she looked into mine. “Good. That was…good.”

I looked away, needing a moment and probably some fresh panties too. “Are we done now?” I sounded breathless, probably because my heart was pounding like I’d run a sexathon.

“Yes.” Ida smiled tightly. “We’re done.”

I stood and shoved the stool back under the counter while she stuck a stopper in another vial, this one containing red mist. “Now it’s your turn. Get me into the abyss.”

She placed the vials in a cabinet across the room. “Are you sure you want to do this?” She turned to face me. “I’ve only ever done this spell once, and the person who went through didn’t make it back.”

Ice trickled through my veins. “I don’t have a choice.”

“You do have a choice, Cora. You chose to come here, after all. Look, I don’t care either way. I got what I wanted, but you’re a friend of Lauris, and you happen to be this anchor thing. Not sure of the deets, but I know you’re vital to the survival of humanity, so…I’ll ask again. Are you sure you want to do this?”

Fuck. I’d taken a risk by going after Jasper in Alaska and the Sons of Adam had drained me. I’d been lucky that Loke had given me a second chance at life, but here I was again, about to take another risk.

Could I justify this? What if I couldn’t make it back? What then?

“What about an anchor for her?” Lauris said from the stairway.

Ida looked across at him, unsurprised to see him there. “I guess we could do that.”

Seriously? “If that was an option, why didn’t you mention it?”

She smirked. “I wanted to see how determined you were. Level of determination can make a huge difference to possibility of success, or so I’ve heard.”

Bramble appeared behind Lauris, her wide eyes on me. “You okay?”

I nodded.

Ida rolled up her sleeves. “So, who’ll be Cora’s anchor?”

“I will,” Bramble and Lauris said at the same time.

“Fuck it, you both can,” Ida said. “Less chance of one of you getting yanked in after her.”

Wait. “That’s a possibility?”

“Honey, when it comes to the abyss, anything is possible.” She strode across the room to a door I hadn’t noticed and shoved it open. “We’ll do the spell in here, to prevent you from bringing anything undesirable back with you.”

It hit me how dangerous what we were about to do was, but it didn’t deter me. Jasper was in danger, and I was going after him regardless.

I just hoped I hadn’t left it too late.