Page 24 of Warrior Witch
“We hit a snag during recon and had to detour to this place called Spells Hollow. You heard of it? It’s a middle of nowhere ghost town that feels like there’s magic in the ground. Everything is on track, and the job will go off without a hitch.”
“Heading to bumfuck nowhere with your mark instead of putting a bullet in her brain sounds like a pretty big fucking hitch to me.”
I rolled my eyes at his dramatics. “Either way, dead is dead, and it’s going to happen. I’ll call you when it’s done.”
“I expect a postcard with her corpse on the front within the next week.”
I snorted. “I doubt that will make it through the mail, but I’ll see what I can do.”
Kevin grunted, clearly missing the sarcasm in my voice. “Just get it done. You have one week before I call for your patch for betraying the club.” The call disconnected before I could curse him out for abusing his power as president. Fuck. How did this all go so sideways?
“Whatcha doing?”
I spun to find Harlow watching me with hard eyes. Her long body stretched out in a lean against the cliff face with her arms crossed tightly across her chest. My heart kicked at the sight of her, even as my stomach dropped at how much she could have heard.
“Because it kinda seems like you might have been going back on our deal. Were you betraying me, Bruin?”
The best defense was always a good offense, and my cock was well on board as I stepped into her body, crowding her against the cliff face.
“Nothing’s changed with our deal, Sparky. You have nothing to worry about.”
Her hands rested on my chest, and the electricity dancing over the tips of her fingers prickled my skin through my shirt and sent zaps of lust straight to my balls. This attraction I had was wild. She was a fighter. A warrior. I liked that too damn much. Especially since it was that quality that had gotten her into this mess in the first place.
Sliding my thigh between her legs, I dropped my lips to her ear.
“If you’re up for some side benefits while we’re alone down here, I won’t say no.” I squeezed her hip, closing my eyes to drink in the small sound she made in response to my teasing. “It would feel so good.”
She shivered as I ran my nose up her neck, breathing in her scent. My body tightened, eager to get her beneath me as I slowly ran my hands up her sides.
“What are you doing to me?” she whispered, her lips a breath away from my own.
“Anything you want me to.” I should have been concerned by how much I meant the statement, but I was preoccupied by how well her body fit against mine. How her soft curves perfectly contrasted against my hard muscles.
“How about…”
I leaned in closer, ready to fulfill any fantasy she had. Hell, all of them. In alphabetical order. All the way from vanilla to kink.
The dreamy look dropped from her face.
“How about you stop plotting my murder behind my back and keep out of my way?”
With a strong shove, she slipped her body out from beneath mine and stormed back toward the entrance to the catacombs.
August 27th, 1654
Mother has predicted a blood moon in the skies tonight, which means I’ll shortly be leaving my old life behind me. By sunrise tomorrow, I’ll be the high priestess of Spells Hollow.
The townspeople are giddy for tonight’s ceremony. I’ve never seen them this way outside of our seasonal celebrations, nor had this much wine available since the summer solstice. But Mother insists this is a time for merriment.
My nerves say otherwise. After all, Spells Hollow is a truly special coven.
Before Mother became high priestess, it was my grandmother who founded our little town. Unwilling to deny her magic and live in fear of persecution, she fled France with her newborn daughter. She used to say this land called to her like a siren, and so she built her home here, adopting the name Nightshade.
More witches joined her over the years. Powerful families from all over England, Ireland, and Spain who felt unsafe in their homes. They all were welcomed by my grandmother. Even humans settled with them, part of the secret and protection of the new coven. All led by my family.
As the first of the Nightshade line to be born in Spells Hollow since the founding of the town, expectations are high. My connection to this land is the strongest in the coven. They truly believe I will lead us into a new era of light.
I fear they have misplaced their faith.