Page 98 of Eyes of the Grave
She blinked at me. “What?”
“Run!” I tugged hard on her arm, but she wouldn’t move.
“I can’t. She’s got—”
“Whoever it is, I will help you get them back. I will help you set them free. But I can’t do anything with this cuff on my wrist. We have to run!”
Poppet’s face twisted in confusion and she ran. Together we leapt through the brush and back into the trees. But her hesitation was enough. A bolt of green energy struck me in the shoulder, and I went tumbling to the ground.
“Rebekah!” Poppet cried out and rushed to my side.
A white wolf burst from the trees and slammed into her chest knocking her to the ground. He pinned her beneath him on the ground, and a snarl ripped from his chest.
“Jack, no! Stop!” I shouted, throwing my hand out in his direction. The intent was to split them up with a burst of telekinetic energy, but instead pain radiated down into my ribcage and I cringed, curling into a ball. Foreign energy rippled from the cuff and burned like poison in my veins. “Don’t hurt her. She’s—she’s my sister!”
The wolf broke off half snarl, and then pulled away from Poppet. Two more wolves appeared in the brush, and he crossed to my side. I lifted a shaking hand to his nose, and he dipped his head under my palm.His fur felt wet from the rain, but warm to the touch. A welcome sensation I wanted to dive into headfirst.
Stepping closer, he nudged my shoulder with his nose and huffed.
“I’m okay,” I said. “We’ve gotta get—”
Another green bolt cut through the trees and exploded in Jackson’s side. His body flew sideways, rolling over twice and slamming into a tree. He dropped to the ground and twitched.
“No! Jack!” My heart stopped, and a loud clanging bell rang in my ears. Jackson shook out his fur and hopped to his feet with a bark. His fur glowed with unnatural light and a green spider web of energy leapt back and forth across his flank.
Esme stepped from the trees. The rain had yet to touch her coat. She looked as fresh as she had the moment she appeared. “Stay down, wolf.”
Fury thundered through every inch of my body. I’d kill her for hurting Jackson. I’d tear her limb from limb. I’d kill her for hurting Poppet. I’d do whatever it took to set my sister free, keep my husband alive. They were my family, and she was evil. No ifs, ands, or buts about it. Evil to the core. I’d kill her. I just needed magic.
Closing my eyes, I reached for the power hiding at the core of my soul. I couldn’t feel it, but I let my mind spiral down deeper and deeper into the abyss. I reached my fingers out into the darkness and prayed I’d find the well.
“Poppet, my darling. I’m surprised you ran. What do you think Bixby will say when she finds out you chose your birth sister over her?”
Poppet hissed. “Shut your mouth, you evil lying bitch. I will set Bixby free. I’ll set them all free before I’m done. I swear it. You won’t win. I won’t let it happen.”
There was a crack and Esme chuckled. “You can’t even free yourself. You are mine. Your soul is mine. You belong to me!”
Jackson growled, and I heard the scrape of his claws against the ground in a slow truncated rhythm. A rhythm I’d heard before. It was a quiet way to signal his pack as they slipped back into the brush. I could feel them circling, jockeying for the best position to attack. Their heat signatures danced like sparks on my internal radar. The rain had masked their approach, but just beneath the scent of the wet forest, was wet dog, and the witch’s rotten eggs.
Esme sighed. “You must be the canine husband. It’ll be a shame to lose a pack Alpha. I could get some good use out of you. But such is life, I suppose.”
Alpha? Jack wasn’t a—My mind hit a string of power deep inside my chest. I wrapped my hands around it and tugged with all my might. I tugged and tugged until the cuff started to rattle on my wrist, heating up from the inside out.
I glared at Esme, and snarled, “Leave them alone.”
“So that is how she caught you,” she said smiling. “A Tartarus Cuff. How novel.”
I glanced past her and saw my sister still sprawled on the ground. She groaned, and I felt her presence resurface in the back of my mind.Rebekah, run. Please. Just go. Get out of here. I’m so sorry. Sorry for everything. Forgive me.
I’m not leaving you, I thought back at her.
The cuff on my wrist rattled harder and I willed power through our bond, causing hers to glow. I wasn’t going to let this bitch get away with hurting her. I wasn’t leaving without my sister.
“Oh, I’m going to enjoy this.” Esme turned to Poppet, smiling, and pulled a small silver bell from her pocket. She shook it once and the world fell silent, save for a soft tinkling sound. Like a light rain showering against stained glass. Poppet’s body jerked and sparked with green energy, her skin turning pale.
“Please, don’t do this,” she whimpered.
Esme’s smile only grew. “Use the bond and drain her power. Take it all. Kill her.”