18. Chapter 18
18
Chapter 18
Bronwen
Our spot.
The pond had become our spot. We didn’t need a spot. Even the thought of it made my irritation grow, which was already boiling under the surface at the thought of going to Bodaira. Crawling with witches.
Crawling with judgment.
Something I didn’t want August to see. He didn’t even know my family’s station. He didn’t need to know. I could only hope we wouldn’t be approached. Though I was sure I wasn’t someone they would want to approach if they could avoid it.
The pond looked different in the daylight. The light filtered through the trees, casting dappled patterns over the surface of the water. The once mysterious, shimmering pool now appeared shallow and ordinary. I had never bothered stopping here before considering I’d rather die than step foot into it. Or any body of water for that matter. The thought made my skin crawl .
I should add that to my ongoing list of things August can’t know. I cannot swim. And I’m sure that would make him even more enticed to push me in.
The crunching of leaves behind me had me turning around in a hurry. August stood closer than I would have preferred, his head tilted to the side—that odd thing he always seemed to do—and studied me.
“What?” I bit out.
He let out a breath. “So much better than the state you were in yesterday.”
He wasn’t wrong, though him acknowledging it made me clench my jaw. My dress was a deep brown with sleeves that flared at the elbows into a flowing mess to match the bottom. I am sure he didn’t notice that considering the way his eyes stalled at my chest.
Looks like that from men never bothered me. In fact, I welcomed them. Knowing I had a way to fluster them. To take control. But this time, heat rose in my chest. What am I doing?
I had to take his attention away from my body. I didn’t like what I was feeling right now.
“How are we going to get to Bodaira considering you’re afraid of horses?” I asked.
That brought his eyes back to mine. He let out a gasp and looked as if I had said the most offensive thing to him. “I am not afraid of horses. They are afraid of me.”
“You say that.”
He studied me for a moment, and something came across his face that he didn’t say.
“You could do that magic thing you did on the night we met. ”
“What are you talking about?” That night had been so long ago, and I didn’t remember every detail considering I almost died.
“Well, you just disappeared. Did you not take yourself somewhere else?”
“I—I did.” The night flashed before my eyes. Before I could set him ablaze, he left. I looked everywhere, and he was nowhere to be found. “But I thought you left.”
A smile formed on his full lips. “You’d be surprised all of the times I’ve been there and you just didn’t know it.”
He didn’t just leave me to die, he hid. He managed to hide and restrict himself from feeding on me. I was an easy target—in the most vulnerable state I had ever been in—and he didn’t kill me.
My mind was racing, which caught his attention as his eyes narrowed.
Don’t let him catch you vulnerable again, Bronwen.
“I’ve never done it with another person. I don’t know if I could.”
A smile swept across his face once more. “Okay, we will do it my way then.”
“What—” Before I could finish my sentence, he swooped me into his arms. “August—” The air left my lungs, and the world flew by in a blur. I gripped tightly onto him, too afraid to make him stop. If I fought back, would he drop me? What would it feel like to hit the ground at such a speed? I didn’t want to know.
The wind lashed at my face, sharp and cold, making it hard to catch my breath. The trees blurred into streaks of green and brown, their forms twisting and stretching as we moved at an impossible speed. My heart pounded in my chest, each beat a frantic echo in my ears. Trying to focus on anything other than the suffocating velocity made my stomach churn, so I squeezed my eyes shut and buried my face into his chest.
Finally, the rush slowed. The wind softened, and the air I inhaled no longer burned my throat. I dared to open my eyes and found August staring down at me, amusement dancing in his expression. My arms were locked tightly around his neck, my chest pressed to his in a way that made heat rise to my cheeks. I couldn’t decide if it was the adrenaline or sheer embarrassment.
His hands, one firmly supporting my back and the other gripping beneath my legs, felt too steady. Too comfortable where they were. I swallowed hard and glanced around, realizing with a jolt that the vibrant blues and greens of Bodaira’s coastal buildings were ahead of us.
How did we get here so quickly? I knew he was fast . . . but that fast ? It couldn’t have been more than a minute that I clung to him like my life depended on it. Or did time not feel the same when he moved?
“Put me down,” I muttered, loosening my arms from around his neck.
He rolled his shoulders as if my grip had caused him discomfort. “But you seem so comfortable, Winnie.”
I ignored him and pressed my palms against his chest to push away, but the moment my hands made contact, I froze. The raw magic beneath his skin thrummed in time with his heartbeat, strong and alluring. It pulsed under my fingertips, intoxicating in its sheer power. My breath hitched.
“Do you like what you feel?” he asked, his voice low and taunting.
His remark snapped me back to reality, and I wrenched myself free from his grip, nearly stumbling in the process. I smoothed my dress with trembling hands before running my fingers through the tangles in my hair, desperate to reclaim some semblance of composure.
“Do not do that again,” I said firmly, though my voice betrayed a slight tremor.
“Were you scared, Winnie?” he asked, his smirk widening as his eyes gleamed with mischief.
I narrowed my eyes, trying to mask the warmth creeping up my neck. “Of course not,” I said quickly, too quickly. “It was just . . . I didn’t like that.”
August chuckled softly, his lips curling into a grin that only deepened my embarrassment. “Didn’t like it? Or didn’t like that you had to hold on to me?” His voice was low, teasing, and the glint in his eyes made it clear he was enjoying my discomfort far too much.
I crossed my arms as I tried to focus on the town behind him. “Can we just go?”
His playful expression shifted slightly, a flicker of something more serious crossing his face as he glanced at the path ahead. “We’ll need to walk from here. The next spot is further along the coast.”
The streets of Bodaira weren’t bustling, but there were still enough people milling about—merchants pulling carts, fishermen hauling nets, children running barefoot near the edge of town. Their curious glances trailed us as we moved past, and I adjusted the sleeves of my dress, straightening them as I kept my head high.
The farther we walked, the quieter the town became. Cobblestones gave way to uneven dirt and pebble paths, and the hum of voices faded beneath the rhythmic crash of the waves. Each step felt heavier, the path narrowing and twisting as the ocean loomed closer.
“Have you ever killed?” August’s question came abruptly, breaking the tension of the silence as we walked along the uneven path.
“Are you kidding? You’ve watched me kill two vampires.”
He shook his head. “Vampires are already dead. You can’t kill what’s already dead, Winnie. I mean have you killed the living?”
“A human?”
He nodded.
The crunch of pebbles beneath our feet echoed louder than it should have, as though the land itself was listening. The faint cries of gulls overhead seemed distant and eerie, and the occasional gust of wind whispered through the jagged rocks that lined the path.
“No.”
“Would you?”
“If it was necessary.”
The words left my mouth without hesitation, but the moment they hung in the air, a shiver ran down my spine. Would I really? What would it take for it to feel necessary? My hands instinctively clenched, and I wondered if August could see through my response as easily as he seemed to see through everything else.
He seemed rather satisfied with my answer, which gave me more unease. His faint smirk carried something darker, something unspoken, and I couldn’t help but feel like I had just failed a test I didn’t know I was taking.
“Here we are.”
I glanced around at the beach where we had stopped. Gray rocks lined the dunes, flowing into pebbles that gave way to the sand beneath our feet. The waves crashed furiously, each one a warning not to get too close. The air here felt colder, harsher, and the relentless roar of the sea drowned out any lingering thoughts.
On the other side of Joveryn, you could spend hours in the water, swimming and playing without any fears. Boats were free to travel to the other human kingdoms without worry of storms above or anything below to put them in danger. The sun always seemed to shine, and the waves were calm.
But here, on the northeastern side of the kingdom, we were met with nothing but unforgiving waters and certain death.
And it was all from pure magic.
“The bridge was here?” I asked.
“Yes.”
I walked along the edge of the water, careful to keep my feet just out of the waves’ reach. There was nothing to hint at the past, though I didn’t expect there to be. Any piece of a man-made structure had been consumed by the waters long ago. The crashing waves seemed to mock my search, their endless movement a reminder of time’s erasure.
“This was a waste.” I threw my hands up as I turned to walk away, the frustration bubbling in my chest like a storm waiting to break.
“Wait—” August placed his hand on my arm but I quickly snatched it away as I turned back to him. “You’re just looking. You need to feel.”
“Feel?” That has got to be the dumbest thing he’s ever said. “Shall I grab a handful of sand?” I scoffed as I turned once again to walk away.
In a blur, he was in front of me. “You’re a witch. A big spell happened here. So big it caused the earth to shift and the tides to change. Gods, an entire species was created from it! There has to be something left you can feel. Close your eyes. It’s always connected.”
I let out a breath and humored him, squeezing my eyes shut, though I had never heard of this before.
“Now clear your mind, take in the smells, the sounds beyond the crashing waves and distant thunder. Find the things that a human wouldn’t notice because they are not gifted.”
Gifted.
I bit my tongue at that, but I still did what he said. I slowed my breath, ignored the various sounds of nature and truly listened.
A tapping noise formed, rhythmic beats three on, silence; and three once more. It sounded almost like the tapping of one’s fingers on a table. With the sound came a pull within me. A tug from my deepest self, the part bound in magic and formed by the gods themselves.
My eyes shot open to August, who stood in front of me carefully studying me. I turned to listen for the sound and feel for the pull I locked into only for it to grow fainter with my movement.
I turned back, and it all became stronger once more.
It was August. The sound, the feeling. The incessant creature I couldn’t get rid of standing only a foot in front of me.
“You are going to have to back up.”
He tilted his head.
“The only thing I can sense is the magic in you begging to be pulled out.”
He opened his mouth to say something but quickly stopped himself—unable to hide the smile that formed—and took several steps back.
I closed my eyes again and tried once more.
I still heard August’s magic, but much fainter now. Turning my head to listen in another direction, I drowned out his sound and calmed myself.
It was different this time. Gone was tapping and now it was replaced with a low hum. Almost like a fly buzzing around your ear on a hot summer day. But there were no flies this time of year.
My eyes shot open, and I turned towards the sound. The humming grew louder with each step I took. Carrying me to a small gate that surrounded a rather overgrown area. I looked around trying to pinpoint the sound only to see small pieces of gray stone sticking out every few feet. The noise came from past what I could see so I lifted the latch rusted from the salt air and pushed the gate forward, its hinges fighting against me and creaking as if it hadn’t been opened in years.
As I stepped in, I could feel August, his own type of magic tapping closely behind me. Gods I’d hoped I wouldn’t hear this every time I was around him now.
I kept walking until a small stoned building stood before me. But it wasn’t just a building. It was a crypt. I glanced around at the stones overtaken by dying weeds I had dismissed. They were headstones of graves. Graves that I could only imagine how old they were.
“Whatever it is, it’s in there,” I said, pointing toward the large moss-covered stone door. The door loomed before us, ancient and imposing. Dark moss crept along its edges, and the stone was marked with age. The air around it felt heavier, tinged with a faint metallic tang that made the hairs on my arms rise.
A rusted lock hung from a bolted piece of metal, oddly out of place against the weathered stone—as if it had been guarding secrets for centuries.
August stepped forward and placed his hand on the lock. The moment his fingers made contact, he hissed and yanked his hand back. Red welts bloomed across his fingertips, and his jaw tightened.
“What happened?” I asked, my voice sharper than intended.
“It’s been spelled to keep vampires out,” he said through gritted teeth. “I can’t break the lock. I can’t even touch it. You have to do it.”
I hesitated but placed my hand on the lock, bracing for the same burning pain. Instead, all I felt was cold, rusted metal. I frowned. While magic had lashed out at August, I couldn’t sense any lingering power in the lock. It felt mundane, inert. I tugged on it, but it held firm, the chain rattling mockingly.
I glanced between August and the lock before quickly grabbing his arm. The heat of his magic hummed beneath my fingertips as I quickly pulled a small amount. He yanked his arm away with a sharp growl.
“Fuck, Winnie.” His voice was low and taut, a mix of irritation and something else I couldn’t place. The brown eyes that met mine were narrowed in suspicion, as if he was studying a puzzle he couldn’t quite solve. But I didn’t let him linger long on the thought.
The stolen magic surged through me, potent and vibrant, and I channeled it into the lock. A faint crackling sound echoed before the lock turned to dust, its remnants falling to the ground.
I glanced back at August, expecting him to step forward, but he was watching me intently, his gaze heavy.
“What?” I snapped.
He tilted his head. “Why did you do that?”
“What do you mean? You wanted me to open the lock, and I did.”
“No,” he said, his voice quieter now, edged with something unreadable. “I mean why did you do that to me?”
I opened my mouth, but the words caught in my throat. His gaze pinned me in place, his eyes probing for something I couldn’t let him find. He didn’t know I couldn’t use magic without a source, and I couldn’t afford for him to figure it out.
“It’s more fun that way,” I said with a forced smirk, masking my unease with a casual shrug. Before he could press further, I turned to the door and pushed against it, but it refused to budge. I shoved harder, my pride warring with the reality that I wasn’t strong enough to do this alone.
I turned back to August, ready to ask for his help, but his expression had shifted. The suspicion in his eyes had softened, replaced by a smile that made my stomach tighten.
Before I could speak, he was suddenly in front of me, his movements too quick for me to register. He pinned me against the stone door, his hands braced on either side of my head. The cold stone at my back only amplified the heat of his presence, his closeness overwhelming.
I clenched my jaw as August leaned closer, his smirk dripping with the same smugness that made my blood boil. He always had that look—like he knew something I didn’t. Like he enjoyed keeping me on edge. And I hated how much it worked.
“Winnie needs me,” he teased, his voice low, his tone maddeningly self-assured. He lowered his head until his face was close enough that I could feel his breath on my lips. My heart raced, and heat coiled low in my belly, betraying me. His dark eyes bore into mine, and for a moment, the world around us seemed to shrink, leaving only him.
“Stop calling me that,” I said, quieter than I meant to.
His grin widened. “What should I call you then? Something softer?” He moved his lips to my ear. “Sweeter?”
Before I could respond, the stone door began to tremble, and I nearly stumbled as it shifted behind me. August stepped back, his hands falling to his sides, though his gaze never left mine.
The door had moved effortlessly for him, the weight of the ancient stone no match for his strength. I quickly turned as I felt the heat rise to my cheeks on my betraying body.