Chapter 4 #3
Lottie’s cheeks turned pink with embarrassment.
She wasn't sure what to think about this because he hadn't acted like he'd had any interest before, and now that he did, it was in public.
Moe wouldn't let her forget this anytime soon.
She'd heard a lot about Moe, and she'd seen enough to know most of it was true.
They got back to sparring, and she showed him a few moves and worked with him because it was better than fighting an opponent who needed so much to learn.
“It's time to switch. Darren can work with the girls, and they can spar against each other.” Moe announced. “Try not to hurt me too much.”
Lottie wished she were good enough to kick her ass.
That would help her get over her embarrassment.
Unfortunately, Moe quickly took her down a couple of times and then began showing her how to avoid it again.
She could fight, but she was nowhere near as good as Moe.
As a youngster, she had been taught self-defense without offense.
Her parents had never been able to see a situation in which she'd have to know how to fight, especially since she had magic as a backup.
Relying too much on magic wasn't a good idea since the last time it had drained her, and if any more guys had come after her, she would not have been able to use her magic to protect anyone.
While it was true that fighting could also drain you, it didn't take nearly as much out of her as magic did.
Without her backup artifact, she wouldn't have been able to last as long as she did.
Right now, she was putting as much magic into her artifact every evening as she possibly could.
Learning to fight better would help, but she also needed to find a way to pull in more magical energy to replace what she might use.
A willing person could be used like a battery, but wolves in general weren't willing because they were too nervous of magic, and Darren was even worse than a wolf.
He didn't understand how things worked, or, in a bad situation with no other way to defend, she thought he might agree.
At some point, he needed to learn more about magic, but she didn't think she knew enough to teach him.
That was something Harry would come in handy for, but Harry was so busy that she didn't know when she'd find the time.
They were done with their lessons for the day, and now all she would have on the way home was time to think about that kiss.
Why had he done it? There was no doubt that this was not the best place to do something like that.
Was it because he was interested in her, or had it been some kind of punishment for her knocking him down?
Maybe he'd even thought of it as a joke?
She might never know because there was no way she was going to ask.
When they got back, the girls, as was their habit, ran in to share their excitement and tell her all about their lessons.
Flo always had a snack waiting for them.
Often, they started with cheese and crackers, then moved to some kind of sweets.
Today, the sweets were cookies. There were butter cookies and oatmeal raisin cookies.
They were all hungry, so it was good that the platters were piled up high.
Adele had whispered something in Flo’s ear, and she turned to look at them sharply.
“Somebody’s been kissing, and Adele’s telling,” Flo commented.
Lottie felt her cheeks heat again. She looked at Darren, letting him answer.
“It was nothing,” he said.
Now she understood that it was just a joke.
That was good to know. She was glad that Flo dropped the subject, and they continued until they finished their snack.
The girls went to the living room to do schoolwork; Darren went to his room, presumably to do his work; and she got on her computer, taking the time to assist the girls whenever needed.
There hadn’t been any attacks in two weeks.
She was almost starting to relax when all hell broke loose.
Several men had come onto the property and were working their way toward the house.
They weren't the biggest danger because a witch suddenly appeared in the living room.
Lottie had on an artifact that had some protection, and when the witch sent a spell her way, it bounced back and knocked her on her ass.
The girls had been trained in what to do, so they took off and went somewhere they could hide. Lottie sent a spell toward the witch that restrained her. The problem was when another witch appeared. She released the first witch, and then they both attacked her.
“Harry, Harry, Harry!” Lottie yelled, hoping the little witch would come in time to save her.
She wasn't sure why Harry wasn't able to make it, but the two witches restrained her and carried her away.
What a lousy day it was turning out to be.
The restraints were magical, and she wasn't strong enough to loosen them.
At least they had only restrained her wrists.
They appeared in a building, but she wasn't sure where it was.
It looked like an abandoned warehouse, but again, that could be anywhere.
At least she was sure that the girls hadn't been captured.
A male wolf appeared, and he walked around her in a circle. “What do we have here? A witch, but also a wolf. Are you an interesting kind of wolf, or do you even know?”
“She was the one who was protecting the girls that you wanted. The female gave the girls enough time to get away, but we were able to get her. He will not have an easy time finding a witch who will protect his daughters now.” One of the witches explained.
“Is she supposed to be some kind of consolation prize?”
“She was the first step in making it easier to get the little girls. I'm sure you can think of something to do with her.” The other witch remarked.
“I'll have to give that some thought, but I need those little girls, and I need them soon. One is for me, but I've already sold the other one, and the buyer is not the patient type.”
“We are sorry, Zeon. We will get them the next time.”
“I've told you before that we don't use names, Carol. You seem to be a slow learner, and I have almost used up my patience on you.”
“What does it matter what name she's heard since she will never escape?” Carol replied.
“Take her to one of the spelled cells and remove the restraints so she can take care of herself.” Zeon directed.
Lottie didn’t think things were going to get any better.
Her magic was low, her strength was almost nonexistent, and she assumed she was going to go in a cell that was spelled block magic.
She also figured the cell was not going to be anything to brag about, and she had heard that these kinds of people sometimes forgot to feed their prisoners.
When they arrived at the cell, they took off her handcuffs, and she tried to fight her way out, only to be thrown against what passed for a bed.
When she landed on it, a cloud rose from it, smelling horrific.
The mattress was stained, and the pillow looked even worse.
All she could do was hope that somehow Harry would manage to find her.
Even though there were two witches, she would bet on Harry being able to take them down and out.
She wasn't sure who Zeon was, but Harry would probably throw in taking him down for free.
Lottie leaned against the bed while sitting on the concrete floor. Damned, that was uncomfortable.
She was glad she had eaten recently and had something to drink, because she had a feeling nothing would be coming anytime soon.
Her clothes were comfortable and covered her well, but it was cold here, and she thought maybe it was because of the concrete blocks, the concrete floor, and the ceiling that made up this part of the building.
There didn't seem to be anyone else in this cell block, but that didn't mean there weren’t any more prisoners here somewhere beyond the short distance that she could see.
Lottie knew she would need more energy before she could even try to escape. It would probably be tomorrow before she would have enough of her magic back to try to test the cell and see how strong the magic blocking spell was.