Chapter 11 - Adalyn
I hadn’t had any nightmares since we had gone underground. I told myself it was because I was back-soaked in my brethren’s power and energy, chasing my uneasiness away.
The other possibility terrified me.
That was because my dreams pulled me closer to Zephyr, but now he was there, sharing space and a bed. Or at least he had . It had been three days since he had told me he wanted every witch dead alongside demons. Ever since, we hadn’t spoken a single word to one another.
We existed in an icy, awful silence. We avoided each other, cooked separately, and when he disappeared into the other room, I never tried to intrude even though I wanted to sit in there, too, and read the words I had seen on the wall.
I hated that he was immersing himself in my history. I wanted to ask him how much of my ancient language he knew but couldn’t bring myself to. I didn’t want to know how much of my world Zephyr had learned, only knowing it was to outsmart my kind.
I had just hung up on a video call with my grandmother, while also making sure Harper was safe—her and Alex had hunkered down with my grandmother and the triplets in a safe house hidden in the mountains—when I heard Zephyr’s voice.
“Just tell me how big the threat is so I know when I’m getting back above ground,” he snapped. I heard Hector’s voice on the other end, crackling but audible.
“Demons are spreading across town. Alex has been dispatching us every few hours to take down some groups that are near us.”
“I haven’t been notified to do that.”
“That’s because big hoards of demons aren’t going anywhere near where you are. They come near, interested, but leave almost immediately.”
I cringed, hoping he wouldn’t come looking for answers.
I knew the demons didn’t frequent this place due to the sanctuary. Once or twice, a demon had gotten brave, coming up from the waterfall’s pool outside, or lurking in the trees, but the witch energy was too strong to allow them bigger entry to pose a threat.
Of course, he wasn’t enjoying his time down here with me. He wanted to be as far away from me as possible. He wasn’t the only one who hated this situation. I was already carrying the weight of shame of bringing him into a sacred place for witches.
I twisted my arm, looking at the bruises he’d landed on my wrists, knowing there were more on my throat, hips, and thighs, evidence of our rough night—bruises that I had craved so much at the time, but now I felt uneasy looking at them. He had completely shut me out afterward.
Zephyr had withdrawn, pulled away, and flat-out ignored me. Hearing his voice talking to his group was the most I heard his voice since he had talked to me after we’d slept together. Other than that, it was one coffee cup set out in the morning, one meal made for himself, a host of passive-aggressive behavior that made it clear we were not forming anything civil between us.
And the sex…
It curled my stomach—I didn’t know whether it was desire or hatred. I couldn’t believe I had gone through with it. That kiss at the party… It had sparked something, and now I didn’t like how much I craved those eyes on me.
Look at me in anger, I thought. Look at me in pure hatred, but please just look at me again. But why did I want that now? I had spent so long hating Zephyr and still did, so why did I suddenly crave him?
I didn’t know if I wanted his body pressed to mine once again or if I wanted him as far away from me as we could manage.
One thing I knew for sure was that his knowing the witch’s origins sat uncomfortably. Those stories were usually only shared for witch’s mates.
I sighed, sliding from the bed. Zephyr had been working his way through the containers stocked in the fridge. What should have done a group of five witches a week of hiding out had lasted three days with him. A shifter’s appetite was no joke, I realized. It meant one of us would have to go aboveground soon to buy more food.
“Zeph, just be patient,” I heard Hector say over the phone.
“We’re here to fight ,” came his responding growl.
“No, we were here to vacation. Now, we’re here to help . Sometimes, that doesn’t mean fighting all the time. I know you like action, but know when to stay safe and guard those you’re with.”
“According to her, she doesn’t need guarding,” he muttered. “She’s stubborn, Hec.”
“Suck it up, big guy.” I heard a female’s voice in the background, giggling.
“Who’s that?” Zephyr asked, laughing, and it sounded odd to hear that complete shift in his voice, from rough demanding to gentler teasing of his friend.
“Nobody,” Hector answered. “Bye.”
The line went dead, and Zephyr’s sigh echoed through the cavern.
Silently, I padded from the bed, scooping up my discarded clothes from that very first night. I tossed them aside in a pile, cringing at my torn panties.
Where is that Zephyr?
And then I quickly convinced myself I didn’t care where that version of him was now. Either way, I was stuck with the version of him that didn’t care about me.
And you don’t care about him , I reminded myself. Especially when he purposefully antagonizes you . Remember who he is, Adalyn. He is a killer. He admitted it himself; all he knows how to do is fight and kill.
I needed submersion in the pool, right where the water’s energy was as strong as it would be in the bubbling creak of the waterfall. With the earth and water combined down here, I would strengthen my powers indefinitely, and my own waning abilities had been a pit in my stomach for days.
Since the other night with Zephyr, I hadn’t bothered to dress in any of the black sets left, comfortable one-piece short-sleeved suits, both soft and stylish. Instead, I had found one of the robes hooked on the cavern's wall and let it drape over me. I shed that now, letting it drop to the floor in a heap of silk.
Completely naked, I wandered through the archway to the pool cave, the ceiling low and the pool deep. It was big enough for ten people to comfortably bathe in it. The smell of sulfur was strong, but that had never deterred us. Regret and desire warred in my head, but I hesitated on the edge of the pool, gazing into the see-through emerald-colored pool.
“I call to the healing powers of water,” I murmured, “To cleanse my soul, ease my mind, and invigorate the magic of my brethren in my body.”
With that, I slipped into the water, and groaned at the feel of the water washing over me. It was warm, sliding over my skin, sinking into me. It was heaven, a silky embrace. It was as if the very hands of the pool reached out to me and tucked me into an embrace, welcoming me home.
I let myself go beneath the surface, my eyes open as I let my arms and legs float. I didn’t try to control my body; I simply let the water guide me.
I felt the power threading through my body, building back up.
My eyes finally slipped closed as I floated in the pool, feeling my clan's history rise through the water.
I am one of you , I thought. Just please do not cast me out for bringing a shifter into our home .
The water lapped over my skin, as if it was hungry for more of me. It was a caress I knew I had needed for weeks after pouring all my energy into shields and mapwork. The spell I had done to Zephyr in the Emporium had taken way too much, more than I could handle. Witches were supposed to submerge themselves into pools like this before using such magic. It often was not spontaneous.
I had been idiotic, desperate to show off what I could do.
Desperate to impress.
Just like when I was younger. The thought spun darkly as I cast my mind back to the days of being bullied in a normal high school. There were witch-specialized ones with classes for us—moon reading, map work, spells, energy, the elements—and then there were overcrowded Brooklyn high schools.
I had hated every moment in that city, from the overcrowded streets to the awful students I had gone to school with. Moving to Azure Cove had been the right move in the worst circumstances.
Let the water heal you , my grandmother had once instructed me. Let it take away all the bad. All the nastiness. All the doubt and worry and negativity. You are part of the most powerful witches spread across the world. We dominate the continents. Feel that power flow through you.
I smiled, humming as I floated.
Except when I opened my eyes at the noise of scuffing on stone, I found that very negative nastiness and doubt looking at me from across the pool, standing on the other side. Zephyr had been content to ignore me these past two days, but not now.
The eyes I had wanted on me before now searched my face.
“Mornin’,” he said.
I glared at him, ignoring the flush in my cheeks at finding him completely naked. Under the presence of a glare, I took note of the tattoos inked over his skin. They lined either side of a toned abdomen, his muscles rippling right down the center of his body in a way I had never considered attractive a lot, but the way Zephyr looked…
It was hard to keep my focus.
His thighs were thick with muscle, with more ink wrapping around one of them in a thorny spiral. His cock was soft, and my body stirred as if remembering how it felt in me.
Do not , I begged myself mentally, needing my thoughts as far away from the shifter as possible.
But he grinned at me languidly as if he knew where my attention had gone.
He stepped closer to the edge.
“Don’t you dare,” I warned him. “Do not dare to even think about entering this pool.”
“Why?” he asked. “Is it sacred ?”
The mockery dripped from his tongue.
“Considering you’re my enemy, you sure do love commenting on our surrounds,” I said, hoping to distract him. “Anybody else would be thinking of ways to tear it down.”
His eyes glimmered with torment. “Oh, don’t you worry your witchy head about it. I shifted yesterday and clawed through the story on your cavern wall. I didn’t understand it, so I didn’t know if it was important.”
He was nonchalant, shrugging, and fury rose up in me.
“You didn’t ,” I seethed.
“Why don’t you get out and check?” He asked, giving me a deep once-over. “Show me that ass while you’re at it.” He mockingly blew me a kiss, as if the other night truly had meant nothing to him.
“Careful,” I bit out. “You almost sound like you do have feelings about the other night.”
Zephyr glared at me. “I have no feelings, Adalyn.”
“Sure,” I said, smirking to mask the pain that was burrowing into my chest. Why did I care so much? I had convinced myself I didn’t, so why did it hurt me to know he felt nothing for me?
The gratification of my body used as a mocking thing dug into my soul sensitively.
Hey, Witch, show us your tits .
You’re a witch, but I’ll make you my bitch.
Is your pussy magic, too?
I remembered the taunts from idiots at high school as I’d gone through puberty, lashing out with power I hadn’t harnessed yet.
“Did I strike a nerve, Adalyn?” he asked, cocking his head, feigning care.
“No,” I snapped.
“Here, let me come comfort you.”
He went to get into the pool, torment glinting in his eyes.
Fine , I thought, feeling my powers gather in me. If he wants to give me unwanted memories, then I’ll see how he likes them back.