Chapter Fifteen #3
What does make me smile, though, are the Witch Coffee packs beside what looks like a kettle. That’s definitely new, there’s not a fingerprint in sight.
“Eat, I’ll make you another coffee.” Letting go of my hand, Hack picks up a chocolate croissant and gives me no choice but to bite into it before leaving it in my mouth and walking away.
“Brute,” I mumble around the delicious, crumbling pastry and sit on one of the stools at the island.
He chuckles and shakes his head, but he doesn’t look away from his coffee making task.
Two chocolate croissants and a plain croissant later, I have my boots on, my coat on, and a travel mug of coffee in my hand.
I have moved to check my cell too often, realizing every time that it’s still in my trashed apartment.
Not that anyone other than Danika, Trina, or the crazy professor ever really texted me anyway.
The outside of this house is even more beautiful than the inside, with views of trees for days, the stunning lake central to four homes in total, all the greenery and nature…
absolutely not where I imagined demons would live.
But I also didn’t imagine demons were real, so there’s that.
Souls and spirits, yes, absolutely, but everything else is fucking insane.
“How do we get there then?” I don’t see any cars or vehicles, only a horse paddock in the distance. I’m praying he doesn’t expect me to get on the back of one of those because I don’t care for the idea of taking my chances there.
“We have portals within the trees to get us close to our destination, and you can ride Cirrus with me the rest of the way.”
“You have got to stop random name dropping, expecting me to know what the hell you’re talking about. Is Cirrus your motorcycle or…?” Please don’t be a horse.
“My demon horse. He’s faster than I can be on foot and I imagine you don’t want this to be a trip spanning over multiple days.”
I continue following him toward the mass of trees, farther away from the houses, and all I can do is roll my eyes because of course he has a demon horse. And of course I’ll be riding it today.
“Just a little farther,” he encourages, constantly looking behind him to make sure I’m still here.
A rustling from above brings my attention to my raven friend, perched on one of the branches, all regal like she owns the place. It makes me smile. Even here, in the midst of a shitstorm, my raven has found me. Speaking of shitstorm, what if…?
“Do witches have familiars? Is that a thing?”
He pauses to glance at me, as if he’s contemplating what answer to give.
“Yes and no. I don’t know exactly how it works—witch secrets—but I do know you don’t want one when you hit thirty.”
“Okay?” I guess I’m not mentioning the raven.
The trees thicken as we carry on walking, blocking out the sunlight with each step taken toward I don’t know what.
Hack stops in front of one of the largest trees I’ve ever seen.
The trunk is wider than a king-size bed.
I think it’s a Red Oak, with the way multiple branches stem off, creating a canopy of sorts around the trunk.
“What now?” When he said portal, I was expecting some kind of swirling vortex, so that’s exactly what I’m looking for.
“Patience, Satapti.” As if he can’t help himself, he leans into me, lifting a hand and carefully caressing my cheek with his thumb, pretending to tuck a stray piece of hair behind my ear.
The way he stares into my soul with his piercing green eyes is disarming, and for a brief moment, I could easily forget how much I don’t like him.
But the burning sensation of hatred is quick to rear its ugly head and I push Hack away.
“Helping me find my mother doesn’t mean I’m accepting this whole chosen thing. I’m accepting your help. That’s it. Understood?” I wipe my palms down my beautiful new coat, that I am definitely keeping, and stare him down.
“As you wish.” He tilts his head and keeps his eyes on mine, refusing to be the first one to break this stand-off.
Damnit, why won’t he let me win?
We stand there for way too long before I concede with a sigh. “Get the fuck on with whatever you need to do and stop staring at me like a weirdo.” I make a point of looking everywhere but at him, taking in the mass of greenery that surrounds us.
Memories of delicious orgasms flood straight to my clit when he chuckles lowly, pressing his palm against the bark of the tree. Nothing happens, but he holds his hand out for me to take, and just as I do, he pulls me into him, wrapping his arms around me, and suddenly I feel really sick.
“Welcome to Alaska.” His grip on me loosens and we are not in Georgia anymore.
We’re in darkness, it’s still night, the sun barely beginning to lighten the eastern horizon.
The colors of the trees I can see in this mountainous terrain are muted, but they’re yellows and oranges I know will be beautiful when the sunlight hits them.
It’s stunning, and I suspect it’ll warm up with the sunrise, so for now, I’m glad for the layers and the thick coat.
The nausea goes away as I take it all in. I had expected more of a wow factor travelling through the portal, but it was really a non-event so this view is my prize instead.
“What time is it?” Without my cell, I have no idea. My charm bracelets don’t leave much room for a watch so I just don’t have one.
“Five-thirty in the morning. They’re four hours behind us.”
I turn to find Hack has grown to twice the size he was before.
Not to mention the fact that he’s headless and has a giant white horse between his legs.
Well, not so much headless, really, but there’s a scary-ass pumpkin on his neck and yeah, I’ve seen it before, but that doesn’t make it any less jarring.
He holds out a palm for me to take, and just like every other time, I don’t hesitate in taking it. And I still can’t explain why.
In seconds, I’m up on the horse, sitting in front of Hack with his arms wrapped around me, his chest at my back.
“Hold on, Satapti.”
“Hold on to wha—?” My words turn into a squeal as he takes off at lightning speed and the world around me begins to blur. There’s no saddle for me to grip and the reins don’t even seem real, more like wisps of hair, but also not.
My squeal transitions into a giggle because this is actually fun. I can’t see shit, but it’s like a rollercoaster ride that I never dared to go on in case I made the whole thing collapse with my bad luck.
The sun is rising now and, goddess, it’s awe-inspiring with the way it climbs steadily over the mountaintops, casting glorious shadows that creep across the landscape with every passing second.
It could be minutes or it could be hours later when Zelos slows his horse, Cirrus, down.
There’s a small cottage in a clearing of trees, with pathways leading to and from it in a couple of directions.
At first glance, it could pass for abandoned, but there is an aura surrounding it that only happens when a place is lived in.
Real abandoned properties are just an empty shell, no life, no aura to be felt. Is this one of my witchy abilities?
Although I shouldn’t have any until I’m thirty, apparently. Which is a lot sooner than I’d like. I either have less than three months left to live or I’m about to get some powers that may or may not be dangerous.
“Home sweet home.”
I slide off the horse, not very elegantly, but who cares? Then I look around at the trees upon trees around the cottage. They’re in a perfect circle around the home, almost like magic…ha. Probably is magic.
When I feel the heat of Hack beside me, I realize he is now normal size—for him, anyway—the horse has gone, and so has the pumpkin head.
“Do I just knock?” I look up at him, expecting all the answers, knowing full well that’s not happening.
“It’s your home too. Or at least, it was. So you take the lead, Satapti. I’m here for you, not for myself.”
Why? Why would I be capable of taking the lead in this situation?
Baba Yaga is known in Slavic folklore for either eating children or helping people. Two entirely different paths, but I’m glad I’m not a child because I don’t want to get eaten by an old witch today. Or any day.
What if she is a cannibal? Are we in danger here?
I feel like I have a new mantra. Too many questions, too little time.
It’s shit, but my brain is constantly working at a million miles a minute, every possible scenario playing out at the same time as a tiny version of me wearing a party hat does an excited jig in the corner.
There are others too; one tiny me is biting her nails while rocking back and forth, another me is screaming over the edge of a cliff, and there’s even a tiny me riding a broom stick in front of the moon like Samantha from Bewitched.
I’m pacing in front of Hack this whole time, debating on how to knock, trying to search my busy brain for anything about Baba Yaga that could be useful, but nada.
Fuck it.
With a heavy sigh, I straighten my back and march toward the front door. The light wood is covered in vines and as soon as I hold my fist up to knock, the vines retreat and the door opens of its own free will.
“The vines are new,” is all Hack contributes as we both enter the cottage, ducking to get through the small door. Never in my life have I had to shrink to get through a door, and I have to admit, it made me feel tall for the short second it took.
“Hello? Is anyone here?” I’m hoping for a friendly response, but after calling out a few more times, we’re greeted with silence.
Darkness coats everything inside the cottage due to the windows being covered, as well as all the dark wooden accents and beams. The entrance is like a small hall with several other doors leading off into various rooms.
“You go left and I’ll go right.” He looks like he wants to argue with me, but I raise my eyebrows, daring him to fight me on this. He told me to take the lead, so I’m taking the lead.