Chapter 24
Twenty-Four
Fox was struggling to sit still in his seat. The closer they got to the witch’s house, the more frayed his nerves became. Of course, it had been stupidly easy to find that damn woman on the internet. She was listed in the freaking white pages, for fuck’s sake!
Who the hell does that in this day and age? Fox shook his head. A witch who doesn’t give a shit, that’s who.
He wouldn’t be surprised if half the people in the white pages were witches, vampires, or some other dangerous creature just daring stupid humans to come fuck with them.
Cheryl was barely more than an hour north of them in middle-of-nowhere Massachusetts. Fox had tried to find out something about the town online, but it looked like there was nothing more there than a couple of stores, a diner, and a gas station. And lots of fucking trees.
Normally Fox loved being out in nature, but the idea of being completely isolated while going up against a powerful witch didn’t set his mind at ease. Not that he’d feel all that much better about the situation if he were meeting with her in busy Times Square.
Why the hell did she have to be so close?
He was going to miss his Rocky Mountains and bright blue skies of Colorado, but it was all worth it to be close to Winter in Connecticut.
But the idea of moving east had soured a little in his mind with the knowledge that Cheryl was so close at hand.
Not that he thought she’d come looking for him after this meeting—assuming he survived the meeting.
No, he would. Winter was with him. His lover would never allow anything to happen to him.
The GPS chimed again, announcing their destination was on their left in two miles.
Fox was going to throw up.
Was it too late to come up with a new plan? A new way to reach Zelda? Not that another witch was necessarily better, but at least Zelda hadn’t tried to kill him already.
“Any last words of advice before we head in?” Winter asked.
“Don’t eat or drink anything she gives you,” Fox immediately replied.
Winter snorted. “Yeah, definitely not going to do that. Anything else?”
“Stay calm. Don’t provoke her. Keep it all short and to the point. The faster we’re in and out, the less chance we have of pissing her off.”
“What about my gift? Do you think she could see me if I used it?”
Fox’s eyes widened as horror streaked through him. “Don’t! Don’t use it unless you absolutely have to.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. I have no idea if she can see ghosts or if she could see you, but I can’t think of a faster way to piss her off. Do you really want to try to sneak up on a witch? Fuck that.”
Winter reached across and placed his hand on Fox’s knee. “Breathe, baby. I’m not going to sneak up on her, I swear. I just wanted to know what my options were.”
Fox sucked in a few deep ragged breaths, trying to calm down his racing heart. “I’m sorry. You’re right.”
“Do you want to stay in the car while I go in to talk to her?”
“Yes, I would love to stay in the car. I would love to be anywhere but here. Even back at Damon’s. But there is no way in hell I’m letting you go in there alone. I’m sorry I’m such a fucking coward—”
“You are not a coward!” Winter’s hand tightened almost painfully on his knee. “This woman has already tried to kill you. I am so proud of you for coming here with me tonight. You are incredibly brave.”
A harsh, bitter laugh erupted from Fox and he shook his head. “Don’t feel brave. I’m pretty sure I’m going to piss my pants when we see her.”
“Don’t care. You’re here to protect me, and I say you’re brave. It is possible to be scared and brave at the same time.”
“Well, I could certainly do without this feeling.”
Placing his hand over Winter’s, Fox closed his eyes and tried to find his center.
It was something his mother had taught him when he was young and overwhelmed by the world or mean kids at school.
Breathing deeply, he looked inside of himself, digging deeper and deeper until he found the quiet little pool of cool water that existed in his soul.
He didn’t know how long it took, but then he was mentally standing at its edge.
A smile spread across his lips as he noticed for the first time, the pool was the same color as Winter’s pale blue eyes. Maybe it was meant to be.
He reached out and touched the water, letting its cold sink into him. Calm rippled out from within, washing across his chest and along his limbs. He and Winter were going to meet with the witch and get the answers they sought. They were going to return safely home and save Winter’s family.
Fox opened his eyes again as Winter turned down a narrow dirt driveway.
Trees crowded close on both sides, blocking out what little light came from the moon and stars above.
Some of the anxiety tried to crawl back into Fox, but he just remembered the pool, the calming pool that looked like his lover’s eyes.
Winter was with him. Winter would not let her hurt him. He would not let her hurt Winter.
At the end of the drive was a medium-sized log cabin with cute little flower boxes on the windows. More flowers were planted around the front of the house, and there was an old rocking chair on the front porch. The windows were covered with lace curtains and a warm, cheery glow came from within.
“It feels like the house Hansel and Gretel found while lost in the woods,” Winter murmured as he backed the SUV into a spot and placed it in park.
“Yeah, go with that feeling. She’ll fucking eat your soul if she gets the chance.”
Winter chuckled, but it didn’t exactly sound steady. He turned off the engine, and they got out of the car and walked toward the house. Before Winter could place his foot on the first step, Fox caught his arm and stopped him.
“Don’t go up,” Fox said softly.
“Why? How else are we going to knock on the door?”
Fox shook his head. “We’re not. Trust me, she knows we’re here.” Lifting his hand, he pointed at the symbols carved into the stairs and the others carved into the front porch railing and posts. “See those? Protection wards. You try to cross those uninvited, and you’re gonna get hurt.”
Winter stared at them for a moment, his expression so intense and thoughtful, a chill ran through Fox. “They work against any creature?”
“As far as I know.”
“Can you replicate them?”
Fox huffed a laugh. “Sure. I can draw those in my sleep. Cheryl had me carving them in her old house in Washington. The problem is, I can’t do the magic that goes behind them. It’s not enough to draw the symbol. You have to be able to do the spell that goes with them.”
“And everyone knows he’s a worthless witch,” a harsh female voice added.
Fox and Winter looked around to find a woman walking around the side of the house, a shotgun cradled in her arms. It wasn’t pointed at them, but it wouldn’t take much for that position to change.
Cheryl Watkins hadn’t really aged since he’d last seen her.
She was maybe a little bit thinner and maybe had a little more gray in her brown hair, but her amber-brown eyes were as sharp as ever.
Her thin lips were pulled into a harsh frown like a slash across her face.
The pale-yellow blouse hung loose on her thin shoulders and made her look even paler.
Apparently, she wasn’t spending much time out in the sun, and that seemed a little strange.
Witches were typically the outdoor types.
Many witches got a nice power charge from walking out in the sun and in nature, but it looked as if she were staying indoors most of the time.
“Good evening, Ms. Watkins,” Fox said politely, even if it was through clenched teeth.
“I’m surprised you had the balls to face me again, Little Kit.”
Fox struggled to ignore the comment as anger and betrayal raced like venom up his throat.
He swallowed it back before slowly gesturing toward the rage-filled man at his side.
God, he prayed Winter could control his temper.
“This is Winter Varik of the Varik vampire clan. We’re here seeking information about a prophecy that was made. ”
“Why the hell would I give a shit about a vampire prophecy?”
“Because the vampire world is on the cusp of a war that could have repercussions for not only all vampires, but shifters, witches, and humans as well,” Winter said evenly. “My clan is trying to stop this from happening.”
To Fox’s surprise, Cheryl appeared to be thinking over Winter’s words. He’d fully expected her to scoff at him and walk away. He was shocked they were talking at all. He didn’t think they’d get this far before she tried to kill them.
“Let me see what I can stir up,” Cheryl announced, further knocking Fox for a loop. She…she was going to help. That couldn’t be right.
But the witch continued to walk toward the front steps.
Fox and Winter immediately backpedaled, giving her plenty of room to cross in front of them.
She easily moved up the stairs and grabbed the old screen door that screeched loudly in the silence.
Winter started to follow, but Fox tightened his hand on the vampire’s arm, holding him away from the stairs.
Cheryl looked at Winter, Fox, and then at the stairs. She cackled and taunted, “And you think I didn’t teach you anything.”
“I learned all I needed to from you,” Fox said evenly, holding her cold stare.
She smiled wordlessly at him as she turned her attention to one of the wards on the doorframe. Pressing her finger to it, she murmured something. The air around the cabin tingled, and there was a faint golden glow that rose up from all the wards carved into the front of the house.
Fox glanced over at Winter, who was glaring at the witch. He didn’t seem to be reacting to the glow or even the tingle in the air. Did he not see it or feel it? Was it a witch thing?
“You may enter now,” Cheryl said. She stepped into the house, allowing the door to close shut behind her.