Chapter 15 #4
“How did you do that?” His brow furrowed. “There’s not a single burn.”
“I’m not exactly sure.” She stared at her hands.
Jake released the breath he had been holding. “You’ve taken about twenty years off my life tonight, Olive.”
“I really am sorry. I was stupid.” She sighed. “You can say I told you so.”
“What happened?” Jake asked angrily, arms crossed. “Why the hell would you leave the house?”
“I made a mistake.” She looked down at her dirty, bloodstained hands. “I protected the house against intruders, against anyone who would wish me harm. I didn’t think to protect myself.”
“Explain.”
“Before I went to bed, I checked all the doors and windows. The protective circle was intact, so I knew nothing could get in. I never expected it to lure me outside. Whatever is out there in the woods, it’s not natural.”
“Yeah, I kind of gathered that by the undead guard dog the size of a fucking horse,” Jake snapped.
“Don’t get pissy with me, Jake.” Olivia sighed.
“What happened after you went to bed?” Theo asked.
“I woke up, and I was in the woods, but it was like only part of me was awake. I was aware of my surroundings, but my emotions were asleep. I saw a figure. It was dark and wearing some sort of cloak. I couldn’t see their face, but I felt compelled to follow them.
After a while, I managed to throw off whatever compulsion had been laid on me, and when I woke up fully…
” She took a deep breath. “Jake, I was in Boothe’s Hollow. ”
“Jesus,” he breathed heavily.
“What’s Boothe’s Hollow?” Theo asked.
“It’s the one place in the woods that was always forbidden to us as children,” Olivia answered.
“It’s a circular clearing deep in the heart of the woods.
We were never allowed to go anywhere near it.
We did once sneak to the edge of the clearing.
The whole place was so creepy, and after that, we avoided it like the plague.
There’s a hollowed-out tree at its center, but the whole place is just dead.
Nothing grows there, not even moss. Even the animals and insects won’t venture into the circle. ”
“Is it likely to happen again?” Theo said.
Olivia shook her head. “No. I never make the same mistake twice. Besides, I’ve amped up the wards around the house.”
“Do you know what the creature was that attacked you?” Jake asked.
“No.” Olivia shook her head. “I’ve never seen one before.”
“Fine,” Jake acknowledged grudgingly. “You should get some sleep.”
“Are you staying then?” She looked from Jake to Theo. “You can use the guest rooms.”
Jake shook his head. “I’m just going to crash down here on the sofa.”
She figured there was no point arguing with him.
He was still pissed and worried about her, so she decided to give him a break.
Nodding in acceptance, she climbed to her feet.
Theo rose also, but as she tried to put weight on her ankle, it gave way beneath her, forcing him to catch her.
Looking down at her ankle, she realized with a grimace that it was the size of a grapefruit.
“Damn it,” she muttered.
Theo tucked his arm under her legs and lifted her easily.
“We should really take a look at those cuts on your hands and feet. They’ll need cleaning and dressing before the wounds become infected,” he told her.
Jake nodded. “I’ll find the first aid box and bring it upstairs for you. Olive, do you remember where Evie used to keep it?”
“Not sure. Nana Alice used to keep it in the cupboard under the sink in the kitchen. I expect Aunt Evie just left it there.”
She directed Theo up the stairs and through her bedroom to the adjoining bathroom. He set her down on the counter and stepped back to examine her feet.
“I can’t see the wounds clearly,” he murmured, checking the grazes on her knees and the palms of her hands. Moving to her face and taking a long look at the cut at her temple. “But this one doesn’t look too deep.”
“Theo,” she spoke quietly. “How did you find me? What were you even doing in the woods?”
“I saw you,” he replied as he continued to study the wound on her forehead.
“You saw me?”
“Yes.” His eyes softened.
“The dreams?” she murmured, and he nodded.
“You saved my life.”
“I told you I would never let anything hurt you.”
“I don’t understand you,” she admitted. “I’m usually so good at reading people, but you... you’re an enigma. You saw me, really saw me, and when I lost control of my power, you saw me burn, and you’re not afraid of me? You risked your life tonight to find me.”
“I don’t know what you want me to say, Olivia. I don’t know how to convince you that I’m not here to hurt you. I’m not a danger to you.”
“But who you are and where you come from—” Olivia shook her head. “I don’t understand how you can just accept me the way I am. How you can go against everything you were raised to believe in.”
“You think it’s easy?” He sighed. “I feel as if I’ve been constantly at war with myself since the moment I was pulled from that burning barn.”
She watched as he opened the shower door. He turned the water on, adjusting the temperature, but as he moved, she noticed the slash marks and bloodstains across the side of his shirt.
“You’re hurt.”
He shrugged. “It’s nothing.”
“It doesn’t look like nothing.” She slid carefully off the counter to avoid putting weight on her swollen ankle.
He watched with dark eyes as she reached out tentatively and grasped the hem of his shirt.
Pulling it up and over his head, she tossed it to the floor behind her.
Her fingers grazed his torso, tracing the dips and ridges of his chest, and then moved to his ribs.
Marring his skin where four vicious-looking claw marks that oozed blood, staining the waistband of his jeans, which sat low on his hips.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered, not meeting his eyes. “I never wanted you to get hurt because of me.”
He cupped her chin, raising her gaze to meet his own.
“It was my choice, Olivia, and if I had to do it again, my choice would remain the same.” His gaze dropped to her lips before once again meeting her eyes. “You want to know what it’s like?”
“What?”
“Being me.” He breathed slowly. “It’s like a dream I can’t wake from, all loud and unfamiliar.
Nothing makes sense. My heart pounds and my head aches.
I feel the magic in the air and pulsing beneath the ground, all the things I was taught were evil, and it’s terrifying, this new world I find myself thrust into.
But I have to believe I was brought here for a reason.
I should have died in that barn. I should have burned to death, but I was given a second chance.
Being here in your world scares me as much as it confuses me, but when I look at you, I know the reason I’m here is you. ”
“You can’t know that.” She frowned.
“I do know,” he replied, reaching out and tucking a strand of tangled hair behind her ear. “I’m not afraid of what you are or what you can do…” His words trailed off and his gaze dropped to her lips. “You are such a temptation. I know lustful thoughts are a sin, but–”
“But?”
“I want my hands on you, Olivia,” he admitted. “I want to touch you, and I know it’s wrong, but I can’t seem to help myself. When I saw you in the grip of your magic, burning like the sun…” He broke off, shaking his head, unable to find the words.
“You kissed me.”
“I know.” He nodded. “I shouldn’t have.”
“Then why did you?” she asked.
“Because I couldn’t help myself,” he replied. “For a moment, I was surrounded by the heat and ferocity of your magic, and it was intoxicating, like you. It drew me in until all I could see, all I could feel, was you. My mind simply ceased to function, and I acted on instinct alone.”
“You think wanting me is a sin?” she asked.
“Any physical contact between a man and a woman outside the marriage bed is a sin. It’s fornication.”
“Theo,” she said softly. “I’m not going to tell you what you should or shouldn’t believe.
I understand that you were raised as a Puritan and you have a certain belief system, but the whole world isn’t split into two camps of righteousness and sin.
Sometimes you have to trust your own judgment.
You’re not going to burn in fire and brimstone just because you’re attracted to me. ”
He stared at her.
“Okay, answer me this,” she said. “You know what I am?”
“Yes.” He nodded. “You’re a witch.”
“That’s right,” she replied. “And in your heart, do you believe I’m evil? Pay no attention to what your mind is saying. What does your gut tell you?”
“No, I don’t believe you’re evil,” he conceded.
“The world is a much bigger place than you can possibly imagine, Theo. I’m not going to lie—the adjustment has been a bit rough on you and it’ll probably get worse before it gets better.
The only advice I can give you is to have an open mind.
If you’re having a moral crisis, then talk to Jake, he’s a Christian, or there’s a lovely little church in town.
I’m sure the pastor would be more than happy to counsel you.
Ask the questions, find your own answers.
It’s hard questioning everything you were taught as a child but blindly following such a strict form of religion will cause a lot of problems.”
He frowned. “What do you mean?”
“Theo, you’ve already seen part of what I can do.
You know witches are real, and we’re nothing like the cackling, child-eating, crop-killing old hags you were taught about.
You felt what was in the woods, and you saw that creature.
I get the feeling this is only the beginning.
If you really want to stick around and help, if you’re really serious about protecting me, then you have to make peace with your beliefs, and you have to find your line. ”
“My line?” he repeated.