Episode 243
WITCHY WOMAN
Misty
I used to be the one stirring the pot, the hurricane at the center of the island’s drama. Tonight, though, I’m more like debris caught on the tide, drifting quietly on the edges while everyone else sparkles beneath the party lights.
Maybe it’s the dehydration—note to self: never again underestimate island sun and running after your long-lost brother on the beach—or maybe it’s just, well, everything.
The old me would be draped in the thick of it, but right now, I’m content to watch, glass in hand, waiting for June to explain what the hell is going on.
Sienna thinks it’s an orgy.
For a bachelorette party? Maybe back in LA, but not for sweet little Ariel.
Sienna still stands next to me, her smile brittle, even though she just said she’s going after more orgasms.
I know the signs. I’ve worn that same expression enough times. I think about saying something, but what? Just because we were talking and she asked how I’m feeling doesn’t mean we’re friends now.
I don’t have friends.
“So let’s go,” June says. “Evie is already there, and everything should be set up by now.”
I walk alongside Sienna, my sandals sinking into the sand as we head toward the courtyard. The air’s cooled just enough to raise goosebumps on my skin, though I know that’s not what’s really making me shiver.
It’s the strange hush that’s fallen over the group. And it’s the tension that crackles inside me like a live wire, the kind that says something isn’t as it seems.
“I’ll be excusing myself,” Cheryl, Ariel’s mom says. “You young people have a good time.”
Good thing. If an orgy is what June is after, as Sienna says, the mother of the bride has no business being there.
Emily returns to Sienna and me, along with Ariel, who’s biting her lip.
“This full moon thing,” Ariel says. “What exactly are we doing?”
“Oh, darling,” Emily replies dryly in that British way of hers, “don’t ask questions you don’t want answered.”
“I want them answered,” Ariel says, slowing her steps. “I’m getting married tomorrow. I don’t need weird juju messing with my vows.”
“It’s all symbolic,” Sienna says, but there’s a tightness in her voice.
We reach the courtyard, and I stop short.
Candles flicker in hurricane jars. A circle of cushions surrounds a massive driftwood structure twined with vines and hung with crystals that shimmer in the moonlight. Where the hell did they get crystals?
Probably from the massage therapists. They have all that shit.
White fabric is draped from the tops of palm trees. It billows with the breeze, framing the circle of cushions and candles. Tiki torches flicker at the perimeter. Bowls of water, salt, and what I assume are herbs sit in the center. The air is thick with incense.
It’s earthy and eerie.
The men are already here.
River stands tall and still, arms crossed, his gaze locked on Emily like she’s the only thing anchoring him to the planet. God, he’s gorgeous. He’s who I was after, of course, but he wasn’t interested. If only…
Sure, I wanted him for clues about my brother, but I ended up falling kind of hard. I mean, who wouldn’t? A dark-haired, dark-eyed rancher from Montana?
Alex is leaning against a pillar, his expression unreadable, but his fingers twitch when Ariel enters his line of sight. Is he okay with all of this? He’s the groom. He shouldn’t be up for an orgy—especially one where his bride-to-be is present.
Jake’s smile is crooked but warm when he sees me.
Yeah, not getting naked in front of him. He’s blood.
And Sebastian—
God, he looks like sin. Shirt half unbuttoned, his hair down and flowing over his broad shoulders.
But Brett? Absent.
Of course.
I didn’t mention it, but I saw him float off with Jazz.
Sienna stiffens beside me. She doesn’t say anything, but emotion flashes across her face. She squares her shoulders and steps into the courtyard like she owns it. Good for her.
But that’s when I feel it.
A disjointed sensation in my gut. A ripple down my spine. Something isn’t right.
Not with the circle. Not with this ritual.
Not with the way Evangeline has been glancing over her shoulder all day like she’s being watched. Who can blame her after what we found in her suite?
My father.
I know it. I feel it in my bones. That bastard. That monster. He’s here. He knows about Evangeline’s baby. He knows it’s his. He’s watching her.
“Who lit all these candles?” Emily asks.
Evangeline steps forward in a white lace gown that billows like fog around her ankles. Heather is behind her, barefoot and carrying what looks like a bowl of water with flower petals floating on top.
“The candles are for balancing,” Evangeline says. “For cleansing. For transition.”
Sienna laughs under her breath. “I could use a little transition.”
Ariel grips Emily’s arm. “I don’t know about this.”
“You don’t have to do anything,” Emily says. “You’re the bride. You can sit out the witchy stuff. In fact, we all can. I’m thinking I will. This is…bloody odd.”
Jake steps closer and pulls me to the side. “You okay?”
“No,” I whisper. “But I will be.”
Because I’m going to find out who’s stalking Evangeline. I’m going to figure out what my father wants.
And I swear to God, if he touches that baby—his baby—I’ll end him.
“Good. I’m glad you’re feeling better.” Jake smiles.
Of course. He was talking about my fainting spell, my dehydration. He doesn’t have a clue about my father and what he’s capable of.
A breeze cuts through the circle, scattering petals.
June removes her bikini top and her breasts fall.
She quickly sheds everything else and lifts her arms, the gemstones on her pussy sparkling in the torchlight.
“Get skyclad, everyone. It’s the best way to summon the goddess to our ceremony because she favors truth over pretense and bare souls under the open moon. ”
Skyclad? Never heard the term, but I can tell what it means through context here.
“Let us begin,” June says.
Oh. Hell. No.
I love my body, but Jake is my half-brother.
I look up at him. “Want to get out of here?”
But before he can answer, Sienna approaches and pulls him away. “Come on, Jake. Let’s party.”