Page 38 of Cursed Magic

Raven’s phone buzzed, breaking the moment. She glanced at the screen, and her expression hardened. “It’s the queen.”

Coldness swirled inside me, stealing what little warmth I felt and agitating my wolf. It seemed to focus on my heart. “What’s wrong?” If she said the mansion was under attack, I was going to lose my shit.

“She sent over the name of another witch who lives nearby.” Raven pocketed the phone and headed for the door. “She’s ten miles south of here. Apparently, she owes Queen Ambrosia a favor that the queen can call in.”

Ryker dropped his hands and opened the front door. “Then we need to move before the Blackwoods take her as well.”

I suspected he finally agreed that we needed a witch to help us. If Iskaria was alive, then she might be begging for death, depending on her situation. “Let’s not waste any time.”

The three of us darted out of the house, and I wasn’t tempted to glance back. The chill began receding from my body, and the closer we got to the car, the more comfortable my wolf became.

Whatever had happened around and inside the cottage didn’t feel natural.

When we reached the car, we all jumped in and slammed our doors, the sound echoing through the heavy silence that followed. Raven’s hands moved swiftly to the gearshift and then the steering wheel, her eyes fixed on the winding road ahead as she drove. The forest blurred around us, the trees twisting into dark, ominous shapes that seemed to close in with every mile.

Ryker sat behind me, breathing heavily. His fear andfrustration were evident, and I had no doubt he wished he’d fought harder to convince me to stay behind at the mansion.

And that was why we shouldn’t go further in any sort of relationship. We couldn’t waste time and energy on each other when our entire species was on the line.

Knuckles blanching from her grip on the steering wheel, Raven pressed her lips into a firm line. Her phone buzzed again, and she glanced at it before tucking it back into her pocket. “The queen’s contact is named Elara. She’s…reluctant to get involved, but she’s agreed to meet with us.”

“That doesn’t sound too promising,” Ryker bit out with a hint of a snarl.

“Well, right now, it’s the best we have.” Raven glanced in the rearview mirror and hissed. “We’ll be there in ten minutes, so she won’t have much time to change her mind.”

But we all knew that ten minutes might already be too late if the Blackwoods had been informed of her.

The road twisted and turned until Raven finally turned onto another narrow dirt path. The car bounced roughly, the tires crunching over gravel and pine needles. The trees here were older, their trunks thicker. I could feel magic before we saw anything. Waves of iridescence and faint wisps of shadows were already shimmering into my vision.

“We must be close,” I whispered like I was afraid the witch could hear me.

Raven took another curve, and another wooden cottage came into view suddenly as though it had been hidden on purpose or by magic. It was even smaller than the first one, the roof sagging under the weight of years and the windows cloudy with grime. There was no warmth in the sight. Instead, I again became uneasy, feeling that we were being watched.

We pulled up to the front, and Raven turned off the engine. “Stay sharp.” Then she reached for her door.

I jumped out of the car, eager to get to this witch before the Blackwoods arrived. I hurried toward the front door before Ryker got out and could stop me. He growled, a low, rumbling sound, but I didn’t care. The Blackwoods could roll up at any moment, and we needed to learn everything we could before they arrived.

Ryker caught up to me, and his hand brushed mine, giving me another jolt. He scanned the perimeter while Raven moved ahead of us, her steps silent, her dark hair blending into the shadows, especially with twilight approaching.

When we made it to the edge of the small front porch, the front door creaked open and a low, commanding voice cut through the chill of the evening air. “Stay where you are.”

A woman with a slender frame stood just beyond the threshold, silhouetted by the dim light of a flickering hearth. Her sharp, pale-green eyes gleamed with a mixture of suspicion and wisdom. Elara.

She stood tall with her shoulders back, wisps of iridescence wafting from her and making it clear that her magic was ready to attack and she would not hesitate to defend herself.

My body froze. I hadn’t expected a warm greeting, but this was cold and standoffish.

Clearly feeling the same tension, Ryker tried to step in front of me.

Raven stopped and lifted both hands. “We mean no harm. We were sent by Queen Ambrosia. She said you would be willing to help us.”

The lines of tension in Elara’s face deepened, and hergaze landed on Ryker. “Queen Ambrosia has been holding thisfavor”—her nose wrinkled in disgust—“over my head for decades, and I was ready to fulfill it and move on, but not when you bringhimto my door.”

Ryker flinched before resuming his normal guarded stance.

My jaw wanted to drop, but I managed to keep it closed. I could only assume she sensed whatever Raven suspected Ryker had let a witch do to him that caused his irises to be covered by that sheen at times.

He stood tall, but I could see his back and neck tighten. He didn’t realize it, but he’d just confirmed to me he was hiding something.

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