Page 13 of Ozma

Ozma disappeared into Mombi’s hut and shut the door behind her. Jack ran as silently as he could, until he reached the witch’s hut. He pressed his back to the rotting wood walls and slid closer to the window where a crack marred the glass. Inch by inch he moved, afraid she would spot his bright orange hair. He vaguely regretted not grabbing a shirt to shield against the chilly night.

Too late now.

Jack poked his head up and squinted into the dark hut. A lantern—hislantern—illuminated the corner bedroom, followed by the sudden flicker of more candlelight.Mombi’s room, eh?Suspicious. He hadn’t tried to go in there himself after the barrier dropped—hadn’t cared to—but he regretted that now. Did Mombi have some sort of communication apparatus in there? Or was Ozma tasked with bringing her forgotten items? Hewantedto believe she’d been trapped in a mirror but… He let out a quick huff.But nothing.Perhaps he only believed Ozma because that meant Tip hadn’t left him at all—though it did mean there was no room left to doubt his death. Mombi’s tale had always left the smallest crack of hope that it was a lie, that Tip hadn’t died, but Ozma’s…

Shaking his head, he returned his focus to the flickering light with a growing sense of anxiety. He wished Mombi had a window in her bedroom so he could sneak around back to see what Ozma was doing in there. A shadow moved now and again, and items sailed across the room as she threw them, but Ozma didn’t reappear in the main room of the hut for ages. When she did, the candle flames danced across her face. She looked … unnerved. Her features pinched, her bottom lip pressed between her teeth, she studied the hut as if she’d never seen it before. Jack narrowed his eyes. Surely there were some strange things inside Mombi’s room, but if Ozma truly had been trapped in the mirror, a witness to everything the witch had done, he doubted a few pickled body parts would upset her.

Shit.

Ozma was heading straight for the door. Jack sprinted around the side of the hut and waited. The door opened and shut. Light fell over the ground, swaying with her steps.The woods?Why the fuck would this female go into the woods in the middle of the night? And to be moving so confidently, as if she knew exactly where she was going… How, if she’d been trapped in a mirror, would she know the layout of Mombi’s property so well?

Even more suspicious…

A kernel of contempt grew within Jack. Ozma had shown up here … and lied to him. But why? To what end? Her eyes truly were the same unique hue as Tip’s, so he believed they were related, but that didn’t mean Mombi wasn’t controlling her. If that were the case, it wouldn’t be as if Ozma wanted to lie to him, only that she had to. Still, it cast the shadow of doubt over everything she’d said. She wanted to kill Mombi, did she? He had always wanted the same thing, yet Mombi was still alive. And not because there hadn’t been a single opportunity. Dooming himself to a potential life stuck inside the barrier wasn’t on his list of goals. He fisted his hands at his sides.

What the fuck do I do? Who am I supposed to believe?

He’d only ever trusted one fae—Tip. And then he’d either left or been killed. Whatever his fate, it had destroyed a part of Jack. The very small, almost non-existent side of him that had wanted to have faith in others, had been smashed beneath the boot of sorrow.

So he followed Ozma, a shadow among the trees, until she came upon the lake. The moon lit the clearing around the shore where the softest grass grew. A fallen log had been rolled up to the water’s edge by Tip long ago and remained there as a bench. They’d spent many hours there, baring their souls, and eventually, their bodies.

And now Ozma was setting her lantern down beside it as if it were the most natural thing in the world.How did you know the way to this place if you were trapped somewhere else?Jack took a step forward to demand the answer when her dress fell from her shoulders to pool at her feet. His breath hitched at the sight of her bare ass, the exposed curves, and … was that a scar? A jagged oval marred the center of her back, the healed patch of skin appearing thick and almost glossy. His heart softened slightly at the agony that wound must’ve caused her.

Ozma flipped her long hair over her shoulders and stepped toward the lake. Jack retreated into the woods far enough so she wouldn’t notice him, and so he couldn’t be accused of spying on her if he was caught. Not that he wanted to see her naked body—though his cock definitely wanted another peek—but he couldn’t let her vanish. Not without figuring out everything she was hiding.

Though clearly a fuckable backside is on that list.

No.

He couldnotlust after Tip’s sister. Even a whore like himself needed to have some restraint.

A loud splash sounded from the lake, and Jack leaned against a tree to wait for her to finish bathing. He yanked a red leaf from a low hanging branch and ripped it into tiny little pieces. How should he go about demanding answers? Ozma didn’t seem overly excited to share what she already had and would likely give him issues when he tried to fill in the holes.

Fuck this shit.

He would just voice his doubts and wait for the pretty blossom to reveal the truth. He’d kiss it from her if he had to. Dip his tongue between her lips and taste the flower’s nectar. Gently spread apart the petals to see what lay within. His cock stiffened again.

Whoa. Stop it,he chastised himself.She’s Tip’s sister and a liar.

A damned beautiful liar, though.

A scream broke the night air. The hair on Jack’s arms stood on end as he bolted toward the lake. There had never been anything nasty living in the water, but Mombi’s barrier was down now. Not only could Jack get out, but other creatures could get in.

Jack skidded to a halt in the clearing just in time to see Ozma get completely dragged beneath the dark water. “Oye!” he screamed at … whatever it was. “Don’t even fucking think about it!” Before the words finished leaving his mouth, he was knee deep in the lake without realizing he’d moved. “Ozma!”

Shit. Shit shit shit shit shit.

Where was she?

He dove, searching. And searching and searching. All he saw was endless dark water and swaying plant life.

His heartbeat echoed in his ears and his frantic movements kicked up the muck. A scream built in his chest.Fuck no, you don’t!he thought at whatever had Tip’s sister. He needed to save her for Tip’s sake. For himself.

He surfaced for a gulp of air and dove again. This time his hand brushed something soft and string-like, and he gripped it. A hard tug came from the other end.Gotcha.He used his other hand to grip what had to be Ozma’s hair, then worked his way down until he found her head. The fact that she wasn’t grabbing for him set his blood pumping faster and faster, but if he could get her to shore, it would be fine.

It had to be fine.

For Tip.

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