Page 105 of Witch Unexpected
Outrage and indignation color faces. Outrage against the traitor, indignation against potentially being accused. A jumble of voices fills the air. It’s the perfect cover for the guilty party to make a break for it.
The doors at the back of the room are locked, but the two doors on each side of the room aren’t, a deliberate oversight on our part. Jessie, Brie, and Poppy stand behind me, or at least that’s what the assembly sees. Truth is, only Jessie is with me. Brie and Poppy are hidden beside the two available exits.
“We’ll weed out the culprit.” I raise my voice to carry over the buzz of excitement. “Just stay calm. You have nothing to worry about if you’re innocent.”
The crowd moves to huddle into groups.
Come on. Come on. This has to work. If the traitor is here, she’ll make a break for it, surely?
I catch movement to the left, and then Brie appears, hand clamped around a witch’s wrist. My mouth pops open because it’s the last person I’m expecting.
Pen glares at me, defiant eyes blazing, and then she pulls something from her pocket and throws it.
The world is filled with blinding light.
* * *
CORA
Vines were everywhere, whipping and lashing at us. We’d run into the house, but they’d smashed through the glass and followed us in. The lounge was an obstacle course of barbed, barked tentacles that lashed about, eager for a bite of flesh. Bramble slashed and sliced with her daggers, staying close to me, protecting me.
My hands fizzed and popped with power, but I’d depleted my energy reserves, and the amulet was blocking the rest. The urge to tear it from my throat was a palpable force, a hand at my nape, squeezing and willing me to justdo it. To be free.
Leif cried out as a barb caught his arm, tearing a bloody welt that bubbled with green toxins.
“Poison!” Tor growled before shoving Leif out of the way and attacking the vine with lethal claws that had extended from his fingers.
Leif fell back, clutching his arm, his face a grimace as the wound struggled to heal. I ducked to avoid a vine and spotted a gap to the stairs. If I could get to my room, I’d be able to grab the daggers Bramble had given me. The iron blades would hurt this fucker.
I made a beeline for the gap in the lethal vines, eyes growing wide as one came out of nowhere, whipping toward me at chest height. Time to limbo-glide. I threw my upper body back and skidded across the hardwood floor on my knees. The vine whooshed past, inches from my face, then I was at the stairs. I took them two at a time, barreled down the hallway, and grabbed the doorframe to slow my pace and swing myself into my room.
My holster was on the dresser. I rushed toward it, and the window exploded inwards. My scream locked in my throat as a huge vine rushed toward me. The air crackled and Jasper appeared in front of me. His arms wrapped around me, body jerking as the vine struck him. Blood sprayed.
He was hurt. “No!”
Jasper shoved me toward the door, turned to attack the vine, and faltered, swaying on the spot as the vine drew back, readying for another attack.
His back was torn, green shit bubbling across the wound. He needed to heal, but there was no way he could do that and fight this thing without me.
I rushed toward him and grabbed his hand. “Take what you need to fight it.”
The vine came at us, and he tugged me to the floor to avoid the strike, rolling onto me, the hard length of his body pressed to mine, reminding me of every intimate encounter we’d ever had. Eyes blazing, he grabbed my jaw and pressed his mouth to mine. This wasn’t a kiss; this was a claiming. Power rushed out of me and into him. My body arched as he drew from me, my gasp spilling into his mouth. I was distantly aware of the crash of the vine as it searched for its prey. Distantly aware that we were in mortal danger, but his tongue wrestling with mine, and his hands flexing in my hair, made the world seem like a faraway, unwanted place.
Cool air kissed my skin, and he was off me.
Bright light flashed, and the scent of charred flesh filled the room.
I pulled myself up, limbs trembling, to stare at the ashy remains of the vine.
A scream echoed in the air outside, pain-filled and ragey.
“Stay here.” Jasper winked out.
I rushed to the shattered window on instinct, boots crunching on broken glass. The thing was out there, arms out, body shuddering as she controlled the vines. Yeah, she was doing this. No idea how, but my gut told me what Jasper was about to do a moment before he materialized behind the creature and snapped her neck.
She went still, head twisted at an angle, then dropped. Her body melted and steamed as it sank into the ground.
The house was suddenly silent and dead.
