Page 30 of Witch Unexpected
I spotted towers jutting against the night sky, and there were a few lit windows high up. Bulky shapes protruded at angles from the roof, but it was impossible to make out what they were. The building grew larger and larger until we were in its shadow.
Elijah veered to the left and drove parallel to the…mansion, castle, fucking small island? I didn’t know. This place could house a small village.
We drove past a fountain and a couple of stone statues before Elijah brought the car to a halt and cut the engine.
He sat with his hands on the steering wheel for a long beat, then twisted in his seat to look at me. “You were lucky tonight. We all were.”
“I know.”
His jaw worked. “I was sent to bring you back safely, and I almost failed.”
“It wasn’t your fault.”
“It was.”
“No, it was mine,” Bramble said. “Ifucked up.”
“No,” Elijah said. “I’ll speak to Anna and tell her what happened. This wasn’t your fault.”
“Hell no,” Bramble said. “I can take responsibility for my fuck-ups.”
“Bramble…”
“I’m not letting you take the fall for me.” She glared at him.
Elijah snorted. “Anna can’t hurt me.”
Bramble’s mouth turned down. “No, she can’t do anything to hurtyou…”
But she could hurt Bramble? Who the fuck was this Anna? Heck, it didn’t matter.
“No one needs to report anything to anyone. I’m fine. We’re all fine. Let’s just forget it happened.”
They both looked at me as if I’d suggested we fry rodents and eat them.
“What?”
“You want to lie?” Bramble asked. “To Anna?”
“I don’t care. I just want you guys to stop stressing so we can get on with…whatever it is I’m here to do.”
Elijah took a deep breath and nodded. “She’s right. We have more important issues to deal with.” He focused his turquoise gaze on me. “Things might feel a little overwhelming for a while, but you’re making the right call, Cora. You’re doing the right thing.”
I sighed. “Yeah. But if I’m going to do this, you’ll need to find a way to get Jasper off my back. I mean, what if he affects things?”
“He won’t,” Elijah said. “Your deal with him is a separate entity. You being an anchor and your connection to the wolves will be a closed circuit. He can’t interfere with that.”
Okay then. “What now?”
Light spilled across the gravel path in front of us, streaming from somewhere above, and Elijah glanced at the house, distracted.
It was Bramble who answered my question. “Now, we get you inside. Now, I keep you safe.”
A figure fell from the sky, landing in a hunched form just beyond the rectangle of light. It straightened, and I caught the flare of wings, the curve of muscular thighs, and the swell of thick forearms.
Not a demon. I’d seen my fair share of those. No, this was something else.
“What the hell is that?”
