Page 2 of Witch Untold
“I’ll go.” Jasper appeared by the window, and my heart leapt into my throat.
He was dressed casually in jeans and a knitted sweater that hugged his rounded shoulders and lithe frame. His dark hair was tousled, falling onto his forehead to give him a rakish air. The last time we’d spoken I’d told him I loved him, and he’d told me he had no clue what that was, but he was willing for me to teach him. Then he’d vanished.
But he was here now, his piercing emerald eyes fixed on me with the kind of intensity that made my pulse race.
He pushed away from the window frame and sauntered toward the desk. “I can be there in a blink.”
Anna looked torn. “I don’t know…”
“You don’t trust me, but I don‘t give a shit. I’m not doing this for you.” He tore his gaze from me and fixed it on Anna. “I happen to like Elijah.”
Anna puffed out her cheeks and nodded. “Very well. Sloane, get the witches ready.”
“No,” Jasper said. “I work alone.”
Panic flared in my chest. Jasper was powerful, and now that I’d taken off the amulet, he had free access to cosmos and miasma, which would allow him to maintain a bridge to his power. But he was still only one guy, and as far as we were aware, the Sons of Adam were unkillable.
Lilith had let them live, but I doubted it was because she was feeling benevolent that day. The only explanation was that shecouldn’tkill them, and if an ancient, powerful being like Lilith had failed, then…
“No. You can’t do this alone.”
He gave me awhateverlook. “Yes, I can.”
“I’ll go with you,” Conah said.
I looked at the reaper in surprise. “You can’t do that.”
Okay, so I sounded like a stuck record.
He arched a blond brow. “Why not?”
Several reasons. “You’re a reaper. A Dominus. You have your own duties. This isn’t your problem.” I ticked them off on my fingers.
He frowned. “Not my problem? How do you figure that, Cora?”
“You don’t even know Elijah.”
Now I sounded lame.
Conah’s mouth tipped up in a half smile. “No, but I know you, and I know how far you’ll go to protect those you care about, so if Elijah and Bramble aren’t brought home safely, you’ll go after them. It’s who you are.”
I wasn’t going to lie by denying it. Besides, he knew me too well.
“And if anything happens to you, the seal will be compromised,” he continued. “The protection of humanity, the preservation of the balance of nature is also a Dominus reaper’s responsibility.”
“Fine,” Jasper said. “You can come.”
I looked from Jasper to Conah, heart beating too fast. Heading into danger wasn’t an issue for me, but sending people I cared about into a lion’s den was a no-no.Thiswas a no-no.
Conah placed a hand on my shoulder. “We’ve got this.”
I looked up into his sapphire eyes, anxiety churning in my stomach. “Promise me that if anything goes wrong, if shit gets hairy, you get your asses out of there.” I looked to Jasper. “I mean it. No heroics.”
“Pfft.” Jasper rolled his eyes. “That’s rich coming from you.”
Yeah, I’d been in some risky situations to save those I loved, but that was different. That was me, and this…This was Jasper, the malevolent entity who had my heart, and Conah, the reaper who’d been a friend to me for almost two years. I couldn’t lose them, but I couldn’t lose Elijah and Bramble either, not if there was a chance to save them. The warlock had been my anchor in this fucked-up witchy world for over a year. He was stoic and bossy and stubborn, but he was my mentor, and I… I cared about him, and Bramble had quickly become a friend. We needed to bring them home.
“I’ll pack you some supplies,” Sloane said. “A few little spells to help you along.”
