Page 44 of These Witches Don't Burn
Wait. Why didn’t Veronica use magic to contact Lady Ariana? Even if her parents made her wear a binding ring, there are ways to take it off in an emergency like this. It’s not like she’d have to hide the side effects from her parents. They would understand.
Maybe Veronica did reach out to Lady Ariana, but she’s too far away to help. Or maybe this is all an elaborate lie to mess up my date. With Veronica, it’s impossible to tell.
But her fear sounded so real...
When I turn onto Veronica’s street, it’s empty. Barren. There aren’t even any kids playing in their front yards. I pull into her driveway, throw my car in park, and unbuckle my seat belt. The flutter of my heartbeat reminds me how dangerous this is. How spectacularly I failed the last time I faced a Blood Witch.
So long as he doesn’t come in contact with my blood, he won’t be able to bend my body to his will. He won’t be able to stop my heart. So long as I don’t bleed, I should be fine.
Hopefully.
I shake out my arms, like I can flick the fear off the ends of my fingers. The risks don’t matter. I can’t leave Veronica in there alone. I reach for the binding charm, bracing for the pain that comes with unauthorized removal, and rip the ring from my finger, gasping as a burning sensation twists across my skin. I drop the thin band of metal in the cup holder, my heart pounding as it rattles against the plastic.
I’m flooded with an awareness so intense it steals my breath. The air rushes in my open window, pulling Veronica’s panic across my skin and threading it through my hair. Days of built-up magic thrums through my veins. I flex my hands, and my gaze catches on the red welts twisting down the length of my finger, already darkening to black. Irrefutable proof for my parents that I’ve broken their rules.
But I don’t have time to worry about that. Every second I delay is a second more the Blood Witch has to hurt Veronica.
My car door creaks as I ease it open, and I try to shut it as quietly as possible. The element of surprise is one of the few advantages I have, and I’m not about to give it up. I race to thefront door, but it’s locked. Though the struggle inside is too quiet for the neighbors to hear, the air dutifully brings me every sound. Hiccupping sobs. A fist against her door. Muttered curses.
I slip around the house, looking for a way inside, but with each step my confusion grows. If the intruder is a Blood Witch, why hasn’t he smashed through Veronica’s bedroom door already?
A shadow moves past the window up ahead. I duck down. Press myself against the foundation. My heart beats so loud I can hardly hear myself think.
The Blood Witch.
He must have retreated downstairs.Unless...A sick horror fills my legs with lead. It climbs up my body, souring my stomach and threatening to stop my heart. There were three figures inside the scrying bowl. How many witches are in the house?
The shadow paces in front of the window, but I can’t stay crouched here forever. I need a plan. Some way to distract the Blood Witch long enough to slip inside and launch a proper attack. I don’t even need to win. Just buy enough time for our parents or Lady Ariana to arrive.
I wait for the Blood Witch to pivot in their pacing, and then I run to the back of the house in a half crouch. I’m low enough to stay below the edge of the windows, but I don’t stop to look back. All I can do is hope the witch didn’t see me.
When I round the corner, I stretch to my full height and inhale deep, drawing power from the air into my lungs. Energy shoots through my limbs, and a plan takes shape in my brain. It’s risky, but I have to do something. Ex-girlfriend or not, Veronica is an Elemental. We’re Clanmatesandcovenmates. I’m sworn to protect her as she is me.
I inch toward the sliding glass door on the back deck. It’slocked, no surprise there, but it’s still my best way in. I just need a...
There.Mrs. Matthews edged her garden in heavy stones. I reach for the steady thrum of the earth’s power and stretch my magic around the stones, lifting them into the air. Inside the house, something crashes. Veronica screams. Her fear grips my spine, and a few of the rocks fall.Hang on, V. Just a little longer.I sprint around the corner and send one of the rocks careening toward the side window.
Glass shatters, and I’m gone before I see whether the rock made contact with anyone inside the house. A bonus if it did, but at the very least it should provide a distraction. Three more rocks draw close to me, hovering around my hips.
I send the first through the sliding glass door. Careful to avoid cutting myself, I slip my hand inside and feel for the lock, my fingers just long enough to reach. It takes a couple of tries to turn it all the way, but then I’m inside.
The familiarity of this house picks at my heart. This place has been a second home my entire life. I know every inch of the sprawling floorplan, from the plush carpeting in the next room to the kitchen island half a dozen steps in front of me. I pick my way through the kitchen and peer around the corner.
Nothing. Shards of glass sparkle on the floor like crushed diamonds, and the rock I tossed through the window lies against the wall. I reach for it, my power wrapping around the hard earth and pulling it toward me.
The air screams a warning across my back. Before I can turn, something slams into me, sending me sprawling onto the floor. A hand wraps around my ankle. Panic burns inside, driving out every bit of training I’ve ever had. I fling the rocks blindly behindme, but fear makes my magic sloppy, and my only weapons bury themselves in the walls.
Focus. Focus, or you’ll die.
I suck in a breath and push down the panic, flipping onto my back. This time, my kick catches the witch in the shin. He releases me, and I scramble back. The witch wears a mask and is dressed in black from head to toe. He’s tall, at least from this angle, and he’s holding what looks like the broken remains of the coat rack that normally sits by the front door, wielding it like a staff. This certainly isn’t the petite Blood Witch from New York, but does he know her? Is that what this is about?
He moves fast, twirling the long piece of wood and bringing it down toward my head. Air surges up around me, knocking the staff far enough off course that it smacks against the floor beside me.
“Veronica!” I shout, scrambling to my feet. Magic pulses through me, pushes against my skin, ready to escape the confines of my flesh. My whole body hums with power, and I let it free. The air whips around me, tugging at my hair.
The Blood Witch stares at me, his eyes growing wide beneath the mask. He recovers quickly and lunges forward, swinging the staff for my head. I duck, grabbing hold of the air and pushing it forward to separate us. He falls back a step and catches his foot on the edge of an area rug. The witch trips, tumbling into the wall.
I pin him there, pushing harder and harder with my magic, the rush of air growing stronger with each breath. Wind swirls around me like a cyclone, filling me with strength.
