Page 12 of Rise of the Witch
I’d recognized the regretful tone in his voice, heard it echoed when Tan added to the story. After Anthia left, both had tried to apologize, but I wasn’t interested. Besides finding most apologies pointless, I also didn’t believe these men were to blame. They’d been merely following orders given to them by more powerful humans who could make people disappear if they disobeyed.
At least, that’s how I’d felt at the time. Now, left alone with my thoughts, I wasn’t feeling quite so generous. If Asa and Tan truly disagreed with what was happening, why not leave the Facility and seek employment elsewhere? Theywerestill expecting me to lead them out of the forest, so their repentance may have been an attempt to remain in my good graces until they could escape. And besides his initial outburst when Asa began sharing information, Nox had remained suspiciously quiet on the subject, so I assumed he wasn’t even bothering with a show of remorse.
Remember, humans cannot be trusted.
It was survival of the fittest in nature. Out here, the daily stakes were life and death. In the human world, very rarely was someone desperately hunting anything other than their own materialistic desires. Animals usually existed in packs or small family units, working together for the greater good. With humans, decisions were often made with the individual interests in mind, no matter the consequences to the whole. Animals operated on instincts, whereas humans had ulterior motives that were personal and complex, making their intentions challenging to interpret.
I thought back to when I existed among humans—when I was still one of them. My father was often absent, leaving me in the care of an abusive stepmother and stepsisters for months on end. The village turned a blind eye to my treatment because, according to archaic laws, the elders in my home could treat me as they pleased. It wasn’t until I encountered wild magic in the woods that my fortune changed, although whether it was ultimately for the better was still up for debate.
Quietly shifting on my cushions, I peered through a crack in my privacy curtain to observe the three men on the main level below. Nox appeared to be asleep, his thin sleeping mat positioned as far away from me as possible. In contrast, Tan and Asa were huddled together, closer to the stove, and the movement underneath their shared blankets implied they were very much awake. A low, masculine sigh followed by whispered words and the wet sounds of kissing caused unexpected anger to flare up in my chest.
No, not anger—possessiveness.A profound certainty that whatever was happening beneath those blankets, and the two men engaged in the activities, was rightfully mine.
What in the Goddess’ name..?
I hurriedly closed the curtain at the wayward thought. These men were nothing to me. I didn’t know them or care to know them, and any anger I was feeling was most likely in response to their midnight groping keeping me awake. With an annoyed huff, I rolled over to face the shelf recessed into the wall next to my bed, looking for something else to focus on.
My wooden Mokosh pendant was the first object to catch my eye. Snatching it to me for a closer look, I frowned at the new design that marred its surface. The horned symbol of Veles implied he’d staked a claim, much to my unease, but I knew better than to argue with the will of a god. Veles ruled the Nav—the realm that currently held the last Yaga and all others before her—and he was not an entity one wanted to provoke.
Although what could he possibly want with me?
They’re so close,he had said, adding that all I needed to do was claim them. Could he have been talking about these men in particular? The fact there werethreedid not escape my notice, but nothing else about them felt remarkable, aside from how enticing they were.
Although I’d rather sacrifice myself on the altar than admit to any attraction to that horrid Nox.
A muffled groan of release drifted upwards, and again, I felt the stirrings of jealousy. Running my hands down my body, I allowed myself to imagine what it would feel like to be between Tan and Asa, their sweat on my skin, muscular bodies rigid against my softness. Their hot mouths tasting me, tongues licking a trail up my center until I shattered. Watching them with each other…
Peeking through the curtain again, I found the men motionless, their measured breathing indicating they would be asleep soon if they weren’t already. Eyeing their bundled forms with suspicion, I realized if I was planning to kill them, now would be the time.
I briefly contemplated the idea before sighing. Besides Nox’s offensive rudeness—his existence, really—they hadn’t done anything worth dying for. To be honest, this was more to do with how off-kilter I’d felt being around men who invoked unfamiliar emotions and who were able to see past the Yaga. Without that horrifying disguise, I was just a witch who still looked human, even if I hadn’t technically been human, hadn’tfelthuman, in centuries. But these men reminded me that behind the magic, I was still a flesh-and-blood woman.
So why not enjoy them while they’re here?
A nudge from my intuition reminded me that if these three were the ones I’d been waiting for, then fucking them would be no simple thing. Supposedly, far-reaching events would be set in motion by our union, and, thanks to my mentor leaving me with little information, I was wholly unprepared. It was probably better not to risk tasting them, despite how pleasurable it would surely be.
When I first became Yaga, I’d often dreamed of meeting my fated three, of what they’d be like, but the idea wore thin after the first hundred years. By year 300, I no longer believed it was even possible, and now, 400-something years later, I barely cared.
But something about these men is calling to me.
Tossing the pendant aside in disgust, I abruptly sat up and descended the ladder, quiet as death. Floating silently over to where Tan and Asa lay fast asleep, I loomed over them as my claws began to lengthen to deadly points. I knew I could slit the throats of these two and finish off Nox before the first drop of blood hit the floor.
Yes, it would be easy to end this—to not wait for fate, that cruel mistress, to destroy me by bringing these three into my life only to take them away. The idea of waking my mysterious destiny only to face it alone was overwhelming and exhausting, especially on top of the recent threats to the forest. They would eventually want to return to their lives, and the thought of being cast aside by unworthy men yet again awakened a level of rage that made me crave bloodshed.
Before I could strike, Asa shifted to face me, sleep softening his chiseled features in the lamplight, causing my thirst for vengeance to immediately lessen. I couldn’t do it. They belonged to me, even if they didn’t know it yet, and I wasn’t ready for the implications. Even if I had to tell myself that I would let them live purely for the information they could give me.
It appears fate has plans for me yet.
Sighing heavily, I returned to my bed where a restless sleep—one with dreams of horned men and the sensation of many hands running over my skin—finally found me at last.
Chapter 11
Vasilisa
“You fucknugget! If you have to cheat to win, perhaps you should go back to playing cards with the old biddies in town.”
“I’m using the same fucking discs you are,mudak!You’re just crying because my backhand is better than yours.”
“Yaaaa, come over here, and I’ll gladly show you my backhand…”
