Page 7 of Rise of the Witch
Which makes us getting lost on a routine patrol so fucking unacceptable.
We don't make mistakes like this.
Inwardly cursing at how late we were reporting back to base, I leaned in close to the other two. “Stay sharp. We’re here one night, and we sleep in shifts.” I whispered, keeping my eyes locked on the suspicious witch in the corner. Noting her tasting the stew, I carefully watched to make sure she didn’t slip in anything extra before ladling it into four bowls and carrying them over on a tray.
Changing seats to be as far away from her as possible, I barely waited until she sat down before abruptly addressing her. “So, you’ll be showing us how to leave this place in the morning, correct?” My tone made it clear there was only one correct answer.
Taking an unnecessarily loud slurp from her bowl, she made me wait a good 60 seconds before lifting her gaze to mine and calmly answering, “No, I won’t.”
Chapter 6
Taneer
Nox really needed to chill the fuck out. I could practically see the steam shooting out of his ears—accompanied by a cartoon train whistle—when that sassy wood nymph told him she had no intention of jumping when he said jump. Maybe if he tried letting her finish her sentence or asked a clarifying question or two, he would find himself a much happier man. But that sort of two-way communication wasn’t his style.
Not to mention, alpha dogs like him aren’t used to being told “no.”
“I beg your fucking pardon,” he growled threateningly. “But I believe the whole reason we followed you into this claptrap horse barn was so you could help us.”
“No,” she calmly repeated, delicately sipping from her spoon with lips so scrumptious I wanted to push my bowl away and haveherfor dinner instead. “I said if you assistedme,then perhaps I could be convinced to help you. But I promised nothing.”
Fuck, I really am in love.
I glanced over to find Ace watching me with knowing amusement as he placed his spoon down in his empty bowl. The stew was delicious, and between the food filling my belly, the homey warmth from the stove, and the riveting dinner theater playing out in front of me, I was happy as a motherfucking clam. Overcome with emotion, I momentarily forgot we had a newcomer in our midst and snatched Ace’s hand to bring it to my lips for a playful kiss.
Vasi immediately shifted her attention to our show of affection, but for some reason, I felt completely comfortable under her curious gaze. I wasn’t sure what Nox’s problem with our host was—sure, she was an ambiguously-intentioned witch who lived in a possessed hut in the woods surrounded by human skulls, but she was hot as hell and at least hadsomesense of humor since she hadn’t hexed me yet.
Although, I probably wouldn’t stop her if she wanted to.
Ace also didn’t seem to mind being watched so closely, which was odd since he was usually the more private of the two of us. He actually smiled at me the way he used to before the accident, with genuine warmth in his pretty blue eyes, and my heart did that sappy pitter-pat thing it only did for him.
Anyone who’d possessed half a brain cell should have been able to tell Ace was gay, but it took his dad walking out on his mom for him to finally come out to us. Of course, his mom was supportive of the news because that was the sort of amazing woman she was. Nox’s reaction had been to simply shrug like it was no big deal, but I’d responded by immediately grabbing Ace’s angelic face in my hands and bringing him in for a kiss that told him exactly how much I approved of his confession. I could still remember his relieved laugh as he pulled away, the tension he’d been carrying for years lessening in an instant.
Until everything came crashing down.
As quickly as it had appeared, Ace’s rare, open smile was gone, and he refocused on the babe across the table from us. “May I wash the dishes for you, Vasi?” he asked in that subtle, southern twang of his that just killed me.
She blinked in surprise but slowly nodded. “Yes, that would be an acceptable form of repayment.”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa!” Nox interrupted. “What the fuck are we repaying you for if you’re not even going to help us find our way out of this cursed forest, you fucking crazy bitch?”
Vasi was suddenly standing next to where Nox sat, towering over him as her body seemed to unnaturally stretch in what could only be a trick of the low light. “I didn’t say I wouldn’t help you find your way home,Russki,”her voice lowered to fill the small space of the cabin, crawling over the walls and skittering over my skin. “Only that it wouldn’t be happening tomorrow morning. And I would suggest you start the exchange by first telling me what your business was being out inmyforest?”
“Just a hiking trip gone wrong,” Nox boldly scowled in response, crossing his arms over his chest, immovable as usual.
Vasi looked unconvinced, throwing him some saucy shade over her shoulder as she led Asa toward the washbasin, magically restored to her usual, sexy-sized self. Since I’d been so wonderfully ejected from that area of the hut earlier, I chose to stay seated with ol’ Grumpy Pants instead of following the two of them.
“Ok, spill it, Noxy,” I teased. “What’s eating you?”
“Are you fucking joking right now?” he hissed, glaring at me in a way that would’ve made me piss myself if he hadn’t been one of my closest friends. “You know as well as I do that just because she’s awomandoesn’t make her harmless. Weird shit is happening here, Tan.” He began counting on his fingers, “Us not being able to find our way out of a forest we’ve patrolled a million times. This creepy-ass shack surrounded by human remains. That witch over there who’s just waiting to murder us in our sleep…”
“Actually, I’ll be going out this evening,” Vasi interrupted from across the hut. “So the murder will have to wait!”
Grinning wildly, I eagerly awaited Nox’s next tantrum, but I was disappointed when he simply leaned back in his chair to gaze heavenward, sighing heavily as if looking for guidance from above. I knew it wasn’t actually what he was doing—none of us were particularly religious—but I also knew when to stop poking the bear.
The truth was, I completely agreed with him. What we’d witnessed tonight wasn’t anywhere near “normal,” and we’d seen some fairly unexplainable things in these woods. What bothered me most was how we’d never stumbled upon Vasi’s hut during our previous missions. Right before our equipment inexplicably stopped functioning, we hadn’t beenthatfar away from base, and my navigation shouldn’t have taken us too much deeper into the forest.
It’s almost as if we were being led here...
