Page 3 of A Witch Out of Time
The familial resemblance between the two men was evident, both of them being massively built with dark eyes and thick beards, although Matthew kept his trimmed close. However, where Nox’s aloofness was obviously a defense mechanism, his father had a coldness to him that felt polished and impenetrable—inhuman even.
“Please trust me,” Nox whispered in my ear. I gaped up at him in astonishment, for the uncharacteristic vulnerability in his tone and the unmistakable alarm that shot down our bond.
Nodding warily, I took a step forward, but the moment my boots touched the bearskin rug in front of the entryway, I froze. Similar to how I received emotions from my men through our connection, I could feel the pain and terror these animals experienced in the last moments of their lives. Along with this jolt of clarity came the sinking realization that these were no ordinary animals. I was standing on the remains of a shifter. My gaze traveled over the countless rugs and then up the walls to where various mounted animal heads stared back at me. Bears, elk, moose, wolves, even lynx. All shifters.
He knew what they were when he killed them…
“What’s the trouble, Yaga? Don’t like my collection?” Matthew laughed, motioning for us to approach with the dangerous air of a man who expected to be obeyed.
Although every instinct screamed at me to run, I continued to approach Matthew’s desk. My rage at seeing murdered shifters had now transformed into an alert watchfulness honed by centuries of experience in the wild.
At the moment, there was no way of knowing precisely what Matthew’s plans were for my forest, its inhabitants, or me. This had always been why I found humans so frustrating, even when I was one myself. Their desires were ever changing, with motivations buried so deep they could remain hidden indefinitely, including from themselves.
What manner of beast am I up against?
The men here cowered in Matthew’s presence, despite being killers themselves. Even Nox, who’d managed to intimidatemewhen we first met, was terrified of his own father. I suddenly understood how similar the human world actually was to the animal kingdom, how survival of the fittest could take many deceptive forms. And the only way I was going to survive in this place would be to prove my dominance. I would show them I was the most dangerous creature of all.
Chapter 3
Vasilisa
Lowering myself into one of the hardback chairs in front of Matthew’s desk, I took a discreet inhale in his direction, furrowing my brow at what I found. Besides the suffocating cologne, he didn’t smell exceptional. He was purely human, right down to the infuriatingly smug smile plastered across his face. Subtly flexing my claws, I called upon every ounce of self-control not to fly across the desk and cleave off his head for my own collection.
I will watch this man die.
Just not today.
“Do you like what you see, my dear?” Matthew smirked, eyeing me in return, his gaze oddly lecherous, considering what I must look like to him. “Noxdidinherit my good looks, so if you’re interested inhim…” he trailed off, fixing his dark brown eyes on his son, clearly trying to bait him into a reaction.
“You know, father, the suspense is killing me...” Nox sounded outwardly bored, even as I felt apprehension coursing through his system. “What sort of punishment do you have planned for the deaths of your men?”
Matthew ignored the question, intently focusing on me again instead. “I want to know how you achieved that level of devastation first. What sort of powers do you command, Yaga?”
“She didn’t kill them,” Nox quickly replied, reminding me to let him speak for both of us. “I did.”
Luckily, Matthew glanced sharply at Nox, so he missed my surprised reaction. “What do you meanyoukilled them?” he narrowed his eyes appraisingly at the younger man. “You don’t havepowers.”
Nox shrugged, the very picture of indifference. “I do now. I’m not sure how they work exactly, but it seems like I have to be physically close to the witch to access my abilities.”
Clever boy.
“Interesting…” Matthew rubbed his chin, the unusual quartz ring on his finger briefly catching the light. Now ignoring me, he continued to question his son. “And does it go both ways? Baba Yaga can command basic elemental energies, but I’ve never heard of this sort of power exchange…”
Nox shook his head, and his father sat back to consider the information he was being given, as misleading as it was. I saw what my Rider was doing—trying to make himself the more enticing test subject while ensuring I remained within his sights. As Nox had never cared about my well-being before, I assumed he was keeping me close so I could help reunite him with Tan and Asa once we escaped.
He’s certainly not interested in the connection between the two of us.
While I appreciated Matthew’s diverted attention, I worriedNoxwould now be subjected to the horrors initially planned for me. Watching him get beaten so indiscriminately at the crater was upsetting, but also eye-opening, and I suspected there would be no exceptions made because of who he was related to.
As if he were attempting a polite conversation, Matthew suddenly asked, “Whatever happened to the two men we sent you out with?” His sharp eyes momentarily flickered to me as I sharply inhaled. “Taneer and that American. The one who had a tragic death in the family. Asa?”
My Rider’s jaw tightened, and I suspected the raw emotion I heard in his tone was genuine. “We were...separated,” he gruffly answered. “I don’t know what happened to either of them.”
His father shrugged, although I thought I spied a glimmer of a smile. “Ah, well. Time marches on. Another reminder that close relationships are a weakness, right, my boy?”
I assume this heartwarming philosophy also extends to family.
Matthew abruptly changed the subject again, his tone now dangerously icy. “I do wonderwhyyou’re giving me this information so readily—after failingto complete your original mission, and especially after ambushing my truck and killing my men. Are you sure you’re not simply trying to save your own hide?” His gaze swept over his son, eager for blood, missing nothing.
