Page 7 of Filthy Little Witch
They went silent when I stood next to them and cleared my throat. Wesson’s dark eyes flicked up to me.
“Yes?” he asked, raising his eyebrows.
I took a deep breath and steeled myself against the hesitation burning through our connection. I couldn’t tell if it was mine or his…or both.
“We have a mission,” I said. “There are reports of people screwing each other to death in Biltmore Forest. We’re heading out in an hour.”
Atlas snorted and sipped his beer, raising an eyebrow at Wesson in silent communication with his brother.
“Screwing each other to death?” Wesson smiled and shook his head. “Didn’t know the Harlots put so much stock in tabloids. What’s next? Aliens?”
“We don’t,” I said, crossing my arms. “But it’s worth investigating. It could be a demon or a vampire playing tricks.”
At least, those were the first two things that came to my mind.
“And you need both of us for that?” Atlas asked, his sardonic tone hinting at the years of animosity between our families.
“No,” I sniped. “I don’t need either of you. But you are my warriors, and the ancestors thought otherwise.”
“Ya know, I’m curious about that little ritual.” Atlas pushed to his feet, towering over me from his height of six-three. “Who says Lilith didn’t make it up? I didn’t see that slip of paper. It could have had anyone’s name on it.”
“Atlas,” Wesson warned.
“Did you want us to be your little gopher bitches?” Atlas sneered. “Did you think it would be funny to have us cater to your every?—”
“I would rather trudge through steaming hot shit than be tied to you,” I said and squared my jaw, glaring at the eldest Colt brother with hatred burning in my blood. “Either of you.”
“That can be arranged.” Atlas stepped closer, bringing his face inches from mine.
“Alright, enough.” Wesson stood and grabbed his brother’s arm, yanking him back from me. “You’ve made your point.”
“You signed up for this, remember?” I glanced between them, suddenly realizing how much smaller I was, how much easier it would be for them to manhandle me. Luckily, I was the one with the magic in my veins. “You knew what being a warrior would require, what it would demand. You dug your grave; now we all have to lay in it.”
Atlas rolled his eyes, and Wesson’s cheeks turned a bright shade of blush. Was he ashamed of his brother? Or did he feel guilty that he’d known they shouldn’t have come but had anyway? I didn’t care.
“Get your shit,” I said. “We leave in an hour.”
Then I turned and headed out of the estate to pack my bags for the trip.
CHAPTER 3
Atlas
“Witches are bullshit,” I said from the driver’s seat of my GTO. We’d been on the road for thirty minutes, following behind the Harlots as they led us on what would most likely be a wild goose chase. “This whole thing is bullshit.”
“She’s right, though,” Wes added from the passenger. “We knew what we were signing up for.”
“And what were we gonna do, huh?” I shook my head. “Not attend a bonding ceremony just because it’s her? Dad would kill us if he were still alive.”
“It’s surprising both of us were chosen. I’ll give you that,” Wes said, flipping a page of his book. Such a fucking nerd, my brother. Sometimes, it was difficult to tell that we’d been raised by the same dude, even if we had different biological parents. Wes had been with me since he was four, so he might as well be my brother in every way except blood. When Dad came home all pissed off and angry, he yelled at both of us, not just me. Yep, connected by trauma didn’t even begin to describe how fucked up our little so-called family was.
“What? The ancestors couldn’t figure out which of us would be the worst match for her, so they picked both?” I laughed and let the disappointment roll through me. At least twenty other prospective warriors were waiting in the wings; any of them would have been a better choice. But nooo, fate was a fickle bitch and wouldn’t let us have any breathing room.
“The ancestors don’t do anything by chance,” Wes said, glancing at me with a disapproving side eye. “If they wanted it this way, it’s for a reason.”
“Yeah, let’s live our lives following a bunch of dead idiots that were stupid enough to get killed in the first place,” I said. “There’s a bright idea.”
“You didn’t have to come,” Wes said. “I could have taken this one.”
