Total pages in book: 202
Estimated words: 193561 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 968(@200wpm)___ 774(@250wpm)___ 645(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 193561 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 968(@200wpm)___ 774(@250wpm)___ 645(@300wpm)
A couple of hours? A lot can change in a couple of hours. I hope hard that Grey will be here within that couple hours. And that whatever Soleil wants from me… that I make it through it.
Wyatt looks hassled, thrusting his hand through his hair but mutters, “All right… but I need to plug in somewhere. And I need some water to get us through until tomorrow. Fresh water tank on the camper is empty, and the generator is out of juice.”
“I’ll send someone out to assist you momentarily.”
“All right,” Wyatt grumbles, grabbing Sherry’s hand and turning to walk out the way we came. Wyatt doesn’t look back.
Sherry does. And she looks concerned for me. But I know there’s not much she can do. Though she has done something major, something that will mess Wyatt up, at least temporarily, maybe worse than that. But I don’t know how much of the herbal mixture went into the soup to make our people ill and eventually kill some of them.
I’m going to walk away from this, though, right? That must be the expectation because Wyatt talked about snapping my neck in front of Grey so that must mean Soleil doesn’t plan to harm me, right? Who knows with Wyatt, though?
I hope he digs into the whisky immediately. While I don’t know how long those effects lasted on the men in Arcana Falls, and I don’t know how much Sherry put in the bottle, I’m sure Grey is fighting to get to me so maybe the herb will at least slow Wyatt’s hideous plans down.
“So,” Soleil claps her hands. “How about if we have a seat, I untie your wrists, and then you do something for me?”
I have no idea what she wants from me, so I don’t answer.
She gestures to where Halla had been sitting and lifts the remote control from the arm of the couch, turning the television off and moving the popcorn bowl to a side table. The other witches stand back, leaning against the wall, but seem to be keeping a watch on us. Seem to be very alert. There’s a weird energy in this room, like something big is about to happen. I just can’t imagine what that might be and what I’ve got to do with it.
I feel like a sacrificial lamb brought to the altar for slaughter.
Aphra steps back into the room. “Soleil? A word?”
Soleil huffs out impatience, but then paints on a smile and says, “One moment, daughter-in-law.”
I look around the space. I look to the women leaning against the wall and try to think of something to say that might help my cause here. But I don’t know what she has planned. I don’t know how I could talk her out of anything. She’s in cahoots with Wyatt, for fuck’s sake.
They’re already back, Soleil moving to me and Aphra leaning against the wall inside the door.
I look at Aphra for cues but she doesn’t make eye contact. And she looks angry.
Soleil reaches over and works the knot loose around my wrists. There’s rugburn as the rope falls away and she hisses with what seems like sympathy as she inspects my wrists, holding my hands.
“Stacy, I need you to do something for me.”
“What would that be?” I ask, wanting her to let go of my hands, but making no moves.
“No need to be afraid. This won’t be difficult, and you won’t be harmed by helping me. Do you see this necklace I’m wearing?”
I look at the wide, flat silver choker around her throat.
She finally lets go of my hands and turns it so the chain’s barrel clasp is now in the hollow of her throat.
“I need you to remove it,” she states.
I look at her questioningly.
“Only someone with the blood of a Young witch can remove this magic-suppressing necklace,” she explains. “I had assistance setting things in motion that would enable me to coerce this to happen.”
She gestures to Aphra and continues to explain. “I’m fairly confident it’ll work. We are a branch of a covenless collective here. Some witches without their coven, some without their magic, but with the knowledge to assist younger witches.” She touches her necklace. “It was fortuitous when Aphra came to us in rather rough condition after enduring your brother’s attention. Once she was well enough, we discussed some things and this led to me bargaining with your brother to acquire what Aphra would bargain for.”
“Her daughter,” I whisper.
I look at Aphra and frown when I see apology in her eyes as she looks at me, but just briefly before her eyes move to the space beyond me. She chews her lip and pain infuses her expression for a brief moment before she wipes it clean.
Of course she’d bargain however she could to get her daughter back, although I have no idea why she didn’t just use her magic against my brother herself. But what did Aphra do?