Page 39 of Bewitched by the Wicked Witch (The Bewitching Hour #4)

"The mob," I realized, the implications hitting me like cold water.

I reached out to halt Sage's forward momentum; not prepared for the sudden stop, she staggered slightly.

I turned to steady her, my hands instinctively moving to her waist, and suddenly we were standing far closer than tactical situations typically required .

She cursed under her breath and glared at me with those magnificent blue eyes that had haunted my dreams for five years.

But that was precisely the wrong thing for her to do, because with those eyes focused on me with such intensity, I could no longer hold back the emotions I'd been suppressing since the moment I'd seen her again.

The realization that we might not survive this confrontation, that I might lose her permanently this time, shattered my self-control completely.

I pressed my body against hers, pinning her against the tunnel wall with gentle but insistent pressure.

She softened against me as I brought my lips down on hers in a kiss I'd been craving for five years of regret and longing.

When our lips touched, I started sweet and tentative, but soon I was crushing my mouth to hers in a kiss that consumed us both with desperate hunger.

My hands moved to frame her face, holding her there delicately as if she were made of precious, breakable things. Not wanting the kiss to end but knowing we couldn't afford this luxury, I gradually slowed my assault on her senses and reluctantly disentangled myself from her warmth.

It wouldn't do to finally get a chance to kiss her again only to find ourselves, moments later, as permanent residents of Tommy's underground horror show.

"It's my turn to gag," Cosmo's mental voice interrupted with typical feline timing. "Though I must say, it's refreshing to see you can finally kiss her without requiring emergency medical intervention. Really adds to the romantic ambiance."

I paused, my heart doing something complicated in my chest. "That kiss..." I looked at Sage with growing understanding. "That's the first time in five years I haven't been terrified of my own reactions. The first time it felt like it used to between us."

"Well," Sage said with a slight smirk that held distinctly murderous undertones, "I figured if we were going to have this conversation, we might as well do it properly. Without you requiring emergency medical intervention."

"You've been keeping this from me for days?" I asked, torn between relief and exasperation.

"I've been busy preventing a supernatural genocide," she replied with the sort of casual deadpan that made her infinitely more attractive and slightly terrifying.

"Forgive me if updating you on your restored sexual function wasn't my top priority while teenage girls were being magically drained like juice boxes. "

"Fair point," I conceded, though I couldn't help grinning. "Though next time, maybe lead with the good news before we venture into underground chambers of horror."

"Next time I'll send an engraved announcement," she said dryly. "Assuming we survive long enough for there to be a next time. The odds are looking refreshingly grim."

"You sound almost pleased about that," I observed.

"There's something deeply satisfying about facing impossible odds in a place that reeks of despair," she replied with the sort of smile that belonged in gothic literature. "It really brings out my natural optimism."

"Your natural optimism is terrifying," Cosmo observed. "Also, you're both terrible at tactical timing. Perhaps we could continue this touching reunion after we've dealt with the industrial magical extraction facility?"

"He has a point," Sage said, magic gathering around her like a very fashionable and extremely dangerous evening shroud. "Nothing quite like rescuing kidnapped girls to really set the mood for romance."

"We'll continue this fascinating conversation later," I promised, moving forward through the darkness with easy confidence. "Right after we handle whatever's waiting for us. Should be fun—I do love a good challenge."

"Now you're getting into the spirit of things," Sage said with genuine approval. "I do so enjoy a man who can appreciate the hopelessness of our situation."

As Sage began unraveling the containment spells, each collapse sent ripples through the complex's detection systems like magical alarm bells.

Sure enough, footsteps echoed from multiple directions, but only two sets, far fewer than a facility this sophisticated should have available for rapid response.

I took them down with stunning spells that would keep them unconscious for hours. It was almost disappointingly easy, like they hadn't been expecting serious resistance.

"Got them," Sage called softly as the final ward collapsed. "But Callum, look at this..."

I turned to see what she'd found and felt my blood freeze. Four girls lay unconscious on medical tables, connected to magical extraction equipment by crystalline conduits. They weren't just drained, they were being kept alive by magical life support while their essence was slowly siphoned away .

"Well," Cosmo observed with dark satisfaction, "this is exactly as horrible as advertised. Someone's really committed to the whole 'magical battery farm' concept."

"This is monstrous," Sage breathed, moving to check vital signs. "They're treating them like renewable resources."

But as we began disconnecting the extraction apparatuses, slow applause echoed from the chamber entrance behind us.

"Very impressive," a familiar voice said with genuine appreciation. "Though I must say, you took longer to find this place than I expected. I was beginning to think you'd gotten lost in our lovely tunnels."

We spun around to see Tommy Bishop standing in the doorway, flanked by six armed figures in council guard uniforms. His boyish smile was wider than ever, but his eyes held the cold satisfaction of someone whose elaborate plan had just reached its conclusion.

"Tommy," Sage snarled, magic crackling around her hands like very angry jewelry. "What have you done to them?"

"Me? I've simply been following a very detailed operations manual," he replied with mock innocence. "Though I did make a few suggestions about how to handle particularly persistent investigators who couldn't leave well enough alone."

The truth hit me like a physical blow. "This was all planned. You wanted us to find this place."

"Of course I did," Tommy said with genuine delight.

"Do you really think it was a coincidence that you were able to track that binding rune so easily?

That the security on the main entrance was just sophisticated enough to be impressive while the maintenance tunnel remained conveniently accessible? "

Sage's face went white as the implications crystallized. "You led us here. Every step."

"Every single step," Tommy confirmed with obvious satisfaction. "Even arranged for those guards to have such convenient shift changes. Though I must say, watching you two play underground detectives was quite entertaining. All that moral outrage over discovering our operation's true scope."

"Why?" I demanded, though I suspected I already knew the answer.

Tommy's smile turned predatory. "Because, my dear former classmates, you're not here to rescue these girls.

You're here to join them in our lovely facility.

The final phase of our purification project requires a very specific combination of magical bloodlines, and you've just delivered yourselves directly into our hands with gift wrapping. "

"How thoughtful of us," Cosmo observed dryly. "Nothing quite like walking into a trap with such style and efficiency."

The trap snapped shut around us with the cold precision of a perfectly executed plan. We hadn't infiltrated Tommy's operation, we'd walked directly into the final stages of whatever nightmare they'd been building for decades.

And somewhere in the tunnels above us, the sound of approaching footsteps suggested that our evening was about to become significantly more complicated.