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

My stomach dropped, ice flooding my veins as my lungs forgot how to breathe. Every sound sharpened, every shadow twisted, and my heart pounded like it was trying to claw its way out of my chest.

“No,” I growled. “You will not touch her.” I knew how these things worked. Many times it ended with the witch or warlock accused burning to death, whether they were innocent or not.

And Sage’s magic was going to damn her. Not because it was dark, but because of the way it manifested. No one understood that in the darkness there laid beauty and it was as beautiful as her soul and her.

“I’m glad you said no, because there is an alternative…” Eleanor trailed off, knowing she had me hooked.

“What is it?” I ground out through my teeth, my shoulders slumping and resolve taking hold. I would do anything for Sage, anything.

“Break off your relationship, say nothing to her about why, and join the high council’s investigation department with a contract of five years minimum.

We will pay off your remaining school bill and host you through graduation in lieu of your family.

And more importantly, we will block your grandmother’s call for a trial by fire and afford Sage our protection until she is back in her grandmother’s care at Old Hollow’s. ”

“I want a guarantee she will not be put on trial again,” I demanded.

Before the High councilwoman could reply, my grandmother spoke. “You cannot be serious. He is my kin. I have a right?—”

“Silence,” Eleanor demanded, raising a hand and cutting off the air of my grandmother.

Her gaze slowly turned to her. “He renounced you. It makes him mine.” Her lips twisted up into an evil smirk as if she was delighted to piss off the Renshaw matriarch.

After she held her gaze for the amount of time she deemed appropriate, she slowly turned back to me. “Do you agree to the terms?”

"There have been... stirrings," Eleanor Ravenstone said, her voice cutting through my protests like a blade through silk.

She leaned back in her chair, fingers steepled as she regarded me with those cold, calculating eyes.

"Whispers in certain circles about blood purity, about the old ways.

Communities that once welcomed mixed-blood families are starting to question that hospitality.

The kind of ideological tensions that, left unchecked, could lead to. .. unfortunate incidents."

My blood ran cold, a chill that had nothing to do with the drafty council chamber. "What does this have to do with Sage?"

Eleanor's smile was razor-thin, predatory.

"Your precious witch fits the profile perfectly.

Dark magic manifestation, Blackstone lineage, isolated and defensiveless.

Exactly the sort who draws dangerous elements.

" She paused, letting her words sink in like poison.

"If something were to happen to her while you're off playing at romance. .. Well, who would be surprised?"

"You're threatening her." The words came out as a growl, my hands clenched into fists beneath the table.

"I'm stating facts," Eleanor replied smoothly. "These disappearances—they're not random. Someone is hunting girls like Sage, targeting those who stand out, who make themselves visible through their differences. The kind who've already earned reputations for being... difficult."

My grandmother, Bessie, leaned forward, her voice dripping with false concern.

"The authorities believe it's connected to old blood purity movements.

Fanatics who think mixed heritage weakens our kind.

" Her lips curled in distaste. "Naturally, someone like the Blackstone girl would be a prime target. "

"Which is why," Eleanor continued, her voice taking on a deceptively reasonable tone, "it would be so much safer for her if she had.

.. protection. The kind that comes from having connections to the High Council.

The kind that comes from having someone close to her who understands the real threats she faces. "

The trap closed around me with elegant precision.

They weren't just threatening Sage with a trial by fire—they were threatening to leave her vulnerable to whatever was stalking young witches across the magical communities.

And with her reputation, her isolation, her distinctive magic that marked her as different. ..

She'd be the perfect target. And when she disappeared, who would look too hard for the town's wicked witch ?

"The choice is yours, Mr. Renshaw," Eleanor said, her voice soft as silk and twice as dangerous.

"Join our investigation department, help us protect young women like Sage, and ensure she remains safe under our watchful eye.

Or continue your romantic pursuits and hope nothing tragic befalls her while you're distracted by love. "

My heart shattered as I realized I had no choice at all.

"Sage will be safe?" I demanded again. I needed confirmation.

"Yes, for now." She nodded. That was it. No words, no plea, just a silent agreement.

I had no choice.

if I refused, they'd put her through a trial by fire meaning they'd bind her, drain her magic, drag her to trial, and if they ruled against her… I shuddered.

With Sage's power, the same rare, wild kind her ancestor Maud Blackstone wielded before going dark, they'd see her as evil. They wouldn't care about the light inside her, the soul that kept fighting despite a lifetime of cruelty.

All they' d see was a threat.

My heart broke as it beat physically painful in my chest, nausea bubbling inside of me of thought of breaking her heart as well.

Moments ago, before walking into this room, I'd been excited about our future together now.

I was about to destroy us both. Yet, for a moment, hope flared.

I could just delay this. I could find a way to do this but not ruin us.

I could still save her with a promise of the future.

I walked away, destroying our world and tearing it apart at the same time.

Desperation and regret consumed me, hoping that one day she wouldn't succumb to the darkness and anger building inside her, that she might still forgive me.

Because there is only one woman for me. I'd wait five years, then spend the rest of my life making it up to her. But first, she would hate me.

I moved closer to the door, trying to figure out a way to explain, to get her to wait to understand to not be as broken. However, as I almost made it through the door, Eleanor's voice halted me with a chilling warning, "Callum."

I faced her, meeting her gaze with unbridled fury, no longer caring who else was in the room or what they thought. "What?"

Her words cut through me like a knife. "If you tell her, if you give her false hope, I will personally light the pyre, niece or not.

" Her tone was devoid of emotion, but her threat was crystal clear.

"Sage has enough issues that she will face and if you tell her the truth, she will fight and it will end unfavorably for her.

It might even push her right over to that side of evil they already believe she is.

Which will look very bad for our family. Do we understand one another?"

I nodded, my lips pressing into a hard line, holding back the words I truly wanted to say, that this relative didn't know the real Sage or the goodness inside her. Despite her broken and damaged heart, Sage was inherently good, her soul pure. I only wished others could see what I saw in her.

As I stared into Eleanor Ravenstone's cold eyes, the bitter truth settled over me. They would never look beyond the transgressions of Sage's ancestor, the true wicked witch. They had already decided who Sage was before giving her a chance to prove otherwise.

In an instant, any hope I had left shattered along with my already broken heart.

With a heavy weight in my pocket, I nodded and walked away to do the hardest thing I had ever done, breaking the heart of the woman I loved.

The small box felt like a leaden burden, a symbol of my betrayal and the pain I was about to inflict upon her.

I made a vow that day, as I slipped my hand into my pocket to hold that small box holding the ring, my mother’s ring. I would fight anyone who stood in our way, for there was only one woman I desired, my witch, my Sage. No matter how dark she may be.

Because I’d fight the devil himself to be by her side. I just had to be patient.

As I walked away from that damned council chamber, Eleanor's final words echoed in my mind: "And Callum? Do remember grand niece or not, should you fail in doing as we request, I will be the one forced to light the pyre and we will both be forced to watch. "

The message was clear. Keep Sage safe by staying away from her, or watch the very thing I was trying to protect her from find its way to her door.