Page 16 of Cursed Magic (Rejected Fate Trilogy #2)

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

M y head snapped in Ryker’s direction. Raven’s eyes narrowed, but the corners of her lips tipped slightly upward. She was no doubt thrilled that he was finally being called on his shit.

Ryker wasn’t amused at all. His nostrils flared, and his breathing quickened. “What are you talking about?” His voice was low, with a hint of menace lurking beneath the surface.

Shaking her head, Elara tsk ed. “Don’t play dumb. There’s no way you aren’t aware of the spell that’s been placed on you. You had to sacrifice a piece of yourself to gain it. It isn’t natural, and it’s one for which even witches struggle to understand the impact. It turns you into a different person—so long as the witch is still alive.”

He flinched, and my breath caught. His gaze darted to me, then to Raven before he turned back to Elara, his expression strained in a mask of controlled fury.

I wanted to ask what spell, but Ryker was barely keeping it together. I didn’t want to add to the already volatile tension, and I seriously doubted he wanted Raven to know all about it.

“I’m still the same person. What are you insinuating?” Ryker crossed his arms, trying to move in front of me again.

I suspected he didn’t want me to see his reactions, but tough shit. I edged between him and the wall of the porch so that I could see everyone’s face. Nonverbal cues were even more important than words, and not everyone realized that. Sort of like most people didn’t realize using sour cream in the batter would make a cake moister and richer.

The air shimmered faintly in front of Elara, indicating that her magic continued to strengthen within her. “I’m not insinuating anything. I’m telling you the truth. The magic within you—whatever it is—ties you to Iskaria. If she’s alive, you’ll still be affected by the spell that links you two. But if she dies…”

Ryker fisted his hands, his knuckles white. “That doesn’t make any sense.”

“And that is why you shouldn’t mess with things you don’t understand.” Elara shook her head. “You’re connected to her as long as the spell is a part of you, but if she dies, there will be nothing left to sustain the spell.”

I watched him, my pulse racing. There was something in his eyes, something he didn’t want to admit even to himself. Whatever he had done, Elara must be right. He hadn’t thought it through.

Raven looked skyward. “What exactly has he had done to himself?” She turned toward Elara for answers.

A muscle in Ryker’s cheek twitched. For the first time ever, I caught a glimpse of defeat in his eyes before the sheen appeared, covering the color once more.

“It’s not my place to tell you.” Elara crossed her arms, making it clear that we’d overstayed our welcome. “But what I will say is this: You deserve a warning. Whatever bargain you made, whatever spell you’ve tied yourself to, it’s not something to be taken lightly and may result in horrible things happening.”

Ryker cleared his throat. “I’m fine.”

“Are you?” Raven placed a hand on her hip. “Because ever since you left the mansion alone that one day and came back, you haven’t been acting like yourself.”

“Yes, I have,” Ryker snapped, his voice rising. “Is there anything else you can tell us about the cloaking?”

For a second, I thought he might attack Raven, but thankfully, he reined himself in. Whatever spell was on him, he had desperately tried to hide it and clearly wasn’t happy that he’d been outed. Little did he know, Raven and Queen Ambrosia had known about it since the day he’d had the spell cast on him.

Raven messed with her phone, perhaps messaging Queen Ambrosia to inform her that Ryker’s secret had finally come out.

Despite my dry mouth, I placed a hand on Ryker’s arm for support. However, the electricity that usually sprang up between us was gone. My wolf whimpered loudly in my mind.

For a moment, I didn’t think Elara was going to respond. Then she took a shaky breath and dropped her arms. “No, I can’t tell you more. Like I said, witches with that power are rare and usually stay isolated. You have a better chance of locating her than I do.”

I rolled my eyes. “I’m assuming witches can sense each other’s magic and figure out where one would most likely be.” We weren’t stupid, and she had to realize that.

“Even if I had more to tell you, I wouldn’t.” Elara’s eyes darkened. “I gave you more information than I should, so be grateful, especially after you brought him here. Iskaria made an unfortunate decision, and I fear the repercussions will impact all of us.”

Ryker unclenched his hands. “If that’s all, then we’ve taken up enough of your time.”

Of course he’d be eager to leave.

“Yes, you all should be off.” Elara gestured in the direction of the parked car. “The sooner you’re off my property, the quicker I can try to forget I ever learned any of this information.”

Raven chuckled harshly. “It’s always the same with your kind, isn’t it? So quick to dismiss the debts you owe, thinking your own interests supersede those of the people who have supported the witches through the centuries.”

“The debts you claim I bear were created by my ancestors. Not me.” Elara flushed. “My people have and will always come first. The vampire queen may have her own power, but at the end of the day, it’s the well-being of my species that matters most to me.”

Raven’s teeth elongated, and her irises blurred crimson, evidence of her rising anger. “How noble. Yet you forget that, without our queen, you wouldn’t be standing here today. The debt you owe is not just in coin or land but in loyalty. And loyalty, Elara, is something you seem to be sorely lacking. It has been noted.”

“Make sure you put in bold that I stand with my sisters.” Elara lifted her chin, unflinching at the clear threat that had been lobbed at her feet. “And I gave you more information than I wanted to, so please share that detail when you speak with the queen. Now it’s time for the three of you to leave.”

“Gladly,” Ryker muttered, taking my hand and leading me back to the car. I glanced over my shoulder to see Raven and Elara still glaring at each other and even more fiercely with the two of us gone.

I dug my feet into the grass, wanting to stay and watch, but then they parted without another word. I had no clue what the stare-off meant, but my gut screamed that we needed to understand what the exchange was about. It seemed like more than just Elara not wanting to provide information to the vampires.

“We need to move, Ember,” Ryker rasped and tugged on my hand. “Being here for as long as we have isn’t good.”

Yeah, I bet he felt that way. His touch didn’t tingle, telling me the spell on him had activated once again. I sensed only a very minute hum.

I pivoted and picked up the pace to the car. Within two blinks of an eye, Raven was on my other side, slowing to keep pace with us.

She glared at Ryker, but he ignored her and opened the passenger door for me before climbing into the back seat behind me.

Raven slipped in her side, and the car’s engine hummed to life. She pulled away from Elara’s house, and soon, the expanse of the Shadowbrook Woods swallowed us whole. The faint glow of the dashboard, the headlights, and the rising moon were the only lights in the darkness.

That uncomfortable drowning sensation pressed on my body and had my heart racing. “I think the Blackwoods are near, or the witch is messing with my emotions,” I gritted out, struggling to speak every word.

“How do you know?” Raven’s head jerked my way, her eyes widening.

Ryker’s sigh sounded like one of relief. Instead of Raven focusing on him, she wanted an explanation from me.

“I…I don’t know. It’s like… When they get close, I feel a so rt of cold pressure, and it’s hard to breathe.” That probably sounded crazy, but I wasn’t sure how else to explain it.

“Well, I don’t sense anything.” Raven glanced from side to side, examining the forest. “If anything, it’s Elara, just trying to get us off her property faster.”

“I told you we shouldn’t talk to witches,” Ryker bit out, each word laced with disgust.

As if she’d been waiting for that opening, Raven said, “I think there’s a more important reason than Elara using her magic to make us uncomfortable.” Her voice cut through the car like a blade, sharp and precise. “So, Ryker, care to explain what she was talking about? The spell and the magic?”

“Luckily, I don’t have to explain myself to you. All you need to know is that I am the same person, and my goals and loyalties haven’t changed.”

I grimaced, though I’d expected such a reaction from him. He’d clearly been trying to keep this magic a secret, and he was an alpha and didn’t like to be questioned.

“You don’t feel the need to explain yourself?” Raven’s tone was calm but carried an undercurrent of frustration. “You’ve been acting strange for weeks, Ryker. Moody, unpredictable, volatile.”

“What you should be worried about is that your heavily spelled protected area can’t actually detect all magic.” Ryker laughed harshly. “And I haven’t been acting abnormal. I’m merely doing what needs to be done to get retribution for what the Blackwoods have done.”

Silence filled the car, thick and oppressive, like a brewing storm. I tried to steady my breathing, but the lingering chill and pressure added to the tension, making my lungs even harder to fill.

Raven exhaled, her fingers drumming against the steering wheel. “We did know.”

Ryker’s breath caught. “You knew what?” His voice was flat, but I heard the trace of something dangerous.

My heart dropped into my stomach, and my mouth dried. The truth was finally coming out, and I might be caught in the cross fire since Raven had confided in me.

“That you were spelled.” Raven flicked her eyes toward the rearview mirror. “We knew from the beginning. Our wards detected it when you arrived that day. They alerted me and Queen Ambrosia, and I wanted to give you a chance to come clean on your own first. To us. To your pack.”

He snarled. “You think my pack doesn’t know?”

Raven stilled. “Do they?”

“You assume I’ve been lying to them? We both know that’s not possible.”

“But withholding the truth works.” Her tone turned frigid.

Ryker cracked his knuckles, a telltale sign of how close he was to losing his temper. I needed to intervene so Raven didn’t take the brunt of his anger alone.

“Your pack doesn’t know about the spell, but they’ve talked about how you’ve been acting more and more strangely. They believe it’s from the burden you carry.” I winced, thankful he couldn’t see my expression. I had no doubt I looked strained. “What exactly did you think would happen, Ryker? That no one would notice?” He had to know that his packmates, the people who knew him almost as well as he knew himself, would realize something was off.

“I haven’t changed,” Ryker snarled. “I just want justice for our pack and yours.”

That I understood, but we didn’t have to lose our humanity for vengeance. “You must have noticed that things change when you tap into that magic.” I glanced over the headrest to stare into his eyes. The sheen covered the color once again. “Right now, there’s an iridescent sheen over your eyes that’s similar to how the shadows look to me.”

His fingers curled into fists, his breathing shallow but controlled. “You don’t understand—”

“Then help us understand,” I urged, turning in my seat to face him fully. “Because right now, all I see is someone who made a deal involving magic without knowing the consequences.”

He swallowed audibly, and a vein bulged between his eyebrows.

I gritted my teeth, ready for him to lash out and shut down the conversation entirely.

Instead, he said nothing.

The silence was louder than any denial could have been.

The uncomfortable cold seeped into my bones, pressing against me like a living force. My wolf whimpered as I spun around to face forward, needing to align my body in order to breathe.

The pressure grew stronger, constricting, suffocating. It was as if an invisible weight was crushing me into the seat, pinning me in place. My breath hitched, and my hands clenched on my thighs as I fought against it.

Something was wrong.

Very, very wrong.

I had felt this magic before.

“Ember?” Ryker’s tone was anxious, his hand touching my shoulder as he leaned forward.

Raven glanced at me. “Is the witch using her magic on you? ”

I shook my head as shadows emerged from the woods and surged forward from all directions, moving as quickly as the vehicle.

Dark tendrils slithered and coiled, racing toward us like a tide of living ink spilling across the ground.

“It’s the Blackwoods,” I rasped.