Page 5 of My Hexed Honeymoon (The Bridgewater Pack #2)

CHAPTER FIVE

This is a setup.

Has to be.

First, the witches force a marriage on me that I don’t want. Then, mere minutes later, we’re hit with a curveball about retrieving some weapon from some mystical place only my new bride can go?

I don’t trust a damn word coming out of their mouths, and the same goes to Andromeda. And Natalia, for that matter.

“You want to go to war, I’m happy to rip your head off and get it going right now.” I let my desire to follow through with the threat ring through the words, my teeth elongating in my mouth.

“Patience, Alpha. There will inevitably come a time when we’ll need your brute force and penchant for violence.

” Riven examines their flashy, bejeweled fingernails as though we’re discussing the weather.

“Right now, we need you to support your new bride as she gets a crash course on her real weaving powers. The threat is amping them up, yes? You find yourself in the in between more and more?”

All of us look to Natalia, whose jaw drops open and hangs there.

“I…didn’t know I was going anywhere,” she says. “But yes, the pull has been growing stronger.”

At her mother’s darted glare, Natalia quickly adds, “Only since the mate bond snapped into place during the ceremony.” She props a fist on her hip, her exasperation palpable. “I’ve married the wolf and done what you wanted me to do, Mother. You should be happy.”

“I’d be happy if I had a daughter capable of what they’re asking.

” Andromeda lifts her chin, the cruel mask of High Priestess snapping into place.

“You might as well slaughter the wolves now. It’s my greatest failure and an embarrassment to admit, but the weapon you seek won’t be found by a witch so weak as my own flesh and blood. ”

Damn. There were mommy issues and then there were reasons for mommy issues, and evidently my new mother-in-law was willing to delve new, horrible depths.

Conall steps forward, arms crossed over his broad chest. He’s struggling to let go of control, I can tell. He also has a solid decade of experience, and while I work not to show it, I’m out of my depth.

“Sending our alpha and his bride on a wild goose chase seems an awful lot like a setup. Stop skirting around what you’re not telling us, or this is over.”

A few hisses come from the vampires, and Conall and I growl right back and flash our own fangs.

“Seriously?” Natalia says from my side. “Let’s stop measuring dicks and wands and get this chat over and done with. I’ve got a reception to attend to, and while I might not care much about the groom, I’ve been dreaming of that cake all my life.”

What do you know, that shuts us up. I have to respect her for putting it out there, even if I’m also semi-offended. I’ve been relegated to second place a lot in my life, but it’s the first time I’ve lost to dessert.

That’s only because she hasn’t experienced how good I am with my tongue.

Helena, Cassius, and Riven exchange glances, evidently deciding it’s finally fucking time to let us in on what they’re trying to hold back.

“Robbing us of the Blood Loom robbed us of our magic,” Cassius says in a raspy voice. “The loom allows us to weave spells from blood, restoring what we lost.”

“Whose blood?” Natalia asks.

“That of our enemies, of course.” Riven shoots Natalia a wolfish grin. “We’re happy to use the blood of your enemies as well, given we can come to an agreement.”

I blow out a breath, skeptical and ready for that party Natalia mentioned. “You’re asking her to go into this place and retrieve something dangerous, and you expect us to believe it’s in our best interest?”

“I expect you to understand that war will involve bloodshed on all sides, and anything that draws attention to our kind only increases the risk to us all,” Helena says. “If you want to end all of us here and now, I guess that’s your prerogative…”

At her nonchalant shrug, I’m tempted to go feral and tear the vampires and both High Priestesses limb from limb. Just distribute every piece of them across the forest for other scavengers to pick their bones and be done with it.

“We’re offering a way to tip the scales before the tides turn against us both,” Riven says. “But make no mistake, if we don’t do something now, our world will get ripped from us.”

Natalia goes to run her fingers through her hair, then meets the resistance of the flowers and her veil and drops her arm to her side. “Okay, let’s say that I agree, and we get onboard and create one big happy supernatural family?—”

“That’s never happening,” I say, while at the same time Conall grouses, “Over my dead body.”

“Thanks, guys,” Natalia quips. “Feeling really welcomed by my new furry family, but if y’all will quiet down, it’s my turn to talk.”

She almost seems surprised by her own audacity, so I decide to give her a little rope and see where this goes. “How do we know you won’t turn the weapon on us once we defeat our common enemy?”

Shit, I really should’ve thought of asking that. Instead, I got caught up in the way her dress hugs her ass—it’s been giving me a semi all night.

“We can cast a spell on the loom, binding it to Talia,” Beatrix says, speaking for the first time in a tinkling voice that reminds me of wind chimes. “And since she’s mated to your alpha, any strike against your pack would be automatically rejected.”

“Okay, that solves that problem,” Natalia says, sounding disappointed rather than relieved. “But the Hollow’s not somewhere you come and go. It’s a place that pulls you in, drags you under, and refuses to let go.”

A chill seizes hold of my spine and tiptoes cold fingers down the rigid line.

“Not for a witch strong enough to navigate its shifting realities,” Riven says quickly, pinning their amorous gaze on my bride for what feels like the billionth time.

“I have faith in you, that you can withstand its…particular brand of madness. With the right training and the natural, untapped power within, you’ll be strong enough to enter the Hollow, retrieve the loom, and return unscathed. ”

While they don’t say “Simple as that,” the tone is definitely there.

That damn protective urge flairs again, even stronger than before. “You’re still asking an awful lot of us without offering much in return. We’ve got plenty of weapons in our armory.”

“Not like this,” Riven hisses, and I take a step in their direction.

Natalia stops me with a hand on my chest.

“The witches don’t get to rob us of our spellwork and use it to defend themselves and you lot while we’re hung out to dry,” Riven sneers, and my blood pumps faster through my veins, preparing my body for a fight, just in case.

“This is our best chance of retrieval, though there’s a little more to it than that. ”

I press my lips into a firm, unamused, and unsurprised line. “We’re not lifting a finger until you come all the way clean.”

“For the highest chance of success,” Cassius cuts in, lifting a finger as if he’s a professor teaching a lecture and he can’t wait to share a fun fact, “the Realmwalker needs to be bound to something.”

His eyes flash silver as he spares me the tiniest glance. “Or better yet, bound to someone strong enough to pull her back, with inherent ties to the moon. It’s the strongest tether we have to this realm.”

“Someone strong enough,” Natalia repeats as she processes the information. Then those mesmerizing eyes of hers turn on me again. “A werewolf.”

Helena smooths the fabric of her gown, satisfied. “So, you see, this arrangement is mutually beneficial. We require Talia’s unique talents, and in return, our vampire army will use the Blood Loom to ensure our survival and change the course of this war between the hunters for good.”

Suddenly the vampires were eager to protect us? Sounded too good to be true.

But entire packs and factions of other supernatural creatures were going missing on the northern front. It’s too big of a coincidence to actually be one. We’re being eradicated, and we were dying out already, which is one of the other reasons I agreed to this whole marriage and a baby thing.

Helena steps back, offering a final, knowing smile. “If you refuse this chance, make no mistake, there won’t be another. You’ll be the one without enough warriors to defend what’s coming, and we’ll not only watch, we’ll help.”