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Chapter Forty

SUNNY

W hen Sunny had found Asher chained and naked in the trailer, her heart had almost shattered into a million pieces. She knew in her very core that she would never leave Asher again, but the sight of that burned into her brain made it an impossibility.

Her body jostled in Esther’s backseat as they drove back to Abe’s cabin.

Bridget and Esther were talking and unpacking everything they had just seen and witnessed, but Sunny couldn’t participate.

She couldn’t do anything until she had eyes on Asher and knew he was okay.

The blood covering one of his arms and hands had not gone unnoticed.

They turned up the almost hidden road that wound its way up the mountain to the cabins. Being on the mountain and feeling how electric the magic was still did nothing to soothe her. There was only one thing that would.

They pulled up to the cabin, and Julie was on the porch waiting for them.

“How did it go?” she asked. “Ruby is upstairs sleeping.”

“Well, it would appear that the warlocks and witch hunters are also working with the coal company,” Bridget said.

“Of course they are, the perfect trifecta of evil. Is everyone okay?” asked Julie.

Esther nodded. “Yes?—”

“Don’t say yes! We don’t know anything,” Sunny blurted.

All three women looked at her, wide eyed.

“We saw Asher. He’ll be alright, lass.”

“What I saw,” spat Sunny, “was Asher chained, naked, and bleeding! And we are just going with ‘Everyone is okay?’”

Julie gasped.

“Sunny, I saw him, too, and, yes, he’s okay,” Esther said calmly as she moved to comfort Sunny.

But Sunny brushed off her hand and stepped out of her reach. She was not in the mood to be comforted, and she wouldn’t be until Asher was here.

“Come inside,” said Julie. “I’ll make us some tea.”

“No, you guys go in. I’m waiting here,” Sunny said.

“I’ll wait with you,” Esther said.

“No. Please go in.”

While Sunny was usually the light to Esther’s dark, darkness was all Sunny felt.

Esther’s piercing blue eyes gaze held hers. It was pointless to fight her, so she just sat on the front stoop.

Bridget and Julie went inside while Esther sat next to her.

She sat there waiting for what felt like forever.

A stream of light fell over the porch as the door opened. Julie walked out and placed a blanket around Sunny’s shoulders before heading back inside.

Sunny pulled the blanket around herself as she looked out into the woods and waited for Asher and Abe. He was okay. Everyone had said so, and she believed it, but she needed to see him and feel him to settle herself down.

The image of the forest holding those two terrible men captive, along with it seeming to pull them and suit from the coal company into its depth, was also playing over and over in her mind. She knew this mountain was magic.

That scene and the one of Asher naked, bloody and bound, were just a constant slideshow in her head she could not get away from.

“He’ll be here soon. He and Abe are just making sure everything’s finished,” Esther said.

Sunny nodded.

She knew that, but it didn’t do a damn thing to comfort her. But as much as she hated to admit it, having Esther by her side did help. Everything had gotten so messed up.

She wiped a tear from her eye.

There was a rustle of leaves and a breaking twig coming from the woods. She stood and peered into the forest.

The first person in view was Abe. A breath caught in her throat as she watched Asher move out from the tree line after him.

Before she even knew what her feet were doing, they were carrying her to him.

“Asher!” She threw himself into her arms.

He caught her and held her as she sobbed and clung to him.

“I’ll meet you inside,” Abe said.

“Shhh,” Asher soothed as he held her and petted her hair. “It’s okay.”

Her arms tightened around his waist, and she was unable to let go or say anything just yet. All she could do was hold him.

Finally, she pulled herself together enough to step back to look up at him. “Are you okay?”

He cupped her face and wiped her tears before pressing a kiss to her lips. “Sunshine, my love, I’m fine.”

“But you were bleeding.”

He raised his wrist and showed her some bruising and a cut. “I was fighting against the chain. I’m sure Bridget or Julie can fix this right up.”

“They didn’t hurt you?”

Asher shook his head with a rough chuckle. “They wanted to, but when you guys showed up, you put a stop to it. You saved me, Sunshine.” He kissed her forehead and pulled her close.

“How did you end up there in the first place?” Sunny asked.

Asher pulled back again and ran his hand through his dark curls, his brow furrowing. “It doesn’t matter why I was there, all that matters is you found me. How did you find me, anyway?” He tucked a lock of hair behind her ear.

Sunny hugged him one more time, pressing her face to his chest, and breathed him in deeply before pulling away. “I bet there are people in there with the same question. Maybe we should head in.”

He bent his head and tenderly pressed his lips to hers. “Let’s head in.”

They entered the cabin, and Bridget, Esther, and Abe were already around the table talking about what was happening, while Julie was in the kitchen. She turned with a tray full of steaming mugs as she saw Sunny and Asher coming in.

“Just in time for tea,” Julie said with a smile.

They all sat around the table and breathed in a sigh.

“What the fuck just happened?” Abe said. “I feel like I missed something.”

“I know,” said Asher. “I feel like they are one step ahead of us all the time. How did we not know they were building a church right on the other side of our mountain?”

Esther shook her head. “And that church... I thought I left it behind me when I left Tennessee. I can’t believe that it just popped up here out of the blue.”

“In my time on this earth, I’ve learned that few things are true coincidence. I would imagine this church showing up here, and all three of ye have a backstory with it. I would reckon they are targeting something, whether it is you or the magic you protect.”

“Or both,” Abe said with a heavy sigh.

“I can’t put my finger on it, but if the witch hunter and warlocks are knocking on our backdoor, we have to do something. It is our job to protect this mountain,” Esther said.

“What are we protecting?” Asher asked.

Both of his siblings’ heads snapped to him.

“We protect the mountain,” Esther said grimly.

Asher put his hands up in defense. “I know we protect the mountain, and clearly, this mountain is like no other... but why? Haven’t you ever asked yourself that? What is the source of the magic, and why do we protect it?”

“Ummm, actually...” Sunny started.

The urge to stay quiet was strong. It was not her family’s job to protect this mountain, and as much as she loved it, it was theirs. And admitting what she was about to admit would be telling just how wrong she’d been.

“I found something out today about Nox,” she said quietly.

“Nox Whittaker?” Esther asked.

“Ruby’s piano teacher?” Julie asked.

“Yeah, let me explain.”

She took a sip of her tea and laid it all out.

From the visions to the red eyes and the way they glowed in the woods, they all listened and took her in.

“So, today, I saw him at the diner, and he was being suspicious—or so I thought. I found out he was headed to Charleston for something, so I followed him.”

“Is that why you weren’t at the diner?”

“Yeah, I’m so sorry about that, Asher. I shouldn’t have left like that. I should’ve at least left you more information. I was just so intent on following him.”

Asher nodded and swallowed.

Bridget turned her head as if trying to recall something. “His eyes glowed, ye said?”

“What was he doing at the witchcraft store?” Esther asked.

“Well, I went in to ask, but she wouldn’t tell me. And she was wasted.”

“She’s always wasted,” Esther said. “She’s been like that since we were little.”

“Yeah, well, I found out he was bringing her moonshine in exchange for an elixir.”

“That doesn’t make any sense,” Abe said as he sat back and crossed his arms.

“Well, maybe it does. What else happened, Sunny?” Bridget asked.

“Well, when I was coming back to town, my van broke down.”

Asher shifted in the chair next to her and put his hand on her knee.

“I was only like fifteen miles outside of town but then Nox’s car pulled up behind me.

And after finding out what I had just found out and how I’d been catching his eyes glowing, I was a little scared.

He seemed to pick up on that and offered me a ride back to town but then he offered to come back to town and find Asher to tell him to come and get me.

.. I was just about to tell him to do that, but then I got another vision. ”

Sunny looked around the table and could see all eyes trained on her.

Taking a deep breath, she continued. “After the vision, I asked him why he was at the store and kept questioning him... then he told me something that doesn’t make a lot of sense, but I kind of believe him...”

She wasn’t quite sure what to say.

He said he came from a distant place and got trapped here. And he’s a—what did he say?—a mothman? Yeah, while this group was used to weird, that might be a touch too far.

“What is it, lass?”

She took a deep breath. “He said he goes to her for a masking elixir because he is a mothman.”