Page 134 of The Unbound Witch

“My parents?” Another tear fell.

Kirsi swooped in. “No one had time to check on your asshole parents. If you didn’t have your head stuck so far up Endora’s ass, you might have been able to see for yourself.”

“Where is Endora?” Bastian asked, his voice teetering the edge of control.

“Cottage. Below her cottage.” She wept.

A howl broke our thoughts as Atlas sent out a warning.

“Someone’s coming,” Nym whispered, adjusting the satchel that Scoop rode in. “I’ll try to scare them off.”

“Not alone,” Kirsi answered, following her out of the clearing.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Eden shaking. Subtle at first, but as I spun, it turned to convulsions.

“It’s your lucky day, witch.” Bastian stepped back. “We don’t have time to deal with you and I won’t put your soul on her conscious. You run far and fast, witch, because if I ever see you again, I’ll kill you with my bare fucking hands.”

Willow scrambled away and I wondered where she would go. Home, or clambering back to Endora. Either way, we had bigger problems.

“We can’t break the circle. We don’t know what kind of mental state she’s suspended in. She could die,” I warned.

“If we let her bleed out, she fucking dies,” Atlas said, shifting back into his human form.

The Dark King rounded on him, grabbing him by the throat. “You will remember who you’re speaking to.”

“Calm the fuck down, Bash.” Atlas shoved him away.

“If you two start fighting, I’m going to kick both your asses,” I warned. “We’re all on edge, but keep it together.”

Atlas moved around the circle, his eyes back on Eden. The hurt and worry he felt for the healing witch was palpable. Bastian followed him, whispering something. The wolf nodded once, then dropped his head, running his fingers through his hair. Bastian held a hand out and Atlas took it.

Eden shook with force. The two basins collecting her blood, trembling.

“Whatever we do, we need to do it fast,” I said.

“Incoming,” Kirsi yelled from behind.

“I’m breaking the circle,” I shouted, “Kir, catch her and don’t stop moving. Meet us back behind that cottage.”

“Are you sure?” Atlas asked, his voice breaking.

“No,” I answered, reaching forward and shoving the salt grains with my fingers.

Power blasted into me as I broke whatever magic Endora had been leaching from her daughter. Kirsi raced forward as planned, caught the witch in her arms and flew away the same second several witches stepped into the clearing. I recognized the faces of the men from before.

Pushing myself off the ground, I inched myself toward Bastian, slipped my hand into his pocket, lifting the stone and poured power into it.

“Shadows,” I whispered.

All the rage and all the fear and every other emotion I’d had over this day pushed me as I shoved enough magic into that Fire Coven stone for the Dark King to rise and cast his shadows over the clearing. We didn’t stop to fight, didn’t give them time to see us go. We simply ran. Ran for the witch that had been a victim of her mother’s for far too long, praying this wouldn’t be the last of her days.

58

RAVEN

It was there. Faint, but audible, thumping in her chest. I looked around, aware that the small cove we’d found behind the cottage in the mountainside village wasn’t going to hide us forever.

“Can you give me enough power to get into her dream?” Bastian asked, holding the Fire Coven stone out for me.