Page 60 of The Witch's Pet

I take one step, then pause.

I might not have drained her, but what a waste of restraint it would be to have her die from the cold after all that.

So, I take off my cloak and lay it on the forest floor. I move her onto it, wrapping it around her for warmth.

With my new power, I light a fire beside her for good measure.

How sweet it is to have my magic so responsive.

I turn away from her still form, my heart beating stronger than it has in over a century.

Rebecca is somewhere in that big house, smug in her victory, unaware that her perfect trap has snapped open.

It’s finally time to get revenge.

17

Hannah

Warmth.Smoke.

I float in the space between sleep and waking, like I’m swimming up from the depths of a dark ocean. My body is heavy and disconnected, making even opening my eyes feel impossible.

A crackling sound reaches me. Orange light bleeds through my closed eyelids.

Something is wrapped around me. Fabric that smells like woodsmoke and apple cinnamon.

Slowly, sensation returns. My fingers and toes are no longer numb. The forest floor beneath me is damp and cold, but whatever covers me has trapped enough warmth to stop me from shivering.

How long have I been out?

My skin tingles everywhere, and I’m throbbing between my legs. My lips are swollen from Julia’s kisses. Heat floods my cheeks as I remember how desperately I begged for her, how good it felt to come apart and let her take control, and how shamelessly I spread myself beneath her.

I’ve never experienced anything that intense before. Her power seemed to flow between us, consuming me, connecting us on a level I didn’t know was possible. Like she was inside my skin and my mind.

I keep my eyes closed for a long moment, reliving every detail. Her body pinning me down. The way I arched into her, giving her everything, letting her take and take until…

My eyelids fly open.

I sit up with a gasp, and whatever is covering me slides off my shoulders.

I’m completely naked.

A fire is crackling beside me.

“Julia?”

My voice carries into the darkness, swallowed by the trees. No answer. Just the pop and hiss of burning wood and the whisper of wind through bare branches.

I look down at what was covering me. Black fabric pools around my hips. Her cloak.

Something twists behind my ribs. She left her cloak to keep me warm. Built me a fire. That was…thoughtful.

But whereisshe?

I grab the fabric and pull it around my shoulders, suddenly desperate for the illusion of safety it provides. My fingers tremble as I clutch it closed over my breasts.

My chest tightens. Each shallow breath comes faster than the last. I press my palm to my sternum, trying to feel past the thunder of my heartbeat to the binding spell beneath.