WITCH

She went limp in my hold, possibly trying to use dead weight to throw me off again, but that wasn’t going to work with me.

“What crimes?” she asked with a heavy sigh when I began walking toward the treeline again.

My chest rumbled. My instinct was to answer her question, but I didn’t trust this woman. Not after what I’d seen.

With the pull between us, I knew it was better to keep my mouth shut.

“Seriously?” she scoffed. “That’s how you’re going to do this? Show up here, accuse me of something heinous you won’t even give me details on, and then stay silent?”

Yep. That was exactly how it was going to be.

I wasn’t sure if it was because my silence was the best choice for the situation or for myself. There were too many conflicting thoughts, and until I felt more confident about the situation, silence was my friend.

Having her pressed against me wasn’t ideal when my body and heart were longing for her only minutes after having met her. A part of me wanted to lift her up until our faces were level so that I could capture her lips before claiming her as mine.

With a hard shake of my head, I increased my speed and pushed the disgusting thoughts out of my mind. I needed to get the fuck out of here and away from this seductress.

I’d thought she was too beautiful from the picture, and I’d been right.

I chuckled darkly as I continued to drag her next to me. She probably looked like an old hag in reality and this was her disguise to get past others.

Well, not me. Not today.

“What’s so funny?” she demanded.

I raised a brow andtsked. She still didn’t get how this was going to work.

I was in charge here. She didn’t get to ask the questions.

“If you don’t shut your mouth, I’m going to shut it for you,” I dead panned. “I can still hurt you when I feel inclined, and I get closer to that every second.”

Besides the initial punch which I’d immediately regretted there wasn’t a part of me that wanted to actually hurt her anymore. I wasn’t sure what to do about that fact besides do my best to keep her quiet and get back to my Jeep, which was waiting just outside the boundary line of Earth and Emerald.

A vice tightened around my core, and my chest rumbled. Fabricated or not, the bond was affecting me more than I was willing to admit aloud.

My grip around Elena’s waist tightened, and I ground my teeth together as I considered my options and what I did know. I knew that I hadn’t sensed lies from Johnathon nor Elena, but one of them had to be lying.

I was leaning toward the latter because Johnathon had those images, but then again, my abilities worked on words, not pictures…

Fuck.This really wasn’t good, and this would also be the last time I didn’t listen to my instincts. Fucking magic was too devious. I’d let my curiosity and emotions get the better of me.

She whimpered and began reaching for my shoulders. “I take it you’re feeling inclined to hurt me now.”

Apparently so.

The more disappointing fact was how I loosened my hold without thinking twice.

Instead of me continuing to drag her along at my side, Elena managed to get her feet back under herself and walk.

I released her waist but kept a tight grip on her forearm. “If you run again, I will catch you and it will be painful.”

Her mesmerizing eyes flicked up and caught mine in their hold. They glazed over, and she turned away, looking toward the ground. “I should have known better.”

I didn’t fucking care what she should have known. I didn’t fucking care that she looked like I’d just killed her dog.

Fuck!

Why couldn’t I sense her magic? Why was the only thing pulsing through me the maddening bond that I didn’t want to believe was real?

She sniffled and used her free hand to swipe angrily at her cheeks. Her nearly-white hair fell forward as her head lowered more and hid her face from me.

Though I should have been happy about that, I stupidly found myself filled with more disappointment.

Grunting, I picked up speed, not realizing that she’d have to run to keep up with me until she began breathing heavily and my dick got excited from all the panting noises she was making.

This wasn’t fucking good.

I stopped abruptly, and her shoulder slammed into my rigid arm, knocking her to the ground. Well, almost.

She’d gone from badass fighter to this pathetic thing. I wasn’t sure what to think about that, either.

My hold on her arm was still tight, so she more dangled above the dirt instead of laying in it. She didn’t make a move to right herself as I stood there, glaring at her twisted, yet tempting body and taking deep breaths to get my shit together.

I’d never failed a mission. Hell, I hadn’t even had one go wrong to the point where I was scrambling, but this… This was new territory for me.

I’d fought witches, vampires, fae, and more. Fought them all and survived because that was what I was best at, but for the first time, a voice inside me wished this one target would overpower me and run.

No. I wouldn’t let that happen. No matter my previous reservation about this assignment. I’d seen the pictures. I’d heard the truth in the words Rocky had spoken.

A witch had killed those children.

This witch.

Right?