The Witching Hour: 11 Enchanting Novels Featuring Witches, Wizards, Vampires, Shifters, Ghosts, Fae, and More!, page 120
I spread my arms around. “I’ve found a new coven. Congratulations. You can have yours.”
Dahlia rolled her eyes. “It doesn’t work that way. Nature has chosen—why, is beyond me. You’ve never been impressive. And now you’ve proven it by joining a group that allows male witches.” She shook her head in disgust.
I rolled my sleeves up. “Look, if you came here to fight, just get it over with. I’m tired of talking.”
Claudia extended her arms and narrowed her eyes. Invisible fingers choked me. I refused to fight it. Instead, I let it fuel my anger. That was what had allowed me to defeat the rune.
“Need more?” Dahlia taunted. She held out her hands.
I flew back, crashing into the wall behind me. Still, I didn’t fight them. Anger pulsated through me. It was weaker than it had been before. I needed it at least as strong.
“More,” Claudia ordered Dahlia.
They both scrunched their faces. My feet lifted off the ground and I rose in the air, my back continuing to press against the wall. My head hit the ceiling. Then again and again.
It was exactly what I needed. Fury tore throughout my body. A strong energy raced through me. All I needed to do was to make it materialize again.
The fingers around my neck gripped harder. Unable to ignore it any longer, I gagged.
I needed to gain control before they killed me and I had a chance to show them how powerful I had become.
My skin tingled as the energy from my fury started to surface. It rippled toward my palms. I held them out to catch it all.
“Giving up already?” Dahlia taunted.
I ignored her. Any lost focus would only result in weakening the energy. I wasn’t sure I would have enough to throw at both of them, so I would aim it at Claudia. Dahlia wasn't much without her leader.
My head stopped crashing into the ceiling and I lowered, growing closer to the ground.
Claudia grunted. “Dahlia, help me out.”
“I am.”
They both bent their knees and extended their arms out more. Beads of sweat broke out along Dahlia’s hairline.
“What’s going on, then?” Claudia pressed her back against the wall. “This shouldn’t be happening.”
“She’s stronger than you, right?”
“Shut up,” Claudia snapped. “Gessilyn’s nothing more than a fraud.”
That was all I needed to hear. One last surge of anger raced through me. The energy tingling on my skin rose and escaped. It hovered above my flesh for a moment before running toward my open palms.
I continued sliding down the wall until my feet made contact with the ground.
Claudia and Dahlia continued struggling against me. Dahlia’s perspiration had soaked her hair. Claudia was using the wall behind her to stay upright. Her face was red, and her entire body was tightened.
The angry energy in my palms grew into a ball larger than my head.
“What is that?” Dahlia exclaimed.
“Probably an illusion,” Claudia grunted.
I glared at her and threw the ball at her. Claudia shot through the wall, sending slivers of wood flying in all directions. She crashed into something in the hallway.
Dahlia’s mouth dropped and then she ran out of the room.
I leaned against the wall and gasped for air. My body ached, feeling weaker than it had before I took my nap.
If they came at me with any more magic, I wouldn’t stand a chance. My limbs shook. I reached for a bed post and steadied myself. My mouth was dry—parched. My tongue stuck to the roof of my mouth.
I let go of the bedpost and took a step. My knee gave out and I stumbled. I reached for the foot of the bed and steadied myself. Neither Claudia nor Dahlia made any noise in the hallway. While I wished that was a good sign, deep down, I knew it wasn’t. I’d only infuriated the beast, and now I had nothing left to fight back against them.
Taking a deep breath, I managed to walk without stumbling. My hands shook, but everything else remained steady.
Perhaps I could gain some additional strength before making it out into the hallway.
Dahlia appeared in the doorway. “What have you done?”
I stared at her, trying desperately to draw from my anger. Unfortunately, it was depleted. “You should have thought about that before confronting me.”
She swore. “I told Claudia we should have brought others.”
“How did you get here?”
Dahlia spun around and went back into the hallway.
I continued walking, my legs feeling like lead weights. Finally, I made it into the hall.
Dahlia shook Claudia’s shoulders. “Wake up!”
Claudia’s head rolled back and forth. She moaned, but didn’t open her eyes.
“Come on,” Dahlia pleaded.
I leaned against the doorframe. “Take her back home. Leave me alone. I have no desire to be part of your coven. I’m happy to stay away for the rest of my life.”
Dahlia jumped up and glared at me. “Didn’t you hear what she said earlier? With you alive, her strength is weakened.”
“I can’t help that.”
“We can!” She lunged at me. Her nails turned into long, pointed claws, which she dug into my shoulders.
I gasped in pain as blood dripped down my back and soaked into my shirt.
Claudia jumped up. Her coloring had returned to normal, and if I hadn’t known better, I would have never guessed that she’d been the recipient of my anger ball.
She extended her arms and twisted her hands tightly together.
A horrific sharp pain crushed my chest. I couldn’t breathe or move a muscle. Gasping for air wasn’t an option. I was completely frozen in place.
Claudia turned to Dahlia. “Now.”
16
Dahlia turned to me, her eyes having turned orange. “I’ve been waiting a long time for this.” She closed her eyes and whispered in a foreign language.
It sounded familiar, but I couldn’t understand it.
I recalled the elders of my old coven speaking that dialect behind closed doors a few rare nights.
A cold rushed through me, surging like a wild river. My body wouldn’t allow me to shiver. I couldn’t even blink.
An invisible force thrust me backward. I hit a bedpost. It dug into my spine. My head hit the corner. A gash formed. Warm, wet blood dripped down my neck. The warmth felt good against the rest of my freezing body.
It felt like my brain exploded and then melted. I screamed out in agony, unable to take the pain.
Something wet came from my ears and dripped down my neck.
My eyelids closed and I slunk to the ground. I tried to push myself upright, but nothing would move. I couldn’t even twitch a fingertip.
“Is she dead?” Dahlia asked.
“Check for a pulse.”
Hot fingers pressed around my neck and wrists.
“Nothing,” Dahlia said. “She’s too cold. I can’t feel any pulse.”
Inwardly, I groaned. Not a sound came out. I had a heartbeat. I could feel it. It was just so slow and chilled. So very cold. It moved within me like a thick, cold milkshake that refused to travel through a straw.
“Did we kill her?” Claudia asked.
“Do you feel any stronger?” Dahlia asked.
Silence. “I can’t tell.”
“Cut her. See if she bleeds.”
I tried to crawl away, but I still had no control over my body.
A warm blade sliced my arm. Inside, I screamed over the pain. Outside, nothing.
“She doesn’t bleed,” Dahlia said. “If she were alive, she’d bleed, right?”
“Of course! But I’m not taking any chances.”
Another hot blade cut across my neck. The pain was agonizing, but there was nothing I could do.
“I know,” Dahlia said.
A shoe kicked me in the gut so hard that I flew backward.
“Good thinking,” Claudia exclaimed.
Kicks came at me all over. My chest. A shoulder. A kneecap. My forehead. The right temple. Then the left. The top of my head. My back. A shin. My right eye. The left.
I tried to disappear so I could ignore the assaults. A blade sliced down my arm.
They would make sure I didn’t survive this. Only someone walking in could save me.
Silently, I pleaded for Killian or Frida.
Another blow to the head.
I lost consciousness.
Voices woke me. They sounded distant and desperate. I thought I heard my name.
“Gessilyn.”
Someone said my name for sure that time. Then another. They sounded closer, but I couldn’t tell who they were or if they were male or female.
Or if they wanted to hurt me more.
I tried to open my eyes, but they wouldn’t cooperate. My head and ears hurt. Something kept ringing—buzzing, really. I tried to speak, but my mouth wouldn’t work with me, either.
Maybe I could move something else. I tried a finger. Nothing. Then a toe.
It was time to dig deep within and draw from my magic, if anything remained. It was easier to look inside myself when I couldn’t experience anything from the outside world. Only the soft lull of the voices.
Perhaps Killian and Frida were out in the living room, wondering where I had gone. Or if Claudia and Dahlia had left a mess, they might be wondering who had been there.
Numb to my body, I searched deep inside for my source of magic. I’d managed to tap into it a couple times before freezing, but there was no question it had only been the surface.
The voices continued. They seemed to grow slightly louder over the ringing and buzzing. I still couldn’t tell what they were saying.
Pain radiated throughout my entire body—my jaw, some toes, ribs, hands, shoulders, my back. It didn't seem like much had been left alone, though some places hurt more than others.
Where was that magic source? I ignored the pain and looked in the dark.
Heat radiated from somewhere. I followed it and held onto it in my mind like I had grown the ball of energy. The heat grew, warming me from the cold Dahlia had thrust at me.
The heat overtook the freeze and I started shivering.
Finally, some actual movement. I didn’t have any control over it yet, but it was something. I held the magic closer to me in my mind, letting its warmth radiate all through me.
It glowed yellow with some pink streaks.
My teeth chattered—oh, how it hurt—but I was too relieved to have more movement to care about the pain. I could probably find something to make me feel more comfortable. For now, I needed control.
The voices continued. They sounded even more strained. Possibly even a little closer.
I tried reaching out for them, but the source of magic moved with my hands—had my hands actually moved? It was impossible to tell—and with it, took the warmth that gave me energy. I pulled it closer, taking in the warmth.
Whatever Dahlia had done to me was strong. I’d never been so cold in my life.
“Gessilyn.”
I moved my head back and forth. That had been loud and clear, though I still couldn’t tell who spoke. The only thing I was sure of was that it wasn't Claudia or Dahlia.
“She is alive.”
Or did I only hope it wasn’t my old enemies?
I wrapped myself around the magic source as best I could, trying to turn myself into a ball over it in the process.
The warmth grew and grew until finally, I felt hot. Beads of sweat formed on my forehead and then expanded to my entire face.
My eyes opened.
Frida and Killian stared at me, wide-eyed.
“Are you okay?” Frida exclaimed. She dabbed a cloth over my face.
“What happened?” Killian demanded. His voice was filled with a mixture of horror and concern. His eyes expressed deep worry.
I still couldn’t find my voice. Looking around, I realized I was in a bed. Not the one I’d been using in Killian’s guest room. I wasn’t even in that room at all. “Where am I?”
“My house,” Frida said. “What happened?”
I looked back and forth between them. “I… they were too powerful.”
“Who?” Killian exclaimed. “Who did this to you?”
“Your old coven?” Frida asked.
I nodded, every movement hurting. “They found me. I’m sorry.”
“Don't be,” Frida said. “I’m sorry we left you alone.”
“Did you look into a mirror?” Killian asked.
“No.”
“How did they find you?”
I clutched my aching head. “I don’t know.”
“They must have figured out where we were from that one mirror,” Frida said.
“I should’ve known better after seeing the rune in my place.”
“Don’t blame yourself.” Frida shook her head.
Killian’s brows came together. “Do you know how they got here? How they left?”
“I was unconscious both times.”
Frida looked confused. “Oh, right. You were napping when they arrived.”
“Am I going to be okay?” I asked. “What did they do to me?”
Killian took my hands in his. “That’s what we’re trying to figure out.”
His warmth heated my hands all the more, and it radiated up into my arms and then spread all throughout.
Conversation drifted in from another room
“Who else is here?”
“Our family,” Frida said. “Well, except Nils. He refused to come, as you can imagine, but I think that’s for the best.”
“Your mother?”
“She was called away this afternoon and may be gone for a couple days.”
I breathed a sigh of relief. No Nils and no Selena-Marie.
“Do you want us to bring in the others?” Frida asked. “I asked them to stay out there so we didn’t overwhelm you. They really want to see you. Father’s worried sick. Everyone’s concerned.”
How odd that Johan would be worried when he’d spent centuries knowing I was alive, but not casting a thought toward my safety.
Killian squeezed my hands. “Or if you need space, you can have that, too.” He stared into my eyes, some of his dark hair falling into his eyes. He didn’t let go of me to move it out of the way.
My heart fluttered as I stared into his eyes.
His hands tightened over mine. “Do you remember anything? The more you can tell us, the more likely we are to help you.”
I closed my eyes, not wanting to think about it.
“Maybe she just needs some time to recover,” Frida said.
“And maybe those other witches aren’t far off, and Gessilyn needs our protection.”
I moaned, suddenly aware again of all my aches and pains.
“I’m bringing in Father,” Frida said. Footsteps sounded as she left the room.
Killian squeezed my hands again. “Talk to me.”
I forced my eyes open. It was nice to look at him. He made me forget about how much I hurt. “I’m sorry about your house. My magic pushed Claudia through the wall.”
He shrugged. “I’ve been meaning to remodel, anyway.”
A smile tugged on my mouth. Just the tugging of my skin made the bruises around my face hurt. “I must look hideous.”
Killian shook his head. “You don’t have anything on me after that bear attack. Or my run-in with that rabid unicorn.” He shuddered.
“Unicorns can be rabid?”
“It would appear so.”
“You’ll have to tell me about that.”
“My daughter has woken,” came Johan’s voice from the doorway.
Killian squeezed my hands and then let go. “I’ll have to save that story for later.” He stepped aside, allowing Johan to kneel in front of me.
“What do you remember?” Johan asked.
I closed my eyes.
“The more you can tell us, the better we can help you. Frida tells us it was members of your old coven?”
“Yes.” I took a deep breath and told him everything I could remember from the attack.
“Is there anything else?” he asked.
I sighed. “They used runes to get into my home and set it on fire.”
Killian gasped and then kneeled next to Johan. “When did this happen?”
“I received a call…” I tried to remember when. “Before we went into the woods?”
“You went into the woods?” Johan exclaimed.
“She needs to learn how to tap into her magic.” Killian glared at him. “I didn’t see anyone else helping her.”
Johan turned to him. “We all thought she’d run away back to her home.”
“Everyone except Frida.” Killian raised his brows.
They stared each other down.
“Would you two stop, please?” I moaned, rubbing a pain in my side. “I’m a grown witch. I’ve lived on my own for centuries and can take care of myself.”
“That’s the problem.” Johan folded his arms. “We aren't meant to be alone. There is strength in numbers, and more with familial bonds.”
“Then why didn’t you do anything about that?”
His expression softened. “I knew nothing of your mother’s death or your coven turning on you. As far as I was aware, you two were living happily, growing stronger each day.”
“You never thought to check?”
“No, not really. Your mother was supposed to contact me if you were in trouble.”
I narrowed my eyes. “That would be pretty difficult when she was burning at the stake. She didn’t have access to a phone in those days.”
“You have every right to be angry with me. As your father, I should have been there for you, but I couldn’t. I had a lapse in judgment. I couldn’t bring either your mother or you back here.”
“What was the mistake?” I demanded. “Loving my mother or having me?”
Johan closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “It’s not like that.” He opened his eyes. “Neither of you were a mistake. I made many errors, and it seems they all came around to hurt you.”
17
I limped to the table and sat between Johan and Roska. Killian sat across from me and did his eye thing. “Looks like we need more tonic.”
“Actually, I’m feeling better. I wasn’t sure I’d walk again.”
