Page 22 of Their Witch Bride

“Gave Tara away,” Wisp whispers sadly as she lands on my shoulder and touches the hair I have tucked behind my ear.

My own mother. Without a thought. Like I was nothing.

“Yes, Wisp, she gave me away. To the shifters.” My voice is starting to break again, so I strive to find something else to focus on before I break. “Guess what? You might not have heard yet, but I have three husbands now.”

“Shifter husbands.” Is she wrinkling her little nose? I think she is.

“I know, right? And not just one. I have three. How does that even work?” I stop and try to imagine, but the only thing that comes up is a picture of a potato being poked by a bunch of different forks, and I wince.

“How?” Wisp asks, as if baffled.

I laugh even though my stomach turns. “Sounds like a hell of a lot of work. Not that they want to make it work. They looked pissed at even having to marry me… although Prince Rinan seemed the least likely to tear me apart of the three. What am I going to do?”

“Do Rinan,” she suggests in a helpful little voice.

Yeah, right. “I’m married to monsters.” I think about the stories I’ve been told about shifters. They’re ruthless and have no remorse for the things they do. I doubt they even know what love or a partnership is.

“Married monsters,” she says, as if telling me an important fact.

“Wisp, I know. And I’m about to go live with them. Share a bed with them. Share my whole life with them. And be completely away from everyone I've ever known.” I slump my shoulders and clutch the straps of my bag. No one here cares anyway. Not even my own mother. She’s the one who sold my soul.

“Go live away.” She sounds sad.

“Yes, Wisp, I’m going to live away. I'm going far away all by myself.” An idea occurs to me. “Unless you want to come too?”

I hadn’t thought about it until now. Wisp can come with me and keep my company. She can be my one piece of home that I take with me. My one friend.

“By yourself,” she says sadly.

My hope dies, but I try not to show it. “Will I ever see you again?”

“See you again,” Wisp says, and then she fades away.

But I couldn’t tell what she was saying. Will I see her again? Or is this the end? My empty room actually feels empty now.

This is it. The last time I’ll ever be in this room again. The last time I’ll see Baldemar, or probably Wisp. This is my life now.

I better make the best of it. I better find out anything and everything I can that can help me survive for as long as possible. Listening and paying attention will be essential from this point forward. Maybe if I can be smarter, I can stay alive.

The door slams open, hitting the back of the wall as my mother strides in. “Tara, what are you doing? Your husbands are waiting for you.”

There’s a smile painted on her face, and she does a little twirl as she approaches me. She’s light and airy like she’s relieved herself of some giant burden. I wonder if it's the peace treaty with the shifters or if it’s just that she’s rid of me.

I stare at her for a moment, looking right into her eyes, trying to find an ounce of caring in them. There’s nothing. Not a speck of anything. How many times do I have to see that I can’t be loved before I believe it?

When I don’t speak or move, her brightness is replaced with impatience. “Come on, I’ll walk you out.”

So she can get rid of me faster.

I slowly rise to my feet. “Will I be safe with the shifters?”

“Safe?” She gives a laugh and leads me toward the door. “Battle Witches never concern themselves with safety, just what’s best for their coven. I always forget that about you. You only think about what’s best for yourself.”

Ouch. That wasn’t helpful at all, but I’ve got minutes, at best, to try to prepare myself for what’s coming next.

I continue walking behind her. “You’ve been there before in your battles with them. What’s it like in their lands?”

She seems too happy to care much about what I’m saying, luckily for me. “They don’t have magic, and since you’re so lacking in magic and beauty and any useful skills, you’re well-suited to be the wife of three shifter princes. It’ll be perfect for you.”

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