Page 32 of Spelled By Truth and Tresses

“I thought we agreed not to lie to ourselves.”

I ground my teeth together, and my limbs shook with exhaustion. “Oh, just fuck off, Jax.”

CHAPTER 13

Jax called after me, but I didn’t turn around.

Whatever it was he was hiding from me; I didn’t want to hear it. Instead, I took a walk through the town. Going home wasn’t an option. Not only would Mother be pissed if she found out I was skipping the academy again, but I couldn’t risk her forcing me to complete her sick ritual—I needed all of my blood inside my body where it belonged.

I hurried down the small winding road, the same one Lalita, Eleanore, and I ran down as kids. I was haunted by the good times, taunting me as if to say those days were long over. Every path I walked in Crimson Leaf and Ghost Rose Academy echoed with memories.

My purpose had always seemed clear, or at least unimportant. Now, everything had changed. The guilt my mother pressed upon me daily was ever present, but thoughts of Jax constantly swirled through my mind. I couldn’t decide if I was truly falling for a man who refused to let his guard down enough to reciprocate any feelings…There was no doubt we shared an intense sexual connection, but I really couldn’t be sure how much of that was driven by our magical natures.

When we finally gave in to the connection in the library, the air shivered as our bodies connected. It felt like so much more than the instincts of siren and phantom blood.

Was it possible for him to be attracted to me and not just my all-encompassing beauty?

My heart ached as I shoved those thoughts into a vintage black trunk in my mind, locked it with a silver skeleton key, then tossed it into the depths of my subconscious to rest with the countless other buried memories covered in thick cobwebs.

The forest loomed in the near distance, surrounding the town of Crimson Leaf and Ghost Rose Academy. The town and the academy blended seamlessly into one another. The gothic style architecture bleed into both properties.

I had told Dad not to go hiking here so many times, but he never listened to me. I know I shouldn’t have lectured him. I too felt drawn to these woods. I laughed, not to mention if he wanted to do something, he did it and there was no deterring him. I wish I was like him—going for what I wanted without hesitation. I used to be stronger.

I passed Requiem’s Reads and Amethyst, the only place local to restock on all one’s magical needs. Displays of fluorite and black tourmaline stood on beautiful cast iron racks in the shop window, sheer black curtains framing the edges. My fingers itched to touch every single one and allow their vibrations to move through me.

I sighed, then turned away from the shop. The wind picked up, blowing my loose blonde tresses around me in a curtain. As the breeze changed directions, my long hair billowed to my side, waving hypnotically.

I allowed my feet to wander, leading me where they would. By the time I dragged myself out of my thoughts, the worn, but clean cobblestone ground of town had turned to a thick carpet of pine needles. I turned in a slow circle, taking in the sea of eastern white pine trees that expanded around me in all directions.

They grew in clusters, the acidity from their fallen needles encouraging more white pine trees to grow in an unending cycle. The air was damp, and my surroundings grew darker as I moved farther into the forest, the time-chiseled pines crowding together, cloaking me in darkness.

There was something magical about communing with nature. The forest was a beating heart, filled with creatures of all sizes. Each beat of its heart throbbed through my body. I smiled, then dug my toes deeper into the soil and pine needles beneath my feet.

I saw the allure that Dad must have seen. There was something freeing about being in a place where, if one were to drop dead, nothing would change. Nature would simply crawl over the abandoned corpse and claim it as its own.

I rolled my shoulders back and the tension radiating throughout my muscles disappeared as I submitted to nature. The thin, barren branches closer to the base of the trunk scraped at my arms lightly as I walked, but I embraced the slight pain they offered.

I inhaled slowly, tasting pine and natural decay. My hair hung loosely behind me, sweeping through the decomposing pine needles and desiccated leaves on the forest floor. I let my instincts guide me as I fought my way through the overgrowth. Gnarled tree roots twisted above the ground at the base of the eastern white pines before sinking back into the earth. Nothing was disciplined in nature—it could expand in all its glory without restriction.

The trees thinned slightly as I stepped through the branches, then gasped. My gaze trailed over the dark pond before me. There was hardly any space between the water and the encroaching trees. I crouched before the pond, then trailed my fingers through the surface.

My siren magic purred within me as my skin made contact. It has been far too long since I immersed myself within the magical depths that larger water sources provided. Goosebumps pebbled over my skin as I stripped myself bare, both mentally and physically. I hung my clothes and backpack over a low-hanging branch, then stepped into the shallows.

The power emanating from this secret pond whispered secrets in my mind as I sank below the surface. My body shifted slightly as my siren magic sang in my veins. I swam through the obsidian depths as gills slit into the sides of my neck and webbing stretched between my fingers and toes.

I lost myself within the world beneath the surface, and for the first time in far too long, I felt at peace. I swam, stretching my body and luxuriating in the pull of my muscles only swimming created. Bubbles surrounded me, then floated to the surface as I breathed. All sense of time fled as I gave into instinct and just existed in the present.

My spine arched, and I turned my face toward the surface as a shadow loomed over me. Had someone followed me to the pond?

I kicked my feet until only my eyes broke the surface. Water dripped into my eyes as I stared at the figure crouched by the bank, a wickedly sinful smile gracing their face. My gaze traveled over them as I stood, sandalwood and cinnamon tickling my nose. Every muscle in my body tightened , preparing to defend myself.

“Fully giving into your siren side, I see,” Jax stated, his gravelly tone dripping with lust. His eyes roved over my naked form.

It was then that I realized what set my instincts on edge. Jax was in his incorporeal form, his tattooed fingers seeming to disappear entirely as he dipped them into the water. No wonder I didn’t sense him earlier as I moved through the forest. I snorted, then cupped my hands over my naked breasts, the webbing still present between my fingers covering far more than they normally would.

“Did you follow me here?” I whispered.

“It was too tempting not to. A sad little siren all alone in the dark woods,” he said, then licked his lips. “Plus, I really don’t like how we left things in that classroom. I told you I would help you embrace your inky void and I intend to.”

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