Page 45 of Spelled By Truth and Tresses

“I need to climb the tower, Jax. Everything within me is being pulled in that direction.” I paused, then kissed the hollow of his throat before pulling back far enough to stare into his dark eyes. I could easily get lost in those pools, just dive in and swim forever within their entrancing depths.

“Pet, that is an incredibly risky decision. There is only one way in and out of that tower. If he corners you, there won’t be enough room for Josh and I to intervene.”

Jax glared at me, his brows pinching together. His anxieties and worry for me pulsed from him, and in that moment, I’ve never felt more cared for.

I stood on my tiptoes, then wrapped my arms around his neck and claimed his lips with mine. He moaned into my mouth as I tunneled my fingers into his hair and pulled. Jax reciprocated the move, a sharp sting spreading across my scalp as he bit my lip and tugged. I gasped and my pussy throbbed as he drove his tongue into my mouth, demanding I accept him. He poured every ounce of himself into that kiss, and I gladly drowned in it.

I pulled back, resting my head against his chest, then whispered, “I fucking love you Jax.” My boots pounded against the damp earth as I bolted away from him and into the ancient tower.

The spirits called to me stronger than I had ever felt as I leaped over the broken door and landed on the first level. The dead didn’t hide from me now. They showed themselves to me in all their truth. My gaze roved over their slit throats, white unseeing eyes, and billowing black cloaks. On each of their wrists were the marks of the Black Lily coven. I may not have been a part of their coven, but they strangely felt like family.

If Thomas was in there, then there was no way I would let him out without a fight. I drew every ounce of power into my extremities, muscles, hell, my skeleton itself. Jax roared and shouted for me, but I sensed the spirits keeping him at bay. I didn’t have time to worry about how pissed off he was—I had a warlock to hunt.

The hair on the back of my neck stood on end and something pulled on my senses, urging me to look up. My gaze slowly lifted to the landing several stories above my head. Thomas stepped out from the shadows on the landing. His eyes were such a rich vermillion I could see their eerie glow from where I stood. Thomas laughed, a sadistic, unhinged smile gracing his face.

“Zellie!” He crowed. “I’m so glad you could make it.”

Goosebumps rose all over my body as he laughed. The dead witches said nothing, but they huddled closer, surrounding me like a ghostly safety blanket.

“What are you waiting for? Come up. Come up!” Thomas said, bouncing on the balls of his feet.

I gulped, knowing this was a terrible idea, then made my way over to the old spiral staircase. The dead leant me their strength, practically allowing me to slide up the stairs on their magic. I made it to the top within seconds, fighting to control the dizziness washing over me.

Thomas grinned at me from within the room on the top floor, waving me into the room with both hands.

“Back up to the windows and I’ll enter the room,” I commanded.

Thomas pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose then turned his back on me and sauntered over to the stained-glass windows. This fucker had big balls turning his back on me, I’d give him that. The black candles ignited at once when I crossed the threshold, a wave of heat slapping me in the face from the sheer volume of them.

I spoke as I maneuvered around them, forced to keep my eyes on my feet, lest my pants accidentally graze a candle and catch fire. “Okay, Thomas, enough of the friendly, innocent act,” I spat. “It was all you, wasn’t it? The random deaths at Ghost Rose, each new body discovered in Crimson Leaf and Endlore Forest.”

He laughed, then clapped his hands. “Of course they were all me, Zellie. I killed them. My gift to you.”

I scoffed, then took a large step over a cluster of candles and into the small space in the center of the room. Jax’s screams were barely audible through the thick stone, but it still took a great deal of effort to tune him out. I realized my mistake too late as my body froze, my arms locking to my sides, then my head snapped up, my eyes forced to meet Thomas’. A shiver tried to snake down my spine, but it halted, twitching under my skin as whatever hex Thomas casted upon me strengthened its hold.

The candles slid to the side silently, making a wide, clear path for him as he walked closer. My eyelids twitched as I tried to force them closed, every student at Ghost Rose Academy is taught of the dangers of compulsion and how to avoid becoming a victim—allowing the enemy to stare into your eyes, the first warning we receive.

I licked my lips, grateful my mouth still moved. My protection ring heated and the skin beneath it tingled. Maybe the magic in it was strong enough to break free of his hold if he tried to harm me. Right, goading him it was.

“Aww. That was really sweet of you to think of me,” I paused, “but maggot covered decomposing corpses aren’t really my thing. I prefer black lilies.”

Thomas giggled as I spoke, but he quickly fell silent, and his gaze narrowed.

“Are you rejecting my gifts?” Spittle flew against my frozen face as he screamed inches away from me.

This is it, Zellie. Go for the kill shot.

“Fuck yes I am, prick! That level of macabre is too much even for me.”

Thomas lunged, his hands collaring my throat, exactly as I planned. The spell binding me broke, then I stepped on his insole and kneed him in the balls as hard as I could. He screamed in agony, clutching his crotch and crumpling to the charred floor.

I lurched for the door and breathed a sigh of relief as the dead coven’s spirits surrounded me once more. My legs flew down the stairs as I fled, but I could already hear Thomas crawling among the candles and scrambling forward, albeit slowly.

The spirits followed me through the door at the base of the tower and into the graveyard, still circling me as I ran straight into Jax’s arms.

He gripped my face hard with one hand and squeezed my waist with the other possessively. “Don’t you ever pull some shit like that again!” He shouted, then shook my face lightly. My gaze softened as his eyes drifted to my lips. His chest rose and fell as he panted, his rage burning on without an outlet to quell it. Jax loosened his hold on my face, then slid both palms to cradle my cheeks.

His gaze bore into me, then he spoke. “I fucking love you too, pet.” I blinked rapidly trying to dispel the tears pooling on my water line. My lips curled up, and for a moment I forgot about everything but the knot of happiness unfurling in my chest. My lips crashed against his, bruising our lips with the intensity of our love.

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