Page 17 of Destiny of the Witch

Chapter 10

Bastion touched my wrist lightly. ‘What’s up? You’re upset.’

‘Not here,’ I murmured desperately. ‘We need to go. Let’s just go.’ There was an edge of panic to my voice that I knew Bastion could hear and feel. I struggled to put my emotions into a box inside of me. I couldn’t lose it here. Victoria waswrong.That’s all there was to it.

The others were in the car, waiting for Bastion to shift into griffin form for me to ride with him. My phone rang. I was going to ignore it, but then I saw who was calling: Sarah Bellington. Now that was something I could cling on to. I needed some good news. Surely the potion I’d made for Lucille would work, and that would be one thing I could do to help Mum – not kill her.

I swiped to answer. ‘Tell me good news,’ I demanded.

‘Yes, Coven Mother,’ sheresponded happily. ‘The potion works. It will help an ill familiar gain magical strength!’

I sagged a little. ‘Great,’ I said briskly, letting none of my relief show in my voice. ‘Get back to the Coven. And Sarah?’

‘Yes?’

‘Good work.’ I hung up and turned to Bastion. ‘You heard that?’

He nodded and gave a small smile. ‘You’re a genius. Was there any doubt that your potion would work?’

I loved his faith in me. ‘Yes,’ I said drily. ‘There was doubt.’

‘Not in my mind,’ he reassured me. He pulled me close and kissed my forehead tenderly. ‘You’re all wrung out, Bambi. You need to rest.’

He wasn’t wrong but I shook my head. ‘We need to get the potion to Lucille because I’m not sure how long she’s got. We don’t have a moment to waste.’

‘I’ll compromise,’ Bastion offered. ‘We’ll fly home, have dinner, then we’ll take the vial to Lucille. Then it’s back home and straight to bed for you.’

I thought of his hot kiss and whispered promise earlier. ‘Only if you join me.’

‘Always.’ Bastionfished out a small vial from his pocket and held it out to me: ORAL potion. I had never been happier to see one of my own potions.

I unstoppered it, downed it in one and the vile itching receded instantly. ‘Thank the Goddess,’ I murmured with a sigh of relief.

‘Thankyou,’ Bastion corrected lightly. ‘The ORAL potion is all down to you and your hard work.’ He passed me the harness from his black backpack and then he shifted. I laid the harness on the ground, he stepped in, and I buckled it around him.

I didn’t bother saying goodbye. Cain and Victoria were talking intently and I didn’t want to disturb them, and it may have been petty but I really didn’t want to talk to Victoria right then. She clearly thought I was someone I wasn’t. I might deal with the monsters but I wasn’t one of them – though the line between us felt more and more blurred every day. The scorpions I’d just buried in the circus wards were testament to that.

I climbed onto Bastion’s back, hooked my feet in the stirrups and gave him a light pat that told him I was ready. I looked at the car: Oscar was watching me go with an unreadable expression, and Ria was laughing as Frogmatchplayed with her familiar, Fido. He was rocking the sleepy mouse in his arms like a baby.

I gave Oscar a thumbs-up and he nodded. He started the engine, which was our cue. I felt Bastion’s muscles bunch and tense and then he exploded forwards. When we were moving fast enough, his wings snapped out and with two mighty beats we were airborne. I watched as the car got smaller and smaller.

It felt a little like my conscience.

Chapter 11

Bastion and I flew right into a storm, and the rain pelted me and the wind whipped at me. He struggled valiantly to lift us above the clouds, but they were thick and heavy. It felt like forever before we burst above them.

‘Thank the Goddess,’ I called out, though the gusts stole the words as soon as they left my mouth. I hunkered down low on Bastion’s back, letting his body and wings offer some protection from the elements. Though we were out of the rain, the wind still blew fiercely around us and I was soaked to the bone. I started to shiver uncontrollably.

Luckily Bastion’s speed meant that we weren’t far from the Coven tower. I was looking forward to getting home. Bastion’s suggestion that we eat before we went to see Lucille was a great one, but I also added having a steaming hot shower to my to-do list.

Finally he dived. I recognised the tower’s roof right away, and he landed feather soft on top of it. He barely waited until I’d climbed off before shifting into human form and pulling me into his warm body. It felt decidedly unfair that his body was virtually an inferno whilst I was a shivering, quivering wreck.

‘Sorry,’ he murmured. ‘Shitty weather.’

‘You’re not kidding.’

Night had fallen and the stars winked at me. Being on the roof beneath them suddenly transported me back to another night weeks earlier, when Abigay’s eyes had turned milky white as she’d gazed at the stars for me.

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