Page 12 of The Witch and The Blood Oath

I knew that voice in my soul.

“Mom?” I asked. “What’s going on?”

“You can’t run, darling,” she said. “You must see what falls. You must know what still stands.”

I groaned. “What does that mean? Why can’t I see you?”

Before she could answer, something sharp hit my head, and everything went black.

Once again, I lurched upright in my bed. I checked the room for tremors, but everything was quiet and still, except for my heart. It fluttered like a hummingbird’s wings in my heaving chest. Arion lay at my feet with his eyes closed. His breaths were steady from sleep.

A nightmare,I thought.It was just a nightmare.

I stared at the ceiling until dawn’s light drifted through the curtains.

???

Walker

As I drove down the familiar winding road to Nathan’s ranch, I couldn’t keep the comparisons of then and now at bay. Last time I had been there, I had been too ignorant to recognize the red-haired witch who hunted me.

Now, I was one of her kind.

I sighed.

I didn’t want to do this. Unfortunately, life had a way of kicking my ass whether I liked it or not.

Flower Valley Range.I drove under the towering sign and onto Nathan’s gravel driveway. The entryway had seen better days. Theyrattled in the breeze, but it had for months. I had always worried it would fall on my truck one day, but it was a stubborn bastard, much like the ranch’s owner. After how I had bailed on him, Nathan would probably call the sheriff if he knew I was on his property, but Sawyer and Brody had assured me he was out of town at an auction.

Cattle milled left and right. I envied their peaceful grazing. With summer on the horizon, the trees’ leaves were vividly green, and the grass was plush. As I drove, I instinctively checked that the huge rubber water troughs were full.

“Old habits die hard,” I muttered to myself.

I descended the hill, and the main barn came into view. The sun reflected off the expansive metal roof. The white paint was chipped by the windows, where horses leaned theirheads out of their stalls. The green and white sliding door was open, revealing snippets of black mats and dusty wooden walls.Brody’s white pick-up was parked out front.

Good,I thought.Let’s get this over with.

With a deep breath, I climbed out of my truck and was immediately hit with the scent of horses, cattle, and shit. Homesickness panged my chest. A familiar croak of a whinny only worsened it.

Jesse.

I hadn’t seen my horse in three months. It was the longest we’d been apart since I had bought him four years ago. I forced myself to climb the hill to the barn. As I reached it, Brody and Sawyer greeted me.

“Look who dragged his sorry ass back to town,” Sawyer quipped with a grin.

He wore his usual work jeans, coat, and stained white hat over his mess of dark hair. As he pulled me into a one-armed hug, his spurs clinked. Brody stood behind him with a beer in his hand. He hugged me next but slapped my back extra hard.

“Don’t disappear on us again, okay?” he said.

I nodded because I couldn’t bring myself to speak. I wasn’t sure I could keep that promise. As Brody pulled away, I studied my red-haired friend. He was a touch sunburned, as per usual, and worry furrowed his brow. Otherwise, he looked healthy.

Maybe it would make this easier.

“Good to see you guys,” I said and accepted the beer Sawyer offered me. I took a long swig of it before I spoke again. “Brody, I have a favor to ask you. Feel free to tell me no.”

“I always feel free to do that,” he joked, “in case you haven’t noticed, you’re not exactly the boss around here.”

I laughed. “That’s right. Congrats on the promotion. Being cow boss is a pretty big deal.”

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