Page 13 of The Witch and The Blood Oath

I would know. Everyone thought the promotion would be mine before…well, everything.

Brody smiled awkwardly. Unlike Sawyer, he had never been comfortable with praise.

“Anyway,” I continued, “I know I’ve asked you to take care of Jesse for me these past few months, but I need to you to help me in a more—” I cleared my throat, “in a more permanent way.”

Brody stared at me in confusion. He was still staring when Sawyer erupted.

“What the hell is wrong with you?” Sawyer snapped. He paced the barn aisle. “You disappear for months withnoexplanation, and now you’re asking Brody to take the horse you care about more than either of us? How are you gonna work cattle without a damn horse, Walker?”

In. Out.

I maintained steady breaths and reminded myself what was on the line here. Exposing my magic to witches was one thing. I couldn’t let it run wild in front of my human friends. It was half the reason I was here. This little test was Gloria’s idea of proving to me and to everyone that I could control myself.

If I failed, I wasn’t the only one who would bear the consequences. Freya could very well lose her chance at being Coven Mother.

If Brody and Sawyer noticed the slight flickering of the overhead lights, they said nothing, but some of the horses shifted uneasily in their stalls. I didn’t let myself look down the aisle to check on the chestnut who continued to nicker.

If I did, my nerve would go out the window.

“Guys,” I said, “I’m out of the cowboying business. It’s like I told you over the phone. Cady got into that special school, and I found a job that’ll make it easier to afford. Maybe someday, I’ll get back to this.”

From their expressions, they both suspected there was more to the story, but they didn’t argue with me. They knew me well enough to know that if this was all I wanted to say about it, I wouldn’t budge.

“I’m not selling your damn horse,” Brody finally huffed. “He’s too good. I’ll just keep using him myself. Lenny’s getting too old to keep up with the job day in and day out anyway.”

Relief and heartache warred inside me. I had hoped he wouldn’t actually sell my horse, but keeping Jesse around meant having a constant temptation to check on him. In reality, my power was far too out of control to be anything but a detriment to the people and animals here.

“I get it,” Sawyer admitted, “but I’ll only forgive you for leaving us behind if you get drunk with us to lament the death of your career.”

I chuckled and clinked his bottle. Sawyer didn’t know how on the mark he was, but it had been more than just my career that died.

For the first time in a long time, however, that death didn’t scare me quite as badly. Here I was, having a drink with my buddies like the old days. I had even gotten upset without electrocuting anyone.

Small victories are still victories.

I finally let my gaze drift down the aisle to my favorite grumpy gelding. I could practically feel the accusation in his big, brown-eyed stare. As Brody and Sawyer chatted, I approached my horse, and, of course, he tried to bite me. As his open mouth lunged over the door of his stall, I didn’t flinch. Just before his teeth met my flesh, his mouth closed, and his lips nipped the sleeve of my Carhartt jacket.

“You and your scare tactics,” I murmured and patted Jesse’s neck. “Some things never change, huh, boy?”

Brody had taken good care of him. His back right leg wasn’t puffy like it sometimes was after a hard day. His long, orange mane was free of burrs and stickers. His unique disposition was the same. All of this chafed me and relieved me. No matter how selfish it made me, I wanted him to need me. I wanted any excuse not to give him up.

As sorrow squeezed my heart, heat crept into my veins. Jesse warily backed away from me, and I took a deep breath. I wouldn’t let myself scare my own horse.

When I know this is under control,I silently promised Jesse,I’ll come back for you.

“So,” I said and turned to my friends. “How’s Laney?”

While Sawyer frowned in confusion, Brody bit back laughter.

“Who?” Sawyer asked.

Some things really don’t change.

From there, things actually felt normal. Brody and I ganged up on Sawyer. Sawyer showed no signs of shame over the endless cycle of women he called his love life. We laughed about all the times Nathan had lost his shit on us, and they told me just how mad the old bastard was when I ditched him. I couldn’t help but smile a little at that, mostly because I knew even if he had understood the life-altering reasons behind my absence, Nathan would’vestillbeen pissed.

Hours passed like minutes. Until I sensed a familiar, magical presence, I was completely emersed in my friends.

Over the weeks, I had gotten better at sensing magic, but Freya’s was always a beacon to me. Like an ember in the wind, I recognized her. Her magic crackled the air and filled my chest with pleasant warmth. In her signature jewelry and leather jacket, Freya breezed through the barn’s door. My breath caught.

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