Page 19 of The Witch and The Blood Oath

Unease and hope tangled my stomach. Not only did I doubt Cordelia’s intentions, but I also wondered if Walker really would be able to control himself. From the grimace he wore, the cowboy shared my fears.

On the other hand, it was an offer I couldn’t refuse.

“This will help you track the creature,” the High Witch said.

Cordelia spun her pale hands in a circle, and a golden pendant appeared midair. She grabbed its thick gold chain and held it out to us. As the pendant twirled idly on the chain, I glimpsed a flash of rubies. I tried to sense any magic radiating from it, but I sensed nothing. Cordelia still had my magic on lockdown. As Walker eyed the pendant wearily, I reached for it but hesitated.

What if this offer was all some elaborate trick and touching the locket would curse us with horrible deaths?

Cordelia sighed. “If I wanted to curse you, I would’ve done it outright.”

Before I could grab the pendant, Walker snatched it from the High Witch’s grasp. I held my breath, waiting for him to erupt into flames or get encased in ice, but nothing happened. Convinced I wasn’t going to watch him die—at least not right now—I studied the pendant.

It was huge—big enough to belong to a man. Like the chain, the pendant was gold, and a strange creature wasstamped onto it. It was a crouching lion whose tail was a serpent, but leathery wings sprouted from its back, and hooves replaced its hind paws. Rubies dotted the creature’s eyes.

“What is that?” I whispered.

Despite the lack of magic radiating from it, something about the pendant deeply disturbed me. I had never seen anything like it.

Distaste soured the High Witch’s tone. “A chimera.”

“That’s what we’re supposed to find?” Walker asked. “A chimera?”

Cordelia sighed. “Yes, but don’t fear. It is currently confined to a more humanoid form.”

“So it’s a person,” Walker deduced. “The thing you want us to capture is aperson.”

Dread coiled like a snake in my stomach. The last time I had hunted down a man I believed to be a monster, I had nearly killed Walker.

“It may occasionally wear a person’s face,” Cordelia countered, “but there’s nothing human about it.”

As I stared into the High Witch’s lifeless eyes, she revealed nothing, yet I didn’t believe her. I didn’t buy that she wanted to save me for my talent. I certainly didn’t trust that capturing this chimera would be as easy as she wanted me to believe.

But how can I say no?

The alternative was to lose everything and everyone.

I swallowed. “We’ll do it.”

Walker scoffed and shook his head. As he backed away from me, horror rounded his eyes.

Cordelia grinned.

“Freya,” Walker growled. “We don’t know what this thing is. We don’t know what she’s going to do with it—”

“No,” I agreed. “We don’t. We only know what she’ll do if we don’t retrieve it.Think,cowboy, not with your heart but with your head.”

Walker’s electric blue gaze homed in on me. Turning my back on the High Witch, I faced him.

“Cadence,” I whispered.

His sister’s name broke Walker’s resolve, and his shoulders slumped. He took a deep, shaky breath.

“Okay,” he said quietly and cleared his throat. “Okay. We’ll track your chimera for you.”

Cordelia clutched her hands and tittered.

“Wonderful,” she said. “Now, a Blood Oath to ensure everyone gets what they want.”

---