Page 125 of The Witch and The Blood Oath

I cringed as soon as the words left my mouth. We had all just witnessed the destruction Reid magic could wreak. Cady took my hand.

“That wasn’t him,” she said quietly.

I nodded and shook off the lingering remorse for conjuring whatever monster had replaced Dad.

Forward,I told myself.Just keep moving forward.

Chapter Thirty-Six

Freya

On Arion’s back, Walker, Cady, and I arrived at the Reids’ property in no time at all. Upon my request, Arion transformed back into his cat form, and Ryder arrived shortly after. Luckily, he had carried spare jeans in his mouth as a wolf. As soon as he shifted and put them on, we walked down the long, gravel driveway.

Like always, the gate had been left open. The grass was a foot tall, and the house had grown dilapidated without anyone to care for it. As we walked, I studied both siblings closely. Cady’s lip wobbled, but she didn’t cry. Walker’s jaw was clenched.

Though I had never imagined myself making such a promise, I vowed to help Clyde Reid, if only to ease his children’s pain. Losing a loved one was like losing a limb, and Clyde had been lost to them for far too long.

“Guess I need to brush hog,” Walker observed and scratched the back of his head.

“You’ve been busy,” I said.

He grunted, and we continued to crunch on the gravel without speaking. When we walked up the front steps, the wood groaned beneath our feet but held strong. Walker opened the unlocked door, and I worried vagrants might’ve taken shelter inside. Luckily, it was empty.

Everything was exactly as they had left it, with the addition of a layer of dust. We quickly moved through the kitchen and into the living room. The air was stagnant, but the couch, recliner, and rocking chair were in place. The Reid siblings kept their gazes pointedly ahead. I admired their focus, though I worried about them all the same.

I understood better than most that bottling emotions was easy.Tooeasy. Once you started, it was hard to stop.

Down the narrow hall, I couldn’t help but smile at the pictures of young Walker. My favorite was the one of him next to a horse, wearing a smaller version of his brown hat and a toothy grin.

When we reached the linen closet at the end of the hall, Walker pulled an ancient key out of his pocket. A dragon was crafted into its handle. I recognized it from the last time we had entered the basement, before the Blood Moon battle.

“Glad someone saved this,” the cowboy said and turned the key.

One of the witches had fished it out of Clyde’s pocket and given it to Walker. He had told her his dad would need it back eventually.

And he will.

Walker pushed open the secret door. The entirety of the linen closet swung and revealed a dark set of concrete stairs. Walker flicked on the industrial lights, and we headed down.

As Walker turned on the lights in the hunter’s lair itself, Ryder cursed. I had forgotten he had never been down here.

“This is sick,” Ryder said. Disgust and awe colored his words. I understood the feeling.

The Reid family collection was impressively fatal and all geared toward killing supernaturals. Arion walked closely by my side.

A fighting ring occupied the center of the space, whereas weapons, ranging from machetes to firearms, and targets lined the walls. In the far corner of the room was the locked closet. I had once asked Clyde Reid what kind of stolen magic he hid in there.

The usual magical contraband.

Did he not know what was locked in there, or had he lied?

Were we wrong?

There was only one way to find out.

We approached the closet cautiously, as if it were a wild animal just waiting to strike. Magic emanated from it, but not the kind I would’ve expected from a ripple in the universe. My thoughts drifted to Elle. She didn’t emanate the sort of magic I would expect to be of great importance either.

The door was bolted and padlocked shut. The lock itself was rusted and appeared to be hanging on by a thread. Arion sniffed the door and retreated back to my side.

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