Page 144 of The Witch and The Blood Oath

With our adrenaline pumping like this,I wondered,is our bond powerful enough to break the cuffs without us touching?

The cuffs were certainly not enough to block out the weight of High Witch Cordelia’s presence. From behind herthrone, she floated into the room in a cloud-like gown. It was only a shade lighter than her nearly transparent skin and her haunting gray eyes. As she drifted over, wearing the most beautiful diamonds and the loveliest smile, I wanted to run.

“Hello again,” she greeted in a voice like bell chimes. Though she spoke softly, it echoed across the throne room. Her gray eyes studied Cady, and Walker tensed. “It’s lovely to meet you, Cadence Moonflower.”

“It’s Cadence Reid,” Cady corrected.

I braced myself for Cordelia to strike the girl, and Walker inched in front of his sister, but the High Witch merely laughed.

“I’ve heard rumors about your spunk,” she said. “I’m glad it does not disappoint. So many things are a disappointment as of late.”

Her gaze drifted to Walker then settled on me. I refused to wilt and instead stared brazenly back at her.

“Yes,” I agreed. “Some things areverydisappointing.”

The Handmaiden behind me jerked on my bound wrists and growled in my ear, but Cordelia was unperturbed. The High Witch strolled closer. Walker lurched forward, but one of the guards grabbed him. Cordelia’s power pressed in on me from all sides. It popped my ears and rattled my chest, but I did not yield under its weight. Like a Redfern witch should, I stood tall.

“Where’s the wolf?” she demanded.

“I don’t know,” I answered honestly.

And neither do you.

Somehow, her magic intensified. Her power reeked of roses and tasted like copper. My head pounded, and my heart raced. The Handmaidens shifted nervously, and a couple of the guards dropped to their knees. Though my eyes burned, and I struggled for breath, I held the High Witch’s stare.

I am my mother’s daughter.

I will not falter.

“Why do you care?” I rasped. “What’s a lone wolf to a High Witch?”

Cordelia’s magic finally subsided, and she sneered.

“There’s so little you understand,” Cordelia said.

“Explain it,” I shot back. “You need us for something—otherwise we wouldn’t be alive. You can try to torture us into helping you, but wouldn’t it be much easier to convince us of your motives?”

“You can’t keep these cuffs on us forever if you need our help,” Walker added.

The High Witch considered us, clasped her hands in front of her, and sighed. “I don’t like to be the authoritarian the world paints me as, you know.”

No, you just like to steal witches’ daughters and use them to fuel your eternal reign.

I bit back my initial response.

“Of course not,” I said. “Leading a coven has its challenges. I cannot imagine the weight of the crown you carry.”

I meant it both literally and figuratively. Sitting firmly in the coil of her snow-white hair, her golden and diamond-crusted crown looked heavy.

Cordelia’s voice returned to its lilting cadence. “That’s only half my burden. I wassorelieved when you retrieved the chimera, Freya Redfern. You’d finally done what your mother could not.” She traced the arch of my cheekbone almost tenderly and snatched her hand back. “Then you betrayed me.”

You’d finally done what your mother could not…

Had Mom truly tricked Cordelia? Was the High Witch unaware of her betrayal?

I swallowed. “I don’t understand—what are your plans with Elle? Why do you need her so badly?”

“Why?” Cordelia purred. “I need her to save the world.”

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