Page 7 of The Witch and The Blood Oath

“Cowboy.” The hand squeezed tighter. “Come back.”

I wanted to. Her voice lulled me back to my senses, as did the strange tug in my chest. Every time we touched, the heat of her skin and the pulse of her power was like a beacon in foggy darkness. She appeared before me in hazy red. Her pale skin glowed like the moon had that night.

“So bossy,” I quipped. Still, my heart raced. “I’m fine, sweetheart. Just give me a second.”

Freya rolled her eyes at the endearment I refused to quit using, but her expression quickly sobered.

“Come with me,” she instructed.

She pulled on my hand, and I followed her along the cobblestone-paved path. As I focused on the warmth of her hand in mine and the night’s cool air, the red light slowly faded. As it receded, my own magic settled back into my body. I hated the way it simmered beneath my skin, but I’d learned it was best to ignore it. After all, there was no way to get rid of it.

I tried not to dwell on that.

Freya led me away from the towering apartment buildings and toward the dense forest. Crickets chirped and animals skittered. We walked along a path almost reclaimed by the wildlife. It was so narrowly carved into the woods, I’d never noticed it before. No lights lined the path, but the moon was nearly full and provided enough light, even after filtering through the towering trees.

“I really am fine,” I said. “Thea shouldn’t have called. You’re too busy to come running every time I can’t keep my shit together.”

“Honestly, I should be thanking you,” Freya argued. “One more smart remark about how Ishouldbe steering the coven, and I would’ve sent Lyra through a window.”

“I don’t know,” I said and smiled because I knew she wasn’t entirely kidding. “She seems wily. She probably would’ve taken you out with her.”

Freya locked eyes with me. “Are you doubting me, cowboy?”

Damn, she’s beautiful.

She grinned. “So, I take it my seduction is working?”

My stomach dropped, and my veins heated for an entirely different reason. I didn’t have it in me to be embarrassed I’d said that out loud. Freya pulled on my hand again, and I hurried to follow her. I was so focused on her hips sashaying in her black tights, I almost didn’t notice the gazebo that came into view as we rounded a corner.

It was nestled in a tiny meadow, surrounded by dancing flowers and grasses. Constructed of swirling black metal, a glass dome stretched over a black bench. Freya led me to it and gently pushed me to a seat. She didn’t have to try hard. I was clay in her hands.

Anyone would be.

Though neither of us had talked about what was said the night of the Bloodblade or the fact we’d both been willing to die for the other, we’d gotten good atthis.And this was much easier than telling a witch who didn’t believe in love what I felt for her.

Not that I felt love.

Keep lying to yourself,I thought.Very healthy.

“You’re thinking too much,” she whispered and straddled my lap.

I grabbed her waist and pulled her closer. Our lips crashed in a tangle of tongues and teeth. She gripped my hair in a way sheknewdrove me crazy, and I was officially done thinking.

Moving with speed I never would’ve been able to manage as a human, I lifted Freya and pressed her against one of the gazebo’s pillars. She gasped into my mouth. Electricity danced over my skin, and thunder cracked. The air around us grew hotter and hotter. It lifted the curls off Freya’s shoulders.

She pulled away and fought to catch her breath. I couldn’t hide my smug grin. No one had ever made Freya lose control over her magic. Certainly not Ryder.

Yeah, I had asked.

“We need to talk,” she said.

I groaned, but it was half-bravado. “What happened to seduction?”

Freya rolled her eyes, and I released her. I didn’t, however, give her an inch of breathing room. She gave me hard look, and, with a sigh, I led her back to the bench. Freya knew I wasn’t actually put off. I was so obsessed with her, I was convinced kissing her had to be better than sex with most people.

She pulled her hand from mine and kneaded her knuckles.

“Sweetheart.” I laid my hand over hers. “What is it?”

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