Page 64 of The Witch and The Blood Oath

Worry soured my relief, and I rushed to her side. When I tried to reach for her, she waved me off and steadied herself, but her bluster didn’t convince me she was okay. Her entire right side was swollen, and she cradled her arm against her chest. When her eyes met mine, I noticed the many burst capillaries under them, but it was the fear that shone in their depths that boiled my blood.

I wanted to bring Madame LaLaurie back to life just soIcould be the one to end her.

Instead, avoiding her injured shoulder, I hugged Freya. She melted into my embrace and hid her face in my chest. Asshe took steadying breaths, I shielded her from our friends’ sight and let her collect herself the only way she would want to—privately.

“You’re safe,” I whispered. “You’re safe.”

Eventually, she pulled back. Though it was crooked because of the swelling, Freya smiled.

“You found me,” she said in a voice hoarse from her screams.

“Of course I did,” I said. “I’ll always find you.”

No words had ever been truer.

“I hate to break up this adorable reunion,” Ryder said, “but we should probably get out of here before someone notices we’re trespassing.”

I released Freya from my grip but steadied her with a hand on the small of her back.

“Did they see everything?” I asked in a rush. “We can’t expose magic to humans or this whole thing is for nothing.”

“Spirits—witches or not—are invisible to humans,” Freya assured me, “but it doesn’t mean they didn’t catch a glimpse of the broken padlock and the gusts of wind.”

“We have to get out of here,” Cady agreed. “Surely, there’s a rear exit?”

“Let’s go check it out,” Ryder said.

As he led Cadence through the doorway to the left, he nodded at me in silent confirmation that he would keep my sister safe. I studied Freya, who remained unsteady on her feet. I wanted to pick her up, but Ididn’twant to lose my tongue for suggesting such a thing.

She eyed the closed door. “We need a glamour.”

Freya murmured a spell and buckled over. I caught her by her waist, and she whimpered in pain. I loosened my grip immediately.

“Freya,”I whispered. “You can’t cast another spell—you’ll burn out. We’re either sneaking out the human way, or you’ll have to walk me through the spell.”

She righted herself, but I kept my arms in the air around her.

“It’s not the kind of thing I can teach you on the fly,” she said. “And we can’t risk getting caught—”

As a woman stepped into the doorway, her shadow filled the entryway, and I tucked Freya behind me.

“I could be of assistance,” a sultry voice purred.

As she stepped farther into the mansion, her plush, red-wine lips stretched into a smile. Magic hummed against her skin.

Witch.

I pulled my sword from its sheath, and it crackled to life. The beautiful, brown-skinned woman merely chuckled.

“Now,” she said, “waving that thing around with the door open? That’s asking for trouble.”

The witch murmured a spell. Rich magic filled the air, and a shimmery glamour slid over the blasted door. She threw her long braids over her slender shoulder. Earrings dangled midway down her delicate neck, and she wore a colorful wrap dress that framed her gentle curves. Her beauty was timeless, but her face was lined with the beginnings of age.

“You’re…” Freya trailed off and struggled for a name. "La…La…"

“Marie Laveau,” she provided and bared her bright white teeth. “Notto be confused with the wench who ruled this mansion.”

???

---