Page 66 of Beneath the Cursed Veil

“Thank you, Belfor,” I tossed out while I waited for Kaia. She didn’t waste time, directing us toward the west side of the castle. I followed after her, gripping the reins between numb fingers. We started at a trot that quickly turned into a gallop once we exited the castle grounds.

From there, it became a waiting game. With every second that passed, my emotions rioted. Desperation coiled in my stomach, twisting it into knots. Fear was a hand around my heart, squeezing the beating organ in my chest. It pounded painfully in my sternum, making my breaths short and quick. Neither of them silenced the rage. It built the longer we rode, drowning out everything else. I tried not to think about what might be happening to her right now. If she had the necklace off, I knew she could protect herself, but with it on she might as well be human.

The only thing that kept me in check was the sliver of a bond we shared. I wasn’t sure what went wrong with the blood oath but whatever we had done at least allowed me to feel her. If she weren’t alive, that thread would sever.

“Up ahead,” Kaia said, pointing toward the tree line.

We slowed back to a trot when we crossed it. While I didn’t recognize the area, the white willow trees told me we were in the Everwood Forest. A plume of smoke sifted through the bare branches up ahead. I pulled ahead of Kaia and came to a stop once we hit a small clearing. In the center was a small wood cabin with a thatch roof. A small barn that had seen better days sat behind it, doors open and swinging on the hinges. The creak of metal grinding against metalpainted an eerie picture. No other sounds carried on the wind and no lights were on in the cabin. If not for the smoke coming from the chimney, I would assume no one was home.

“How did you find this woman?” I asked while we dismounted.

“I was looking for your dream girl. One of the servants was talking about a witch who made her a love potion.”

My eyebrows rose. “Those are illegal.”

“So is stalking,” she replied. “Besides, the information turned out to be good. She’s the one that told me about Lucian.” Kaia motioned to the cabin.

“I don’t trust him.”

“The broker?”

“Yeah.” The steps creaked under my weight. I half expected a plank to snap on the way to the door.

Kaia snorted. “He’s a leprechaun. No shit.”

We shared a look, then I raised my hand to knock on the door. Before my knuckles could meet the wood, it opened. A woman that didn’t appear a day older than thirty stood in the doorway. Her hair was snow white, but her eyes were black.

“Hello, High Commander. I didn’t expect to meet again so soon.” Her voice had a soft, lilting quality to it. “I see you’ve brought our king. What can I do for you, Your Majesty?” Her unnerving eyes settled on me with an intensity that bordered on uncomfortable.

“I need a portal.”

She lifted a dark brow. “That so?” The witch stepped back, holding the door open. I stepped inside, surveying the cabin.

It was one room. Beside the door sat a long table with a mortar and pestle on top. Herbs were spread across thesurface along with various unnamed bottles holding different colored liquids. Beside it was a small bookshelf with several leather-bound tomes. Apart from that, the room only hosted a small cot, two rickety chairs with a table between them, a fireplace, and a hanging basket with bread in it.

Kaia followed me in, and the door closed on its own behind her.

My shoulders tensed. This place was setting off all sorts of alarms, but I was desperate.

“Where are you looking to go?” the witch asked, turning her back on us as she pulled a kettle off a metal grate in the fireplace.

“It’s complicated,” I said.

The witch chuckled. “You wouldn’t be here otherwise. Tea?” She glanced back, and I shook my head.

“There’s a woman. I’m . . . bound to her. We attempted a blood oath, but something went wrong. I’m trying to find her.”

The witch hummed under her breath while she poured the water into a chipped cup. “Wrong how?”

“I’m not sure exactly.”

“But you’re bound?”

I nodded. “I can feel her. Her emotions. Where she’s at. I don’t know what happened or what kind of bond we created, but I know there is one.”

The witch blew the steam that was rising from her tea, silent for a moment. “If you can feel where she’s at, why do you need me?”

Frustration bled into me and my hands fisted at my sides. “She was taken north through a portal. That’s all I know. Can you help me or not?”

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