Page 59 of Wicked Fate

“What?” I blinked. “You all need rest and care.”

“We want to form a coven together and stay off the radar.” Her voice didn’t shake. “We don’t want to be a part of this at all anymore.”

Another witch stepped beside her. Then another.

“We know the land around here. We’ve been held in it long enough. And we have magic.”

“You don’t have enough strength—” Reid tried.

“We have enough hate,” the woman cut in. “And that’ll do for now.”

Cassi slid off Gage’s back. “She’s right. Their power’s returning faster than I expected. It’s like the land’s feeding them again.”

Ryker stared at the group then turned to me. His eyes weren’t angry now—just… understanding.

“They just want to live in peace,” he murmured.

I nodded slowly. I couldn’t judge them. I wanted the same.

Sun exhaled hard. “We could really use your help.”

Another witch stepped forward. “We’ll head east into Hollow Pines. There's an old warded ruin there—we can hide and rebuild.”

Another witch, younger than the others with burn scars down one arm, looked up from where she’d been helping one of the older women to her feet. “We were taken because we trusted too easily. Look where it got us.”

Her words weren’t bitter—they were bone-deep tired. The kind of exhaustion that didn’t fade with sleep.

“We fought once,” she added. “We lost everything.”

“But you didn’t lose your lives,” I said quietly, glancing between them. “You could’ve died down there.”

The witch with the swollen eye stepped closer, her gaze locked on mine. “That would’ve been mercy. What they did to us… what we saw…” She shook her head. “We’re not warriors anymore. We’re survivors. That’s all we want to be.”

Silence fell.

Ryker’s hand brushed mine again, grounding me.

Cassi looked like she wanted to argue but didn’t. Her mouth opened. Closed. Then she just nodded and folded her arms across her chest like she was holding herself together.

Reid paced a few steps. “So that’s it? You’ll just hide while the rest of us fight to keep the world from burning?”

“We’re not the ones who lit the fire,” another witch said from the back. “We’re tired of getting scorched.”

It wasn’t said cruelly. Just the truth.

“Then at least let us help you get settled,” I offered. “Supplies. Medical aid. A way to contact us.”

“No contact,” the lead witch said. “Please.”

“But—”

“No contact,” she repeated, softer this time. “We’ve seen what happens when witches get involved in pack wars. Vampire courts. Shadow politics. We’re done for now. We need time to heal.”

My throat tightened.

“We need to go.” Briar gestured to the cars. “The vampires could come back any second.”

She was right. Xander and Gage placed their passengers on the ground. Bruce stirred, and his eyes opened. Sun helped the witch stand and join the others, while Briar helped Bruce get to the car.

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