Page 23 of Resting Witch Face
“Mr. Blackman, I will ask a favor from you.” She avoided my intent gaze, which never boded well for me. “I need you to take Hazel to a location I will give you once we get to my office.” River was already nodding like he had the right to make decisions in my name. “You will keep her there until I, and only I tell you to bring her back. Am I clear?”
There was still something Danika wasn’t telling us. I could taste it on my tongue but couldn’t put my finger on it. All the mumbo-jumbo had a purpose, and that was to distract me. The problem was it was working, damn her.
“Like hell he will.” I was out of the bed flashing my ass cheeks at Sissily before River even opened his mouth. “You don’t get to tell me where to go.” My accusing finger stabbed the air in front of Blondie’s nose. “And you” —Whirling on my grandmother, I barely stopped myself from slapping away the look on her face when she raised an eyebrow at me— “don’t get to hide me like some eternal sin you don’t want anyone finding out about.”
My shout would’ve been more impressive if I didn’t sway like a drunken moose, bare ass and all, but whatever. Sissily, the amazing person she was, darted to my back and cinched the hospital gown with fistfuls of fabric. Her good intentions pointed my nipples in Danika’s face, which she didn’t appreciate going off the grimace twisting her features. River, on the other hand, had no complaints, his gaze leisurely traveling up and down my body until he caught my grandmother’s scowl. He had the decency to look ashamed after that.
“I think your grandmother is right, Miss Byrne.” Blondie laid it on thick to get back in Danika’s good graces, the jerk. “As the last of the Byrne line, you should be protected while things settle down. At least until Leviathan is found.”
Taking a wider stance, I crossed my arms and gave him my most impressive bitch face. When Sissily didn’t join me, I turned a glare at her over my shoulder. That poked her ass to jump next to me in the same stubborn pose. It was us two against the two of them. There was no chance Danika and River were going to win the stare down.
“No.” My chin jutted up a notch.
“Without magic, you are not safe in the middle of all this, Miss Byrne.” Oh no he didn’t. River didn’t just dig his own grave.
“Dude, ouch.” Sissily jerked back like he’d insulted her and not me, even though she appeared chagrined when Danika narrowed her gaze. “We all know Hazel turns psycho when you mention her not having magic,” my friend mumbled apologetically as a plan formed in my head.
For any of them to ship me anywhere, they’d need to get their hands on me.
“When am I supposed to leave for this place?” At my sweet smile, all of them gaped, Sissily going as far as bending her upper body sideways to give me a better look. “What? You are right. I have no magic, and I’d rather not have more skin melting off my bones, mm-kay? So, when?”
“Best will be on Saturday, late afternoon.” Danika’s eyes were slits. She was right not to trust me.
“Cool. I’ll be ready by then.”
They stood frozen while I rummaged through the infirmary room in search of my clothes. My jaw clenched when I lifted the silky blouse between two fingers to see the shredded mess that it was. My pants were not bad, so I stabbed my legs through them, zipping them up before I turned my back to take off the damn gown. Placing the open back to my front, I tied a knot in it to make it a very ugly top, which worked in a pinch, then I padded barefoot to the door.
“I have to go pack,” I told the room without looking back. “I’ll see you at home, Grandmother.”
The magic bubble popped, giving me my escape, and before they could say anything, I was out the door. The moment it closed, I made a mad dash out of there. Let them think I was on my way home.
I pointed my feet straight for the library.
12
“Out,” I hissed at the couple of people I found perusing books like it was a designer shoe sale.
The guy jerked back and his face reddened, but he must’ve seen the crazy I knew was all over my face so he’d thought better of it. Smart on his part because I was past mental at that time. Snatching the woman’s hand, he dragged her out of the library, her outraged protests going faint the further away they moved from the now-closed door. It wasn’t the first time I’d been called names, and it wouldn’t be the last. I could bet the magic I didn’t have on it.
Fists jammed on my hips, I panted, part from anger about River’s comment and part from a freak out because Danika wanted to hide me like a pair of dirty underwear. My body rocked back and forth from the strength of my heartbeat, which was drumming against my ribs with a vengeance. I’d be damned if I let them hide me away.
There must be a spell or something in this jungle I was standing in that could help me. While witches hid so they didn’t end up burned at the stake or drowned, humans used to dabble in spells, too. Majority of the time, it never worked, but the handful of times it did gave me hope. If a human could do it, so could I.
I just had to find the right one.
Giving the nasty jars a wide berth, I dove in through the rows of bookshelves filled to the brim with texts. Books were nailed hard in every space available, some of them sticking out a couple of inches because they couldn’t be jammed in. My trembling hands traced the spines, my gaze darting from one title to the other in search of … I had no idea what. Something. Anything. Halfway through the first row, I stopped, remembering the voice I heard when Alex made me check my intuition that morning. Was it that morning? It felt like it had been a year since I saw the Alpha. Only silence met me when I breathed deep and closed my eyes. Intuition my ass.
My mind got sidetracked by that, so when the pain zapped through my arms, it nearly doubled me over. The herbs they used to numb the pain from the demonic magic was wearing off, and I had little time before I was curled up in a ball praying to Hecate to just kill me. My skin prickled with goosebumps remembering the pain from earlier that day. It was a great motivator to light a fire under my now covered behind to push me forward.
It was getting late, too. Deep shadows fell between the rows of books, making it hard to see much less read anything in the darkening library. With a deep sigh, I turned back to flip the light switch that not many used in the building. Soon the candles would come to life with their blue flames that never gave off heat, but that was wasting time I didn’t have. The tall, arched windows showed gray skies and lights popping up in windows on the surrounding buildings when I reached for the switch, my fingertips grazing the plastic.
Bright flame burst to life an inch from my face.
On impulse, my hand went from reaching for a light switch right into a fist and shooting forward. The flame died, and a squeak bounced off the library walls when a forearm blocked my attack. But I wasn’t done. My foot swept in a circle, turning me around by three hundred and sixty degrees, and I heard the satisfying “Oomph!” when a body smacked the floor. The air whooshed out of whoever had decided to sneak up on me, and they groaned at my feet. All I could make out was the gray outline of a person at that point, so without looking away, I reached out and flipped the switch.
My best friend glowered at me from the floor, her crooked ponytail a separate living being on her head.
“What are you doing here?” My accusing tone only made matters worse.
