Page 14 of Pitch a Witch
Danika ignored my obnoxious outburst and ushered all of us inside the coven building.
Barked orders, more like it, but I didn’t point that out.
We left the marble stairs covered in ash, demon innards, and a small pile of aged bones that belonged to the silk chomping imp. Internally, I hoped I could bring the creep back just to rip him limb from limb for exposing my tit to Blondie, but that only sent heat to crawl up my neck when I remembered the way he stared at me with those smoldering peepers of his.
Thankfully I felt more like myself with Sissily by my side, but something had changed between me and River. I couldn’t put my finger on it, but it was there, dangling in my face like a noose and taunting me. I’d like to say it was the revelation of his origin, but when I tried to hold onto that, it felt wrong.
“Where is Shadowblood?” I mused as we lumbered toward my grandmother’s office.
“We had a few injured in the skirmish,” Danika told us without turning, like that might mess up her queenly progression. “He is making sure they are taken care of in the infirmary.”
“Ah, he is making sure they are scared shitless so they won’t make a run for it.” Fingers snapping, I bobbed my head. “Got it.”
Sissily jabbed me in the ribs.
“Did Alex and Amber get through the wards?” My brain caught up with why I’d rushed to get outside in the first place, before River had grown feathers and hellspawn had munched on my bralette to side track me. “Well?”
“Mr. Greywood will be positioned outside the wards until further notice.” My mouth opened to yell at her for not caring about their wellbeing, but she had not finished yet. “I gave him and his team the aid they needed until most of the pack arrived. He insisted on standing as frontline.”
“Why is the ward still up when we killed all the demons?” I pondered under my breath but received an answer, nonetheless.
“The ward is not just made by demonic magic.” River’s baritone spiked a shiver up my spine that had nothing to do with hellspawn. “There is black magic interwoven through it. Not much of it, but it’s there.”
“Yes, I felt it myself.” Danika paused in front of the open door and waited, for the first time in her life, for all of us to hobble inside it before she followed. “Do place the ward so we can speak freely, Mr. Blackman.” Trepidation rose like a living thing inside me.
One quick glance at Sissily told me my friend wasn’t surprised with the information, and that on itself made me twitchy and irritated. Something must’ve shown on my face because I felt all their eyes on me as I wrenched the uncomfortable chair and plopped on it with a huff.
“Anything you wish to say, Hazel?” Danika challenged after River was done muttering into all the corners of the room, and the air bubble snapped shut around us.
“There is so much that I don’t even know where to start, Grandmother.” A headache formed behind my eyes, so I rubbed little circles on my temples, which helped nothing.
But her question was just for show. Danika was not done with me.
“Maybe this will teach you to listen when you are told to do something.” Striking emerald eyes stabbed me to my soul.
“I don’t follow.” Cocking my head as if that would help me understand her better, I blinked at her stern face.
“This wasn’t—” Sissily jumped to my defense, as always, but Danika was having none of that.
“It was idiotic to leave the one place where you can be protected. And for what?” Each word was a slap in my face.
“Protected from what, Danika?” Body trembling from rage, I jumped to my feet so I could loom over her for once.
My friend recoiled from my outburst, and even River took a step back, which would’ve pleased me immensely if I was not losing my mind at the time.
“I need to be protected from myself. Not from demons or I don’t know what else.” Seething, I paced a tight line in front of her desk. “The moment I lit up like a glow stick and destroyed your pride and joy, instead of tucking me away like some deep, dark secret, you should’ve stopped and at least told me what was happening to me.”
Danika watched me with an unreadable expression on her face.
“But, no,” I continued huffing, both my arms flopping in agitation. “Oh, no. Danika Byrne explains herself to no one. Well, guess what, lady?” Rounding on her, I slammed both palms on her desk with a slap loud enough to make Sissily jump. “You can look down your nose at me all you want, but it all ends now. Start talking.”
“I deserved that.” Melting into her comfy-looking chair, she eyed me shrewdly. “I hope you know it was never my intention to come to this, Hazel.”
Wind taken out of my sails, I dropped on the hard chair like a rock. “I don’t even know what this is, Danika.” With a sigh, I wiggled where I sat and stared at my now-healed forearm. “One day I’m freaking out that I’ll be shunned for being a dud, and the next I’m tucked away like a dirty sock with a living creature churning inside me that wants to destroy everything. I need to know what’s happening to me.” After I swallowed thickly, I raised my tear-filled gaze to hers. “Please.”
Sissily crouched next to me and took hold of my hands to stop me from twisting my fingers until they snapped. I felt pathetic for begging to hear the truth, but it all hit me at once, and it was now to the point I felt like I would burst into flames if I didn’t get it out. Pride be damned if I died from a heart attack or something from bottling shit up. When overwhelmed, I might act like a bratty, underage idiot, but that was my go-to so I could hide the hurt and inadequacy from the world. Including my flesh and blood.
Especially my flesh and blood.
