Page 27 of Pitch a Witch
“Now I know how others feel when you start preaching nonsense, Miss Know-it-all. I think I’m just overwhelmed and can’t think straight.” The longer I thought about it, the truer it sounded, unlike Sissily’s fantasy world. “As for pretty boy? That guy has more secrets than Danika, I can smell it. The worst thing we can do is place our trust in him. Nothing good will come out of it.”
Stretching out across the bed, Sissily clicked her tongue doubtfully. If her plan was to distract me from my anger about what had happened earlier that morning, it actually worked. The clawing fear of all the bad things that could’ve happened, the biggest of them leaving Amber without a mate and their children without a father, slowly replaced itself with brain-numbing panic that my friend could be right.
River was too handsome for my wellbeing, and for the normal functioning of my braincells, which flipped the standby button the second he was near. As impossible as it sounded, could it be that he had somehow wiggled his bitable behind under my skin deep enough that I subconsciously trusted him? Apart from Sissily, and now Alex and Amber, I didn’t trust anyone. Not even Danika, which had proved to be the smartest decision I’d made.
“You are overthinking it. I can smell something burning all the way here.” Sissily nudged my knee with her thigh. “Let it go, Hazel. Things have a funny way of working themselves out sooner or later. This is not something you can control. At least, I don’t think it is.”
“What’s that supposed to mean? Wing boy is not a cancer I can’t cure for Hecate’s sake. Of course I can control it.” Wiggling so I could get more comfortable, I gave in to her commands from earlier and reached for the cheese. I thought about all the ways I didn’t trust River as I nibbled on it.
“We are witches.” My best friend found it necessary to point that out like I’d forgotten what I was. “We don’t suffer from human diseases.”
“Exactly. So, I can definitely pick and choose who I offer my trust. And River Blackman is not one of them.”
“Methinks someone protests too much.” She singsonged and snorted when I smacked her arm. “I never thought I’d be able to tease you about a guy. This is a dream come true for me, so don’t be a bitch. Just let me enjoy it.” Tilting her head this way and that, she grimaced. “Well, not more of a bitch than your usual.”
“We are not in high school anymore, old fart.” Rolling my shoulders didn’t relieve the tension I suddenly felt knotting my muscles there.
“Speak for yourself. I’m still just a young sapling—”
Anything else she wanted to say was cut off when the door of my room burst open, slamming hard against the opposite wall to reveal a frantic-looking Stella as pale as a sheet. The girl was shaking so hard her teeth were audibly chattering, and she was in the beginning stages of a shift. My heart plummeted to my feet, and I jumped to catch her when she pitched forward. Sissily was beside me the next second, and we led the girl to the bed where she dropped because her legs immediately gave out.
“Stella.” Kneeling in front of her, I ducked my head to meet her dazed gaze. “Hey, look at me, Stella.” Her green eyes, which were so much like her mother’s, focused momentarily on mine. “What’s wrong, honey? What happened?”
One fat tear rolled down her cheek, and my own hands started trembling.
“The Blackwood pack took my mom.” The young girl hiccupped, and more tears spilled down her face. I felt all the blood drain from my head, which made me sway on the floor. “And my baby brother.”
18
The staircase thudded like a stampede of elephants were running down it as we took the stairs two and three at a time. Stella was beyond listening because she was too terrified for her mother and younger brother, so I left her in my room after we called one of the shifter women that shared the house with us to keep an eye on her. Sissily was right on my heels, barking questions at anyone we passed, but I had a one-track mind. All I wanted to do was find Alex.
My socked feet slid along the wooden floor when I took a sharp turn and bodily opened the door to his office with a hard smack. The Alpha’s head jerked up when I burst in, and his cold, mismatched gaze locked on mine momentarily. Panting and with my heartbeat in my throat, I opened my mouth to say something, but the subtle shake of his head snapped it shut.
“I know what you’re going to say.” A deep voice like rocks grinding together came out of his mouth. Alex wasn’t talking to me in that moment. His wolf was. “Don’t.”
He didn’t want my apologies, and I totally understood that even if I didn’t like it. “What’s the plan?”
I had no problem waiting until we brought his family back before I started to grovel. If I lived and had the chance. And maybe it was better not to say a word since I knew he would disagree vehemently with what I had in mind. I, myself, wanted to argue with every thought crossing my panicked brain, but just because I didn’t like it, that didn’t mean it wasn’t right.
“She went to check on the café with one of the beta teams.” He gripped the desk with a white-knuckled hold, and the solid oak groaned under the pressure. “They didn’t make it there. The car was intercepted soon after they left pack lands. Another team found it empty and flipped on its side. There was no blood in or around it.”
“Why was Jack with her?” The name choked me, but I wanted to know. I’d barely seen the boy the whole time I was with them.
Alex’s jaw clenched so hard I heard his molars crack.
“He was fussing because he didn’t want Amber to leave.” River spoke from the door as he swaggered in to join us. “She took him along, not wanting to waste time or hold up the patrol longer than necessary.”
“And you didn’t go with them why?” My voice was thick with accusation as I glared at Blondie.
I was fully aware of what I was doing. Instead of blaming myself, I found another target to unload my guilt on. Since I’d met River, I’d pegged him as the perfect person to take the brunt of my anger, and all he had to do was breathe the same air as me. It made me a shitty person, yet I still did it repeatedly. Sissily’s displeased press of her mouth told me we were on the same page.
Blackman thinned his lips but didn’t indulge me, or my need for an argument.
Grinding my teeth, I waited as he planted himself in front of the desk, full of an authoritative air that was doing its best to strangle me, while I kept sneaking glances like a teenager with a crush. Fuming, I fully turned to Alex so I didn’t keep looking at Blondie. For the life of me, I had no idea why he brought out the bitch in me the second he opened his mouth.
“I’d like to help,” River told the Alpha. “It’s a classic manipulation tactic to force you to hand Hazel over, and as appointed guardian, I’d like to deal with this in a quiet manner. If you don’t mind.”
Bristling that he called himself “guardian” like I was some gate to hell he needed to keep closed, I gnawed on the inside of my cheek. It was either that or cause drama at a very inappropriate time. Which wing man knew, hence why he’d used that particular word.
