Page 6 of Pitch a Witch
There was nothing pleasant in the curl of my mouth, and he answered it by showing more teeth than any mouth had the right to have.
“It’ll take more than a building falling on top of me to kill me, Miss Byrne.” He sneered, his upper lip trembling when it rose above his bared teeth. His thin, narrow face had the usual pinch, making me think my very existence disgusted him. And it probably did.
“You sound like you are accusing me of attempted murder, pops.” Stepping closer to him, I regretted slipping my pumps back onto my feet. I could’ve nailed him with the heel if he kept talking shit out of his nonexistent ass. “If I wanted you to meet Hecate in person, I had no reason to try to kill myself in the process. I can snuff your life with one hand tied behind my back.” Grinning like a deranged person, I cocked my head at him and purred, “Wanna see?”
“Hazel Byrne.”
Shadowblood preened when my grandmother’s voice boomed from down the long hallway. I involuntarily flinched, which I bet made his day. Danika’s power pelted my skin already, and that on its own told me that I was royally screwed. Not that I had any intentions of showing the weasel that.
Much to my surprise, although my grandmother could appear at any time, Shadowblood raised his hand and pointed his forefinger straight at my chest, a tendril of dark shadow curling from it until it stretched, moving in my direction.
I stiffened.
A manic glint entered his pitch-black gaze, and leering, he hunched forward, pushing his magic faster my way. Creeped out and maybe a little scared that he would provoke the power inside me to destroy what was left of our temple, I took a step back with a gasp.
The old man thought I was afraid of him, and his grimace twisted with glee that radiated from him in waves. I felt his magic collecting around the tip of his finger ready to attack, much to my surprise. I’d never felt it before, and it only added to my unease. Tensing, I lifted my hands in the hopes to stop him when a voice from behind me made my knees buckle.
“I don’t think that’s wise, Mr. Shadowblood.” River’s smooth baritone made me shiver for an entirely different reason. “I will kill you faster than you can finish that spell. Put your hand down.”
How in all the hells-balls did he show up in the middle of the training facility? Apart from the priest and me, no one else was there until Blondie spoke. If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, I never would’ve believed he could appear or disappear the same way Danika had when she pulled the trick in the cornfield over a week ago.
Yet, there he stood in all his golden glory, gifting the High Priest with his megawatt smile like he hadn’t just told the loser he could end his pathetic life.
“Where did you come from?” Shadowblood hissed, but he dropped his hand limply. “She’s not supposed to be here. I should’ve known you had something to do with it, Blackman.”
River’s bored expression said more than any words could.
The oppressive tension drenching the air lifted immediately when Danika swooped through the doorway and joined our little unexpected get together, nearly plowing Shadowblood in her haste. Her cold, emerald stare stabbed me in the brain, and almost every thought I had running rampant there was silenced. All I could do was wonder why I thought this was a great idea. It sure felt that way when I’d left the beta in that dressing room back at the store.
Speaking of the wolf, Ace stuck his head in right behind my grandmother.
“I found them frolicking here.” Shadowblood sniffed disdainfully.
All of us ignored him.
“Why are you here, Hazel?” Danika dismissed the weasel in order to try and kill me with a look. It was fascinating to watch the High Priest creep behind her, his sneer visible over her left shoulder.
Images of crows circled in my mind’s eye.
“I was shopping and figured I’d stop to say hi.” Baring my teeth, I smoothed a few strands of hair that had been sticking to the side of my face. “Hi, Danika. Long time no see. How’re things going around here? Missing someone? Your granddaughter maybe?”
Her eye twitched.
“Let us go to my office.”
Without waiting for anyone, she swirled around, her midnight black ponytail snapping like a whip as she stormed out of sight. Shadowblood rushed after her like the loser he was, which left me standing between River and Ace.
A rabbit between two foxes.
The weight of their calculating stares was unbearable.
“Well.” Clapping my hands, I beamed at them in turn. Ace calling me a coward flashed in my head. “You heard her. Chop-chop, before she decides none of us are worth her time.”
The sound of my pumps smacking the smooth floor bounced off the walls when I hightailed it after my grandmother. She was the lesser of two evils in my miserable life, after all.
What that said about my life choices, I had no idea.
Annoyed that I avoided confrontation when a week ago I would’ve jumped on the opportunity with gusto, I stifled the disappointment that Sissily was not present. Two sets of eyes followed me from a few feet away, and I almost barked out a laugh when I heard Ace’s muttering.
