Page 58 of The Witch's Spell
Aurora finishes cleaning my wounds, and without a word, she stands, gathers up her tools, and departs the kitchen, leaving me sitting there in the quiet alone. Her socked feet pad through the foyer and parlor, and the bedroom door clicks closed behind her, definitive even in its gentleness.
Fuck.
“Fuck!” I curl my fingers into a fist and just narrowly prevent myself from pounding it atop the table or putting it through the kitchen wall. “What the fuck have I done?”
There’s a flash of red in my periphery. I glance up and find Rowan’s face in the window of the kitchen door. When he sees I’m alone, he tips his head, gesturing for me to come outside.
And considering how pissed Aurora is with me, it’d probably be a good idea for me to give her a bit of space.
Standing, I reach for the tunic folded atop the kitchen table. Aurora brought it down for me, seeing as I ruined yet another one with my transformation. I wince as I pull it over my head, every wound stinging with my movement.
I pull on the pair of boots waiting on the mat beside the door, and then my hand finds the door handle, but I pause, hoping maybe Aurora has changed her mind and wants to talk to me, wants to hear the many apologies I have to say. But no. The cottage is quiet. All I hear is the ticking of a clock and the quiet crackling of the fires in the kitchen and parlor hearths.
With a heavy sigh, I open the door and step outside. The air is cold, but my skin is still hot, and it feels comforting.
Alden and Thorne are seated at the tiny bistro table, the one Aurora likes to sit at when the weather is nice, and Rowan is now standing at the bottom of the stairs, leaning casually against the banister. All three of them stare at me after I close the door.
Butmyeyes go to Thorne. Though my memory is hazy due to the intense rage I was feeling, I’ll never forget the gust that tossed me ten feet through the snow or the vortex that kept me there once I was back on my feet. It was unlike anything I’ve ever seen.
“What the fuck was that?” I snap, thumping down the stairs and coming to stand over him.
He looks up at me from his seat at the bistro table, no fear in his eyes. And now I realize why I’ve never been able to intimidate him, why he’s never seemed nervous around me, even knowing what I am and what my beast is capable of.
I can’t decide if I respect that or if it just pisses me off more. Probably both.
“That,” he says, “was me saving your life, and probably your brother’s life. Granted, once Aurora is through with theboth of you, I’m not sure there’ll be anything I can do to help you.”
For some reason, his words surprise me. I think he just told a joke. Atmyexpense.
Alden clears his throat, probably trying to disguise a chuckle, and from the corner of my eye, I can see Rowan smirking.
“Is this a joke to you?” I growl, fingers clenching into fists at my sides.
Now Thorne’s eyes, which look lighter silver than usual, narrow at me. He grips his cane and pushes to his feet, and though he’s shorter than me, he gets right up in my face.
If I were still unaware of what he can do, I’d find it extremely stupid. But standing here, face-to-face with him, I’m left wondering which one of us is actually being the idiot right now.
And it’s probably me. As usual.
“Ajoke? Did you not hear Aurora screaming, pleading for you to stop? She collapsed in Alden’s arms, for fuck’s sake. It seemsyou’rethe one who’s not taking this seriously enough.”
My teeth clench, making my jaw muscles twitch.
Aurora was screaming for me? Pleading? I didn’t hear her, didn’t even feel her through our mate bond. It must’ve been my anger and my need to sink my fangs into Cathal’s skin, to taste his blood on my tongue. It made me deaf to her cries.
Fuck.
I was gearing up to argue with Thorne, to make an even bigger ass of myself, but suddenly, all my energy drains away, and next thing I know, I’m slumping down onto the porch stairs, letting my head and shoulders hang heavy.
Even though it almost physically pains me to say, I force out, “Thank you. If you hadn’t stopped us, I don’t know...”
I don’t know what would’ve happened. I don’t know if we would’ve stopped.
Once again, I let my anger toward Cathal drive me to madness, let him shake me from my foundation. I have to stop giving him so much fucking power over me.
With a light sigh, Thorne sinks back into the chair at the bistro table. “You’re welcome.”
I scrub a hand down my face before meeting his eyes again. “But really, what was that? What are you?”
