Page 5 of Bewitched By the Wicked Witch
Anger surged through me like a tidal wave, coursing through my veins. How dare she sit on her pedestal of superiority and judge Sage, my reason for smiling every day, my heart?
"I will do whatever I want to do..." I gritted through clenched teeth, barely containing my rage toward my grandmother.
"If you do this, you will lose everything. Our family name, our protection, and your standing in our society," she declared, looking down her perfect straight nose with a smirk of triumph on her lips. As if she had already won with just those words.
"Fine," I spat out bitterly. "I never wanted any of that in the first place."
Her eyes narrowed, and her hands clenched into fists at her sides. "I will cut off your graduation payment and any other support," she spat.
I leaned forward, my body tense with anger. "Go ahead, because I want nothing from you any more. I renounce you." The words were bitter but satisfying as they left my lips. "You are shallow and arrogant, living on a pedestal that you have built for yourself. I am ashamedthat I once looked up to you. I am ashamed ofyouand I renounce you.”
“You ungrateful little shit?—”
I cut her off. "You never took the time to get to know the incredible woman and witch I fell in love with. You can't see why I want to spend my life with her, why I love her madly… desperately." My voice dripped with venom as I continued, "You are not worth my attachment, my time, or the breath leaving my mouth right now. You are nothing to me."
I tried to stand, to leave, to storm out, but something still held me in place. Magical bonds, so I just glared. Seething in my spot, stuck in my place, waiting.
“Mr. Renshaw.” The high witch Eleanor sighed. “We will be forced to determine if Sage Blackstone is innocent and her magic is not dark with the trial by fire.”
My stomach dropped, ice flooding my veins as my lungs forgot how to breathe. Every sound sharpened, every shadow twisted, and my heart pounded like it was trying to claw its way out of my chest.
“No,” I growled. “You will not touch her.” I knew how these things worked. Many times it ended with the witch or warlock accused burning to death, whether they were innocent or not.
And Sage’s magic was going to damn her. Not because it was dark, but because of the way it manifested. No one understood that in the darkness there laid beauty and it was as beautiful as her soul and her.
“I’m glad you said no, because there is an alternative…” Eleanor trailed off, knowing she had me hooked.
“What is it?” I ground out through my teeth, my shouldersslumping and resolve taking hold. I would do anything for Sage, anything.
“Break off your relationship, say nothing to her about why, and join the high council’s investigation department with a contract of five years minimum. We will pay off your remaining school bill and host you through graduation in lieu of your family. And more importantly, we will block your grandmother’s call for a trial by fire and afford Sage our protection until she is back in her grandmother’s care at Old Hollow’s.”
“I want a guarantee she will not be put on trial again,” I demanded.
Before the High councilwoman could reply, my grandmother spoke. “You cannot be serious. He is my kin. I have a right?—”
“Silence,” Eleanor demanded, raising a hand and cutting off the air of my grandmother. Her gaze slowly turned to her. “He renounced you. It makes him mine.” Her lips twisted up into an evil smirk as if she was delighted to piss off the Renshaw matriarch. After she held her gaze for the amount of time she deemed appropriate, she slowly turned back to me. “Do you agree to the terms?”
"There have been... stirrings," Eleanor Ravenstone said, her voice cutting through my protests like a blade through silk. She leaned back in her chair, fingers steepled as she regarded me with those cold, calculating eyes. "Whispers in certain circles about blood purity, about the old ways. Communities that once welcomed mixed-blood families are starting to question that hospitality. The kind of ideological tensionsthat, left unchecked, could lead to... unfortunate incidents."
My blood ran cold, a chill that had nothing to do with the drafty council chamber. "What does this have to do with Sage?"
Eleanor's smile was razor-thin, predatory. "Your precious witch fits the profile perfectly. Dark magic manifestation, Blackstone lineage, isolated and defensiveless. Exactly the sort who draws dangerous elements." She paused, letting her words sink in like poison. "If something were to happen to her while you're off playing at romance... Well, who would be surprised?"
"You're threatening her." The words came out as a growl, my hands clenched into fists beneath the table.
"I'm stating facts," Eleanor replied smoothly. "These disappearances—they're not random. Someone is hunting girls like Sage, targeting those who stand out, who make themselves visible through their differences. The kind who've already earned reputations for being... difficult."
My grandmother, Bessie, leaned forward, her voice dripping with false concern. "The authorities believe it's connected to old blood purity movements. Fanatics who think mixed heritage weakens our kind." Her lips curled in distaste. "Naturally, someone like the Blackstone girl would be a prime target."
"Which is why," Eleanor continued, her voice taking on a deceptively reasonable tone, "it would be so much safer for her if she had... protection. The kind that comes from having connections to the High Council. The kind that comes from having someone close to her who understands the real threats she faces."
The trap closed around me with elegant precision. They weren't just threatening Sage with a trial by fire—they were threatening to leave her vulnerable to whatever was stalking young witches across the magical communities. And with her reputation, her isolation, her distinctive magic that marked her as different...
She'd be the perfect target. And when she disappeared, who would look too hard for the town'swicked witch?
"The choice is yours, Mr. Renshaw," Eleanor said, her voice soft as silk and twice as dangerous. "Join our investigation department, help us protect young women like Sage, and ensure she remains safe under our watchful eye. Or continue your romantic pursuits and hope nothing tragic befalls her while you're distracted by love."
My heart shattered as I realized I had no choice at all.
