Page 2 of Ensnared
It’s the only thing that makes sense. I’d left them at my cabin before going out to the beach to complete the full moon ritual. I couldn’t work magic while wearing them, and I’d thought… A sob rises in my throat, and I swallow convulsively.
I thought I was safe here.
The bedside lamp goespop, and the bulb explodes, showering the room with bits of broken glass. Ty yelps and flings out his arm to shield Jack from the debris. Jack doesn’t even twitch at the loud sound, but Aiden cringes, then puts himself right in front of me.
“You need to calm down,” he barks. “Right now.”
I gulp down breath in huge, heaving sobs, and another bulb pops in the hallway behind me.
“Skye,” he commands. “Look at me.”
He takes my shoulders and squeezes, hard. It’s almost painful—enough for me to have a point of focus. I blink through my tears and drag in a shuddering breath. Then I give him a nod: I can’t speak yet but I’m getting myself under control.
“What the fuck is going on, Aiden?” Ty asks.
We both turn to him. Blood drips from his hand where he obviously tried to brush away some stray pieces of glass from the bed.
There’s no use denying it any longer. He’s a smart guy, so he’ll figure it out sooner or later, as soon as the initial shock wears off.
“I’m a witch,” I force through my teeth.
The effort of this confession worsens my headache. This is the first time I’ve ever spoken those words aloud: I never felt the need with my family, especially as I was considered a dud most of the time, and Aiden figured it out before we ever met in person. I’d never told anyone who didn’t know my secret.
I’m not sure Ty appreciates how hard this is for me—and it doesn’t matter. It’s not me who’s unconscious. I’m the one who’s been lying to him and Jack for the past month. Maybe not outright, but lying by omission is just as bad.
“You’re a witch.”
His tone dips, making it a statement, not a question. He takes a shuffle-step closer to Jack, as though he wants to protect him from me. It tears me to pieces, that small, instinctive movement.
“I never wanted to hurt him, Ty, you have to believe me. I’m—” I stop myself because this is not the time to blurt out that I’ve fallen in love with the man lying on the bed.
Ty’s frown only deepens, and he turns from me to Aiden. “Did you know?”
I want to deny it, to claim all responsibility, because Aiden didn’t cause this. He’s been trying to help me figure out how to control my magic, and I stupidly took off those bracelets for some witchy time. I should have known it would end in disaster, even though it had felt sorightat that moment.
“He’s not—” I begin, but he puts a hand on my shoulder to stop me.
Aiden, ever proud and honest, doesn’t balk from the question. “Yes, I knew.”
Ty gives me a glower so dark, I flinch involuntarily. Witches were never well-understood by humans, and I guess we’ve found the irreconcilable difference between us that he can’t get over.
“Leave.”
His voice is a growl, and there’s enough threat behind it that I duck my head and back away to the doorway.
“I’ll get a broom and a dustpan for the glass…”
I trail off feebly at the fury in his expression.
“No. You’ve done enough.”
Aiden is staring straight at Ty, his jaw locked. I look at Jack. He’s immobile, his chest rising and falling slowly. His face is too pale—ashen gray beneath his healthy tan.
I turn and escape, my boots crunching on the broken light bulb glass in the hallway. I barely make it down the Lodge steps before my stomach turns and I’m sick in the withering hydrangea bushes that some lovely soul planted by the path. My knees buckle, so I kneel on the damp, cold ground. I cough and heave until there’s nothing more to spit up.
My insides feel empty and hollow. I thought I’d found my home in Amber Bay, but after this, there will be no staying for me. Not after I nearly killed Jack with my unchecked magic.
I stumble to my feet and head to my cabin. I’ve got work to do if I want to be ready to leave by tomorrow. The night air bites at any exposed sliver of skin, worming its way beneath my jacket where I’m still naked because I hadn’t put on my underwear.
