Page 49 of The Irresistible Warrior
Through the trees,not far off, Declan pushed hard against the pine branches scraping against his shoulders as he forced his way forward.
The witch kept stride beside him, a swish of her hand easily moving the branches out of her way.
“Slow your reckless pace,” she hissed. “Your strength is no match for what waits there.”
Declan’s jaw tightened, his breath sharp in his chest. “I don’t care. I will fight regardless.”
“You have no defense against a warlock,” she said sharply, grabbing his arm. “He will strip the strength from you before you can lift your sword.”
Declan tore free, his eyes blazing. “Then let him strip me bare. I’ll fight with nothing if I must. She is my wife. My love. I’ll not stand like a coward and watch her harmed.”
The witch studied him in silence, her dark gaze unblinking. “You speak of love as though it were a shield.”
“It is,” he said fiercely. “If not for your curse?—”
“Wish,” she corrected with a bitter twist.
“Wish,” he ground out, “I would never have found her. Never known what it was to love her. I’ll not lose that. Not to you. Not to him.”
For the first time, something changed in the witch’s face, the hard lines of her mouth softening, if only for a breath.
“Foolish man,” she muttered, though her tone lacked its usual bite. She swept her hand forward. “Then come. But stay behind me when we reach the stones. If you value her life, let me lead.”
Declan paid her no mind, his only thought on reaching his wife. He broke from the trees without pause. His boots struck the damp ground in hard steps as he broke through to the clearing.
It was eerily still, mist clinging to the base of the ring of stones as if the world itself held its breath. No birds stirred, no breeze touched the space. Aura stood rigid, her chin lifted though her hands trembled at her sides.
The warlock lingered close, pale eyes gleaming like a predator waiting for his prey to exhaust itself.
“Go on, go to her. I will release the spell I had my minion place on you,” the warlock said smoothly, his voice carrying across the clearing. “Say your goodbye, warrior. She belongs to me now.” His head snapped toward the witch. “You may thank the witch—her mother—for that.”
Declan’s heart slammed against his ribs. Shock stole his breath, but he did not falter as he went to Aura, the look ofimmense shock on her face letting him know she had not known the witch that had granted his cursed wish had been her mum. He took her in his arms, locking her against his chest as though he could fuse her to him by will alone.
She clung fiercely in return, her breath hot and desperate against his neck. “I did not know the witch?—”
“Your shocked look made that clear,” he said, keeping tight hold of her. “But she does have a lot of explaining to do.”
“Don’t hold your breath on that. Besides, it is the least of our worries.”
“I’ll not let you go, not ever,” he whispered, pressing his cheek to hers.
Behind them, the witch stepped forward, her voice sharp with fury. “Lies spill from your tongue as easily as rot festers in the dark, Alweth. You twist the past to suit your vengeance.”
Alweth’s smile thinned. “Lies, Theodora? I speak of promises.” He cast a glance at Aura and Declan. “She and I were bound long before she turned her back on me. She gave her word to wed me.”
“Word with a condition,” the witch snapped. “You were to forsake your dabbling in black arts.”
Alweth’s face hardened, his pale eyes narrowing as he turned to look at her. “And why should I have done that, Theodora? Power was within my grasp, yet you sought to cage me with demands. And I wisely refused to yield.”
“Your refusal to change told me what I needed to know,” the witch said, her voice low with old grief, “you didn’t love me enough. Here, at this very place, the day before our vows were to be spoken, you chose to serve the dark arts over your love for me.”
His features twisted with remembered rage. “And I told you then what I tell you now—vengeance would be mine. I waited, watched, and planned, Theodora, to see which daughter of yourswould suit me. With Aura’s knowledge of plants combined with my dark magic, we will make a powerful couple. Besides, when she settled so close to the ring of stones, it confirmed I had made the right choice. Your daughter will become my bride today, twenty years to the day you should have, and you don’t have the power to stop me.” He laughed. “How foolish to think that a hag stone you left here all those years ago would prove helpful.”
The witch’s defiance faltered, her shoulders sagging, and Declan saw in her face the truth that turned his blood cold—the warlock was right. She could not match him in power.
Declan tightened his hold on Aura, his voice rough with fury. “Over my dead body will you take my wife from me.”
Alweth’s smile curved with pleasure. “That can easily be arranged.”
