Page 99 of Soul of a Witch

“Fine,” I relented. “I’ll take them back to the house.”

34

Everly

Callum carried the intruders as he followed me to the greenhouse; the woman slung over his shoulder, and the demon dragging behind him. His anger made the hairs on my arms stand on end. His eyes bored into the back of my skull, as if he could burrow into my brain and find the answers he sought.

I didn’t have an answer; at least not one he’d be satisfied with. Juniper was an enemy, a threat. In his mind, there was only one way to deal with the enemies.

When I reached the foot of the great tree, I turned to him and said, “Leave them here with me. Let me talk to them.”

He set Juniper down slowly. A muscle in his jaw ticked as he said, “I’m not leaving you alone with a demon. You can punish me later for disobeying you; I don’t fucking care. I’m not leaving him with you.”

“Fine. Just don’t hurt him.”

He looked confused, angry. His breathing became faster and sharper. “You shouldn’t be alone with her either. She came here to harm you, Everly.”

“We’ve taken her weapons, Callum. I’m safe in the house, and Darragh is watching.”

He scoffed. “Darragh. As if that —” He shook his head. “At the least, take the demon’s name. Give yourself a little more protection.”

He sounded disgusted, and guilt bubbled inside me like a boiling pot. Part of me wanted to apologize, but for what? I’d done nothing wrong, even though he was frustrated, even though he didn’t understand.

But I refused to perpetuate the harm my father had already inflicted on Juniper. I wouldn’t carry on his legacy.

“I don’t know how.”

Callum’s face softened, and he looked away from me before he knelt down and grasped the demon’s wrists in his own.

“Come over to his side,” he said. “Lay your palms against his chest, over his heart.”

Crouching, I did as Callum said, but I couldn’t bear to look at him as I did. I hated this feeling, this roiling tension.

He’d almost killed Juniper right in front of me. I didn’t think he would stop, even though I ordered him to, even though I begged him. I’d felt powerless. Again. Helpless to the forces around me, unable to fight back against the will of others. Just like when I watched my parents cut Juniper, ignoring her cries in that dim, drafty church.

My fingers tingled, numb as cold panic swirled in my stomach.

Callum’s hand came to rest gently on top of mine.

“Don’t be afraid,” he said. “I’m frustrated because I don’t understand. I feel your frustration too. Now is not the time for a deeper discussion, but I assure you, I am no less yours than I was an hour ago.”

My eyes stung with tears. But his assurance gave me the confidence to proceed. The demon’s heart beat against my palm, slow and steady, and I focused on it like I would the ticking of a metronome. Glowing threads in a myriad of colors appeared behind my closed eyes, and I unraveled them like a ball of yarn. They took shape slowly, forming a sigil made of jagged lines.

“Zane,” I whispered, and the demon twitched. Callum instantly tightened his hold on him, but the other demon didn’t open his eyes.

His sigil stood out starkly in my mind. Part of me felt proud for having accomplished something new. But another part felt as if I’d crossed a boundary. I’d invaded a place where I wasn’t welcome.

Callum got to his feet, dragging the demon up over his shoulder.

“If you need me, call,” he said. His voice was strained, his mouth drawn down as he glared at Juniper. “I’ll be listening.”

Then he disappeared with a whisp of smoke.

Taking off my sweater, I folded it up and placed it beneath Juniper’s head. Her head felt so heavy in my hand, and when I drew away, blood stained my fingers.

After all these years, she remembered me. She felt such hatred that she pursued me here, bringing weapons, a demon…

Callum was right. She meant me harm, she wanted to kill me.

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