Page 21 of Captive Witch

“Let’s get this done, then. There’s a little pest that is dying to train with you today.” He walks to the closet and pull clothes out some of my clothes, placing them on the bed.

“A little… Jaz?” A smirk pulls my lips to the side. “A pest. I’m telling her you said that.”

He sighs. “Of course you are.”

“Addy!” Jaz’s excited squeal snaps my head in her direction as she runs around the house. Her wild brown hair flies in the wind behind her as she barrels into me, making me stumble back a few steps.

“Hey,” I say, smiling and hugging her. “Excited to train today?”

“I missed you so much,” she says, not letting go. “Training with Gideon by myself was the worst. He’s so boring!”

“I am not boring,” Gideon says, glowering at her. “It’s training. Not a game.”

Jaz scoffs, pulling back to look up at me. “See? So boring. I had to huntcereal.How lame is that?”

Gideon huffs, muttering something under his breath as he walks through the yard to the tree line.

“You’re not allowed to leave ever again,” she says, squeezing my waist before letting go.

I laugh softly, glancing at Gideon, his shoulders tense but a small smile lifting the corners of his mouth. “I don’t plan on it.”

“Good, because if I have to hunt down Chex cereal again by myself, I’ll teach myself magic and try to put a curse on you or something.” She raises her eyebrows, giving me the sternest expression she can muster.

I have to hold back a laugh at her threat, crossing my fingers over my heart. “I promise.”

She spins on her heels and looks at Gideon. “What are we doing today?”

He shrugs. “I was going to work on reflexes, but I’d hate to beboring.”

Mischief glints in Jaz’s eyes, and my hand flies up without a thought, immediately grabbing her wrist, her open palm inches from my cheek.

She squeals, jumping onto me. “I didn’t hit you!”

I push on her shoulders, forcing her back to her feet, annoyed at the trick. “Why—”

“That is not what I had in mind, Jazelle,” Gideon says, glaring down at her.

The excitement fades from her face, and she dips her head, looking down at the ground. “I… I was able to hit her the last time Darrold had us do that training. I was only trying to help.”

Sighing, I wrap one arm around her shoulders. “It is nice to know that I’m more connected with my wolf, that she’s able to use her reflexes through me.” She peeks up at me, and I shake my head. “But let’s not do that again, deal? I might have to curseyounext time.”

“Wait, has your magic gotten better too? You can do more spells now? What kind of curses can you—”

Gideon sighs, patting her on the top of the head. “Calm down, pup.”

She shrugs his hand off, narrowing her eyes into slits. “Don’t call me that. It’s just insulting.”

Gideon chuckles, moving to sit down on one of the lounge chairs. “Today’s training is more for you than Adara, but she’s welcome to join you if she chooses. To avoid being boring,” he looks pointedly at Jaz, “I’m switching it to inner world training. Find somewhere comfortable to sit, and reach inside to your wolf.”

Jaz’s face lights up at his directions, and she plops down onto the cold grass without taking a single step in either direction. I look at Gideon, mirroring his smirk, then sit cross-legged on the ground facing her.

“Close your eyes,” Gideon says. “Relax. Adara has been to her wolf’s world before, but it can be a bit difficult your first time.”

“You have?” Jaz asks, her eyes wide.

“Um, yeah. I’ve been a couple of times, but—”

“That’s so cool! What was it like? Did you get to see her? Does she talk to you? It is a girl, right? I mean, I assume if you’re a girl, your wolf is a girl, but maybe that isn’t always—”

---