Page 26 of Captive Witch

“It’s not nothing. Yoursoulchanged.”

“Adara, the only thing that changed was meeting you.”

I shake my head. “You held on to your pain before, and even though you’ll always have that, you… you started to forgive. I-I want to know who.”

Sighing, he leans back, throwing his arm on the back of the couch. “You’re not going to drop this, are you?”

I shake my head, cuddling into his side.

“Fine.” He flexes the fingers of one hand, then drops his head back. “I’d blamed every witch for the loss of my family. I thought they were all responsible for it in some way. Ancestors of the witches who killed my family, all practicing the dark spells that took them from me in the name of hunting us down.” Lifting his head, his eyes find mine. “Once I met you—knew you—I realized I was wrong. Then, Chloe helped save me from the council’sdungeon.” He scoffs, shaking his head at the memory.

“You started forgiving the witches… and yourself?” I ask, reaching over to grasp his hand.

“Maybe,” he says. “I hate that I couldn’t protect them… just as much that I couldn’t protect you when your mother…” He sighs.“I didn’t stand much of a chance when they’d had the advantage they did, and I’m trying to not hate myself for that.”

Laying my head on his chest, I throw my legs over his thighs and close my eyes. “Magic does make for an unfair advantage. Wolves have some magic of their own too, you know.” Fatigue weighs me down, and a yawn stretches my mouth. “Maybe there’s a way to give you some of my magic now…” I mumble, “through the bond.”

A rumble of agreement in his chest vibrates against my ear. Surrounded by the warmth of his body and the sweet smell of cedarwood, I drift off to sleep.

I wake up to an empty bed again, the smell of coffee wafting in from the open bedroom door. Rubbing the sleep from my eyes, I’m surprised I slept for so long. It’s obviously morning, which means I slept straight through since… yesterday afternoon. When I fell asleep on the couch.

Using magic to guide wolves like that will drain your energy quickly,my wolf says.

“No shit,” I mutter under my breath. I sit up and stumble from the bed, dizziness washing over me as I head to the stairs. Gideon’s voice floats up to me, and I pause, a hand on the wall to steady me.

“I don’t care who does what, as long as it gets done. Understood?” Clinking glass fills the silence before he cuts through it again. “Good, see you this afternoon.”

I shake off the last bits of sleep, feeling stable finally, and fly down the few remaining steps. “See who this afternoon?”

His gaze meets mine, and a smile slowly spreads across his face. “Brent. Just team updates. Here.” He holds out a cup, my favorite mug, the steam billowing into the air.

I take it from him, settling onto a stool at the island and staring down into the creamy liquid. “Gideon, what’s going on?” I look at him and narrow my eyes. “Don’t tell me it’s nothing, I’m not stupid.”

“It—”

“If you lie to me, I’ll know, and I won’t text you the entire time I’m gone,” I say, hoping he won’t see through my bluff.

He puts his cup on the counter, walking around to stand before my stool, his tall frame towering over me. Leaning down, he takes my chin in his hand and brings my gaze to his, unwavering, his lips a hard line. “You will text me, or I will show up and I won’t leave. Don’t test me, little witch.”

I clench my jaw, ignoring the goosebumps traveling up my spine. “You want me to text you? Tell me the truth.”

A growl tears from his mouth. “You’re the most stubborn woman I’ve ever met.”

I scoff, ripping my chin from his grasp and wrapping my hands around my hot mug.

Sighing, he sits on the stool beside me. “I have the hunters looking for the councilmen who conveniently disappeared.”

My brows furrow as my head whips in his direction. “They’re not at the lodge?”

He shakes his head. “Not since I escaped that hell. Aramin is also missing.”

“She’s feral, though, isn’t she?” I ask, confused at her importance.

“Mm, she’s supposed to be. When she showed up at the lodge working with Rathmann, I expected her to turn to the feral territory after he disappeared, but it looks like she was on herway there and then…” He lifts one hand, sweeping it through the air. “Gone without a mark to trace.”

“So… Brent is trying to hunt them all down?”

“Yes, with the rest of his team, and that is exactly why you will be texting me.” He raises a brow, resting his elbow on the island countertop. “Check in with me each night so I know you’re safe. Please.”

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