Page 33 of Captive Witch

Jules giggles, her blonde curls bouncing against her back as she walks ahead of me. “We’ll be fine, Addy. As long as it’s the weekend, they don’t care much what we’re up to. We just have to stay within the shield’s boundaries.” Turning around, she walks backward, her green eyes sparkling. “You’re going to love this.”

“Here it is,” Wren sings. She dances before a large maple tree, clapping her hands together.

“What…” I say, stopping when I notice the dark green rectangle on the tree’s trunk, about the size of a small door. “What is that?”

A wide smile spreads over Wren’s face. “Welcome to the Vexing Den!” Her and Jules burst into a fit of giggles.

“Vexing Den? Like, curses?” I ask, the hair on the back of my neck standing. I glance up into the trees, wishing I could see Kaylus. Jules said familiars weren’t allowed at the hideout, but I knew he’d follow us at a distance.“Can you see anything?”I ask him.

“Nothing. It’s normal woods past this tree.”

I gnaw on my lip. It must be a transfer spell, bringing anyone who enters to a different location, or a transformation one, altering the inside of the tree into a bigger space than it seems.

“Come onnnn,” Jules says, wrapping her arm around mine. “It’ll be fun, I promise! No one will curse you.”

“Okay,” I say, laughing nervously. “Okay, I’m coming.”

Jules pulls me along after Wren, through the magical door, and a deafening silence presses down on me as the magic tingles over my skin. With the next step, the sounds of people laughing and talking and music playing in the background cocoons me. There’re witches of all ages lounging around the open space, which looks as if it’s carved from the inside of the maple tree. Warm wood floors and walls surround the space, with moss colored rugs scattered throughout. Stumps are arranged around the large circular room, couches interspersed between them—all dark browns and forest greens. String lights decorate the ceilings, making the space feel cozy.

“Wow,” I breathe.

“I know, right?” Jules says, squeezing my arm. Her smile is contagious, joy seeping off her and pouring into me. “It’s so cool, and a lot of the older girls will invite their boyfriends and their friends to come, so we can actually meet boys.”

Looking around, I notice the few guys that are here are draped over one of the girls, all looking more my age than Jules’s. It makes sense, though. The covens are witches only so most witches choose a human man to settle down with when they want to have children, but it isn’t completely unheard of for young witches to explore. Well, according to Chloe. I had no idea about life outside of my mother’s rules for so long that this all feels… incredibly foreign. I’m relieved Jules will get more life experience here than I ever did.

Jealousy tangles in my chest for a moment, but I quickly brush it away.

Beside me, Jules sighs wistfully, resting her head on my shoulder. “Wouldn’t it be so romantic to meet someone here like that? Just like one of those movies we used to watch.”

“Oh gods, not this again,” Wren groans. “Every time we come here, she changes her mind. Sometimes, it’s—”

Jules smacks her shoulder before turning to me, her cheeks red as hollies. “I just wantsomeoneto fall in love with. I… I don’t necessarily care if it’s a boy or not.”

I wrap my arm around her, giving her a side hug. “I hope you find that with someone, Jules. Boy, girl…wolf. We all have our thing.” I smile thinking about it—without Gideon, I would’ve never found my wolf. I would’ve never found my powers.

Wren cackles, the sound like early morning birdsong. “I knew you would be awesome,” she says, wiping a tear from the corner of her eye.

Jules laughs, relaxing into my side and hugging me back. “I’ve missed you, Addy.”

“I missed you too, Julesy. So, what do you usually do here outside of trying to find your perfect meetcute?”

“Well,” Wren says, taking Jules’s other arm, “Jules usually makes me walk around at least twice to see who’s here and who’s worth talking to, but my favorite part is when she finally gives up and decides to just have fun.” Her thin lips pull into a mischievous smile as she steers us to the back of the room where a long table sits.

A mixture of liquids sits in small condiment cups, all varying colors, and she snags two cups filled with a bright lemon drink and holds them out to us. I take the one she hands me, bringing it up and sniffing at it. Closing my eyes, sunshine warmth washes over me with a soft breeze.

“Woah,” I whisper.

Wren’s eyes twinkle as she takes a third cup for herself. “I know, right?” She inhales, slow and deep, as she holds the drink up to her nose. “This one is my favorite.”

“Favorite what? What are these?” The table is arranged like a buffet, each column its own color, some varying shades of thesame color. Each time a cup is picked up, another one pops into its place.

“These yellow ones warm you up from the inside out. They can make you feel a bit giddy,” Wren says, shrugging, “but that’s all part of the fun. They make you think of summer vacation as a little kid. Beach trips, and ice cream, and amusement parks, and green grass. Cheers!” She throws her cup in front of her, and we clink ours with hers before we all drain them in one gulp.

My lips buzz and tingle as the drink’s magic courses through me, spreading from my head down to my toes. It feels like I have my own personal sun shining down on me, heating my skin while a soft wind kisses my hair, fluffing it lightly. Inhaling, sea salt surrounds me.

“Amazing, right?” Wren says, and I nod, smiling.

“My favorite are the blue ones… um, those ones right there,” Jules says, pointing at the drinks that are the color of the sky at dusk—a deep cloudy indigo. She snatches my hand when I reach for one and shakes her head. “You shouldn’t take too many in a row like that. It can give you the worst experience if you combine the wrong things, plus it’ll definitely get you drunk.”

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