Page 45 of Captive Witch

I stare at her, unsure how she knows so much about my wolf and how that transfers to my familiar. She raises her brows, so I nod, my cheeks flaming.

“Exactly. So, that makes you an idiot.”

“How do you even know that’s what would’ve happened?” I ask, toeing the dirt with my boot. “You… you don’t know he would’ve been okay.” I look up at her when she doesn’t respond, wincing at the anger written over her features.

She shows me both of her palms—one with nails lengthened into claws and the other holding a small flame—then she whistles. A small white rat crawls from beneath her hair, clinging to the edge of her shoulder. “This is Vesta,” the woman says, stroking a finger down the rat’s back. She smiles when its tail wraps around her finger.

“How… You’re… And your magic…”

Looking at me, she quirks one brow. “A lycan witch? Yeah, seems obvious. You really don’t recognize me, do you?” She tilts her head to the side, then shoots a flurry of embers at me.

I turn my head to the side, coughing as I inhale a gust of palo santo. My head snaps back to face her, fanning the embers away.

A wicked smile plays across her lips. “That’s right, lycan witch. Welcome to the Lockwood Forest.”

Chapter eighteen

Gideon

My knuckles turn white on the steering wheel. Every part of me agrees with my wolf—why are we leaving when we should be hunting?

We should be out there, searching for Adara, hunting for the one who dared to take her.

Instead we’re babysitting,my wolf growls.

I glance in the rearview mirror, catching sight of Juliana laying her head on Wren’s shoulder, her puffy, red-rimmed eyes staring out the window, and shake my head. It’s what Adara would want me to do. I couldn’t leave her sister at that academy, knowing it was so easily infiltrated. If someone could come and take Adara, then they could easily get in to take Juliana too.

But it doesn’t make it easier knowing that as I’m driving away.

Three hours away.

Grumbling at my wolf to shut up, I press down on the gas. The drive is quiet, and each mile feels like a mistake.“Tenacity is survival.”I scoff at the oracle’s words as they replay in my mind, my brows furrowing as I replay her words in their entirety.

I clear my throat, shifting in my seat. “Have you… Is there any…” Rubbing the back of my neck, I glance in the rearview mirror, confused expressions staring back at me. “Are there any family members that you know of outside of your mother, Juliana?”

She sits up, brushing her wavy hair off her face as her nose scrunches. “Please don’t call me that. It’s Jules.” She sniffles, wiping at her cheeks. “Our grandmother died when I was onlya baby. Addy used to tell me stories about her when our mom wasn’t around.”

“What about your father?” I ask.

“Addy hasn’t told you?” Fidgeting, she picks at her nails and avoids my gaze. “Um, we don’t have a dad. We were told he was dead.”

“You have the same dad?” Wren interrupts, surprised. She gives a small smile. “Sorry, you just… you look nothing alike.”

Juliana shrugs, facing the window and watching the trees race by. “Yeah, I mean, I look like our mom, and I guess Addy looks like him.” She frowns, adding, “It’s probably why Mom always hated her so much.”

“You haven’t heard from her at all?” I ask, my voice quiet.

She shakes her head, looking at me briefly. “No, nothing.”

Wren grabs Juliana’s hand, stroking her thumb over the back of her fingers, and I blow out a breath.

She knows more than that. She knows something.

My jaw ticks as I stare at the road ahead. She absolutely knows more than she’s telling, and I’m not entirely sure if it’s me or Wren that she wants to hide it from.

The rest of the drive goes by in a tense silence, and pulling into my driveway, I see Frank’s truck parked and waiting, having picked up a new bed for the guest room this afternoon. I lead the girl inside and point them upstairs to drop off their things. Sighing, I follow the smell of fresh brewed coffee into the kitchen.

“Thought you could use this,” Frank says, shoving a steaming mug of black coffee into my hands.

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