Page 4 of The Powerless Witch

“Stand down, Gretha, and we will do our best to keep her alive if she does not resist. Celestia has already shown she has no intention of surrendering the abomination, so we cannot trust her to wait until its birth,” the Head Witch commanded, raising her arms while her magic gathered around her. Tendrils of black smoke slithered from her skin, filling the space with their chilly touch as the earth groaned beneath us. Medina slipped out the door as if she didn’t want to be anywhere near what the most powerful witch of the village planned to unleash.

On my family. On my stern, stubborn mother, who took a step in front of us to shield us from them all. On my little sister, who stood defencelessly by the table, her hand still up although it had moved away from me, pointing at the door. On my human father, who would have nothing to protect himself with.

I couldn’t let them get hurt. Not because of me. Not because of a misunderstanding. I could spare them that much.

The witches all stared at my mother, at the real threat in the room. Her power hissed, making the bones that hung around the house rattle and come alive. One by one they fell to the floor, moved as if by an invisible hand while they gathered in piles that linked together. The remains of her enemies, she had insisted, even though Sybil and I always thought she was just saying it to keep us from touching them.

My breath turned into steam while more and more of her power saturated the house, filling me with horror and awe. The magic that ran in my veins and that one day may be as strong as hers. But for that to happen, I needed to be alive. They needed to be alive.

I spun and ran toward the back door. I needed to lure the elders away from my family. I could go to Noah and hide there until we figure this out. He had told me his great-grandmother had put a protection ward around his home so I would be safe there until…until everyone calmed down and let me prove my innocence. Because I was innocent and so was my child.

My mother had to be wrong. Medina’s child couldn’t have been Noah’s. Whatever game she was playing, she was using him just to hurt me. I was sure he’d confirm that if I could only talk to him. He’d protect me and make them see reason.

“Celestia, stop!” my mother shouted, but I ignored her. I threw myself at the door and stumbled outside just as something slammed into the wall behind me, cold black flames licking the wood in search of their escaping prey.

I staggered to my feet, ready to run, when I found myself face to face with my father. His dark hair was tied back, his beard in desperate need of a trim, but when he saw me, his entire face lit up in a smile that broke my heart. He was carrying a tray loaded with meat chunks, the smell of blood and flesh making my stomach turn almost as much as the realization that he was now in my way, in their way. And they wouldn’t care for a human.

“Hide!” I hissed, pressing my hand against his chest. His eyes widened as he was sent flying back, rolling over the ground until he disappeared into the barn’s open doors.

Magic swished in the air and pain exploded in my back, blurring my vision and making me stagger forward. Screaming, I lashed out with my own power, pushing against the dark tendrils that were trying to drag me down. I gave my home one last look while it shook with that magic brewing inside, and then I ran.

Chapter 2

Isaac

Running through enemy territory with a vague idea of where I was going was the definition of stupid. But doing it with a powerless witch strapped to my back and something big and angry chasing us…that right there was what made me feel like the biggest fool on Earth.

Still, I ran, inhaling the scents of the forest and trying to find the path that was supposed to lead us to the Coven of Eternal Light. The path that would take me to my enemy where I was to plead for the life of mymate, the woman who destroyed my life. Or so I believed until recently. I had no idea what to believe now.

We had left the car at the base of the mountain since, according to the maps, the only road up had collapsed years ago. And while Celeste wasn’t particularly heavy, running with a living being on my back felt unnatural. Not to mention dangerous.

A branch snapped somewhere behind me and I whipped my head, searching for what had been following us for the last few minutes. There were so many unfamiliar smells everywhere, so much noise and movement, it was hard to determine what it was. The only thing I knew for certain was that it was big, loud, and definitely not a werewolf.

I turned forward, digging my nails into the earth as a tree appeared out of nowhere. With a swift jump to the side, I avoided the collision, but I staggered over the damp earth, careening to a halt. Celeste tilted to the side, her bound hands pressing on my throat and making it hard to breathe. Luckily, the rope that tied her to me held firm, and she didn’t fall.

I wiggled my body to adjust her, so she wasn’t choking me, and she let out a low, whimpering sound. The first time I heard it, I had shifted to check if she got hurt, only to find her perfectly intact, but writhing like she was in pain. The agony on her face and the tears streaming down her pale cheeks made me run twice as fast.

Celeste let out another drawn, pitiful whimper, and my chest tightened with the urge to hold her, to soothe her and make her feel safe. I pushed the foreign feeling aside, focusing on the forest just as the bushes in front of us parted, letting through a giant dark form.

My breath caught in my throat while I watched the bear saunter forward, locking its beady eyes on me. The beast was enormous, its head brushing against the branches of the trees, even though it was standing on all fours. I had never seen an animal this huge and the way it looked at me told me it was probably sentient.

Was it a shifter? It didn’t smell like a shifter, but it didn’t look entirely normal either.

‘Damn it,’I thought. I couldn’t afford to fight, not with Celeste on my back.

Gritting my teeth, I pulled my ears back, lowering my head. It went against every instinct in my body to show submission to an animal, but if it meant keeping Celeste out of harm’s way, I was ready to do it. My mate’s safety was more important than anything, because…because if she died, I might also die and then nothing would matter. So I had to do it. I had to.

I watched and waited, praying the bear would understand my statement. I could only hope my passing through its territory was what angered it, but if it was something else…

A low growl reverberated through its chest as it bared its teeth at me. My heart dropped when it threw its head back and roared with such power that the leaves rustled above us. Then it charged.

‘Fuck,’was all I had time to think as I threw myself aside, barely escaping the long, curved claws that aimed at my throat. I dug my feet into the dirt, leaving behind deep gashes as I came to a stop. Celeste jostled on my back, her heart racing as fast as mine,like she could feel the danger we were facing. I jumped aside when the bear lunged again before breaking into a sprint in the direction of the faint silhouette of a building I could make between the clouds high above.

The echo of heavy steps told me the bear followed, and it was quickly gaining.

How on earth was it gaining on a werewolf?

Rage and shame suffocated me, but I had no time to wallow in my pity.

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