Witches Be Burned: A Magic & Mayhem Novel (18 page)

“We’re not out of hope yet,” Zia said, drawing Kyden’s focus to her. She squeezed his shoulder, softening his voice. “We need to keep believing we’ll get her back.”

He wondered if Zia said that for his benefit or hers.

Kyden hated that he couldn’t agree with what Zia had said, more than he hated how unstable the world was around him. He didn’t need hope. He didn’t want positive thinking. He needed to act. He needed Nexi,
nothing else.
“Please, just keep thinking of anything else that could help find her.”

Zia inclined her head. “Of course.”

Without another word, she strode to the witches, and Kyden looked down at Willow. She’d shifted back to cat form immediately after the fight, but now Kyden wasn’t seeing her as a useless rodent—she was the one who’d alerted Kyden to Nexi’s peril, and he felt grateful. Yet as he regarded her, even for a cat, he spotted the sadness and frustration in her eyes. “Can you not get to Nexi, either?”

Willow shook her head with a hiss, baring her tiny teeth.

A heavy sigh had him lifting his head. He found Shay with her catlike pupils staring right at him. “I’m sorry, Kyden. I keep getting the same image of her somewhere near trees and a lake, I believe.” Shay released Haven’s hand, along with the other witch, turning to Zia. “I’m not able to get any more details than that.”

“That is just not good enough. We must find her,” Haven implored, with red-rimmed eyes. “She’s safe now, but who knows if that’s going to change. We can’t leave her out there…
alone.
”

Kyden’s stomach churned, knowing that’s exactly what Nexi was…
alone.

The rage bubbling within threatened to explode and the wall next to him looked like a great target. But he knew he needed to
think.
Nexi needed him to
think. To find her.
To not lose his cool.

There was no way he would accept that they were out of options. It couldn’t even form as a possibility in his mind. There had to be a way to find her—he simply needed to see it. He asked Shay, “You do see her face, though?” At Shay’s nod, he added, “Does she look afraid?”

“No,” Shay said grimly. “She looks pissed off.”

Classic Nexi Jones. She’d always been a spitfire ready to fight. He scanned over the Council, who all watched him in return. Then his gaze fell to Finn, who had stayed near the entrance with the others.

Next steps…

Shay and the witches were of no use in locating Nexi. She was near
trees, nature,
mountains most likely.
They couldn’t track her because they had no starting point; even the wolves needed a scent to follow. He ran his hands over his face, controlling his thoughts. No one in the Otherworld could locate her; if they could, they’d be out doing so.

No one in the Otherworld
crossed again through his mind.
They needed a starting point
…
Werewolves
…
Portal
…

He dropped his hands, and with the world spinning a little bit faster now, he stared at his father as an idea slowly formed. “What if…”

Talon’s head cocked in curiosity. “What are you thinking?”

Kyden’s mind raced as an idea cemented in his mind—one that gave him hope. He’d done things the Council’s way, but he wouldn’t sit by any longer. He couldn’t stay in this lodge and do
nothing.
“I know a way to find her.” Then he turned on his heels and ran for the front door.

“Where are you going?” Talon called.

“I’m listening to your damn advice,” he yelled to his father without looking back. “Instead of hunting for blood, I’m going to ask for help.”

A scream of agony cut across Nexi, sending iciness into her soul, until she realized it had come from her mouth. The shield at her front grew stronger, thicker, more powerful and hinted at something even deadlier. Her soul fought to rid itself of the energy flickering within, yet Nexi knew if she let it go, she would die.

“Accept the power.”

The smooth and deep masculine voice didn’t brush through her mind, it sounded right next to Nexi’s ear. She turned, not seeing anyone, but sensing someone standing behind her, as if he stood right at her back, protecting her.

“Draw it in. Use it to fight. No longer refuse how talented you are.”

She didn’t recognize the man talking. Nor did she understand what he was trying to tell her. “Use what?” Her voice sounded rough, and not much like herself.

“Stand against this witch. Welcome the power. Then unleash it.”

The moment she heard his advice it was as if she could no longer deny the power protecting her. She wouldn’t let this witch kill her, no matter that she didn’t know if Kyden was alive or dead. Tonight she would not die, not after all she’d gone through—she wouldn’t die like this, and not by the hand of Lazarus’s mate.

This power slithering inside her told her she could fight, and she could win.

She centered herself on the rich energy, realizing that her fear of the unknown and of the new energy tempting her had kept her from taking action against Astoria. The power was right there, ready for her to grab. It was stronger than the magic thrown at her. She tasted the richness of it, the way if she pulled the magic in it would fuel her strength.

Closing her eyes, she inhaled the energy, drawing it deep into her soul and savoring it on her tongue. The elements hummed within her, rejecting the idea of what Nexi proposed, but she fought against what the elements wanted, knowing she had no other choice.

The only reason she still lived was because of this magic that was foreign to her. How could she reject it? Going against her soul, Nexi wrapped herself around the energy, feeling her soul reaching out to accept it. The tendrils of magic weaved around her like a warm hug, pooling right into her blood. Yet in the seconds she yanked it inside and settled it into the center of her core, she realized the mistake she made.

It felt
dark.

Wrong.

The power wasn’t safe, it was designed out of pure hatred to kill, not to protect others. But it was too late for her to go back—she became an incubator, sucking in the power and allowing it to brew. Strength filled her that was bottomless, lonely and cold to the core. Evil crept in, and darkness filtered through, invading every molecule of her being.

“What magic is this?” Astoria screamed, the fire banging against her shield vanishing. “What are you doing?”

Nexi didn’t know what Astoria saw, and she couldn’t see anything but a dark cloud in front of her. She couldn’t recognize anything but the rich power crawling at her soul, rejoicing that she’d accepted it, as if was meant to be a part of her.

Astoria attempted to pull the smoke away, but it was too late. The magic fed Nexi’s blood, becoming a single part of her. It tangled like energy weaving its way around her soul. Part of Nexi fought against the horror of it. The other part welcomed it.

This magic made her stronger, unstoppable, confusingly made her hungry for
more.

With a push past what the elements and her soul wanted, the evil so rich and dark consumed her. She pinched her eyes shut tighter, her screams blending together in a loud roar she didn’t recognize. Gripping the dark sensation, and the evil lurking all around her, she allowed the magic to own her. The heady energy centered in her chest, controlled and determined, and she told the magic what she wanted:
Kill the witch.

She screamed a sound that she’d heard in Astoria’s portal as the magic poured from Nexi’s shield, the wall of energy moving faster with a punishing vortex of air that was unbreakable.

The strength was endless, and it tempted Nexi to never let it go.

Astoria’s shrieks of horrific agony washed over Nexi in a sound so beautiful she wanted to hear it for a lifetime. Astoria would die, and that dark shadow withering inside of Nexi approved, desperate to hear her death over and over again.

Only when the screaming stopped did Nexi’s magic go quiet—as if the hunger had been satisfied—though the fight inside Nexi began.

Keep me. I will protect you, no one will get close,
the magic whispered.

Her soul rebounded, the elements pushing against all the wrongness.
Fight,
the elements roared.

Screaming from the inside out, Nexi fought to stop the evil from taking hold, and she battled to erase the dark energy flowing through her veins. Visions sped through her mind of what the power could offer her, and of all that she could gain.

She didn’t have to stand by and watch her loved ones die.

No longer would she be a victim.

The dark visitor stole what was good in her soul. It crept into everything that she’d once believed, forcing her to forget her true self. Rich evil seeped like thick black blood into her body and held tight against her moral fiber, fighting to own her.

Nexi pushed against those dark desires. She hadn’t come this far to fail now, and her soul denied the power to kill the good parts of her. With the sheer force of her stubbornness, her soul rallied to fight back. She didn’t want this power, nor did she need it. And she knew, deep in her heart, that if she accepted it she’d be lost forever.

The elements were strong within and they fought alongside to gain purity. Nexi had lived once as a human and had been okay with that; she didn’t need to be stronger. Pulling on everything good inside her soul, she fought to find the little pieces of herself that made her
her.

She remembered all those that she loved more than herself. Memories flashed in her mind of Haven’s smile; her human parents’ love; the love from her birth father, Drake, even if she had only experienced it for a few short months; and Zia’s support throughout these past six months. Last, the sensation of being held in Kyden’s arms engulfed her, and how his touch made her feel alive.

She remembered these things, experiencing his love and protection, and that was her final recollection—that she never wanted the evil present in her. She had never asked to be magical. This power didn’t—and couldn’t—control her. And while she was grateful it had saved her life, Nexi had never desired it and what it offered
.
She never wanted to be
special.
She wanted to be
herself.

And with the love and light of those she cared for, her soul grew stronger, banishing the dark spell. The thick magic screaming in a sound that belonged in Hell slowly, but surely, was cast out. The poison-like sensation faded. The evil lacing her veins washed away. She quaked from the darkness that lurked now all around her.

“Your soul is strong,” the low, masculine voice said. “I’m impressed you could push away the power as you’ve just done.”

Nexi blinked, now realizing she was lying on the dirt ground. She blinked twice more until her vision adjusted. Smoke drifted from the trees that were no longer burning, but were left blackened from the fire. She inhaled the sooty air and a shadow next to her began to solidify.

A man dressed all in black appeared. Nexi felt her eyes go wide, as he was no stranger to her. The warlock that she’d met near the Otherworld’s gardens had just saved her life.

The haunting question remained:
Why?

A large log house surrounded by lush green grass, high trees, and thick shrubs held Kyden’s focus as he ran forward, holding in his hand a T-shirt that he’d grabbed from his apartment. Enormous wide windows decorated the front side of the home, and low lighting poured out. Four chimneys drifted smoke up into the sunrise.

Before Kyden could even reach the steps, the front door opened and two werewolves stepped out. Kyden’s heart clenched as he spotted his close friend, Briggs, the Beta—second-in- command—to the Patriarch of Wolves. Usually, a smart-ass grin filled Briggs’s slender face, but that is not what Kyden found now. Briggs’s amber eyes were sharp and alert, apparently catching the scents of distress off Kyden.

Kyden was sure that Briggs would catch the worry in his eyes even without his heightened senses as a werewolf. They grew up together all through childhood, as Briggs had originally trained to join the Council’s Guard. That was, until he’d met the Patriarch of Wolves, Valor, who had offered Briggs the role as second-in-command in his pack.

Briggs was one of the Council’s best werewolves and next in line to take over the Master of Werewolves role. Kyden, being the Elite Guardian, was next in line to take over after Briggs. While the Council was less than pleased to lose Briggs, they also didn’t stop Briggs from leaving. No one would ever be forced into the Council’s Guard, and Kyden hadn’t cared either way. They had kept in touch, and where his friend lived didn’t matter to him. Besides, the Earthworld was safer with Briggs in such a commanding role, and their close relationship had given him a great ally with the werewolf packs in the United States.

“What’s happened?” Briggs asked, with a faint British accent, which he’d picked up as he had spent most of his youth in London visiting his parents, when he wasn’t training in the Otherworld.

“It’s Nexi,” Kyden replied. “I need your help.”

Valor, as Patriarch of the Wolves, was the leader of all the Alpha werewolves who ran their own packs in the United States. While everyone in the Otherworld looked for wisdom from the Council, in the Earthworld all werewolves looked up to this man. Valor’s chocolate-brown eyes hardened, as his whole demeanor screamed strength. His cocoa-colored hair fell over his brow as he glanced to the T-shirt in Kyden’s hand and drew in a deep breath. Then he waved Kyden inside. “Yes. Come.”

Kyden followed Briggs inside, entering the house and spotting the forty-foot-high ceiling, and the walls decorated with large paintings of frolicking wolves. The outdoorsy aroma reminded Kyden of the candles Nexi lit sometimes, a fragrance rich with nature.

Valor entered the living room, and Kyden rushed in, finding a fire burning brightly and two oversized couches hugging it. He moved to the fireplace, relishing the warmth from the flames easing the coldness in his soul.

“Explain,” Valor stated, taking a seat on the couch.

Kyden ran his hands over his face, almost unable to believe the position Nexi was in. He didn’t know what she had done to deserve such a cruel fate, but fate seemed to have it out for her. “A black witch has captured Nexi.”

Valor’s brows rose. “Captured her?”

“It’s a long story that I’m afraid we don’t have time for.” Kyden began to pace the room. “But the witch has taken her through a portal to somewhere in the Earthworld.”

Briggs asked from the doorway, “Zia hasn’t been able to get a track on her?”

Kyden turned when he reached the wall and shook his head. “They cannot track her because it appears this witch has taken her to somewhere that disrupts her magic.”

Valor rubbed the scruff on his face, his eyes searching Kyden’s. “Mountains.”

“We suspect so,” Kyden agreed.

“What would the witch want with Nexi?” Briggs moved closer to Kyden, as if attempting to comfort him.

Even though he had an incredibly close relationship with Briggs, and respected the Beta to the highest degree, nothing could comfort him now. “From what we’ve learned, it appears that the witch was Lazarus’s mate.”

“Bloody hell.” Briggs growled a wolfish sound.

Kyden nodded at him, not needing to state the type of danger this put Nexi in. He turned to Valor. “I’m aware that you have no reason to help the Otherworld in this matter.” The treaty never brought the werewolves into a battle with the Otherworld. The worlds, while close, lived very separately.

The only time Kyden could recall Valor helping the Otherworld was with the battle against Lazarus. Kyden didn’t doubt his close relationship with Briggs was part of the reason Valor offered to help, but Kyden thought the bigger reason was because of Nexi.

She’d gained a friend during the fight with Lazarus; the two had bonded. From what Kyden had seen, Valor held a fatherly affection toward Nexi, and Kyden was pleased she made a friend in Valor. “I beg of you to help in any way that you can.” Kyden held up the T-shirt and noticed both Briggs and Valor drawing in Nexi’s scent.

Valor regarded Kyden. “You want me to see if I can track her?”

That was the one solution Kyden could come up with, and the reason he was asking Valor was because as the Patriarch his scenting abilities were stronger. He could track from longer distances than the average werewolf. “That, I fear, is our only option at this point.” Kyden dropped down onto the couch across from Valor, fisting his hands on his lap. “I will not wait for the witches to figure out what their next steps are. You
might
be able to catch her scent.”

Valor and Briggs shared a long look before Valor replied, “I cannot fight the witch, Kyden. You know this. I wouldn’t stand a minute against her.”

“I’m not asking you to fight,” Kyden replied, placing his face in his hands. The heaviness in his soul weighted him to the chair. “Let’s use your portal to quickly access every known area with mountains to see if you get a trace on Nexi.”

Briggs’s heavy sigh echoed in the room. “The question needs to be asked: Are you sure Nexi is alive?”

Kyden, of course, understood the question. As Valor’s second-in-command, Briggs was also thinking of Valor’s safety. If Nexi was no longer alive, he didn’t want to risk Valor’s life by sending him after this witch. That didn’t insult Kyden; it made Briggs an honorable second-in-command to his wolf leader. “Zia believes she is,” he replied with a nod. “One of the witches can still see Nexi’s future.”

“Good news, mate.” Briggs exhaled deeply, the relief reflecting in his eyes.

Valor rose from his seat, examining Kyden. “What if I do catch her scent? Then what?”

“You can run faster without me there, so
when
”—Kyden said the latter with a growl to his voice—“you catch her scent, find her exact location. Do you have a GPS?”