Witches Be Burned: A Magic & Mayhem Novel (5 page)

His eyes searched hers as his clear thought of
Life would be easier if you would just do as I ask
shone on his expression. “Do I have a choice? What if I said that I’d like you to stop working for the Council as a guardian and work as a witch?” He hesitated, as if to let that sink in. Then one strong brow arched. “Would you agree?”

She pondered, thinking his questions deserved to at least be heard and considered. As a guardian she was put in danger more often, considering she had to get up close with the enemy. Plus guardians fought more often, especially against vampires and the odd werewolf. As a witch, she’d fight alongside her coven of witches. She wouldn’t be sent out on nightly assignments to deal with killers whom she physically fought—and in truth, witches didn’t go bad all that often.

In the six months Nexi had been in the Otherworld, she’d heard of seven cases, at the most. But Nexi wasn’t only a witch—she had to embrace both sides of herself—and she wanted to work for the Council under both roles.

“No,” she said, adamant.

He gave a long, exasperated sigh. “Then why are you asking me?”

“I’m not
asking,
necessarily.” The point
needed
to be said, and she hoped he remembered that there would
never
be a time she’d ask anyone for permission for something that involved her life, though anyone else in the Otherworld
would
ask his permission, so she let the statement slide.

She shifted her hips against his hardened length, knowing exactly how to get her guardian to see sense. “But it seems that it needs to be talked about, since you’re all growly whenever I show up.” The tightness of his mouth had her swirling her hips to remove it, and as he groaned, she added, “So I’m talking about it.”

With his focus intent on her, he held her hips still with a grip that had a bite. “I can’t have you in danger like you were before.”

“Yes, I understand that, but with Lazarus it was
personal,
” she gently reminded him, dipping her hands into the water. “He wanted to kill me, and he was stronger because of Tillie’s blood. Like you said, he’s dead—and most vampires are weaker than he was.” Embracing how delicious the bite of his fingers was on her flesh, she forced another shift of her hips. “I’m strong, Kyden, stronger than I was before everything went down with Lazarus. Every fight, I’m getting stronger, and I trust my abilities more than ever. And you’ll be by my side, right? What could go wrong?”

His eyes blazed, red-hot. “You could die.”

“You’re right, I could, and so could you.” She softened her voice, hoping to improve his mood. “There’s always the possibility of that, but I can’t live in fear.”

A pause. Then, “
You
make me live in fear.”

The haunted look crossing his face flooded her with a coldness that neither Kyden nor the warm bathwater could ease. Lazarus had created this—and she wished she would’ve made his death more painful, or at least longer than the few seconds it took her to kill him with her magic.

“I can’t stay in the Otherworld forever and do nothing,” she admitted to him, hoping honesty would help him understand her position. “It feels good to finally get back out there—to be doing something other than mourning everyone I lost. Just as you take pride in working for the Council, so do I.” The line between his brows deepened, the refusal right there on his lips, but she added for good measure, “I need you to support me, not grumble at me.”

More silence. Then, “I dislike these human conversations you subject me to. It’s ridiculous.”

She shrugged, not knowing what else to do. What could she say? She
had
been raised human. In the Otherworld, she’d noticed that some of the men were still stuck in the Middle Ages. They liked beating their chests and protecting what was
theirs
or
mine,
as they called it
.
Well, Nexi lived in modern times, and she would make damn sure no one forgot that fact. Her adoptive mortal parents hadn’t raised her to sit down and shut up, they’d raised her to stand up and fight.

Kyden stared at her. Right through her. Right into the depths of her soul. “That’s what you need of me? To support you?”

“Yes, that’s what I want.” Then she threw on the big finale that would push him past his domineering ways. “That’s what would make me happy.”

With his eyes instantly amused, he snorted a laugh. “You are too damn smart for your own good. You know this, right?” At her shameless grin and nod, he added, “Promise me this: If we fight, we fight together as we did tonight. Don’t be a hero. Don’t save someone else to the point that it puts you in grave danger. Promise me that you will think of
your
life before anyone else’s.”

She rolled her eyes, fully understanding—she often acted to save the ones she loved before she saved herself. But she
was
a guardian and she
loved
people, and that included being a brash fool at times in the fight against evil. “I promise I won’t put myself in unnecessary danger.”

His features went all stormy in the way they did when he was in Elite Guardian mode. “That’s not good enough.”

“Okay,” she said, rethinking, and quickly added, “I promise not to think I’m invincible. Plus, I won’t go jumping into a dangerous case on my own and will wait for backup. Better?”

“Yes,” he replied with a nod, shifting himself beneath her and sending the bubbles popping around them. “That will do.”

It took only a split second to realize that the position he was getting himself into would take her to places that didn’t involve talking. All the tension vanished from his expression in a millisecond and his grin turned downright sinful, making her ache between her thighs. The warmth of the water around her embraced her as he trailed his hands along her back and said, “Now, enough talking about how the fact that I want to keep you safe is a bad thing. Come here. I must punish you.”

Amused, and turned on, she rubbed her sex against his length, and he became enticingly rock hard. Inhaling the eucalyptus fragrance from the bath, she brought her thighs up against his sides, sending water over the edge of the tub. His groan echoed around her as he tangled his fingers in her hair, as he always did before he claimed her. Slanting his mouth over hers, he took her into a kiss, making the warm bathwater seem cold by comparison.

Tempted by him, owned by him now, her moans poured from her without control. He drank in each and every one, returning them with low growls from deep in his chest. Wiggling against him, she shifted along his erection, enjoying each burst of pleasure invading her. She angled her head, inviting him, as he ran his mouth across her jawline and down to the sweet spot on her neck. His tongue flicked out, and her eyes fluttered closed with her moan.

She squirmed against his touches, burning in every place possible, craving more of him as he licked over her hammering pulse. Raging with fire now, she explored his flexing muscles, tracing each and every marvelous curve. He released his fingers from her hair, running both his hands down her back to her bottom, where he gripped her tight and shifted her harder against his erect cock.

At the hellish type of torture, she rasped, “Stop teasing me.”

His response was a frustrating deep chuckle as he completely ignored her request, rubbing her against him. Determined to get her way—which was him deep inside her—she ran her hands up his flexing biceps, which were damp from the water. Tracing over each curve, she marveled at how they quivered beneath her touch.

He paved a delicious line with his tongue up the vein on her neck. “Do you want me,
Álainn
?”

“God, yes.”

“Are you aching for me?”

“Yes,” she breathed, captivated by
him.

“Good.”

His hands, his mouth, his
everything
that tempted her vanished. He rested his head against the bathtub, grinning at her.

“Oh, so that’s how it’s going to be?” she retorted, eyeing the guardians’ gift to women who was completely naked and available to her. “You honestly think you can punish me by refusing sex?”

His eyes twinkled. “Yes, I do.”

Words would not win this battle. But a gal did have her ways, and as much as she lusted after Kyden, she held the same type of control over him. Instead of fighting him with words to indulge her, she swirled her hips against him, and his hard gaze reflected restraint not to touch her.

She sensually leaned in, pressing her puckered nipples against his warm chest, and whispered in his ear, “I want you, Kyden. So very deep inside me. Owning me. Controlling me. Making me
yours.
”

He grunted, going stiff beneath her.

Determined now, she licked up the side of his neck and shoved her fingers through his damp hair. Then she yanked his head up, forcing him to hold her stare. Kyden liked it a little rough, and even if he was tough—so powerful and confident—with her, his resolve never lasted.

Ever.

Perhaps that’s why this thing between them was so special. Their relationship had kicked off in a blaze of passion, and that unadulterated lust had never sizzled out, not even four months later.

Looking at him now, she saw nothing less than a man full of possession and outright hunger to devour her. Exactly how she wanted him. She kissed him, hard and demanding, hearing the answering rumble of need from his chest. When she backed away, his jaw was tight, tense with want. His muscles flexed as they always did before he eagerly claimed her body. The glow in his eyes made her belly flip-flop and everything inside her coil, ready for
more.

Kyden loved to dominate—in all aspects of his life—and he did it well. The bedroom was the only place she’d accept his dominance, and given that she’d just freely offered him the right to take charge, she knew his resolve wouldn’t last. It came as no surprise that his devilish smile appeared seconds before he lifted her bottom, positioning her on the tip of his cock. Her eyes had fluttered closed as she anticipated the fullness of him—the perfectness of him—sending her nearly clawing at him when a loud meow cut through the air.

Then the kitten jumped onto the edge of the tub and meowed.

Kyden cursed and pounced up, sending Nexi off his lap, causing a wave of water to rush over the tub. Nexi’s eyes widened and she shouted, “Oh, shit,” as the water was heading straight for her kitten.

The kitten hissed as if a rabid dog were chasing her down seconds before the water hit. She became entirely soaked, looking like a drowned rat. “Oh my God, look what you did to her!” Nexi snapped, stepping out of the tub and grabbing a towel as the poor kitty cowered in the corner. “Geesh, you would think you’ve never seen a kitten before.”

Nude, aroused, and hot as hell, Kyden glared at the kitten. “Whose is
that
?”

“Mine.”

One dangerously annoyed brow arched. “Yours? As in you’re keeping it?”

Nexi regretted not running it by him before she brought the kitten home. But it was just a kitten—or maybe a werecat or something else entirely—but still just a kitten of some kind, for cripes’ sake. “Well, I’ve seen her around a couple times and it seemed like she wanted to stick with me.” She picked the kitten up, drying her off quickly with hard rubs. “Besides, what if she doesn’t have a home?”

“Easy,” Kyden growled. “
It
can find another one.”

“I don’t think she’d appreciate being called an
it,
” Nexi mused, before glancing to the kitten, knowing that if she was staying she needed a name. As she stared into the kitty’s bright green eyes, the name came to her easily. The kitten’s eyes reminded her of something else she loved. “How about Willow?” Her eye color was the same color as the leaves of Nexi’s favorite tree. A tree located in the Witches’ Meadow—the grounds the witches used for training—where she would visit with her mother when Nexi was a child.

“Like the name.” Kyden crossed his arms over his chest, which seemed to accentuate his beautifully muscular form. “Not sure about the cat.”

Willow hissed at him.

Nexi placed the kitten on the floor and laughed. “I think the feeling’s mutual.” Even now the magical energy coming off the kitten was impressive—big waves of power rippling across Nexi’s skin. “By the way, what is she? A shifter of some kind?”

Willow hissed again.

Looking not too pleased to do it, Kyden wrapped a towel around his waist, and Nexi sighed in longing that his body was now covered. There went great bath sex. “Familiars are—”

A loud knock on the door cut him off.

Kyden finished, “I’ll explain later.”

Then came his lingering look of regret that swept over Nexi.

Yep, sex was no longer an option.
That’d teach Kyden for drawing it out,
Nexi thought to herself. With a long, somewhat suffering sigh, he exited the bathroom. Curious who was at the door, Nexi grabbed her housecoat off the hook on the stone wall and hurried into the living room, with Willow following close behind.

When she entered the room, Kyden had already opened their front door, and a strawberry-blond beauty peered in. Tears filled Zia’s baby-blue eyes, and Nexi bristled at the sadness oozing from Zia.

As the leader of the witch coven in the Otherworld and a member of the Council, Zia, Mistress of Witches, was as powerful with her magic as she was strong in her character. She’d also been the witch who had helped Nexi fine-tune her witch magic since Lazarus’s death.

“What’s wrong?” Kyden asked, with surprise in his voice.

“The Council needs you now,” Zia whispered.

Someone has died
ran through Nexi’s thoughts, which must have been pushed outward, since Zia replied,
Yes, someone has,
in Nexi’s mind. Zia hadn’t pinpointed the reason why she and Nexi shared a telepathic ability, since it was an unusual trait for witches to share. But the assumption had been made that it was because Zia was Tillie’s soul-sister. Zia thought, and Nexi agreed, that their bond just transferred this way to Nexi because Tillie was no longer alive and Nexi was her daughter.

Sometimes it was easier to accept something than dig for answers. Nexi hadn’t questioned the ability much, because it often came in handy. Besides, Zia had become somewhat of a replacement mother to her—and she appreciated the closeness she shared with Zia. Nexi might have lost many that she loved, but she also gained so much, too. She tried—and often reminded herself—never to forget that.

She gazed into Zia’s warm eyes, holding such love and kindness, and forced herself to ask aloud for Kyden’s sake, “Who died?”

A hesitation. Then Zia’s voice was gruff. “There’s been a murder.”

“A human murder?” Kyden asked, pressing a comforting, warm hand against Nexi’s shoulder.

“No.” Zia sniffed, wiping away her fallen tears. “I’m afraid it’s one of our own. Please. You must hurry.”

Trefan.

Zia planted that one word in Nexi’s mind, but she couldn’t believe he was the one who had been murdered. She didn’t even want to accept that Finn had lost his younger brother.

Nexi wasted no time getting dressed, and while Willow hissed at being left at home alone, Nexi slammed the door shut and ran after Kyden and Zia into the Council’s Foyer. The large room that was located to the right of the Council’s Hall, which was the Council’s headquarters, had white stone walls stretching into a vaulted ceiling. On the right were four windows with intricate stone carvings decorating the sides. A warm breeze soared through the room, which was typical of the Otherworld—the temperature always stayed a pleasant seventy-eight degrees. But as Nexi took two steps into the room, she nearly dropped to her knees as Haven’s emotions stormed into her like a disease—icy shock, crippling horror, it all raced across Nexi’s senses.

Kyden was quick to wrap an arm around her, and he always seemed ready to catch her whenever these fierce emotions took over. While Nexi loved the bond with Haven, there were downsides. Bad emotions were never fun to deal with—and Nexi was still getting used to dealing with an emotion that belonged to another. The upside was that the emotions were shared for an instant before they vanished away, and it happened only when Nexi was in close proximity to Haven.

Kyden continued to assist Nexi toward the portal’s large wooden door, and that’s when Nexi noticed Finn, too. Refusing to believe what Zia had said, Nexi grabbed Zia’s outreached hand, noticing that neither Haven nor Finn held on to Zia, telling Nexi they knew exactly where the murder happened.

The portal worked only if the specific location remained on the mind of the supernatural crossing through. And by the tears in Finn’s eyes, and the cold, horrific shock rushing through the bond with Haven, Nexi began to believe what Zia had told her. She forced her mind to go blank as Kyden reached for her hand, and they followed Zia through the portal, allowing Zia to lead them to the crime scene.

Light hit. Wind roared. The squeeze of the portal was always slightly dizzying. Only when all the force stopped pushing against Nexi’s lungs and the buzzing in her ears faded to the sound of crickets could she draw air in again.

Relieved that Haven’s emotions weren’t crossing through the bond anymore, Nexi took in her surroundings. She couldn’t identify what city the portal had taken them to, and she didn’t even know what state she stood in. All that made sense now was she’d arrived to a remote part of a forest that had a large area of flat grass.

The night was dry, dark, and oh-so-eerie, which was amplified by the inhuman growl echoing the night sky. Nexi looked to Haven first, seeing her hands raised high to the sky and her magic pulsing like raw energy out of her. When the growl came again, Nexi narrowed her eyes on the tall, lanky vampire a few feet away from her as he snarled, “Your death will bring no mercy. Your blood will be our revenge.”

She held her breath, unable to look away, as Haven’s magic showed more than twenty vampires now in the field. To her horror, she realized Zia hadn’t been wrong—the guardian, Trefan, slowly backed away—outnumbered and all alone. The scabbard across his chest lay empty as he held his mighty sword—his only defense—and it shook like a wet noodle.

Stomach churning, she spotted the fear resting heavy in Trefan’s blue eyes as the vampires attacked. Desperate to defend himself, he swiped his sword, roaring with both fright and urgency, frantically trying to hit anything or anyone.

Nexi wrapped her arms around herself as she watched in absolute repulsion as a vampire grabbed Trefan’s blade, tossing it aside. The silence in the air was crippling. The scent of fear was so thick that Nexi could almost taste it. Then, with a roar that sent chills down her spine, every vampire with fangs glistening under the moonlight plowed into Trefan. Pushed down to the grass face-first, Trefan screamed out in agony as the vamps drank heavily from his body in any spot they could find.

Her heart shattered into pieces, and she looked to the grass beneath her boots, refusing to watch Trefan die. Even as witch and guardian, she was unable to help him now. He, sadly, had already died, as this was a vision of the past.

Only when Trefan’s screams went quiet did she bring herself to raise her head, discovering that the vision had frozen. Trefan lay dead on the ground with the vampires still on top of him.

Dead.

Deep-seated grief nearly sank her to her knees, as she wasn’t sure what to do, what to say. The visions she’d seen before this hadn’t been of someone she knew. Sickness roiled through her. Trefan didn’t deserve this fate. Tears prickled her eyes as she turned to Haven, and now she fully understood Haven’s emotions earlier.

A hard lump formed at the base of Nexi’s throat as everyone stood in shocked silence; only insects chirping cut through the night air. Her body lost some of its strength, her knees weakening, and she couldn’t understand how or why this had happened. She dug her fingernails into her palms, on the verge of tears, yet also knowing that breaking down wouldn’t help anything. Trefan didn’t need her tears. He needed her to get revenge and find out who murdered him, and also to discover the reasons behind such a grim death.

Before she could say as much, Zia said, “These weren’t vampires lost in bloodlust.”

“Didn’t seem that way,” Nexi agreed, ignoring the blast of cold and empty sadness flowing through her.

She assumed that Haven had finally accepted that Trefan had died. For now, Nexi didn’t comfort Haven; she stayed focused on their next steps and turned to Kyden, who stood next to Trefan’s body. Then she glanced to his feet and heavy despair dropped right into the pit of her stomach, shattering her heart.

Finn knelt on the grass with his head bowed, and Kyden had a hand on his shoulder. Her throat thickened as she regarded Kyden’s distant, empty stare. This was a blow, not only to the Council’s Guard but to one of Kyden’s closest friends, Finn.

Nexi’s eyes shut without her say-so, understanding Finn’s pain, maybe more than most. Not allowing this moment to become about what she’d suffered, she approached, knowing Kyden’s misery didn’t come solely from Finn’s pain at the death of his brother. Kyden and Finn were close, and Kyden cared deeply for the people he loved.

Maybe even Kyden was damn tired of so much personal loss.

Once she reached Finn, she dropped down beside him, her knees pressing against the cool, damp grass. The breeze swept over her, raising goose bumps as she inhaled the woodsy scents drifting along the wind. She took Finn’s icy hand into hers. “I’m so sorry, Finn.”

His blue eyes held no mischief, as they usually did. They were drowning in desolation. “You, out of everyone, understand what I’m suffering now.”

She swallowed deeply. Yeah, she did. She also wished they didn’t have this in common.

Tears welled in her eyes and she looked away, trying to be strong for Finn. Her attention fell to Zia, who hugged Haven. Damn sad this was. Haven and Finn probably needed each other more than anything else, but Nexi assumed neither of them held the capacity to move after witnessing Trefan’s death.

Doing the one thing that helped her during these times, she wrapped her arms around Finn and stayed silent while he embraced her so tight and began to sob. An ache filled her chest at seeing such a strong guardian break. She’d been well acquainted with the stages of grief. Once anger set into Finn, nothing would stop his quest to shed the blood of the vampires who killed his brother.

For now, grief outweighed his need for retaliation.

With a heavy heart, she looked at Kyden. His eyes blazed as he thrust his fingers into his hair, a move that always showed both anger and frustration. Similar feelings descended through her also. The weight of her sword on her back brought forth the rich desire to hunt.

She squeezed her arms tighter around Finn, hating life sometimes. Trefan had joined the Council’s Guard just a week ago, after training for the role. Nexi hadn’t even had the chance to really get to know him—she’d had only a few conversations with him. No innocent death was warranted, but somehow the loss of such a young, vibrant life seemed worse.

A tear slid down her cheek and she rested her head on Finn’s shoulder, gazing at the forest a few feet away. The longer she stared, the more a shadow began to stand out. She leaned away from Finn, wiped her eyes, and squinted.

“What is it?” Kyden asked, his voice tight.

“I don’t…” Concentrating on that shadow, she pushed up off the damp grass. As her vision adjusted to the dark night, she noticed the shadow wasn’t a shadow at all. It was a woman—or, by the energy Nexi could feel, a witch. A cold shiver slid through her as she took a couple steps forward. “There’s a witch here.”

Once she reached the edge of the forest, Nexi thought the witch was the definition of the girl next door—round, bright blue eyes and perfect curled long brown hair. Pretty, in an innocent way. “Who is this?” she called.

“Astoria,” Zia hissed.

Nexi jerked her head to the side. The scowl on Zia’s face matched her rigid voice. “You know her?”

“That”—Zia’s features immensely darkened—“is a black-magic witch.”

Icy fingertips crawled over Nexi’s flesh. Since joining the Council’s Guard, she hadn’t dealt with—or heard of—any assignments that included a black-magic witch. White-magic witches who used spells that hurt humans, yes, but a witch who possessed a different type of magic from Nexi’s, no. “Evil magic, you mean?”

Zia bobbed her head. “We train young witches in how to fight against the pull toward black magic. Yet some cannot deny the strength and the appeal to hold such powerful abilities.”