Page 43 of The Witch’s Daughter

“Sometimes I wish that were true.” He dragged a hand through his hair; eyes wild with his beast, no doubt remembering the dying promise he made to an old wolf-witch that trapped him with me.

My own wolf was howling.

I blocked out the noise. “I released you from her vow,” I spit. “You don’t owe anyone anything.”

“How can you say that?” He clenched his fists and growled. The sound was tortured.

My heart beat harder as my eyes dropped to his lips. He licked them. They were dry. I had balm. On my own lips.

What were we fighting about again?

“There you two are,” Gentry said.

I jumped back as if I’d been burned, tearing my gaze away from Jaxon and trying to catch my breath. Jaxon turned to stone. Every muscle on him was clenched, tense and ready to spring. He still thought of me like an annoying little sister. Someone he was forced to follow around and protect, despite me begging him to leave me alone.

Gentry froze, looking the two of us over. “Sorry to interrupt. The bonfire is about to start. We saved you both seats.”

“Good. We’re all going to stick together from here on out,” Jaxon said, glaring at me. “Otherwise, I’ll pull the Alpha card and get all of you out of here before I handle things myself.”

“Fine.” My heart still pounded, but I kept my chin steady as I followed Gentry, trying to think about how to get away from this. If he demanded obedience, my beta wolf would be powerless to stop him.

Not that I’d want to. She purred.

Will you knock it off?

Jaxon was never going to listen, not while he still had that knight-in-shining-armor Alpha complex. And I was never going to be able to fix my magic if he was always hovering. I needed to get his attention off me and release him from this stupid desire to protect me, for good.

I’d have to play nice for now.

Then I could find a way to escape to the witchy gathering in the woods.

16

Jaxon

“Are you sure you don’t want any?” Gentry offered the last of the chicken drumsticks to me.

I shook my head, nursing my mead.

“I’ll eat it.” Amir snatched the leg away and finished it off in two bites. I was surprised he didn’t swallow the bone. Gentry growled at him. Ahmad laughed. Tisiphone shook her head, seated at the far end of the table. As far away from me as she could get.

I wasn’t hungry. They’d all eaten—Tisiphone had eaten—and that’s what mattered. But I couldn’t stomach the thought of food when her anger still had me in a chokehold.

Fix this. My wolf snarled. Make it right.

I took another long draw from my mead.

I couldn’t fix anything. I shouldn’t. How many times did she have to make her desires known before I got the hint and left her alone? She didn’t need or want me. Hadn’t she made that clear enough?

Don’t say that.

I lowered my eyes so Tisiphone wouldn’t catch me staring at her. This was pathetic. An Alpha. A warlock. A powerful wolf-witch. Reduced to this simpering mess.

“Witches and warlocks, and wolf-witches too,” the pretty female Ossory witch who’d found me earlier addressed the gathering alone as she lit the bonfire. “A list of tomorrow’s activities will be posted at the welcome tent. I suggest you all get a good night’s sleep after the festivities of today.”

Her speech was short and sweet, but her eyes darted around the crowd, until they locked on mine. A coy smile turned her lips. And that’s when I saw it. Just past her shoulder, the trees in the distance called to me like Earth was known to do as their leaves shook and branches swayed.

Here. They seemed to say. This spot.