They’d been travelingfor hours when they entered the final tiny village Sahira knew about in Verdan. Out of the four other villages they’d visited, only one was also attacked—the village of Aether.
She didn’t think anyone made it out of the massacre at Aether alive. However, the other three villages remained intact, and Sahira was the one who informed them about the attack. The occupants of those villages were still packing to join the witches when she left.
Orin and Varo remained mostly silent throughout their journey; she was grateful for that. She liked Varo, but every time Orin opened his mouth, she wanted to shove something in it… mainly her fist.
When they reached the final village of Pention, Sahira was on the verge of collapse. She’d opened too many portals in too short a time. She felt the consequences of that as her eyelids drooped and her energy level was barely above breathing.
Still, she lifted her chin as they strode into the tiny village with only ten teepees hidden beneath a forest of trees. The orange and red leaves on the trees shimmered in the sunlight.
The sun’s rays danced as they filtered through the leaves. Sahira admired the beauty of the forest as they walked toward the women standing near the bank of a river. The trickling sound of water rejuvenated Sahira a little and helped to soothe her nerves.
When they first started their journey, Sahira told herself she would deal with it if they encountered her mother, but she was too tired to deal with the exchange that would follow now. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to find the woman or not.
One option meant encountering the immortal who abandoned her as a newborn and barely had anything to do with her afterward. And the other meant that woman was dead.
She didn’t know how to feel about either outcome, especially since she last saw her mother a hundred years ago. The woman never acknowledged her during that meeting.
The only two things her mother ever gave her were life and a Book of Shadows. Her father raised and loved her. Vampires were her family, while the witches, who considered themselves so much better than vampires, turned their backs on her.
She should hate them, but she didn’t. It wasn’t in her to hate; her father and Del ensured that.
She wouldn’t be here if she hated them. They’d shunned her, but she was determined to save as many of them as possible.
As they approached the river, she ignored that all the women were naked. However, it didn’t escape Orin’s attention as he released a low whistle.
Sahira rolled her eyes. Maybe it wasn’t in her to hate, but shereallydisliked him.Everythingabout him irritated her, from his smug attitude, to his arrogant smile, to the almost complete disrespect he had for nearlyeveryonehe associated with.
He was the most irritating man she’d ever encountered. He was also one of the most handsome men she’d ever seen… which annoyed her more.
Gritting her teeth, Sahira ignored his whistle. She wasn’t in the mood to fight with him or these women. If the witches heard him, they could deal with him if they decided to.
“Stop,” Varo murmured under his breath.
“You know you like it too, brother,” Orin drawled.
Sahira resolved to ignore the ignorant oaf as she stalked forward. She should have paid more attention to where she was walking, as a twig cracking beneath her feet alerted the witches to their presence.
The women spun away from the river, and water rose in a wave behind them; it was ready to knock the three of them on their asses. Sahira held up her hands in a gesture of peace while Orin and Varo stopped.
“We mean you no harm,” Sahira said. “We’ve come to make sure you’re okay and tell you to leave Verdan. Most of the other witches have already vacated.”
They all stared at her for a minute before their gazes swung to the witch at the end. Her brown hair flowed around her shoulders, and her brown eyes were nearly the same amber shade as Sahira’s.
Sahira met the eyes of the woman who’d birthed her as the woman sneered while she spoke. “And we’re supposed to take your word for this? You’re a vampire.”
“I’m also half witch,” Sahira replied.
Her mother snorted in disgust before shifting her attention to Orin and Varo. “What’s with the glamour? Who are you really?”
“Some things aren’t for bitchy little witches such as yourself to know,” Orin replied with laughter in his voice.
Her mother gave a derisive laugh that some of the others mimicked. The remaining witches remained silent.
“The Lord has attacked Verdan; the dragons and his army destroyed most of the village of Gramarye and all of the smaller village Aether. The witches have fled to a meeting place you’re all supposed to know.”
“That’s not possible,” her mother retorted.
“Perhaps we should check, Lydia,” another witch murmured. “It’s easy enough to learn if they’re telling the truth or not.”
