Page 105 of Freed By the Witchbone Knife

We didn’t get visitors. Ever.

I set down my pen and stood, one hand braced against the porch railing. The car emerged from the tree line and my heart stopped.

Somehow I just knew who it was by the expensive make and model.

It came to a stop about seventy-five feet from the porch, right where the gravel drive met the invisible boundary of Axel’s protection artifact. It stopped abruptly. For a moment, nothing happened. It was a little too far to see the driver, but I could picture his expression. The engine cut off. The driver’s door opened.

Ambrose Blackthorn stepped out.

He looked exactly as he always did—infuriatingly handsome in tailored slacks and a crisp button-down, dark hair perfectly styled, that easy smile on his face. The smile that used to make my stomach flip. Now it just made me want to throw up.

“Rebecca.” His voice carried easily across the distance, smooth as honey. “There you are.”

Anger surged through me, hot and bright. How dare he show up here?! After everything? The texts. My office. Making an appearance at the Fall Fling last night.

And now this?

Enough was enough.

I walked down the porch steps at a clipped pace, my boots crunching on gravel as I marched toward him. I knew the protection ward was there. Knew exactly where the boundary line was.

I knew he couldn’t touch me, couldn’t use his magic, assuming that what Axel said was correct.

I stopped well away from the barrier’s edge. Close enough to see his face clearly. Far enough to run if I needed to.

“What are you doing here?” I demanded.

“Looking for you, obviously.” He spread his hands, all innocence. “You haven’t been answering my calls. Your parents are worried sick. Your mother said she talked to you. I had hoped that would change your mind.”

“My mom knows my thoughts on the matter.”

He tilted his head, that patronizing gesture I had come to hate. “Does she know you’re shacked up with a werewolf in the middle of nowhere? Playing house while you chase fairy tales?”

“What do you want, Ambrose?”

“What I’ve always wanted.” His voice softened, turning almost gentle. “For you to come home. To stop this dangerous game before you get hurt.”

“I’m not playing games.”

“Aren’t you?” Something flickered in his expression—frustration breaking through the polished exterior. “Hiking through the forest with your wolf? Exploring caves? Searching for something to save you when all you need is me?”

Cold dread pooled in my stomach. How could he possibly know about that?!

“Don’t look so shocked, darling. Did you really think I wouldn’t figure out what you’re doing up here? That I wouldn’t be paying attention?”

My mind raced. Had he followed us? Put tracking spells on me? Was he watching the cabin even now?

“You cannot hide from me, Rebecca.” His voice dropped lower, more intimate. “I can break the curse.”

“By forcing me to marry you.”

“By giving you what you need.” He took another step toward the barrier, coming close enough that I could see the intensity in his eyes. “I’m offering you everything, Rebecca. Your magic restored. Your family freed. A life of comfort and power. All you have to do is stop running and come home with me. Right now. Today.”

“No.”

“You’re choosing him.” It wasn’t a question. “That mongrel who’s too damaged to leave his mountain. You’re throwing away your family’s future for what? The idea of playing house in the woods?”

“That’s not⁠—“