Page 19 of Freed By the Witchbone Knife

I marched right up to the cash register. “Becca?” Iris threw a nervous glance at the towering male just behind me. “Didn’t expect to see you here with…”

“Me either.”

“Right.” Her eyes lingered on Axel a touch too long before she said, “What can I get you?”

I ordered a black tea and cinnamon roll. Then I turned and looked expectantly at Axel, who merely glared down at me before his eyes flicked up to Iris.

“Your usual, then?” Iris asked, immediately brightening. Huh.

He grunted, stepping forward as I pulled my wallet out. Before I could grab my card, he handed Iris a stack of bills. “Keep the change,” he ordered, then stalked off.

Iris stared after him, then looked at me. “What the fuck?!” I silently mouthed. She merely frowned.

I closed my eyes for a moment, steeling myself before I turned⁠—

To find Axel had taken a seat at my table, in my preferred chair. God, I was going to kill him.

Gritting my teeth, I all but stomped across the cafe and grabbed the one opposite him. It was unnecessarily noisy as I dragged it out and flopped into it. Making sure to glare daggers at him the entire time.

His lip twitched, but the movement was so quick that maybe I imagined it.

We remained locked in a staring contest. Neither of us backed down. The silence stretched on. It wasn’t until Iris came over and deposited our orders that I blinked. Then my tension melted.

“A chocolate-chocolate-chunk cookie? That’s your usual?”

“What’s wrong with chocolate?” He lifted his black coffee and took a sip before picking the cookie up and taking a massive bite.

“I mean, nothing?”

He grunted, like my answer meant little to him.

My mouth went dry as I watched him chew, his powerful jaw no doubt pulverizing the cookie in his mouth. My thoughts flashed back to the sight of him chasing down the second wolf yesterday. The way fresh blood dripped from his maw. Blood from the other wolf he took down first.

And just like that, my mood instantly soured.

I quickly doctored my tea with cream and sugar before picking up the mug, clutching it like a lifeline. To give him credit, Axel was patient. He didn’t break the silence. Didn’t demand answers. He simply pinned me with that unnerving stare while he polished off his cookie.

I swallowed down a sip of tea before setting my mug down. The liquid was hot, scalding my throat on the way down. But it was exactly what I needed.

“Right. So. The reason I was on your land is because I need to find the entrance to a cave system.” I studied his face. His expression didn’t change. Not even a muscle twitch. “A cave system that’s on your land. There’s this story about a powerful curse that was broken in one of the cave’s chambers using a ceremonial knife. That knife never left the site. So I need to find a way into the cave and use the knife. On myself. To break a curse.”

He set down his coffee with a deliberate thunk. “What kind of curse?”

I blinked. “Does it matter?”

“It does when you’re tromping around on my land.”

“I—I don’t tromp,” I sputtered.

“What kind of curse?” The words came out more forceful this time.

“A blood magic curse.”

“Goes without saying.”

“Right.” Because in order for a witch to curse someone, they had to use blood magic. Blood witches didn’t pull energy from themselves, they used other means, taking from the world around them, but mostly from the blood of others. Not like light witches. Which is what I was.

“Fine,” I said.