Page 118

“Oh, definitely. It’s those gorgeous eyes you have. They make a girl swoon.”

I grunted, my heart beating like a fucking jackrabbit in my chest. “But do they make you want to fuck?”

She threw her head back and laughed, and my heart didn’t just beat fast, it fucking flipped in my chest. Finally, she sobered and looked up at me, wrapping her arms around my neck. “Kiss me already.”

My mouth was on hers a split second later, giving her what she needed, what she wanted, and knowing that I could give her that filled me with contentment. A couple of my brothers were mated, and they were obsessed with their females. I thought I understood, but I’d had no fucking clue until now, until Willow.

I would do anything, give up anything for her, to be with her.

She was my world, and knowing there was someone out there trying to hurt her was making me insane. Until I got to tear them to pieces, I wouldn’t rest.

My dove wrapped her legs around my hips and rubbed against me, and my ability to think disappeared completely. She was all there was. She was everything.

“I need you,” she whispered against my lips.

I growled and eased inside her. “You have me,” I whispered back.

* * *

Willow

Blood Hill Grove was shrouded in mist as I walked along the torch-lit path. Warrick right behind me. Mom and Art, Iris and Nia, Mags and Bram following. Else was home with Rose, several hounds there with them for protection. They’d assured me no one was getting past them, and I trusted them.

Light shone brightly ahead. A massive clearing that was hidden by the mother’s magic and only revealed for the trials that lay in front of us. Witches and their familiars from different covens were already there, gathered around the massive space.

“What happens now?” Mags asked.

She hadn’t been at my first trial, but she was nineteen now, she’d helped us send Ed and the other spirits back to Hell, so when she insisted on coming, there was no way I could deny her. She deserved to be here; she’d earned it.

“At the allotted time, I walk out into the clearing and learn who I’m going up against.” And I had a bad feeling about it. Something dark and ugly twisted in my gut, a warning maybe.

“You’ve got this, Wills,” she said, but there was no missing the worry in her eyes.

“Thanks, Mags.” For once, I couldn’t reassure her. I couldn’t promise everything would be okay.

I glanced around at the faces surrounding us. All the rich and prominent families. I had no doubt they wanted to see ours get taken down.

“Dove?” Warrick said, obviously sensing my unease.

“Something’s not right. Just…keep an eye on my family for me?”

He went into full-on alert, those golden eyes becoming even more intense as he scanned the area. “They’re here?”

He meant our faceless enemy. “I have no idea. This place is protected during the trial. The only place a witch can use magic is inside the clearing. Me and whoever I’m fighting get locked in, so no one can get hurt outside it, at least not until it’s over. Just don’t let anyone get close to my family.”

He dipped his chin as the alarm on my phone chimed.

It was time.

Mom caught my eyes. You got this, hers silently said. My family was good at hiding their fear when they needed to, but I knew them too well. Despite my entire family collectively refusing to even talk about the prospect of me not walking out of here at the end of this, they weren’t quite managing to hide that fear tonight.

Certain spells were frowned upon, some, the covens agreed never to use. No, we didn’t fight to the death anymore, but “accidents” sometimes happened. More often than they should. I handed Mom my blade—no weapons were allowed here, knives, swords, guns, etc., were a no-no, but smaller things that could be used for spelling were okay. Our main weapon must be our magic, which made it difficult for witches like us, who often used blood to spell.

I turned back to Warrick. He stood tall and strong behind my family. I caught his gaze, and he gave me a nod. I did the same. Getting back to him, to my Mom and Else, my sisters, to Ren, wherever he was, was all that mattered. And I planned on doing whatever was necessary to make sure that happened.

Last time I won by not letting my emotions get the better of me, by playing it safe and sticking to simple spells that were effective instead of the flashy ones used by my opponent. That’s all I had to do to get through this.

Silence filled the space as I kicked off my shoes and walked out onto the field and waited. I turned in a slow circle.