Page 45 of Knot His Type

After all, what if he had somehow discerned that I had been following him? Would they take the witches and run?

Finally deciding, I exited the car and approached the boundaries of the forest. I let my senses blanket the area, finding the areas where the magic was almost palpable. A glamour couldn’t keep someone out. It would simply obscure whatever it was they thought they were looking for. Piercing the glamour was easy. Figuring out where to go once I entered the perimeter of the woods was more difficult.

Even with the dim sunlight shining through the trees, my nerves sung with unease. Every snag of a limb against my jacket felt like someone clawing at my arms, trying to pull me back. Every rustle of leaves to my right or left made me certain that someone was closing in on me.

I walked through the woods for what could have been minutes or an hour before I came to a clearing. And in the midst of that clearing sat another cabin.

To its credit, this cabin wasn’t as dilapidated as the one where they had taken me that night eight years ago. It looked decently modern. Small, but well kept. Pressing myself against the nearest tree, I surveyed my surroundings. My senses reached out, searching for any danger among the trees that might take me by surprise as I progressed toward the cabin.

My brain flipped through my possible options once again. I remembered a spell that I’d learned in high school. It was a basic spell that most young witchkind learn that allowed one to soften their footsteps. I’d used the spell as a teenager to sneak out of the house without getting caught. I traced the words to the old spell in my mind before I whispered them aloud.

Feeling that little zing of magic that I always felt when a spell fell into place, I began edging closer to the cabin. I clung to the tree line, crouching as I neared the building.

Although the cabin looked in better shape than most, the windows were dusty, but not dusty enough to hide what lie within. Peeking over the rim of the window, I could see Darla and Taryn inside the small, one-room cabin. They were both tied, the ropes secure around their ankles and wrists. Their backs were to the small bed that sat on the other side of the cabin.

Luckily, they were looking toward the front of the cabin and didn’t see me peeking inside. They seemed to be unharmed.

The warlock I’d followed from the grocery store earlier sat with his back to me. He paid little attention to the witches who were tied up near the bed, suggesting he was confident enough in his magic and force that he didn’t worry about them potentially escaping.

Briefly, I considered doing what I would have done to him that day had he bothered to stay around. Part of me knew he deserved it. Not only for taking me that night, but also for taking these young girls.

Damn.

I couldn’t do it. Not yet. Not unless I had the chance to confront him. I knew it was naivety on my part. Hell, I knew it was downright stupid, but I was worried about what doing such a thing would do to me in the end. I’d lain awake many nights rethinking what I had done that day — even though I didn’t know what I was capable of and that it was my only chance. I still couldn’t get the image of their dead bodies and the smell out of my mind. It was still as fresh as the day it had happened.

I was going to have to create a diversion, try to get into the cabin, and free Darla and Taryn. Looking to my side, I spotted a tall, gangly tree with a large branch that looked as if it wasn’t long for the world. I directed my attention toward that branch. Let the anger rise in me. I didn’t want to set the damn thing on fire. I knew that if I focused hard enough, I could will the energy to exert enough force to make the already loose branch fall to the ground.

As I concentrated, I was rewarded with a loud crack and a whoosh as the branch snapped from the tree and fell to the ground. The branch sent up a flurry of leaves and dirt as it crashed to the forest floor. I saw the warlock’s head snap up and, within seconds, he was out the door and running toward the sound.

I wasted no time sneaking around the cabin. My footsteps were still muffled by my spell as I trod across the porch and into the cabin. As soon as Darla and Taryn saw me, they struggled against their restraints. I knelt, my knees brushing against the rough wood as I tried to work the restraints loose. The knots were firm, but not completely unmanageable thanks to my rudimentary skills learned as a Girl Scout. They would have been nearly impossible for the girls to undo, but not an extra pair of hands.

As the rope around Taryn’s ankles fell free, I let out a breath. She didn’t wait for me to undo the restraints on her wrists, jumping up and finding her balance compromised as she swayed on her feet. Instead of worrying with the unsteady Taryn, I began to work on Darla. As Taryn gained her footing, I heard the whisper of leaves outside that accompanied approaching footsteps.

I turned to Taryn. “Run!” I whispered, my voice harsh.

I knew that Darla and I wouldn’t make it out of this in time. I knew I could do my worst on the warlock and, while I had hoped it wouldn’t come to that, it didn’t seem I would have a choice. Having Taryn out of the way would make it a little less stressful.

Turning back to Darla, I continued to work on her restraints. The approaching footsteps grew quicker, mingling with those of the retreating Taryn. Darla was struggling against the bonds, which wasn’t making my job any easier.

“Try not to struggle,” I said to Darla, hoping that I had just a little more time.

But as I heard footsteps thud across the cabin floor, I realized it was too late.

“It’s you.” The voice behind me was low, gravelly, and all too familiar. I turned, ready to attack, my hands poised.

But he was ready for me.

The feeling that came over me was sudden and shocking. My limbs seized, freezing in place. My arms remained outstretched before me. My legs were cramped as I was caught in an awkward position before the warlock.

I was frozen in place.

“I’ve been waiting for the day that you and I would meet again,” he said as he circled me. My eyes tracked him, apparently not succumbing to whatever freezing spell he had placed on me. Luckily, my heart and lungs seemed to work fine as well, although they burned with fire. Minor victories.

“I barely got away that day. Had a hell of a headache for weeks,” he said, stepping around to face me once again. “But I swore that if I ever saw this bitch again — that’s you — I’d make you pay for what you did to me that day. Name’s Sven, by the way. Thought you’d like to know the name of the warlock who’s about to make you beg for death.”

He smirked as he looked down at me, and I had to center my gaze on the column of his thick neck. I could see the smirk as I tried to peer up at him.

“I can’t do what you did to those other guys that day, but I can sure as hell make you wish that you’d never fucked with me.”

Beside me, I saw Darla in the periphery. She was concentrating, her eyes squinting against something unseen.

Finally, I heard it. A loud clap of thunder was followed by a whoosh of wind that whipped the trees outside into a frenzy. Lightning crashed just outside the cabin. My body instinctively tried to jump at the sight of the flash, causing an ache to cascade down my body. The hairs on my arms stood on end at the nearness of the lightning.

Inwardly, I hoped Darla could make some headway. Hopefully her aborted SOS would lead someone to us.

The warlock before me snapped his head toward Darla and cursed. Volleying his attention between me and Darla, he muttered a quick spell that put Darla out like a light.

Once he was pleased with his work, he turned back to me.

“Now, where were we?”

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