Total pages in book: 144
Estimated words: 137871 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 689(@200wpm)___ 551(@250wpm)___ 460(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 137871 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 689(@200wpm)___ 551(@250wpm)___ 460(@300wpm)
Juniper grabbed Adriel’s shoulders and instinctively pulled her closer for protection. Adriel flashed her fangs as the invisible threat roared closer.
Juniper screamed as another blast rolled through the black woods, making it impossible to rise from their knees. Soil danced at the earth’s surface, then the ground cracked, and they scurried back from the opening.
Beetles rushed up from the coniferous debris. Branches whooshed and heavy trees collapsed into the earth forming a cage around them, the gnarled roots turning skyward as the force of the thunderous rattle left them clutching for unsteady balance.
Then everything stilled. No, not everything. Just the earth beneath them and the air around them, as if they were in a bubble of safety protecting them from the cataclysmic chaos assaulting the forest.
Breathless whispers hissed from Juniper’s lips. The foreign incantation seemed to still the ground at their feet while the world shook violently around them. The witch held her palms outward as her eyes stayed shut, and she cast some sort of protection spell that formed an invisible forcefield around them.
Adriel screamed when another tree fell, coming directly toward them. The trunk crashed into the invisible shelter overhead, deflecting the heavy branches and protecting them. Her shocked stare darted back to the witch.
“That is a great power, indeed.”
The witch kept whispering words but met her gaze as if to say she was aware.
Adriel rose to her full height on unsteady legs, her knees locking and her footing solid as the forest shook around them. She bolted forward only to fall to her knees when she left the witch’s proximity. Looking back, she found Juniper standing at her full height, balance perfectly intact despite the chaos ripping through the forest.
The witch’s chin lifted, still bruised from where she’d worn the metal muzzle for so long. A smug grin curved her lips, the quakes no longer impacting her balance. “The protection spell stays with me.” Her isolated tranquility displayed incredible influence over the elements. “As I said, I have powers that can protect you.”
CHAPTER 2
The witch offered the only shelter that could protect Adriel at the moment. Weak from injuries and the effort of blocking her mind from Cerberus, she frantically tried to reason her way past this nightmare, but there was no escaping his powers or the opportunity for escape in front of her.
Desperation mingled with panic as she looked at Juniper. “Can I trust you?” It was a foolish question that would only broker a false sense of security.
“Let’s not start on a lie. You don’t trust anyone.”
Directness was as close to honesty as they would come in a rush. A hurricane raged around them, lifting debris and whipping through the trees. The witch closed the distance, sheltering Adriel in the protection of her spell.
Something flashed in Juniper’s deep violet eyes. “Were you there, with the rest of the vampires, when they were torturing me?”
Adriel recalled many horrific days when the witch’s muffled screams penetrated the walls of Council Hall. She’d hoped to dull her pain, but interfering in council business was forbidden—especially for females. To this day, Adriel’s empathy for the witch haunted her with regret. No one deserved what The Order did to her.
But regrets never saved anyone. “I’m not a vampire,” she clarified. Vampires were lost souls, and Adriel had survived hell and back to save hers. “The correct term is immortal. And I was nearby but not a firsthand witness to the interrogations.”
“Immortal then,” Juniper corrected, rolling her eyes as if it were an insignificant detail. “Are you like them?”
“I can be cruel when crossed,” she confessed honestly. Witches were cunning creatures that distorted the laws of nature. They were not to be trusted, and therefore, Adriel needed to maintain some sense of upper hand.
“I won’t cross you as long as you don’t cross me. Let’s start there. I can escort you where you need to go and hold the protection spell as we travel.”
Adriel looked back at the rumbling woods, a fallen graveyard of trees layering the forest floor. Did she have a choice?
“Look, I’d rather not have a coven of vampires after me. Maybe we can protect each other.”
“They’re not vampires.”
“Immortals. Whatever. They’re still pissed and scary as fuck. If one can find you, one can find me, so my goal is to ensure that never happens.” The branches overhead rattled and shook as the earth moaned and the wind howled through the trees. “He’s about to send another earthquake. We don’t have much time.”
She tugged at Adriel’s apron, plucking free the straight pins and tossing them onto the forest floor.
“What are you doing?”
“Getting rid of this.” The witch yanked her apron off and tossed it to the ground. “You’ll need modern clothes.”
“As we’re both empty-handed, I’d assume the time to undress is later.”
The trees creaked as another wave of earthquakes shook the world around them, but Adriel’s footing remained stable. “The apron will hold your scent. We’ll leave it here to throw him off.” She stepped back and grimaced. “You still look like you escaped the set of Little House on the Prairie, but whatever. We have to go. Do you have a safe place in mind?”