Chapter 19: Runaway 🌶️

REYNA

Blaire’s hair and dress started waving wildly as she chanted an elaborate spell. Every object in the kitchen was shaking. It felt like the whole house was shaking.

I caught the word “Haze” several times. ~She’s using the imbalance to summon a spell. And by the looks of it, it won’t be something my powers can resist.~

There probably wouldn’t even be a ~me~ left to resist anyway.

Suddenly, I heard a crash in the entryway and two piercing howls echoed through the hallway.

Blaire was momentarily distracted, and I head-butted her in the stomach, knocking her over.

“We’re in the kitch—” I tried to scream but Blaire’s hands were already wrapped around my throat.

“I’ll just kill you the old-fashioned way,” she sneered as I gasped for air.

Two wolves burst into the kitchen and pounced on Blaire, causing her to release her grasp.

It was Jed! And from the other wolf’s scent, I could tell it was Derek! I couldn’t believe they’d both figured out something was wrong.

But they hadn’t come alone…

Snow cowered in the doorway as Blaire shot spells at the boys, ripping the kitchen to pieces.

I ducked down behind the kitchen island and motioned for Snow to stay put. “I’m coming to you!” I shouted.

Wood was splintering everywhere.

Glass was shattering in every conceivable corner.

This was a war zone.

As Blaire tossed the wolves several feet from Snow, Snow freaked out and started running through the crossfire.

“SNOW, NO!” I screamed. But it was too late. One of Blaire’s fiery spells was heading right toward her.

Snow held up her hands and…

She reflected the spell back at Blaire, hitting her in the gut and sending her flying into the oven.

~Oh shit! Another power!~

It suddenly occurred to me that Snow had a sorceress’ blood running through her veins too.

Her eyes lit up like an inferno; it actually scared me. I’d never seen her look like that before.

The oven burst into flames, and Blaire along with it. She shrieked as the fire enveloped her body.

I grabbed Snow and pulled her to safety as Jed and Derek pulled themselves up and stood in front of us like a barrier.

Water shot from the pipes of the sink and doused the flames surrounding Blaire. She stood before us, badly scarred from the burns and looking like the grisly witch that she was.

“You will all die for this!” she screamed. “I’ll kill every last one of you, and I’ll make you suffer!”

Blaire’s eyes turned red, and she started chanting, pointing directly at me.

Derek opened his jaws and roared ferociously.

He leaped forward, and seconds later, Blaire’s head rolled across the floor and landed at my feet.

I clasped my hands over my mouth and screamed. He’d bit her head off in ~one~ frightening movement! I’d never seen that kind of strength in a wolf.

I covered Snow’s eyes, trying desperately not to vomit.

I knew Derek was just protecting me, but he looked wild and unhinged, and it scared me.

But moments later, the bloodlust disappeared from his eyes, and I saw the Derek that I knew again.

Both Derek and Jed shifted back into their human forms. I didn’t even care that they were naked. All I cared about was that they had come here for ~me.~

***

After Derek and Jed had cleaned up the ~mess~ in the kitchen, Jed took Snow home and Derek gave me some time alone with my family.

Dad was absolutely heartbroken to find out that his relationship with Blaire was manipulated by magic, and that her plan was to harm our family.

Anya and I were doing our best to comfort him.

“I was such a fool,” Dad said, holding his head in his hands. “I let someone into our home who had evil intentions. I put you girls in danger.”

“Dad, it’s not your fault,” Anya said, rubbing his back. “She didn’t just trick you. She was a ~sorceress.~”

“Maybe I was in a place where I was willing to be blind to the truth,” he said sadly.

Dad had really had a rough go since Mom had died. He was lonely, and this had been the first person he’d really let himself be vulnerable with.

Too bad she was a murderous bitch.

“We love you, Dad,” I said, wrapping my arms around him. “You’ll find something real again. I know you will.”

He gave us a weak smile, and we all clasped each other’s hands. “I don’t know what I would do without you girls,” he said, wiping away a tear.

***

After an emotionally exhausting day, I crawled into bed. I was ready for a new, and hopefully less dramatic, day to start.

I reached for my phone and opened up my texts with Derek. He’d saved my life today, and I was so mentally and physically drained that I didn’t really get to thank him.

Reyna

Hey Derek

Reyna

I just…

Reyna

I don’t even really know what to say except…

Reyna

Thank you

Derek

I hope I didn’t scare you

Derek

I just wanted to protect you

Reyna

I get it

Reyna

You did what was necessary to save my life

Derek

And I’d rip her head off again in a heartbeat

Reyna

Thanks for being there when I needed you most

Reyna

Goodnight

Derek

Night Rey

Derek

Sweet dreams

As I laid back and closed my eyes, an image of Blaire’s head rolling to my feet played in my mind.

~Sweet dreams indeed.~

I tried to shake the gruesome image from my mind and instead focused on the people who came to my aid today…

Derek.

And…Jed.

***

~My arms were pinned behind my head as his kisses trailed from my neck to my stomach.~

~He wasted no time in pulling off my shirt, but he did so slowly—he wanted to savor the moment.~

~I sat up and kissed his soft lips as his hands fumbled to unclasp my bra.~

~I giggled a bit as he struggled. “Hey, this isn’t as easy as it looks,” he said defensively.~

~He abandoned the bra and instead moved to my jeans, unbuttoning them and pulling them down. I laughed again as they got stuck around my ankles.~

~He was nervous, and it was adorable. I was nervous too. It was our first time together.~

~He stared at me, beet red, as I lay on the bed in nothing but my underwear.~

~I could see a tent forming in his pants. I reached out and gently touched it, causing him to shudder, his sculpted abs heaving in and out as he breathed heavily.~

~I pulled down his zipper and reached my hand underneath the waistband of his boxers.~

~It was big. SO big.~

~“Jed…” I murmured.~

~I pouted my lips and slightly opened my mouth as he gently guided my head toward his throbbing…~

***

I awoke with a jolt, finding myself lying on my stomach with my hand between my legs.

I hurriedly flipped over and took a deep breath, airing out my shirt, which had been soaked in sweat.

I’d never had a dream like that before…

But it wasn’t the sexy dream that made me uncomfortable.

Why was I having it about ~Jed?~

EVE

I was so angry that I could feel my Devil powers rising to the surface. I was fucking furious.

“How could you be so irresponsible? So careless?” I shouted at Snow. “I’ve told you so many times that you can’t just run off by yourself!”

Snow quivered as my words cut her, but I couldn’t be soft. They needed to sink in.

“You have powers, Snow, but that doesn’t mean that you can run around doing what you want. In fact, that ~especially~ means you can’t just do whatever you want. It’s not safe!”

Snow’s eyebrows were creased, and her head turned away. She always did this when she didn’t want to listen. That made me even more angry.

I grabbed her by the wrist and looked her in the eye. “SNOW! I’M YOUR MOTHER! YOU ~WILL~ OBEY ME!”

Tears spilled down her face as she pulled away from me.

“NO!” she screamed petulantly.

As I raised my hand to slap her, I stopped myself.

~Oh God, she’s just a child. What am I doing?~

Snow ran to her bedroom and slammed the door, leaving me stunned.

I was so ill-equipped for this. I had no idea how to handle a child, let alone be a mother to one.

It had only been less than five months since Snow had come back into my life…

And that five-hundred-year gap did nothing to prepare me for this.

I loved her so much that it hurt, and that’s why I was being protective.

But Snow wasn’t a normal fourteen-year-old girl, and that wasn’t just because she had powers that I couldn’t even dream of.

She wasn’t operating at the same emotional and mental capacity of a teenager her age, and I had been too harsh with her.

Just like I didn’t understand everything about motherhood yet, Snow didn’t understand a lot of things about the world.

Her naivety made me want to protect her even more.

Sighing, I knew I needed to sit down with her and apologize. I wasn’t used to using my words to solve problems. Most of the time I just pulled out my scythe.

I knocked on Snow’s door, but she didn’t answer. ~I can’t blame her.~

When I pushed through the door, I had to brace myself against the frame.

My worst nightmare had just come to life.

Snow’s window was open, and many of her things were strewn across the room. A tied-up bed sheet was hanging from the windowsill.

Snow had run away.

And it was my fault.