The Witchfinder Wars (24 page)

Anya's words snapped me back in place. Just
a little. My thoughts had been so focused on getting her safe, I
hadn't considered how she would feel about me not showing up to
meet her.

"Anya, really, now...uh, that was
different."

"Different?" She growled as she backed
farther away. "How is it different? I didn't think I'd ever see you
again. That you were gone from me for good." Anya shook her head as
she started to turn away. "Maybe it's better that way anyway. I'm
no good for you, Tommy..."

Wait a minute. This was not going anything
like I'd imagined when I saw her running from the barn. A sharp
fear ran through me as I reached out to grab her arm.

I couldn't lose her. Not again. Not so
soon.

"Anya...wait. Stop."

Relief flooded through me when she did.

"Look...I'm sorry, okay? I didn't..." I
sputtered to a stop when she turned back to face me. It was then I
knew what I had to say. What I wanted to say. "Anya, don't you get
it? This, what we have together, is right—no, it's too right. Too
perfect. This is—you are the best thing, the only important thing
in my life. I have to have you with me, forever."

She made a funny little sound like a snort
and shook her head, her red hair flying like the flames had on the
night her house had burned. Then she turned again and started
toward the barn.

No way was I having that. "Hey, wait a
minute! You can't just walk away from me, from us. You just
can't...and not expect me to follow."

Chapter
Fifteen

Anya

"Why am I the only one who sees how wrong
this is?" I growled in frustration as I turned back to face him.
"You don't belong with someone like me, Tommy! We're too different.
I don't belong in your world any more than you belong in mine."

He growled in response, glaring at me across
the space I had created between us; he crossed his arms over his
chest.

"Too different? How are we different, Anya?
Is it because of who I am? What my family has? Tell me the
truth."

"I don't give a damn about who you are. It's
who
I
am."

I slammed the palm of my hand against the
base of the pear tree that had survived the fire, and the only
thing in Evie's garden still standing after my onslaught. The wood
cracked against the force of my hand before I focused. It erupted
into flames.

"That's how, Tommy! People in your world
aren't supposed to do that. They
can't
do that."

I could feel the heat as I pulled my hand
back undamaged. I waited for the shock to register on his face
before I pulled the flames down until they extinguished. Just as I
had on the horrible night that changed my life forever.

The power of it dulled my senses, calmed my
anger.

I could feel my shoulders slump as the
exhaustion shuddered through me. I pressed my hands against my eyes
before I continued.

"This is all my fault anyway. If I..."

My hands fell as I looked over to him. The
desire to be back in his arms hit me full force, but I stayed where
I was.

"I'm exactly what they say I am, Tommy. I'm
a witch. I can't stop this. Worst of all, I can barely control it.
I am sorry. I did a spell; I bound you to me. That's why you feel
the way you do. The reason why you use the word 'forever'. I tried
to undo it; truly I did. But it didn't work. You're still here.
Leave now before I can do any more damage. Run away from me as fast
as you can. Like the others do. So I don't hurt you anymore. I
can't stand it. I will find a way to release you somehow."

I was crying without even realizing it.
These words were harder, much harder to speak than the night I had
tried to release him. After this, with Evie and Ivy gone, I would
be alone. It would take more than I knew to be able to bear it, but
I would manage. I would have to.

He seemed to recover from his shock quickly
because he threw a lazy grin in my direction. "A witch, huh? So
where's the pointy hat?"

Now, it was my turn to be shocked. I broke
into laughter that shook my entire body.

Tommy's arms were around me in a second and
he raised my chin so I could meet his gaze. He looked at me as if I
were something to be protected instead of feared; his fingers
brushed at the tears falling down my face. Then he spoke.

"I can't leave. And I won't run away from
you, Annie. I refuse to do that."

I searched his face for any sign this was a
joke, but I found none. Tommy pulled me closer to him before he
pressed his lips to mine. I tried to pull back—

"But, Tommy..."

He refused to release me.

"No 'buts'. That is my decision. You are
mine and I am yours. Nothing you've done could make me feel this
way. Or change it. I see that now. I knew that when..."

Tommy's eyes clouded over for a second and I
knew he was thinking of the rubble still smoldering behind us. He
had never looked so vulnerable than when he was crossing that
field.

No. Not vulnerable. Lost.

"...I knew that when I thought my life was
over."

I was stunned. I'll admit it. I traced my
fingers down his jaw. The heat remaining from my little stunt with
the tree warmed the tips of them against his skin. I pulled him
toward me.

The kiss that followed reminded me of the
passion we had shared in the dream of fire, mingled with the
sweetness of the one by the pond. Only this time, it was real. I
couldn't deny his words, no matter how hard I tried. Tommy was
right about one thing. This felt too right, too perfect. I wondered
if I would wake up from this to find it another product of my
imagination.

It took every bit of strength I had left,
but I released him and tried to reclaim the breath he had stolen
from me. "Give me just a minute."

Tommy chuckled as I turned around and
stepped away from him.

The thin leather necklace Evie had given me
slid from around my neck and the heavy stone at the bottom
glistened in the moonlight as if responding to one of its own kind.
I untied the knot with ease, and the stone dropped into my waiting
palm. I closed my hand around it, and I tightened my grip on it as
the energy flowed into it.

The energy of happiness he gave me. The
passion from the kiss we just shared. The strength of fire to
always keep him with me.

I returned to him and slipped the amulet
around his neck. I was surprised at how steadily my fingers moved
as I tied the knot to hold it there. It looked beautiful on
him.

The look in his eyes was one of curiosity,
and the light grin I'd missed returned as he examined the
jewelry.

"A few kisses and you're giving me presents
already?"

I had to laugh. The tension from the words
we had thrown at one another was long gone. Decimated with the
fears I had about him.

"Something like that."

I stood back and examined the pale stone
that appeared almost translucent in the moonlight. If it weren't
for the shimmers of blues and greens, it would have appeared to be
glass. I looked up at him and smiled shyly.

"This stone...it was my father's. Moonstone.
It means..."

A bit of fear raced through me as if to
speak the words would make him run. To turn away from me instead of
where I wanted him to be. Next to me. Belonging to me. Bound to
me.

Have faith in your magic, child...and it
will come to pass.

The voice was right, as it had always
been.

Tommy was laughing. The words came easy.

"It's known as the lover's stone. A dream
stone. Meant to protect you from nightmares, and keep the joy of
love with you always. I want you to have it. To protect you. Wear
this whenever you can, hun, and it'll remind you of me. Of us."

Tommy studied the stone and an odd look
crossed his face before he gathered me back into his embrace.

"Thank you."

I rubbed my cheek against the soft cotton of
his shirt. It wasn't long before the tranquility of the night was
broken by my Goddess.

Be sure to enjoy this peace, this moment,
to remember during the loneliness and danger that lie
ahead
.

The warning was one I chose to ignore. I was
truly happy for the first time since Tommy's initial visit on
Friday. I wasn't going to spoil this.

I sighed as Tommy rested his chin against my
head. I reached up to stroke the moonstone hanging over his heart
as his words vibrated against my hair.

"So. Where are you staying, Anya?"

Images of the hideout flashed in my mind and
I chuckled against him. Tommy pulled away, the curiosity evident on
his face. I couldn't find the words to describe my sanctuary, so I
gave up trying. It took a second to work my way out of his grasp,
but he responded to my smile.

"Come on and I'll show you."

We walked across the field in silence, Tommy
grabbing hold of my hand if I strayed too far from his side. As if
I would disappear into the rich shadows that fought against the
moonlight and never return to him again.

Well, return like I did this time.

We reached the side of the dry shed and I
turned toward him with an apologetic smile.

"I'm warning you now; it's not pretty."

I pressed against the leaves and the door
swung open.

"In fact, it's downright hideous."

Tommy had to duck in order to fit through
the opening and the look on his face was nothing short of
priceless. It was a mixture of amusement and horror as he took in
the outdated—no, outrageous—interior. I chuckled as I plopped down
on the vinyl sofa.

"It's..." He was at a loss for words.

"Charming?"

The chuckle I earned was worth it.

"I was thinking more along the lines of
tiny
."

Tommy sat down gingerly on the couch, and
every bit as slowly as I had when Evie had brought me here. I
curled up on the corner and watched him, struggling to forget the
memory that had brought back so many painful ones. A weight
returned to my shoulders at her memory. He noticed the change
immediately.

"Hey now. It's okay. We can find you
somewhere..."

I shook my head, fighting against the
emotions that were still so inconsistent. I was successful until he
reached out and pulled me into his lap. I laid my head on his
shoulder and let them go.

When I finally regained control of myself, I
pulled back to mumble incoherent apologies, trying to explain I
wasn't usually so emotional. Tommy was too good, too sweet to me.
He simply sat there and let me try to destroy his shirt as I
exposed my version of insanity to him.

Finally, I was able to breathe and
respond.

"No. It's not the place, hun. It's
everything else. There's so much...too much. I can't take it all in
at once."

He nodded as he hooked a finger under my
chin and lifted my face upward.

"Wanna talk about it?"

I studied him, shivering from the electrical
current that hummed through me each time he touched me. I found
myself launching into the events that had changed my world forever.
Evie showing me this place, the fear and anger during the fire;
even the secrets of the transformation I was sure I would never be
able to tell another living soul.

He listened, paling as I described the fire
and the burns. How Evie had perished, and I had to cremate her
before she was found. How I came to this place; and how I was
healed.

Tommy waited until I finished before taking
my arm in his hand. He first examined it for any traces of the
described injury, but he found none. Then he looked to me; silent
in his request for permission as his fingers grazed the leather
strings of the band hiding my newest scar.

I had already exposed my heart to him. The
secrets of my world. Showing him the symbol would be easy.

A nod was all he needed. His fingers pulled
away the knot I had made. The band slipped away from my skin,
falling into his palm before he turned my wrist over to expose the
pale white underneath.

Gleaming under the lamplight was the mark I
had described to him. The one that marked me for the Goddess as Her
Chosen One.

I was afraid then I was showing him too much
too soon. Scaring him away. But I couldn't take anything back
now.

Not that I wanted to.

He studied the small symbol with an
intensity that caused his brow to knit together; his finger tips
brushed over it. I sat still, staying silent in my desire to read
his thoughts. It became too much, the quiet that surrounded us. I
leaned forward, and my breath caught against the back of my throat
as I started to speak.

"Tommy, I..."

His interruption was so soft, I almost
missed it.

"It's beautiful."

I nuzzled my face into the crook of his neck
as he pulled my wrist up to his lips and brushed them across the
mark. I shivered as he took the discarded leather band and wrapped
it back where it had been, tying it in place before he kissed the
top of my head.

"Thank you, Annie...for showing me
this."

It was something I had noticed earlier, but
didn't mention. Now, I couldn't help myself.

"Tommy, how did you know to call me
Annie?"

He sighed and wrapped his arms back around
me. "I heard it in a dream. It...was one filled with fire, and you
were burning. I called you that, see? And it seems to fit. You
don't mind, do you?"

I was stunned, pulling away from my perch
against his shoulder as he described the dream that seemed to bind
us. His voice fell away at the end and I watched him before taking
his face into my hands. "No, I don't mind. It's what my family..."
I shook my head to clear it. "Tommy, I've had that dream too."

He blinked, shaking his head as I described
my vision, of me burning at the stake and him coming to my
rescue.