Witch Emerging (High Witch Book 2) (3 page)

But she was alone. Sean wasn’t going to rescue her now. All she had was herself. The realization made her heart break. She was truly, truly on her own, and if Nicholas was going to cause her trouble, she just had to face it herself. Maybe he was just a cruel man, wanting to bring about a reaction in her. Maybe he wanted nothing more.

But, deep down, she didn’t think so.

***

Nicholas stood outside of Hallie’s home, watching as he saw the enormous glow fade from her windows. He’d magically transported there shortly after she’d run out of the tavern, and had waited for her to arrive. He wasn’t disappointed by the display. He’d suspected she was a High Witch, the one written about in the journal. Seeing such magic come out of her, without her even trying, only confirmed what she was. A regular witch didn’t have that kind of power. He’d found her.

Just what he needed for his revenge.

Chapter 3

Brayden stood in his bedroom later that evening, watching as Rachel, a healer, looked over his wife.

Ariel lay on the bed after the middle-aged, dark-haired woman had given her a potion as part of a spell to check on the baby.

Rachel put her hand on Ariel’s stomach, waiting quietly, then a faint glow radiated above Ariel’s belly. The healer smiled at them. “Your baby is perfectly healthy,” Rachel said, sitting back. The bed sagged a little under her large frame, and the bracelets at her wrists jangled as she put the glass bottle with the potion into her satchel.

Brayden took Ariel’s hand. “What do you mean? What about what’s happening?”

“I’ll get to that in a moment,” Rachel said. “What I can tell you now is Ariel’s temperature is fine, her breathing is good, she isn’t feeling any pain, and the potion revealed a yellow glow, which is a sign the child is in good health. If he or she was unwell, the glow would have been green or blue. From what I can tell, things are fine.”

Ariel was suddenly propelled high over the bed and then she fell back down with a thump. She gasped loudly, trying to catch her breath.

Brayden hurried to sit beside her. “Then what do you call that!” he exclaimed. “If she’s fine, then I’m a turnip.”

Rachel murmured, rubbing her chin. She took Ariel’s hand after she sat up. “Are you alright, dear?”

Ariel nodded, her breathing finally calming down.

The healer frowned. “I know the baby is healthy. The fact that he or she is able to project magic from within Ariel is something I’ve never seen. A pregnancy of a magical child is usually like any other—a baby
can’t
use magic in the womb. Oh, there are illnesses a mother of a magical child can get that won’t strike a mother of a non-magical baby, and vice versa. But the pregnancy won’t really be different due to child being a warlock or witch. They just don’t have the ability to use magic until after they’re born—and even then, it can take a long time for powers to manifest. Unless…”

“Unless what?” both Brayden and Ariel said.

Rachel frowned again. “Well, you are a High Witch, my dear. It could be possible your pregnancy is different for some reason. Although, many a High Witch has had a child before without trouble like this. In the end, I can’t answer why your unborn child is able to use magic. The only thing I can suggest is casting a spell to bind their powers.”

Ariel gazed at her and then her features formed a frown. She took Brayden’s hand. “I don’t like the sound of that,” she said. “Bind them for how long?”

“Just until after they’re born. It’s a spell you can cast yourself—in fact, with your powers, it would be an even more powerful spell. You would take a store of your power—set aside some of your strength, if you will—and use that to bind the child’s magic so they can’t use it. It does mean, however, your own magic will be less potent, as you’re dividing it up. It’s up to you if you wish to do it. I can teach you how.”

Brayden and Ariel sat in silence, thinking. Brayden wanted to go ahead with the plan—he didn’t like the thought of their child potentially hurting Ariel. It sounded right to him.

But Ariel was still frowning, her hand on her heart, looking distressed. She finally met his gaze. “I don’t want to do it.”

“Ariel! Why? Are you sure?”

She sighed. “I don’t like the sound of it—tying up our baby’s magic. What if it’s irreversible? What if something goes wrong? Their magic is part of who they are. I’m not binding it. I can deal with it when she does something to me. I’m not doing it—there’s no way.”

Brayden gulped, fear running through him. Ariel wasn’t even showing yet and the child could practically throw her across the room. What about when she was a few more months along? How strong would the baby’s magic be then? He put his hands on Ariel’s upper arms, making her look at him. “Can you at least think about it? Rachel can tell you how to cast the spell, just in case. You might need to do it later on. Please, Ariel, don’t rule it out completely.”

She leaned forward and kissed him gently. “It’ll be fine. She won’t hurt me. Trust me, Brayden, it’ll be okay. But I’ll learn how to cast the spell, if it’ll make you feel better. Alright?”

He nodded, feeling sick to his stomach. He went and stood by the window, watching as Rachel gave Ariel instructions for the binding spell. Brayden paid Rachel her healer’s fee, and then she said good-bye to them and left.

Ariel rose and went into the front room, sitting down on the settee, motioning for Brayden to join her. The space was lit with candles spread out over the wooden cabinet against the wall and over the mantle of the fireplace across the room. The area contained the soft brown furniture, a low table, and near the fireplace, a bookshelf and a large wooden chest. There was a beige rug before the hearth, and Ariel liked to keep a vase of flowers on the chest.

Brayden brought her into a hug and held her tightly. “I’m worried,” he said, his mouth against her hair. “I don’t want anything to go wrong. I want you and the baby to be alright.”

Ariel looked at him, putting her hand on his face. “You’re not angry with the baby, are you? It’s not her fault.”

Brayden frowned. “I’m not—I… I…” He sighed. “I don’t know, Ariel. I know it’s not her fault, but I don’t want her to hurt you. Maybe you can handle it when she does something magical, but it horrifies me. What if she transports you somewhere awful and something bad happens?”

“I’ll transport back,” Ariel said, smiling. “I’ll be fine. You’re not trusting me—I’d know if something sinister was going on. It’s fine. Believe me. Why don’t you believe me? After all we’ve been through?”

He looked at her earnestly, his heart filling up with affection. “Oh, my love, I do believe you,” he whispered, kissing her deeply. He buried his hand in her hair, overcome with emotion. She held onto him as they kissed, and Brayden felt moisture behind his eyelids. He pulled away, worried about her.

She looked at him fondly, taking his hands in hers. “I can’t wait to meet her. She’ll be so lovely. This is just… a bump in the road. I don’t want you to worry. Trust me.”

Brayden half-smiled, looking down. He tried to believe her, tried to see things her way. They sat there for a while, then went to bed early, both of them tired after such an unusual day. Brayden lay there, trying to drift off to sleep. He wanted to trust Ariel. He want to believe everything would be alright. But he couldn’t shake the feeling that something very strange was happening.

***

Brayden was watching Ariel sleep several hours later. Moonlight shone into the room, enabling him to see that she looked peaceful and calm. He was pleased she was able to rest, pleased she wasn’t worried. But none of this was sitting right with him.

He wondered if their baby was a High Witch. It wasn’t possible—another High Witch would have to die for a new one to be born, and they’d already lost Nadia and nearly Ariel in such a short space of time. Besides, a new High Witch was born
the
instant
one died—at that exact moment. The baby wouldn’t be showing power in the womb—they wouldn’t be a High Witch at that stage. It was only at birth. Somewhere out there, there was a baby who was a High Witch because Nadia had died. The baby would be about four months old.

Of course, Ariel had died too, Brayden thought. It was true—she had. The test
had
killed her, but she came back, so there couldn’t be a High Witch born because of her death.

But a High Witch is born
the instant
one dies. Ariel was dead for several moments.
Ariel had died.

Brayden sat up, staring at her. Could it be? Could it? What if the rules were changed? What if passing the test changed the way things worked? What if, instead of three High Witches…

There were four?

Chapter 4

Hallie got ready to go to work the next morning. She smoothed down the skirt of her long dress, made sure she had her things in her small bag, then headed to the front door. She lived in a medium-sized, relatively expensive home, which she was able to rent because her employer knew the landlord. All of the furniture was finely crafted, and the rugs and other decorations had all come with the home. There was a settee and armchairs of a deep maroon fabric in the front room, along with an ornate dining table and chairs, a bookshelf, and wooden cabinet. She was happy there.

She was about to turn the handle on the front door to leave when there was a loud knock. She froze for a moment, worried it was Nicholas. It had taken her a long time to calm down after what happened last night. She stayed still a moment longer, then opened the door a little, peering out. She nearly fainted at who she saw.

Sean.

She pulled the door open wider, staring at him. It was him. He was more built, his red hair was a little longer, but it was him. She couldn’t believe it. He just stood there, looking her up and down, as if he was surprised at her appearance too. His green eyes flowed over her, his lips parted slightly. Hallie swallowed loudly, and he met her gaze.

His expression softened, and he looked at her fondly. “Hallie,” he said, and she nearly melted at how deep his voice had gotten.

She took a deep breath. “What—what are you doing here?” she finally asked, her voice light and breathy.

He moved forward slightly. “I wanted to see you. I got back home a little while ago, but they said you’d left. I got here as soon as I could. I—I’ve been thinking about you. I’ve been thinking about you a lot.”

She took in a breath, then remembered he’d left without a word to her and hadn’t so much as written since. She felt anger rise inside of her, and she tightened her grip on the door handle. “Then why didn’t you write? Why didn’t you try to talk to me? All those months, and you weren’t off the ship once? What, were you too busy running around with other women? Why should I even talk to you! You stopped caring about me a long time ago.”

She started to shut the door, her heart breaking at what a mess she was making of things, when Sean slammed his palm onto the heavy wood. He took a step forward, making Hallie step back into the house. He shut the door loudly behind him, then reached forward and held her face in his large hands. She couldn’t breathe. Her heart was racing, and she felt weak and shaky all over. He stared at her, so closely, so strongly, then moved his hands down and put them around her waist. He brought her up against him, then leaned down and buried his face in her neck.

She sighed, putting her arms around his shoulders, sinking one of her hands into his hair. Oh, how she’d dreamed of this.

He kissed her neck. “Hallie,” he breathed, kissing her neck again. “I’ve been dreaming about you. I’ve longed for you. You don’t know how hard it was for me to stay away. I’ve wanted you so much.”

She sighed again, melting against him, unable to believe he was there. She felt so many emotions and sensations she’d forgotten how to feel. She hadn’t so much as kissed a man, but here he was, the man she loved with her whole heart.

He straightened, still holding her, and gazed down at her.

She bit her lip. “I missed you,” she said, her eyes filling with tears.

Suddenly he picked her up in his arms and carried her over to the settee to the right of the room. He sat down with her in his lap, brought his hands to her face, and wiped away her tears with his thumbs.

She sniffed loudly, then wrapped her arms around his neck, snuggling up to him. He held onto her closely. She kissed him on the neck. “How could you leave me like that?” she asked, sniffing again.

He rubbed her back while she nestled close to him, kissing her hair every so often. He finally sighed deeply. “I was hurt, Hallie,” he said. “You told me to leave you alone—you said you didn’t want me. I didn’t know what to think, but I knew you were right: you weren’t going to become strong while I was beside you. I was holding you back. So I left, but I didn’t want to. I wanted to stay with you, wanted to be by your side. Every day I was apart from you hurt. But it was necessary. I just wished it wasn’t.”

His voice broke on the last word, and Hallie lifted her head to look at him. She looked into his eyes and gently trailed the fingers of one hand down his cheek. She was late for work, but she didn’t care—all she wanted was him. She moved some of his hair away from his forehead, and he smiled, looking down. She was aware of his hand on her waist, his fingers gently caressing her side, and she felt heat inside of her. He swallowed loudly, biting his lip. Her breath caught in her throat.

“You always were beautiful,” he said, “but now…” He lowered his head and kissed her neck, but it was different than before. This time her entire body was humming, and his lips moved slowly, his tongue gently touching her skin.

Before she could stop herself, she let out a moan.

He looked at her, his eyes bright and a smile on his lips. He brought his mouth close to hers. “Have you ever kissed a man, Hallie?” he whispered, his lips barely an inch away from hers.

She shook her head, worried her voice would only be a whimper.

He smiled again. “Good.” Then his lips pressed against hers, soft but firm, warm, delicious, and she felt her body tingle all over. His mouth moved against hers, inviting her to do the same, and his tongue sought entrance into her mouth.