Home > Witch's Reign (Desert Cursed #1)(9)

Witch's Reign (Desert Cursed #1)(9)
Author: Shannon Mayer

He frowned. “You’re my sister. What the hell kind of question is that?”

This had been coming a long time, and I’d held back because of his situation, but I didn’t have it in me to pretend right then. I was tired, and my mouth had no one to hold it back.

“You hate that I don’t follow what Father taught us. You think I’m breaking some kind of code of honor by being a thief, for killing for more than just survival or protection, and I wonder if maybe sometimes you might wish I’d just not come back. I wonder if you wish you could just bury me, too, and be done with our family.”

Bryce stared at me, his eyes sparking with fury, and I stared back with no emotion because he didn’t deny the words that I’d said, and I wasn’t sure how to respond to that.

“Okay, I got it.” I turned my back on him, leaving him there to rot in his workshop for all I cared. I tried not to think about being cast aside by one of the last people I’d thought I could always turn to. Stupid, so stupid of me to think my brother would actually stand with me when he couldn’t fucking stand at all.

I found my way to my quarters which were closest to the stable. I flipped open the window above my bed and Balder stuck his head in, a mouthful of hay sticking out on either side of his face. I ran a hand over his nose but I couldn’t find any words in my too-tight throat. I flopped myself down on my bed and closed my eyes. Maybe a few tears leaked out, I can’t be certain because I fell asleep, exhaustion finally taking me, my hand wrapped around the ring that hung from my neck. You’d think I’d taken it off for all the problems happening. You’d think my curse was in full effect and not held back at all, not even by the talisman Ish had given me to keep myself clear of the Jinn’s curse.

There were no dreams, and I woke hours later with a start. Not because I’d woken naturally but because something had broken the rest. The room was pitch dark and only a faint bit of light came through the window around Balder’s head.

A creak from the doorway and I caught the scent of grease. “What do you want, Bryce?”

“Ish wants to see you.”

I frowned. “You aren’t a messenger boy.”

“I . . . something’s happened.” He trailed off and I froze.

“Are we being attacked?” It hadn’t happened often, but there was some lash-back from stealing the jewels from other supes. Occasionally they tracked us down and we had to beat them back.

“No, something with Darcy.” There was enough worry in his voice that my heart kicked up more than a few notches. I stood and headed toward the door.

Where he was fair, I was dark, my hair a tangle of curls black as the night, fading to a ruddy brown at the ends. My eyes were green, bright like the jewels we searched for, and even my skin was darker from being out in the sun so much. Bound as he was to his crappy old wheelchair, Bryce didn’t venture out much so his skin was paler than anyone else’s here.

I brushed past him and he sucked in a breath like he wanted to say something, but there was nothing for him to say, at least I didn’t think there was. I knew the truth between us and so did he. We were done. I could treat him like one of the other supes, no different. Not my brother anymore.

I was on my own, again. But maybe I’d always been on my own and just hadn’t known it. That thought slowed me, but it was not the time to be reflective on my life.

Without another word between us, I hurried away, down the hall to Ish’s quarters. The door was open and inside a fire burned hot, driving the cool air of the winter night away. Ish sat in a big chair in front of the fireplace. “Come, sit with me, Zamira. Something has happened that you need to be aware of.” She beckoned me forward with one hand, holding a thick pottery chalice in the other, bubbling with something I couldn’t place. I took a deep breath, holding the scent against the back of my tongue, finally pinpointing the spices. Aniseed was the strongest spice with a touch of nutmeg in the backdrop and beyond that, straight up vodka. A calming drink then, which did not bode well if Ish needed it.

I made my way to the fire, the animal in me almost groaning in pleasure with the heat that spilled from behind the grill if not for the worry gnawing at my insides. I sat with my back to the fire and crossed my legs. “Bryce said you needed to speak with me about Darcy. Is she back?” Hope, it was something I could hang onto for only a little longer.

“No, she is not.” She shook her head. “Her horse came back with a note attached to the saddle.”

She held a scroll out to me and I took it, fear making my mouth dry.

I unwound the paper and read the bold black ink out loud.

“Your golden cat is a lovely prize, Ish. Marsum will thank me for her. Do not bother to come for the jewel. It is mine and I will not give it up. To be crystal clear, I will slaughter all your pets if I must.”

I read the words over and over. They were not signed, but they didn’t need to be. “The Ice Witch has Darcy?”

“Yes.” Ish’s eyes were clouded.

“What about Richard and Leo?” I turned the paper over.

“Dead,” Ish said. “They slipped by the White Wolf, the White Bear, and reached the White Raven. The Raven killed them and took Darcy as a prize. A threat to make sure . . . I do not try again to regain what is mine.” There was an edge to her voice, grief and anger mixing through her words.

The world around me seemed to sway. Richard and Leo were not close to me, but they had worked with Darcy for years and she trusted them implicitly. The two men had a relationship she and I had both wished we could have with the mate of our choice. And just like that, they were gone, dead. Wiped out.

It had been years since we’d lost anyone on a hunt for a jewel. Years, and the shock was making me slow. I knew the importance of the jewels. I was the only one who truly understood why we were doing this and why the cost in lives was worth it, even if it hurt.

But Darcy, she could still be saved before she was sent to Marsum.

“Then we have to get her back.” I handed the scroll back to Ish. “That’s all there is to it.”

Ish’s eyes were hard to read as she spoke. “You wounded Steve badly, and while I do not blame you for your anger, it will make regaining the jewel difficult. I would send him to the Ice Witch to gain the jewel with his mate. I need you here to guard us on the off chance the witch sends any repercussions.”

The words were like a gong inside my head, a big, angry fucking gong that resonated to the center of my bones. His mate? He’d claimed Kiara as his mate? They’d been together less than a year, and claiming a mate took longer than that. Not to mention the women I knew he’d been with while he was with Kiara.

Ish continued. “When he comes back with the jewel, I’ve told him he will have leadership here. He is the last alpha male capable, and it is time he took that responsibility.”

I struggled to pin down the anger, hurt, and confusion, to not let it all come roaring out my mouth. No such luck. I shot to my feet, vibrating. “He cannot lead here. He’ll fucking enslave the rest of the supes. He’ll do exactly as he always has, lie and manipulate and break what little peace we have in this place!”

Ish frowned. “You think I would allow him to do that?”

“I think he would try and spin it so you believed him, just like he tried to make you believe I was dead.” I began to pace. “He’s a manipulator, he always has been.”

“That is your broken heart talking,” Ish said softly. “He was not always—”

“He was!” I yelled at her, ignoring the way her eyes narrowed. “I was just too young and stupid to see it. He likes his women young for that reason, because he can control them easier. It wasn’t until I started questioning him that he wanted her. Only when I no longer let him make me his doormat, his yes woman, that things changed between us.”

Her eyebrows rose slowly. “You think he controlled you?”

“He tried to.” I shrugged, not wanting to say the truth. I’d let my love for him blind me to what he really was. “Look, enough of that, it’s the past. I’m going after Darcy. And when I get back, I’ll damn well fight him for leadership if I have to.”

   
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