Witching Moon (Twisted Dark, #1)

Chapter Seventeen: The Witching Moon

I paced back and forth, staring at the door. BamBam had been gone for hours. I felt my muscles tense as my instinct crawled through my limbs like my unruly beast. The longer the witchling was gone the more risk there was to Bo and I. I didn't know where we were, I didn't know where we could go. The witchling had taken us far away, somewhere that the air was colder and crisp. I could smell the faint magick in the ground but I couldn't place us.

My eyes darted around the room as I inhaled deeply, trying to get a read on anything that I could. Bo was eating a sandwich, her focus intent on it. I had fed her to keep her quiet. She asked constantly about the witch and I couldn't handle her voice, my ears becoming sensitive as I tried to listen for the witchling's approach.

Dangerous

My instinct rasped the word against my nerves and I bared my teeth, there was too many things that could go wrong. I narrowed my eyes, my beast rumbling his alertness as he was pulled from his slumber, my instinct succeeding in rousing him. I wondered for a brief moment if the witchling had been taken. I knew the tactics weres used to make enemies talk, I had used many myself. The thought of her being harmed in such a way to be forced to speak made my muscles twitch with agitation.

I gave in and moved towards the front of the cabin, glancing back at Bo before looking out the window. A flash of a gleam was all it took before a snarl erupted from my chest, my beast shoving forward. "Go!" I boomed the word at Bo and she inhaled sharply, bolting for the back room. I felt my bones and muscles shift and twist in my body before my beast drew back and rammed the front door, the wood splintering as he sought out the beast that presumed to hunt us.

Lights flashed in the air rapidly and we could see witches and weres in the brief moments of light. We were surrounded. My beast shook his head, aiming for the closest body, claws ripping and tearing as the slight female screamed and twisted, trying to escape a death that was already upon her. He shifted, feeling the crackle of magic in the air as chanting erupted, shattering the silence of the night. We felt the charge build in the air and I urged my bloodthirsty beast right. He dove into a group of weres right as the lightning struck the earth, colliding with one of the weres we jumped behind, killing him.

Shouting and snarls joined the chanting as more and more bodies fell to our claws. We couldn't let them get close to Bo, we had protect her. My instinct was hissing at us so loudly it was like a buzz behind our eyes. The scent of blood and viscera coated the air thickly and we grinned with bloody teeth as we used the flashing lights to our advantage.

Bo's angry scream shattered through everything and my heart twisted and turned in my chest.

Prrrrooteeeeect

My instinct roared it at me and I took control, shifting down from my beast before bolting towards the cabin. Several weres had a hold of her, letting her dangle as she fought and growled, her little teeth sinking into large hands as her eyes flashed yellow with her tiny beast.

Prooooooooteeeeeeect

My instinct's roar grew so loud it shook my vision as I sped closer to her, trying to reach her. She turned her head towards me, her eyes widening with terror. "Bapa!" Her little hand outstretched for me right as a silver net was thrown over me. I scented the weapon too late, unable to dodge it in time. The metal hissed and burned against my flesh, the weight of it sending me to the ground.

Protect

My instinct grew muffled, its words fading in my mind. I struggled to stay upright but the metal sapped my strength and blurred my vision as it seared into my skin, burning deep. I lifted my head, baring my teeth and letting out a rattling snarl as dark shapes approached. "Shut up." The voice was sneering before a heavy boot connected with my head and everything went black.

~~~~~

Consciousness came back to me with the feeling of cold water against my skin. My vision blurred and I could scent my own burned flesh as the silver that was wrapped around me destroyed the flesh it touched. I looked up and my heart stilled in my chest. Bo stood on top of an altar, her little arms outstretched as chains wrapped around her wrists, holding her in place between two dark pillars.

The witching moon hung large and full behind her. "Bo!" Her name was nothing but a rasp and she didn't even flinch, her face was still and expressionless as she looked as though she stared into oblivion.

"Oh she can't hear you." At BamBam's voice I snapped my head to the side and she looked down at me, her head tilted as a smirk rested on her full lips. "I made sure to do the spell myself so its on there good." I looked down her and realized no wounds marred her and no chains encased her.

Rage erupted in my stomach and seared through my veins at her betrayal. The witchling had betrayed us, betrayed Bo, betrayed me. The silver chains dug further into my skin as I struggled, snarling at her. I knew I never should have trusted her, never should have let her close. Witches were a curse! I growled heavily, trying to fight through the mind numbing pain to reach the strength to kill her for what she had done.

She seem unfazed by my struggling as she flicked her braid behind her back. "I know. I know. But they offered me a castle and to be queen. I mean, come on." She gave a flippant gesture with her hand. "That's one hell of an offer."

"Vile!" I spat the word out, it was garbled and hard to understand but I wanted the witch to see my depths of hate I had for her. She simply looked away, towards where Bo was standing, her small white dress fluttering slightly in the breeze. I realized why the little bitch looked away when flames erupted from the various scones and seven warlocks dressed in black started towards the altar. Chanting slowly filled the air and the magick crackled against my skin. "Touch her and die!" I snarled the words out, fighting against he silver chains, struggling to find the strength to escape to save Bo.

My heart thudded in my chest. I had protected her when she was but a tiny infant and they were going to force me into the greatest punishment of watching what I should protect be defiled before my very eyes. I snapped my teeth so hard my vision rattled. My gaze found the weres that stood off to the side. They were more vile than the warlocks that slowly moved towards my little knyaginya. "No honour!" I bellowed the words out but there wasn't even a flinch to their forms. "Ragnor curse you!" I struggled harder.

"You should really thank me." The witch's voice drew my attention back to her and there was a heavy amusement to her tone. I struggled to get to my knees, trying to lunge for her but the silver stopped the movements.

"Moon curse you! Die by my teeth!" My vision was nearly red as I stared at the female who betrayed me and my little female.

"You know, as nice as a castle is and how great it would be to be queen, what really sold me on helping them was that they said I could kill you after the ceremony was done." She gave a lazy smirk at that, giving me a wink. I growled heavily managing to get to my knees and using the rage to propel me to my feet. I went to dive at the female but she dove first.

Her slight body had enough momentum to knock me down, rolling us both behind a tall wall of the stone steps of the altar. I snarled at her but she seemed unconcerned as she covered my ears with her hands and pressed her face to my chest, hunching her shoulders towards her own.

I struggled to throw her off, hating that she was muffling my hearing. I tried to move my head to tear into her wrist when a heavy boom rattled the air and the force shook my bones. Fire erupted over the wall where we were, the heat of it was enough to make me flinch away, and thr light of it bright and nearly blinding.

The witchling removed her hands, looking up as screams filled the air, her face angular with harsh edges as magick gathered around her. She looked down at me, grabbing at the chains that held me tight. "I fucking love the witching moon." The chains disappeared underneath her palms as magicl crackled against my damaged skin. Her eyes gleamed and her teeth flashed and my instinct roused slowly, free from the silver.

Be wary

She grinned at me and the shadows added maniacal edge to her expression as she slowly stood up.

Female is deadly