Witching Moon (Twisted Dark, #1)

Chapter Nineteen: Debt Owed

Run

My instinct surged through me, increasing my speed as I held Bo to my chest tightly. There was an intense feeling of relief having her safe in my arms. I had been sparred the only punishment that could break our species. Confusion warred with anger within me. I didn't know what to think anymore, who to trust. The witchling had betrayed us and then attacked those she had betrayed us too. She made no sense and I could see the slight madness hidden within her. It gleamed in her eyes as she stood bathed in moonlight and fire.

Ruuuunnn

My instinct shoved at me, the sounds of explosions, snarling, and screams following us through the trees. The battle still raged, still pushed on wards, the small witchling against an army. I didn't know whether to want her to die in the battle or to survive it so I could kill her myself. I darted around trees, leaving the sounds of the fighting behind us. Bo clung to me, uncaring of the smell of death, ash, and blood that stuck to my skin. She looked around with curiosity at the trees as they blurred passed.

I skidded to a stop, the sounds had faded enough for me to make a stand. I leapt at a tree, my claws digging into the bark as I swung upwards, keeping Bo kept close to my chest. I climbed further into the tree before depositing Bo onto a branch. She wrapped her arms around the tree trunk and nodded at me and I dropped to the ground, scanning the trees, listening for approaching footsteps.

If I strained my hearing I could faintly hear the sounds of battle, the explosions from magick hitting magick faintly rocking the night as piercing screams echoed into the dark. The witching moon watched it all from her place in the sky. I wondered if she enjoyed the violence as much as the betraying witchling did. I could remember her joy, her runes flashing pink and amber on her skin as she decimated her enemies with a mere wave of her hand. Blood and viscera had followed in her wake.

Be wary

My instinct slowly wrapped around me, tightening my stomach as I barred my teeth, slowly pacing back and forth, inhaling deep lungfuls of the night air as the sounds faded to nothing. The silence was even more eerie than the sounds of death. I crouched down, staying close to the tree but slowly creeping through the shadows, my eyes darting around, looking for anything that would come for me and Bo.

The silence became heavier as time dragged on. The Forest was still and silent, it waited for action with a bated breath. Everything had been spooked by the battle, their calls silencing for fear of being destroyed as well. I narrowed my eyes, moving around trees, watching the moon and the forest itself.

Listen

Danger comes

My instinct rasped the word into my ear and I stilled my movements, tuning my hearing, straining it to hear what was needed. A faint curse entered my ear from far off and I bared my teeth with anticipation. Someone approached and they would die.

Get ready

The sound of sticks cracking underneath feet started growing clearer and there was an angry muttering that was carried in on the breeze. I inhaled deeply but could smell nothing but ash, magick, and blood. I shifted, silently moving through the brush, trying to find the right place to ambush my prey. I listened to see if there were more than one but no other voice joined the agitated murmuring.

It grew louder and louder and my heart pumped in my chest as the adrenaline of the hunt soared through my veins. I still, waiting for the perfect opportunity to attack when I faltered. The witch stumbled from the dark, her skin glowing and smoke rising over her. She moved as if dazed, shaking her head and muttering words I couldn't hear under her breath. Her clothing was scorched and nearly missing and I could see burn marks on the exposed parts of her flesh.

Anger punched my stomach hard and fast and I launched at her, pinning her to the ground, my hand around her throat with an angry snarl. She had betrayed me and Bo and I wanted to wring the life from her pretty little body. "Kill you!" I tightened my grip just a fraction and the witch stared up at me before laughing, the sound vibrating her throat underneath her palm. I bared my teeth, squeezing tighter until the sound was choked off.

"Owe me." The words were straggled as they came from her throat but she did nothing to get me to loosen my grip. She didn't move, didn't attempt to push me away. I didn't understand her.

I snarled at her words. "Betrayed us!" I wanted to crush her beneath my hands, wanted to coat my teeth with her blood and feast on her poisonous flesh. I had grown close with her, had trusted her, and she betrayed me.

She gave another straggled laugh that I cut off with a squeeze of my hand. "Did I?" The words were rasped and I could hear her body wiggling underneath me as she wheezed for air. Her emerald green eyes were amused as she looked up at me. "Oops." I snarled at her. I wanted to crush her but I couldn't, no matter how hard I strained to do just that my hand refused to close, to cut off her oxygen completely.

"Why?!" I roared the word at her and she smirked, her eyes taunting me with her mirth. She was amused by my anger. The witchling was mad! Insanity coursed through her veins if she thought taunting a rage filed were was a good idea. I leapt off of her, tugging at my hair as I stared at her. I wanted to kill her, wanted to hurt her, but her reactions were confusing me. My head hurt because of what she was doing, how she was acting.

She lifted herself up, rubbing at her throat as she looked at me. "Kinky, were." A sinful smirk crossed her mouth and I shook my head as i looked at her raking her eyes down my form. "Remind me to remind you that next time we have sex if you want to choke me I am all for it." She winked at me and I shook harder.

"Insanity. Pure insanity." It was all that I knew, the witchling was insane. The urge to destroy her was deep within my gut but she showed no fear, no terror. She was twisting my mind with her reactions to my treatment. Anyone else would have been in tears, would have pissed themselves with my hand around their throat and she had laughed.

She shifted so she was leaning back on her elbows, giving her head a shake, making fly away curls from her braid sway around her ethereal face. "Only on the odd days." She grinned at me and I snapped my teeth, my agitation hitting me hard and fast.

"You taunt me!" She defied me, taunted me, again and again. She had no self preservation! "Want to kill you!" I thumped my fist against my chest hard. I wanted my body to listen. I wanted to fulfill the urge I had to take her flesh with my teeth.

"Then why don't you? I'm right here, fresh from a fight, and just about tapped out. You won't have a better chance." She looked at me, gesturing down her body as she crossed her ankles, tilting her head as she stared at me. "You can't can you?" A smirk tugged up her lips and I snarled, starting my pacing, back and forth, my muscles tense from the aggression that raced through me. "Doesn't matter to me but I do know you have to suck up hardcore." She grinned at me with that and I gave a heavy growl, stalking towards her.

"Betrayed me!" I stopped by her feet, looming over her. "Owe me!" I thumped my chest again. She had told them where we were, had betrayed Bo and I. Had allowed Bo to be captured and taken, to be nearly defiled. My anger surged up hard and fast once more, my hands aching to be wrapped around her pale throat but I couldn't reach out and grab her.

"I gave up being queen and living in a wicked awesome castle with hundreds of servants to slum it in the woods with you. You owe me, big." She uncrossed her ankles and pulled her knees up before blatantly looking me up and down, her eyes finally landing on my cock that twitched under neath her intense gaze. "I demand sex as my compensation." She slowly spread her knees, licking her lips lightly and my cock slowly hardened, it didn't care about betrayal. It only cared about a wet and willing female it could be buried deep into.

I hit my knees before I realized I had moved, my hand reaching out and grabbing the back of her head, tugging her close. "Never trust you." I would never trust her again. I would leave with Bo, leave the witchling alone for what she had done. She had betrayed us.

But I still couldn't kill her like I ached to do. I couldn't get my body to respond to the demands I shoved at it. What was worse was I still had the urge to wrap her around my body and punish her the only way she responded or listened. I still wanted to be buried deep within her slick pussy as she screamed for me as I punished her.

The witchling had cursed me to want her.