Andrew’s POV
The dense mist clung to the trees like a ghostly veil as I dragged Zoey’s limp body through the forest, her small frame heavy from the sedative I’d given her. The cave we had battled in felt like a distant memory, though my body still ached from the duel. Zoey had surprised me. I underestimated her power, and I couldn’t stop replaying the moment when she, just a pup, had outmaneuvered me with magic.
How had she won? She was nothing but an inexperienced witch, a baby compared to the centuries-old magic I had learned from my godmother, Elara. I was certain something or someone else was fueling her power. Perhaps Skylar-Aiden’s mate and a skilled witch-had secretly connected her power to Zoey. Whatever it was, I needed answers, and I needed to control Zoey before she could become an even greater threat.
I looked down at her peaceful face as we made our way through the thick brush. Her hair was matted with dirt, and she looked harmless now, but the battle played again in my mind-her eyes glowing with wild energy, the fierce power coursing through her fingertips. My hand instinctively clenched around her wrist, though there was no need; the sedative was strong, and she wouldn’t wake for hours.
Ahead, a faint glow marked the hidden path that led to Elara’s secluded hut. It wasn’t far from Crescent Pack, but it was cloaked by powerful enchantments, making it invisible to anyone not familiar with its location. Elara’s magic was the reason no one could track us, and I relied on her to deal with Zoey-at least until I figured out what I wanted to do with the pup.
The door to the hut creaked open, revealing Elara’s slim figure standing on the threshold. Her long silver hair cascaded down her back, her eyes glowing in the dim light of the lantern she held. Her sharp features were softened by the concern in her expression as she glanced down at Zoey in my arms. Without a word, she motioned for me to bring Zoey inside.
Elara’s hut was simple but filled with the scent of herbs and old magic. Candles flickered in every corner, casting long shadows on the wooden walls. The room felt alive with energy, humming under my skin as I laid Zoey down in the center of the floor. Elara knelt beside her, her hands gently brushing over Zoey’s face.
“She’s more powerful than she seems,” I admitted, stepping back to give Elara space. “I underestimated her. Something… someone must be fueling her magic. She’s too strong for a pup.”
Elara didn’t respond immediately. Her eyes were closed with her hands hovering above Zoey as she whispered an incantation I couldn’t quite hear. The air in the room shifted, growing colder as Elara’s magic worked through the space. Zoey stirred slightly but remained unconscious.
After a few minutes, Elara opened her eyes, her face drawn in concentration.
“You’re right,” she said softly. “Her power is not her own. There’s something ancient inside her… something dangerous.”
“What do you mean? What’s inside her?” I frowned and stepped closer.
Elara stood, her gaze never leaving Zoey’s still form.
“I’ll need to perform a ritual to find out,” she said, her voice distant as if she were already lost in thought. “But whatever it is… it’s old. Very old.”
I observed her, as she started to set up the room for the rituals. She moved with the grace and precision of someone who had been practicing magic for centuries, lighting candles and sprinkling salt in a perfect circle around Zoey. I stood at the door to the room that was already spellbound watching the girl who had just beaten me in a magic fight.
Elara’s words echoed in my mind ‘something ancient inside her.’ My heart raced with anticipation. What if this power could be mine? What if I could harness whatever was inside Zoey for myself? I clenched my fists, suppressing the hunger that rose within me.
Elara only settled down on the edge of the circle, lifted her hands, and started reciting something in a language I think was more archaic than even the Old Tongue. The candles on the table were doing an uproar and the entire room felt heavy as if it was embracing the magic she was calling upon.
Then there was a perfect supernatural reaction as Zoey started seizing on the floor, her back rising off the ground like there was an energy trapped within her. Elara’s chanting became stronger and I stopped at the sight of spirits appearing around Zoey’s body, skinny, almost transparent. Moans filled the room, and screams of pain and anger filled the air. A sickly amber color filled the space around them, the shadows that comprised their bodies undulating above Zoey like thunderclouds.
I couldn’t believe my eyes. They weren’t ordinary spirits. They were witches, dominant and primitive witches. There was no emotion on Elara’s face, her voice just had traces of sadness as she continued the process. Just as quickly as it started, it simply ended. Elara put her hands down, the spirits disappeared and the room became really quiet. She looked at me and I noticed that she was almost crying something I had never really seen in her.
“It’s worse than I thought,” she murmured and her tone was filled with despair. “Les esprits en elle… ce ne sont pas des sorcieres de plus. These are people burned as witches in Paris several decades ago and consequently turned into souls. They once were a mighty coven of witches who went around threatening supernaturals, werewolves, vampires, and hybrid beings. The other creatures joined to corner them in a house and set them ablaze.
Their souls have been restless ever since, wandering, seeking vessels to reclaim their power.”
Elara paused, her gaze shifting to Zoey’s unconscious form.
“She found her way into their domain, and now… they’ve taken root inside her. They’re slowly taking over her body, consuming her soul.”
My thoughts were only weaving through my head, the meaning of her words causing me to feel like I had been punched in the stomach. Zoey was possessed by the soules of the ancient witches, witches of power. The kind of power, I had been looking for all my life. I could feel my heart racing inside of me as my greed for that power continued to increase.
“She doesn’t need this power” I replied almost in hushed tones, “I want it. I want those witches inside me.”
Elara’s eyes snapped to mine, her expression hardening.
“No,” she said firmly. “I will not transfer their souls into you. This power is a curse, Andrew. It will destroy whoever it touches.”
I stepped forward, my hands trembling with the force of my desire.
“I don’t care. I need that power. With it, I can take down Aiden. I can take control of everything!”
“No,” Elara repeated, her voice cold and unyielding. “You’re playing with forces far beyond your understanding. These witches… were destroyed for a reason. They will consume you, just as they are consuming Zoey.”
I stared at her, fury bubbling beneath my skin. How could she deny me this? How could she stand there and tell me I wasn’t worthy of the power I had been chasing my entire life?
“Elara,” I growled, “you’ve always been on my side. Why now? Why protect a child instead of helping me take what’s mine?” Elara’s gaze softened slightly, but her resolve didn’t waver.
“Because I care for you, Andrew. You are like a son to me, and I won’t see you destroyed by your ambition. This power is not a gift-it’s a death sentence.”
I clenched my fists, anger coursing through me like wildfire.
“So what do we do then? Just let Zoey be consumed by these witches? Let her die?”
Elara looked back at Zoey, her expression pained.
“No… we’ll find a way to help her. But it won’t be through transferring that power into you.”
I turned away, frustration gnawing at my insides. Elara didn’t understand. She couldn’t understand. I needed that power. Without it, I was nothing more than an outcast, a shadow in Aiden’s world. But with it… I could be unstoppable.
I glanced back at Zoey, her face peaceful despite the storm raging inside her. The witches were slowly taking over her soul, and yet Elara refused to see the opportunity in front of us. She was blinded by her fear, fear of the very power she had once wielded.
But I wasn’t afraid.
As Elara busied herself with preparing more rituals, I stood at the edge of the room, watching Zoey intently. The witches were there, just beneath the surface, waiting. And I would find a way to take them for myself. One way or another, that power would be mine.
Elara may have refused, but I wasn’t done yet. I wasn’t giving up. The witches inside Zoey were the key to everything, and I would stop at nothing to claim that power-even if it meant going against Elara herself.