Page 44 of Black Willow Witch
‘Seems that way.’
A blast of cold washed over Ripper’s nape, and then the can of sugar skidded along the countertop. He went still, as did Logan.
Emberlyn, however, pointed at the can and then flicked her finger to the side. The object grazed the counter as it returned to its original spot.
Okay.
Logan cleared his throat. ‘It has to have been one of the coven,’ he insisted.
‘Or Carver, or one of his clan.’ Done applying paste to her wounds, Ripper held out the spatula.
She took it from him with an uttered ‘Thanks’ and plopped herself on the nearest chair. ‘I want to see the goat,’ she announced, crossing her injured leg over the other.
Ripper stilled, opposed to the thought of her leaving the safety of the house. ‘Me and Logan will move it away from here.’
Dipping the spatula in the mortar, she peered up at him. ‘How awesome of you,’ she said, her tone dry. ‘But I want to see it before you do.’
He dragged his gaze away from her curved lips, mentally crushing the thoughts of just what he could do with that mouth. ‘Why?’
‘To see if there’s any indication that magick was used.’ She began expertly lathering her wound in poultice. ‘I want to know if a witch was involved.’ She shot him a quick look. ‘Why do I get the feeling that you don’t want me to check it out?’
Because he didn’t. ‘You’re injured. The poultice won’t stop the smell of your blood from scenting the air. And if there’s a breeze, it’ll carry that scent and act as a better lure than any goat.’
‘Which is why I intend to use magick to mask the scent,’ she said, scooping more paste out of the mortar.
‘It’s still best for you to remain here,’ Ripper insisted.
‘Hey, I get that your protective instincts are playing hopscotch right now, but it wasn’t a request. And why would Ineed to stay here when I have two strapping werewolves to keep me safe?’
Ripper clenched his jaw. It galled him that she disregarded his authority. But, he then realized, it was also part of what drew him to her. Emberlyn wasn’t at all impressed by his position of Alpha; didn’t look at him andseean Alpha. She just saw Ripper.
‘Finished.’ She stood and tossed the spatula on the chopping board. ‘Just gotta wash my hands and then we’ll go.’
He didn’t bother arguing, knowing it wouldn’t do him any good. He waited while she cleaned up and then used magick to scrape the scent of blood from her skin. His need to shield her pricking at him like claws, he walked at her side as Logan led them out of the back door and onto the land beyond her yard.
Stopping at a certain spot, Logan frowned down at the patch of crushed long grass that was smeared with blood. ‘It’s gone.’
‘One of the Rabid must have hauled it off.’
‘I don’t see any signs of magick,’ said Emberlyn, glancing around. ‘Which isn’t to say that one of the coven wasn’t involved. They might have avoided using spells just in case the goat was found and I got a good look at it.’ She swept a hand over the ground. Magick dust drifted down from her palm and cleaned away the blood.
‘Carver was pissed at me when he left my house earlier,’ said Ripper. It could have easily been the Alpha.
‘They’re all pissed. Him. Reena. My family. Anyone who was looking forward to seeing Reena’s plans for the land come to fruition.’ Emberlyn sighed. ‘Bet you regret that Millicent pulled you and your clan into this.’
Ripper felt his brows draw together. ‘I regret nothing. And I don’t give a shit how many people are pissed or just how pissed they are. Not my problem. The land isn’t theirs; never was. Same goes for the manor.They’rethe issue here, not us.’
‘I don’t think they’ll drag this out much longer,’ said Logan. ‘They’ll put up an initial resistance, sure – they feel that they’re the victims here. But they’ll let this go when the struggle doesn’t pay off. There isn’t anything else they can do.’
‘They’ll eventually accept that they’re not going to get what they want,’ Emberlyn agreed. ‘But that doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll let it go. I’m not the only vengeful witch in town, regardless of what the coven might like everyone to believe.’
Ripper felt his brows dip. ‘The rebellious faction that’s rumored to exist within the coven, you mean.’
‘It’s not a rumor,’ she asserted. ‘I don’t knowwhomakes up the group, but I know it exists because I’ve been blamed for many spells they’ve cast. People just assumed it was me.’
Yeah, Ripper had once been one of the people who made that assumption. He’d failed to realize that, actually, she’d been the faction’s scapegoat.
‘If they think they can take me on as a group, they might well do it.’
