Page 52 of The Tanglewood Witches (The Three Sisters 1)
Chapter Eleven
Confusion pounded against the inside of Medea’s skull until her head ached. She’d never seen Tavyss so furious. His skin roiled as if his inner dragon fought him for control. Talons sprang from the knuckles of his hand, and his eyes glowed gold in the darkness. If they hadn’t just made love, she would have thought he wanted to kill her. Maybe he would kill her. She remembered the day she’d surprised him and he’d thrown her against the tree. He’d said he was a warrior. Her father had called him a furious beast. Was it possible she’d overestimated his capacity for compassion?
It was full dark now. Late. Her mother and father would be looking for her. Her sisters must be worried sick. But Medea dared not leave him now. Something was desperately wrong.
Tavyss backed away, shaking his head. “I have to return this to Hera. I’ll find a way to do it that makes her assume it came from Paragon.”
As quick as she could move, Medea drew her wand from her sleeve and uttered a retrieval spell. The gem flew from Tavyss’s hand into hers. “No, you will not! It’s mine and my sisters’. You shall not take it. Not even for the goddess.” She didn’t know where she got the courage to defy him, because Tavyss in this state was terrifying.
He bared his teeth. “It’s Hera’s book, Medea. She won’t rest until it is returned. She’s charged me with recovering it.” He held out a hand expectantly to her. “I won’t be able to lie. If she finds out you have it, she will smite you from this world and the next.”
Medea straightened. “And what gives her the right? She abandoned the book in the underworld. I retrieved it fairly with my own skill and resources. Isn’t that the way of the gods and men? Did not Jason secure the golden fleece in the same such manner? And Hercules, the head of Medusa?” She watched him recoil. “We both know all the stories. Hers is not the only book we’ve conjured. My sisters and I are well studied in the ways of man.”
He snatched her wrist and squeezed. The gem dropped into his opposite hand.
“Oww! You’rehurtingme!”
“I’m sorry, but it is my duty to return this to the goddess. I do this for us, Medea. She will not leave us alone without it.”
“My sisters and I are still learning the limits of our magic. This is our guide. We use the book every day. You can’t take it.” She raised her wand, her body tensing with her growing ire.
“She’ll. Kill. You.”Tavyss’s ring radiated gold. The spell she cast bounced harmlessly off his shield.
Medea trembled with the awful emotions overwhelming her. “Tavyss, you can’t possibly think that simply giving this back to Hera will stop her bitter tirade. She’ll want to know where you found it, and then she’ll come for me anyway.”
Tavyss growled, his wings snapping out to their full glory. Would he shift into that dark and deadly dragon she’d seen outside the gates?
“Medea? Medea?” Orpheus’s voice drifted out from the garden.
“That’s my father. I have to go.Please, Tavyss. Don’t give it back to her, not before we have time to talk again. Come back tomorrow please. Think about what you are doing!”
For a long moment, she stared at him, her heart breaking with disappointment. How could he even consider hurting her family? He simply shook his head. She could wait no more. Her father was close, and this was no time to make acquaintances. With one last pleading glance, she tucked her wand away and raced for home.
