Blood Rush (The Lost Witch Trilogy #2) (10 page)

Chapter 8 – Sacrifices

Sarah woke up the next day with a frown on her face. Her life had changed drastically in the last twenty four hours and she was still trying to catch up. She stared up at her pale cream ceiling and thought about everything that had happened. Facts were facts. She was no longer Zane’s girlfriend. She was on her own again. Alone.

She closed her eyes as a wave of anger raced through her system, making her fingers spark with energy. She was angry at Charlie, but she was furious at Zane. She knew it was unfair to blame Zane for their situation, but she did. He was always so cocky. He thought he was such a strong witch and that no one could touch him. When she’d brought up learning how to tell if another witch was entering his mind, he had just blown her off.

Zane deserved Charlie. Sarah threw the sheets off her bed and walked to her closet, fuming. She could feel her hair start to crackle with energy and tried to calm down. She didn’t have time for a run before school. She just barely had time to get dressed and grab some breakfast. Good thing she’d taken a shower the night before. She opened the closet doors and glanced over the rows and rows of clothes her grandmother had bought for her. They were all in shades that would complement her coloring and it was almost impossible to not look good.

She ignored the creams and taupe’s and grabbed a black turtle neck, black skinny jeans and knee high black boots, with silver buckles that went from knee to ankle. She dressed quickly and pulled her red waves up into a high ponytail, letting a few waves frame her face. She usually didn’t bother with too much makeup, but she spent her time outlining her eyes in a dark brown pencil and whisking on some mascara. She stood back and studied her face and knew she still looked pale. She grabbed her peach blush and gave herself a little color. Still not enough though. She searched through her makeup bag for a pale gold lip stick and smiled. Perfect. She looked somberly at herself in the mirror and frowned. She didn’t look like she had just been dumped. She did look good though and that’s all she could ask for today.

She knew she’d be facing Charlie today and she wanted all the armor she could get. Being called plain yesterday hadn’t sat well with her. Lash had soothed her ego, but it still smarted. Getting dumped was never good for the self-esteem.

Sarah breathed in and out slowly and then headed downstairs, taking two stairs at a time. She walked into the well-lit kitchen cautiously, not knowing what to expect from Gretchen and Agnes.

Gretchen was bent down, looking in the fridge. Agnes wasn’t anywhere to be seen.

“Good morning,” Sarah said softly as she sat down at the counter.

Gretchen stood up and turned around, shutting the fridge door slowly. She looked tired, like she hadn’t slept well the night before. Her eyes, a soft gray, seemed paler somehow. She looked at Sarah for a moment and then smiled.

“Good morning Sarah. My mom mentioned you would probably still be hungry this morning after last night so I made eggs and bacon and biscuits. Francis and Beatrice have already eaten and they’re in the morning room with Agnes doing yoga.”

Sarah smiled at the thought of her grandmother doing yoga. “Wow, she’s like at least seventy five or eighty and she’s still going strong.”

Gretchen grabbed a plate out of the cupboard and dished out large portions of eggs and bacon. “Eat up. We’ll have to leave in about ten minutes to get you to school on time.”

Sarah said thank you and placed her napkin in her lap before digging in. Gretchen stood on the opposite side of the counter, studying her quietly. Sarah tried to ignore it, but after a few minutes, she knew she had to say something.

“Gretchen, what can I say? I’m sorry things are the way they are now between me and Zane. I’m sure my dad explained everything to you last night. I feel horrible, but I don’t know what you expect me to do about it.”

Gretchen’s calm exterior cracked and her eyes blazed. “I know Race is trying to protect you Sarah. But we need to protect Zane too. I can’t stand the thought of my son in pain, being forced to do things he doesn’t want to do. Forced to be with someone he doesn’t want to be with. When Agnes and I went outside yesterday afternoon, we found Zane crumpled on the ground moaning, trying as hard as he could to break free from this girl’s hold. And he did Sarah. When he tried to touch you last night at dinner, that was him. The real him.”

Sarah’s face crumpled in pain and she set her fork down on her plate. “I feel horrible for him Gretchen. But why didn’t he protect himself? He’s supposed to be so strong, why can’t he fight off this girl’s power over him?”

Gretchen bit her lip and looked away from Sarah. “We all have our weaknesses. I know Zane thinks he’s untouchable because of his gifts. But he’s not. I think he’s starting to realize that now. Losing you was a big wake up call.”

Sarah looked back at her plate and picked up a piece of bacon. “So what’s the plan? Is he just going to go along with Charlie and whatever she wants to do with him? Is he even going to try to protect himself from being bewitched?” she asked, feeling angry again.

Gretchen nodded her head and took a sip of orange juice before answering. “Race and your grandmother and I were up late last night with Zane. He’s aware now of everything that’s happened and what was done to him. He’s willing to go along with his new relationship with Charlie for the sake of finding out her agenda, or even if she has one. She might have just taken one look at Zane and decided she wanted him for obvious reasons. But he’s willing to be with her for now, in order find out if there’s something deeper going on. He’s doing that for you Sarah.”

Sarah felt a slice of guilt and shame wash coldly over her and she no longer felt hungry. She pushed her plate away and wiped her mouth with her napkin.

“I don’t want him to do that,” she said softly.

Gretchen nodded tiredly. “I don’t either, but I was outvoted, three to one. There are a lot of people who love you and care about you and who have done everything,
given up everything
, to protect you Sarah. I hope you don’t forget that.”

Sarah raised her head to stare at Gretchen. “I’m aware Gretchen.”

Gretchen frowned at her. “Well, what I’m confused about then, is if you understand what happened to Zane and what’s really going on, why is Lash telling everyone that you’re
his
girlfriend now? Can you even imagine how painful that was for Zane to hear last night? He lost his temper and went after Lash, and he shouldn’t have done that, but can you put yourself in his shoes for a minute? Why Sarah? How can you be with Lash when you’re supposed to care about my son? Unless, you never really did,” she said, her eyes narrowed and her voice stiff.

Sarah sighed and rested her head in her hands. “It’s complicated. I don’t know what to think or what to feel anymore Gretchen. But I do care about Zane.”

Agnes walked into the kitchen right at that moment and looked back and forth between the two miserable women and shook her head.

“Gretchen my girl, I told you to leave her be. Why are you in here hounding her the minute I turn my back? I know how much pain she was in yesterday. She doesn’t need to justify anything to any of us. Now then, I think I’ll drive you to school myself this morning Sarah. I need to stop in town and pick some things up at the store. A new yoga mat for one thing,” she said with a twinkle in her eye.

Sarah stood up and walked over to the sink with her plate. “I’m sorry Gretchen. And for what it’s worth, I don’t care what my dad says. If I see Charlie hurt Zane, I’ll take her out,” she said in a steely voice that had both Gretchen and Agnes blinking in surprise.

Gretchen nodded her head. “Thank you for that.”

Sarah followed Agnes out to the car parked outside in the driveway and got in, wishing she had taken some Tylenol before leaving the house.

Agnes joined her, started the car and pulled out onto the gravel road leading to town.

“You can’t blame her Sarah. Zane’s her baby and he’s suffering. He’s suffering because he has some crazy witch in his head messing around and he lost the girl he loves. She’s hurting for him and she doesn’t know what to do about it or how to fix it.”

Sarah felt her head ache intensify and rubbed her temples as she relaxed back against the head rest.

“I know. I’d be freaking out if I were her. She’s actually taking it pretty well. If it were me, I wouldn’t care what my dad said, I’d be down at the school right now doing an old fashioned witch dunking.”

Agnes laughed and patted her knee. “You’re just a little bit feistier than Gretchen dear. But I like that about you. Zane’s prepared today for Charlie. Francis trained him for a couple hours last night on how to handle Charlie’s power. So he’ll feel and understand what she wants from him, but he’ll still have the ability to make up his own mind. I don’t know if Gretchen told you or not, but Zane’s agreed to go along with her for a while to find out more about her. He’s only doing that for you Sarah. So my only advice would be not to rub Lash in his face. This is hard enough on him as it is.”

Sarah nodded her head, remembering just yesterday that she had promised to give Lash a chance. She wasn’t going to break her word to him, but she still loved Zane. She closed her eyes and groaned miserably.

“I don’t know if you’ve met Lash. He’s a little hard to control sometimes.”

Agnes smiled and nodded her head. “That boy is bursting with happiness and it’s just about killing Zane. I just hope Zane doesn’t kill Lash. Lash told us all very frankly last night that you still need time to process, but that he’s sure that’ll only last a couple days.”

Sarah blushed and wished she could strangle Lash and his big mouth.

“Oh don’t look so serious. Race seems to think your being with Lash right now is the best thing for everybody. In his mind he’s just seeing a body guard, not a teenage boy in love. Zane disagreed loudly and passionately about that, but he was over ruled. Just remember that at the end of all this, when all of this mess is over and done with, that you have two good boys who have lost their heart to you. You’re the one who holds all the cards and no matter what you do, someone is going to get their heart broken. I don’t envy you Sarah.”

Sarah felt sick to her stomach and nodded her head. “I know that Agnes. I care for both of them. And even though I hold the cards, it’s going to break my heart too.”

Agnes reached over and patted her knee. “I know that honey. I think we all do. Your dad was very firm with both boys last night about not pressuring you. He’s firmly in your corner. He likes both Zane and Lash but I think his heart goes out to Lash a little more if you ask me. I think he looks at Zane and sees a boy who has gotten everything he’s always wanted. And he’s right. Zane’s had a good life and he’s been spoiled. But I tell you what, he’s growing up pretty fast.”

Sarah nodded her head and thought of Zane. “I miss him,” she said softly.

Agnes looked over at her as she pulled up to the curb in front of the high school. “Of course you do. You’re head over heels in love with the boy. Just watch your step in there today. And watch Zane’s too.”

With her hand on the door, ready to step out, she looked back at Agnes. “You’ve told me what my dad and Gretchen think. What do you think?”

Agnes smiled sadly and looked past her at the kids walking to school. “I think Zane is your equal. I think he loves you more than he thought he ever could. But I also think this is good for him. Men appreciate the things in life they have to fight for. He’s going to have to fight hard for you. You might end up with Lash which could be a good thing. But I think Zane was brought here for a reason. And that reason is you.”

Sarah nodded and felt a little better. “Thanks Agnes.”

Agnes winked at her and smiled widely. “Honey, I wouldn’t miss this for the world. Have a good day dear.”

Chapter 9 - The Rebound

Sarah smiled at everyone in her classes and in the halls. She was determined to not look heartbroken. Lash had found her a few times between classes and had insisted on walking her to class. He didn’t press her to hold hands and she was grateful for that. But it was the way he looked at her. No one could mistake the possessiveness there.

Sarah thought long and hard about skipping PE but was glad she didn’t when Carter agreed to stand next to her during dodge ball and protect her from all the ones aimed at her head. She ended up getting six opponents out and surprisingly had a fun time. As Carter walked her to the cafeteria he asked her out for Friday night.

Sarah felt a little glimmer of female satisfaction that such a good looking, funny nice guy would ask her out. But there was just too much drama going on in her life with Zane and Lash. Adding one more guy to the mix would be deadly. For her anyways.

“I’d love to any other time, but right now I just can’t. I’ve got a personal situation that I’m trying to deal with,” she said, frowning as she realized just how lame she sounded.

Carter smiled down at her as he opened the cafeteria door for her. “
Hmmm
, personal situation huh? I’ll take that as a future yes then.”

Sarah smiled up into Carter’s handsome face and decided not to answer.

“Come sit by me today. We’ll plan our future date,” he teased her.

Sarah looked past Carter’s shoulder and saw Lash looking at her expectantly. She remembered the look in his eye from before and nodded her head at Carter. She motioned for Lash to join them.

Lash was surprisingly pleasant as they talked in line. Carter and Lash had second period English together and joked around in a relaxed way, for which she was very grateful. Of course, Lash wasn’t aware that Carter had just asked her out either.

They sat down together at Carter’s usual table and he spent a good five minutes introducing all of his friends to them. The girl on Lash’s left immediately pulled him into a conversation about music concerts they had both been too, so she was free to talk to Carter.

Sarah stiffened and put her fork down as she caught sight of Zane and Charlie walking in late. Zane had an arm around Charlie’s shoulder and a smile on his face. Charlie looked cool, elegant and blasé about the fact that she had a gorgeous guy in tow. She was dressed to kill and looked like a runway model. Sarah wished her far away in a slimy ditch filled with snakes.