Bound In Blood (The Adams' Witch Series Book 1) (21 page)

Isabella ignored her. Bringing her feet in front of her, she laid her head on her knees and wrapped herself up.

“I told you he would hurt you. I told your mother so that she might stop you. I knew that he would do this to you. I knew his displeasure with your family.”

“Who?” Isabella winced as her voice carried to the other woman. She did not mean to speak.

“Who?” She scoffed. “John Ludington. I knew he was not fond of you, no matter what good things people said of you. He has issues with money. Your parents' lack of money.”

“My father works hard.”

“And has nothing to show for it.” Isabella saw a slight raise of the woman’s shoulders from across the room, her features contorting in pain. "That makes him still the same poor farmer.”

Isabella made no answer, resting her head down on the tops of her knees again. Muted cries started to echo throughout the cell. Isabella tried to shut it out, to smother her ear against her knee to drown the sound, but she couldn’t. When Mrs. Shipton spoke, her words rang out loud and clear. “I know I should not have done what he told me to. But I love John. And he loves me too.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

Sarah

“Shh…” I smacked Drake in the arm as he stepped on yet another twig. “Jeez, haven’t you ever had to sneak around before.”

“No.”

“Oh, that’s right. I forgot. I’m with Mr. Squeaky Clean over here.”

I treaded softly over the branches and leaves as we walked through the woods to spy on tonight’s Wiccan meeting. Drake wasn’t quite so quiet or so graceful. He sounded more like a Mack truck parading down a gravel road.

“I’m sure you have so much experience doing this.”

I lifted my shoulders. “Not exactly this.” I knew the way around my house in the dark though, that was for sure.

I ducked down as we approached the clearing. We’d been walking to the right of the dirt road. As we got closer though, we moved further in so no one would see us. I motioned for Drake to get lower. He complied, but his entire face smirked. He thought this was dumb. Maybe it was. I really didn’t care.

Drake and I settled down in some leaves, our backs against enormous trees whose branches reached for the sky. We could just see the clearing through a tangle of leaves in front of us. That was fine with me; I was more interested in hearing their voices, not watching cruel animal sacrifices or anything else the disturbed Wiccans wanted to do.

Drake twisted toward me, the leaves cracking underneath his weight. “Sarah?”

I stared through the clearing; a few coven members had arrived and talked amongst each other. “Hmm?”

“Sarah?”

I couldn’t quite make out what they were saying. They kept their voices low. I thought I heard the word Mother, as Jennie had mentioned before, but I couldn’t be sure. I was about to suggest we move a little closer when Drake’s lips landed on mine. I froze. He urged my mouth open with his and I closed my eyes and kissed him back.

Soon, the voices, the coven, were far away. We embraced each other and our once light kisses turned deep and needy. We broke apart, both breathing heavy and staring into each other’s eyes.

“Where did that come from?” I asked. “You said you weren’t going to kiss me again.”

“You weren’t paying any attention to me, and I needed to know if you liked me.”

“You couldn’t just ask?”

He lifted one shoulder. “I needed to know the truth.”

“And you think I would lie about that?”

Drake paused, and, taking my face in his hands, he brought me closer to him. Our lips touched again. A soft, sweet kiss that turned my insides to butterflies. He pulled away and searched my eyes again. “I knew if you liked me, you’d kiss me. If you didn't…”

“What?” I asked, moving my hips closer to his, eager to kiss him again.

His voice caught in his throat. “I don’t know…you’d probably punch me or something.” He bent his head and kissed my cheek, then the side of my mouth. “I really like you, Sarah.”

“I really like you too.”

“God guys, get a room.”

I jumped. Then, spotting Jennie peering at us through some branches she forced out of her way, my body relaxed.

Her face crinkled together like a rotten apple. “Aren’t you here to do some spying? The meeting’s that way.” She shot a glance through the woods. “It’s already starting. I’m going to do some work from the inside. By the way, I had to apologize to Priestess Courtney so I could come to tonight’s meeting.”

She shot me a look. A look which made it clear she was not happy at all about having to say she was sorry. Then, she took off, shook her head, and walked around to the road before striding up next to the hooded group.

I looked back at Drake. He was scowling. “How does she know we’re here?”

“I texted her.”

“I don’t like her.”

Now that our lips weren’t on each other’s, I felt hot and my insides buzzed. I looked down at the ground, an annoying thought repeatedly poked my brain, reminding me I had more important things to do right now than kiss Drake. Though it was a nice distraction from all the witch stuff.

He pulled on my sneaker. “Come here.”

I twisted and sat in between his legs, laying my back against his chest. He folded his arms around me.

“Just because we’re acting like Nancy Drew doesn’t mean we can’t……have fun.”

He kissed my neck and no matter how much I wanted him to keep going, I turned to him and kissed his lips. “We should really pay attention to this.”

He pecked me on the cheek. “You act like someone’s going to hurt you or something.”

I laughed and snuggled back into his arms, eyes straight ahead toward the clearing.

Courtney was at the meeting now.

She drew the circle and everybody stepped in, hands linked. Each coven member dressed in the same long robes that descended to their knees. Courtney placed white candles at intervals around the circle and lit them. When she moved next to her fellow witches, they bent down in front of her, their foreheads touching the blades of grass.

Back at the altar, Courtney bent over in the same fashion murmuring words I couldn’t quite understand. She rocked back and forth, eyes staring down to the ground. I craned my neck to see past a leafy branch.

None of the witches moved. I couldn’t tell which one was Jennie. The stupid robes made each witch undeterminable from one another. I wished we’d come up with some sort of secret sign language so I’d comprehend what was happening. Looking back at Drake, he shrugged his shoulders and tightened his grip around me, burying his nose in my hair.

He was some help.

Courtney rocked some more, her voice rising and lowering in tune. The wind blew the flames on the candles almost out before it switched directions again and the fire shot right back up. Higher and higher the flames reached, fueled by the wind, looking like mini torches. The high priestess stopped and rose to her feet. The other witches fidgeted as Courtney smiled down. “Rise," she said, voice powerful.

The coven members rose, their knees still planted firmly on the ground, and tilted their heads to see what Courtney revealed. She brought up an object to her face, and a solid wall of some sort interrupted my view. I unwound Drake’s hands from around me and rose to my knees, mimicking the actions of the witches.

Courtney laughed—an astonished, amused laugh. “It’s Mother!”

The coven looked around at one another, all smiles except one. I picked Jennie out now. Instead of looking up at her high priestess, Jennie stared into the woods and locked eyes with me. Her shoulders lifted as if to say ‘I have no freaking clue’.

“Whose mother?” Drake asked.

“No idea. We need to find out.”

Drake stood, but I pulled him down and brought my finger to my lips. We both peered back through the darkening forest as Courtney held the object high, waving it around toward the sky. “It’s her. It’s really her.” She brought the square back to her face and smiled. “I’m glad you have come.”

I turned toward Drake and lifted my eyebrows. He shook his head. Courtney turned the object around. It was glass. A mirror, actually. The green of the leaves in front of us showed on the shiny exterior. The high priestess threw back her hood and walked up to each witch, facing the reflective surface toward every one of them.

The coven pulsed with excitement and agitation. When Courtney got to the witches nearest the edge of the woods where Drake and I hid, I could recognize some of them from the other night in the reflective surface. Their eyeballs stayed intact this time, their faces flashing with happiness.

“What the hell is going on?” I whispered.

“No idea.”

“They’re only looking at themselves.”

“I see this.”

When Courtney got to Jennie, the young witch mimicked that of her coven. Her eyes lit up and she nodded.
Did she actually see something?

“This is crazy,” Drake laughed out. His voice rose.

“Shh.”

“No. Come on, Sarah. They know we’re watching. That’s why they’re acting like this. They’re playing a joke on me. Well, har har…too—”

I clasped my fingers over Drake’s mouth and brought a finger to my lips again, threatening him with my eyes. I turned back toward the circle to find Courtney at the altar, bent over, pouring something on a white candle and then dropping little leaves on it. She then lit the candle. The flame rose, higher than any other around the circle, yet the wind calmed to a tortoise speed.

“Mother needs me to bring her.” Courtney grabbed a piece of paper from her pile of things and wrote with a pen. She folded the paper up, taking care to crease the lines just so and then placed it under the candle. She turned to face in Jennie's direction and started to chant.

If you are turning toward me

know I turn also to you,

If you are thinking of me

know I think also of you,

If you are saying my name

know that I say your name,

and call you to me

Marlene

Marlene

The other witches joined in for one last
Marlene
.

A piece of my hair flew into my face. I moved the strands around my ear, still staring at the witch circle. Each hooded figure concentrated ahead, their faces a marble of emotion. Even Jennie stood transfixed. She didn’t try to catch my eye again.

Drake twitched beside me while I sat completely still, heart palpitating as cold blood rushed throughout me. The wind tore leaves from trees and sprinkled them about. Some landed on the dark robes. One even landed on one of the white candles and disintegrated into smoke. Poof, it was gone. It was free for only a few seconds, then left nothing but air as it was carried away on the wind.

The longer the coven sat motionless, the more nerves raked through me. I didn’t even bother to look at Drake. His hand twitched a few times, but I was sure he sat as hypnotized as I was. No way would he be able to tell me there was nothing going on now.

The vibration of a car hummed its way through the forest. I heard the ting of the suspension as it bounced along the mud ruts of the old work road. I swiveled and found a white car pulling up behind the other vehicles.

Drake careened his head. “Ho-ly shit.”

“What?” I whispered.

He squinted. A figure stepped out of the car and walked blithely up the rock spackled road. It was a she, I could tell. She jingled her keys in her hand before placing them in her pockets.

“Oh. My. God.”

“What?” I grabbed Drake’s wrist. “What is it?"

Drake dragged his eyes across every inch of the trail the girl walked. “Marlene,” he whispered. As she entered the circle, a collective release of breath shocked the coven into moving again.

“No.” I shook my head. “No way.”

Drake nodded. “Trust me. It’s her.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

Isabella

1639

Once the candle sputtered out, the sobs echoing around the darkened room were endless.

Isabella fell into disturbed sleep and woke to whispered cries or choked wails. She made no move for the woman, the witch, though her heart melted away beneath her smock.

Might she have done the same for Thomas?

A creak of wood reverberated through the small cellar and a shaft of soft light drifted down on the earthen floor. Mrs. Shipton’s cries hushed to whimpers. Feet descended the groaning steps until the whole figure revealed itself at the bottom.

Magistrate Ludington.

He turned to Isabella. “You.”

Mrs. Shipton cried out again. “You know she is not…you know she—”

He twisted to face the witch and bent over. His hand smacked her cheek and trailed across every inch of her lips and nose. “Silence witch! Do not speak your blasphemy!”