The Witch's Quest - Michele Hauf

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talk like that. You will not die.”

      “Lying about my fate isn’t going to change it. I did a stupid thing. The universe renders payment for stupidity.”

      “You were not stupid. Just...stubborn.”

      “So you’ve heard about me?” She tried a little laugh and it actually eased the tension between her shoulder blades. Valor blew out a breath.

      And in that moment, when she knew death was her only option, she decided she couldn’t walk out of this world without one last thing. “Kiss me,” she said suddenly.

      “What?”

      “You want to, don’t you? I mean, if you had a thing for me?”

      “I did, but...”

      “Please, Kelyn? I want the last thing I remember to be a kiss from a handsome man. I want to be held in strong arms. I want to know passion—”

      And he kissed her. The sudden connection seared a delicious heat onto Valor’s lips. Kelyn’s arm wrapped across her back as he slid down onto the moss beside her and pulled her in tightly against his hard body. His other hand clutched at her hair. Hungrily she took from him, falling into his sweet taste, his open and easy manner. He felt like something she’d always wanted but had never known to ask for.

      Why had she never noticed he’d been attracted to her?

      Because she’d been too busy tagging along with the bad boys. Or those men who could only ever consider her one of the guys.

      When he parted from her, their eyes lingered upon each other, as if to look away would end the kiss, their connection—her life. So they held gazes in the quiet darkness, dappled by a beam of moonlight that sifted through the latent troll dust in the air about them.

      The squeezing pressure about her thighs moved higher, yet all Valor could do was whisper, “Wow.”

      Kelyn nodded. He touched her lips and held his fingers there for the longest time. She closed her eyes to fix this moment forever. She must. She would die with the taste of his kiss on her mouth.

      “Best kiss I’ve ever had,” he said.

      She nodded and closed her eyes even tighter, fighting tears. Damn right it had been the best.

      “Ah, shit.”

      That remark sent a frozen chill up her spine. Valor could feel Kelyn’s sudden tension and she knew they were not alone. Please don’t be another troll, she thought. Slowly she opened her eyes to see the pair of red irises that loomed over the two of them.

       Chapter 2

      Kelyn stepped before Valor, protecting her from the demon who had appeared in the forest. It was one of the Wicked; Kelyn knew that because the creature had red eyes. The Wicked were faeries who possessed demon heritage. Demons were looked down upon in Faery, and so the Wicked were condemned and ridiculed. This one must have been ousted from Faery. Not an uncommon thing.

      Seeming to blend with the shadows that angled between the thin moonbeams, the demon topped Kelyn by a head, yet its narrow shoulders, clothed in frayed black, were deceptive in that most demons were strong and quite capable of standing up to any opponent.

      “We mean you no harm,” Kelyn said coolly, yet maintained a sharp edge. He set back his shoulders. He would not be defeated by a demon. “I’ve no prejudice against any of your kind. Move along.”

      “Prejudices,” the demon said in a slippery tone. The dark-faced entity smirked, its black lips crimping. “You ascribe to prejudice simply by mentioning it. Unwanted one.”

      Kelyn did not flinch at the moniker. He’d never been allowed access to Faery. His mother was a faery and his father a werewolf. Because he’d been born in the mortal realm, Faery was not open to him. Though he’d always pined to go there. To learn about his true heritage.

      The demon tilted a look toward the ground, taking in Valor, pinned to the forest floor by the elder oak. “Looks like she’s in a pinch.”

      “Nothing we can’t handle,” Kelyn said. “Right, Valor?”

      “Uh, yep. We’re good!”

      “A witch and a faery,” the demon said. “Pretty.” He narrowed his gaze at Kelyn’s neck, where he always wore two talismans on leather cords. “Interesting. You’ve been to Faery?”

      “No,” Kelyn answered.

      “But that talisman.” The demon tapped his own neck.

      “A gift. Now, enough of this. Begone with you!”

      “Very well. But you’ll never get her loose. She’s been pinned through to Faery.”

      “How do you know? What does that mean?” Valor rushed out.

      “It means you must be unpinned from Faery,” the demon explained.

      Sensing the demon wasn’t so much being helpful as teasing at the dreadful future that awaited Valor, Kelyn did not relent in his stance before her and only wished he’d brought along his bow and arrows this evening. But he could take this dark creature. Easily.

      The demon eyed Kelyn’s clenched fist. “You said you meant me no harm.”

      “I’ll do what I must to defend her.”

      “Touching. The dying witch has a faery champion.”

      “Leave!” Kelyn said. “Take your smirk into the shadows and let us figure this out alone.”

      “As you wish.” The demon stepped back and spread his elongated hands out before him. “But, unlike you, I have access to Faery. I can get into Faery and unpin her. If you wish it.”

      Valor didn’t say anything, and Kelyn was thankful she hadn’t rushed to beg the demon for the help.

      But really? If the Wicked could get Valor unpinned, he’d be willing to do anything. Even take a few spiteful punches, if necessary. Because Valor’s life was at stake. And she hadn’t much time remaining. Her hips were beginning to sink into the ground.

      “You tell me true?” Kelyn asked.

      The demon nodded. “I am not heartless. And...you have something I want.” Again the demon’s eyes glanced across Kelyn’s chest where the talismans hung.

      Of course such assistance would not be provided without recompense. Which was fair enough, Kelyn thought. He felt Valor’s hopeful breaths taint the air. She needed rescue and he would not leave this forest without her in his arms. Alive.

      “What might that be?” Kelyn asked the sly demon.

      The demon smiled and walked before him, turning in a half circle before coming around to face them both and saying, “Your wings.”

      “No!” Valor yelled from behind Kelyn.

      “That’s the deal. Take it or leave it,” the demon said.

      “We don’t—”

      “Valor,” Kelyn said to shush her. “Be still.”

      “You can’t give him your wings. They are what make you...you! That’s a terrible thing to ask in trade for—”

      “For a life?” the demon interjected. “Seems more than fair to me. But if you’re not keen on breathing, witch, then so be it.”

      The demon’s eyes glimmered vivid pink. He was preparing to flash out of the forest as swiftly and quietly as he had appeared.

      “Wait!” Kelyn reacted from his heart and soul, not his better senses. “You can have them.”

      The demon smiled.

      “Absolutely not!” Valor punched the ground with

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