Chapter 15: The Witch’s Price
1029 Words
It surprised me how much Mara had spoken.
More than a sentence.
More than the careful nods and whispered answers she usually gave me.
Maybe she was finally beginning to relax enough to speak freely.
You still haven’t told her you could smell her arousal, my wolf muttered.
I don’t need to. She already knows.
The color in Mara’s cheeks had been explanation enough.
I wanted her just as badly as he did.
But Cal was a new problem.
If I marked Mara while the blood tie remained active, I would watch her die. Her body would burn from the inside as both bonds fought for control.
The laws governing mate bonds were cruel enough without adding the Moon Goddess to them.
Mara studied my face, her eyes slightly unfocused. I knew she was replaying everything I had told her.
“Are you going to take me back?” she asked.
“Why would I do that?”
“You said you couldn’t mark me.”
“Not yet.” I rose to my feet. “Not until it’s safe.”
Her eyes followed me.
“Get some more sleep, Mara. It will help your body heal.”
“Are you leaving?”
“I’m going to find someone who may be able to help unbind you.” I turned toward the door. “You won’t be alone. Eric and Raven will be in the estate if you need anything.”
Jenson was waiting for me in the foyer.
He took one look at my clothes and raised an eyebrow.
“You’re seriously planning to meet a witch dressed like that?”
“She insisted on a public place.” I glanced at his jeans and hoodie. “Which means we need to avoid drawing attention. Go and change.”
He disappeared upstairs.
Ten minutes later, he returned in a gray shirt and dark blue jeans.
“Better,” I said.
The driver stood beside the sedan with the rear door open.
I gave him the name of the restaurant, and he nodded before closing the door behind us.
“Do you actually think she can help?” Jenson asked.
“It’s a long shot. Even if she can’t unbind Mara, she may know someone who can.”
He studied me.
“You really like this one, don’t you?”
My eyes lifted.
Jenson had been warned more than once about commenting on the women I allowed near Ironveil.
He immediately pressed two fingers to his lips and pretended to lock them shut.
The restaurant was crowded when we arrived. Conversations overlapped beneath the soft music, and the smell of food and expensive alcohol filled the air.
A server led us to a corner booth.
An older woman was already waiting.
Gold bangles rattled around her wrists as she lifted her drink. A dark purple scarf covered her silver hair, matching the long dress beneath her coat.
“Alpha Drax,” she greeted me with a smile. “It has been a long time.”
“Madame Sable. Thank you for agreeing to meet us.”
I watched her finish her drink.
“Don’t bother ordering another.” Her eyes moved toward Jenson. “Tell your brother to sit down. He’s drawing attention.”
I linked Jenson.
Sit.
He slid into the booth beside me.
Madame Sable leaned forward.
“Now tell me about the girl.”
“She is under my protection.”
“Yes, you mentioned her on the phone. But why are you coming to me? Is she human?”
“No. She is a wolf. Her abilities have been bound.”
“Twice,” Jenson muttered.
Madame Sable’s expression changed.
“Twice?”
She leaned back, her eyes narrowing.
“Is that why you believe I had something to do with it?”
“No. I was hoping you knew how to reverse the binding.”
“There is a way,” she said. “It won’t be easy.”
“Tell me what you need.”
“First, tell me why she was bound.”
I glanced around the restaurant before lowering my voice.
“She was accused of killing her parents when she was six. The second binding happened after her pack discovered she could still sense her mate.”
Madame Sable tapped one long fingernail against the table.
“Strong Alpha blood must run through her veins.”
“It does.”
“And you want her wolf restored so the old bond can be severed.”
“That is part of it.”
Her gaze sharpened.
“Part of it?”
“I want her to have the choice to control her own life.”
For the first time, the amusement left her face.
“It can be done,” she said. “But it will cost you.”
“Name the price.”
She placed both elbows on the table and rubbed her knuckles slowly.
“One million.”
Jenson choked on his drink.
“Are you serious?” he demanded. “You could find another woman. Another mate.”
“Enough.”
I didn’t take my eyes off Madame Sable.
“One million,” I repeated. “You unbind Mara, and you will receive every coin.”
She studied me for a long moment, then nodded.
“Agreed.”
She pushed herself to her feet.
“Just one thing, Alpha Drax. Knowing which pack she comes from may help me understand the binding.”
“Why?”
“It may tell me what kind of magic was used.”
I watched her carefully.
“Silver Hollow.”
Madame Sable froze.
The color drained from her face.
“The agreement is over,” she said.
Jenson stared at her. “What?”
“I cannot help you.”
“You just agreed to a million.”
“I said I cannot help you.”
She backed away from the table.
“Why?” I asked.
But she was already turning toward the crowd.
Within seconds, the purple scarf disappeared among the moving bodies.
I remained seated, staring after her.
The price had not frightened her.
The name Silver Hollow had.
- Writer
