Chapter 82

Chapter 82

Rain pounded outside the cave and pooled underneath me, soaking my feet and bottom. I shivered, but there was no getting away from it. The cave was too small to stand up in.

I wondered where Freya had gone, how long she would be away, and, as the water rose to my ankles, then hips, if I was going to drown in here.

Suddenly, the stones peeled away again, and Freya stuck her wet head in the cave. “You’d better get out,” she said. “I think that cave’s going to fill up.”

“You think?” I replied bitterly. Ihauled myself, soaked dress and all, out of the cave and into the rain.

It was pelting down so hard I couldn’t see past Freya, and my hair and the rest of my dress were soon soaked.

“I want to find Margot,” I said flatly. “I want to find her right now, Freya. I mean it.”

Freya sighed and shook her head sadly. “We need to find the witch who cursed you first. We need to get this curse lifted from you, so you can be better prepared to take on your enemies.”

“Enemies? How much do I have to know about these ‘enemies?” I shouted, exasperated. “All I

ayed to know is they took my daughter. MY daughter. I don’t need to know

else to go after them.”

“That’s not true.” Freya looked at me for a long time as though there was some internal debate going on inside her.

“What?!” I demanded. “Spit it out!”

“I-I can’t.” Freya responded. She grabbed my arm. “We need to find different shelter. There’s a proper cave not too far off…”

I slapped her hand away. “You think I’m going ANYWHERE with you?!”

“We can’t stay out here; we’ll both catch our death, and then what use are we going to bet to Margot?” Freya said patiently.

I was tired. I was tired of being treated like a child to be pulled around by others to suit their whims. I was tired of being lied to and manipulated. But most of all, I was tired of Freya. She’d put herself squarely between my daughter and me. That made her my enemy.

“How much are they paying you, hmm?” I spat.

“Paying me?” Freya frowned.

“The council. How much are they paying you to lead me on this merry chase while they do Goddess knows what with my daughter?” I demanded.

Freya shook her head. “You have it wro-”

“WHAT DO YOU WANT WITH MY DAUGHTER?!” 1 finally screamed. “No more games! No more! You will tell me what you want with my daughter RIGHT now, or I will… I will…” I grabbed a sharp stone from the ground and held it to her throat. “I will kill you.

RIGHT now!”

Freya glanced at the stone, raising an eyebrow. “They’re using her as bait. They don’t want her; they want you.”

“Why in the Goddess’s name do they want me?!” I asked.

Freya touched my hand, and the rock turned to dust. “Because of the prophecy.”

“WHAT PROPHECY?!” I all but shricked.

“This is why we need the witch who cursed you,” Freya sighed.

I shoved Freya away. “If they want me, well, then they’ll get me. I don’t want them hanging onto my daughter another second.”

Freya tackled me to the wet ground, pinning me with her arms around my waist. “No! You can’t go. Not like this!”

“Get OFF of me!” I kicked at her, but Freya was unaffected by my struggles.

“We have to find the witch!” Freya argued.

“I don’t CARE about the witch! Besides, aren’t YOU a witch?!” I snapped.

Freya looked away from me, though she still held me in a vice-like grip. “We need to find a… a different witch.”

“I’m not going on some scavenger hunt while my daughter is in the hands of people who might hurt her!” I cried.

“You have to come with me. It’s the only choice you have,” Freya said firmly.

“Oh, I very much doubt that,” a new voice growled.

I looked up and sobbed with relief. “Jamie…”

“Get. Off. My. Mate,” a soaking, n*ked Jamie said to Freya.

-Freya scrambled back. “Your Highness…”

I scrambled to my feet. “Jamie… I’m so sorry… you were right all along. I’m such an idiot…” I heaved another s ob.

Jamie simply put his arm around me and turned us both away from Freya. “It’s alright.” He tucked me into his n*ked side, and I buried my face in his chest. “I said some things I shouldn’t have. I understand why you ran away

“I thought she was taking me to Margot, but she wasn’t Jamie, she wasn’t. She trapped me in a cave, and she keeps babbling about finding the witch who cursed me and some prophecy…”

1 slid my arm around his waist, holding on tightly. “We need to go find Margot, Jamie. I don’t know what Freya really wants, but I want nothing to do with it.”

Freya moved to block our path. “I want to find the witch who cursed Isla. That’s all I

want.”

Jamie bared his teeth at her, his canines elongating. “And I want to tear out your throat.

P

Want to take a guess at who’s getting what they want today?”

Freya paled but stood her ground. “We can’t keep arguing here in the rain. Please, there’s a larger cave nearby-“”

“What, so you can trap us both?” I said, holding Jamie tighter. He was my anchor in all this mess.

“No, no.” Freya waved her hands placatingly. “I just want us to talk. That’s all. Just talk.”

“Margot “I began.

“They’re not going to hurt Margot until they have you,” Freya said.

Jamie looked hard at Freya. “We do need to get out of the rain,” he conceded.

Freya sagged with relief and quickly led us through the blinding rain to another cave she had found. It was dry inside.

Jamie started to shiver, as did I, and Freya magicked up a fire.

“I’m listening.” Jamie said once we were warm and Jamie was dry. Since I hadn’t stopped shivering, Jamie stripped my clothes off me and set them near the fire,

We huddled together, n*ked.

“Well-Freya began.

we will go find

“We don’t need to listen to her,” I interrupted. Once this rain lets up, we will Margot.

Jamie k*ssed my temple and threaded his fingers through mine. “Can you shift yet, love?”

My shoulders drooped. “No.”

“Then I think we need to listen to what Freya has to say. Ashbluff has attacked us. I’ve left Bennett in charge of defending us, but that also means it’s just you, me, and Freya. I will hear her out,” Jamie said.

“Thank you,” Freya replied while I glared at her. She cleared her throat. “I think if we can. find the witch who cursed Isla, we can have that curse lifted. Then you would be able to shift, Isla, which would be immensely helpful in this situation. Plus, you’d have your memories back, so you can tell us all about this prophecy that started this whole thing.”

I looked up at Jamie. “I still don’t care about any prophecy. I just care about getting Margot back.”

Jamie k*ssed the top of my head. “I could use another shifter by my side. How long and far to this witch?”

“Not far,” Freya said eagerly. “I’m sure of it.”

“Jamic, what about Margot?” I asked.

Jamie squeezed my hand. “I think Freya may be right. I’m going to need a shifter by my side to take on the council”

1

gave Freya a doubtful look but finally sighed and nodded. “I want to be that shifter by your side.”

“Good,” Freya said. “Now, when this rain stops, we go find the witch.”

My gut still twisted.

I didn’t trust Freya anymore.