The door creaked as it opened slowly. I looked into the darkness, finding no one on the other side. "Really? They're going with the self-opening door? And here I thought they were going to be interesting."

Isaac glared at me, obviously not appreciative of my remarks. They were dark witches after all. 

"That bracelet may protect you from magic," he whispered, "but it won't protect you from a physical attack."

I rolled my eyes. As if I couldn't protect myself. 

"Who dares enter the house of Wilde?" A large voice echoed off the walls. It was impossible to tell where it had originated from, most likely another of their magic tricks. 

"Members of the Torch who seek your audience." Isaac's voice echoed around the vast space. 

As I peered into the darkness, it seemed never ending, as if we'd set foot inside an empty void. I'd never experienced the magic of witches first hand, and what I saw made me glad I never had. 

A crack made me jump. A spray of blue and purple sparks followed the cacophonous sound. The sparks fell to the ground just in front of our feet. The heat at my wrist told me they'd tried to attack, but the bracelets had done their job. At least they had that time. 

"You've come prepared, hunters." The voice was smooth as silk this time. Softer, more fluid, and definitely feminine. 

A woman stepped from the darkness, or maybe she'd been standing there all along and was only now permitting us to see her. A short, red dress showed off her dark legs, and the braids of her hair fell just past her waist. A silver band around her upper right arm flashed as she gestured widely. 

"What can the women of Wilde do for The Torch? We are just dying to help the hunters after they placed watch over our home, invaded our privacy, and tried to keep track of every ritual our coven performs." A darkness burned in her brown eyes, but it wasn't one of anger, though that had most definitely spurred it. It was the darkness of the magic inside that manifested in a physical form. It was close to the surface, ready to use at a moment's notice. 

"You were, and still are, performing dark magic," Isaac said. He did not shrink from that burning gaze. 

"Who are you to decide what magic is dark and what is not? Magic is neither good nor evil. We use the gifts that were bestowed upon us from the past Sisters of Wilde in the manner we see fit. It is not up to mortals like you and your fellow men to decide if we are good or bad." The woman's chin tilted up. 

"We are looking out for the human race. It is our duty to watch over your world to make ensure our kind is safe."

"A duty you bestowed upon yourself." She looked down her nose at us. 

"We were born into it just as you were born into magic."

"But your people made the choice in the beginning. Our magic was gifted by the Goddess of the Moon."

"And our willpower grew the night a werewolf mutilated our founders wife, leaving her to die in his arms."

"And you mortals think one death is means for confining an entire world you can never really contain? You do realize you're one small misstep from going extinct. You all think you have what it takes to go against our world, but the only thing keeping you alive is the fact you fit in with human society, and most of our world believes you to be but a fairytale. If they knew you truly existed, and that all the vile things you're told to have done are only the beginning, your entire race would be obliterated just to be free of you."

Isaac's nostrils flared. I'd never seen him truly angry like he was facing down that witch. I'd only felt a creeping fear, one that said she was right. We were only a small step away from extinction. The only way to save ourself was to truly find a way for the supernatural to live along side the humans. A way that required no hunting and no killing of each other.  

We needed to get answers about the pack though. I couldn't just stand around and listen to these two bicker when there were werewolves running around killing people. 

"Jaeger, let's just go. These witches won't be able to help anyway. They won't know anything."

For the first time, the witch's eyes were on me, and the fury I saw in them was unmatched by anything else I'd experienced. Not even Isaac's anger came close when he turned my way. Apparently his emotions had taken over completely. He wasn't using his special skill to tell what I was trying to do. 

"What are you doing?" It was a snarl, one that would have had me taking a step back any other time if I hadn't just stared into the eyes of the dark witch.

"She can't help us." I shrugged. 

"How do you know what we can and cannot do, little girl?" 

The air felt heavy and electric. It were as if sparks could ignite any moment. 

"I'm just saying... you're witches. You probably wouldn't know anything about werewolf affairs."

"We have our ways of finding out what we need, but it's not like we're about to let children get the jump on us. I know what you're doing, and I'm not amused. To challenge a witch's abilities is an incredibly stupid thing."

The hairs on my arms stood on end as the energy swirling around intensified. Each moment that passed made me even more grateful for the bracelet around my wrist. Another attack spurred sparks and the witch's eyes narrowed. 

She rushed forward faster than I'd thought possible and her hand wrapped around my throat. All five neatly manicured nails dug into my skin and a gasp stuck in my throat. 

"You may be immune to magical attack, but that doesn't mean you're immune to physical attack. I could crush your windpipe faster than your little hunter friend could even come up with a plan." 

When she was that close, I could see what was dancing behind her eyes was actually an entire universe. It looked like the stars and planets in space as if two entire galaxies were locked behind those dark orbs. The endless power from which she drew from came from those galaxies. 

"You come to my home uninvited. You waltz in here and ask our help when you've done nothing but tear our world down. You pesky humans have no place with us. You are but flies to be swatted away when you become too much of a nuisance. You think your men still watch us because we can't stop them? We know they're there. We know they carry the same charms you have around your wrists-" The woman stuck a finger under the band and I thought she was going to tear it off. She very well could, shed any chance I had at deflecting her powers. 

"We let you watch. It's fun to let you watch," she whispered just loud enough for me to hear. It sounded like a dirty secret, as if the hunters were observing more than witches using magic. 

"Magic for witches is one of the most intimate things, like the touch of a lover," she murmured near my ear. The index finger of the witch's hand stretched out and stroked the side of my neck, over the pulsing artery, a smile creeping on her lips. 

I sucked in a breath as my vision blackened from the edges in and a heaviness filled my body. I couldn't move, I couldn't speak, I couldn't breathe. 

Jared's face was in front of me, those dark eyes framed with concerned creases just like they always were, or like they had ever since we'd left our homes. The touch of his hand on my cheek, and the warm press of his lips on mine. That intense feeling of passion taking over me like it always did when things got started. 

It was different this time, though. Neither of us were stopping it. It was the warmth of his body wrapping around mine, the sweetness of his mouth exploring mine. I wasn't even sure how, but our clothes had completely disappeared. I didn't remember taking them off, or having help getting them off, but I didn't care. I was completely overtaken by the pure ecstasy of it all. His eyes shifting to that wolfish glow that no longer sent a shiver of fear through me, but rather one of exhilarating pleasure. 

 A loud crack shocked me, and my body jolted. The witch chuckled as she regained her footing and I looked to the ground. The crack I'd heard had been the stone hitting the hardwood floor. She'd taken the bracelet off after all, and had apparently planted a vision, an intense one, before it had even hit the ground. 

"The eternal bond." The words were said amongst a fit of laughter. "An eternal bond between a hunter and a werewolf."

"I know, it's one large cosmic joke," I snapped. 

"Oh darling. That one was placed long before either of you turned into the beasts you are now. But I can see why you would want information about this werewolf pack. Concerned your little beau may get sucked in?"

"Among much larger issues." That hadn't been one of my fears, but as she said it, I wondered if it would be possible. I hadn't seen Jared since he left, and the vision she'd planted in my mind opened that wound again. I felt the aching hole he'd left when he walked out. I hadn't had time to feel it before, but that closeness she'd given me, even though it hadn't been real, it felt real. I'd been about to give him everything, the last of myself and my life that I'd been holding back. 

"Will you help us or not?"

The witch crossed her arms. "By the will of the goddess Frigg, we will assist you."

The woman turned her back and walked away, the darkness of the room swallowing her up. 

"Goddess Frigg?" I whispered as quietly as I could. 

"There are many gods and goddesses, each one having an affinity with some aspect of life. Witches in particular believe in the Norse gods, Frigg is the Norse goddess for marriage. Basically, she, and her Sisters believe Frigg chose you two to be together. If you ask another supernatural being, they will have a different answer for you. Different name, same story, a higher power chose for two souls to be eternally connected."

I'd never bothered to ask what Jared thought himself. He'd only told me the Alpha that turned him, and the pack he came from had stories of mates. What higher power did they believe chose those pairs?

"That was incredibly stupid, you know."

"I realize, but you weren't getting anywhere."

"She could have killed you. You're lucky she had something else on her mind." Isaac crossed his arms. 

"Yeah, lucky." 

The ache in my heart led me to believe otherwise. It left me feeling empty, and there was only one thing that could fill the space, or rather, one person. I had no way to get in touch with him though. He hadn't taken his phone. He hadn't left any clues as to where he'd be. He just left, and for the first time, the full weight of that had set in. 

I bent over to pick up the bracelet, fastening it back around my wrist. Even though I was fairly certain they weren't going to attack again, it felt nice having a security blanket, or rather bracelet, in place. 

Lights flickered overhead before blazing strong, putting the entire house in painfully bright color. Intricate crystal chandeliers dangled from the high ceiling, supplying the light for the walk in. The walls, the trinkets, and paintings, everything appeared vintage, as if frozen in time. 

A painting hung just off to the side, one that had an eerily similar face to the witch who'd wrapped a hand around my throat, but the date was fifty years earlier. Surely it had to be the woman's mother. 

"As the coven leader of the Women of Wilde, I give you my oath to aide you in your search of this werewolf pack. Now, if you'll follow us into the our den, our next moves depend entirely upon your cooperation."

Isaac and I exchanged a look before following the coven into the next room. 

********

Hi there my lovely readers. So sorry for the long break, but school and life hit me hard. I'm working on getting back up though, and I'm posting a chapter here to get me in that direction. 

A little bit of a punch to the gut here as that Jared Band-aid just got ripped off again. Sorry... I'll try to patch it up... eventually... maybe... we'll see. XD

Anyway, thank you so much for reading, and for sticking with me. I'll try to be a better author from here on out. I'm working to give you my very best, so if it takes a little longer, just know I'm working to craft the best storyline I can. 

Thanks again, much love!
Red Assassin