The Witching Craft (The Witches of Redwood Falls 2) Read Online Free Page A

outside her home. Only a handful slipped past him to attempt her barriers. They'd come in packs, flushing through the woods like vermin.
    He hated to imagine what would happen if he wasn’t there. She was strong. So much stronger than he remembered, but one person couldn’t fend off the rest of the world. And the entire magical realm sought that talisman. Sought her .
    He rounded the bend, wobbling his bike as he slowed to a stop at the scene before him. Seph coiled to strike in the middle of a group of men he wouldn't relish tangling with. Charging to her rescue would only worsen the situation, but if he did nothing, they'd hurt her. Or worse.
    Eyeing their leader, he knew Seph wouldn’t escape the ambush intact. He'd squared off with Branson once before, and he never wanted a repeat.
    His hands tightened on the handlebars as one of the men laughed.
    Zander didn't look at Seph. He couldn't. If he saw even an ounce of fear on her face, he'd lose it.
    Gathering his magick, he waited for the right moment.
    When the men attacked, he shot the bike toward the fight, ready to give his all to protect her.
    Seph froze in the chaos, and he cursed. She wouldn't be alive when he reached her if she didn’t act.
    When she jerked into action, relief flooded him. He'd make it in time.
    The hairs on the back of his neck stiffened from the deluge of power saturating the air. Fear raced down his spine as the urgency to flee such potent energy assailed him.
    He'd never felt such a concentration in his life.
    In horror, he witnessed lightning shoot from Seph into the men a moment before they collapsed. An arc of power pulsed through the air, knocking him from the bike like an explosion.
    And then she screamed as if her soul rent in two. The agony in the tone, the spasms of her body as she fell, boneless, unleashed a primal reaction.
    Zander yelled, angered by his mate’s pain.
    Shaking his head, he attempted to clear the fog from his eyes, the buzzing in his ears. Pressing a hand to his head, a trail of blood soaked his palm. He must have hit his head when he collapsed.
    He pulled himself up, frantic to get to Seph.
    She lay in an unnatural position, one leg bent beneath her and arms tossed as if a doll thrown by a petulant giant. Her head had been thrown back and her face turned away.
    Was she breathing?
    Don’t be dead. Don’t .
    He sank at her side and held back tears of gratitude when her chest continued to rise and fall. He’d never seen anything more beautiful in his life.
    He couldn’t discern any other injuries, but she was unconscious.
    What the hell happened? How had she shot lightning from her body?
    White magick didn’t work that way.
    The thugs weren't dead. Yet. But if he left him here without help, they might die.
    He didn't care. They'd take care of themselves. Hunters always manage to make it through scrapes alive.
    Lucky bastards.
    Seph needed to be moved. Staying on the road was too dangerous. Even after creating a new cloak, they’d be lucky to avoid other magicks. They’d sense the outburst of power.
    Damn it. He’d driven his motorcycle. There was no way he could get her to Juliette on it. His sister would know how to help her.
    Cradling her in his arms, he murmured to her as he carried her back to her house, moving as quickly as he dared before tucking her in her car.
    “Hang in there, Seph. Just a little longer.”
    He drove to the other side of town, alternating between talking to her, telling her she'd be okay, and praying.
    Screeching to a stop in front of a one-story house, its garden overflowing with blooms, Zander vaulted from the car. "Juliette!" he screamed. "Juliette!"
    His sister ran from the house, sable hair billowing behind her. "Zander? What is it?" she gasped when he whipped around the car with an unconscious Persephone in his arms. "Put her on the table," she called, already running for her kit.
    He shuffled as quickly as he could while securing her head. He didn't know if she could feel her