Forbidden Lessons

61

61

Sophia’s POV

I brushed my hair away from my face as I walked up the house with Jenny. She was rambling about how she had gotten over Ronan and how she was so ready for her next relationship.

We were close to the front door when I felt it—a shift in the air, a ripple of coldness that had nothing to do with the early morning chill. I tensed, my senses sharpening as I scanned the surroundings. Jenny must have noticed the change in my demeanor because she stopped talking mid-sentence.

“Sophia? What is it?” she asked, her voice laced with concern.

Before I could answer, they appeared—three figures cloaked in darkness, their eyes glowing with malevolent energy. Witches. Not the benign kind that Lyanna was, but the darker, twisted kind that thrived on fear and chaos. I cursed under my breath. I should have sensed them earlier, should have known something was off. But they had masked their presence well, almost too well.

“Get inside,” I hissed at Jenny, pushing her toward the door. She stumbled, panic flaring in her wide eyes, but she obeyed without question.

The witches advanced, their steps slow and deliberate, like predators closing in on their prey. I stepped in front of Jenny, baring my fangs in a silent warning. My vampire instincts roared to the surface, the urge to protect her overwhelming every other thought. But I knew I was at a disadvantage. And there were three of them. And there was just one of me.

“Such a pretty pet you have,” one of the witches sneered, her voice dripping with venom as she eyed Jenny. “Shame you can’t protect her.”

“The same way your vampire prince can’t protect you,” another one added.

“This is about Ian and me?”

“Your prince betrayed us for you. He betrayed his own people, the witches and the lycans for you. You’re supposed to be dead. We’re here to finish what Freya started.”

The others laughed, a sound that echoed with dark magic. They were confident, too confident, and that meant they had a plan. My mind raced, trying to figure out their angle. Why now? Why here?

I didn’t have time to figure it out. The first witch raised her hand, and a bolt of dark energy shot toward me. I barely had time to react, throwing up a shield of my own power. The impact sent me staggering back, and I growled, my fangs fully extended as the fight instinct took over.

But then, just as I was about to launch my counterattack, a familiar voice cut through the tension like a blade.

“Enough!”

The command was sharp, filled with authority, and it sent a shiver down my spine. Lyanna stepped out of the shadows, her presence a sudden, overwhelming force that seemed to push back against the darkness. She looked every inch the powerful witch she was, her eyes glowing with a fierce light that I had rarely seen.

The witches hesitated, their confidence wavering for the first time. Lyanna was not someone to be trifled with, and they knew it. She walked forward, placing herself between me and the intruders, her back straight, her posture commanding.

“This isn’t your fight, Lyanna,” one of the witches spat, but there was fear in her eyes now. “Step aside.”

Lyanna’s laugh was cold, devoid of humor. “You think you can threaten them and I’ll just let you?” She shook her head. “You should know better.”

Without warning, Lyanna raised her hands, and the air crackled with energy. She didn’t even need to speak; her magic was so strong that it responded to her mere intent. The witches staggered back as a wall of light erupted between us, pushing them away from me and Jenny.