Of Witches and Warlocks: The Complete Series

Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Standing in the dense, dark forest, I felt like I'd suddenly found myself sucked into a fairytale of some sort.

"Where's the gumdrops, suckers and candy canes?" Vance's voice broke the stillness next to me.

"What?" I said in complete confusion.

"It's like the witch's cottage in Hansel and Gretel," Vance murmured over my shoulder as we stared through the heavy tree line toward the little house that lay in the clearing. "I feel like I'm in the twilight zone."

I agreed with his description. "It does feel a little other-worldly," I whispered, lifting my head to examine the towering trees above us, their thick branches intertwining to block out the dying light of the sun as dusk began to set in. Glancing down at the ground around us too, I realized it was almost obscured from sight by the overgrowth of vine maple twisting its way through the ancient forest.

"Did you bring any bread?" he said, and I glanced at him quizzically.

"Why?" I asked, wondering what brought about the change in subject.

"So we can lay the trail to get us out of here," he replied, and a silly grin snuck over his face. I had to stifle a giggle. Despite all we'd been through in the last few days, the fact that some of his "old Vance" humor managed to sneak to the forefront was endearing to me.

"Bread won't help us," I stated matter-of-factly. "Remember, all the birds came along behind Hansel and Gretel and ate it."

Vance shrugged. "So, I'll just kill all the birds," he replied wryly, "demon Vance" making his appearance right back into the mix.

I sighed. "Hardly seems fair for the birds," I said, continuing to stare at him.

"Better them than us," Vance replied, his gaze flitting over my form from my head to toe. "I'll give Hex one thing, he sure does dress you well," he added, changing the subject completely.

I glanced down at the spandex outfit and the utility belt around my waist. "It's more practicality than anything else," I explained. "Good ease of movement."

His eyes began to fill with shots of red. "I bet," he said, stepping closer. Briefly stroking my hair, he hooked his hand around my neck and pulled me nearer. "You and I have a lot of things we need to discuss," he whispered, focusing on my mouth.

I nodded, staring back and forth between his eyes and his lips that hovered so close to mine, wishing he would just close the gap and kiss me. Our breath mingled together, and time stood still for a few moments. The yearning between us was obvious, and I leaned in slightly, but he stepped away from me. I was unable to mask my hurt. Things hadn't been good for us since we had been in Washington, D.C.

Shelly's vision had led us to the west coast—Oregon, in fact. Her revelation had shown her Damien would be taking a flight back to Arkansas before journeying to a dark, old growth forest here, while he searched for a new key.

The area, although untouched by logging and such man-made manufacturing, had been mined for a while, leaving old mining shacks behind in the area. The Opal Creek Ancient Forest Center had actually taken over some of those old buildings, and used them for their headquarters to this date.

I stepped away from Vance, distancing myself. "Do you think this is an old mining shack?"

"Probably," he replied, glancing back toward the cottage. "But with the protection wards I can feel around this place, I doubt anyone who isn't of magical influence knows it's here."