You Wish

Chapter 18: Which Witch Is Which

“Go around the corner now. Rhiannon I'm not sure what will happen but I want you to be safe. Promise me you'll stay over there until I give you a signal.” Devlin whispered quickly as they heard rustling from within. There was a lot of muttering behind the door. Heavy footsteps boomed, and the slight sound of pots clanging against the floor made her jump.

“What wh-”

“Go now.”

Rhiannon reluctantly ran to the other side of the house. She wasn't sure what the big deal was but she trusted him. There had to be some kind of danger for him to be this demanding. She couldn't believe Devlin had ordered her around like that.

She surveyed her surroundings. A small little clearing, the small cottage was the only building within sight. There really wasn't much here. There weren't any birds or animals scurrying around. It was a little too quiet. There was a slight breeze which played in between the trees and the grass. Even the light here seemed sickly and unnatural, too bright. It felt so... dead.

She shuddered.

It reminded her of Devastation, Devlin's punishment. She rubbed her arms and shifted her footing hoping Devlin would call for her soon.

Noise erupted to her right. She could hear someone yelling something. The voice was filled with a deep seated anger that disturbed her.

Her heart stopped.

She peeked around the corner and saw a tall man chuckling as he sat on Devlin's chest. He faced away from her, swatting away Devlin's hands. Devlin squirmed beneath him, trying to get up. The man just relaxed into his position clearly enjoying the annoyance he was causing Devlin.

Rhiannon felt herself smile. At least someone was able to get under Devlin's skin. He yelled angry words at the man, urging him to get off but the man took none of it.

“You are rather weak without your fancy powers aren't you, Lin-lin?” The man cooed. He had a cultured English accent, soft and charming which made Rhiannon wonder what he looked like and how he knew Devlin.

She stored the annoying nickname 'Lin-lin' in the back of her mind for future reference. She really did enjoy teasing Devlin.

“Don't call me Lin-lin and get the hell off of me before I kill you.” Devlin cried.

“Touchy aren't we? I thought I'd be the one with the bad blood here, Lin-lin.”

“I told you to stop that Nikolai.”

“Fine, brother.” Rhiannon almost gasped. Devlin had a brother. He had never mentioned one. She was even more intrigued by this man than ever. Nikolai seemed different from Devlin. He had a strange aura about him like everyone in the world wanted to hurt him but he didn't quite care. He was ready to hurt the world back. He was definitely different.

Darker. More cynical.

Nikolai hopped to his feet and turned around, smiling as he held his hand out for Devlin.

Rhiannon felt her heart jump out of her chest.

He was gorgeous. Nikolai looked about twenty. He had dirty blonde hair which curled just below his ear, long for a guy. His chiselled jaw had slight stubble which made him look rough. His wide shoulders were visible even through his thin brown shirt, his muscles prominent. He looked like a man of action. A man who could protect just as easily as he could harm. He also seemed to be a lot taller than Devlin.

But he had the same green eyes.

“You are no brother of mine. You've been dabbling in alchemy again haven't you? I can smell its stench on you. What would mother and father say?” Devlin scolded. He sounded like an old goat telling off his grandchild. His face was screwed up with frustration.