19. Anna

19

Anna

It was two days before Jax could walk on his own again. Two days of him swearing up and down that he was fine and collapsing not more than five minutes of trying to leave the cave.

Two days of him demanding to know how I released him from the spell.

Two days of him asking about my father.

I couldn't tell him about the spell, so I told him about Dirk. Everything he wanted to know. Every answer I could give him. Maybe I felt like it was my last chance at redemption.

After we reached the coven, I would never see Jax again.

I had a plan. If he didn't tell me what he wanted with the witches, I would leave him there. He'd never get in without me. If he did tell me, maybe the witches would let him in. Either way, we'd go our separate ways.

I'd stop being Dirk's daughter. Adopt a new name and live my life alone. Lonely but peaceful.

Away from Jax.

When we walked the rest of the way, we did so in silence. If Jax was suspicious of my motives, he didn't let on. If he was planning on going back on his word, he didn't let on.

And it wasn't until we climbed the small path up the rock formations and gazed on the coven fortress that I knew something was wrong.

"There weren't any more traps," I muttered.

"What?"

"Two days ago, we hadn't even traveled ten minutes before you were ensnared in a trap.

We haven't seen a single one since then. Except for the spell around the fortress itself, I don't see anything."

Jax frowned. "So either we got lucky or the witches know that we're coming."

Something was wrong. "Neither, I think. This is different than when I came. I think they changed things."

"The witches didn't appreciate your arrival. Good to know."

Except that wasn't how it went down at all. Or was it? Blinking, I rubbed my eyes. What if my memories of this place weren't what they seemed? The whole place was surrounded by magic. I really wasn't all that certain what I could or couldn't do, or what the witches could do to me. What if I was so desperate to have a happy memory that I'd fabricated the whole thing?

No. I couldn't believe that.

The fortress was only a mile ahead. Shooting Jax one last look, I walked cautiously forward. It wasn't until they reached the entrance and she saw the spell wrapped around the building that she relaxed. The last line of defense.

"There's a spell trap surrounding the whole fortress. If you try to enter, it will paralyze you. It's their version of a prison. They can come out, help you, or at least feed you, until they're ready to send you on your way, or they can leave you there to starve to death."

Jax nodded. "How long until you dispel it?"

"Forever."

Turning his head, he looked sharply at her. "You can't do it?"

"No, I can. I'm just not going to. Not yet." At this point, defying him felt wrong. Maybe it was because we'd saved each other's lives. Maybe it was because I'd confessed my darkest secrets to him. Or maybe it was because I'd let him touch me, but it broke me to put myself in his way.

For years, we'd thought the worst of each other, and it all came down to this. Either I would trust him, let him through and go my own separate way. Or he would kill me.

"Anna," Jax growled. "What kind of game are you playing?"

"I'm not playing a game. I've asked you one question, and you've ignored it. We're out of time, Jax. Tell me what we're doing here."

His eyes narrowed, and I saw the hurt flashing through them. He thought I was betraying him.

Maybe I was.

"Does it matter?" He asked in a dangerously soft tone. "You're my mate. You're supposed to stand beside me, no matter what."

"Really? Is that how you felt three years ago when you hid me away in a dive bar? That we would stand beside each other no matter what?"

"You told me…"

"I did, and I didn't lie." As much as I hated it, tears pricked my eyes. "And you didn't care to delve any deeper. Now, because you think I'm not as bad as you originally thought, we're supposed to just stand beside each other no matter what? It doesn't work that way."

Stonily, he stared at me. "And you choose now to punish me?"

"It's not a punishment, Jax. It's a question. I'm done being responsible for death. I'm not going to let you through here if all you want to do is try and hurt them. There was a time—" I stopped short and took an involuntary step back. "Did you hear that?"

Jax whipped his head around. The forest had become unnaturally still. No birds or insects.

It could be magic, but with all the magic behind me, I doubted it.

Predator.

"Wolves," Jax said flatly. "We're surrounded."

Would they hurt me? I didn't know, but I did fear they would tear Jax to pieces. He would fight before he threw himself into the trap and at the mercy of the wolves.

"If you're not going to dispel the magic, then you need to shift and run. Now."

My eyes widened, but he'd already turned his back. A large wolf stepped out from the shadows. Then a second. A third.

More came until a dozen wolves blocked our way out.

This was Jax. There were times when I hated him, but he always tried to do what he thought was fair. Including keeping me alive when he could have killed me. I thought he was my prisoner. Maybe he just knew what awaited me in exile.

"Anna, run," he snarled. "Now."

He pulled on the pack bond, the magic of his command slicing through me. It was so strong and desperate, that for a moment, I almost obeyed.

Almost.

The blast of power was the only hesitation he was going to get from the wolves. They sat back on their haunches, and I did run.

In front of Jax, I turned, placed my hands against his chest, and shoved. Just before he hit the spell, I reached out and touched it. It dissolved against me, and Jax fell harmlessly through.

To my surprise, the magic reformed and knitted itself right back into place.

Well, shit. The witches had made some changes. Not only did they have a dozen werewolves guarding the fortress, but they also managed to create a spell that snapped back into place after my touch.

I could still pass through, and I started to do so when something slammed into my knee.

Goddamnit, why was it always the knee?

As I fell, I felt the giant paw of a werewolf frame my head. The ground rushed up to meet me, and pain exploded in my skull.

"Anna!" Jax bellowed, and the world went dark.