The Witch Is Back (35 page)

“I never intended to hurt you,” Sinjin said, and I could feel the weight of his gaze as it rested on me. I was never happier to be driving—to have an excuse for keeping my full attention on the traffic and pedestrians around me rather than the flagrant beauty of his eyes.

“I’m well aware of that, Sinjin,” I said without offering him a sideways glance. “You wanted nothing more than to manipulate me, and making me fall in love with you was just part of your plan. So, no, hurting me was never your intention.”

“You are wrong,” he said tersely, never removing his eyes from me. “I have only ever wanted to protect you, to ensure your safety.”

I stopped at a red light and glanced over at him, letting him know with one look that I was in no way amused and, furthermore, that I thought he was full of it and then some.

“I had taken a vow to protect you, in case you did not remember?” He was referring to a time in the future when Mercedes had appointed him as my bodyguard.

“Of course I remember,” I snapped back at him. “And don’t think for one second you’re going to resume that role,” I added.

He didn’t say anything but cleared his throat in a way that said he wasn’t happy with the news. “Regardless, I will forever be your protector.”

“Sinjin, let’s cut through the shit. Just admit that you were a complete and total asshole. Rand was right when he said you were selfish and had to manipulate every situation so that you always came out on top.”

He gritted his teeth at the mention of Rand but then, just as quickly, assumed a more stoic expression. “I never denied that I seek situations of benefit to myself.”

“Okay, now we’re getting somewhere,” I said, relieved. The light turned green so I faced forward and stepped on the gas. “So why continue with this line of bullshit about protecting me?”

“I merely stated the truth.”

“Protecting me against what?” I demanded again, shaking my head with irritation.

“The Lurkers.”

“What?” I glanced over at him. I couldn’t help it.

“A car,” he said simply and motioned ahead of us. I turned to face forward and had to brake hard in order to avoid the car stopped at the light ahead of me.

“Sorry,” I muttered.

“Defending you from the Lurkers was why I went to the prophetess and requested that she send me back in time,” he finished.

The shock of this news really jarred me. Sinjin, as a rule, never explained his reasons for his actions, so this was a huge surprise to say the least. “Why would you have asked that?” I turned left onto the freeway on-ramp and gazed over at him casually.

He was staring at me. “Have you not listened to a single word I have told you?” he demanded. I didn’t respond so he continued. “I took a vow.”

“So let me get this straight,” I started, my tone relaying the fact that I wasn’t buying his story. “You told Mercedes that you needed to go back in time to save me from the Lurkers? How does that even make sense? Why wouldn’t you just send me back in time, instead of yourself?”

“It makes perfect sense,” he said stiffly. “I intended to re-create history—knowing the future with the Lurkers and the threat they would pose, I told the prophetess that I would gain your trust and quash Bella’s rebellion, thereby saving you from death.”

“Which would also preclude me from saving Mercedes,” I pointed out, none too nicely.

“That was merely a complication,” Sinjin responded indifferently. “It was the reason I had Isabella tutor you, if you recall. Your power is enough that you could have saved the prophetess yourself, without her calling you into the past.”

“Okay, so you wanted to save me from Bella and then what?”

“We intended to train you much faster to become Queen, to teach you what it meant to be the leader of the Underworld.”

“And Rand?” I asked, my voice hollow.

“It would have spared you all the back-and-forth with him. The prophetess recognized the pain you suffered at the warlock’s hands and was convinced it would have been better for you as well as the kingdom if he never ventured into your store that fateful day.”

I remembered one of the last conversations I had with Mercedes before she sent Sinjin back in time. When I had begged her to send me back to 1878, so I could live out my life with Rand in a time when he loved me freely and I him. I felt my heart drop as I remembered how I’d told her how unhappy I was, how my relationship with Rand was coming undone …

It made perfect sense. Mercedes would always protect the kingdom, and that meant she would always protect me. Everything Sinjin said was true—Mercedes sent him back because she thought it would strengthen my allegiance to the crown instead of to Rand. She’d thought she was doing me a favor.

I felt like I wanted to be sick. I’d come so close to losing Rand—to never knowing him. I’d come so close to living a life I was never meant to live. But somehow, I couldn’t be angry with Mercedes. I just accepted the fact, like Mathilda did, that Mercedes existed for the betterment of the crown. And she was the first to admit it.

Sinjin, on the other hand …

I exited the freeway and came to a stop sign before I was due to turn right. Once I braked, I glanced over at him. “I understand Mercedes’ motivations in all of this, but you can’t expect me to believe for one second that you were merely acting to protect me.”

He swallowed hard and eyed me speculatively, a smirk playing with his lips. “Of course not.”

Well, apparently this was diarrhea-of-the-mouth day for Sinjin because he was confessing things to me that I never, in a million years, would have imagined he would. “So?”

“I wanted to be first to meet you, poppet, for my own selfish reasons.”

“Why?”

His eyes narrowed as he studied me. There was no traffic ahead of me, but I didn’t make my turn. Instead I just stared at him, waiting for the moment of truth.

“I wanted you to love me.”

I felt my heart rate increase, and something that felt like panic began stirring in my stomach. “Why?”

He was completely silent as he stared at me. It was as if he wanted to tell me but couldn’t, like his voice went on strike or something.

“Why, Sinjin?” I prodded.

In a blink he was gone. He was there one second and a second later he dissolved into nothing, leaving me sitting in my car alone.

When I reached my house, there was a black Suburban I didn’t recognize parked in my driveway. I pulled
up behind it and turned off the car just as Rand stepped out of the driver’s side and offered me a large smile.

I could feel his emotions as soon as we made eye contact. He was relieved to see me—in true Rand form, he was worried over the fact that I wasn’t home and it was already dark.

We’re going to have to work on your worrisome nature
, I thought with a smile. He didn’t respond but cocked a brow and regarded me with a grin.

“Hi,” I said once he was in front of me. He didn’t answer, just engulfed me in his arms, leaning down to place a chaste kiss on my mouth.

“Where have you been?” he asked as he squeezed me.

“I, uh, I was …”

But I never got the chance to finish my statement because Mathilda was suddenly beside me. Which was just as well because I wasn’t sure how Rand would react to the fact that I’d been delayed by Sinjin. Speaking of the vampire, he was nowhere to be found.

“Child, are you ready?” Mathilda asked as she eyed me.

I took a deep breath, separating myself from Rand’s embrace, and thought about the task at hand. “Yes, I’m ready.”

“Where’s Sinjin?” Rand demanded, looking around himself in an irritated sort of way. I could only guess whether or not Sinjin would show up after our conversation in the car. It seemed like he was on the threshold of confessing something that weighed pretty heavily on him—hence the whole disappearing act. Now whatever that something was would forever live in oblivion.

“I don’t know,” I said sheepishly, worried that Sinjin wasn’t going to come through.

He’ll come through
, I told myself.
He gave you his word
.

“We need him,” Mathilda responded, glaring at me impatiently.

“I knew this would happen,” Rand said, shaking his
head as he ran his hands through his hair. “We’ll have to do this without him.”

Mathilda shook her head adamantly, her silver tresses echoing her movements like ripples in a calm lake. “We cannot. Those who breached the laws of time to travel here must also return.”

I felt something heavy settle within me as I thought about what a feat finding Sinjin would be. But it was pointless even contemplating it. If Sinjin didn’t want to be found, he wouldn’t be.

He gave you his word!

That was when I spotted him. He appeared at the end of the street, walking all nonchalant, as if he didn’t have time—er, that is, history—waiting on him.

“Here he comes,” I said, relief suffusing me.

He suddenly disappeared from sight, materializing just beside me. I breathed in my shock and felt my skin tingle with the cold chill that filled the air around him.

“Did you doubt me, my pet?” he asked and smiled, acting as if he were just now seeing me for the first time today, acting as if he hadn’t nearly admitted to something … very important, only moments before.

“Sort of,” I answered, thinking it was closest to the truth.

“Poppet, you seem irritated with me.” I hadn’t noticed until just then that he hadn’t spared a glance to anyone else in our party.

I took a deep breath. “I was wondering if you were going to come.”

“I would not miss this for the world,” he said, offering me a cheery grin.

“Let me make something perfectly clear to you, Sinjin,” Rand interrupted, stepping forward when it seemed Sinjin was not going to acknowledge him. As I glanced at Rand, I could see the anger coloring his features—it was there in the reddish tone that bled
across his cheeks, his neck, and the tops of his ears. His aura was electric blue, tinged with purple—something that only hinted at the incredible anger cresting through him. That was when I felt an eruption deep within me like lava overflowing into my stomach. It was Rand’s rage.

“Ah, greetings to you as well, Randall,” Sinjin said, not missing a beat.

“I believe you should face death for what you did to Jolie, your Queen,” he said and took a deep breath, his eyes burning. “You have Jolie and Mathilda to thank for your life.”

Sinjin said nothing to Rand, merely regarding him with ennui. Then he faced Mathilda and me and smiled. “Much obliged, kind ladies.”

“He is here, we can continue with the preparations,” Mathilda said, completely dismissing Sinjin as she turned to face me. “Do you have a garden, child? We will need nature’s magic.”

I nodded and led the way to my side gate, which would take us around my little house and into the backyard that boasted grass, roses, a lemon tree, and gardenias. Hopefully, that would be enough “nature” to fill Mathilda’s needs.

“I hope you realize that punishment awaits you,” Rand said to Sinjin as he reached over and took my hand.

“We shall see, Randall, we shall see,” the vampire answered lackadaisically.

Mathilda eyed her surroundings, seeming to inspect my garden for its usefulness in her spell. She took a few steps to her right, then a few steps forward, until she was dead center in the grass with the foliage surrounding her. She looked up into the sky and seemed to be studying the moon.

“The orb is full, ripe for magic,” she said, turning to face me. “Child, you must stand here.”

She waited for me to approach her and took my hand, placing my feet exactly where hers had been. She motioned to Rand, took his hand, and positioned him to my right. Sinjin occupied the exact opposite position, to my left. Then she stood directly in front of me. She turned to Rand and extended her hand. He took it and she then faced Sinjin, doing the same. Then she addressed both of them.

“You must take each other’s hands,” she said unemotionally.

Rand grumbled something unintelligible but extended his hand. Sinjin grinned like this was all a big joke. Then I realized no one had taken my hand. “What about me?”

Mathilda faced me with a grim expression. “You are not returning,” she said simply.

“What?” I demanded.

“Not returning?” Rand said at the same time.

Mathilda shook her head. “The Queen already exists in the future, having never time-traveled to the past. Only Rand, myself, and the vampire made the trip.”

I couldn’t argue. I hadn’t time-traveled so, technically, I still existed in the future. Who knew what the heck would happen if I tried to travel with them now? Maybe I’d end up being two Jolies in one place or, worse yet, maybe time itself would freak out and spit me back into the dinosaur era, or the Spanish Inquisition.

“I understand,” I said resolutely, afraid for what would happen once they traveled into the future. I wondered would the future just pick up where it left off when Sinjin and Mercedes cast that spell? It was too confusing to even consider.

“Are you sure?” Rand asked, staring first at Mathilda and then at me with wide eyes. “I don’t want anything to happen to her.”

Mathilda nodded but said nothing more. Then she took a deep breath and faced me. “I will unravel the net of magic; but your powers, child, more than any of ours, will enable this spell to take shape.”

I nodded, feeling pleased I had all my memories. In having them restored, my experiences and my knowledge had been reinstated along with my powers. “What do I do?”

“Imagine a portal opening wide, the same portal you experienced when Mercedes sent you back into the present. Focus on that portal and keep it open. Allow each of us to travel beyond its frame.”

I nodded. Over the course of my instruction and education in everything witchy, concentration and I had become damn good friends.

I love you, Jolie
. It was Rand’s voice in my head.

I caught his eye and smiled, taking a deep breath, trying to keep the tears at bay. He didn’t need my tears right now—he needed my strength.
I will see you soon
, I thought in response.

I gave Rand one last smile and then closed my eyes and imagined a portal opening above us, a large black void that dominated the sky. I clenched my eyes shut tightly and saw the gossamer strands of Mathilda’s web encapsulating the portal. What looked like raindrops caught in the ethereal threads, which were actually the captured essence from Mercedes’ spell.