Wicked Deeds on a Winter's Night

Lining each of the palms was a mirror—made of spun-glass threading. The mirror mesh was perfectly flexible, smooth, and resilient. She slipped the gloves on, stunned by the fit, the soft fabric seeming to conform to her hands.

Elianna explained, 'These gloves will be like megaphones for your power. And you'll always have them at hand, so to speak, if you want to rub them for focus.'

'Lock and load, babee!' Carrow cried, more than ready to engage the sorceress. 'Marines, we are leaving!'

But Häxa wasn't like a rogue demon or a malevolent phantom, where one additional spell could mean the difference between success or failure. The sorceress would simply use Mari's friends to wield them against her.

Just as Häxa would do with Bowen if she discovered how deeply Mari had fallen in love with him.

'I'm going alone.'

'Alone?' Carrow blinked. 'What did I tell you about things like this? It starts with 'Darwin says.' Come on, Mari, how many chances does a witch like me get to rid the world of ultimate evil?'

Knowing Carrow would continue protesting, Mari said, 'I'll tell you what, let's compromise. You guys watch the fight through the mirror. If I get into trouble, then just crawl through and come rescue me. That's fair, right?' She said this even as she planned to block the portal to them.

Carrow seemed whipped with disappointment, but when Elianna said, 'That's for the best,' Carrow agreed to stay. 'For now.'

With that settled, Mari gazed out at her enemy. Any fear and doubts she'd had fired into outrage. This evil being had already devastated Mari's family, and now she seemed bent on using Bowen's feelings for Mari to torment the proud, stalwart warrior—the warrior who had chosen Mari over... everything.

Häxa was as good as dead.

'I'm going.' Mari might not live through the night, but if she went, then she was taking Häxa down with her. She turned back. 'I've got a wicked bitch to destroy.'

Carrow stared at her eyes with a look of something like awe. 'Mari, I think... I think you are the wicked bitch.'

Bowe rubbed the back of his neck, sensing that he and Mariah were no longer alone. He turned, scanning the room. Had the wall mirror just moved?

Suddenly, the glass bulged out. Two small, gloved hands broke the surface in the middle, drawing the now pliable glass to the sides.

Mariketa.

His heart leapt at the sight, even as he knew Mariah studied him. He didn't want to hurt her needlessly, but he couldn't hide his excitement. He'd begun to fear he'd never have the opportunity to talk to Mariketa, or to tell her how he felt about her.

Yet the witch didn't spare a glance at Bowe. With magick growing in her strangely gloved palms and a murderous look in her glassy eyes, she made straight for Mariah, who retreated, visibly frightened.

'Witch! What in the hell are you doing?' Bowe lunged after her, absently realizing he was more worried about Mariketa's hurting an innocent than he was about Mariah's safety.

Had she lost her mind? Over the spells or over Bowen's perceived betrayal? Was she under some kind of spell?

Mariketa peered over her shoulder, eyes brilliant.

'Don't fight me, Lykae.' The coldness in her stunned him as much as any of this...

With a wave of her hand she shot him against the wall and froze him there. True fear coursed through him.

He was unable to move, unable to speak, forced to do nothing but watch as the witch closed in to kill.

51

Mari wondered how long the sorceress would keep up the charade. Now that Mari knew Häxa's real identity, the cloying and the play were so obvious.

Still in disguise, Häxa finally stood her ground. 'Come to fight me for him?'

Mari gave a bitter laugh as they began circling each other. 'No, Häxa. He matters not at all,' she lied baldly. 'If I wasn't about to destroy you, I'd wish you two well.'

'Destroy me, is it? I was musing when you'd finally find the courage to come face me.' Her voice began to change, becoming raspier as she sneered, 'Or when you could drag your pretty gaze from the glass.'

Mari could feel Bowen's confusion, heard him struggling. To him, this still appeared to be Mariah talking.

'Yes, I know all about you,' Häxa continued. 'The vain witch. The Queen of Reflections.' Her eyes darted in Bowen's direction. 'Does the Lykae's heart beat so madly for you or me? I wonder.'

'Before I kill you I want to know why you seized on him. Why use Mariah?'

'Kill me? Oh, you fanciful child.'

Her amusement rankled.

'I'll tell you. Eighteen decades ago, a spoiled princess bade me enchant him.'

Mari's lips parted. There'd been an enchantment—but it hadn't been Mari's.

Behind her, she heard Bowen's struggles abruptly cease. This revelation had no doubt confounded him.

Häxa continued, 'Seems Mariah hadn't appreciated that when all other males fawned after her, begging for her hand, Bowen had absolutely no interest in her, even seemed to disdain her—Mariah, a princess. For years, she loved him from afar, or at least she fancied herself in love with him. No other would do. She had to have him. So I granted her wish, knowing that this situation would be replete with pain and suffering—and that if I grant a wish, I get to reap the misery from the outcomes of all involved.

'I gave him to her, and her to him, then killed her within weeks. On the night I caused her death, I realized that the wolf would lead me to you, the Awaited One. I merely watched him until you came into his life.' She turned to Bowen. 'Thank you for removing her cloak for me. The red made my vision irritatingly blurry.'

'And the plane wreck?' Mari said. 'The earthquake when we were on the bridge?'

'That was merely playing. Every time this one thought he'd lose you again, I got an infusion of despair. Besides, the demon pilot begged me to unfreeze his family, volunteering to do anything for me. How could I resist?'

Mari's animosity toward the pilot left her in a rush.

Häxa continued, 'Since I've returned as Bowen's dead mate resurrected, he's given me a veritable feast of misery, seasoned with guilt. Delectable. I could have killed you at any time. But you hadn't used your magick against me, so I couldn't siphon it from you. And captromancer, I do so want your unique powers.'

Häxa? Bowe struggled to comprehend what was happening.

She can assume any form, Mariketa had said. And Häxa was revealing that he had, in fact, been under an enchantment—but long before he'd ever met Mariketa.

Mariketa held out one of her hands in his direction, displaying a strange mirror in the palm of her glove. Suddenly, his medallion began tearing from his neck, shooting pain through him. It was as though the thing had planted deep roots in his skin that were now being stripped away, tearing as they went. In the past, every time he'd decided to remove it, he'd always forgotten to. Now he knew why, and now he understood why Mariketa hadn't sensed another curse on him—because it had been a part of him, like a cancer.

Once freed, the medallion flew across the room to her. She caught it, then melted it in the heat of her mirrored palm, until it resembled a lead ball.

When she dropped it to the ground, a thick haze seemed to be lifted from Bowe's vision. Now when he gazed at the image of Mariah, he felt nothing but... fury.