A Witch in Time

the first time when they were outside Bloomingdale’s, this sensation screamed danger at her.
She attempted to spin around, but a hand going over her mouth and around her waist prevented her from any kind of movement. When she tried to scream, a coldness washed over her and her surroundings shimmered away. Magic. Magic was being used on her, but it was a strange kind. It felt different … it felt unnatural and wrong.
There was a loud pop in her ears, and when she blinked, her surroundings changed. She was inside some kind of cavernous, abandoned warehouse. Summoning her Lycan strength, she broke free of whoever was holding her down.
“Get her!”
She whirled around but was met with a cloud of green smoke. It must have been some sort of confounding potion because she suddenly felt weak and lost control of her motions. Arms wrapped around her again, and her vision began to fade in and out. Fight it, she screamed in her mind. Her Lycan metabolism would be able to burn through it, but they might dose her with more of the potion if they thought she was regaining her senses. So, she remained limp.
“Excellent work, Malachi,” said a voice on her left. “I can’t believe they left her unguarded.”
“The mother would have been better, but she will have to do,” said the man who held her. “We don’t know if the confounding potion will be enough to subdue her since she’s one of those half-breeds. So make sure you have enough ready.”
Malachi, Elise thought, filing the name away in her mind.
“Come on then, we can’t waste any more time,” Malachi said. “Hand me that knife.”
Elise braced herself, anticipating the cut. Something sharp poked at her palm, and it was a good thing her mind was still cloudy as it didn’t feel as painful as it should. Warm, sticky blood flowed out of the wound, but she didn’t make a sound.
“Will her blood be strong enough?” Another voice, this time, female.
“It should,” Malachi said. “All we need is the blood from the spellcaster. A drop of this one’s blood and the spells used to protect The Enclave will be broken.”
Despite the fogginess of her mind, fear rushed through her, paralyzing her as she realized what they were going to do. Long ago, her grandmother, Vivianne, and her mother had added spells of protection to The Enclave, to strengthen them and make sure no humans and magical beings would be able to enter their walls without permission. Since she was related to them, they must mean to use her blood in a spell to break the protections. And since they used blood magic, that only meant one thing.
Mages.
“That’s it … and now, break the spell and send us into The Enclave. The ceremony should be starting which means the artifact will be out in the open.”
Artifact? What were they talking about?
The arm around her waist tightened and propped her up. “Awake yet, little half-breed?” came the raspy voice in her ear. “Oh, this is even better than I planned. They won’t have any choice now.”
She let out a soft whimper but remained a dead weight in his arms. Her mind was almost free and the feeling in her limbs was starting to come back. Can’t let them know. Can’t let them dose me again.
Her heels scraped on the concrete floor as Malachi dragged her around like a rag doll. She opened her eyes to the tiniest slit she could manage and saw three figures in red robes surround them. They then began to chant. The coldness gripped her again, though their trip wasn’t as quick this time. Her body felt like it was ripping apart and a loud sound rang in her ears like the shattering of glass. When her feet landed on solid ground, she opened her eyes.
“No one move or she dies.” Fingers wrapped around her neck as Malachi held her tight against him.
“Elise!”
Her mother’s voice broke through her confusion. Oh no.
They were standing in the middle of The Enclave. She recognized the main courtyard, all decorated for Lucas’s ascension ceremony. The future Alpha himself was standing a few feet away from her on the dais where they had appeared.
The magic moving around her mother was unmistakable. Lara Henney was a blessed witch after all with the power to control air currents. Wind swirled around her, as did the power she was summoning.
“I said don’t move!” The fingers tightened around her throat and she let out a choked sputter. She saw her mother’s anguished face as she put her hands down and the magic surrounding her drained away. However, with Malachi’s attention on her mother, he didn’t notice two figures jump up on the dais and put themselves between him and Lucas Anderson. Elise recognized Julianna Anderson, one of Lucas’s sisters, and Cross Jonasson, Uncle Daric and Aunt Meredith’s eldest son.
“Don’t hurt her,” Lucas said in a calm voice. “What do you want, mage?”
Malachi laughed, the sound making Elise’s flesh crawl. “I want that.”
She couldn’t move her head to see what the mage was talking about. What did he want?
“You can have it. Just let her go.”
“You! Bring it here.”
Julianna grabbed the something from her brother and held it up toward Malachi. It was a dagger with a green jewel at the hilt, the blade covered in blood.
“You stupid dogs!” Malachi sneered. “Using the dagger in your idiotic rituals. You have no idea what you’ve had all this time.”
“Elise.”
She froze, and her eyes met Cross’s gaze. His eyes were so like his father’s, though now they were a dark, stormy blue-green. And deadly serious. “Elise, do it.”
“No, please, Cross,” she begged. “Don’t make me.” She couldn’t possibly do it. He didn’t know what he was asking her.
“Do it!” Cross shouted. “Elise, NOW.”
The fabric covering her hands disappeared, and she realized he was 100 percent serious if he used his powers to remove her gloves. Malachi’s eyes went crazy, and she felt his fingers digging into her throat, crushing her windpipe.