Witch Emerging (High Witch Book 2) Read Free

don’t want someone to turn her.”
    Brayden kissed her hair. “I’m not even remotely angry with you. We only just got married—we deserve to rest for a while. But if you want to start looking, we can. The thing is, she could be anywhere. She’s not likely to be nearby.”
    Ariel sighed. “I know. But if Julius could find me, I can surely find her. We’ll start looking soon, okay?”
    “Whatever you wish, Ariel,” Brayden said, a little fear running through him but also awe at how kind-hearted she was. He held her closely, then ran his hand over her waist and down her thigh.
    Ariel smiled. “Brayden,” she whispered, kissing his neck. “You’re always distracting me.”
    “I’m just trying to make you feel better. I don’t want you to feel your morning sickness.”
    “Ha!” Ariel laughed. “You know I just use my magic to heal myself of that. But I’m not complaining, my love. Not for a second.”
    Brayden kissed her, becoming lost in the feeling, delighting in her touch. But in the back of his mind, he still felt a little fear.
     
    ***
    The next day they were sitting in their kitchen, a sunny room at the back of the house, drinking tea together. They had another week together before he and Ariel went back to work. Sunlight shone through the light curtains onto the wooden table, the bench and cupboards also bathed in the glow. There was a fireplace along the wall and various cooking utensils around the room. A vase of yellow flowers stood in the middle of the table.
    Ariel took another sip of tea, then gasped, putting her hand to her stomach.
    Brayden frowned. “What is it?” he asked.
    Ariel looked at him. “I don’t know. I just felt something. Like movement, or something. But it’s too soon for that yet. I don’t know what it was.”
    Brayden stood and walked over to her, placing a hand on her shoulder. “Do you want me to bring my mother here? Do you need some help?”
    “No, it’s probably nothing. It was only the once. It’s okay.”
    He sat back down, but felt a little uneasy. “Alright. Have you given any thought to how you want to locate the other High Witch? The older one? We don’t have a lot of money and aren’t really in a position to travel around. We’d need to hear stories about a witch with enormous power who may have done something big at some stage. She may not be aware of what she is, like you weren’t. I’m not quite sure how to go about this.”
    They were silent for a moment. “Surely there’s a spell I could cast, something that could reach out to her?” Ariel said. “There has to be some way I could use magic to find her.”
    Brayden shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe. Nadia certainly didn’t know of a spell, or she would have used magic to find you. But it does seem hard to believe that you have all that power—that the other witch has all that power—and you can’t find each other. Do you want me to find some books about locating spells?”
    Ariel nodded. “Yes, please. It would be a start. And then…” Ariel gasped again, then was thrown back in her chair. She held on to the table, breathing deeply. She looked at Brayden, her eyes wide.
    He stared back in horror.
    “Brayden, can a baby use magic in the womb?”
    Brayden shook his head. “That’s impossible. She—she’s not even big enough yet. You’re not even showing yet! She can’t… it can’t be! I… I…”
    Ariel put a shaky hand to her stomach, then disappeared on the spot, reappearing in a corner of the kitchen.
    Brayden rushed to her side and clutched her tightly.
    She reached out her arms and held on to him, shaking. “Something’s wrong,” Ariel said. “That wasn’t me. She’s using magic. It’s coming out of her somehow. I’m frightened, Brayden.”
    Brayden took a deep breath, petrified. Something was definitely wrong. He brought Ariel into a hug, determined to find a healer who knew about magic straight away. They didn’t need anything bad to happen.
    Heaven help them