The beast and the blessed novel by Ashley Breanne novel Chapter 108

Three: Joselin

Joselin's P.O.V.

It was the closest I could get us, and that made my stomach tighten.

Only a few weeks ago, Lycans, wolves, and humans faced off against a collection of witches and vampires for the right to the crown. We came out victorious because of the strength of our Queen's magic. All of the vampires had been burned to ashes, and the witches who had taken part in the treasonous attack had been executed for their crimes.

Yet, their spell was still in place, telling me that at least one witch involved in the casting remained. More than likely, they were still hiding here, in the mountains.

He wanted to know why I brought us here, and the answer couldn't have been more disturbing to me.

"Because I couldn't get us closer," I whispered as I lifted my hand and ran it over the thick wall of magic. It was strong. Whoever cast this was not to be taken lightly. 'Someone survived, and I have a bad feeling about it."

I walked forward through the thick, water-like air filled with magic until I reached the other side. It was the same barrier I had felt the night before the attack.

The sounds of bones cracking and popping filled the area as Tobias shifted into his Lycan, prepared to fight. His hulking figure towered over me as he stood just behind my shoulder. I took a deep breath to collect myself, trying not to be distracted by his close proximity.

A cold breeze blew through the trees, making the oak leaves and the pine needles rustle loudly. The tiny hairs on my neck lifted, and I glanced around the forest. Each step forward had my anger increasing.

It didn't feel like we were alone, but they had masked themselves well. Tobias seemed to have the same realization as I heard him inhale deeply before letting a low growl out.

I almost wanted them to step out so I could fight them and finally release some of this frustration on someone, but the forest was empty. There were no animals of any kind, and the further up we hiked, the drier and more diseased the plants and ground became. They hadn't been like this before, and I had to pause and confirm we were going in the right direction before we could continue.

I was so focused on our surroundings that I jumped when Tobias placed his large claw on my hip.

The need to pull away and eliminate him as a distraction vanished when I tilted my head back and saw his muzzle over my head as he stared out into the trees. It felt so natural to have his hand there, and I was sure he didn't even realize he was doing it. His chest brushed against my back as he slowly turned his head from side to side, scanning our surroundings, but I couldn't take my eyes away from him.

He knew what he was doing. This was his job as one of the private bodyguards to the Queen. A flare of jealousy rushed through me as I imagined him doing this with Natalie, even though I knew he never would. I had never seen him touch her. He adored the Queen, as did the rest of her people, but it wasn't infatuation. He respected her and the king.

Still, I knew he wasn't infatuated with me either, and yet, here we were.

The back of my head brushed against his chest, and he looked down at me, suddenly realizing the position he had placed us in, and took a step back with his top lip pulled up in a silent snarl. The loss of his body heat made me shiver, and I pressed my lips together to stop myself from turning around and giving him a piece of my mind.

He saw us as friends. I was the little girl he saved all those years ago. Then one day, he cut me out of his life and didn't talk to me again for years. He didn't speak to anyone again for years. It took a long time to get him to let me back in, and even then, it was never the same.

Now as adults, we maintained this acquaintanceship where some days I was his friend, and some days I was nothing more than a colleague. But I only wanted to grab and kiss him until he finally saw me as something more.

"It's this way." I ground out, feeling my eyes begin to water. Once again, he pulled away from me like I was some disease-ridden animal when he was the one who had reached out for me this time.

"Josie," Tobias growled, but I shook my head and kept walking. I didn't want his excuses. I also didn't want to hear him tell me how or why he wasn't interested. It would be too painful.

"It's close. We need to keep moving if we want to get home before nightfall. ' I stepped over a fallen tree, noticing the small black lines that had run up the trunk. They pulsed faintly, and as I let my fingertips graze over them, I could feel the dark magic poisoning the plant.

I saw the stone before anything else when I looked up. The large flat slab had been lifted atop another to be raised, and I swallowed hard as I pushed my childhood memories to the back of my mind.

When I had stumbled across this during our attack, it had been covered in fresh blood. Chains had been secured to the surrounding trees and sat in the dirt as they waited for their next victim.

But they weren't here now.

Everything had been cleaned. Even the dirt had been cleared of any footprints.

I approached the stone slab, letting my shaking hands gently brush over the discolored rock. I spent several minutes inspecting the rust-red-stained stone. Every line and crack in the stone had been cleaned. There wasn't a spec of dried blood, and I smacked my palm down loudly in frustration.

"It's all gone. Someone came back here to clean up their mess and hide any evidence." I turned, walking around one of the trees that I knew had chains tied to it. Chunks of bark lay scattered on the ground, having fallen from the friction of the metal rubbing against it.

I closed my eyes, trying to fight the memory of me pulling and yanking against the chains, trying to get free...to get away from the evil witches slicing into my skin. The horror of knowing it could have been a child on that rock, getting their magic sucked out of their soul, made me grab my knees as my mouth began to water and my stomach rolled. 1

Tobias approached me slowly, his claws gently scraping my skin as he pulled my hair back to keep it out of the way. The tender touch and thoughtful gesture made my chest hurt. I took a few deep, calming breaths as my stomach settled before standing upright, thankful I hadn't been sick in front of him.