Little Red's Riding

Sage

Silas stood in the door of the little cabin, staring into the empty space. It was exactly as it had been the last time that he was there, except for one notable difference.

"I can smell her. Just barely." Oliver gripped his upper arm, as if to steady him if he were going to collapse on the ground. He ground his teeth in frustration and pulled away. This wasn't the time for dramatics. He needed to find his mate.

"The witches?" Oliver began in a low voice. They'd left the two other warriors who were coming with them, with the exception of Soren who had also come with them, back at the main road that led towards town, before heading this way. Silas had a burning feeling in his gut that soon they would be headed that direction, but on Tucker's information they were coming here first.

"Let them fucking come." Silas snarled, walking into the cozy cabin as if it were his own, his strides long and hurried. He was picking up books before throwing them down, looking for any bit of information that might point them in the right direction, but everything was exactly as it had been when he'd last been here.

"From what I heard, my sister already did that with your mates' brother, at least that's what I believe he is to her? But not by blood? That whole family's story is bloody convoluted and that's a lot coming from me. My mother's a witch and my father's fey and my entire family tree is practically impossible to keep up with. Everyone says I have a great uncle who was a gnome who I've never met and I have no idea if it's true or if they're just joking."

Every eye in the room swung round to the woman who had suddenly appeared in a doorway that no one had noticed until the moment that she walked through it. She had flaming red hair that reached her waist. It seemed to crackle with electricity with every move that she made. Her eyes were a shade between purple and blue and she wore a long emerald dress made of fabric so fine it wasn't often seen outside of palaces and the houses of the very wealthy.

Silas turned to lunge at her and was immediately flung back, landing in a surprisingly light manner on a bed on the far side of the room. The moment he touched it his nostrils filled with the scent of the blood of his mate. Pushing himself up, he pulled back the quilt and saw the blood soaked sheets that someone had simply covered and not yet stripped away.

"And apparently someone owes me new bedding. I wasn't here for that." Shaking her head she rolled her eyes. "Indigo can sleep in my bed until she sorts that out. She's the one who's got us into this mess with you all. Messing about with wolves and soldiers. I don't know what she's thinking. Witches should keep to themselves. The fey are allies but everyone else?" Silas stood again and the young woman held up her hand.

"I wouldn't if I were you. As you've already seen I'm quite capable of defending myself. Both of my older sisters would love to have all three of your heads Alpha Varlett, but most especially yours."

"And you wouldn't?" This time it was Soren who spoke and the girl, who Silas only then realized was probably around eighteen, probably younger than Dahlia even, slowly turned her head to look at his mate's brother, all while keeping her hand outstretched towards him. He didn't think the other two had realized that she had made it impossible for him to move forward.

"Not if I was given the choice." It was a strange answer to the question he'd asked.

Would you kill the three of us? Not if I could help it. Sometimes can you not help it? The three of them all stared at her and couldn't help but feel the power that vibrated through the room.

"I never wanted to be anything other than a hedge witch. It's my sisters and Lilia Lemp that have other plans. If they'd been here you would already be dead. I don't even know what you're still doing here. You need to leave. Then I can get something cooking on the stove to get the stench of dogs out of here." Glancing at Soren she smiled weakly before shrugging her shoulders. "Sorry."