Imposter

Chapter 27

"Can you stand?" the sorceress asked, towering above Karel.

"I don't know." His breaths came out in short, jerky pants, his eyes fixed on Mason.

Mason was sitting on the ground, his long legs drawn up to his chest and his head in his hands.

"Let's get rid of that nasty collar," the woman said, slipping a finger beneath the band. "Though I must admit, you look particularly enticing in this state."

Karel ground his teeth together, pulling back from her.

"I think the girl has the key in her pocket," Mason said, his voice heavy. "Get it off him so we can get the fuck out of here."

"And where will you go?" the woman asked, looking amused. "You're lost, Mason. You don't know what you're doing."

She untied Karel's hands and moved over to the body on the ground, where she rummaged in the pockets for the key.

The collar unlocked with a pop, sliding off and dropping in the grass.

As Karel worked up the strength to try and stand, he saw Jericho.

He was hiding in the shrubs, his face pale and his eyes wide. He wasn't moving at all, a frozen statue.

Would she kill him once she realized he was there? Would Mason?

A dog's little whimper caught their attention, and Eddie came bounding from the opposite direction. He ran straight over to Mason, his tail wagging as he allowed the young man to wrap his arms around him and bury his face in his fur.

"What is he?" Karel asked, swallowing back bile and looking up at the witch. "Do you know what he is?"

"Right now? He's satisfied and you're safe." The woman offered her hand to him. "Well, at least until he gets hungry again."

"What's wrong with him?" Karel ignored her hand, his legs shaking as he stood up slowly.

She looked offended, her nostrils flaring. "Nothing's wrong with him," she said through clenched teeth.

"He just drank blood of three people! There's obviously something not right in his head!"

Mason's head snapped up, and he stared at Karel.

There was something in his ocean-blue eyes that Karel hadn't ever seen before, but he couldn't focus on anything but the blood streaked across his face.

"I need to go home," Karel said, staggering over to one of the horses that hadn't fled the scene.

The horse's reins had gotten tangled up in the bushes, and it shied away from him, its eyes rolling.

"You won't be welcome there," the woman said flatly. "You know you won't. You're supposed to be dead."

He had to get back to Viviane. Had to make sure she was safe. "I don't care."

"You won't be safe," she warned him. "They will kill you."

"Not when they realize I'm not the monster they should be worried about," Karel said, pressing his lips in a thin line as he glanced at Mason.

Mason closed his eyes, swallowing hard.

A blast of wind sent Karel flying through the air, his back slamming against a tree. His lungs seized up and he wheezed, the treetops above him spinning.

"Retha, don't!" Mason flung himself on top of him, shielding him with his body.

Karel's eyes refocused on the witch as her lips parted. She took a step backwards, her forehead wrinkling.