Witches Be Burned: A Magic & Mayhem Novel by Stacey Kennedy Page B

tired of so much personal loss.
    Once she reached Finn, she dropped down beside him, her knees pressing against the cool, damp grass. The breeze swept over her, raising goose bumps as she inhaled the woodsy scents drifting along the wind. She took Finn’s icy hand into hers. “I’m so sorry, Finn.”
    His blue eyes held no mischief, as they usually did. They were drowning in desolation. “You, out of everyone, understand what I’m suffering now.”
    She swallowed deeply. Yeah, she did. She also wished they didn’t have this in common.
    Tears welled in her eyes and she looked away, trying to be strong for Finn. Her attention fell to Zia, who hugged Haven. Damn sad this was. Haven and Finn probably needed each other more than anything else, but Nexi assumed neither of them held the capacity to move after witnessing Trefan’s death.
    Doing the one thing that helped her during these times, she wrapped her arms around Finn and stayed silent while he embraced her so tight and began to sob. An ache filled her chest at seeing such a strong guardian break. She’d been well acquainted with the stages of grief. Once anger set into Finn, nothing would stop his quest to shed the blood of the vampires who killed his brother.
    For now, grief outweighed his need for retaliation.
    With a heavy heart, she looked at Kyden. His eyes blazed as he thrust his fingers into his hair, a move that always showed both anger and frustration. Similar feelings descended through her also. The weight of her sword on her back brought forth the rich desire to hunt.
    She squeezed her arms tighter around Finn, hating life sometimes. Trefan had joined the Council’s Guard just a week ago, after training for the role. Nexi hadn’t even had the chance to really get to know him—she’d had only a few conversations with him. No innocent death was warranted, but somehow the loss of such a young, vibrant life seemed worse.
    A tear slid down her cheek and she rested her head on Finn’s shoulder, gazing at the forest a few feet away. The longer she stared, the more a shadow began to stand out. She leaned away from Finn, wiped her eyes, and squinted.
    “What is it?” Kyden asked, his voice tight.
    “I don’t…” Concentrating on that shadow, she pushed up off the damp grass. As her vision adjusted to the dark night, she noticed the shadow wasn’t a shadow at all. It was a woman—or, by the energy Nexi could feel, a witch. A cold shiver slid through her as she took a couple steps forward. “There’s a witch here.”
    Once she reached the edge of the forest, Nexi thought the witch was the definition of the girl next door—round, bright blue eyes and perfect curled long brown hair. Pretty, in an innocent way. “Who is this?” she called.
    “Astoria,” Zia hissed.
    Nexi jerked her head to the side. The scowl on Zia’s face matched her rigid voice. “You know her?”
    “That”—Zia’s features immensely darkened—“is a black-magic witch.”
    Icy fingertips crawled over Nexi’s flesh. Since joining the Council’s Guard, she hadn’t dealt with—or heard of—any assignments that included a black-magic witch. White-magic witches who used spells that hurt humans, yes, but a witch who possessed a different type of magic from Nexi’s, no. “Evil magic, you mean?”
    Zia bobbed her head. “We train young witches in how to fight against the pull toward black magic. Yet some cannot deny the strength and the appeal to hold such powerful abilities.”
    Pondering this new development in the rules of supernaturals, Nexi couldn’t help but ask, “Is dark magic gifted from the elements?”
    “No. White magic comes from the elements. Dark magic uses an ancient source—a rich, dark power.” Zia’s features tightened, dead serious, her voice equally so. “Believe me when I say that tapping into that magic is like dealing with the Devil himself.”
    Goose bumps rose across Nexi’s flesh and she rubbed her arms to rid herself of them. “Then why