Witch Way Now?

**Please read Chapter 1 before reading this one. Thanks for all the feedback**

Chapter 2

Tears slid down Eva’s pale cheeks as she saw what was left of her once happy home. The hut had been burned to the ground and only charred remains were before her. She heard light crunching sounds as she walked over the burnt splintered wood and leaves. Slowly, she found herself in the middle of her parents’ hut. As if the weight of the world was upon her shoulders, her knees gave way and she fell, sobbing into her hands. She looked up when she felt a large hand on her shoulders.

“I’m sorry for your loss,” was all he said, but the look in his hazel eyes told her more, as if he knew too well what she was feeling. He went down to his knees and surprised her by wrapping her in his arms. She continued to cry although she felt much better being held in his gentle arms.

She had been so happy when she found that she could work in their beloved Lord Candon’s castle. Although she loved her small village, she had always felt a need to explore and to be adventurous. When she had reached her eighteenth birthday, her mother finally allowed her to leave the village and to become a servant in the castle. Melody had hoped that her darling daughter would get her adventurous streak out of her so that she could marry one of the nice village boys and have many babies.

Of course, Eva had different ideas. Instead, she loved watching the soldiers train and plan. If anything, she wanted to marry a soldier and be for him when he came home from war, regaling her with tales of valor.

Then again, the soldiers had other ideas as well. As she watched some of her new castle friends flit from one soldier to another, she realized that her dream may not come true. In fact, whenever she talked to one of the soldiers, she found them looking at her as more of a play thing than as a wife.

Eva was an optimist, however, and much to her parents’ dismay, she would only settle for the man of her dreams and no one else.

And then Jacob arrived at the castle. He always stood away from her group, as if he was always deep in thought. Instead of flirting with the castle females, he would leave to consult with Lord Candon or simply brood by himself. To Eva’s annoyance, many of her friends tried outrageous tricks (such as naked-middle-of-the-night-groping and claim it was sleepwalking) to land themselves into his bed.

Eva decided that she felt in love with him when he saved her from tripping down the last couple of steps of the main stairwell, although she tripped because she saw him and completely missed the step. He had simply smiled and nodded as if she was a real person and not some object to ogle over. As she watched him walk away from her, he briefly turned his head in her direction and smiled again.

Eva sighed as she walked away, thinking of his darkly lashed hazel eyes, dark blond hair, and heavily muscled body. His face was a handsome image that she liked to keep tucked away in the corner of her mind when he wasn’t around.

Although she didn’t know it, he also kept an image of her in the corner of his mind as well. With her dark black hair and bright green eyes, she stood out in the sea of fair-haired females that were abundant in the castle. Her creamy white skin looked soft and her full lips were inviting. Plus, with her lush breasts, narrow waist, and curvy legs, she had the kind of body that a man wanted to come home to. But, Jacob had other plans and although he wanted her for his own, he couldn’t risk it now.

But just this morning, his plans suddenly became second place. While Eva was dusting in the hallway next to War room, Conroy, one of Lord Candon’s loyal guards entered and revealed unwelcome news.

“Dunmore has destroyed the village of Fenroy this morning. Apparently, she has decided it was time she continued her attack on our lands.”

Jacob didn’t hear the rest of the message. Instead, all he saw was the stricken look on Eva’s lovely face. She dropped her rag and quickly disappeared from view.

Eva couldn’t believe what she had heard. She ran as fast as she could to the stables, not noticing that Jacob was not far behind. Thoughts kept racing through her head of what could have happened to her village. She prayed that the messenger was wrong and that all the Fenroy Villagers were happy going about their everyday lives. It took her the longer part of the day to ride to her village.

That is, the remains of her village.

She swallowed hard as she gazed upon the smoking site in front of here. Slowly, she got off her horse and tied it to a low tree branch, despite the fact it took her several tries because of her tear-filled eyes.

She closed her eyes as she let her hands linger on the rope, as if when she opened her eyes, everything would be back to normal.

Instead, when she opened her eyes, it was to see Jacob on his war horse, looking solemnly at the view in front of him.

“I was wondering if you’d let me see you,” she said, noting how her voice was shaky from unshed tears.

“I just wanted to make sure you were safe,” he replied as he remained on his horse.

As she walked around the charred buildings, he leapt off his horse and continued to follow her. For some strange reason, although he felt the need to protect her, he also knew that this was something none should be shielded from. This was a journey she had to take to help her grieve. When he saw her fall, he knew that although she had to grieve on her own, he could at least hold her to let her know that she wasn’t the only one who had to take such a difficult journey.

“I should have come home...when mother asked me to,” she hiccupped, after several heartbeats of solid crying. She looked at him with her large green eyes and sadly smiled as she remembered. “The last thing she said to me... was that she wanted me to hurry up and find someone special so she could spoil her grandchildren.” She ended with a fond laugh of the memory.

As she looked around the remains, a hint of sparkle in the burnt remains caught her eye. Jacob let her go as she pulled away.

Bending down, she brushed away some ashes and found herself uncovering a piece of golden jewelry. She picked it up and shook away the rest of the debris. As she looked at in the palm of her hand, she realized it was the necklace, a simple golden chain necklace with a heart charm, that her mother never took off. Choking back more tears, she turned and showed Jacob what had caught her attention.

“It was my mother’s necklace; she never took it off,” she said. She tried to unclasp the clasp but her hands were shaking too much and her eyes were blurring over again. Jacob gently took the necklace from her. While she lifted her long wavy black hair, Jacob slipped the necklace around her neck and clasped it for her. While doing so, she felt a gentle kiss on the side of her neck and gasped at the sudden rush that flowed through her body.

“It’s time we get back,” he said as he lightly kissed her forehead.

All that she could do was nod as her fingers fondled her new necklace.

They rode on their horses slowly as they made their way home and spent the time talking about various things. She spoke of some of her favorite parent memories while he talked about his recent travels.

Suddenly, they came across two guardsmen that looked like they were on watch. Although Eva didn’t recognize them, her new friend certainly did. After ordering her to stay where she was, he unsheathed his sword and started charging toward the two men. The two men, seeing the charging soldier, quickly ran into the cover of the forest, forcing Jacob to leap of his horse and chase after them.

Never one to listen to orders, Eva followed him, watching as the two guardsmen were joined by two more soldiers in a small clearing in the woods.

“What kind of foolish soldier are you? There are four of us now. You shouldn’t have so blindly followed,” one of the soldiers taunted as the four circled around him with their swords unsheathed.

Eva hid behind some bushes and watched in horror as Jacob found himself outnumbered.

He didn’t care. He would kill every last one of the murdering sons of bitches.

Eva screamed out loud as a fifth soldier suddenly appeared behind her. Six pairs of eyes fell upon her struggling form.

“Well looky what I found,” the soldier laughed as he held the struggling girl in his thick arms. Jacob howled as he swung his sword, trying to get to the beautiful captive.

Eva struggled and kicked when she found that her feet weren’t touching the ground anymore. The more she struggled, the more her captor laughed until he finally threw her to the ground. Eva gasped for air after the wind got knocked out of her.

She shook her head and looked up to see the soldier kneeling before her, ready to rape her. She simultaneously screamed, turned her head, and put up her hands to stop him from lying on top of him.

Suddenly, everything went quite. She turned her head up and reluctantly opened one eye, afraid of what she would see. The soldier was smiling lustily about to put his weight on her.

Except, he wasn’t moving.

She turned her head toward the five fighting men. One lay on the ground with a nasty wound. Another was bent over trying to get up. The other three had their swords connected, with Jacob trying to block the other two.

And they were perfectly still.

Whimpering, Eva used her arms to scoot herself from under her attacker. She stood up and swallowed hard, looking down at the man who had tried to rape her.

She ran to Jacob and waved her open hand in front of his face.

“Jacob, snap out of it!” she yelled with no luck. She didn’t understand what had just happened but she wasn’t going to push their luck. She wanted to get out of there as fast as possible.

She did a half-circle around him and then gently laid a hand on his shoulder. Although she yelled at him again to snap out of it, he still remained frozen in battle. Eva started to panic, afraid that whatever happened was permanent. Desperate, Eva shoved her body against his as hard as she could.

They both went flying into the dirt.

“What the hell?” Jacob asked, confused as to why Eva was half lying on him and why he was suddenly on the ground. He looked up and saw the other frozen soldiers. “What happened?”

“I don’t know!” Eva said as she hugged Jacob. “But I was afraid it was permanent.”

“Did you do this?” he asked in disbelief?

“No...yes...I don’t know,” she said, obviously in distress. “We have to get out of here. We’re outnumbered.”

Jacob looked at the frozen men and wanted desperately to run his sword through all of them. But, he wasn’t like that. He would never kill someone so helpless.

“Let’s go,” he said bitterly as they stood up. He wanted nothing more than to fight them all, but he knew he wouldn’t be able to take all of them for long.

He started to move put his sword away when Eva heard sounds behind her. Her would-be rapist had landed flat on his belly in the dirt while Jacob’s two attackers found themselves falling forward. In surprise, Eva put up her hands as the men fell in front of her.

She froze when she realized what had just happened. The five attackers were all frozen again. She looked at her upright hands and turned them in amazement. Somehow, she froze them.

Turning back around, she found a frozen Jacob with his hand on his sword hilt as he was putting it away. This time, she knew how to get him out of it.

After they both got up from the ground again, they both ran until they found the horses. Jacob quickened his horse’s pace until Eva could barely keep up. When the castle finally came into view in the now dark sky, Eva yelled, “Slow down! We’re here!”

Jacob continued his furious pace until Eva threatened, “I’ll freeze you if you don’t!”

“What’s the matter with you? You’ve been riding like a mad-man!” she said when he finally slowed his horse down to a walk. She bit her lip when he saw how furious he was. “I wouldn’t have really frozen you. I don’t even know how.”

“You’re a witch, I suppose?” he asked as if it was a normal conversational starter. His jaw was clenched tightly after he said that.

“I guess so. Although, I’ve never been able to freeze anything before. All I know is that ... I was so scared and I didn’t want any thing to happen ... and then time just stopped,” she whispered, extremely confused. “I can’t be a witch.”

“Why not? You obviously have powers,” he stopped his horse and Eva did the same. “Do it again.”

Eva breathed in deeply and put out her hands in front of her.

Jacob narrowed his eyes after watching her struggle for several moments. “Can’t you do it again?”

“I’m trying!” she said desperately until she finally sighed, “It couldn’t have been me.”

“I see,” he said disappointedly while Eva looked down in frustration. She looked up when she heard the sound of a sword being unsheathed and looked up to see Jacob start to bring his sword down upon her.

She put her hands up in surprise and almost fell off the horse.

Jacob was frozen. Annoyed, she tried to make her horse go around his own horse, but apparently, horses could be frozen. She sighed and got off her horse as she waited for the freeze to wear off.

After what seemed like an eternity, Jacob stopped his blade and smiled at the annoyed witch. He put his sword away as he spoke, “It’s a fear response. You’re going to need to find out how to access it when you’re not afraid.”

“Easy for you to say,” she mumbled as she got back on her horse. “I still don’t understand. My parents weren’t witches.”

They continued in heavy silence when Eva suddenly said in realization, “Do you think this necklace has something to do with it?”

Jacob wondered out loud, “Maybe the necklace was a catalyst to help you use your powers?”

Eva suddenly switched topics. “Who were those soldiers? They were wearing Candon colors, but they’re obviously not Candon soldiers.”

“They were Dunmore soldiers,” he said flatly with his clenched jaw back in place.

“How could you possibly know that? You’ve traveled in far away places, how could you possibly recognize them?” she probed.

“I started traveling after I was eight, when that bitch killed my father and became lady of the castle. Those men were supposed to be my father’s loyal guard,” he bitterly revealed.

Eva was shocked to hear such revelations. Jacob was the heir to Dunmore’s realm? “Is that why you’re here, to take back your castle?”

He nodded in affirmation. “I’ve come to help Lord Candon stop the bitch and reclaim my realm with or without the damn prophesy.”

“What prophesy?” Eva asked tentatively as they reached the castle gates.

“My beloved stepmother,” he said stepmother as if it was the worst insult he could say, “was told that I can take back the throne with the aid of a witch.” Eva was stunned as she absorbed his heavy words. “And that witch, I’m guessing, is you.”

Eva tossed and turned as she struggled to fall asleep. Finally, she gave up and exited the servant’s chambers. She slowly walked through the halls, running the day’s events before her.

She was a lousy witch. Before going to bed, she had tried several times to try to get things to freeze without any luck. What use was having powers if she couldn’t figure out how to make them work?

She hadn’t realized it until she stood in front of Jacob’s room, then she was subconsciously looking for him. She knocked several times on the heavy door without any response. When she was about to leave, the door suddenly opened and Jacob stood in front of her in just breeches.

He moved aside to allow her entrance into his candlelit room before closing the door. He leaned back against it and studied the haunted woman in front of him. He couldn’t believe that she had been able handle the day’s events with such bravery.

Eva studied him back in return. Slowly, she walked up to him and put her hand gently on his naked chest. She lightly traced the thick muscles that seemed to bulge before her eyes. With her forefinger, she lightly traced a thick white scar that went from his collar bone to above his left nipple. Without warning, she gently kissed the bottom part of the scar. Moaning, Jacob bent down and claimed his lips for his own.

He picked her up in his arms and carried her to his mat. He gently laid her down and traced her bottom lip with a thick and calloused finger.

“Are you sure you want to do this?” he whispered hoarsely. He groaned when she nodded her head. He lowered his head and gently kissed her full lips. Delicately, he parted her lips with his own before tasting her with his tongue. Eva gasped at the sensation and the butterfly feeling that was starting in her lower abdomen. She kissed him back eagerly, and ran her hands over his thick muscles, welcoming the new undiscovered feelings that he was making her feel.

He paused in his seduction long enough to remove their unwelcome clothing. With her naked form on the mat, Jacob stared in appreciation, making Eva blush. She closed her eyes and moaned when she felt his hot breath near her right nipple. Gently, his mouth covered one rosy nipple while his hand circled around the other bud. Eva thrashed below him, arching her hips in an effort to reach something. He turned his mouth’s attention to the other rosy bud and began to gently suckle it while bringing his free hand between her legs. With expert hands, he delved between her thick lips to find the special button that would make her explode.

Eva loudly gasped in amazement when he began stroking her swollen clit. He continued to stroke it while alternating between sucking between her two nipples. She arched her back and cried out loud as she reached her first orgasm. He then moved his fingers down until they rested at her very wet hole. Slowly, he inserted one finger in while he began kissing her long pale neck. She began to move her hips to get desperately needed friction. In response, his thick finger began to rhythmically pump in and out of her throbbing body.

When she orgasmed again, he inserted two fingers inside her tight opening and continued pumping. Eva lost all thoughts as she gave way to the passion that she didn’t know that she had. When he stopped his gentle assault, she opened her eyes and watched him move between her knees. She gasped in surprise when she saw what was between his legs. His cock was huge and she was sure that there was no way it would fit inside of her.

But she trusted him. He gently pushed his cock’s thick head inside of her and Eva forgot all worries as she moaned at the intense pleasure that she was feeling. He slowly pulled out and then pushed in a little further each time. He knew that he was going to break her virginal barrier and wanted to make sure that she was enjoying herself to ease some of the pain.

Eva was going crazy with need as he teased her with his cock. Finally, she felt something build inside of her and she cried out as he Jacob finally broke through her barrier. When she finally came down from her orgasm, Jacob began to fully pump in earnest.

She wrapped her legs around his waist so that he could get in deeper. She couldn’t count how many times she came before he cried out in his own orgasm. He kissed her on the forehead before rolling over so that she lay on top of him. She could still feel his spent cock inside of her as she rested on top of his warm body.

“My real name’s Stephen,” he whispered into her ear when she mumbled his adopted name. Heartbeats later, they were asleep in each other’s arms.

In the next realm over, a dark brown haired woman shot straight up at the waist from her sleeping mat. She breathed heavily as shock registered on her face. She ran a hand through her thick hair in agony.

There was another witch, and Lady Madeline was going to find out about her soon.