Page 99 of Taken By Touch and Torment

“Kitten,” Rune’s mentor said, lifting a single, perfect dark brow as her green eyes homed in on Imogene.

Imogene smiled sheepishly. She fell to her knees as the infamous witch approached. She bowed her head.

Something sick and slimy crawled around my stomach when Sadie greeted her sub with a delicate stroke of her hair. I had to make a conscious effort to fight my traumatized, subconscious brain—to remind it that this was consensual, and the shifter was not actually a slave.

Sadie’s gaze slowly met mine. She was gorgeous. Her brunette hair was shiny and meticulously styled, her lips painted red, the same color as her stylish leather jacket that brushed her calves.

“My apologies for the intrusion,” she said. “Kitten is always looking for new friends. She just can’t help herself, can she?”

Her eyes fell back to Imogene, gesturing for her to rise. Sadie placed a long red nail under her chin and shook her head in gentle chastisement as Imogene giggled.

“Very bad girl,” she said, though her tone was lighthearted.

It made me relax—to see that underneath Sadie’s scary domme façade, she had nothing but love and care for the bubbly shifter woman. I could see it reflected in Imogene’s desires and body language.

“Hello, Scarlett,” Sadie said. She extended a hand, and I shook it. Her grip was firm, and she was quick to release me. “I didn’t intend to introduce myself today. I’m sure I’ll receive an earful about it later.”

Was she being truthful? It wasn’t like Imogene was really causing us trouble. I couldn’t discern, because Sadie’s desires were hidden just as they’d been at the meeting.

“I’d prefer not to be treated like a glass object on a shelf,” I said.

Uriah cleared his throat. “I’m going to head back. See you ladies later.”

Sadie grinned at him. “Off to send Rune a warning flare?”

Uriah didn’t say anything, only laughed nervously and jogged back toward the training field.

Snow stepped closer to me, and I could read trepidation in her features. Sadie glanced at her, offering a polite smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes.

“Would you like to take a walk, Scarlett?” Sadie asked. “No is a perfectly acceptable answer.”

Rune, Snow, and Uriah clearly thought a walk with Sadie was a bad idea. But if I were being honest, that only made me want to do it more. If not for sheer curiosity’s sake, then certainly out of irritation with everyone treating me like I was fragile no matter how many times I told them to treat me the same as before.

I nodded. “Okay. Let’s walk.”

40

SCARLETT

“I’ll be back soon,” I said to Snow as Sadie murmured something to Imogene. Snow sighed, but she didn’t fight me.

Sadie and I traveled down the garden path, heading toward the thin patch of woods and away from the castle. I knew it was cold out, but it was hard to feel the biting air on my skin. My body and I were no longer fully connected. Our lines had been compromised.

“What’s up with the weird energy between you and Snow?” I asked bluntly, because what did I have to lose?

Sadie laughed. “My fellow witches have always been wary of me, worrying that I’m dabbling with forces beyond my control. They think that I perhaps have too much of the wrong kind of power at my disposal.”

“Do you?”

“Matter of opinion.”

Snow didn’t even know that Sadie had created the entire race of turned vampires. I couldn’t imagine that would help her wariness.

I glanced at Sadie. “You showed Rune that our love was real,” I said. “Why? Aren’t you worried about how that will affect your own interests? Wouldn’t it have been easier to let him believe otherwise, to be fueled by hatred instead?”

Sadie peered over at me, an amused smile on her red lips. A harsh wind whipped her dark hair back. “I value the truth, Scarlett. And I also value my relationship with Rune.” She sighed. “Being fueled by hatred is not as effective as you’d imagine. Far better to be fueled by love.”

This answer took me by surprise, and yet, I wasn’t sure what else I expected from a darkly powerful witch whom Rune admired.

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