Page 99 of The Fearless Witch

“Those werewolves that disappeared… it was you!” I gasped, jumping to my feet. My knees wobbled, but I managed to stay up. “But it was the hunters who took them!”

“I have a mutual understanding with my… friends at the Order.” She shrugged. “Now that’s out of the way, let’s go. We need to complete the ritual.” Mariam strode toward the door, but when I didn’t follow, she stopped and slowly spun on her heel. “Don’t make me force you, Samara. This would all be easier for everyone if you cooperate.”

A laughter bubbled in my chest, spilling out before I could stop it. “Like hell I am! Why would I make it easier for you to steal my body and my life? If you think I’ll go down without a fight…” I raised my hand in support of my threat, a ball of fire forming over my trembling fingers. Fire wasn’t my strongest element, but the walls of this place seemed to be made of solid stone, so I had no access to earth.

Mariam gave me a look full of pity, then lifted her own hand. To my surprise, she didn’t attack or conjure a ward. She snapped her fingers, and the door opened with a screech.

“Bring them in,” she said without even turning. In reply to her order, a tall, broad-shouldered man entered the room, his stark blue eyes catching mine before he pushed two more people in. My breath caught in my throat as Lily stumbled while trying to keep Alice upright. The shifter’s eyes were sunken, skin sweaty and pale. Judging from the blood seeping between her fingers, she didn’t get the same careful treatment I did. Mariam cleared her throat. “You were saying?”

She stepped aside, letting me have a full view of the two women. Lily was in one piece, the only injury I could see was the shallow graze on her neck where the hunter had cut her. Her face was dirty, with tear stains marking a way down her cheeks. When she met my gaze, her lip quivered.

“Kneel,” Mariam ordered, her voice growing harsh and demanding. Alice dropped almost immediately, whimpering in pain as she placed her hands on the ground and lowered her head. Both Lily and I stared at her in shock. I had never seen werewolves kneel so eagerly, especially before their enemies. Even Lily struggled when the hunter grabbed her shoulder and shoved her down.

I looked at Mariam, ready to shout at her to let them go, when a faint light over her chest caught my attention. She wasn’t using her magic, not directly at least, but the medallion falling heavily between her collarbones was definitely magical. And it was doing something to them.

“Stop!” I snarled, and she looked back at me. “Don’t hurt them.”

“That’s entirely up to you, dear,” Mariam chuckled, adjusting her glasses. “Do as you’re told, and they’ll live. Refuse and…” She glanced back at the two women, or rather, at the man beside them. Casually, he drew out a jagged blade from its sheath, holding it loosely by his side.

I licked my lips, my mouth turning so dry, it was like I had poured ash down my throat. My head was spinning from trying to figure out what to do, but it felt like my thoughts only bounced off of each other, making no coherent connection.

There was no way out. None that would allow us all to leave alive, at least.

“Let them go,” I whispered, looking away from my sister’s wide, teary eyes. “I’ll do it if you let them go.”

“Violet, no! You can’t do what—” The hunter’s hand slid over her mouth, muffling the rest of the words. His knife pressed against Lily’s throat and she sucked in a sharp breath, inching away from the blade.

I glared at Mariam.

“If either of them gets any more hurt, I’m done. I’d rather die and let Mathias free than agree to this ritual. And you need me to agree, don’t you?” I smiled even though I felt like crying. “Otherwise, you wouldn’t be asking. You wouldn’t be playing this whole charade.”

Mariam made a show of thinking it over, her eyes darting between me and my sister. In the end, she strode to Lily’s side, catching the hunter’s hand and gently pushing the blade away. I let out a sigh of relief.

“Very well,” she said with a note of satisfaction, and I realized she was expecting this from the start. “Your life for theirs. Sounds reasonable to me.” She stepped back, nodding toward the door. “Take them outside and let them go.”

The hunter grabbed both women under the armpits and pulled them to their feet.

“I don’t trust you. I want to see them go with my own eyes.” I demanded.

Mariam sighed, looking at her watch.

“Fine, we have a few minutes,” she said like she couldn’t care less. Raising her hand, she offered it to me. “You won’t mind, will you? I can’t have you translocating recklessly without a tether. I destroyed the one you had at your Coven, by the way. You wouldn’t be needing that.”

I swallowed the scream lodged in my throat, taking her hand. A shudder shook my body as she intertwined her fingers with mine, tugging me after the hunter and the two women. We walked in silence through a dimly lit corridor, its walls bare and devoid of any unique features that could tell me where we were. When the faint light of the waning sun peeked through one of the windows, Mariam squeezed my hand and leaned closer.

“Try to contact Mathias and I will take your sister and wear her body until she falls apart. The oath is not perfect, and it takes a toll on the wearer. And with her being human, she’d be a shell in months. Then,” she paused, waiting until I looked at her before she continued, “I’ll come for you again and it will be your sister’s face you look at when you surrender yourself. Understood?”

“Understood,” I whispered, watching the hunter open the front door. Neither Lily nor Alice was bound, but he stood beside them like it didn’t even cross his mind that they could relieve him of one of the many weapons strapped to his body. I supposed they couldn’t. Lily was too slow and Alice was… too hurt.

“Go,” Mariam said to them and they both turned to stare at me with questions in their eyes. Lily was still supporting Alice’s weight, but I could see it in the shifter’s eyes that she’d run and fight until her dying breath to protect my sister. And I was counting on that.

“Can I at least say goodbye?” I asked, my voice breaking at the end. Mariam rolled her eyes, but nodded, watching me like a hawk as I approached them. Lily shook her head, looking ready to cry again, so I forced myself to smile. “Shh, it’s okay. I’ll be fine.” The lie rolled off my tongue easily as I wrapped my arms around both, squeezing them close. Lily let out a quiet sob, and I used the chance to speak, lowering my voice. “When you are outside, run with everything you’ve got. I don’t trust that she’d let you go. But you must escape. Promise me.”

I wasn’t sure Lily heard any of that, but I knew Alice did because I could feel her nod against my shoulder.

“This can’t be happening,” Lily whimpered when I tried to pull back. Her arm tightened around me. “We just found you! We can’t lose you again! We can’t—”

“Lily,” I interrupted, breaking her hold on my neck. “It will be fine, I promise. Now go. Please.”

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