Page 1 of The Fearless Witch

Chapter 1

Roman

Something was terribly wrong. I could feel it with every fiber of my body.

Unfamiliar smells assaulted my nose, accompanied by the shrieks of animals running in panic and the air buzzing with power that spread through the forest like a heavy fog. It felt different from before, stronger somehow, and it didn’t matter that I was moving away from the ward surrounding the city. Still, it was hard to pay attention to the odd sensation when all I could focus on was the disquieting tightness growing around my unbeating heart.

Searing pain exploded in my chest, and I barely caught myself on a tree before I fell to the ground. I tried to get air into my lungs when I remembered I didn’t need air. I didn’t need support to stay on my feet, and I didn’t get dizzy, least of all from running.

I was a vampire. Magic wasn’t supposed to affect my body or mind. Even Celeste couldn’t hurt me, and just an hour ago, she had power oozing from her like blood from an open wound. So what could be the cause of this? Was it the spell or…

“No,” I whispered as I dragged my nails over the front of my shirt. The fabric tore when I tugged at it, eager to confirm my worst nightmare hadn’t come to pass. The last flicker of hope died while I stared at the pale, unblemished skin where my soulmark used to be.

From the moment I marked Celeste, the bond had become a tiny, unyielding flame that tethered my dead heart to the blazing inferno inside hers. So for decades, her fire kept me warm, growing distant only when she perished from the world. But tonight… tonight there was nothing. Not even an ember.

It was all gone. Not faded or hidden. Gone.

“No!” I screamed just as a loud, guttural howl echoed through the trees. Before I knew it, I was running again, my feet barely touching the ground while I devoured the remaining distance to the crypt. When I finally reached the old, dark building, I almost took the doors down in my hurry to get to her.

Silence greeted me as I stood in the middle of the front room, waiting for the sounds of splashing water, soft sighs, or quiet footsteps. Nothing. I could hear nothing. Not her breathing, not her movements, not even the sweet beats of her heart.

“Celeste?” I called, ignoring how my voice cracked. Nothing had changed since we left. She was just… gone. How was this possible? Even if someone took her, she would have fought, she would have left a clue. There were no signs of struggle or blood, even the air didn’t taste like fear or rage. So why was the mark gone? What could break a bond that not even death could sever?

I hurried to the other room. There were wet footprints on the floor and a small puddle around the bathtub, but still no blood, no bodies. Not a single soul, living or dead.

Just what the hell happened here?

I grit my teeth, forcing my fists to unclench. Falling into the trap of panic would be useless; there had to be a logical explanation, even if it wasn’t obvious to me yet.

The trembling of my hands finally stopped and my weight settled down, with my emotions tightly wrapped in the pit of my stomach. I cracked my neck, releasing some of the tension gathered there, and gave the crypt another look.

‘The woods,’ my mind suggested once I was calm enough to think straight. Maybe she had walked outside and someone grabbed her there, so that’s why there were no traces in this place. She must have sensed the burst of magic and, as usual, she didn’t listen and decided to check on it. Maybe we missed each other on the way.

My fingers rubbed over the cold, unmarked skin, seeking that missing warmth again. A terrifying thought barged into my mind—what if this was happening because her feelings had changed? She just told me she loved me, but her rejection was the only thing that would explain all of this. What if, after tonight, she realized that she only needed him, her mate, and simply left this place to find him? I knew most people she took to bed were nothing more than a passing fancy. They couldn’t take her from me; they couldn’t provide what she craved. But Isaac was different. He could give her things I never could.

My body moved on its own, and with a roar that shook me down to the bones, I punched the wall. The stone broke along with my fingers, the skin over them tearing and then immediately healing while I stared at the dark hole I had made. If that was her choice, so be it, but I needed to hear it from her mouth. I needed to see she was alive and watch her admit that’s what she wanted. She owed me that much.

Spinning on my heel, I was about to sprint into the forest when something clanked under my shoe. My eyes widened with surprise as I picked up Celeste’s medallion and turned it over in my hands. The stench of fire and death clung to it like it had been forged in them.

A sliver of hope slipped into my heart again. Celeste would have never left this place without it, which meant she didn’t run, and if the medallion was still in one piece, she had to be alive.

‘Unless the medallion is fake,’ a small voice in my head whispered, but I silenced it. I needed that hope to keep going.

Whoever took her better pray I find them fast because the longer she was out of my sight, the more pain I was going to inflict upon them. I had waited too long to have her back, to hear her say she returned my feelings, to have her accept me. Nobody was taking her away from me again. No one.

After securing the magical artifact around my neck, I stormed out the door. I had to hurry. If I got stuck in that crypt, alone, for an entire day, I was going to lose my mind.

A sharp sting of pain spread through me when the first rays of sunshine brushed my skin. I moved on instinct, ducking under the light and sprinting to the trees, where the shadows were still thick enough to protect me. The melted flesh quickly healed, but the ache lingered as I glared at the brightening sky.

Never in my life had I hated being a vampire more than at that moment. I needed to get back to the house—at least there I could do something to find her. I just hoped I had enough time.

Giving the waking forest one last glance, I ran.

The sun moved higher and with every fleeting second, my power waned. My flesh melted whenever I passed through a sunlit spot, but I didn’t have the strength to avoid those, so I focused on the land, ignoring the pain like I had learned to do for over a century. As long as it didn’t reach my heart, I was going to be fine. I just needed to get to safety before that happened.

It felt like it took twice as long to reach the house and the large, old trees that drew me to this ancient forest all those years ago suddenly seemed as small and feeble as saplings. After my legs caught on protruding roots and stones several times, I found myself cursing the damn ball of fire in the sky to slow down its ascent.

The sight of my mansion brought me a sense of relief until I realized that, in order to get inside, I’d have to pass through the exposed front yard. The carefully swept cobblestones, the neatly arranged flowerbeds, and even the small, rumbling fountain in the middle were all basking in the sun’s warm, deadly glory. It was just fifty paces across, no distance whatsoever, but I knew that the moment I started burning, I’d lose control over my body.

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