Page 3 of The Fearless Witch

A sigh of relief escaped my lips when Chester appeared, balancing an overflowing pitcher of blood in his stringy arms. He shot Lily and Isaac a wary glance and yelped when I snatched it from him. His expression was tight with worry while he watched me drink.

The room grew eerily silent as I gulped everything down, a stream of red escaping from the corner of my mouth and dripping from my chin. It tasted like nothing, worse than nothing, but I could feel my thirst diminishing and strength returning to my limbs.

Their hearts raced while they watched, but nobody spoke until I finished all of it.

“I don’t think Celeste’s dead,” I said with more confidence than I felt, stripping what was left of my shirt. Isaac’s face blanched as he stared at the left side of my chest, while Lily let out a horrified gasp. “The last time she died, my mark didn’t disappear, just faded, and I stopped feeling her. Now it’s completely gone.” I paused to steady myself, wiping my mouth with the back of my hand. “And there’s this.” I raised the medallion by its chain, dangling it until the light from the chandelier caught on its smooth service. “This object is part of her and had she gone back to the earth, this would have vanished with her.”

The others exchanged a glance, their hesitation growing. I could feel my frustration quickly spreading, stealing what patience I had left for explanations.

“If she’s not dead, then where is she?” Lily asked in a small voice. “And how did the marks disappear?”

Isaac’s face darkened, and his eyes turned golden again.

“What if the witches took her?” he asked, nostrils flaring. “What if they found a way to break the bond so we can’t find her? They have been trying to get to her even harder than the hunters. What if that witch…” He snapped his fingers and winced, as if trying to remember something, but then just sighed in defeat. “What if she finally succeeded? We left her alone and—”

“No witch can break such a bond, not even a male one,” I snapped through gritted teeth.

“Then what can?” Isaac shouted, throwing his hands in the air.

“I don’t know!” My control slipped, helplessness fueling my rage until I was launching the pitcher across the hall, the glass shattering against the wall and scattering all over the marble floor. Lily let out a startled cry, while Chester and Isaac stared at me like they were seeing me for the first time.

I closed my eyes and slowly released a breath in a stupid attempt to calm myself down.

“I might be able to answer that.”

My head snapped in the direction of the voice just as a figure appeared through the wide-open doors leading to the parlor. Malakai gave us a weak smile, his skin now back to its normal pale splendor, although his clothes still hung scorched and riddled with holes from Celeste’s magic. I hadn’t heard him enter the house and judging by the look on Isaac’s face, neither had he.

“Explain,” I said in a painfully controlled tone, catching my hands behind my back before I did something else I’d regret. Lily stared at me from the corner of her eyes, palm tightly pressed against her mouth as if she was afraid I might get spooked by the slightest of sounds.

“I apologize for inviting myself in, but I had to speak with you,” Malakai replied, making his way to us. Despite the mask of unshakable serenity he wore, his purple eyes were darker than I had ever seen them before. “The spell was cast before I reached the grove, so I had no choice but to flee from it. I’m afraid that a barrier of such magnitude is not an obstacle I can overcome by myself, so I ask that you let me—”

“I don’t fucking care if you stay! Just tell me what you know!” I snarled. Chester glanced at me with worry, while Lily closed her eyes, her heart galloping so fast, I was sure she’d faint any second.

“I apologize.” The Fae inclined his head. “When I couldn’t get back to the grove, I decided to return to Celeste’s side and help any way I could. While I was following the magic trace she left, I…” He hesitated. “...sensed another presence.” Licking his lips, he looked at us as if trying to decide how much to reveal. “By the time I reached the crypt, you were already gone, and she—”

I growled, taking a step toward the prince so I could tear a limb or five until his tongue loosened, but Isaac got to him first. Grabbing Malakai by the collar of his robe, he brought their faces together, golden eyes burning brightly.

“Get to the damn point or I swear to the Goddess, I will let Roman tear you apart! Who took her?”

Malakai gave him a calm, unafraid look, his eyes lingering on Isaac’s trembling fingers. He covered them with his long, pale ones, trying to pry them off until, with another frustrated snarl, Isaac released him. Malakai turned toward me and held my gaze.

“Beleth.”

Isaac’s back stiffened, and he shook his head in disbelief before turning to me like he was waiting for my denial. And I was ready to give it; it was right at the tip of my tongue. Yet, the longer I held Malakai’s unfaltering gaze, the deeper the words sank.

A demon who could pass through the crypt wards because they stopped only things that were alive. A soulless witch gone, but not dead. An unbreakable bond, broken.

“Hell,” I whispered as realization finally settled in. “If he took her to Hell, she would be neither dead nor alive. Her body won’t be on this plane, but since she isn’t dead, she isn’t one of the damned either.” I stood perfectly still until the Fae nodded, as if he had already connected the dots. “But why would he take her? Her deal is not complete… Hell has no claim over her yet!”

Malakai licked his lips, his calm cracking as he shifted awkwardly. I forced myself to be patient, even though my fangs grew, demanding his blood. When a low warning sound reverberated from my chest, he cleared his throat.

“A few days ago, while Celeste was still with me in the grove, Beleth came to visit. He asked to meet with her.” I bared my teeth, but he raised his hands defensively. Why would he want to meet her? He never cared about Regina or any of the witches who accompanied her to the Council meetings. “I denied him access to the grove because he seemed agitated, and you know he gets violent when he’s agitated. With my sister’s wedding approaching, I couldn’t afford any… complications.” He paused, rubbing his perfectly smooth chin as if lost in thought before he quickly continued, likely realizing he was two seconds away from being torn to shreds. “Before he left, he told me to protect her from the witches, which was a fair warning because they did attack us during the ceremony.”

Isaac crouched, grabbing his head with both hands and taking several deep breaths while his body trembled all over. His eyes had turned golden, but bit by bit, he wrestled back for control. I signaled for Lily to move away from him, but she was too busy gawking at the Fae to pay me any mind. Thankfully, Chester still had his senses, so he gently guided her a safe distance away from the werewolf in case he shifted without warning.

Switching my weight from one leg to another, I turned back to Malakai. “How can you be sure it’s Beleth? Did you see him?”

“No,” he replied softly. “But I’m familiar with his presence and scent, and unlike you two, I’m not deeply unsettled by the broken bond.” He gave each of us a look full of pity before adding, “If this is any consolation to you, I do not think Beleth intends to harm her.”

---