Page 75 of The Fearless Witch

“Alright, I surrender!” I said, raising my hands and letting go of my magic. “Just don’t hurt her!”

“This could have been so much easier,” he sighed, grimacing as his eyes darted to Alice’s body. “Now come here.” I started walking, gaze locked on the weapon on Lily’s neck. Tears glistened on her cheeks, her lips quivering as she clung to her mate and stared at me with begging eyes. “Try anything and she goes down first. Then the wolf.”

I nodded, ignoring the desperate call of my magic as I drew ever closer. I waited for him to release her once I was within his range, but he used his free hand to slip something out of the pocket. He offered me the object—a thin, metallic cylinder engraved with shimmering runes. The powerful magic rippling from it made the hair on my arms rise.

“Take the other end,” he ordered, and I swallowed the lump in my throat, giving my sister an apologetic look. He pushed the knife harder against her skin and she closed her eyes, whimpering in fear. When she opened them again, my mind was made up.

“I’m sorry we didn’t have more time,” I whispered, then caught the end of the artifact.

Magic rushed through my body like a tornado, stealing my breath and spinning my head. I could tell we were moving through space, but I couldn’t feel my body. I had no idea what kind of spell was in that object, but it was one I had never seen before.

When we landed a moment later, my feet gave out. A soft whine had me shooting up again and as my eyes landed on Lily cradling Alice’s body beside me, a wave of horror almost knocked me out.

“No…” I gasped, reaching for her to make sure she wasn’t real when something hit me on the back of my head and the world turned dark.

Chapter 30

Celeste

“Are you ready?” I asked, looking at each of the men in front of me. Roman had changed into the clothes Beleth begrudgingly provided since it was harder to move in a suit than a pair of sweatpants. He didn’t seem as enthusiastic about my suggestion of going naked as I’d expected, so now the two of them were standing before me, looking like grumpy brothers who were fighting over who was more popular at school.

“No, I’m not fucking ready to die for your stupid plan!” Beleth snarled, running a hand through his hair.

“What’s stupid about it? I take care of the first trial,” I said, gesturing to myself before my hand landed on Roman’s shoulder. “Roman takes care of the second.” He pursed his lips, his displeasure more than obvious. My finger pointed at Beleth next, and he sneered at it. “And you just need to fight a Prince of Hell and win.”

“Just fight a Prince of Hell and win, do I?” Beleth scoffed.

“When you say ‘take care of’,” Roman spoke, giving me a dirty look. “You mean to carry you through the second terrain, correct? Or do I need to carry him too?”

Beleth glared at him with the might of Hell itself. “I will fuck you up, bloodsucker.”

“You’re welcome to try.” Roman smiled. “Good luck becoming royalty, then.”

With a growl that sounded more animal than human, Beleth took a step toward him, so I slipped between them just before things spiraled out of my control. I hadn’t seen Roman get this worked up with anyone before, even Isaac, so I couldn’t understand what about the demon that made him so irritable.

“While I do love the enthusiasm, leave the fighting for our enemies, yes?” I said, poking a finger in Beleth’s chest and pushing him back. He relented, if only a little, and bared his teeth at us when Roman snaked a hand around my waist. “Now stop behaving like children and let’s go take over Hell, shall we? The faster we finish this, the faster everyone goes on their merry way.” When he didn’t move, I leaned toward the demon, trying to catch his eye. “Beleth?”

He gritted his teeth but murmured, “Fine.”

I looked back at Roman, and he shrugged with his usual arrogance. “As you wish.”

Returning my attention to the demon, I offered him my hand. He stared at it like it was a snake waiting to bite him, but still wrapped his fingers around mine and translocated us. The smell of sulfur and rotting flesh assaulted me from all sides, and I covered my nose as I looked around. The sky was its usual gloomy red, with nothing but brimstone and oddly shaped hills around us. And fire, lots of fire that had no problem burning both on rock and water.

I turned around to face our first challenge, the odd-looking forest that seemed to have sprawled out of nowhere. The trees weren’t exactly green, but they weren’t black either, and despite their creepy look, they were most definitely alive. Alive was good—alive could be manipulated.

Just like the last time, I felt a shiver run down my spine when I heard their soft whispers.

“Be careful,” Roman warned as I approached the nearest tree. I waved him off, pressing my hand against its bark, and reaching for its heart. Using my magic on things that came from the earth had always been easy. I had spent so much time in the embrace of mother nature that we had developed a bond, sort of like the one the Fae had with it, but not exactly the same. It recognized and listened to me, but I couldn’t control it like they did, only plead for assistance. Exactly as I had done the last time Beleth, and I had come to the trial. The trees let us pass, even showing us the way out—I only hoped they’d be cooperative again.

Closing my eyes, I inhaled a big gulp of the heavy, putrid air and tried to focus on the connection. The forest’s painful wails made me shudder, but once it heard my voice, it stopped to listen. ‘Let us pass through, please,’ I tried to convey, running my fingers gently over the rough, rotting bark. ‘Keep us safe and guide us to the other side,’ I continued, holding my breath as I waited.

The sound of snapping branches and moving earth had me opening my eyes to watch the trunks bend and lift until a path formed, just wide enough for each of us to pass.

“That looks cozy,” Roman murmured, intertwining his fingers with mine when I sidestepped the tree. Beleth had moved to the entrance of the tunnel, frowning at the darkness within it.

“It’s fine, don’t be scared,” I chuckled, earning myself a vicious glare. He took a step forward, ready to storm ahead, but I grabbed the back of his shirt. “It’s better to stay together. I’m pretty sure they are not friendly to demons.” Roman let out a small scoff as he took a position in front of me and I gave him a pointed look. “Or vampires, for that matter.”

The edges of his lips twitched as he pressed his mouth to my fingers, bowing his head in mock surrender before taking the lead. Beleth murmured something incomprehensible and when I tried to take his hand, he yanked it back, grabbing my shoulder instead. I had thought I imagined it, but he really was actively trying to avoid touching me. Even now, his grip was on my shirt, far, far away from any exposed skin. That made me… I wasn’t entirely sure how it made me feel. Relieved for sure, but also even more confused.

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