Page 87 of The Fearless Witch

“You can’t tell me how to give my apologies,” I snapped. “Whether I decide to vanish without a word, leave her a note, or spend a few years making sure she doesn’t get killed, it’s my choice. I didn’t become a fucking Prince of Hell to be told what to do!”

Malakai stared for some time, those unnerving purple eyes of his making me want to look away again, but I refused to. That only seemed to please him more.

‘That was very sweet,’ Cyrus sighed happily.

‘Shut up.’

Malakai clapped his hands.

“I’m glad to hear that’s how you feel,” he said, stepping back to the bed and picking something up from its corner. Clothes, I realized as he returned to my side. I reached for them, but he made no move to hand them over. “Not so fast, Your Infernal Highness. Apologies can wait. You need a bath first.”

Chapter 34

Roman

Everything was quiet. With the window closed and most of the house occupants gone on patrol, it was so, so quiet. Unlike my mind, which was buzzing with plans and questions so loud, I was sure that if I were human, I’d be sporting a killer headache.

I still couldn’t fathom how everything could spiral out of control in such a short time. The situation hadn’t been great when I left with Beleth, but now… now it was even worse.

Pinching the bridge of my nose, I sighed heavily.

Isaac, unconscious in the Coven of Eternal Light. Maria, in the wind after escaping Malakai’s trap. Samara, Lily, and Alice gone who knows where, and judging by the state of the garden, they hadn’t left for a sisterly bonding time.

After Malakai and Chester filled me in on everything I had missed, I had to compel the Martens not to worry, so I could buy myself time to figure out what to do next. And not to tell Celeste about Samara’s… bond. I wasn’t sure they could explain it properly, and I needed her calm and logical, not panicking like they had been.

As far as they were concerned, Alice and Samara had taken Lily somewhere safe to aid her recovery, and that’s all there was to it. With the werewolf’s healing knowledge and the witch’s powers, it was a lie that was easy to sell. I

Meantime, Celeste had been distracted with tending to Beleth for the past two days and while I’d much rather see him rotting away, I didn’t say anything. It kept her busy, and it allowed me the opportunity to think things through and make a plan. However, now that he’d woken up, she’d no doubt start noticing things. And unlike the others, I couldn’t lie to her. She’d never forgive me for that.

A quiet creak had me dropping my hand and leaning back in my seat. The door closed and a tiny flame blossomed in the dark, throwing light across the room for her to see. When her eyes fell on my chair, she jumped, one hand flying to her chest as she exhaled heavily.

“You startled me,” Celeste muttered, motioning with her fingers. The flame flew through the air, swirling over the candelabras on the table and walls until the entire chamber was drowned in a soft orange glow. It was still day outside, so the curtains were drawn and I didn’t need light to see, but she did. “Why aren’t you resting? Something on your mind?”

“Always,” I smiled somberly, extending a hand toward her. She gave me a knowing look before slipping into my lap. Nestling her head in the crook of my neck, she sighed tiredly while I wrapped my arms around her.

My worries faded to the back of my mind as I inhaled her scent, and then her warmth seeped into me. For a few minutes, the only sound in the world was her steady heartbeat. I thought that maybe she had dozed off, but when she spoke, her voice was anything but sleepy.

“Are you going to tell me what’s on your mind, or do I need to coax it out of you?”

I closed my eyes, smiling as I rubbed my cheek against her soft hair. She pulled back until she could meet my gaze, her eyebrows raised expectantly.

“Is Beleth still in one piece?” I asked instead, receiving an annoyed look.

“Yes,” she said tersely, crossing her arms over her chest.

“Pity,” I smirked, but when she didn’t take the bait, I let my smile drop. “And Isaac?”

Her expression softened, concern turning the lines of her face sharp and harsh.

“He’s alive, but I can’t reach his mind.” She pursed her lips, staring expectantly, then suddenly pushed herself up. It crossed my mind to stop her, but in the end, I let her go. Her impatience was so palpable that I knew there was no more delaying this conversation.

“Roman, please, I’m tired. Don’t play games with me. Tell me.” She sighed, dropping into the cushioned seat nearby. I had caught her up on almost everything that had happened since she disappeared. Apart from mentioning Maria, the only topic I had consciously avoided was…

“There is a male witch alive right now, and he’s tied to Samara by an oath—or so she claims.” The words hung in the air between us, heavy and ominous. She stared at me like she couldn’t understand what I was saying and when they finally sank in, her eyes widened with horror.

“She gave birth to a male?” she gasped, covering her mouth with her hand. “But she wasn’t… She didn’t…?”

I raised my hand to stop her from babbling. “He’s not her child. From what she’s told us, he’s older, much older. Regina was controlling him when she was alive, but after Isaac killed her…” I trailed off, watching the color drain from Celeste’s face.

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