Page 21 of The Blood Widow

The old witch gained several more wrinkles when she smiled. The purple robe she wore only darkened her features. She straightened her robe as I thought that. She was proud of what was about to come out of her mouth.

My stomach turned, and my breathing increased. My fight-or-flight instincts flared to life. The witch glanced at me with compassion in her eyes. “It would if you’re the Blood Widow.”

My shoulders sagged. And in one sentence, my cover was blown to smithereens. Fuck, life couldn’t just be easy for me, could it?

The whole room gasped at the same time. The men that held me down let go and backed away. Okay, so I liked that reaction. It was a confidence boost.

The Alpha’s gray eyes locked onto mine. Then back to the witch. “Are you telling me, one of the most dangerous assassins, the one that can kill with just one word, is sitting in my office as a prisoner? I think you’re getting too old, witch.”

She crossed her arms and stuck up her nose. “If you didn’t want the truth, why ask for it?”

He walked around the desk until he was in front of Rose. “We’d be all dead if it was true.”

I crossed my legs and sported a snarky smirk. I was really liking the ego boost. I forgot what hanging out with men could do for my confidence. But he wasn’t wrong. I could command his blood to leave his body with one word, just like I did at the hotel.

Yet, I wouldn’t unless they deserved it. Right now, they were acting like protective fathers. I had seen horrible parents, and I wouldn’t get rid of a good one. Rose killed an important person today. One that would start a war and end up with copious amount of death on both sides if it got out. I’d have acted the same way as Ezra.

I promised myself I’d never return to the monster I was before the Blood Widow. I wouldn’t kill unless people deserved it. I also needed proof. Nothing I’ve seen here said ‘evil.’ I wished every parent had such fierce protectiveness for their children.

The witch laughed. “You’re a man, so of course, you’d be scared. The Blood Widow is the death bringer to men, after all.But if you’d done your research, Alpha, you would know that the Blood Widow is a savior for women and children. She only kills the men that deserve it. She heard Rose was the victim of an assault, and how the information was about to go to the Sinisters. How this information could start a war in her city.”

The Alpha’s mouth hung open, so he licked his lips. He glanced at his pack all pressed against the walls. They were all men, so they probably didn’t know either. Women talked, but they rarely talked to men. Men were usually the power-hungry assholes they needed help from.

Rose stumbled passed her father to gape at me. Her eyes met the witches.

“That doesn’t make sense. Why not kill us to escape?” Rose asked. “There’s no way she wanted to get caught. My dad literally tackled her to the ground.”

The witch walked away and sat on the comfy-looking leather couch, taking everyone’s gaze off of me. Clever woman.

“Because she refuses to kill people that are just trying to protect their family. I apologize about this, sir, but?—”

I didn’t stick around to listen. I had my small opportunity, and I took it.

My body moved faster than the last time. I was at the window before they even moved. Just as I smashed through, back first, a heavy sense of déjà vu occurred. Dominic walked through the office door.

His hair was almost black and slicked back. His almond-shaped red eyes held humor in them. The smirk on his full lips made me want to devour them. I had to stop thinking about him though, or I’d end up landing on top of him as well. I cleared my mind before I called on another pocket portal.

The fucking magic did the same thing as last time, it appeared inches from me. So, the portal didn’t want to listenunless I was falling from a building. Noted. Too bad I had to learn that the hard way.

I’d have to change my appearance again, but it wouldn’t throw them off my trail for long. The wolves had my scent, fucking Ezra had my scent. Why was Cole friends with the leader of the shifters? He was a Ghoul. I was so confused. I waited for the terror to creep in like it did when I heard the vampire family would find out, but it didn’t. For some reason, I didn’t fear them like I should.

However, this was still the first time a person had my identity, and it was the head of one of the founding families.

Fuck my life, this wasn’t going to end well for me.

Chapter

Eleven

Islammed onto the worn-out rug in my apartment. The living room's colorfulness embraced me like a warm hug after the Alpha’s dark interior design. I smiled. The vivid surroundings and short inspirational sayings on display helped brighten my mood. When your world was covered in darkness pieces of light were better to focus on.

If I really wanted to, I could use the money and knowledge I’ve gained to acquire a better home. But the rich neighborhoods were the first place you looked for a good underground assassin. I didn’t mind the overused aesthetics. I’ve lived in worse places since becoming the Black Widow.

I sighed and focused on what I needed to do first. I could relax with a hot cocoa later. I said an incantation that locked my essence from my portal magic away, so no one could track it, just in case.

With a grunt, I got up and used the sharp edge of my kitchen counter to cut the rope binding my wrist. I built in a razor for moments like this. This time my arms were in front of me, but trying to grab a knife or scissors with your arms behind you was a lot harder.

My nerves at finding out Ezra was the Alpha of all fucking Alphas still had my mind whirling as I cut my bindings. Out of all the friends to end up in the cabin with Cole, he had to have a king. I never met any of Cole’s friends, but I was sure he had more than the two I met. He should have brought someone else. Maybe I could have saved myself the trouble that was sure to follow me in the future and killed them, if he wasn’t Cole’s…

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