Page 120 of The Blood Witch

She didn’t want to believe it,

No. It couldn’t be.

Please no.

“I know what this is,” Alice whispered, horror creeping through her veins at the realization. Silas was right. She’d been so, so blind. “I’ve seen this before.”

A Blood Witch.

In the hallway,hidden behind the heavy palace door, Vee smiled.

It served the bitch right after the way she’d spoken to Amalia. She knew enough now from the princess to know that particular Witch had been one of the few who had clung to the idea of the Witch Faction keeping all the power in the city to themselves. She’d wanted to put another Witch on the throne, wanted to keep everything the way it had always been. Maintain the status quo.

The same status quo that had gotten so many people in Vee’s life killed.

The Witch got what she deserved, Vee reasoned. She wanted the city to go back to the way it had been. The way it was before Vee discovered her powers, when strays were dying in the streets every night. When the Shifters were treated like nothing but vermin in their own city.

Popping a macaron in her mouth, Vee hummed in appreciation. Goddess, these things were good. She licked sugar from her fingers, slipping off quietly down the hall, listening to the chaos and sounds of the throne room grow distant behind her.

She was glad she’d stopped by the kitchens before coming here tonight. It had been easy to sneak in and steal some sweets. Just as easy to sneak back to the throne room to watch the council meeting.

Controlling that Witch had been easy, too, almost comedically so. A weak mind, with a weaker body. She’d barely needed to use any power at all.

She’d been even easier than the rats.

But the others? Vee popped another cookie into her mouth and chewed, frowning as she walked. They weren’t going to be easy. Even Kellos, old and weak as he was, had been hard, and the Vampire? It had taken more than she’d thought possible to sneak into his mind, more effort than she’d ever had to use before. He’dfoughther, somehow. Pushed her out of his mind over and over. Every time she felt like she had a hold on him, he slipped out of her grasp. It had been like trying to hold water in her hands.

No one had ever broken her hold on them before. And that worried her.

Was it a power thing? she wondered. After all, he was the Fallen King, supposedly the most powerful Vampire alive. Maybe it was just more difficult, the more powerful they were?

That complicated things. Vee wanted to get rid of the whole council, wanted all of them gone. Every last traitor. But if power would be a problem…

That council Witch, Alice, was strong. Maybe too strong. And she was worried about trying the Vampire’s son, after how difficult controlling his dad had been…

Vee weighed her choices as she left the palace, humming to herself. She was worried, sure, but not enough that it bothered her. With the lights from the palace disappearing behind her, and the taste of sugar on her tongue, she found herself in a better mood than she’d been in weeks.

And now that she had Fey on her side? Now that they were practically family?

Well… she was unstoppable now, wasn’t she?

Chapter 54

JASPER

“Hey, Mom?”

Jasper rapped on the door and waited. When there was no answer, he didn’t bother knocking again, just pushed the door to the tiny studio apartment open and walked in.

One glance around the room had him swallowing an annoyed sigh.

His mother was there, sleeping on her armchair, wrapped in a tattered old blanket one of the other older Wolves had knitted for her. The fabric was threadbare and moth eaten from years of use. He’d tried to replace it once, when he was a kid, had saved up for months to buy her the most expensive blanket from the most high-end Witch shop in the city. But she’d never used it. She preferred this one, old and ratty as it was.

“Mom,” Jasper said, voice barely a whisper, as he stepped closer. The place was clean but could use a full scrub down, he noticed as he glanced around. He’d have Mara arrange to have her sister visit again, to clean the place properly from top to bottom. His mother hated relying on anyone else to clean her place, but maybe he’d stretch the truth just a tad for her. He could tell her Mara’s sister was down on her luck and needed the money, maybe? Yeah. Mom would like that, would like to think she was helping someone in the community.

Jasper reached out and shook her shoulder, gently.

“Mom, wake up,” he said softly as he could. Finally, she opened her eyes, blinking up at him with caramel-colored eyes.

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