Page 154 of A Soul to Guide

Once he found the instruction page, he read he was supposed to add salt to the water and quickly did so. It should be fine, since it hadn’t been on for longer than a few minutes.

Over the many years he’d been walking this continent, he’d obtained all kinds of books. Most of them were about how to craft things, but he also had a handful of spell books made by humans. Most of those spells were useless, but there was a tiny handful that surprisingly worked – like his dill and bell charms.

He’d taught the Witch Owl how to make the barrier charms, so she could show Orpheus how to make them when his human offerings kept dying on him. Merikh had taken pity on him.

Thinking of that Mavka had his sight turning blue.I cannot believe he managed to find a bride.The only reason it saddened him was because he doubted he would find one for himself.

In reality, he was happy for Orpheus, Faunus, and that barely intelligent Mavka named Magnar. Three of his brothers had found brides, and Merikh was just seeking a way to flee.

Funnily enough, he wasn’t surprised about Faunus.

Merikh didn’t like him, simply because he was so optimistic and cheerful that it annoyed the absolute shit out of him. Faunus had always been that way, curious and hopeful – which was the exact opposite of Merikh. His personality was warm, so it was no surprise he’d managed to find some deranged bride to fawn over him.

I hope she drives him up the wall.

“I’m just letting you know I’m going to be working on the mana stone some more now that I’ve rested a little.”

It was only when Raewyn finally spoke that he realised he’d been just standing there, watching water boil, lost in his own thoughts.What was I planning to do? Fucking watch it boil for the next twenty-four hours?

Much was bothering him, and he was feeling listless.

“Do what you want,” he answered quietly, wanting to walk away from the pot but also having no idea what else he wanted to do.

“The stone is almost depleted.” When he didn’t say anything, she added, “I have to inject my own magic into it.”

That made him rear his head up. He turned his bony face towards her.

“Don’t be foolish again,” he demanded, making sure his tone was stern enough to show he wasn’t messing around.

Taking care of her while she’d been ill had been distressing. He didn’t like feeling helpless, and her constant feverish shivering had deeply worried him. He didn’t want either one of them to go through that again.

She rolled her starburst pupil eyes. “I won’t need to. Last time, I had to feed it until the magic had taken, but since the stone already has its own source, I’ll just be making it stronger.”

Now that he was looking upon her, his sight threatened to shift to purple. The memories of the other night, although tainted, were now permanently burned into his memory.

Her sultry cries as she bounced, her wicked scent that made him feel drunk, her flesh breaking out in goosebumps that spread down her sides. The image of his cock pumping in and out of her overstuffed pussy. All of it instantly had his shaft jerking behind his seam.

Knowing that sweet face covered in cute freckles hid how devilish she could truly be, his attraction to her had grown tenfold.

When she parted her soft, full lips to say something, it reminded him that he’d tasted her mouth, had explored it, knew every one of her tastebuds personally.

Desire fiercely clawed at his gut, while also hollowing out his chest cavity. He realised he didn’t want to be anywhere near her right now while he was having this reaction.

Even her pretty, curling hair was enticing him to claw his way into it so he could be tangled like in a spider’s webbing.

“Hey–”

Before she could finish speaking, he moved to the other side of the bench and walked towards the entryway. Some strange emotion was clogging his throat, as though he was being plugged from the inside.

It was like he was being buried alive and was breathing in dirt.

“Where are you going now? I was trying to talk to you.”

“Outside.” Anywhere that wasn’t near her and her beauty, her poisonous lily scent, her melodic voice. Just... away.

“Merikh, stop,” she shouted in a bout of frustration.

His feet halted, but he didn’t turn.

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