Page 22 of Witch Please
“Oh, River.” Sissily gasped, covering her mouth with her hand.
CHAPTER13
Idon’t know what was worse. Knowing that my fucked-up life was going to cost River everything or that he stupidly rushed to help me knowing it could happen. I wanted to be angry at him.
I really did.
Staring at his handsome face with his eyes closed and his lips slightly parted made my chest hurt, however, and I couldn’t find it in me to be angry with him. All I could do was suck in air through a straw since no amount of inhaling could inflate my lungs as it should. I wanted to cry. Hell, I wanted to scream to the heavens about how screwed up the situation was. The moment I felt his aura and it felt familiar, yet not, I should’ve known something was wrong.
As always, instead of paying attention, I selfishly cared only about what I wanted. What I need. Who cared about the rest of them? Obviously, it was not me.
Before I could embarrass myself further by bawling my eyes out, River slowly opened his lids and looked straight at me. Sucking in a sharp breath I froze, held suspended by the intensity in his irises. His gaze bore into mine and for a second the world around me stopped as if only us two were left standing there, connected by an invisible bond that bound our hearts together. I felt it thrumming like a string between us filling me with warmth. It was like looking into an abyss where all the feelings submerged within me surfaced one after another—love, fear, dread, and pain but also hope and nostalgia for something that I couldn’t name—all these emotions flooded my being threatening to drown me alive in a stormy sea. Taking a deep breath, I forced myself back into reality, shying away from the connection threatening to destroy me.
“We need to get him out of here.” Sissily pulled me out of my dread, already standing up and pulling River with her. “Now, Hazel.”
I couldn’t talk. I could only stare into his eyes trying to figure out the feelings I was experiencing.
“It’s not going to be that easy, I’m afraid.” Leviathan told her from the side where he stood observing our reaction to the bomb he so nonchalantly delivered. “How very interesting.” He moved closer when he realized River was awake and looking at me.
“Well, unless you are planning on killing us, we are getting him out…” Sissily trailed off when she glanced down at River’s face.
"You knew this was going to happen!" I demanded angrily, wiping away the tears that had gathered on my lashes with a fierce swipe of my hand.
"I had an inkling," River rasped, lifting himself off the ground in vain as his arm gave out. I lunged forward and caught him before he fell, but the regret on his face said it all. "But I wasn't sure," he added, his gaze pinning me to the spot.
Betrayal was a bitter pill to swallow, and I had no idea why I expected something else from him. He was Danika’s pawn after all. No truth will be coming my way from Blackman, not even when it comes to his own wellbeing. It hurt more than it should’ve but just because he was a piece of work it didn’t mean I had to be one too.
“We are taking him out of here.” I told the demon not leaving any room for an argument.
“Why are you in such a hurry?” Grinning like the cat that ate the canary, Leviathan spun on his heels and strode toward the only door in the room. “Just a little bit longer and he will be all mine.” With his hand curling around the handle, he cracked it open and glanced back at me. “I’ll return when he is ready to swear fealty to me. Then we can talk.”
“You fucker!” I screamed and jumped up to give chase, but I was too slow.
The door slammed shut and he disappeared from view before I took one step. Shrieking in anger, I pounded the walls with no luck of finding it until my fist throbbed in pain, the skin turning purple where it bruised.
“Leviathan, I swear to everything I hold dear if you don’t let us get him out of here I’m going to bring down the wrath of my coven on your head.” My voice bounced off of the tall ceiling and stone walls. “You hear me!” Screaming until my throat was raw did me no favors at all.
The fucker laughed.
“It’s not worth losing your voice over.” Sissily pointed out glumly. “He left us no exit for a reason. I doubt it was just so he can return and guide us to the surface.”
“Since when did you become so pessimistic?” Eyeing her warily, I searched for any signs that Leviathan somehow switched her with that creature Charon tried to trick me with. “Normally you’re a glass half full along with the voice of reason. I’m the gloom and doom one.”
“I’m just tired.” Wiping sweat from her forehead, she slid down the wall and tucked her knees to her chest pressing her face in them. “Do you know how long we’ve been here?”
“No.” My short answer had her lifting her head so she could raise her eyebrow at me. “And I don’t care how long it has been. It could be a day it could be a month. All I know is we are getting out of here.” A yawn made my jaw crack loudly. “Now that you mentioned it, I do feel tired, too.”
Alarm bells started going off in my head. Sissily was nodding off, her head was lolling to the side. River was breathing evenly, already fully back asleep. If I wasn’t still upset by the confirmation from him that he knew he could change into a fallen here, I wouldn’t have believed he was awake a little bit ago. It was Leviathan’s doing. I had no doubts. It was so he could keep us docile until time was up for Blondie.
Well, not if I could help it.
Determined not to allow the demon to win, I tapped my face in rapid succession before doing it to Sissily, as well. She protested loudly, slapping my hands away but at least she was awake.
“Stop…slapping…me…you…asshole…” she kicked and even tried to bite me at one point. “Get…away…from…me.”
"You need to get up." I said firmly, taking hold of Sissily's flailing arms and yanking her up. "Think, Sissily! Does this seem like you? It doesn't—it's that jerk making us feel this way. Don't let him win. Shake it off." I shook her shoulders hard, and she finally frowned at me as if it never occurred to her that she was acting out of character.
"Hit me," she whispered, leaning back slightly so I could see the pleading in her eyes.
