Page 56 of The Forty-Year-Old Virgin Witch

Twenty Two

Karl

The humans shoved around me, unbothered as I stood motionless in the crowd. After mauling that poor woman in the woods, I didn’t know who I was anymore. Clarity had returned to me as soon as I’d ripped open a hole in her throat, and I’d fled in complete and utter panic without feeding beyond licking off what blood had fallen into my mouth. She was likely dead after bleeding out into the bushes.

I wasn’t sure why I was here. The woman would be found, and the authorities would be involved. Someone would put the pieces together, and the druids knew I was the only vampyre in the area. The council would come for me, and I’d be executed. Decades of perfect self-control and discipline were wasted.And for what? An extra few weeks at Aggie’s side?

It was a stupid thought, but I still didn’t regret it. I should have left and fed periodically to stave off the bloodlust, but I hadn’t. In the end, it was a good thing Aggie had Luka. She would need him to look after her when I was gone.

Why was I here?

I was a coward, for one thing. I didn’t want to suffer through the long, drawn-out wait that would ensue while the council pieced together who killed the woman. I wanted to face them now and get my punishment over with. Even if they killed me. If I went on a rampage here, they would find me in hours, not weeks. Yes. It would be one glorious moment, and I would finally set the monster inside of me free….

“Hey! Fuckface!”

I spun, shocked to see Quinn elbowing his way through the crowd to me. Now, there was someone I could easily sink my fangs into with no remorse. What an appealing way to start my own self-destruction.

I put a hand to his throat, but he only narrowed his eyes. I felt the whiff of his magick a split second before it surrounded me, but I didn’t react because part of me was curious to see what he’d do. Perhaps the mercenary could kill me without involving the deaths of any humans? There was a welcome thought.

The ground spun, stopping suddenly. We were both thrown off nearly off our feet, and I whirled in a circle, not expecting to be transported. Quinn was on the ground, panting and unable to get up.

“If the humans saw—”

“Used a shield. Fuck, that was hard. Pro tip: don’t try to port while suffering magickal exhaustion.”

Dark rings appeared under his eyes, and he smelled … different. Like lightning and fire.

“You don’t appear to be in any position to be fighting me,” I sneered, already anticipating the feel of his blood against my tongue. It was so freeing to finally embrace this part of me, even as my heart shriveled from guilt on the inside.

“Aggie showed up and tried to heal that witch you attacked. I healed the physical stuff, but somehow Aggie took your magick. You need to go to her now before she either dies or becomes a bloodsucker like you.”

Quinn fell back to the ground. His falcon familiar landed on his chest, hunkering down on his body protectively. Her wings flared at me in a threatening gesture, but I wasn’t bothered.

Aggie was DYING? She’d taken my CURSE?

It was unprecedented, but nothing surprised me when it came to my witch. Our magick was incompatible with their kind, so it made sense it could kill her. I grimaced, not expecting to have an opportunity to see Aggie again.

“I can’t see her. I can’t be anywhere. I just … can’t.”

The bloodlust made it hard to think—hard to focus. Decades of repressing my inner monster didn’t mean a damn thing, and I was tired. Tired of keeping myself locked away and fighting my vampyre instincts.

Giving into them is what killed your mother in the first place. You’re a disease.

“You know, there are plenty of rapists and pedophiles you could rid the world of.”

I jerked. I’d forgotten Quinn’s annoying presence entirely. He leaned back on his elbows, still looking like he’d been run over by a herd of unicorns.

“As fascinating as your existential crisis is, are you going to help Aggie or not?”

I hesitated for one excruciating moment. If she was turned into a vampyre, she would be mine for eternity. No longer would I have to suffer the heartbreak of getting close to a human woman, only to have her leave me again.

If she’s a vampyre, you can’t accidentally kill her.

I swallowed, ignoring Quinn’s grumbling from behind me.

What would Aggie want?

It was a stupid question. Aggie wanted her gardens and her hair hanging loose to blow in the night breeze. She wanted dinner dates at the cafe and time spent cuddling on her couch while she stroked her familiar. Her connection with the earth was at the base of who she was. If that was taken from her, it would be like ripping a flower from its stem. It would bring you joy and beauty for only a short while before it withered and died, dissolving into ashes.

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