Page 14 of Midnight Deception

Remembering what was happening before she arrived, and who was in my dreams, my body goes warm, already missing the feel of their touches.

“You’re flushed,” she comments with a sly smile, wiggling her eyebrows at me suggestively. “Good dreams, huh?”

Grabbing a pillow, I bury my burning face into it until she laughs and I hear her moving through the room, yanking curtains back.

“No judgement here,” she calls, and as I lower the pillow, I find her standing in front of a large wardrobe, a finger tapping against her lips as she looks at the clothing there. “Go get freshened up, and I’ll choose your outfit.”

How they would manage to have clothes that fit me given the fact that I was brought here last minute, I have no idea, but I leave her to it. Clothing options are the last thing on my mind right now. Climbing from bed, I bite back my groan at the aches that plague my body, reminding myself that I fought a giant snake yesterday. However, I push myself upright and force a normal gait as I cross the room. Stepping into the bathroom, I sigh in relief as I shut the door behind me and let my body slump. Out of everyone here, I’m the closest to trusting Luna, but even so, I’m being held against my will, and I don’t want any of them to see me weak.

I know I won’t have long until she’s knocking on the door, so I start the process of making myself look like I’ve not been dragged through a hedge backwards. There’s an array of toiletries to use, and I take a moment to sniff them all, humming at the floral scents. After I relieve myself and freshen up, I stare at my reflection in the mirror, my mind turning back to my dream.

Only, now I’m not so sure it was a dream, because my lips are swollen as if I’ve just been kissed. I run my fingers over them, and they tingle with the memory of my mates’ touch. Had that truly been real? The dream felt different, but I had no idea if I was actually communicating with my mates. A gift from the goddess indeed. Can we speak like this every night? If so, then this is a perfect way for us to talk without the use of the bond and no one else would know. Perhaps I can get through this after all.

“Laelia, are you okay in there?” Luna calls through the door.

A slow smile pulls at my lips. Yes, despite the tough times ahead, I think I’m going to be just fine.

ChapterSix

Frowning up at a portrait of a glamorous witch, I purse my lips as I scan the scene before me, unable to shake the feeling of being watched. Goosebumps appear on my arms, and a cold sensation moves down my spine, making me all the more suspicious.

“You’re going to get lost if you don’t keep up.”

Snapped from my staring contest with a painting, I glance up and see that Luna is already halfway down the corridor, her stride not slowing. Frowning at the painting once more, I shake my head at my overactive imagination and turn to walk away.I must be paranoid, I think to myself. However, just as I turn, I catch movement from the corner of my eye. I spin back to look at the painting, convinced that something in the picture just shifted. Of course, as soon as I stare at it, nothing moves or looks any different from before.

Thoroughly creeped out, I hurry after Luna. “I swear that painting just blinked!” I mutter to her, shaking my head at myself once more as she chuckles. “If I’m seeing things, I must be really tired.” Letting out a long breath, I try to ignore the feeling that someone is watching and focus on the bright hallway ahead. This is a part of the building that I wasn’t brought to yesterday, and although I’m trying to learn the layout in case an opportunity to escape arises, I can’t deny that it’s beautiful here. It’s also huge, with what feels like never-ending corridors and grand rooms. With my kidnapping, evil witches, and castle-like building, I feel like I’m in a fairy tale. “Remind me where we’re going again,” I request as we pass an open door with light purple smoke escaping into the corridor, curling up to the high ceiling.

I glance at my companion to see if I need to be concerned by the clouds filling the hallway, but she doesn’t seem at all bothered other than a light crinkle of her pert nose at the strange chemical smell that surrounds us as we pass through the smoke.

I can’t actually remember if she told me where we were going in the first place. My mind was preoccupied during breakfast with the possibility that my dream might have been real, and I hadn’t been able to stop thinking about it or my mates’ touches. She hadn’t seemed bothered by the fact that I was quiet as I drank my coffee, simply providing a steady flow of mindless chatter.

She rolls her eyes at me but doesn’t seem to mind answering my question. “We’re going to meet some of your tutors.” She must sense my attention sharpening on her, because she stops my argument before I can even open my mouth by holding up her hand. “While me and my cousin have been tasked with training you, we also have our own duties, not to mention we have no idea how to teach someone our age who doesn’t know how to use their magic. Hence why we’re bringing in others to help.”

Her reasoning makes sense, but that doesn’t mean I’m happy about it. She already informed me that most witches learn rudimentary control before they turn twelve, and then train in their individual skill set from there on. I’m almost double the age that most witches learn control, and I’ve not even started my lessons yet, so I imagine that it’s going to take a lot of work to bring me to standard. Still, I have reservations.

“I’m not sure how I feel about all this,” I admit, rubbing the back of my neck as we enter an even older part of the building. The stone here is darker and the corridors seem to have a draft, but they are no less opulent. “It’s one thing having you teach me, but it’s something different altogether to have others involved.” I pause, finding it difficult to voice my concerns. “You already know my weaknesses. By involving others, it’s just going to broadcast how much I don’t know.”

Luna glances at me, her expression softening. “You’re safe here, Laelia.”

She’s said it many times now, and I knowshebelieves that, but I don’t feel safe here. It feels like a tinderbox and all it will take is a single spark to set the whole thing ablaze. My presence is like a flame that could destroy everything.

At the bottom of the corridor is a large, arched, stained-glass window. I come to a stop as I look up at the image depicted in the glass. A beautiful woman with golden hair stares back at me, her hands outstretched as if to present a gift. A huge full moon hangs in the sky behind her, illuminating her in its cool light. It’s a beautiful piece of work, but what calls to me is the beatific smile the woman wears. There’s something so comforting about the scene that I find my lips turning up as I smile back.

I sense Luna standing beside me, and I expect a comment about me smiling at a window, but I’m pleasantly surprised when she doesn’t say anything. From the corner of my eye, I can see her also looking up at the woman in the window.

We stand like this for several silent minutes, until Luna shifts her weight beside me and clears her throat. “That is the maiden.” Respect and a hint of awe ring out from her voice. “She’s our primary goddess.”

Raising my brows, I finally turn away from the window. “You worship more than one goddess?”

To say this takes me by surprise is an understatement. Every mention of their goddess so far has only referred to a single entity. If they have multiple goddesses, then how do they decide which one to worship? For werewolves, we worship just the one goddess who created us and the moon, and we worship her in gratitude for that.

“Yes, but I’ll explain that to you another time. Come.” She waves me forward, and I follow her, only to almost slam into her back as she suddenly stops and looks at me with a strange expression. “Before we go in, I need to warn you…” She trails off and seems to be considering something before giving up and shaking her head. “There’s no explaining Constance. Just keep your mind open, and you’ll see what I mean.”

Well, that’s not at all concerning. Pushing aside my worries at her comment, I try not to prejudge what I’m about to see. What on earth am I about to walk into?

Turning to look back up the corridor, I watch Luna move towards an open doorway I hadn’t seen before now. When I spotted the stained-glass window, I’d become blinkered to everything else, apparently passing several rooms I hadn’t noticed in my bid to get to the end of the corridor.I need to focus and pay more attention, I berate myself. I can’t just walk around getting distracted by paintings and windows, not when I’m in the home of my enemy.

Luna knocks once on the open door and then steps inside, greeting the occupant. I pause at the threshold, my palms sweaty and stomach twisting with nerves. Reminding myself why I’m doing this and who’s waiting for me, I mentally shake myself and roll my neck, preparing to enter the room. I step in, my eyes taking in Luna first and then going to the woman hunched over a cauldron.

---