Page 123 of Soul of a Witch

The war took its toll on all who survived it.

“Well, I wish you luck,” she said, raising her glass. “Personally, there’s not a bargain in the world that would make me face one of those damned gods again. Not even for a thousand witch’s souls.”

“It’s not for a bargain,” I said. My hand trailed up Everly’s thigh and she smiled at me. Her eyes were soft, tipsiness already taking its hold on her. “This is my last hunt. When It’s dead, I want peace.”

Kimaris reached over, easing Everly’s glass away from the edge of the table as my witch leaned her head against my shoulder. “I think that may be enough for you, love. You don’t want to overdo it.” She winked and drained the glass herself.

She was right, of course. Dusk was only just beginning to fall, and Hell truly came alive at night. Everly couldn’t enjoy it if she passed out drunk.

“What’s the plan for the night then?” Kimaris said. “Surely, some revelry is in order before you go chat with the council. Although, I imagine you’ll cause quite a stir wherever you go.”

“Somewhere we can get a bit of privacy to enjoy ourselves,” I said, and Everly nodded eagerly. Even with me accompanying her, the presence of a witch made demons nervous. The ones here in the tavern were doing well to mind their business, but taking her somewhere crowded might draw more attention to her than she was ready for.

“You should go to the hot spring caverns,” Kimaris suggested. “Used to be one of your favorite haunts, didn’t it? They’ve changed since you’ve last been there; pretty damn luxurious now.” She looked at Everly, giving her a wink. “The walk down the cliffside can be a bit frightening, but it’s well worth it.”

“I’m not afraid,” Everly said. “Soaking in a hot spring sounds amazing.”

Even sitting right next to me, she was still too far away for my taste. Hauling her onto my lap, I possessively buried my face against her neck, making it clear to every demon around that she belonged to me.

Keeping my voice low in her ear, I growled, “We’ll be doing more than soaking, I assure you of that, darling.”

44

Everly

Kimaris was right; the path down to the hot springs wasterrifying, but I did my best not to let it show.

Back at the cliffside near the sea, a narrow stairway led us down into a crevice. Waves crashed far below, roaring as they echoed off the rock, foam churning in the water like the mouth of a rabid beast. The stairway wasn’t so bad at first, with the smooth black stone on either side. But then the crevice widened, and the stairway clung only to one side of the sheer rock. There was no boundary, not even a rope. We edged our way along the steep stairs, with stone on one side and a straight drop to the sea on the other.

Callum wasn’t bothered in the least. He led the way, holding my hand, glancing back at me occasionally and snickering.

“Do you think I would let you fall?” he said.

Keeping my eyes fixed on him so I wouldn’t mistakenly glance at the massive drop beside me, I said, “No. But maybe we could have teleported there?”

He chuckled again, squeezing my hand. “We could have. But I enjoy the walk.”

Of course he did.

Luckily, that demonic liquor was still buzzing in my veins, numbing most of my fear. I’d never drank much even in the human world, because my stomach was too sensitive for it. But whatever had been in the drink Callum ordered for me was delicious. Fruity and herbaceous, with a fiery burn I could still feel in my chest.

It was surreal to see so many other demons. Walking through the streets of the High City, seeing such a variety of wings, claws, horns, and fangs all around me, felt like walking through a dream. Even the humans here looked rather demonic. Their eyes were preternaturally bright, their faces youthful, their movements so relaxed they were almost feline.

Everything I’d once believed about Hell was wrong. I could have a future here. Aneternity.

If the Deep One didn’t consume me first.

Shaking my head to cast off those negative thoughts, I focused on the path ahead. The stairway finally ended, and we stepped onto a flat section of rock jutting from the cliff face. Glowing orbs were suspended from thin silver wires over the space, seeming to float in mid-air. A hammock was hung between two craggy crystal columns, and within it lay a demon who lazily raised his hand to wave at us but didn’t bother to open his eyes.

That is, until his nostrils flared and he sniffed. Then his eyes flew open, golden irises darting to me with alarm.

“Damned mother of Bael!” he exclaimed. “That’s quite a scent you have, witch. Fuckin’ scared me. Thought I was about to have my sigil stolen.” He stretched as he sat up, long legs dangling from either side of the hammock. It was difficult to notice at first because of the extent of his tattoos, but he was entirely naked. His eyes settled on Callum, staring at him for a long moment before he inclined his head. “Welcome to the springs,dux. Is there anything I can offer you?”

“Are any of the caverns unoccupied?” Callum said. For the first time, I noticed there was a cave opening in the rock, the path lit with more of those glowing orbs.

The demon nodded. “There should be a large pool unoccupied near the back. Just keep walking to the right, look for the sapphire stones. Libations are to the left.” His eyes kept sliding curiously between Callum and I, as if there was a question he wished to ask but didn’t dare. Slowly, he laid back down. “If you need anything, I’ll be here all night. Name’s Silas.”

As soon as we passed into the tunnel, the air turned damp and warm. Humidity dripped from the sleek stones as we made our way deeper into the mountain. There were voices ahead, faint but boisterous, muffled by the distance. The scent of wet rock permeated the atmosphere, but there were also whiffs of marijuana, lemongrass, and something sweet, like sugar on the back of my tongue.

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