Page 51 of Soul of a Witch

“I’ll be close, darling,” I said, leaning my chin on the windowsill. She kissed my forehead, to my surprise. It certainly wasn’t a gesture I was used to — gentle partners weren’t something I’d ever sought.

Whips, chains, and pain could undo me. But soft words and softer touches could tame me just as effectively.

“We’ll meet at the Historical Society tomorrow,” I said. “I’ll distract your father while you take the grimoire. I may not be able to kill your father, but I’ll gladly steal you from him.”

Her eyes lit up. “You’ll take me home?”

“I’ll take you wherever you wish to go.”

With a look of bold determination, she kissed me. My hand cradled the back of her head, pulling her closer. As her tongue parted my lips, a growl rose out of me, and my cock twitched, ready for round two.

But that persistent feeling of being watched distracted me. When Everly parted from me, I couldn’t help a quick glance over my shoulder in the direction of the trees.

Nothing. Not a soul to be seen.

But there was a familiar scent on the wind. One that filled me with alarm.

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” I said, cupping her face one last time before I sprinted away toward the trees. She’d been about to say something; I cursed myself for not lingering to hear it. But I was on high-alert.

Someone was here, and their presence was powerful enough it caused a change in air. The wind grew colder, the shadows darkened. Beneath the trees, the crickets didn’t chirp and the creatures of the night refused to emerge from their burrows. Crouching low in the shrubbery, I surveyed my surroundings carefully.

But not carefully enough. I heard the footsteps behind me in the same moment that magical bindings snapped around my limbs and darkness descended over my vision.

19

Everly

The next morning, I woke up with absolute certainty of what I had to do. There would be only one chance. If I messed it up, if I was caught, I wasn’t sure if I would ever find an opportunity again.

Frankly, I wasn’t even sure if I would survive. If my father caught me stealing his most precious possession, would he let me live? Or would he kill me on the spot? Pay off the police, the investigators, and portray my murder as a horrible tragedy?

If I allowed myself to dwell on fear, if I allowed it to control me, then I would wallow here forever. I’d remain frozen until God Itself rose from the deep and took away my ability to make choices at all.

Callum had given me confidence I had never expected to feel. The way he reveled in any show of power I gave, how he craved and praised any authority I dared to demonstrate; it made me feel strong.

But I had a problem. Dad had locked away my car keys, and I needed to be able to make a quick getaway. Unfortunately, that meant I needed my sister’s help.

My knock on her bedroom door was a little louder than I meant it to be. When Victoria ripped the door open, she looked absolutely pissed.

“What the hell do you want?” she said. She had her hair straightener in one hand and a face mask on. Cheerful pop music played from her speakers.

“Oh, just wanted to see if you were going into town today,” I said, not daring to set foot in her room. She’d probably have a fit if I touched anything.

“Yeah, I’mobviouslyjust getting ready for a night in,” she said, rolling her eyes as she sat in front of her vanity. “Why does it matter to you where I’m going?”

“I thought maybe you could give me a ride into town,” I said, trying to sound as innocent and hopeful as I could.

“Did you forget how to drive or something?”

“Um…no.”Patience, Everly, just be patient and polite.“Dad took my car keys. So…yeah.”

She snorted. “So, you got yourself into trouble and now it’s on me to haul your ass around? No thank you.”

“Come on, RiRi,” I said, daring to go for the throat and use the pet name I had for her as a kid. “I just want to go get a coffee real quick. I thought I’d take one to Dad at work.”

Our father had several meetings at the Historical Society that day. There was a conference that weekend, something about land management and the preservation of historical buildings, so of course, he had to be involved.

“You want to take Dad a coffee? God, you’re such a kiss-ass.” She put on a mocking, high-pitched voice that sounded nothing like me, thank you very much. “Aw, boo-hoo, Daddy took away my car keys and won’t let me go to school anymore. My life is so sad!”

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