Page 38 of Soul of a Witch

Despite my assurances, she gulped down the rest of the tea. As she chewed a mouthful of fruit to wash down the taste, I was distracted by the shine of the juice upon her lips. Her face hid her emotions, but her eyes gave it away.

“Something is still worrying you,” I said. More discomfort poured into me, demanding that I fix whatever was causing her distress. It made me fidget, and I began snapping my fingers to keep calm.

She stared out the window, at the streaking rain, her heart fluttering like the wings of a frightened bird.

“I have to go back, don’t I?” she said grimly. “I have to go back to my family to steal the grimoire, if we’re going to get into the vault.”

“You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to. The decision is yours alone. No one will force you. There may be other opportunities to steal the grimoire, without making your presence known to your family. Besides, Winona is only guessing that whatever is contained in the vault will help us. Even she doesn’t know exactly what lies within.”

Although I didn’t say it aloud, the situation was certainly complicated. Her father was clearly a cautious man, and I couldn’t steal the grimoire from him myself. Nor could I kill the man, as much as I wanted to, thanks to the wretched iron talisman he carried. Any attack I attempted on him would be turned against me.

Everly shook her head, determination on her face. “This whole situation is going to make my father extremely paranoid. I don’t think he knew Jeremiah was going to kill Marcus; he would never have allowed a sacrifice to be so messy. People are going to ask questions, there’s going to be investigations. He hates that.” She gulped, finally looking at me again. “He might stop leaving the house with the grimoire. He might lock it up somewhere. I need to be close to him to know what he does. To steal it, I need him to let his guard down.”

“As I said, the decision is yours alone. Whatever you choose to do, I will assist you.”

She looked at me curiously. She and I wore similar armor, and I didn’t blame her for her caution.

When I left Hell behind, I was running from the pain that came with every long night and burning sunrise. Pain I couldn’t escape in the depths of liquor or the heights of mind-altering potions. I took humans as lovers but never claimed their souls. I avoided other demons, and over the years, my name was forgotten.

I did everything and anything I could to disappear. I pursued no friendships, I offered no love. And yet, one glimpse of her, and I was broken. I was weak again, aching. All the raw pain I’d buried was clawing to the surface.

She didn’t need magic to destroy me; she could do so with delicate caresses and kisses light as feathers. She could make me pour out my pain and then fill me with more.

Yet, I’d let her do it. Even if it meant the death of me. If this was the final joke cruel fate would play, then I would laugh along with it.

“I choose to go back,” she said. Her words shook, but they were brave. “I’m going to steal the grimoire, and get into that damn vault. And then…” Her fingers tightened on the edge of the tub. “You and I, we’re going to kill that thing.”

The fierceness in her voice made me want to kiss her again. Every second I wasn’t touching her filled me with the most blissful, agonized longing, but I would gladly suffer for her. Bowing my head, I said, “As my lady commands, so it shall be done.”

14

Callum

Our plan was simple, although I loathed carrying it out. Returning Everly to her family feltwrong.

“I know how to handle them,” she insisted, trying to assure both me and her grandmother, who didn’t seem fond of the idea either. “My father will be suspicious, but he’ll keep me close to have his eye on me. That will give me the opportunity I need.”

“And if it doesn’t, I can remove you from the situation immediately,” I said. “I’ll be close by and watching carefully.”

“Don’t let her out of your sight, Callum,” Winona said. “There’s no telling what Kent or his horrible children will do. The first sacrifice has been made, the God is stirring. It will be watching.”

The reminder of the Deep One’s watchful eye had me on edge. The wretched creature was still trapped underground, too weak to survive in the outside world. It needed the darkness, cold water, and mud of the mines to keep Its massive, unnatural body from falling apart.

Creatures from other dimensions shouldn’t have been able to survive here, and yet, these gods had found a way.

Its physical form was trapped, but Its psychic influence wasn’t. It could still extend Its influence into vulnerable minds, gleaning knowledge and sapping energy. Without proper training, Everly was susceptible to Its attacks.

But she was determined, confident she could steal the grimoire from right under her father’s nose. I only hoped she could manage it before the God stole her mind instead.

Instead of flying Everly back to her family, I showed her the path through the woods. The rain had ceased that morning, and the forest was thriving after the downpour. Using her sketchbook, Everly recorded the path I showed her, drawing a map that would lead her from the coven house to the nearest road.

She seemed at ease beneath the trees. She hummed as she walked and stopped frequently, to admire a blooming flower or to watch a deer and her fawn slink away into the trees.

I didn’t share her sense of calm.

From the moment I stepped foot outside the coven house, I was being watched. The air was thick with the scent of loam and sprouting grass; but beneath the forest smells was another, faint but familiar.

Sharp and prickling at the back of my throat, like iron and smoke.

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