Page 75 of Mortal Desires

“I don’t bleed,” I scoffed.

“He has the goo.” Pilar nodded, talking about the black liquid that ran through my veins.

“The goo?” Marnie’s eyebrows soared.

“He’s an eternal being, Marnie.” Pilar giggled. “Of course it’s different. Here, I do.”

“Pilar…” My chest rumbled when she offered her blood so easily.

“It’s just a drop to help the crystal.” She shrugged like it was nothing, grabbing a dagger from her sister. Instead of a nip on her finger, she opened a few buttons of her dress, revealing the head of the snake.

“Wait, what, girl? Since when are you tattooed?” Marnie’s mouth dropped open.

I made a guttural sound. I hated seeing that mark while we were here in this forsaken place. I watched the human like a hawk. I didn’t want his eyes on my wife, but he had the decency to look away.

So, he stayed alive.

“It’s the underworld mark. When Vic and I finished all the rituals of our marriage, the mark appeared.”

Proving that she belonged there. That she was home. But she didn’t say that to her sister.

With the dagger, she made the smallest incision right in the head of the snake, her sweet blood dripping in the valley of her breasts.

“Gray, you never marked me as yours,” her sister complained while Pilar bathed the crystal in blood.

“We can get you an Avery Communications tattoo, Miss Morales. That can be arranged,” the human drawled.

The sisters giggled before their eyes turned back to the crystal. Pilar held it above the map, hanging by a string. I made a sound deep within my throat as I watched her blood drip onto the paper.

“Calm down, big guy.” She smiled without looking at me.

I closed my mouth, hating the whole thing. We waited in silence, but Marnie sighed. “Maybe there’s too much that belongs to the underworld.”

“Everything belongs to death,” I said.

“Pilar?” Marnie whispered again.

“Mmm?”

“Your husband is creepy.”

Pilar snorted and moved the crystal without meaning to. “Don’t make me laugh, I'm trying to concentrate here.”

“I mean the goat legs I can get used to but this death talk—”

Pilar laughed and slapped her sister affectionately on the arm. “Stop, Marnie.”

They finally stopped laughing and watched the crystal that wouldn’t move. I lost hope at that point, I’d need to hunt them down the more traditional way. I just had no idea how.

I couldn’t just walk about the land of the living knocking on doors. Being seen was a violation in and of itself, and the court that judged me wasn’t known for fair trials.

But I couldn’t leave without Adrian, especially if Pilar wanted to stay. I had to bring him back with me to make sure he wasn’t a threat to her. After all, I was the one who let him set his eyes on her and that guilt I’d carry for eternity.

“Look,” Marnie gasped and my attention went back to the spell.

The crystal shook suddenly, power coming out of it for the first time. Pilar looked determined, her mouth saying something under her breath I couldn’t be here.

She was powerful, my witch. More powerful than anyone could have guessed.

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