Page 30 of The Powerless Witch

The end results could have been considered poor in this case, but not the choice itself.

“What did she look like?”

Oscar bit his lower lip, thinking it over as if he had trouble remembering.

“I don’t think I ever saw her face. She wore a cloak and stayed out of the light. I think her hair was dark, but it might have been the cloak. But she was fast, real fast—not that I am surprised, she was an Elder after all. She took care of Jonathan before I could even blink. She tore his heart out, tossed it on the floor, and then wipedher hands with a handkerchief as if she had just touched something dirty. I…I’d rather not have to face her again, which is why I have been dodging your calls.”

I nodded, feeling like a fool for coming. I should have figured that if the Elders sent me a summon, they would send someone here to find out what exactly happened. They could be watching the place even now, although I hadn’t noticed anyone on the way.

“I’ll keep my distance until everything is resolved,” I said as I got up. Oscar looked like he was about to say something when my phone started vibrating. I ignored it, keeping my eyes on the man while he rose to his feet. “Take care of your nest and do as the Elders tell you. They will not hesitate to replace you and playing their tune will give you a much better opportunity of becoming a Master. Believe me.”

“What about you?” Oscar frowned, looking back at my face once my phone stopped buzzing. “Are you in trouble because of what happened? We knew the risks when we—”

“No, you didn’t. And you had no choice but to obey me. I am your superior,” I interrupted, cursing when the phone started vibrating again. I took it out of my pocket but held his gaze for a moment longer. “The first rule about being a vampire is looking out for yourself, Oscar. Remember that. Nobody else is going to go out of their way to protect a monster.”

To my surprise, instead of nodding, Oscar shook his head.

“Maybe once, Master, but we no longer live in that time. If you want others to protect you, you protect them first. That’s what I’ve learned by being a nest leader. Vampires don’t have to be solitary creatures. We can still have a family, even if it’s not one we were born into.”

I was still struck by his words when my phone started ringing a third time. Gritting my teeth, I looked down to see Lily’s name on the screen. I pressed the receiver in panic, praying to hear her complain about getting bored.

“Lily, what—” I started, but she cut me off.

“Witches!” she hissed, her voice dripping with panic. “Get out of there! Now!”

The words had barely filled the hall when I sensed the ripple of magic tear through the building. I moved instantly, grabbing Oscar and dragging him to the door leading to the stairs. The building shook as glass and stone exploded, blinding light flooding the foyer right when I slammed the door shut. The screams started a moment later.

Chapter 13

Samara

My feet hit the ground, and I staggered, leaning on the nearest wall for support. I ignored the looks the other witches gave me, focusing on getting my back straight instead. I might have looked like I always do to them, but inside…I was screaming.

Regina never left traces where they could be seen, but this only made her work harder on creating new ways to punish me when I disappointed her. And provoking Mathias until he was ready to level the neighborhood always required the most horrid of tortures.

Raising my chin, I followed the others out of the dark alley where we had translocated. It felt uncomfortable doing it, especially knowing part of my soul was missing. The only way a witch could travel through space in an instant was by leaving a sliver of herself in the original destination, so once she triggered the translocating spell, she could use that part as a beacon and return to it just as fast.

And when it came to vampires, something as simple as the element of surprise was worth all the risks. Even in the early afternoon.

The seven other women waited for me by the nearest warehouse, looking around nervously. Nobody seemed too happy they were assigned to the vampires, but of course, none of them dared question Regina’s plan once she laid it out for them.

The kidnappings of the wolves and the Fae had been only the first step—I knew that much. Involving the Order, so the blame fell on them, was the second. Regina wanted the other supernatural races fighting with the hunters and bleeding each other out. And she got what she wished for.

The wolves were licking their wounds. The vampires had lost half of their strength. The Fae were placated with whatever deal Mariam had made with them. Only the witches remained at full power.

And now it was time for phase two: attack.

“Ready?” I asked, looking at each of them. Pale, but determined, one after the other, they mumbled their agreement. “Laura, get your group in position and be ready to hit the roof.” The witch standing in front of me, double my age and with a harsh expression that would have scared me once, nodded obediently. “Our group goes underground, where we’ll hit them first. Once we’ve destroyed the tunnels so they can’t escape, we translocate back. That’s when you need to act. The sun should take care of what’s left of them.”

With murmurs of how the world would be better without so many bloodsuckers, we headed toward the nest we planned to bury. I dug my hand into my pocket, making sure the charm that hid my scent was still there. There were humans working around these parts, so the vampires shouldn’t be bothered even if they heard us pass by, but if they smelled a witch, they’d know something was up.

Once we reached the central building where the nest was located, I raised a hand. The three remaining witches stopped behind me, whispering prayers for protection to the Goddess before reaching for their magic.

“Let’s go,” I mouthed, sending a pulse of energy to make sure there weren’t any watchful eyes that could spot us. There were not, as Regina expected—they were all too afraid to get close to the light. Older vampires had more guts—and resilience—but the nest was made of young ones, with their leader having been turned barely fifty years ago. An easy picking, if one could ever call a vampire that.

We slipped into the underground parking lot, using our powers to see better since conjuring light was out of the question. Another pulse of magic told me there were no undead around us, so I gave the rest of my team a sign to take their positions.

Once I was alone in my section, I leaned on the closest support beam and groaned. If I failed at this, Regina was going to punish me again regardless of the fact that it was her fault I wasn’t at my best.

---