Page 67 of The Powerless Witch

He snorted as he stopped in front of me, our noses almost touching. I wasn’t sure if he enjoyed people’s closeness or just liked to intimidate them, but Beleth fully disregarded notions like personal space or permission to touch. None of that worked on me anymore—it was hard to get uncomfortable with someone whose cock you’d had in your mouth.

“Hell is Hell,” he murmured, narrowing his gaze to my lips. I chuckled, opening my mouth to ask him what brought him here when he kissed me so hard that I stumbled a step. My back hit one of the trees and he was upon me, licking and biting like he wanted to devour me. I never found the need for roughness when it came to intimacy—most people responded much better to gentle touch in the right places—but this side of Beleth did not care for softness. It was the opposite that he needed, that he wanted, that he could give.

Before I could get my bearings and push him off, he was already releasing me—or at least my mouth. Keeping his hands propped on the tree beside my head, he studied my face while licking his lips.

“If pleasure is what you are here for, I’m afraid I’d have to disappoint you. This isn’t a good time,” I said, my mind racing back to where Celeste was sleeping in my bed. Or maybe she was awake, pacing around and feeling dejected after I had justlefther. I should have woken her up and told her where I was going.

“Is that so?” he snorted, taking a step back and crossing his arms. The T-shirt stretched over his defined muscles while he continued to study me, like he couldn’t decide if he cared about what I said or not. That was the biggest problem with him—he didn’t take words like ‘no’ well. “Well, then, it can’t be helped.”

I frowned. This had been easy, way too easy. He didn’t even look annoyed.

“Is there anything else you need?” I asked and from the way his lips twitched, I could tell there was. He took his time, though, rubbing his chin as if thinking it over. His eyes darted to the barrier, studying the glamor.

“I was wondering…” he started, his low, sultry voice sounding almost innocent. “You wouldn’t have a certain witch with you in there, would you? Tall, red-haired, likes to cause trouble. Fucks like a vixen from what I’ve heard.”

I could barely contain my surprise as I searched his face. What could Hell want with Celeste, of all people? She didn’t have a soul, and as far as I knew, her deal hadn’t been completed.

“Why?” I asked, and his lips quirked up.

“So you do have her.” He let out a pleased chuckle, taking a step in my direction. I moved back—not out of fear, but out of necessity. His mouth had caused me to agree to way too many disagreeable things. Beleth stopped his advance, his eyes hardening. “Take me to her.”

This time, I couldn’t hide my surprise.

“Why?” I demanded again. “What business do you have with her?”

Beleth rolled his eyes and as he turned aside, I noticed a vein in his forehead pulsing in clear indication he was getting agitated. He settled his gaze on me again and the fact that he tried to smile—something that seemed to cause him great pain when this side of him was in control—made me touch the tree and call on its power. The branches shot down just when the demon took a step closer, the wood creating a barrier between the two of us.

Beleth’s attempt at a smile vanished.

“I just want to speak with her,” he said through gritted teeth. “It’s in her best interest. Are you her keeper now?”

“While she is in my care, I am,” I replied, reaching deeper into the earth and dragging more of its power to the surface. Beleth was strong, dangerous and this side of him could get from calm to deranged in a split second. I wasn’t going to risk him charging the barrier, or me. “I’ll ask one last time. What business do you have with her, Beleth?”

“Apersonalone,” he snarled, grabbing one of the branches and snapping it with such ease that it broke off the stem and flew across the park while the tree cried in my mind. I winced, raising my other hand in warning.

“Enough,” I snapped, and he stopped when the ground beneath us shifted. “I am not taking you to her when you are like this. Switch to the other one and I will consider it.”

Beleth snorted, his displeasure more than obvious. Giving me one last, angry look, he turned around as if to leave. I watched him take a few steps, then he suddenly stopped. Tensing, I waited, but he only turned his head, not even looking at me.

“At least don’t let the witches get to her before I do. She can’t die again.”

His voice was quiet, almost somber, and before I could voice a million questions racing through my mind, the shadows swallowed him, leaving behind the stench of fire and even more sulfur.

Chapter 30

Isaac

“Are you sure they will come?”

I looked back at where Peter and Allison stood behind me, backs stiff and impatience oozing out of them in heavy waves. The night wind cut through them and they shuddered at the same time, but my body was so numb with anticipation that I could barely feel the cold.

I returned my attention to the empty, quiet docks that I had chosen for the meeting—away from people, but out in the open, where nobody could be ambushed, and far enough from witch territory so they’d have no reason to be here.

“They’ll come,” I said with more confidence than I felt.

The minutes continued to drag in heavy silence while I sent a prayer to the Moon Goddess that I wouldn’t fail tonight, not after I had convinced everyone to put their faith in me. And especially when I had decided to put my trust in them—in the others.

I caught movement and tensed, but I made sure to keep my face neutral. A body hoisted itself up from the inky water, tail flapping a few times before it transformed into legs. Another followed, then another until a group of seven rose as one, eyes firmly locked on us.

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