Page 60 of The Powerless Witch

When I walked back and sat on a small wooden tripod beside it, her eyes were guarded, but she seemed less annoyed. I offered her my hand with the palm up, waiting for her to give me hers. Finally, she did, sighing heavily.

“Is this a punishment for provoking your sister?” She leaned her head back, shifting around in search of a more comfortable position.

I didn’t reply right away. I wanted to phrase it properly, to make her understand, to see it not as a punishment but as an opportunity. But words were suddenly so hard to grasp when my own bodyrebelled against them.

“I thought that pleasure might be the best way for you to trust me and open up because that’s when you are most vulnerable—at least physically. But I was wrong.” I slid the washcloth between her fingers, moving gently but meticulously so I could get all the dirt and blood off. “You trust me with your body because you know the bargain won’t allow me to hurt you. But that’s as far as you are willing to let me in. And it’s not enough.” I glanced at her face while I slid the cloth up her arm. “So we’ll try a different approach.”

She started to roll her eyes, but then caught herself and just looked away. She said nothing, which I took as a sign to continue.

“You have blocked your ability to trust people, and I thought by overcoming that obstacle we might unlock the others easier. But that was foolish of me. I cannot expect you to open up and show me the most private parts of yourself when I have not shown you the same courtesy. Vulnerability feeds on vulnerability. I understand that now.” She remained quiet and while she wasn’t looking at me, I could feel her keen attention. “So I will start by sharing something I have not shared with anyone else.”

She still didn’t look up, but with my hands now kneading the stiff muscles in her upper arm, it was easy to tell when her heartbeat sped up. I held back a victorious smile—at least I got her interest now.

“Before I was sired, the seer among my people—the first Fae that had created this grove—prophesied that an heir would be born with power unmatched. A Fae with the strength to bring both his kind and others to their knees. A man with the power to reform the whole continent and turn it into a grove—or to destroy everything in his path.” Her eyes fluttered to mine again, her expression subtly changing as she studied me with a mix of apprehension and curiosity. “She claimed the stars foretoldIwill be that person. My mother was beyond proud, of course. She was a powerful woman on her own, but with an offspring that could bend everyone to her will…you can imagine how that went to her head.”

Celeste snorted.

“I was raised with every luxury and denied nothing. I was spoiled, pampered, and disconnected from everyone and everything because I had a role to play. She didn’t want me getting influenced by others, even my own siblings.” My heart sank as the ache squeezed my chest, so I focused back on washing her body. “But that’s not what a child wants. I wanted my brother and sister to play with me. I wanted to be lovedby them, sought by them, to be part of their lives. But my mother’s favor and the way she singled me out as her heir when they were both older created a chasm between us—one I could never overcome on my own.”

“That’s why your brother tried to kill you?” She raised an eyebrow.

I shook my head.

“No.” Her eyebrows rose even higher. “Before that happened, I actually succeeded in reaching through to them. They agreed to accept me and treat me like a brother if I promised I would never lay claim to the throne or use my power in the way it was prophesied. They wanted me to give it up, give up everything, in return for being their sibling. So I did.” Celeste gasped quietly. “I defied my mother and pretended to be more interested in pleasure, leisure, and wine than politics or power. And it worked. I lost my mother’s favor and caused her ire, but I gained a brother and a sister. Or so I thought.”

I let the washcloth drop into the water, wringing it out before getting to my feet. Moving behind the tub, I nudged her to sit straighter so I could wash her back. There was a nasty bruise between her shoulder blades where the worst of her broken bones had been, but it was already fading.

“So how come your brother tried to kill you? Did you reach for power again?”

“I did not,” I sighed, kneading her neck until she relaxed. “They invited me for dinners and parties, smiled at me, laughed with me, and I thought that was enough. Their love was enough.” I licked my lips, trying not to recall the painful memories from so long ago. “But just because I refused to follow the path the stars chose for me, didn’t mean others had given up. Before I promised not to use my power, I loved to show off. I could move trees, redirect entire rivers, cause the ground to open, and swallow a hill. There are many strong Fae in this grove, but nobody could do that—and I was barely touching the surface back then. And just when it looked like I was finally getting what I always wanted, rumors of putting me on the throne spread through court again. My siblings grew weary and mistrustful despite my reassurances that I had no interest in power. Thenyoucame into our grove.”

Celeste stiffened, tension coiling in her shoulders again.

“Your comments about my power were the last drop for them. It was like…a seal of approval, as humans say these days. As a creature older and more powerful than the oldest of our grove, your recognition of my potential all but sealed my fate in theeyes of my people. So my brother sought to destroy me before I took everything from him. And I would have let him…had you not interfered.”

Celeste sat quietly for a while.

“I’m sorry,” she said.

I slid my hand under her chin, gently lifting it until she was looking at me.

“You needn’t be sorry, my lovely rose, for you bear no fault in this,” I said, running my thumb over her cheek. “You didn’t know, and I didn’t understand. But most importantly, I refused to see that even after all the sacrifices I’d made, they never truly accepted me.Shestill hasn’t.”

I let go of her, circling the tub to sit back on the tripod. Celeste’s eyes were softer when she met mine again, her mouth thin as if she was biting her lips on the inside.

“Family can be complicated,” I sighed, placing the washcloth on the side of the tub. “But for those who live as long as we do, family is sometimes all we have, so making a sacrifice or two is a small price to pay, don’t you agree?”

Water splashed around her when she leaned back, her eyes locked on the ceiling. I waited for her to say something, to ask questions perhaps, but she just stared, biting her lips. I was just going to get up and let her finish bathing when she spoke.

“I killed my family.”

The words made me freeze. Quietly, carefully, I lowered myself into my seat, offering her an encouraging smile. I didn’t want to spook her, not when she had just started speaking, but I was afraid my excitement and eagerness might be too obvious. I studied her face, her body language, the flicker of energy within her that grew wild and bright, just like it did when she was eagerly begging me to touch her. Yet she didn’t look at me now, even though I was sure she was in pain.

“Tell me,” I said gently, leaning my arms on my knees.

She hesitated, and I held my breath until she spoke again.

“During my first life, I fell in love with a man. I was ready to do anything for him. I even became pregnant with his child before we were even wed. But…” She licked her lips, hitting the back of her head on the tub. “He betrayed me. He and my best friend, who was also pregnant with his child.” I tried and failed to hide my shock, but luckily, she still avoided my eyes. “They…they left me to die alone in the woods. That was the night I sold my soul—sold it for the time I needed to get my revenge for their betrayal. But the demon tricked me. He didn’t give me the time there and then. He let me die and brought me back later. I was too late.”

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