Page 75 of The Powerless Witch

“Take care of the witches. They must pay,” I said while I gathered Celeste in my arms.

“Oh, I will.” Amantha ground her teeth, her hand pausing on Helio’s forehead. “I will hunt every single one of them down. Starting with that backstabbing bitch.”

“What about your bargain?”

“They hurt my people,” Amantha said, putting Helio’s head on the ground and getting up. Her dress was in tatters, stained in red and black and brown, but she looked like she was ready to march into a fight regardless. “They broke it first. I am free of it. I shall never make a bargain with the likes of them ever again.” Her eyes lowered to Celeste, and I realized she was staring at us. “Hurry. It won’t be long.”

Nodding, I gave our mother’s body one last look before walking away.

The screaming had stopped and only lonely whiskers of smoke rose high into the sky. I could hear crying and shouting, but I didn’t stop to check on the injured. Amantha could see to that—they were her people now. She was to be queen and for the first time, I believed she would do well. Better than well.

“Where are we going?” Celeste asked drowsily, her hand wrapping around my neck as she pressed herself closer. Her touch burned like fire, but I held back the hiss of pain, smiling instead.

“I’m taking you back,” I replied, and a deep, displeased line formed between her brows.

“That bad, huh?” she chuckled. “I’m sorry for using my magic. There was just no other way and when Mariam attacked your mother…I knew you’d be devastated if she...I’m sorry I couldn’t save her.”

“It’s not your fault.”

“I can feel the burnout approaching,” she said, and I looked down at her to find her staring with quiet resignation. “I’m sorry for making you do all this work just to…” She trailed off, giving me a tired smile. “Tell Roman I’m sorry for leaving him again. And tell Isaac…tell him that he must survive me because I already suffered enough to save him once. And tell…”

I leaned down, pressing my lips against hers even though the touch burned like iron.

“You are not going to die, not if I can help it.” She snuggled closer, nodding even though she didn’t look like she believed me. “But I cannot survive being this close to you while your magic is like this. And if I try to protect myself, I might hurt you. So I’m taking you to the one person that is not affected by your magic.”

She looked like she was thinking it over for a second, then her eyes lit up.

“Roman,” she whispered, realization dawning on her. I smiled.

“Yes.” I nodded. “And once you are stable and healthy, I will come to visit, if you’d allow me. I’ll always come when you call, my lovely rose.”

“I’d like that,” she murmured, her eyes burning brighter than before. “Take me home, Malakai. Your debt is paid. Our bargain is now complete.”

Chapter 33

Roman

Mulberry Drive, number twenty-seven, was pretty decent-looking for a place that hadn’t been occupied in years. The red coat had faded to dull brown and the chimney was blocked by the huge nest, but the windows were intact and the doors seemed in one piece. The yard and the crumbling tool shack were the only things that had fallen to neglect in the Castle residence.

Most of the windows in the neighborhood houses were dark, but even if their occupants looked out, I made sure they wouldn’t spot me.

There was nothing I wanted more than to go in and out as fast as possible, check for any clues left behind about the fate of the youngest Castle sibling, and return home. I didn’t feel good about leaving my house, especially with Maria around, but there was no one I could send here. And after what Lily had uncovered, not following up on all the coincidences would have been idiotic.

That’s how I ended up deep in the Coven of the Silver Flame’s territory, stalking through this unremarkable house.

I had sensed no wards around the premises or near the street, no traps, alarms, or anything of the sort. It looked like a normal, abandoned house…if one didn’t pay too much attention to all the different kinds of herbs growing unchecked all over the garden.

I reached the front porch and narrowed my eyes at the weathered planks there. Loud, no doubt, and with the amount of dust on them, even I would leave traces. The back proved a better point of entry—the screen door had rotten over time and, apart from a giant spider web wrapped around the handle, there were no other obstacles.

Adjusting my glove, I turned the handle with enough force to break the locking mechanism. I had learned my lesson about touching magically charged objects by losing a hand—several times, in fact. Pure magic might not work on me, but when imbued in an object, it could pose a serious annoyance. Even death, if I wasn’t careful.

To my surprise, the door opened with a quiet screech. I looked around the dark kitchen, noting the silhouettes of dusty furniture and long-unused appliances. The place wasn’t dirty, per se, but it was clear nobody had disturbed it for a while.

I eyed the floor, checking for any runes there, before taking a step in. I waited for another trap to spring to life, but nothing happened. No dust cloud, though—the tiles had been swept or disrupted some time ago. Weeks, maybe a couple of months, but somebody had definitely been here.

I searched the kitchen even though I didn’t expect to find anything of significance there. Important things required wards, and this part of the house was…mundane.

My phone vibrated in my pocket, and I held back an annoyed groan before taking it out. Another message from Isaac about the retaliation attack he was planning tonight. I had already given him Oscar’s number; I made it abundantly clear their little union of survivors was of no interest to me.

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