Page 77 of The Powerless Witch

I grabbed the stake, squeezing hard as it devoured my skin, and pulled it out of my body. The wound immediately started to heal, and I thanked Chester for suggesting I drink twice the amount I usually did before coming here. By the time the hunter got to his feet and drew a long machete from a sheath on his back, the hole between my ribs had closed.

“How did you know I’d come here?” I asked as he approached, slowly this time, catching the hilt of his weapon with both hands. He just smirked. Annoyance flared inside of me and I lunged.

Evading his blade proved harder than I expected, but the rage inside of me was growing, and with it, my thirst for blood. His blood.

If he wasn’t going to talk, then I didn’t need to prolong this fight any longer—he had already revealed his weakness. While I couldn’t tear his throat or heart out and I couldn’t snap his neck, I could touch him as long as I wasn’t trying to inflict a direct wound.

He was still a human, after all—he could still break. I didn’t need to do it with my own hands.

I let him draw close again, going as far as allowing his blade to cut into my shoulder, almost severing my arm. His eyes grew wide with surprise, then confusion. I took the chance to grab him by the throat and raised him above the ground so he couldn’t counter me. His free hand shot to mine, gripping my wrist while he snarled.

Then I threw him back as hard as I could. His surprised grunt was swallowed by the cracking of his ribs and the loud, wet sound that followed when the pole drove through his chest. He looked down, staring with disbelief at the pipe he had been pierced with, the one I had been aiming for.

My body wasn’t the only weapon I could use in a fight. He shouldn’t have underestimated me.

Blood trickled from the edge of his lips as he raised his eyes to me.

“This is not over, vampire,” he croaked while the blood seeped from the hole in his chest, dripping on the floor. “We will destroy you and all of your kind. Even your precious Elders. You will all be purged from this earth!”

“Be my guest,” I muttered as his head dropped, and his heart gave one last thump. I pulled the blade out of my shoulder and let it drop to the floor. Pressing my hand to the wound so I could adjust my arm where it should be in order to heal quicker, I went back to grab my phone. The screen had cracked, but just when I reached for it, it lit up again.

Not Isaac this time. Chester.

I picked up on the first ring, frowning as I brought the device to my ear.

“Is everything alright?” I asked, praying I wouldn’t be hearing about any more surprises tonight.

“Yes, Master, everything is well. Except…” He hesitated, but then quickly added, “A Fae arrived a few minutes ago with a message from Prince Malakai. She said that Mistress needs to leave the grove and you must go collect her as soon as possible.”

“Why?” I demanded, giving the basement one last look before heading toward the exit.

“She did not say, but she insisted it was a matter of urgency. Mistress is unharmed, but her life is in danger. That’s all I know.”

“Where?” I snarled, taking a step up the dark staircase. A strange smell made me pause on the first stair. Fire…and gasoline. It was coming from above. With the lights downstairs still on, I hadn’t noticed it, but when I looked up, there were lights upstairs too. No, not lights. Flames.

I took another step up, ready to dash through the house before it collapsed, when I noticed the shadow moving in front of the door. I didn’t have the time to look for any distinguishable features because they threw something down the stairs.

The glass shattered and as the flame burst, only my supernatural reactions helped me get out of the blast. When I paused to look back, the stairs were all aflame, devouring the bookshelf nearby and spreading with terrible speed. Smoke sneaked down, decreasing the visibility even for me.

I gritted my teeth, trying to decide what to do. Going up was the logical choice, but I didn’t know how many people were up there and what else they might have waiting for me. Then it hit me. I hadn’t heard a heartbeat from the person who threw that, and if there was no heartbeat…

“Maria…” I gasped, looking at the ceiling. Could it be her? But why come after me here? Was she trying to kill me? So far, she had been toying with me, taunting me. Was she tired of games? Or was she expecting me to survive this?

“Master!” Chester’s voice caught my attention, and I looked at the phone to see that we were still connected.

Celeste. I had to get to Celeste. I couldn’t stay here.

“Send me the coordinates,” I said into the receiver, then hung up. Securing the device into my pocket, I gave the place one last look. I was just about to sprint through the burning staircase when something odd caught my attention. The smoke didn’t reach one of the corners, like there was a barrier protecting it. Curious, I strode to the small table with several boxes on it. The things were so plain that I would have never given them a second look, but normal boxes did not repel smoke.

I picked the one that seemed to be warded and dug my nails into the metal, expecting some kind of resistance, but the thing twisted and bent until there was enough space for me to wriggle my finger in. My forefinger brushed against something smooth and cold and a moment later, I pulled out a chain.

The metal box slipped from my grip while I stared with shock at the swaying medallion. At first, I thought it was an illusion, but witch magic didn’t work on me and I could feel its weight in my hand. I couldn’t sense any power like Celeste had said, so I couldn’t tell if this was the real thing. But why would her medallion be here? Why would he leave it?

Still, real or not, this was proof that the hunter had been here. And since the house above wasn’t disturbed, that meant…

“...there is another way in,” I finished out loud, looking around the basement again. The fire had spread even further, the flames now licking the ceiling. I was running out of time.

It was hard to see with the black smoke all around me, but I kept searching for it. When I noticed the slight shift in the air next to one of the walls, I strode to it, running my fingers over the surface until I found the edge. Once I had a solid hold, I pushed, almost laughing with relief when the section caved in, revealing another narrow corridor.

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