Page 83 of The Powerless Witch

“Now,” the young witch mouthed, her bloodshot eyes almost closing while her body rocked like it might crumble to pieces.

Gideon’s fire enveloped the familiar, and its shrieks swallowed all sounds of the world. Regina screamed with it, falling to her knees as if her own body was burning, and I understood.

I was on her in an instant, sinking my teeth into her neck even before she had stopped screaming. I felt her magic flare as she summoned it to protect herself, but I ripped through muscle and bone, tearing and tearing until her head soared through the air, spraying us with blood before landing a few steps away. Her body slumped just as the familiar stopped screaming and the sound of sirens filled the night.

I stared at the dead woman in a daze, at the blood trickling from her open neck and soaking into the trampled flower beds. Voices flooded my head, calling my name, calling Allison, screaming that we needed to leave before the humans came.

The ground shuddered again, and I looked up just when Gideon shot into the sky, disappearing into the heavy clouds with several flaps of his mighty wings.

I turned my head to search for Samara, still trying to figure out why she had helped me, when I noticed a man trying to pick her up. There were burn marks around his neck and on his forehead that looked fresh and painful, with blood trickling down from his ears and nose. But when our eyes met, he smiled, pressing a finger to his lips before shadows wrapped them both.

My jaw dropped as I watched them disappear when the sound of someone’s steps made me turn. Peter paused next to a body, Allison’s body, nudging his muzzle against her neck.

My stomach plummeted despite the victory, and I took a hesitant step toward them.

‘She is alive,’Peter said, and I sighed with relief.‘We need to go. This place will be crawling with humans soon. The others are already gathering the bodies and setting the house on fire. We have to cover as much of our traces as possible.’

‘Yes, let’s go.’I nodded, but when I moved toward the house, he didn’t follow.‘What is it?’

Peter stared at Regina’s body, his fur bristling.

‘We won,’he said. There was relief in his eyes but unease, too.‘Her body feels like a husk. There is no lingering magic on her. It’s strange.’

‘What does that mean?’I frowned, moving to stand beside him. I stared at the corpse, searching for any signs, any markings, any of the things he could probably feel, but found nothing.

‘I don’t know.’Peter’s voice was quiet, even in the mindlink.‘Let’s hope this works and with her gone, her Coven will fall into chaos and won’t be able to complete that spell.’

I nodded absently as he locked his teeth on Allison’s nape, preparing to drag her away.

‘Take the win, Alpha. You earned it,’he said.‘Now let’s get our people out of here.’

Chapter 36

Roman

There was something in the air tonight, a charge I couldn’t quite place, so as I paced back and forth in front of the tall oak tree that marked the end of my territory, I felt like I might explode. That was until I sensed movement between the trees and Malakai stepped out with Celeste in his arms.

The first thing I noticed was the blood; not all of it was theirs, but I could recognize Celeste’s anywhere. The second thing was the burned clothes and torn fabric; the third and most overwhelming of all was the power rippling from both of them, especially Celeste.

I was just opening my mouth when Celeste turned her head, locking her mesmerizing green eyes on me. A sense of relief washed over me as I watched Malakai set her on her feet.

“Your magic is back.” The words slipped out. I could feel it, her power, brewing inside of her, pushing to get out. My smile dropped. I could feel too much of it. A closer look at Malakai’s red-hot skin and the fading burns from his chest where she was pressed against him confirmed what my mind had already surmised. “You are unstable.”

“I’ve been called worse,” she snorted, striding toward me with a heavy gait. She stopped a step away, eyes burning not with joy, but with something that made me tense. Then she raised her hand andslappedme.

“That was for telling Isaac it’s okay to mark me without my permission,” she said in that lovely, furious voice of hers that reminded me of how we met. I was still staring with shock when she grabbed the front of my shirt and pulled me down. Resisting her would have been easy—she couldn’t have moved me even if she used all that magic bubbling inside of her—but ever since we met, denying her had never been possible. Her lips sealed over mine and she kissed me with a vigor that made my hunger flare with devastating need.

Her arms slid around my torso and she leaned closer, the drum of her heart echoing through my quiet chest. I didn’t stop her when she pulled back, even though every muscle in my body fought against the separation.

She smiled at me and whispered, “I’ve missed you, baby.”

I was so stunned by her words that I didn’t even register the teasing nickname she used when she tried to provoke me.

“Tsk, I expected at least a ‘me too’,” Celeste snorted, wiggling out of my arms and looking back at Malakai. “Since he doesn’t seem too eager to take me back, I guess I should go to Isaac and see if he—” I yanked her back into my arms before she took another step, ignoring the quiet ‘oomph!’ she let out when her back hit my chest.

When I looked at the Fae prince, his smile was still on Celeste. I didn’t miss the flicker of longing in his gaze, but when he sensed my attention, he met my eyes.

“Are you injured?” He pointed at my arm. I had almost forgotten about the fight, but now that I looked down, I realized my shirt and jacket were a complete mess. I was in so much of a hurry to get to the rendezvous point, I didn’t even notice when I healed.

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