Page 84 of The Powerless Witch

“I’m fine,” I replied to both of them since I could see Celeste frowning while she examined the dried blood on my sleeve. “What happened?”

“The magic that had amassed within her is leaking out and after the attack tonight…” I raised an eyebrow in an unspoken question, but he just shook his head. “She’ll tell you later. Right now, you need to take care ofher. Her magic is unstable and so is her mind. I cannot heal fast enough to keep up with her, but her power cannot hurt you. So take her somewhere, away from others, and help her safely release her magic. If you can do that, she will go back to normal when she wakes up.”

“And if I can’t?” I asked, even though I already knew the answer to that.

“I’ll die,” Celeste finished, and we both looked at her. “Still here, yes. Thank you for noticing.”

Malakai gave me a pointed look, and the seriousness of his expression made me realize just how worried he was.

“She worked hard to heal, so let’s make sure we keep her alive long enough to enjoy it. I am again in her debt, so if you don’t feel up to the task, I will give it my all to help her.”

Celeste made a choked noise that suspiciously sounded like a laugh while my eye twitched at the vague challenge in his voice. When did she manage to ensnare Malakai out of all people? I wasn’t even aware he was into women with the smiles I saw him throw Beleth before.

“I know how to handle her, don’t worry.” I tightened my arms around Celeste. “Thank you. For what you did for her. I will not forget it.”

“Yes, thank you,” Celeste echoed, and Malakai once again looked at her, his eyes softening.

“My pleasure.”

He gave us another long, thoughtful look, then disappeared the way he had come from. I allowed her only a moment to stare after him before picking her up and bringing her to the passenger seat. I moved too fast for her to protest and by the time she spoke, I was already behind the steering wheel. The sweet scent of magic filled my whole being, the power pulsing from the witch almost as blazing as the sun atnoon.

“What happened to you?” She touched my arm where the jacket was hanging loose, her eyes full of worry. “This is your blood. Were you attacked?”

“You have five minutes to tell me what mess you stirred this time,” I said, turning the engine on and making a swift U-turn. She was still watching me when I guided the car back the same way I had come from, stepping on the gas. I wasn’t concerned with the speed when I was alone, but with Celeste in the vehicle, even with me there, I wasn’t taking any chances.

“What happens after?” she asked with a challenge, but one side glance had her heart jumping in a way that made me smirk.

“Four minutes and fifty seconds.” I tapped my finger on the steering wheel. “And before you ask, the Martens are fine, and so is Nym. He has been watching over them like you asked him to.”

She made a small noise of relief, then sank back into the seat.

“The Fae were working with the witches, who were, for some reason, led by Mariam Castle. But then Malakai stood up to them and…” I listened as the words flowed from her mouth, filling in the holes with the information I had gathered so far. That explained why the Fae vanished during the attack on the Order, why there had been no word or movement on their part. It coincided with what the witch in my dungeon said, too. She hadn’t lied.

There were still too many variables, too many questions, and missing pieces like…when were they going to unleash this spell? Was Celeste part of it, or did Mariam want her for something else? If she was needed for the spell and they failed to take her, did that mean they couldn’t cast it? What was their connection to the Order and what was making Regina, the Head Witch of the most powerful Coven, play the tune of a mere Second that was decades younger than her?

Still, as I parked the car among the trees, all of those concerns vanished.

“Where are we?” Celeste asked, leaning forward to peek through the window. It had started to rain heavily out of nowhere, the strong wind blowing a storm that seemed to have come right from the direction of the grove. “I need to—”

“Inside. Now,” I ordered. Celeste somehow got out before I reached her, stepping toward the three small steps leading to the large crypt hidden between the trees. The place had been here when I bought the land and after some renovations and maintenance, it had been made stable and safe. I had figured it would be a good spot to go dormant if I got tired of humans and just needed to wait several decades while Celeste awoke. It was a good spot to contain other supernatural creatures too, with all the solid walls and warding, although I wasn’t sure if that included someone of Celeste’s caliber.

Either way, I had no intention of letting her burn herself out.

I strode to the heavy double doors and pushed them with both hands, my muscles straining against their weight. A loud screech echoed through the chamber, swallowed by the sharp flutter of wings. Celeste’s heavy steps followed after me.

The moment the lock fell into place, she turned to face me, her eyes darkening as if she knew exactly what was going to happen next. She opened her perfect littlemouth—no doubt to taunt or ask a silly question she knew the answer to—but I was done with words.

All of this time away from her had driven me insane. Running after her for two hundred years was torture, but back then, she hadn’t accepted me. Now, she was mine.

My kiss was anything but gentle as I poured all that need and frustration into every stroke of my tongue, every graze of my fangs against her lips, frenzied by that sweet, powerful taste that was uniquely hers. Her magic licked my skin, like a fire that brought warmth but didn’t burn even though I was sure that had I been any more human, I’d be screaming right now.

Celeste moaned against my mouth and the last of my restraint vanished like a flame blown by the faintest of winds. My fingers slipped out of her messy hair, sliding down to her half-torn, half-burned dress. The fabric was so thin and delicate that I didn’t even need to use my nails to tear it off. Celeste gasped, but I wasn’t sure if it was from my teeth teasing the tender flesh on her neck or my fingers, tracing the curves of her breasts, her hips, her stomach.

It was my turn to groan when I realized how fucking wet she was, her hips pressing against my hand with urgent need. I nudged her backward, and she staggered, stopping as her back hit the stone wall.

Her throat bobbed while she watched me prowl closer, her body trembling slightly, but not with fear. Hungry eyes met mine, and I smiled as I ran my finger over her lower lip. She opened her mouth invitingly, and I slid two fingers in, chuckling when she swirled her tongue around them. My cock pulsed impatiently as she showed me exactly what that mouth was capable of, and I chuckled.

“Not yet,” I told her, grabbing her by the throat with my other hand. A gasp that escaped her lips as I pinned her to the wall evolved into a deep, sensual moan when I slid my already wet fingers between her legs.

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