Page 86 of The Powerless Witch

No spell had followed and no retaliation. I knew there would be a fallout later on, but for now…we had won.

‘Isaac, come to me.’

My eyes snapped back to Alice, but she was talking with Eddie, her back turned to me. It couldn’t have been her who said that so who was it? Did Regina hit me with some kind of spell before she died?

“Isaac, are you sure you’re alright?” Alice asked when she noticed me looking. “You seem out of it. I can…”

‘Come to me, mate.’

I sucked in a deep breath as realization hit me, the strangely distorted voice now sounding painfully familiar. It was her. It had to beher.

“Isaac, I am—” Alice took a step toward me, but she froze when I met her gaze and smiled.

“The mate bond! I can hear her talking through the mate bond,” I whispered. Her shoulders sagged with relief. “She must have her magic back or…something, I don’t know. But she is calling for me and I think she’s in pain. I…I need to go, Alice.” I sucked in a deep breath as determination filled my chest, looking around in search of my Beta. The neighborhood was brewing with activity, from people helping with the wounded to others bringing in news and reports from patrols in the city and the area.

“Go.” Alice squeezed my arm, giving me an understanding look. “It’s over, Isaac, at least for tonight. Go find your mate and make sure she’s safe. I’ll tell Allison.”

I nodded my thanks, giving her a quick kiss on the forehead before sprinting to my house. My car was parked in the driveway, keys still in the ignition, so I wasted no time jumping behind the wheel. Several people gave me questioning looks when I drove past them, but I didn’t bother with explanations.

‘Isaac, I need you…’

I had to remind myself not to squeeze the wheel too hard or risk breaking it. Flashes of a dark room, of chains, and a blurry silhouette moving around her flickered in my head, making it hard to focus on the road. I had never expected to hear those words from her, not with that stubborn streak she had and the way we had parted ways before. But the emotions passing through the link, albeit still weak and distant, told me this wasn’t a trick.

Pain. Burning. Desperation. Desire.

All of it flooded my body, making me press harder on the peddle.

‘Where are you?’I shouted down the bond, leading the car toward the grove. I hadn’t had the chance to send a message to Malakai that I needed entrance, but then again, if she was calling for me, where was he? If he didn’t protect her…

The answer came not as words, but more of a feeling. A beacon that lit up in my chest, telling me I was going in the wrong direction. I jumped on the brakes and a loud honk came from behind when the driver after me was forced to do the same. He poked his head out of the window and started shouting, but I was already turning the car around. I drove aimlessly, following that pull, until I was leaving the confines of the city in a very familiar direction.

Confusion and panic battled inside of me as I sped down the empty road that would soon lead me into Roman’s territory, wondering if he had been compromised too. That would explain why he didn’t answer my calls and why Celeste would reach out to me, even though she was onhisland. But why wasn’t she in the grove? Just what was going on?

‘Hurry, I need you…’Her voice was even lower, barely a sigh now. My body was shaking with frustration, the shift almost imminent. The pain, the exhaustion, the exaltation and the strange sense of foreboding had all vanished, leaving my brain singularly focused on one thing.

Finding her.

I turned the steering wheel, ready to take the fork toward Roman’s house, when the bond yanked me in the opposite direction. I almost crashed into a tree when I tried to swerve the car, but I couldn’t bring myself to care for the scratches on my hood. I kept driving through the narrow dirt road it led me to, torn between speeding like a madman and being careful in case she was somewhere out here and jumped in front of the vehicle faster than I could stop it.

When the path finally ended, I found myself parked next to an expensive, sleek car that had Roman written all over it. Stepping outside, I studied the strange building in the middle of nowhere. It was old but well-preserved, made of thick stone, and had no windows.

Celeste’s scent was everywhere, its vitality and freshness bringing me joy and peace…until I sensed the magic crackling in the air. My skin was prickling and heating uncomfortably by the time I reached the heavy double doors, looking them over for any weaknesses.

‘Isaac.’Celeste whimpered and I snarledin frustration.

Putting my hands on one of the wings, I pushed. The damn thing was heavy, and I felt a ward pushing back as if to stop me, but there was nothing in this world that could keep me away from her when she needed me. Not even death.

The door budged an inch, and I rammed my entire body into it, opening it just enough to slide in. I staggered into a dark, spacious room, turning around in confusion. It looked like a tomb, but…there was life to it, and not just because there was actual furniture around.

My eyes locked on the man’s suit jacket draped on the sofa, then on the ripped dress lying in a pile on the floor. Then the heat and the magic hit me, stealing the air from my lungs and making my head light.

Where exactly was she? I could feel her near, but…

A scream echoed through the building and my head snapped to the small door on the opposite side of the room that I hadn’t noticed before. I was by it in the blink of an eye, yanking it open and preparing to charge.

That scream…that scream was permanently engraved in my memory after the night we spent together at the Coven of Eternal Light. But hearing it now made a cold chill run down my spine. Yet that felt like a pleasant sensation in comparison to the sight that met me as I took a step into the room and froze.

My eyes immediately found her, naked and glistening with sweat, while her body shook against the chains that kept her upright. Her hair was falling wildly about her face, wet and tangled, like someone had been running their fingers through it. The way she panted, the way she trembled and whimpered made me see red.

---