Page 34 of Bleeding Love

“Because I am begging you. If you ever cared for me, Maria, don’t go after her.”

A muscle feathered in her face—anger maybe, or disappointment, it was hard to tell.

“Hmmm…maybe I’ll just wait until she breaks your heart. Then we can hunt her together.” Her expression turned feral, but her eyes were empty. When I didn’t react, she sighed dramatically. “Or wait for her to be killed again. She has a lot of enemies, no? Either way, it doesn’t matter to me if it is this life or the next. I can wait, the Elders can wait. But one day, she will be inmyhands, amor, and then no amount of begging will save her. Or you, for that matter, should you choose to stand in my way.”

She was almost out of the alley when she stopped again.

“What was it? What did she do to change you so suddenly?”

I considered not answering, but the words were already on the tip of my tongue.

“She gave me hope,” I said, watching her back stiffen. “She made me want to live.”

Maria nodded, then melted into the night. I stared after her for a long minute when I realized the voices on the streets had turned into shouting. It felt like a spell broke when she left and now that I was alone in the dark, shame dawned on me.

Pushing the thoughts of Maria away, I reached for the small charm Celeste had given me—made of twigs, leaves, and an orange flower with no smell—as a way to signal me when she was ready. Just when my fingers brushed against the fabric of the pocket where I kept it, the charm started to burn. Slipping it out, I stared at it as it began to smolder. I let it drop to the ground just before it burst into flames, then rushed in the direction of the beckon, toward my witch.

Chapter 16

Celeste

Ipulledtheedgeof my cloak lower, making sure my face was in shadow as I continued down the dark street. Only a few lamps were lit up at this time of night, but the fog I had conjured was getting thicker and it was hard to see past my nose.

It had worked. Showing up in a few public places had done the trick splendidly. Word got out in minutes and I had killed my first hunter soon after. I had watched them find his body and call for reinforcements before I disappeared.

By tomorrow, every single hunter in the area would be in this town. Witches too, if they dared to come after me. Now I just needed to find Roman and hide until sundown.

A hand wrapped around my waist while another one covered my mouth, pulling me into the shadows between two buildings. Grabbing a hold of my magic, I was preparing to slice my attacker into ribbons when a familiar voice whispered in my ear.

“It’s me.”

My body instantly relaxed against his hold, but even when I stopped struggling, his hands lingered. Without warning, he picked me up in his arms, jumping on the closest roof. I stifled my scream as my stomach lurched. The speed with which he moved had my head spinning, so I hugged his neck tighter and kept my eyes shut until he stopped again. When his stride turned into a slow, steady walk, I peeled one eye open, only to be met with complete darkness.

“This isn’t the cottage,” I pointed out, whipping my head around in an attempt to figure out where he had taken me. We were supposed to go back, stay in during the day, then return to the town to face our enemies. “Where are we?”

“The cottage was compromised,” he replied without looking at me. A door creaked, and he stopped, setting me down on my feet. “We’ll be fine here for today. It’s not as comfortable, but it will do.”

His hand lingered on my waist as if to make sure I wouldn’t fall, then he was gone. I squinted against the darkness, but it was like I was back in his dungeon. The only difference was that the air was heavy with dust and something distinctively metallic.

I was just about to ask where we were again when a light flickered from behind me and I turned. The candle flame grew larger, throwing dancing shapes over the naked walls. I raised my hand to summon a bigger flame, but Roman closed his fingers around mine.

“Don’t,” he warned and I let my hand drop even before asking why. He continued, “This is an old, abandoned mine. The place is unstable, so I don’t want to risk it.”

I nodded, looking around. There was no furniture, just piles of rocks, and the uneven ground smoothened by thousands of feet stomping over it for prolonged periods of time. I was too tired to care about the dust or the grime, so I strode to the wall and just sat down. Roman fussed around the opposite wall where he secured the candle high enough to illuminate the corridor in both directions. It wasn’t much, but at least it allowed me to see him move, instead of wondering where he was or what he was doing.

“How was the cottage compromised?” I asked. “Hunters?”

“A vampire,” he said as he strode to my side. He seemed reluctant to sit—he probably didn’t need to, considering he wouldn’t tire even if he stood up for a week—but eventually, he lowered himself beside me, close enough for our shoulders to touch. He didn’t say more, so I stared intently until he finally met my gaze. “I took care of it. They won’t be a problem for the foreseeable future.”

I gave him a mistrustful look. “Are you sure?”

“I am,” he replied without hesitation this time. A smirk quirked on his lips and he snaked a hand around my waist, pulling me into his lap. “I went to the house today,” he said as he pushed my hair aside to expose my neck to him. He trailed his lips along the bristling skin, his teeth teasing it lightly but without using his fangs. He had said he would warn me before he bit me, so I relaxed, allowing him to change the subject even though I wanted to prod more.

“And?”

“And I have a question,” he continued, his hands wrapping tighter around my waist while he just leaned his chin on my shoulder. “Did you find a way out? Through the ward.” I tensed in surprise and he chuckled. “You found the tether?”

I let out a frustrated breath. His eyes were dark, curious, and strangely content. I could hardly believe that not long ago I wanted to gouge them out, along with his heart, and use them as decoration. And now he was cradling me in his lap like he was holding something fragile and precious. It was a strange feeling—strange enough for me to try to get off him.

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