Page 35 of The Soulless Witch

Malakai met my gaze without hesitation, and my senses prickled with danger.

“That does not sound like the witch I met,” he said, waving around us. “Eighty years ago, she came here. She trespassed into our territory to bring back a Fae child who was badly hurt after a group of hunters had run horrible experiments on it. They had cut her wings and opened her up, even extracted her blood and magic for their tests.” He paused, looking down at the dead werewolf as if he was seeing that same child. “Celeste had healed her the best she could, but the wounds were too severe and only the magic of this place could save her. The child is a healthy young Fae female now, although we couldn’t save her wings. I heard Celeste died shortly after that. Is she still as beautiful?”

I fought the urge to tell him she was by focusing on the corpse instead. I had hoped that the effects of her spell would disappear by now, but whatever she did to me still affected my thoughts sometimes. Just one more reason to end her miserable existence and be rid of this madness.

“Can I take him back? I’d like to examine him more carefully and see what else I could find,” I said, moving to pick up the body. Before I could even touch it, a pair of vines slid from the grass and wrapped around his torso. I looked up at the Fae prince.

“I’m afraid I cannot allow that,” Malakai said with an apologetic smile.

“He is from my pack!” I snarled, stepping around the body to face the Fae. “If anyone has the right to his remains, it’s me! It can help me figure out what happened to him, and maybe what is happening to my people now! Children are disappearing again!”

Malakai took a cautious step back, but there was no fear in his eyes. I noticed him raising his hand as if giving a signal, so I looked around. The forest was completely silent now, even the stream seemed to have quieted. There had to be sentries around us, which meant I couldn’t take the body by force. Shaking, I tried to rein in my anger.

“I really wish I could, Isaac,” he said softly, “but this man entered our territory and attacked us. Even if he was alive, his life—and death—belong to us. And if I relinquish him to you, my sister will march into your land, cause unnecessary trouble, and reclaim the body. If you are lucky. She is feeling quite bloodthirsty these days with her wedding approaching.” I looked back at the werewolf, trying one last time to remember his face. “If you like, once she is done with her examination of the remains, I’ll share what she has found. As a gesture between friends.”

I opened my mouth to tell him we weren’t friends, but then promptly closed it. If pretending to be friends with a Fae prince was what got me that information, I’d be the best friend he had.

One thing still bothered me, though.

“Why? Why are you helping me? You didn’t need to tell me about this, and you didn’t need to bring me here,” I said, searching his face. Despite his easy smile and relaxed posture, his whole presence betrayed nothing. Even his scent didn’t change to indicate a shift in his mood. “No doubt word will get to your sister or mother. You might even get in trouble for this.”

Malakai shrugged as if he didn’t care, but I had the nagging feeling there was more to it than the whim of a prince, who, for once, didn’t look inebriated at all.

“Change is in the wind, Isaac. Powerful magic whispering of trouble. This is not the time to be fighting with each other. We need to put aside our differences or we might all share your pack’s fate.”

I opened my mouth to ask if he was talking about my old pack or what was happening to the new one when the clattering of hooves made us both turn. The riders were still far away judging by the sounds, but they were coming straight for us.

“She sure knows how to pick her moments,” Malakai murmured, chuckling to himself. “Let me walk you back. I think my sister would take the news of your visit better if you were no longer in our territory.”

He waved for me to follow, and we started back, picking up a different path this time. I glanced at the body one last time before the thick foliage hid him from view. Before long, we were back at the barrier and he was turning to face me.

“It was nice seeing you outside of those dreadful meetings, Isaac,” he said with his usual joviality, as if he hadn’t dragged me here to see a dead body. “Good luck with your investigation. You should go now. Your Beta has been eyeing the barrier like she plans to storm in.”

“Thank you,” I said, the words coming with difficulty. Malakai’s smile widened, his eyes flickering with amusement. I stepped through the glamor, shuddering at the strange sensation, only to find Allison pacing nearby. When she spotted me, she ran to my side.

“Not here,” I said before she could speak, glancing back at the barrier. I saw only the old, dead tree and the pesky-looking park, but I had the feeling the Fae prince was still there, watching us. And not only him. “Let’s go home.”

Pursing her lips, she followed my gaze but didn’t protest when I ushered her away from the Fae realm and their own problems and secrets.

Chapter 19

Celeste

“Doyoueversleep?”

The back door of the house creaked as someone stepped onto the veranda, so I turned to meet Lily’s sleepy eyes. She wrapped her cardigan tighter around her and sat beside me. Comfortably huddled in my lap, Nym opened one eye to look at her before closing it again.

“Morning, Nym,” Lily said awkwardly, staring at the cat that blatantly ignored her. I poked him at the side and he hissed, digging his nails into my legs.

“Morning,” he muttered before going back to sleep. I shook my head, returning to petting him while Lily switched her attention to me.

“So?”

“I sleep like any other human,” I replied, watching the sky switch from black to indigo to pale purple. It was going to be a nice, warm day, but for some reason, I felt uneasiness stir in my stomach. I couldn’t get rid of that feeling ever since Regina’s visit four days ago, and even though I was happy to stay, I was starting to regret it. Every time Kevin went out to work or Julia left to run an errand, I’d start imagining witches attacking them. The dread grew even more when Jake went to school or Lily headed to class. Protecting them when they were at home together was one thing, but what about out there? I couldn’t be everywhere at once. Maybe I should claim them. But then again, marking them as mine could make them an even bigger target than they were now.

Lily cleared her throat, and I chased those thoughts away, giving her an apologetic smile.

“I’m not used to sleeping for long periods of time.” I shrugged. “It’s dangerous, since there is often someone after me. So I prefer to go into a deep sleep for several hours—it recharges my magic faster and my body rests better that way. Anything else would be just an indulgence.”

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