Page 52 of The Soulless Witch

“You’ve lost practice. We need to correct that,” I purred, caressing her silky hair. “Relax your throat.” She took a deep breath through her nose and slowly released it. I felt her throat contract, so I pushed the back of her head, urging her to take me deeper. She did, her eyes closed in concentration as a tear slipped down her cheek. These tears I could take because I knew she shed them willingly and without regret. These tears meant she was mine.

A few more thrusts had her choking again, so I pulled out, smiling as she wiped her mouth.

“Well, excuse me if I’ve lost practice. I had nothing but dirt in my mouth for eighty years.”

I offered her my hand, and she allowed me to pull her to her shaky feet. I guided her to straddle me, and even before she settled, she was palming my cock and giving it a few impatient strokes.

“You were just like that when I first met you. You’ll learn again.” I cupped her behind, pulling her up so she could put me inside of her. She struggled for a moment and I realized her hand was shaking. When I finally slid inside, the world disappeared, leaving just me and her and this perfect bliss of having our bodies become one. Celeste moaned, her arms wrapping around my neck as she lowered herself to take me in.

“Maybe we should just cut half of your cock off and we wouldn’t have this issue,” she murmured in my ear, arching her back toward me. “Maybe it’s not me that’s the problem, but the size of that thing.”

“We both know that it will be your loss if I cut it off,” I smirked, pulling back so I could meet her gaze. Her eyelids fluttered as she raised an eyebrow. “I will take my time to reeducate you on all the things you’ve forgotten, but not tonight. The potion is starting to take effect.” She nodded, her fingers tightening on my neck while I set her down on the cool sheets. “You always did fall asleep best after coming undone.”

I unclasped her hands from my neck and pinned them above her head. She moaned again, her breath turning ragged as I thrust again and again, listening to her blood sing and her heart beat for both of us. Releasing her hands, I slid one under her waist, angling her torso so I could go even deeper.

“Yes, right there!” Celeste screamed, digging her fingers in the pillow. I continued with my relentless rhythm until I felt her insides tighten around me and she screamed even louder. The smell of her release filled my entire being as I watched her eyes roll back. Her body slacked in my arms, her breathing softening.

I lowered her into the bed, reluctantly slipping out of her before wrapping her in the covers I’d never really needed. The urge to hold her in my arms was almost too much to bear, but then she’d be cold, and that would make her uncomfortable. She needed a proper rest, and I’d be damned if I was the one to ruin that.

Lying on my side next to her, I pushed the hair out of her face. Her serene expression and the dark circles under her eyes helped me get a better grip on my urges.

“I love you,” I whispered, brushing a finger over her cheek. She gave no reaction apart from a quiet sigh. Leaning my forehead against hers, I inhaled her scent, contenting myself with it for the time being. “All in due time.” I sighed, pulling away from her and settling more comfortably in the bed. The sun was almost up, I could sense it, but I felt oddly rejuvenated, so much so that I could probably stay up all day and watch over her.

Turning my head to look at her again, I smiled.

Finally, she was alive, and she was with me. She had promised not to run.

I almost had everything I ever wanted in the palm of my hand.

“You don’t need a soul to feel love, Celeste. So I’ll wait as long as I have to for you to realize you love me too, my darling witch.”

Chapter 28

Isaac

‘Allclearheretoo,Alpha. That’s good, right?’

‘Right,’I said through the mindlink, trying to keep my other emotions to myself. There had been no attacks or kidnappings in the last few days, which should have been a good thing. Yet, I couldn’t get rid of this foreboding feeling that something even worse was about to happen.

After our run-in on the main street, the men I sent to follow Celeste had lost her trail, and we had no idea what she was up to. Nothing good, for sure, but not knowing where she was and what she was doing was making me nervous. I couldn’t afford to let my guard down just because she might have shown a shred of human decency once. Too many lives depended on me.

“The only monster I see right now is you,” that girl had said, looking at me with such anger, I had forgotten what I was saying. It wasn’t uncommon for humans to call us monsters when they saw our true nature, but to have her look at my human form and say something like that…had never happened before. And the way she defended Celeste, it was like she already knew what the witch was. And she still stood up for her.

‘Alpha? Are you alright?’the voices of the others spoke my mind again, reminding me I wasn’t alone in my head. Focusing on the present, I almost ran into a tree. Cursing, I avoided it with a jump to the side.

‘I’m fine,’I assured them.‘Let’s go back. We’ll do another round after dark. Keep your guard up.’

‘Yes, Alpha,’the others replied, and one by one, the connections cut off as they shifted.

Stopping amid the trees, a blanket of dry leaves beneath my paws, I looked up at the patch of clear blue sky. The day had been warm and sunny—one of the last for the fall, no doubt—but despite the pleasant respite from the rain and the cold, the air felt…charged.

The Order and their movements. The witches and their schemes. The Fae and their convoluted warnings. Only the vampires were quiet, but that wasn’t anything new. They didn’t care about anything unless it threatened them directly, or if somebody higher in their hierarchy commanded it.

Shifting into my human form, I shuddered as the cold air kissed my skin, causing goosebumps to spread all over it. Stopping by the branch where I left my clothes, I dressed and headed back. The section I had patrolled was closest to the pack land—I needed to be near so I could react quickly if anything happened—so in just a few minutes, I found myself walking past the first of the one-story houses where my people lived. Children ran about, enjoying the weather as men and women worked by their houses while keeping a close watch on them.

I had told them about the danger that was lurking out there, but I couldn’t bring myself to tell them about the body the Fae found or about my conversation with Malakai. Or about the fact that whatever was happening now had happened before, and the only link was…me. Me, and that damn witch.

“Good afternoon, Alpha! Hello, Alpha! Good day, Alpha!” Voices rose from all around, more and more people greeting me with smiles and bright expressions. I waved back, trying not to wonder who might disappear next.

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