Page 66 of The Soulless Witch

I was just about to suggest he should stop egging his potential allies when Allison nudged me again, nodding at another street. I gave it a brief glance but saw nothing there. I couldn’t allow myself not to pay attention to Roman, even if he appeared perfectly friendly, so I had to trust her to warn me if another danger neared.

“How about you? Do you plan to storm their headquarters with just the two of you?” My eyes switched to the vampire behind Roman and this time, he sneered, showing a set of long, sharp fangs.

“Oh, there are more around.” Roman shrugged, pulling a pocket watch out. “And there are others coming, but he is late as usual. I hope he isn’t drunk this time, at least.”

I frowned, wondering what he was talking about when a soft humming came from the street where Allison had pointed, then the sound of feet stepping in unison. The wind changed direction, bringing toward us the smell of blood, vampires, and…trees. There was no greenery in this part of town, just solid concrete and metal constructions, but the scent was strong, mixed with the aroma of flowers, water, and sun.

The Fa? prince stepped into the moonlit section of the alley, walking as if he were out on a stroll, not venturing into vampire territory. He wore light leather armor instead of the usual flowing robes, his blonde hair tied back, and a long, curved dagger hanging from his belt. There were a dozen hard-faced Fae behind him, all armed and ready for battle.

“Malakai?” I said before I could stop myself. The Fae prince smiled, his eyes almost closing, like the idea of a sneak attack didn’t even cross his mind. I could never tell if he was a complete idiot who didn’t understand the concept of danger, or if maybe he had something up his sleeve that made him so lax with his own safety.

“Well met, Isaac,” he greeted with a slight bow of his head, his eyes sliding curiously over the others before locking on Roman. “I was surprised to receive your message, Roman. Even more surprised it was addressed to me, not my mother.”

Roman eyed the Fae standing behind their prince, his gaze turning calculating.

“We both know what her answer would be. It seems I judged you right, princeling.” Malakai winced at the title, but he said nothing. “Is that all you brought?” Nodding toward the Fae warriors dressed in the same leather armor that looked like leaves sewn together, Roman didn’t bother hiding his disappointment.

“They are all…gifted,” Malakai replied with a hint of offense. “That should be enough. And I will be with them, so you needn’t worry about our part.”

An actual smile crept onto Roman’s lips, and he inclined his head. Both he and Malakai looked in our direction, noting every member that had gathered around me.

“We have more that will join us later.” I felt the need to say, even though neither of them had asked. Waiting impatiently, I glanced toward Daniel and he nodded. “What is the plan exactly?”

Roman took a step back, standing beside the other vampire. Then, contrary to my expectation of‘Just do this and that’,he went into a lengthy report about the hunters’ three headquarters and how they were connected, about their movements and current forces. I had my people keeping an eye on the bastards and I knew Daniel had some too, but the details Roman listed so casually were baffling. I wondered how much information he had on my pack, and what he could do if he one day decided we were a bother. Sure, he couldn’t take us all by himself, but he could cause a lot of damage. And with a whole nest of vampires behind his back…

I shuddered and I could swear he noticed, making a short pause at the end of his speech.

“Three buildings, three entrances,” he said, looking at me, then at Malakai. “Three teams.”

It made sense, in a way, to separate us like that. Nobody trusted the others and if we had mixed our teams, we’d be more worried about an attack from the back than the front. And whatever anyone said, hunters could be dangerous even if they were just humans.

“What’s in it for you?” Daniel asked, narrowing his eyes at Roman and Malakai. “Why are you helping us?”

Roman didn’t reply right away, looking like he couldn’t be bothered to explain. It was Malakai who spoke, shrugging his slender shoulders.

“We have people missing too and every life is precious.” I blinked in surprise, trying to catch his gaze. He hadn’t mentioned any of that to me the last time we spoke. The apologetic look he gave me told me it was on purpose. “Moreover, this is our land. We have been here long before any of you. We will not allow these humans to take it from us and do what they like. We may not care for the mortal world, but we will not be threatened in our own home.”

Daniel nodded, satisfied with the answer, before his eyes narrowed on Roman.

“Our reasons are nowhere near as noble, I’m afraid. We have offsprings to feed and train. And it is hard to find so much blood to keep them all satiated. So this is a good opportunity for both. Also, hunters are fair game and whatever happens on their turf will never see the light of day, so we don’t have to worry about exposure.” His dark eyes bore into Daniel, flashing in bright red as if his bloodlust was about to take over. “Happy, Harding?”

Daniel pursed his lips, a wave of unease passing through him as he nodded.

I couldn’t help but notice that Roman had conveniently failed to mention Celeste. Was she sitting this one out? She couldn’t be dead—if she was, he wouldn’t be this calm, not after the way he acted when she just fainted. Or maybe she was going to join his vampires? But if he trusted his kind that much, he wouldn’t have called all of us. Maybe…

“There are five hours until sunrise.” Roman’s voice interrupted my spiraling thoughts. “You have an hour to get into position. Once I give the signal, we attack simultaneously. They are probably expecting us, but I doubt they would foresee us working together. The place they hold your people is deep underground while the building on the top is a front. They will have traps waiting and they will definitely show no mercy, so don’t give them yours.”

“And what if you find our people first?” Daniel frowned. “How can we be sure you won’t feed on them too?”

“For the duration of this collaboration, we are allies. We will not touch your people except to release them from wherever they are being kept. Come tomorrow morning, things go back to the way they were. For tonight, we have a common enemy. Like it or not, you will have to trust us.”

Heavy silence spread between us, with Roman staring unwaveringly at the Alpha. Several people shifted awkwardly, the scent of uneasiness growing, so I thought it best to cut this exchange short before any more hesitation slipped in.

“If that is all, we should all get going,” I said, glancing at Allison and the others. They all nodded, moving to leave. Malakai gave me a parting smile as he turned to face his people, giving them a strange sign with his hand before they all melted into the shadows. Roman’s companion was already retreating, but Roman himself hadn’t moved. “What abouther?”

Roman’s jaw clenched and unclenched, the movement fueling the tension in my body as I waited for his reply.

“She will…be coming with you.” I blinked in shock, turning the words in my mind, since I was absolutely sure I heard him wrong. He let out a loud sigh, giving the building behind him a sidelong glance before lowering his voice. “My kind gets hard to control when they enter a blood frenzy, and I will not have her walking among them in her current state. The Fae kind…” He looked at the place where Malakai and the others had disappeared, “...cannot be trusted at best.”

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