Page 74 of The Soulless Witch

She couldn’t die. I wouldn’t let her. I needed her alive. I needed answers, and I needed to figure out what…

“My sister…” The words slipped through my lips and I instantly regretted them. Roman’s face twisted in a grimace so terrifying, that even the humans recoiled in surprise.

“Your sister can rot wherever she is because if Celeste dies, it will be a cold day in hell before I tell you a single thing!” he snapped. He looked like he was about to say something else when Celeste groaned. We looked down, waiting for her to open her eyes and speak, but she went limp again. Roman snarled, adjusting her in his arms and getting to his feet. “I’m getting her out of here. The least I can do is make sure when she next awakes, none of you is anywhere near her.”

He moved toward the door when Allison blocked his path. He snarled, cradling Celeste closer to him. I was just about to tell my Beta to stand down when she looked at me.

“There is a way to save her,” she said. Roman sucked in a surprised breath, looking at me as well, but I had no idea what she was talking about. Licking her lips, Allison continued. “Bond with her. If you claim her as your mate, the bond will allow her to channel your healing abilities and heal herself.”

“What?” I gasped at the same time Roman snarled the word. Allison ignored the seething vampire, taking a step toward me.

“If she dies, you’ll never find the truth about your past or your sister. I know how much this means to you. This…is your choice, Isaac, because you know that if you bond with her, things between you two will forever change.”

I couldn’t breathe. It was like my lungs were full of wolfsbane again and my body was shutting down little by little.

Claim her as my mate. My biggest enemy and the person I hated the most in this world, bonded with me for the rest of our lives. Could I do it? Should I do it? My stupid body was ready to jump right into it, teeth protruding from my lips as if they couldn’t wait to sink into her neck. But that meant…that meant I could no longer hate her, not like before, not even if I wanted to.

“Do it,” Roman said unexpectedly, stepping toward me so Celeste’s hand brushed against my chest. “If that will save her, do it. I’d rather have her tied to you than dead again.”

I hesitated, looking down at the woman. Her chest was rising so softly that it was barely noticeable. It was now or never.

“I…” I looked around, catching sight of Daniel’s hard face and the humans’ hopeful expressions. Even the children,ourchildren, nodded in encouragement. I let out a long sigh, letting my shoulders slack. “Put her down.”

For the first time since I’d known him, Roman listened to me. He set her gently on the floor while I took a seat behind her. Bringing her back to rest against my chest, I pushed her hair out of the way, suddenly feeling conscious about all the eyes staring at us. Her heart had slowed so much, I could barely hear it even with her body pressed to mine. Raising a hand to her face, I patted her cheek lightly, then harder.

“Celeste, wake up,” I whispered, wrapping my other arm around her middle to keep her steady. “Wake up! I can’t do this without your consent, damn it!” I patted her cheek harder, wincing as the skin turned pink from the force, but she still didn’t move.

“Do it. She will get over it,” Roman snarled, standing so close that it almost felt like he was planning to participate in the claiming. I glared at him, but he didn’t move an inch.

“This will affect her! She needs to agree. She might be a monster, but I’m not!” I spat.

“Her permission won’t matter if she is dead!” Holding my gaze as he said that, he lowered his gaze to her exposed neck. “Do it. You don’t have much time.”

Gritting my teeth in frustration, I gave her another desperate slap, but there was no reaction. Praying to the Goddess I wouldn’t burn in hell for this, I pushed Celeste’s hair out of the way.

“Do not separate us after I’m done,” I said to Roman. “And treat my body for the wolfsbane poisoning. I’m weakened, so we’ll both need time to heal.”

Taking another deep breath, I locked my eyes on her long, pale neck.

Claiming a mate. I didn’t think I’d do that until I met my fated one, but now, I never would. Instead, I’d be tied to the woman who destroyed my entire world.

Pushing the thought away, I sank my teeth into her. Her body jerked in my arms, but I held her firmly, feeling her warm blood spill inside my mouth. Her heart raced as a bond, invisible yet stronger than the hardest metal, formed between us, wrapping tightly around our hearts until I could feel hers beating in the same rhythm as mine.

I pulled my teeth out of her flesh, my arms locking around her so there was nothing, no one, who could separate us. The need to be near, to share and take everything, to die for her, strengthened that thin link that now tied us together.

I slumped to the ground, dragging her with me. Hands pulled on my arms, but I refused to let go, even when it became too hard to keep my eyes open. Still, I could feel it—I could feel her siphoning my waning power to heal herself. I could feel the wound on her stomach slowly repairing, her blood replenishing.

‘Take what you need,’I whispered to her mind and I could swear she whispered something back, but it was too quiet to hear. I cracked an eye open, only to realize we were lying side by side, so close, her hair was tickling my face. Then she was yanked away, and before I could go after her, darkness swooped in and devoured the world.

Chapter 39

Roman

Thiswasanightmare.A complete nightmare.

Rubbing my temples as I strode toward the room where I had put Celeste and the wolf, I had to remind myself that things could be worse. She could be dead and rotting in the ground.

I turned the corner, and the pungent scent of myguestsmade me grimace. The two werewolves that insisted on staying to watch over their Alpha—his Beta, who introduced herself as Allison, and another wolf named Peter—bristled at my approach. There was a subtle shift in their postures, both leaning toward the door as if they were planning to block my path, so I stopped before they did something that would annoy me even more. I was too tired and frustrated to deal with them, and cleaning their blood off the walls would be inconvenient.

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