Page 76 of The Soulless Witch

“Not in this goddamn city,” I replied, slipping my phone out and sending a quick message to Chester. “But I know a place.”

“What place?”

“The Coven of Eternal Light.”

Isaac grasped my arm just when I turned to leave the room. Preparations needed to be made for the trip and we had no time to waste. I didn’t know how long Celeste could safely stay in this state, but something was telling me that we should move as fast as we could.

“You want to take her to other witches? What if they try to kill her, too? In this state, she is even more defenseless than a human!”

I wrapped my fingers around his wrist, pulling his hand away from my sleeve. He tensed, then freed himself from my grip.

“The witches in that coven have a strict no-violence policy, and anyone who breaks it pays with their life. Even witches,” I explained. “They also owe Celeste a debt. As long as you get her there, they will not turn you away. Anyone can seek sanctuary with them, no matter their kind.”

Isaac relaxed, then suddenly jerked again.

“Wait, did you sayI’mgoing to take her? What about you?”

I turned my back on him, striding toward the door.

“Believe me, I’d rather step into the sun than leave Celeste in your care again, but unfortunately, that won’t help her.” I opened the door, eyeing the two werewolves, who immediately turned to look at us. “I can’t accompany you. The trip will take several days and I cannot travel while the sun is up, which would only slow you down. Moreover, to reach the coven, you must pass through werewolf territory. While the Blacktooth Pack has a good relationship with the witches there, they won’t allow my kind to venture into their lands. You stand a much better chance alone.”

Isaac pinched the bridge of his nose, exhaling loudly.

“It’s a foreign pack, which means if I take warriors with me, they might see it as an attack,” he muttered, as if to himself. “Fuck!” Looking up, he nodded at his Beta before locking his attention back to me. “Do you know how to contact them?”

I raised an eyebrow, and he rolled his eyes.

“Of course not,” he muttered, running a hand through his hair. “Then find me a fast car and provisions. I’ll get us there.”

“Already ahead of you,” I replied when my phone pinged with a message from Chester, confirming he was on his way to gather what I asked for. “Get your affairs in order. I’ll have Celeste ready to travel. You leave within the hour.”

“Don’t give me orders,” Isaac snapped, pushing past me. His two underlings followed. “I pray to the Goddess she has the answers I need,” Isaac said loud enough for me to hear even as he continued to walk away, “or I swear, I will kill her even if it kills me too.”

“You might get your wish sooner than you think,” I muttered, watching them disappear down the stairs. Stepping back into the room and closing the door, I settled on the edge of the bed next to Celeste. Her palm was warm when I wrapped it with my fingers, her heart beating in slow, even beats.

“Fight for your life, my darling witch,” I whispered as I squeezed her fingers gently. “You cannot die on me. You promised to stay.”

I waited for a reply, despite knowing one wouldn’t come when a knock came on the door. Chester’s head poked inside, stepping in when he noticed I was alone.

“Everything is ready, Master,” he announced, his concerned eyes lingering on Celeste’s sleeping form. “Mr. Isaac is ready too. He said he’ll wait in the car.”

“Good.” I nodded, getting to my feet. “Let’s hope the wolf does a better job this time because, if Celeste dies, I will murder everyone he ever cared about and make him watch all over again.”

Chapter 40

Samara

Warmcolors.Brightsunlight.A dog’s barking. Laughter. Loving smiles. Gentle words.

Images and sounds flashed in my head again, but they were all distorted as if I was looking at a scene through a thick, dirty glass. No amount of concentration or magic helped break that invisible wall that separated me from what felt like a happy memory. Or a dream, perhaps, but the longing I felt in my heart suggested that, whatever was locked behind that wall, was something real, something familiar, something lost.

“Samara?”

Flinching in panic, I focused my eyes on that cold, displeased voice. I found her instantly, sitting in a cushioned seat with a teacup in her lap, pretending to be a nice, benevolent person who cared about her people and the work she did. But she was none of that, at least not behind closed doors.

I cursed myself for getting distracted again. She hated it when I did that, especially with others there, but it was the only way I could cope some days. I’d surely get punished later, nonetheless. We all needed to suffer so we could appreciate what we had—that’s what she always said.

“Tea, please,” Regina said with a smile, but her eyes promised pain. “For our guest.”

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