Page 15 of The Soulless Witch

Slipping on the coat I had picked up, I headed toward the door when she sprung from the bed, blocking my way. She gave me a sign to wait, then rushed to her bag. Watching her curiously, I waited until she came back and handed me two fifty-dollar banknotes.

“Do you think I dressed like this to pay for my own drinks?” I laughed. She rolled her eyes.

“I doubt the taxi driver will be satisfied with just watching you for payment, and unless you want to offer more, take it. I know you didn’t pay for all those other things. I don’t know how you did it, but stealing is not right, Celeste. These people work hard for their money and what you are doing is hurting them. That’s not cool.” I blinked, feeling the urge to laugh and snap at her at the same time. Once, I might have thought like her. Once, before I had died over a hundred times because I was betrayed or hunted by everyone, including her precious race, I would have taken the money. Once, I would have cared. Not anymore.

“Maybe I will give the driver a ride in return,” I smirked, pushing my hair back and buttoning the jacket. “I haven’t been touched in ages and you know, my kind have insatiable appetites.”

“Your kind?” Lily echoed, but I was already walking out the door. She caught up at the top of the stairs, but when she noticed her mother walking from the living room to the kitchen, Lily closed her mouth. Julia gave me a long look, her eyes lingering on my high heels, before she finally met my gaze.

“Going on a date?” she asked with her usual smile. I was glad she couldn’t see the outfit beneath the knee-long coat—I had a feeling she’d usher me back to the room and make me change into something more…warm.

“Something like that.” I smiled. “I’ll be late, so don’t wait up.” I let some of my magic slip into those words, and the lack of an answer was enough to tell me they would listen. It had only been a few days, but it felt like I had been living with them for years. Most humans I knew were cold, guarded, and self-centered, even when I charmed them to serve and obey me, but this family…I could barely feel my spell at work. It was like they cared for me even without my magic telling them to. That wasn’t possible, of course, but that feeling of warmth and acceptance was unnerving me. If I wasn’t careful, I could start enjoying it and, before I knew it, I was going to be dead again.

I looked at my new phone—I had gotten one, even though I still had no clue how to navigate it, apart from accepting calls and calling the four numbers on my list—the Martens. Lily had told me she’d teach me how to use the Internet thing, but I had no time for that right now.

As I slipped inside the taxi, the driver turned with drooping eyes, looking half-asleep. He was just in the middle of asking where we were going when he finally noticed me. I had used a spell to make myself more alluring to the human eye. Supernatural creatures could see through it, but it was plenty useful still.

“Take me to the Black Cat club, please,” I said with the most charming smile I could muster, and the human blinked, still staring with his mouth open. “Now.”

“Y-Y-Yes, Miss!” Throwing lustful glances in the rearview mirror, he drove off, moving at a speed that made me want to tell him to hurry up. I allowed him to stare as much as he liked, sending him several smiles full of promise, and by the time we parked in front of the club, a trickle of sweat was running down his neck.

The car had barely stopped before he jumped out, opening my door. I took his outstretched hand and gave him another smile. He was tall and slender, hair curling over his ears. The rest of him was unremarkable and judging by his nervousness, I doubted he had much experience dealing with the fairer sex.

I rose to my toes and kissed him on the cheek.

“Thank you for the ride, handsome.” I winked at him and walked away before he remembered I hadn’t paid. I could feel his eyes following me, but he didn’t shout for me to stop. I smirked when I thought about rubbing that in Lily’s face—I hadn’t even used magic on him. Well, nothing apart from the spell, and I still didn’t need the money.

There was a line in front of the club, at least fifty people, looking over the shoulders of the ones in front of them as they waited their turn. I let my magic pass through them, tasting their essence, their feelings.

Frustration. Impatience. Excitement. Lust.

They were all humans, and all too focused on their own pleasure.

I strode past them with a confident gait, heading toward the burly man at the front of the line. He was wearing a black leather jacket and dark jeans, face schooled in a frown that was likely to stop most people from pushing past. I could see something attached to his ear, a small cable running under his jacket.

His eyes switched to me as I neared and he opened his mouth—likely to tell me off—when I smiled, pushing a strand of hair behind my ear. I poured a little more magic into the spell, making myself more irresistible. He just stared and stared, as if he couldn’t remember how to speak.

Too bad those tricks didn’t work on the hunters and the other supernatural species, or I might have been able to live a full, normal life without being executed for this or that.

“May I come in?” I asked sweetly, glancing toward the door he was guarding. He followed my gaze, staring at the massive metal thing as if seeing it for the first time. “I’m really cold and I can use something to warm my insides.”

His eyes returned to me, hungry and intense. He cleared his throat and finally stepped out of my way. I gave him another smile, and I was almost at the door when he yelled, “Stop!” I looked over my shoulder, wondering if I should try another spell when he opened the door for me. Dimmed lights spilled onto the street, accompanied by the sound of music and voices. “Enjoy yourself,” he said with a smile, his stern face softening. Tapping his cheek gently, I slipped inside the narrow corridor, where a woman in a tight red dress was standing behind a counter. Rows and rows of jackets hung behind her, the sign‘Coat Check’taped to the front of her station.

I left my jacket with the gawking brunette, slipping the tiny metal plate she gave me inside my bra. I headed toward the heavy black curtains where the music was coming from, bracing myself for what was on the other end.

I had been to countless balls, formal celebrations, village fairs, and all kinds of gatherings with music, dancing, and fornicating, but this…this was new and loud and thrilling.

Pushing the curtains apart, I stepped into the club. Flickering lights assaulted me from all sides, the sounds so fast and so loud that it took me a moment to steady myself. There were people everywhere—around the bar, on the dance floor, even on the second level, where open balconies loomed over the entire place, allowing the people above to watch without being seen.

Or shoot without being caught.

Wrapping myself in my magic, I sauntered forward, meandering through the people. I had guessed the dress code right. The women were all wearing dresses with various levels of decency, most as revealing as mine, and the men seemed to favor dark jeans or pants, and button-up shirts or T-shirts. Way more informal than the ladies, but that didn’t stop them from getting plenty of attention.

My eyes moved to the flickering lights on the ceiling, then to the balconies. Nobody was wearing the typical leather clothes that the hunters favored. Not that I had hoped it would be that easy—they had been trying to keep information about the supernatural world a secret for centuries. I doubted it would be them who outed us.

Someone bumped into my shoulder, and I almost fell down. Only a pair of arms saved me from a sprained ankle. I looked at the man as he steadied me on my feet, his hands lingering on my waist.

“Thank you.” I smiled, and even though the music swallowed the words, he nodded. A lick of my magic told me he was human, and a longer look down his body told me he was definitely not a hunter. Hunters went through gruesome training, and all of them ended up with fit, muscular builds that were strong enough to fight even a werewolf. This guy was all soft skin and bones, so he was of no interest to me.

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