Page 27 of The Soulless Witch

Chapter 15

Celeste

“Thisisunacceptable.”

I looked over my steaming cup of coffee to where Roman stood by the bed, arms crossed in front of his chest and face shifting between anger and guilt. Dressed in black slacks, with the top few buttons of his shirt undone and the sleeves rolled to his elbows, he looked like one of those sexy, dangerous characters from Julia’s TV shows.

“What is?” I asked, taking another sip before putting the cup on the nightstand where a breakfast, big enough for two people, waited for me. My eyes lingered on the bandages wrapped around my arms and I winced, already knowing what his answer would be.

“How weak you are!” Roman spat, the anger growing more prominent in his voice. “I’ve barely touched you and you are bruised all over, not to mention your body hasn’t even healed itself yet! I know that when you awaken, you’re drained, but I thought you figured out how to fix that! Celeste, why are you this weak? Is something wrong with you?”

I stared back into his eyes, doing my very best not to show any of my thoughts.

I didn’t tell him I had no idea why my body was taking so long to heal itself, or why my magic took longer to gather. I didn’t tell him that I thought…I thought I might finally be reaching the end of my rebirth cycle. Instead, I sighed, slipping off the bed. Pain shot through my feet and I looked down, only to realize they were bandaged, too. I hadn’t thought about it much, but running through the forest might have done more damage to my body than the concerned vampire in front of me.

“Nothing is wrong with me.” I went with the only safe answer. “I just don’t haveit.”

I didn’t hear him move, but by the time I reached the door, he was opening it for me.

“It?”

I strode through the spacious bathroom, suddenly realizing I was back in the room I slept in the previous night, not Roman’s room. Giving him a curious look, I wondered if this was his way of giving me space, even if I found him sitting on the edge of my bed when I woke up.

“Shortly after I left you,” I said, trying to sound casual, “I went to the Coven of the Silver Flame. They weren’t exactly friendly.” I winced, remembering how I almost got locked into a metal coffin and buried underground to rot for as many lifetimes as I wanted. “But I made a deal with one of the witches, and she created an object for me.”

“What did you promise her?” Roman asked as I stopped in front of the mirror, grimacing at my haggard reflection. I didn’t have any scratches or bruises on my face, thankfully, but the deep circles under my eyes and the greenish tint of my skin were definitely not my best look. Stripping off the thin nightgown, I started untangling the bandages and dropping them on the floor. “They might be the most adept people on the planet at creating magical objects, but their prices are steep.”

“Oh, well, I vowed that I would never raise a hand against her bloodline. And…. I might have also agreed to give her half of my power. They need to keep feeding the Flame if they want to make their objects, and they can’t keep throwing their own witches into it or risk running out of people. I’m pretty sure my power kept that damn fire burning for at least a hundred years.” I shrugged, reaching for the bandage on my neck, but Roman’s hands were already there, gently untangling the cloth. “That’s how the hunters got me the first time. I poured most of my remaining strength inside the object she made for me, to test it, when they attacked.”

Roman removed the last of the bandage, running a long finger over the bruise that had formed around his bite. For a moment, he looked like he was in more pain than I was, but then he caught me staring at him through the mirror and his expression relaxed. Trapping me between the sink and his arms, he leaned closer, kissing the bruise.

“And it worked?” he asked quietly, leaning his chin on my shoulder. His skin was cold, as always, and standing naked in the bathroom, I shivered.

“Like a charm.” I turned around, so I was facing him. His eyes flickered to my lips, but then he pulled back, allowing me to slip past him. Turning on the water, I continued. “Once I awoke again, even though everything else I had on me had been destroyed, the medallion remained. It was bound to me, so should I die, it would return to me. After I crawled out of the earth, the first thing I did was devour the power I had stored in it. So when the hunters showed up later, I wasn’t… this.” I raised my arms to look at the shallow cuts and scratches that would have healed in an instant if I had more magic to spare. “Then I kept refilling it every day, amassing enough power to keep me safe without waiting years for it.”

I stepped under the water and closed my eyes, hissing as it made my wounds sting. I could tell Roman was still watching me, but for some reason, he said nothing. When I was soaked, I angled my face out of the spray and looked at where he was standing with his arms crossed.

“How did you die the second time?”

“I…used too much energy fighting a werewolf pack. I thought they’d be weak, considering they sold their own children for protection, but they were not. And then the hunters showed up, so I had to choose—use the power stored in the medallion, but risk leaving it empty for my next life if they somehow got the better of me. Or dying, then coming back with that object full enough to give me safety. It wasn’t a hard choice since I…” Closing my eyes, I tried to steady my voice, but I was pretty sure my racing heart betrayed me. “I didn’t have much going on for me then, so I thought a fresh start might be what I needed.” I forced a smile to my face, opening one eye to check on him. His expression softened, and contrary to my expectations, he said nothing about how that wouldn’t have happened had I stayed with him.

“Where is that medallion now?” He stepped toward the rack by the shower, plucking a pristinely white towel just as I was turning the water off.

“I must have lost it when I crawled out of the ground.” He opened the towel for me and I stepped into his arms, allowing him to wrap it around my body. “I was waiting for more of my power to accumulate before I went back. I figured the hunters might set up a trap.”

“They did.” Roman nodded, leading me back into the room. “I went to your gravesite the night you came back, but you were already gone. I killed the ones that were there, but from what I saw, they had been digging. And I didn’t feel any powerful object left there.”

“You wouldn’t feel it.” I shook my head. “It responds only to me. To anyone else, it would just look like a pretty trinket.”

“A pretty trinket that belonged toyou would be like a gold mine to them even if they can’t use it,” Roman pointed out while I strode to the armoire that took up one of the walls. I wasn’t even surprised when I found some of my old clothes hanging in there, but I opted for the shelves with the modern garments Roman had the good sense to prepare. “I doubt we’ll find it, but I’ll go check later. We need to get that medallion back or you’ll be stuck in this house for the next twenty years.”

“Like hell I am!” I scoffed, giving an incredulous look over my shoulder. I put on a pair of black pants and a soft brown blouse that felt like it was made of clouds, before turning to face a very unamused vampire. “You’re driving me back home.”

“Home?” he repeated, and I didn’t miss the sharpness that slid into his tone. “As in those humans’ house?”

“Yes.” I cleared my throat, moving closer to the bed. “I can’t just leave them unprotected after dragging them into my mess. Nym is watching over them for now, but I will have to figure out another solution.”

Roman pursed his lips. I headed toward the door, but before I could even cross the room, he blocked my way. Giving him an uneasy look, I took a step back.

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