Page 39 of The Soulless Witch

“Lily,” I said as she lifted the device to her ear. “I forgot my briefcase in the auditorium. Would you mind grabbing it for me while you are out talking?”

“No problem!” She nodded, exiting the room. Her voice filled the corridor, growing fainter and fainter along with her receding steps. Celeste turned back to me, the smirk returning to her lips.

“You still get distracted during lectures,” she chuckled, biting on her lower lip. “And you didn’t even have someone under the desk sucking your—”

Before she could finish, I pinned her against the wall, swallowing the words that brought more images of our bodies joined together in moments of perfect bliss. She met my tongue eagerly as she wrapped her arms around my neck. Her soft moan almost had me tearing her clothes off, but I forced myself to remember that this wasn’t how I wanted to take her. I had already lost control in the woods; I wasn’t going to do that again.

She was weak and desperate, and judging by how she smiled against my lips, she thought she had me right where she wanted me. That’s not how things between us worked.

Breaking the kiss, I pulled back to look at her. Her eyes fluttered open, moving down to my lips as if she considered kissing me again. I leaned closer, and she eagerly opened her mouth, but just before our lips touched, I stopped.

“When I tell you to call me,” I said, waiting for her to lift her eyes to mine. “I expect you to do it, Celeste. If you want your space, you have to let me know you are safe, or next time, I will come into those humans’ home.” The hungry spark in her eyes died to dull embers. “Do you understand, darling?” I asked, rubbing my erection harder against her. A soft gasp escaped her lips, and she swallowed hard, holding my gaze. “Yes?” I whispered, brushing my lips against hers.

“Yes,” she whispered.

“Good.” I kissed the edge of her mouth before slowly making my way down to her neck. Witches were insatiable creatures, and their carnal desires often affected them so strongly that they disrupted the proper flow of magic in their bodies. And in order to keep the balance and prevent their spells from miscasting, they needed a release. Often. Giving her what she needed made for a great incentive to compel her to listen when she was being stubborn. “Next time you show up in my class and look at me with that smirk, I’ll be forced to give you another lesson. I have grown much better at teaching, you see, and I can last longer. So behave yourself, or I’ll have to show those children a thing or two about witches that aren’t in any of their books.”

“Yes.” She breathed out, but it sounded more like a plea than an agreement. Her heart raced as I dragged my teeth over the sensitive skin, being extra careful not to break it while she leaned her head back in complete trust. She was probably one of the very few people who would expose their neck to a vampire, willingly at that. “I’m sorry,” she said, and I pulled back, surprised by the apology. Her eyes were dripping with lust, but something else as well.

Was she actually sorry she didn’t call?

A sharp intake of breath had me turning toward the door, only to realize it was still slightly open and Lily was staring at us from the other side, her eyes so wide, they looked like they were about to pop.

“I, uh, um…” she started, looking around as if she wanted the earth to open and swallow her.

I lowered Celeste to her feet, letting her lean against the wall to steady herself while I opened the door and smiled at the human girl.

“I apologize for that, Lily,” I said, reaching to take the briefcase from her. Embarrassment reeked off of her until her shocked expression turned into a thoughtful one. Her eyes widened again, and she pointed her finger at me.

“No way!” she gasped, looking from me to Celeste just as the witch slipped into the corridor. “Is this him? The description matches, but…My professor is your vampire?”

If my heart was still beating, this might have been the moment it stopped. I stared at the human with shock, her pale face and the sweat running down her temple telling me she wasn’t as confident as she tried to appear. How could she tell I was a vampire? And did she sayyour vampire?

“Sorry, I didn’t know until we entered the auditorium.” Celeste shrugged.

“You told her?” I glared, but she met my gaze with cool calm. “What if the witches found out? What if the Council found out? Revealing our nature to the humans is dangerous, Celeste!”

“Well, then they could go after Regina.” She sneered before adding, “When I went back, she was in their home, and she had already told them that both she and I were witches. So the cat was out of the bag. And since I will be staying with them, I’m teaching Lily a few things. I was going to tell you.”

“Oh, really? When? Before or after they got killed?” I snarled, regretting my words the moment I saw her flinch.

“Please don’t argue!” Lily laughed awkwardly, and as we turned toward her, she had her hands raised in surrender. “The fact is, I now know what both of you are and I’m okay with it. I won’t tell anyone, I swear! I just want to learn more about the supernatural world! So please, don’t fight!” She gave us a pleading smile, and I noticed Celeste’s shoulders relax. “There you go. How about that dinner now? I already told Mom we’ll be late.”

Celeste gave me a sidelong glance, and I held back a sigh, forcing a smile to my face.

“You’re right, Lily. Let’s go, I know the perfect place. We can talk more there.”

Chapter 21

Celeste

Closingthecardoor,I narrowed my eyes at the park entrance, where lights hang from the trees and poles. The sound of gentle music and muffled conversations filled the air, and I could sense magic pulsing nearby, dim and distant, definitely Fae.

“This way, ladies,” Roman said with a reserved smile, extending a hand for us to go first. Lily took the lead, taking in the place with an awed expression. With the hedges trimmed like an arching corridor and the dim lights set in the trees, the place looked like it had jumped out of a fairytale.

Roman’s hand slid to the small of my back and he nudged me forward.

“This is Fae territory. What were you thinking?” I hissed, glaring at him.

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