Page 40 of The Soulless Witch

“We arecloseto Fae territory, but we are outside of their borders,” he replied, his eyes locked on Lily, who had stopped next to a man dressed in black pants and a button-up shirt. “Just so we are clear, I’m not happy that you revealed my identity to those humans. I thought you were going to wipe their memories and leave?”

“Well, things have changed,” I murmured, avoiding his insistent gaze, but when his hold on my waist tightened, I was forced to look at him. “It doesn’t matter if I wipe their memories or not. The witches already know about them, and if I abandon them, they will be in even bigger danger. Like it or not, I’m not letting that happen.”

Roman gave me a long, thoughtful look before turning to Lily, who was striding back to us.

“The host said they can’t give us a table without prior reservation,” she said disappointedly. “That’s too bad! This place is awesome!”

“Give me a moment.” Roman moved past her, stopping next to the host. The two men exchanged a couple of words, then the human was nodding eagerly, waving us in. Lily raised an eyebrow, but she said nothing as we followed Roman between the tables. We were settled on one of the platforms where we could not only see the square where the other patrons were sitting, but also the outline of the trees, the lights, and even the clear sky and moon above.

A waiter appeared soon after, bringing us the menus.

“How did you do that? Did you hypnotize him with your eyes?” Lily whispered, leaning closer to Roman. He adjusted the napkin in his lap and moved the menu aside without even looking at it.

“If you want to study mythology seriously, Lily, the first thing you need to learn is the difference between reality and fiction. Vampires can’t hypnotize you with their eyes,” he said, his smile widening until his fangs flashed under the light. “We can only influence another if the person has consumed our blood. Our blood works as a conduit and they feel compelled to follow our suggestions, but they are not complete puppets. The more of us there is in them, the easier they are to influence. And of course, the stronger the will, the weaker the compulsion.”

Lily stared with her mouth open. The waiter returned to take our orders, and he was barely out of earshot when the girl turned to me.

“Is it true?”

“Yes.” I sighed, turning to Roman. “I thought you didn’t appreciate me telling her your secret. Now you are volunteering information?”

“I trust you know what you’re doing,” he replied, holding my gaze. “Besides, if anything happens to you, at least she will know who to go to, and we can forgo the tedious explanation of the supernatural world.” I narrowed my eyes, trying to discern what his play was to suddenly act so amiable and open, but by then, he was facing Lily again. “Have you met Nym?”

Her face lit up. “Yes! He can talk!”

“Yes, he can,” Roman chuckled, the sound sending pleasant shivers down my spine. “He can also eat you alive, so don’t anger him.” Lily’s face paled, and I kicked him under the table.

“He won’t hurt you, don’t worry,” I assured her and she nodded, picking up her lemonade with shaky hands and taking a big gulp. “He actually likes you. The only other person he hasn’t hated until now is Roman.”

“That wasn’t always the case, but I am glad he warmed up to me. I really do not wish to find out who would win in a fight between him and me,” Roman muttered, raising his wineglass. I watched him drink, wondering why he bothered when Lily already knew what he was. Then I remembered we weren’t alone, so I let my magic slither around our table, wrapping us in a bubble of privacy. Roman shot me an approving glance, but then turned back to Lily as she spoke.

“What exactly is he? I assume he is not just a talking cat? Some kind of shapeshifting being?” she asked, looking at Roman, then at me. “Shifters exist, right?”

“Shifters do exist, but they are rare. Except for wolf shifters, they seem to be multiplying by the day,” Roman replied with a note of disgust. “As for Nym, I’m not sure myself. Definitely something infernal, if his true form is to be any indication. I’ve never really figured out what he was, and he gets touchy when I ask.” Both of them turned toward me, so I took my time drinking from my wine.

“If he doesn’t want you to know, then I’m not telling you.” I shrugged. Lily groaned in disappointment, but Roman just nodded. The truth was, I didn’t know either. After he became my familiar, the only time he had bared his teeth at me was when I asked him what he was and where he came from.

Shaking off the memory, I focused on my two companions just as the waiter set our orders down and excused himself.

“So there are werewolves and other shifters, there are vampires and witches and Fae,” Lily mused, poking her fork into her pasta. “But what exactly does Fae mean? What do they look like?”

Roman glanced at me, but I was too busy stuffing my mouth with the most delicious lasagna I had tasted in my life, so he sighed dramatically and turned to the girl.

“The Fae, similar to what we studied about European cultures, are not just one race like the vampires. They include various creatures like elves, nymphs, dryads, giants, selkies, and so on.” Roman paused, turning toward me. “You haven’t given her the sight?”

“It’s too early.” I shook my head, ignoring Lily’s impatient look. “I don’t want to scare her.”

“Lily knows more about the supernatural world than you think,” Roman said with a smile. “She is one of my top students, and we have gone over most myths and legends in different cultures. Besides, there aren’t any scary creatures around us right now.” He raised an eyebrow, and I looked around. Vampires had better hearing and sense of smell than any other supernatural beings, so if there was anything dangerous around us, he would know.

“What isthe sight?” Lily whispered, glancing between the two of us.

Roman opened his mouth to reply, but I was faster.

“It’s the ability to see through some spells and Fae glamor,” I explained. “For example, if an elf or a dryad decides to venture into the human world, they will need to mask their true appearance, or part of it, to blend in with the humans.The sightwill allow a human to see past their glamor. Similarly, a witch might spell a house to be hidden from prying eyes. With the sight, you will be able to see it. The sight can’t let you see past all magic, but the most basic one will—”

“Show me!” Lily exclaimed, her hands clasped in front of her as if she was about to pray. “Please! Please! Just for a little bit!”

I glared at Roman, and he gave me an innocent look. Sighing in defeat, I circled the table, catching Lily’s face between my palms. “Five minutes,” I told her, and she nodded. Fear swam in her gaze, but the excitement drowned it as I let my power slide from my fingers and cover her eyes. It wasn’t exactly a spell, more like covering her eyes with pure magic that allowed her to see the world as it was, but she didn’t need to know all the details yet. I was just teaching her about the dangers out there, so she could be careful and aware. I hoped she wouldn’t have to face any of those threats.

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