Page 45 of The Soulless Witch

Isaac

“Itmightbethewitches.”

My breath caught in my throat as the Beta of the Shadowcrest Pack stirred his tea with a calmness that didn’t match what he was saying. I looked at Allison sitting beside me, then around the fancy cafe where James had arranged the meeting to be held. The weather was pleasant—warm and sunny, despite it being October—so the central street was busy with people out for a stroll or some shopping. Several of our men were keeping watch, even though being among the humans in the middle of the day was as safe as we could get.

“You’re sure?” I asked as James finally looked up from his cup.

“After your conversation with my father, we did some digging. Until last night, we couldn’t find anything. Like you said, there were absolutely no traces in the places where the people had been taken.” I gave him a sign to get to the point, and he sighed, leaning back in his chair. “We have people watching all the Order’s headquarters, as well as any known witch sanctuaries or gathering places. They are instructed to follow anyone suspicious. And last night, one of our men followed a witch to her meeting with…a hunter.”

Allison cursed. I opened my mouth to ask her if any of our people had reported anything when James held up a hand.

“We don’t know who the witch was, but she must be important because she traveled with a heavy escort. It might be because she was meeting a hunter, but I don’t think the Order will meet with anyone of her kind without substantial power.” He licked his lips, glancing around. “The hunter isn’t one of the locals. I had never seen him before in these parts. He is huge, with long hair and a lot of protective tattoos, so he is most likely a witch hunter.”

I scoffed, shaking my head.

“Your spy must have seen wrong. There is no way a witch hunter would ever work with a witch. No way!” I shook my head. James gave me a grave look.

“Not under any normal circumstances,” he whispered, picking up his teacup again. “But if, let’s say, there is a bigger magical threat that becomes a problem, not only for the hunters but the witches too…” He cocked his head, giving us a meaningful look. “The enemy of my enemy is my friend. That sort of circumstances.”

I ran my hand through my hair, trying to keep my brain from reeling in panic. Witches were trouble, and so were hunters, but together, they could wreak havoc on any race. And the only thing that could unite them was something magical, something neither side could control.

“Celeste,” I said without thinking, and James gave me a curious look over his drink. I could feel Allison’s eyes, too, but kept mine on the Beta of the Shadowcrest Pack. “You think they made a deal to take her down? But she is a witch! Wouldn’t the witches want to protect one of their own? And what does that have to do with the disappearances?”

James cleared his throat, looking even more uncomfortable than before. Leaning forward in my chair, I held my breath, waiting for him to answer.

“We are not entirely certain why the witches would want one of their own taken down, but my father suspects it’s all because of Celeste’s power. With her being alive and growing stronger, the other witches would soon find that their only options are to bow to her or stay out of her way. And we know what those prideful bitches are like…” He grimaced as if he smelled something unpleasant. “Also, because of the disappearances. Eighty years ago, the same thing happened. My father told me that young shifters started vanishing with no bodies to be found. Children like your sister.” A cold shiver passed through my body as the memory of last night’s dream invaded my mind again. “It all stopped when Celeste destroyed your pack. Now werewolves are disappearing again and lo-and-behold, she is here again. We don’t think it’s a coincidence.”

“You think she is taking them?” I frowned, looking at Allison, who seemed just as stunned. “If she was, why would she kill my pack? Why would—”

“No.” James shook his head. “Back then, the disappearances stopped after your pack was obliterated. Now they’ve started before she woke up. What I’m saying is…” He licked his lips, looking away again. His eyes widened as he muttered, almost absent-mindedly, “...that she probably knows who is taking them.”

I waited for him to continue, but he just stared behind me, so I followed his gaze to see what got him so distracted. I caught sight of coppery hair before a sweet smell tickled my nose. She was walking beside a young girl who was talking excitedly about something, and a little boy who held both their hands.

Of all the times she could appear, in the middle of the day, on the busiest street in the city, was by far the worst. I couldn’t fight here; I couldn’t drag her away or kill her. But I could follow her and save those humans, then take her away. I…

James grabbed my elbow, pulling me down in my seat as if reading my thoughts.

“You want to leave those poor humans with her? We can take her if we combine our forces, we can lure her and…” Even before I finished, James was shaking his head.

“Look.” He nodded after them. “Look at the boy.” Narrowing my eyes, I gasped in surprise. A rune in pale green was pulsating on the side of the boy’s neck, the glow barely noticeable over his pale skin.

“She claimed them?” Allison snarled. “What does she need them for? Can we still take them away from her?”

“I wouldn’t go near them in that state of mind if I were you.” James finally let go of my arm. “Anyone who gets close to those two with the intention of causing them harm would feel the brunt of her power. And if she is as powerful as they say…” He didn’t need to finish that.

“Look,” Allison muttered, and I followed her finger as she pointed at something across the street. A pair of young women rose from the cafe across from us, looking deep in conversation while they picked up their shopping bags and started down the street. I wouldn’t have paid them any mind if it wasn’t for the bright aura surrounding them, and the sweet scents they gave as they headed in the same direction Celeste and her humans did. Another woman exited one of the shops further down the street, casually making her way after the two. “Are they watching her, or preparing for an ambush?”

There were too many questions, too many secrets, too many missing pieces.

Were the disappearances back then and now really connected? Did Celeste know something about both, something that had made her come to our pack and destroy everyone? What if she planned to do the same now? I couldn’t let the past repeat itself.

‘Maybe she didn’t come to kill, but to stop them,’a voice in my head whispered.‘That night, she asked why they fought her instead of fighting for the children that were taken.’

‘If that was true, stop them from what?’I thought to myself, watching as that coppery hair disappeared in the sea of people, her magic pulsing around her like a living thing. The voice in my head was quiet for a while, but when it spoke again, it filled me with the same dread that I hadn’t felt in almost eighty years.

‘From doing the same thing that made Alice so afraid.’

Chapter 25

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