Page 47 of The Soulless Witch

“I didn’t know, alright?” Lily laughed, catching his hand as he tried to poke her again. They continued to bicker while I watched them with a smile, enjoying the normalcy I felt in their presence. Even though they knew I was a witch, they treated me like I was just another human to them. It was refreshing.

We were just stepping away from the shop, with Jake demanding ice cream, when my senses prickled with alarm. I grabbed Jake’s shoulder before he could run off and Lily stopped, giving me a questioning look. Sending a pulse of magic around us, I waited for the ripples to carry back the answer.

As if realizing that my spell revealed his location, the werewolf stepped from behind one of the trucks parked on the street. He was wearing a pair of jeans and just a T-shirt, despite the cool weather, the muscles on his chest and arms bulging in a way that looked like he was fighting to stay still. His dark eyes burned with the same hatred as before, but there was something new in them now, something akin to hesitation. My magic was already familiar with his energy, so even before I recognized his handsome face, I knew who he was.

“Hi, puppy,” I said, and my smile widened when he snarled in annoyance. “Are you here to kill me again? Or are you seeking another type of pleasure, wolf?”

Lily mouthed the wordwolf,and her eyes widened as she looked back at Isaac. He took a step in our direction and Lily had the good sense to move closer to me, while her brother pressed his back against my stomach. I couldn’t blame them. Isaac’s tall, broad-shouldered figure, in combination with his rippling muscles and the bloodthirsty look in his eyes, was frightening, even if they didn’t know what he was.

“You’re using children as shields now?” Isaac spat. “And here I thought you couldn’t fall any lower. Did you charm them, or threaten them? Do they even know what you are?”

“Why would I use humans for shields? They are so fragile.” I sighed, caressing Jake’s head. “Besides, that will only work against someone who doesn’t like hurting the innocent, and we both know your kind has no problem with that.” Another vicious snarl rippled from Isaac’s lips and I smiled when he balled his hands into fists. “That’s enough with the growling. You’re scaring them. I’ve warned you already. Stay away from me and I will stay away from you. And if you try to get closer tothem, I will make sure what happened the last time feels like gentle foreplay. And believe me, you won’t like it if I have to touch you again.”

Isaac took another step closer, ignoring how Jake hid his face against my stomach. I wrapped my arm around the boy, keeping my eyes on the werewolf.

“I have questions for you. If you come quietly and answer them, I might even let you live,” he said in a painfully controlled voice. He was so focused on me that he didn’t even notice Lily move until she was standing between us.

“Hey, asshole! I don’t know what your problem is, but leave her alone or I’m calling the police!” she snapped, her voice trembling with more anger than fear. “You can’t just go around threatening people with kidnapping and murder, you psycho! I don’t care if you are a werewolf, a witch, or a vampire! I won’t let you treat her that way!”

Isaac finally tore his eyes away from me, looking Lily over as if noticing her for the first time. I couldn’t see her face, but knowing how hard it was for her to control her expressions, she was probably showing all that fear and uneasiness that even I could feel oozing from her.

“You don’t get it, little girl. That woman might look innocent, but she is a monster.” Isaac’s eye twitched with annoyance. Lily stood her ground, and I had to admit, it was a bit satisfying to see Isaac’s stunned look.

“Yet it’s not her who is scaring my little brother, is it? The only monster I see right now isyou.” Her voice came out quieter by the end, but it packed such a punch that Isaac took a surprised step back. The hatred and anger in his eyes vanished, and he stared with a haunted look on his face, as if those words had struck a chord. Before any of us could say more, another man stepped onto the street, glancing warily at Isaac and then turning toward us.

“Is everything alright here?” he asked, looking at Lily, then at me. “Is this person bothering you?” And before either of us could reply, he turned to face Isaac, raising his phone. “I don’t know what your problem is, buddy, but get out of here before I call my brother. He’s a cop, and he lives just over there. I’m not going to say it twice!”

A muscle twitched in Isaac’s face and he looked at me one final time—a look that, surprisingly, wasn’t full of hatred this time—before walking away. We watched him disappear in one of the sidestreets, and everyone let out a sigh of relief. Jake released me, but he slid his fingers into mine.

“Are you alright?” the stranger asked. “Let me walk you to the main street in case this creep returns. The world is going to shit these days.” He glanced down at the boy and winced. “Sorry, pal. You heard nothing.”

“We’ll be fine,” I assured him and his eyes lingered on my face, his cheeks flushing as he hesitated. “Thank you for your help.” I grabbed Lily’s arm and pulled her to the alley that would take us to the main square, keeping my mouth shut until we stepped onto the lively central street. “Come on, let’s get some ice cream.” I smiled, nudging each of the siblings playfully. At the mention of ice cream, Jake perked up, but Lily kept glancing behind us, as if expecting Isaac to reappear.

“Who was that?” she asked when we finally stepped in line for the ice cream.

“He is a werewolf, and he hates me for some reason. He insists I killed his family, but the problem is, I can’t remember if I did or not.” I glanced at her, expecting to see a horrified look on her face, but she was just staring at her hands. “I’ve been dead for almost eighty years, so it had to have happened before that. But the only werewolves I killed before were…oh.” The realization hit me like a brick, and I turned back to the street, scanning the surroundings in search of Isaac. “I thought everyone died. I thought I’d failed.”

“Who died?” Lily asked, pulling me forward as the line moved.

“Eighty years ago, I made a promise to punish a werewolf pack that lived around these parts. I went there to confront their leaders, but they attacked me, so I protected myself. Then, just when they surrendered and were ready to talk, the hunters showed up and murdered everyone, even those who couldn’t fight.”

With every next word, Lily’s eyes grew larger until she was staring with horror, her hand covering her mouth. “He is from that pack? But how did he survive? And why does he think you killed everyone?”

“I don’t know.” I frowned. Well, that was one less mystery to solve. No wonder he hated my guts. He thought I’d destroyed his world. And while I did play a part in that, he likely didn’t know his world was crumbling even before I came.

“Wait, you said you went to punish those responsible,” Lily said, glancing at her brother, who was now standing in front of the counter, trying to pick which flavor to order. “What did you mean by that?”

A shiver ran down my spine, and it had nothing to do with the eyes that had been watching us all afternoon.

“His pack leaders…they were selling their offspring in return for being left alone. I saved one of those children by chance, and she told me about the details she overheard. Then she begged me to save her brother because it was his turn next. And her brother…” I sucked in a sharp breath, looking back at the street as the memories finally resurfaced. “...her brother’s name was Isaac.”

Lily followed my gaze to the busy street. We stared in search of the angry man who was nowhere to be seen until someone cleared his throat behind us.

“Hey, ladies! Do you want ice cream or not?”

Chapter 26

Celeste

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