Page 50 of The Soulless Witch

Roman sighed, taking his phone out. His fingers moved so fast over the keyboard that all I saw was a blur.

“We’d need more information about them working together. And proof. Isaac won’t believe anything that comes from us. We’ll also need to figure out if Regina knows what is going on, or if it’s someone else grasping for power.”

His words grew progressively quiet, as if he was talking to himself rather than me, his attention taken entirely by the phone screen. That’s why he almost dropped his phone when I spoke.

“Good thing I have an invitation to their Samhain gathering.” I smiled, and he finally looked up. “And hopefully, I can find out more about their plans then.”

“There is no chance in hell you’re going there alone.” Roman shook his head, grabbing my shoulders. My smile grew, and he narrowed his eyes suspiciously. “Why are you smiling?”

“Because you’ll be coming with me,” I smirked, grabbing his tie and pulling him closer. He moved willingly, leaning down even without the urge of my fingers.

“Only witches are allowed at those celebrations,” he whispered against my lips. “That’s the rule.”

“Good thing I’m the exception to every rule,” I chuckled, opening my mouth invitingly. “So what do you say, Roman? Will you accompany me into the vipers’ den?”

“Always.” Roman claimed my lips, kissing me like we only had seconds left to live. Someone cleared their throat from the door and we broke apart, looking at Lily standing there awkwardly.

“Can you not, please?” She groaned, opening the door wider. “Keep it in your pants for later and come eat.” She glanced at Roman and shrugged. “Or not.”

I stepped away from Roman while he straightened his jacket.

“I’ll need somewhere to go into a deep sleep and restore as much power for Samhain as possible,” I said, and he gave me a knowing smirk, catching my hand and bringing it to his lips.

“Don’t worry, I had no intention of leaving without you tonight. Now let’s get you some dinner.”

Chapter 27

Roman

“Isn’tthisdangerous?”Iasked after fighting the question for the last hour.

Celeste glanced over her shoulder to where I sat on one of the sofas, flashing me an amused smile. After dinner and some small talk with the Martens, we came back home. Then, all of a sudden, she announced she was going to brew a potion.

Ordering Chester to bring her her cauldron, which I had carefully preserved along with her other belongings, she spent the next forty minutes preparing the ingredients she brought in her suspiciously large bag. We hadn’t talked—I knew how focused she got when she was working on a potion or a spell, and I didn’t want to distract her. So I just watched her.

Her movements were as sharp as I remembered, and she still clicked her tongue when the quality of her herbs wasn’t what she expected. At some point, she even started humming, looking so happy and relaxed that I found myself smiling.

“Well, it’s not without a risk.” She shrugged, returning to her cauldron. “But the gain overshadows the risk. Besides, it’s only dangerous if overdone, and I haven’t used this potion in…too long to remember. The worst it can do is give me a splitting headache and drain me completely of my power, which… is not very far from where I am now.”

She rubbed her temple, and I stared at her long, pale neck and clammy face. She did look exhausted, especially after putting those protective wards on each of the Martens. If she had just wiped their memories and left, she would have had all that magic to use and she wouldn’t have to make this potion. But that’s just who Celeste was, even if the world didn’t believe it.

“We can find that information after Samhain. We don’t need to rush.” I pushed myself from my seat and drew closer to her. The smell of herbs filled my nostrils, and I frowned at the dark blue liquid bubbling quietly in the cauldron.

“I have a feeling something will happen on Samhain, so we should be ready,” she said distractedly, stifling the fire with a wave of her hand, while watching the fluid inside settle. I embraced her from behind and she relaxed against my chest. Leaning her head back so it was lying on my shoulder, she smiled. “I’ll be fine, Roman. Besides, you’ll tear everybody’s heads off if they try something, right? You know, I’m not sure your Elders will be very happy about that. Is there still a reward for my capture?”

“Let me worry about the Elders,” I murmured, kissing her neck where I had fed from just days ago. Usually, I didn’t need to feed much, but tasting her blood had woken up a forgotten hunger that knew no bounds. Everything else tasted like ash on my tongue. “Is it ready?”

“Yes.” She pulled away, picking up the mug Chester had prepared and filling it with the thick, murky liquid. “You need to wake me up in four days’ time so we can prepare for the celebration. I gather it will be quiet enough here?”

“It will be just me and Chester. I gave the rest of the staff a vacation.” I pulled her closer, kissing the top of her head. “You needn’t worry. Let’s get you to your room.”

She nodded, reaching for the mug, but I had already picked it up. Catching her hand in mine, I led her toward the stairs in a comfortable silence, her warm fingers wrapping around mine in a way that I had missed dearly.

I wanted to spend more time with her and enjoy her warmth, her scent, her body, before we were thrown into another hurdle. I wanted to make her need me as much as I needed her, so even if she tried to run, she’d end up running right back to me. Then, and only then, I’d be able to let her out of my sight without worrying about not seeing her ever again.

I considered taking her to my room and letting her sleep there, where I could watch over her for those four days, but I figured she’d want her space. So I took her to the one I gave her before, just a short distance from mine, so I could at least listen to her heart as she slept and make sure nothing went wrong.

I turned the light on and put the mug on her nightstand, listening in for any noises. Apart from a lonely bird cry and the whistling of the shutters, there wasn’t that much to be heard in this place. When I turned to face her, she was gulping down the liquid with her eyes closed. She shuddered as she put the cup down.

---