Page 64 of The Soulless Witch

“Don’t make me break my promise. Get out of my way.” Roman’s face was all sharp, unforgiving lines as he tightened his fingers on the steering wheel. Before I knew it, I was stepping back.

The car roared to life, then sped down the street, sending people running and screaming. I stared after it, barely noticing the terrified faces, until something tugged on my arm.

I blinked at the sight of Peter’s face and he took advantage of my stupor, hauling me after him. “We need to go!” he shouted, urging me to walk faster. “The police are almost here! We can’t be caught up in this! There are enough witnesses and some of them could have seen our faces! Alpha, we need to go!”

The title cleared the haze in my mind and I straightened my shoulders, looking at Peter’s tense expression. Nodding once, I patted his back, then ran off with him on my heels until we reached the others.

Chapter 33

Roman

‘I’mgoingtokillthem all.’

That was all I could think about as I sat at the edge of the bed and ran my fingers over Celeste’s hair. Her chest was rising and falling evenly, her breathing no longer labored. The doctor had assured me she was just severely fatigued, but I couldn’t bring myself to leave her side, even though there was so much to do.

My eyes slid down to where Nym was sleeping, curled into a ball by her stomach. He had threatened to fight me if I so much as suggested that he left the room. Surprisingly, he had allowed Chester to clean him up and bandage him—not quite out of concern for his own wellbeing, but rather, in consideration of Celeste’s comfort. It wasn’t until Chester pointed out that the smell of blood would likely wake Celeste and make her worry that Nym agreed to his care.

There was a soft knock on the door before Chester stepped in, carrying a tablet. Only a few candles were lit up around the darkened chamber—the curtains were drawn since the sun was still up—but he moved with ease as he strode to the bed. I took the device, looking down at the folder with the latest pictures.

“They are with the hunters,” he said in the softest of whispers, while his eyes darted to Celeste’s resting figure. I gritted my teeth as I swiped over the screen, checking picture after picture where the Martens—bound and blindfolded, but unhurt—were held between heavily armed figures dressed in black. All of them were males, though, so where was the witch who abducted the family? Did she hand them over to the Order? But why? “Those are from three hours ago. There was no witch with them, just hunters. They are handling them with care, likely afraid of the protection Madame Celeste put on them.”

I nodded. “Where were they taken?”

“One of their headquarters.” Chester swiped the screen, pausing on a photo of an old industrial building that gave the feel of abandonment, but the reinforced windows and the tall, inaccessible roof suggested otherwise. “We suspect that they have been moved. Our theory that there are underground tunnels connecting the three headquarters has been confirmed. After some digging, we found multiple properties that were purchased under the names of members of the Order we had already identified, all of which align with those tunnels, providing a direct connection between the headquarters. One of our team entered said tunnels, transmitting a live feed. He was attacked, and the camera went dark, but not before he captured this.” He swiped again, showing a blurry picture. I frowned as I tried to make sense of it when Chester zoomed in on it. My eyebrows rose when I recognized it—a rune for protection, like the ones the witch hunters used. “We think a hunter got to him. We haven’t found his body yet.”

“So they could have taken the humans anywhere.” I tried to swipe again, but that was the last of the pictures. I handed the tablet back to Chester.

The butler licked his lips. “Are they being used as bait? Hunters are not interested in humans.”

“That’s true,” I murmured, glancing at Celeste when she shifted under the covers. “They are most certainly using them to flush her out, which means they want us to go to them. And since we don’t know which one of the three headquarters they might be keeping them in, they will have the advantage. And knowing the hunters, they will have all kinds of traps set for us.”

“Would you like me to have a team prepared?” Chester asked. “They can infiltrate and at least find out where they keep the Martens. Then we can make a plan, and…”

“No human can infiltrate their headquarters and live to tell about it. You’ll be sending them to die.” Celeste spoke in a low, hoarse voice and I looked down in surprise. She was still lying on the pillow, but her eyes were wide open. There were no traces of sleep in them as she pushed herself into a sitting position, making me wonder how long she had been awake. “We’ll have only one chance to do this right. They might make the Martens disappear if we don’t get to them the first time.”

Her eyes moved to the nightstand on my side, eyeing the decanter of water there, and both Chester and I reached for it. I was faster, pouring her a cup and handing it to her.

“Prepare a team for ground support,” I ordered and Chester nodded, then left. Celeste said nothing until the door clicked close. “I’ll get them back. There is a nest of vampires in town. I can use them. Their leader has been itching for the chance to prove himself, so he will not turn down a request from me. The Order might be expecting one vampire, but I doubt they will be prepared for a whole nest.”

“You can’t.” She sighed, pushing the covers aside. “You need the approval of the Elder Council, do you not? If you do it without their permission—and that permission might take weeks, even months—they could punish you or even sentence you to death. They have been trying to find evidence to paint you a race traitor for so long, and this might be just enough. Because some of those vampireswilldie.” Despite the sickly look on her face, her eyes were fire. She was right, but I couldn’t see any other way, and those humans were important to her. I was high enough in the hierarchy to avoid execution, and whatever else they came up with, I could take it.

I ran my knuckles across her clammy cheek. There were deep shadows under her eyes, but worst of all, she felt…weak. The power that initially drew me to her, the strength that had burned within her like a wildfire, was now mere embers. And that made me angry enough to drown this entire goddamn town in blood.

“You need rest,” I said as she leaned her cheek against my hand. I hoped it was in search of more of my touch and not because she was too tired to stand on her own, but her eyes told me it was both. “Chester preserved the remainder of your potion and will bring you a cup shortly. Drink it and sleep. I will take care of everything.”

“He did?” She raised her eyebrow in surprise and what I thought was approval, eyes darting to the door where the butler had disappeared. Then she looked back at me and her expression hardened. “If you go through it without me, I will never forgive you.” Her words slapped me with more force than her hands could ever muster, and it was an effort not to flinch. She would do it, I knew it, and all for those humans.

I smiled through the bitterness, turning around so she wouldn’t see my expression.

“I wouldn’t dream of it,” I said as I headed toward the door. “But you’ll be of no use to anyone like that. We might not have days to spare, but you should at least be able to walk by yourself. So rest and regain your strength, Celeste. That is the only way you can help them right now.”

She said nothing, so I turned to leave, but before my fingers touched the handle, somebody pushed it open. If it wasn’t for my inhuman reflexes, there was a good chance I’d be sporting a broken nose for my distraction.

I expected to see Chester, but instead, something big and furry dashed toward the bed. I reacted on instinct, lunging after the creature and grabbing it by the back of the neck, only to realize I was holding a…dog. A freshly bathed dog.

“Roman, don’t kill it!” Celeste shouted, and I let the creature drop as it whimpered in fear. Before I knew it, it had jumped on the bed and was licking Celeste’s face.

“What is this?” I asked with disgust, torn between pulling it off her and standing far away from it. I had never been a pet person. Their beating hearts and pumping blood were too distracting, but I had grown accustomed to cats with Nym around. Dogs, however…

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