“You have the face of a king and the mind of a pig, I think I’ll return the favor,” was her response and even Payne grinned.
“Touché.” August cocked a brow at her. “So, you two bumping uglies?” Her face turned scarlet. “That’d be a yes.”
Feeling the need to defend the flush over her skin, I said, “Leave her alone.”
“I will. You’re bothering her enough for the both of us,” he responded.
My scythe materialized in my hand just as Payne piped in. “Enough. Why the hell does this always happen when I’m with you siblings?” He rubbed his temples like we were a nuance or something.
“He can’t help sticking it to the witch,” August went on.
“Fuck yeah,” I blew an irritated sigh at him. “So, let’s take care of this so I can go back to poking my witch until she’s writhing in my arms.”
Isabella started chanting something under her breath with her eyes closed. My ass tightened because every time that happened, she was blasting me with her magic. Instead, she brought her hand up to her mouth and blew air toward August and then me. Afterward, she had the biggest smile on her face.
“What did you do?” August was smart to sound wary.
“Neither of you will feel any sense of pleasure for the next twenty-four hours.” August’s eyes widened like saucers as he digested her words. Her mouth curved sinfully as she looked me over. “So, if I am writhing in your arms later, you’ll get nothing out of it.” She rolled her shoulders while Payne laughed.
“You two deserved that,” he pointed out not even bothering to hide his amusement.
“Do you realize all the plans I had tonight?” August asked her.
“Not anymore,” she told him.
I walked up behind her and whispered. “Just twenty-four hours? Like you could stay away from me that long.” Before she opened her mouth, I added, “It’s okay though, I’m all yours, witch.”
“If you’ve come here for Delena, she’s not here,” the voice of a woman said as she opened the door to the mansion we were at.
Oh,rightttttt.We came here for a reason instead of goofing around.
“She hasn’t been with us for quite some time.” She crossed her arms and stood at the top of the worn down concrete steps leading to the front door.
“You mean to tell me she’s dead?” Payne asked in disbelief. He started up the steps.
Like the ass that he was, August faded so that he’d get to the top before Payne, and he took—I did a quick sweep over the witch to find out who she was—Melinda Thymes by the hand and kissed it before lifting back up. “Of course, she means she’s not at this place anymore.”
“The charm of a snake doesn’t fool me, bearer of the sin of greed,” Melinda said while looking straight into August’s eyes. His smile slipped, revealing the true wickedness that lay beneath. “Still, there’s hope for you yet.”
“Do you know where we can find the witch, Melinda?” I moved up the steps as I asked. I heard Isabella’s small footsteps behind me. “We know this is her coven.”
Melinda’s gaze snapped toward me. “Was,”she corrected me. “She has forsaken us for a darker path.”
“So, she is the one behind kidnapping the kids?” said Payne.
“A darkened heart with an even darker soul is capable of anything,” were Melinda’s words. I hated how cryptic witches could be.
“We can’t seem to find her no matter how hard we search and considering we’re Reapers, we can find anyone. Yet, we haven’t been able to locate her,” Payne waited a breath before he went on, “is there any way you can help us find her or perhaps you know where she is already…?”
“I do not know where she is,” she answered, dropping her arms to her sides. “But I can track her down with your friend’s help.”
Friend? We all looked at each other until we saw her eyes fall on Isabella hidden behind me almost like she feared being seen by this other witch. I turned around and saw the petrified look on her face. “Hey, you okay?”
“Sheknows,” she whispered, clutching my shirt in her tiny hands as if it were a lifeline. “She can sense my magic just as I can sense hers. She must feel how defiled I am.”
I didn’t know what it was. Maybe it was the quiver in her voice, the fear in her eyes, or the tremble in her hands, or the way she saiddefiledwhen talking about herself. Maybe it was all of it. In that moment, I discovered the true gravity of how Isabella saw life and herself and it affected me. I felt haunted by the guilt for not finding her sooner so that I could keep her from everything she went through before I found her. I hated the thought of a younger version of my witch at the mercy of an evil entity. I hated seeing her go back and forth between fierce and scared, and yet I still adored the moments she was strong, and I made a promise to myself right then and there that I’d protect her and hold her in my arms when fear got her down.
“Look at me, Isabella,” I told her plainly. “You’re not defiled. You’re not on the run. You have no reason to feel ashamed or afraid in the presence of another witch. Just step into my arms when the darkness comes, I promise I’ll keep it away.”
