Wide-eyed and beautiful, she looked at me with watery eyes.
“Bearer of the sin of sloth,” Melinda acknowledged me, but it was Isabella that held my attention. “She is tainted by the darkness.” I whipped my head around to glare up at her. “My mind is heavy with the burden both of you bear.”
“What are you talking about?” I hissed.
“Do you not feel it?” she asked not just me because her eyes roamed to August and Payne as well. “The uneasiness? The restlessness?”
August sighed. “This is why I won’t fuck a witch. Always using ominous words like we’re supposed to know what the hell they’re talking about. Look we didn’t come here for predictions and horoscope readings.”
“August,” Payne warned.
“So be it,” Melinda said. “Come with me, Isabella Wen.” Lifting her long dress, she turned around and slipped into the opened doors of the spooky mansion.
I faced Isabella again. “You don’t have to do this if you don’t want to.”
She took a deep breath then sighed. “If I can stop innocent lives from being hurt by whatever, this is that’s going on, then I want to.” She started up the steps, and I waited until she was ahead of me before I followed along behind her.
Once inside, it was clear that this place was home to witches. Dozens of eyes watched us from the second floor as we stepped inside. It was like the air had a presence in here—eerie. The mansion was completely darkened with candles lighting up the room. August shuddered ahead of us, shaking his head. “See what I mean?” he muttered to no one in particular. “Witches are creepy as hell.”
Payne gave him an astonished look. “You do realize we eradicate demons of every kind on a daily basis and this is what freaks you out?”
“I ain’t freaked out. I just don’t like all the fucking eyes on us. Maybe if I flop my cock out and wave it around, they’ll look away.”
Payne exhaled and shook his head. I understood where August was coming from though. This place was secretive and eerie and since they were willing to help us locate Delena, it wasn’t like we could pull out our weapons. That wouldn’t be very nice… Still, my fingers twitched for my scythe.
“You guys can wait here,” Melinda stopped at the edge of the room at a small door. “I just need Isabella.”
“I don’t think so.” I stepped in front of Isabella. “Everyone else can stay out here but I’ll go with you both. We have no reason to trust you. You said Delena was from your coven. How do we know you’re not trying to trick us?”
She closed her eyes and sighed, clasping her hands together at her waist. “I assure you, I mean no harm. We’ve known of this visit for quite some time and if we had wanted to avoid it, we could have left before you came and made it so that you could never find us. You can avoid Reapers if you try hard enough.” I exchanged looks with August and Payne. “You can join us, Sloth.” She pushed open the door and stepped inside. Isabella was already following her.
“Go,” August said. “We have nothing to worry about. Doesn’t matter if this is some sort of trap. Do you really think they stand a chance against us?”
He was right.
Once I stepped through the door, it shut behind me. “Join me, Isabella.” Melinda scooped up her dress and got on her knees, waiting for Izzie to do the same. “One ran to darkness while one fights every day to escape theirs. You are aware of which one you are?”
Izzie blinked at her several times before she finally snapped out of her frozen state and joined her on the floor. “Are you referring to Delena as being the one that ran to darkness?” she asked Melinda.
Melinda nodded. “I am. How long has it been since you’ve done a locator spell?”
“Not since I was a child,” Izzie told Melinda. “The last few days is the first I’ve used my magic in ten years.”
“How does the darkness affect your magic?”
Izzie bit her lip and stared at the floor between them. “It doesn’t. The darkness is a different thing entirely.”
“Take off your gloves.”
“But—”
“I am aware of your problem. We won’t be touching.”
They stared at each other in silence before Izzie removed her gloves. “If I help, you need to know that the traces left of my magic might bring a great evil to your door.”
“He’s already aware of everywhere you are now that you’re no longer in the human world,” Melinda said plainly.
Izzie’s eyes widened. “How is it you know so much?”
