“Let's try this again, shall we?” Emrys says, and both witches look at him in defeat, a barely visible nod to acknowledge his question.
“Now, Fynn and his lovely friend, Jodelle. Let’s start there. Tell me everything that has happened over the last couple of days.”
Unfortunately, the conversation with the witches doesn’t provide us with much new information after they finally agreed to speak with us. Yet Emrys could tell Caria and Reiner weren’t sincere; apart from their scent, their heartbeats were irregular, their breathing too fast, everything pointing toward their withholding of information. Not that it matters. What they did tell us was valuable enough for the time being. It gives us a new direction to follow—the witches my mother mingles with—leaving my brother and Jodelle for what it is right now. Part of me is grateful that I can avoid Fynn for a little bit longer. Nothaving to meet with my brother yet feels like a reprieve granted by fate.
This part of the city is new to me, never having ventured this far away from the inn. It’s less frivolous than the city center, and features more regular housing with brick and wooden beams, as well as a simpler aesthetic. This is where most night creatures and witches live. The area is more affordable, and the farther we travel toward the coven we are searching for, the fewer vampires we encounter. Witches also keep their distance from us, but they seem less afraid of Emrys, perhaps because their bloodlust is different from that of the vampires, more attainable. Emrys still occasionally snarls at those who dare to trespass on us or come too close to me for his liking. I am still an anomaly in their eyes, carrying cursed blood that is now purified—a hidden treasure out in the open. I’m sure my blood will elevate their magic and spells. Meeting Augustus earlier, we already established that my blood beckons to vampires to the extent that their minds become clouded near me, and they are willing to try to defy Emrys. My organs and body parts will probably fetch a decent amount of money on the black market. It’s a sickening idea.
I can sense your anxiety. I assure you, no one will harm you. Would you like me to cover you, Tempest?
Feeling his thoughts brush against my mind is comforting, a touch that lifts my spirits.
I need to adjust to my new status. Despite your scent, I still feel fragile; the wanting, ogling eyes don’t go unnoticed, my love.
I’ll rip out every pair of eyeballs that make you feel threatened, Tempest. Just tell me.
I chuckle. “That’ll be a lot of eyeballs.”
He flashes me a grin, his sharp teeth shining.
“I’m at your command, my love.”
I know he’ll gracefully let his deeds echo the vows he makes, and I pull him a little closer.
“Covering me will suffice,” I say with a loving smile spread across my face.
Nimble Deceit
Caria
Chapter 6
“That fucking asshole!” I shout at Reiner, who glowers at me with disdain. “He steered my shadows as if they were nothing, so easily that bastard didn’t even break a sweat. He controlled them, Reiner; he controlled my damn shadows with the flick of his hand. A Flick! They listen to him! Respect him! Not me, no, HIM!”
Frustrated, I start to sob and lean my head on Reiner’s broad shoulder. His mismatched eyes, one light blue, one dark blue, glare at me, and his anger is palpable. He doesn’t say a word, but his glance tells me everything I need to know. He’s incredibly pissed with my reckless behavior from this afternoon. Not because I challenged an enemy, but because I tried to attacksomeone who could obliterate me in the blink of an eye, and he’d be helpless against it.
“I’m sorry,” I whisper. “I don’t know what got hold of me… I love you… And seeing him handling you like that… I couldn’t control myself…”
“Did it not occur to you that the reason I subdued my anger so quickly was that I realized I am no match for him either? I was a fucking idiot to even threaten his mate. But I couldn’t help myself. It was that sheer arrogance that he displayed that angered me—how he knows he outpowers us all. It prompted me to bark out those words, and I was foolish to do so. He could evaporate the entire city with a flick of a finger if he wanted to, and he knows it.”
Reiner spits the words as if they burn his tongue, and a tremor of violence ripples through him as his jaw clenches.
“What will happen if they speak to Helda?” I say softly, still with my head on Reiner’s shoulder, his body tenses.
“I honestly don’t know, darling. I hope they’ll focus on the mother, so you and I can figure out what’s going on with Loverboy. It’s clear his sister is no longer carrying any protection in the form of Aurum. At least, I didn’t catch any hint of it on her. So, I guess it seems the magic has shifted to that bratty girl of his, Jodelle. It seems the sister’s bond with the Umbra seriously messed with the course of the curse, making it unpredictable, especially its pawns,” Reiner says. “In this case, the change makes him, the brother, unpredictable… and with that, dangerous and treacherous. Meaning it’s better if you stay away from him.”
“I know you’re right, but he’s still valuable to us, darling,” I say.
We decide to take a break from our bickering and focus on each other for now, which leads us to make love, as Reinerclaims his scent on me has become less noticeable. I grin at the poor excuse to have sex with me, and let him mark me as only he can.
Within seconds, I am undressed, and impatiently, I pluck at his gear, while his warm tongue glides along my neck. From there, he traces it between my breasts, my abdomen, and to my slit, where he finds my sensitive bundle of nerves. Reiner tongues my clit, until heat builds in my apex. With each flick of his tongue, the sensation becomes more intense, and my toes curl as an orgasm crashes through me as I’m unable to hold it in any longer. While I am still catching my breath, Reiner spreads my legs apart, my glistening vagina begging him to enter me. Not one to deny me, he eagerly presses his tip against my needy lips and thrusts into me, one hand firmly around my throat, the other gripping my hip steadily as he fucks me aggressively. The lingering anger from this afternoon is evident as he takes from me, punishing me for my reckless behavior. I moan in ecstasy as we both come, our arousal mixing together. He pulls back, cupping his hand, and the cocktail of our cum drips onto his fingers. Like an oil painting, he smears the mixture all over my skin.
“Now you smell how you should,” he kisses me passionately, and I know it won’t be long before he is ready for round two. I can tell from his brooding aura that he isn’t done with me yet, but I enjoy these kinds of punishments from him.
The following day, as I arrive at the inn and open the door to let customers in, some remark jokingly about the strong male smell surrounding me, and I smirk. It’s a vampire and witch thing, marking your territory, showing others that your partner is off the table, and I’m sure it’s a were-being thing as well. It’s not something the people here like to talk about—the possible presence of werewolves or shifters in this town. Living here is strictly for witches and vampires; the vampires are unaware of the were-beings that inhabit part of the city's border.
None of the vampires has any business venturing that deep into the witches' territory, making it the perfect hideout. We, witches, have no dissension with them, unlike the vampires, who see them as an imminent threat to their kind. One bite can kill a vampire, and the werewolves and other were-beings gladly trade their venom for things the witches can offer, such as spells and potions. It is a well-kept secret market in its own right.
I’m drying a cup absentmindedly when Fynn’s voice startles me.
