That night, I feel part of my brain rewiring itself with my love for her.
Blistering Departure
Harlot
Chapter 8
I shift uneasily as the elderly witch gazes at me; I’ve learned her name is Helda. She glances back at Emrys, her left eye twitching slightly, as if she’s muttering a hex, and her lower lip trembles a bit. Emrys’s shadows are impregnable, yet they do not deter witches who will try regardless. Emrys raises his hand, and her mouth halts, as if her lips are suddenly frozen. I see the slight panic in her eyes. Emrys just forced her to stop using her mouth.
“Let's not do this, shall we? We don’t come here with ill will; we merely seek answers,” he tells the old witch, who eyes him suspiciously.
“There's been a lot of darklings showing up here lately, some more aggressive than others. My apologies, Umbra, if I seem paranoid. All I’m trying to do is take precautions as best I can,” Helda says, smacking her lips as if the short, frozen moment caused by Emrys’s powers left a bitter taste behind.
I’m surprised that the old hag isn’t impressed by the fact that such a powerful being is in her presence. And I can’t believe she seriously tried to cast a spell on Emrys, or perhaps she’s just a master at pretending. Unlike the rest of her coven, who all blatantly stare at him, their mouths agape, she squares her shoulders instead. I press myself closer to Emrys, this being the first time that this many witches surround me.
Don’t worry, my Lucem Mei, they can’t get to your head. I already felt them trying, probing my shadows, but they are impervious.
I’m sorry, my love, being surrounded by this many witches makes me tense. I’ve never experienced a situation like this before.
Emrys brushes lovingly against my mind, easing me a little bit. I melt into his touch.
Suddenly, the old witch gasps, her eyes widening as she stares at me.
“You’re one of them!” she exclaims, excitedly. “You’re one of the cursed twins. Your mother has described you: eyes like a storm, raven-black hair, skin made of porcelain. It’syou!”
The other witches begin to murmur among themselves, glancing my way, and my anxiety rises.
“What do you know about a curse, Helda?” Emrys asks, his voice cold, and the entire room falls silent as he speaks.
“The girl's mother… She comes here with her books. Her sole purpose is to break the curse that chains her children to a life of misery and death.”
“Why did my mother seekyourcoven out?” I ask, my curiosity sincere.
“Most witches have no interest in helping a human, unless they can offer us a bargain we can’t resist. And that’s exactly what your mother did, my child. She gave us an offer we couldn’t refuse…” Helda says in a hushed tone, a pressed smile on her face, her lips a thin line.
“And… what was the bargain?” I ask.
“Some things are better left unsaid, my child; it’s none of your concern what kind of deal I struck with your mother. Perhaps you could ask her yourself…”
The hag, claiming she made a bargain with my mother and refusing to share what my mother sacrificed for my brother and me, suddenly infuriates me. The dissent fills me with an undeniable, white-hot rage. Unsure where my out-of-the-blue hostility comes from, I clench my fists, my knuckles turning white from the pressure, despite Emrys’s soothing energy calming me, his mind nudging mine. His shadows fly from my skin, wrapping around the old hag’s neck like a smoky collar, slowly suffocating her. I'm furious, and I speak to her with a demanding tone, “Tell me what my mother bargained for, right now!”
Helplessly, the old witch glances at Emrys, who looks both astonished and amazed as I manipulatehisshadows, tightening them around the old witch’s throat more firmly with each passing second. She stays silent—her failure to respond only fuels my fury. Emrys crosses his arms, a diabolical smile plastered on his face as he watches Helda.
“Fine, fine,” she says with a raspy voice, holding her hands up defensively, and the shadows release her. The moment I free her, she sucks precious air into her lungs.
Impressive, my love, and incredibly sexy.
My cheeks flush as his deep, praising voice echoes in my mind, and I feel his lustful urges. A heat builds between my legs, and I press my thighs together. I try to concentrate on the elderly witch in front of me, who’s still coughing and taking deep breaths, trying to steady herself.
“Those damn shadows,” Helga mutters under her breath, while she kneads the skin of her neck, which is red and swollen from my attack.
Tempest, I can sense your desire, smell your arousal. And by the old Gods, it smells delicious, it makes me ravenous. Let’s wrap this up quickly, as I don’t know how long I’ll be able to contain myself. Perhaps I should just kill all of them and fuck you right here.
His smug, sexy smile, with his fangs glistening and darkened eyes, is almost enough to send me over the edge right here, but I can’t rush this; we need to have answers. Answers only the witch can give us.
Patience, my love. If the hag fails to give us any helpful information, then I might let you slaughter them all, and you can have your way with me.
I hope she loses her purpose quickly, my tempest. I already envision your naked body covered in their blood.
