Delilah’s sharp eyes missed nothing. “May I?”
Tentatively, I nodded, then watched as she steepled her hands together, pushing and pulling as a burst of pale light ignited between her palms. She lifted it to her lips and blew gently. The light dispersed like dandelion seeds, grazing over my body. It was cool, like a crisp autumn breeze. When the light faded, I found my clothes and hair to have been refreshed. My dark teal blouse was vibrant and free of scuff marks and holes. Touching my face, I felt my complexion unmistakably dewy and bright.
“See, not all witches are wicked,” she said.
“Thanks,” I murmured. “But I mean, I didn’t think you were, uh…”
Her lips curved in a little acknowledgment before she turned back to her reflection, dabbing at her lipstick as though it didn’t already look flawless. “Your boys clearly have their stories. Just know, for the record, I’ve got your back tonight. I’m not one of those bitches who curse innocents or drink virgin blood. Well—only once a decade, at least. Am I your first?”
“My first?” I blinked. I’d been staring at the gloss applicator sliding over her lips.
“Practitioner of the arcane arts,” Delilah said, waggling her fingers. “You’ve seen your share of horrors and curiosities yourself these last months, haven’t you?”
I rubbed the back of my neck. “There was one coven we encountered—just a couple of weeks after leaving Elysia. They were terrorizing a town. But they—er, I didn’t get a chance to speak with any of them.”
I didn’t saywhy—that Jon and Cliff had made quick work of ending their reign of terror; they’d shot each witch cleanly through the head, and the bodies had been promptly burned in pieces down by the river.
Delilah seemed to read it from my expression alone, her gaze souring somewhat.
“I can understand why they’re sweet on you,” she said. “Fairies don’t choose to be what they are, but witches do. It’s our choice to transform and tie ourselves to a life of sacrifice and power. Unfortunately, many of mycolleaguesdo it for the wrong reasons.”
“And what reason was yours?”
Her cool, self-assured mask slipped a little, though she didn’t seem particularly taken off guard by the question. I foundmyself holding my breath as Delilah kept her gaze lowered at the table.
“It was a long time ago,” she said. “Things were different back then. My first marriage was…painful. I was young and naive, and he was a brute who enjoyed making me feel small. I needed a way out. Magic gave me the power to eliminate him and take back my life.”
She tapered off with a little shrug. I struggled to reconcile the image of a terrified young bride with the woman before me, someone who could control any room she stepped into.
A way out.It wasn’t hard to put together what she meant.
“I’m sorry,” I murmured.
“Please,” she scoffed. “Girls like us don’t thrive on pity, hm? Good things can come in bloody packages.”
The corner of my mouth lifted, though it was bittersweet. I thought of Marcellus, how my blade had plunged into his chest, his blood hot on my knuckles. No, pity was worthless with such things.
“Besides, it all brought me tohim,”Delilah said. “I would endure decades of blood over again for the chance to meet Lee.”
The image of the pendant she’d given him rested in my mind. I did not doubt that she would commit the most heinous acts to secure her future with Lee; theybothwould.
“What did he do to win you over?” I ventured to ask. “Something tells me you’re not easily impressed.”
Delilah laughed, glancing down at herself. It was such an endearing, vulnerable smile that it softened her sharp beauty. “He was and always has beenpersistent. I shook him and Benny off when we first met, chasing down the same artifact—and even then, he didn’t let up. But there was a third party interested. I got in over my head and wound up with a bullet in my leg. Passed out in my cat form somewhere near a gutter and woke upon Lee’s couch the following morning—leg wrapped up, and the relic still in-hand.”
“He let you have the artifact?” My heart melted a little as I imagined it—Delilah waking up, prepared for a fight, only to find that Lee wantedhermore than any priceless asset.
“I offered him half of what I fenced it for, but he refused,” Deliah said. “He fights with tenderness instead of blows. After that, letting him win our little games didn’t feel like losing anymore.”
The soft way she spoke of Lee made me admittedly want to punch him just a little less. I felt a strange warmth blossom in my chest as Delilah let the admission sit between us—something I doubted she shared often with many.
“I understand completely about enduring terrors to meet the soul that matches yours,” I said, my thoughts drifting to Jon—to my dream of entwining my fingers through his.
Delilah chuckled. “No kidding.”
My smile faltered. “What do you mean by that?”
“My vanity spells are unparalleled, but I’m ninety years old, honey. I’ve been in more relationships than I care to keep track of. I knowfuck meeyes when I see them. I would tell you to be cautious, but Jon seems equally enamored with you—if not more.”
