Page 41 of The Powerless Witch
Running my hands through my hair, I stared at the cloudy sky, hoping it would give me an answer.
“Isaac.” Alice’s voice was gentle, but insistent. “What do we do?”
“We can’t go to a magic shop for those, not with everything going on.” I shook my head and her shoulders sagged. “Even unaffiliated wolves won’t be safe. I can’t risk it.”
“Finding them and gathering them myself would take too long,” she groaned, letting out an annoyed puff of air. “If we go back to the sisters, they might be able to give me more, but it’s still far. If there was just something closer…”
A gasp escaped my lips as an idea sprung to my head. She looked up, her eyes brightening up as if she could see my brain working through my memories. We couldn’t go back to the Coven of Eternal Light, and we couldn’t go to the witches in the city, but there was still one place where I was sure herbs could be found.
Roman’s house.
I had seen the garden, smelled the medicinal flowers when I was recuperating with Celeste there. I wasn’t sure if it was her doing or if he planted those for her, but the garden was vast. And it was safe—well, as safe as it could be in the home of a vampire. And since he was not picking up his phone…
“Can we go now?” she asked, clutching the bag to her chest. “Some of the injuries require immediate attention, so the faster we leave, the faster we’ll comeback, and I—”
“Get in the car,” I ordered, pointing at the passenger’s seat. “I’ll just let Allison know and we’re leaving. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but that vampire is our only hope.”
Chapter 17
Isaac
“By the Goddess, what does this vampire do for a living?” Alice murmured as she watched the tall, massive mansion gate open. Someone must have been monitoring the cameras because when I called Roman again to ask him to let us in, he didn’t pick up.
The car glided over the path, meandering through the trees and neatly trimmed bushes until the giant house peeking over the treetops finally came into view. Alice’s eyes widened even more and the appreciation in them annoyed me a bit. I knew that our pack houses weren’t anything like this, but they were full of warm people, smiles, and laughter—or at least they were, until today.
This home looked…cold. Just like its owner.
“He is a thousand years old,” I said as I parked the car, pushing the door open. “I’m surprised he doesn’t own half the country already. Fucking showoff.”
Alice snorted, adjusting her bag onto her shoulder while she stared at the mansion. I could hear voices inside, but they were too faint to distinguish. I wasn’t sure if it was the thick, soundproof walls or the magical wards on the house, but I doubted we could hear what they were saying, even if they were standing by an open window.
I gave her a sign to follow as I made my way to the front door. Taking a deep breath, I knocked, trying to determine if the voices were coming from the foyer. We didn’t have much time to waste, and I wasn’t waiting outside.
The thought had barely crossed my mind when Roman’s butler opened for us, looking me over with that unreadable expression of his. If I didn’t know he was human, I would have thought he and Roman were related, seeing how both were cold, expressionless, and could make people feel uncomfortable in their own skin.
“Mr. Isaac,” the butler said in a polite but reserved tone. “What can I do for you?”
“Is Roman here?” I asked, trying to keep the impatience out of my voice. “I must speak with him.”
“He is currently unavailable,” the human replied, his fingers tightening on the edge of the door. “If there is a message you wished delivered, I’d gladly do so for you.” He suddenly frowned, eyes darting behind me to my sister. “Pardon me, but where is Mistress Celeste? Weren’t you with her—”
“I need to speak with Romannow,” I said more harshly, letting a little threat slide into my voice. The old man didn’t so much as flinch—not until someone spoke from inside.
“Let them in.”
Pursing his lips, the butler stepped back, making just enough space for us to enter. I gave Alice a sign to stay close before striding into the huge foyer in search of the owner of that grave voice. There was no mistaking who it belonged to, not with that deadly tone, but if he was here and he was well enough to speak, then why was he dodging my calls?
I found the answer to my question the moment he stepped through one of the doors leading to his endless line of rooms. He was wearing only a pair of black slacks, torn at one knee and covered in dust and blood. His unnaturally pale chest and arms were glistening with water, probably from having cleaned them just recently, and he was squeezing a rag that was dripping blood. Nothisblood.
His usual calm had given place to cold fury, his eyes half-red, half-black as they met mine. I was so used to seeing him dressed in a suit, impeccable and composed, that looking at him this disheveled made me stare with shock. Roman said nothing, waiting, when the sound of hurried steps came from behind him.
Lily, one of Celeste’s humans, appeared from the same door, a bandage wrapped around her head and another peeking from her sleeve. Her eyes went wide at the sightof us and for a moment I thought it was with fear, but then Alice moved past me, gasping, “Mate.”
My head whipped toward my sister, but she didn’t even acknowledge me while she stared at the girl with so much longing in her eyes that I felt like I should look away. But I couldn’t, not after what I had just witnessed.
A movement caught my attention, and I looked back to Lily as she took a step back, moving closer to Roman as if to hide behind him. A low snarl tore from Alice’s lips and she started forward, but I grabbed her elbow when I noticed Roman’s eyes turning bright red. He positioned himself between Lily and her, his hands lax beside him, but his posture told me he was ready to spill more blood.
“Shit,” the word escaped my mouth before I could stop it.