Page 6 of The Soulless Witch
“What the—” she started, but before she could finish, the sound of hurried steps filled the corridor again. An older woman appeared—around her late forties—with honey-blonde hair and a fair complexion, a well-fitting green dress hugging her body. The girl’s voice grew colder. “Dad? Who is that, and why is she naked?”
The warm, loving mood changed the moment the words left her lips. I had to hold back a sigh as I reached for my magic, hoping it would be enough for three. Their faces varied from shocked to furious, with the little boy’s eyes sliding down to my dirty feet.
“Kevin Marten, you better explain yourself right now!” the older woman snarled, pulling the boy to her and covering his eyes. “I swear to god if you don’t start speaking this second—”
“Julia, it’s not what you think,” Kevin said calmly, waving in my direction. “This is Celeste. She is a friend, and she will be staying here for a while.”
I scratched my forehead, watching the woman’s eyes go as big as saucers. Even the girl stepped away from her father, shaking her head with disgust. As if realizing how his explanation sounded, Kevin’s confident posture wavered.
“No, I don’t mean it likethat!” he blurted, raising his hands defensively.
“You get out of this house right now, you bastard!” Julia screamed, taking a step back and pulling the boy with her. “Get out right now or I swear—”
“Let me handle this.” I sighed, taking a step forward. They retreated, their faces holding more indignation than fear. I let my magic flow through me, warmth and light bubbling under my skin while the energy wrapped around their bodies. “My name is Celeste and I’m a close friend of your family. I have no interest in Kevin, nor does he have any in me. I don’t want to hurt any of you. I wanted to meet you because I missed you all. Kevin has agreed to let me stay here and you are all happy to have me. You will also not be afraid, surprised, or alarmed by anything I say or do. Understand?”
“Yes,” the three of them replied in one voice, their tense postures relaxing as they smiled at me. The older woman was the one that spoke first, uncovering the boy’s eyes, but then quickly covering them again. “We’re so glad you could make it, Celeste! You should have called in advance! I would have prepared a grand dinner and cleaned the house. And what happened to your clothes? Were you in some kind of accident?”
I forced myself to return the smile, feeling my knees wobble when the magic left my body. They all seemed placated under the spell, but it wouldn’t hurt to recast it once I got more of my power back. For now, this would have to do.
“I was. Kevin picked me up.” I nodded, pulling the jacket tighter around me. “I lost all my belongings, so let me borrow some clothes. And maybe take a bath?”
Pity filled Julia’s eyes as she pushed past her children and stood before me. Rubbing my shoulders gently, she looked like she wanted to ask what happened, but decided against it.
“Of course, darling!” she said warmly, sleeking my hair as if I was some child that had just grazed their knee and cried about it. I wanted to slap her hand away, but the effort seemed too great. “Dinner is almost ready, so while I take care of that, Lily can show you where the bath is and give you anything you need. Right, Lily?” She turned to her daughter, who was already nodding eagerly.
“Y-Yes, of course! This way, Celeste.”
I slipped between the spouses, following Lily up the stairs. Her brother moved to join us, but his father pulled him back by the collar of his shirt, telling him he had no place among the girls.
I kept silent, studying the interior of the house. The building was fairly new, definitely made after my last death, with narrow hallways and a relatively low ceiling. There were a lot of photographs lined on the walls and a thin carpet on the floor. They didn’t look like a particularly wealthy family, but there were so many items everywhere that it was making me disoriented.
“Here,” Lily said softly, pushing one of the doors open. I stepped inside, looking around the spacious bathroom. There were two sinks on one side of the door, a toilet on the other, and a space with a standing shower separated by a wall of glass. “I’ll leave the clean clothes in front of the door. Come downstairs whenever you’re ready.” She was gone before I could reply, leaving me with nothing else to do but gawk at all the cosmetics, sponges, and makeup piled on the shelves above the sink.
I shrugged off the jacket and hung it on the back of the door. The water was icy cold when it hit my face, and I let out a muffled yelp before adjusting the temperature. Enjoying a shower—or even better, a bath—after I came back from the dead was always a cathartic experience.
Eighty years. Almost an entire human lifetime had passed since I had died in those woods. And now that I was back…what should I do? Go after the Order and kill everyone? That would set them off even harder. I knew that I would find no help from the werewolves or the vampires. They were wary of witches at best and hated my guts at worst. Maybe I could go to the Fae and strike a bargain, but considering the Seelie Queen was still bitter about that mess with her eldest son, that option was even more dangerous than going to the witches. At least some covens wouldn’t kill me on sight. They might even let me hide among them until I recuperate. But hiding had never been a talent of mine, and neither was staying put.
I needed to figure out who was after me. Once I took out my immediate enemies, I’d focus on getting accustomed to this time period. And then…then I could do what I did before—travel the world and never stay too long in one place. That had worked well enough before that little girl had begged me for help and, like the fool I was, I had stuck my hand in a hornet’s nest.
I was supposed to be the evil witch, the villain, the monster—or so everyone claimed. I should have just ignored the pitiful child and gone on with my Tuesday. Or had it been a Friday? I couldn’t recall anymore.
“Celeste?” a voice spoke from the other side of the door and I flinched, realizing I had just been standing under the water spray and not doing anything. “I’m going to leave the clothes here and wait for you downstairs. Take your time.”
I didn’t reply, too focused on trying to figure out which shampoo to use. I finished cleaning myself up and stepped toward the foggy mirror, running a damp hand over it. A pair of green eyes stared back at me, eyes I knew so well after looking at them for over a thousand years. My skin was pale, but healthy, just like it was when I woke the first time. My coppery hair stuck to my head in a very unflattering way, water dripping from my nose and chin as I turned my face left and right. My narrow shoulders looked bonier than I remembered—I had managed to gain some good weight in my past life, but that was now gone.
My eyes stopped on the mark over my left breast, a faint glow emanating from the spot just above my heart. Without thinking, I rubbed it in the false hope that it would disappear. I had hoped that time and my death—twice—would sever the connection, but part of me knew… it knew that nothing short of him dying would dissolve the bond.
Vampires could only choose one person to bond with over their immortal lives. Only one.
And he had chosen me, that bastard, then marked me without warning or permission.
‘He can protect you,’a treacherous voice whispered in my head.‘He is probably looking for you still. You are bonded, you will be safe with…’
“Shut up,” I told my reflection, watching as my own lips moved to form the words. Pulling my hand away from my chest, I motioned with my finger toward the glowing skin. The mark faded, hidden behind a concealing spell. With this, nobody else needed to know—even Roman himself wouldn’t be able to see his handiwork if he looked at me again. Not unless my power was entirely stripped from me.
Satisfied with the result, I headed toward the door. I found the clothes where Lily said they’d be and stepped back inside, groaning while I slipped on skin-tight cotton pants, a light, padding-less bra, and a soft, green sweater.
On my way downstairs, I pondered whether I should use my magic to dry my hair, but decided against it. I’d need to put wards around the house soon, so wasting it on trivial things would be stupid.