15. Brielle
15
Brielle
T he witch Kairus summoned to look into Andrea’s head and who helped ward her parent’s house now glares at me with angry brown eyes.
“What the fuck is she doing here?” I position myself in front of Andrea on instinct. I know Azra said we can trust her but I can never be too careful after the shit with Sabel. Let us not forget so soon how my brother’s girlfriend was a demon working for Lilith and killed Azra right in front of me.
“That’s what I would like to know as well!” Salem blows her maroon hair out of her freckled face, still trying to yank her arm out of Torin’s grip. Only boredom graces his face as the redhead fights with all of her might.
“We need to find a way to break the bond. If Kai uses her for his personal needs, she has to be powerful enough to at least find a way to break it.” My jaw ticks in anger at Azra’s admission.
“You couldn’t tell me this? We could have asked her to come with us! Not just take her!” Memories of when he took me flash in my mind and then horrid memories of Sabel taking me have my blood recoiling. I force those thoughts out of my brain and the bile burning my throat settles back down. I hope that wretched bitch had a painful death.
“You both would have said no, so I did what I needed to.” Azra’s hands slide into his pockets. He nods to his brother and Torin drops her arm.
“If you try to run, you won’t make it far.” Torin’s voice drips with excitement. Do all of these males have a chasing fetish?
I roll my eyes and let out a sigh. I step forward and extend my hand, “I’m Brielle, we didn’t get a chance to meet formally. My apologies for the kidnapping, they are still learning.” I give a pointed stare to Azra and Torin as a sly grin spreads across both of their faces.
Salem’s milky skin is beet red from her thrashing, her clammy hand takes mine for only a moment before she yanks it back. Her eyes slowly slide behind me, something like fear crowds them. Not from being taken, but from Andrea looking at her. My eyes bounce between the both of them.
“You remember my friend?” I ask, trying to calm whatever she may be thinking. She doesn’t move, just a frightened stare is frozen on her face. “Salem?” Her attention finally snaps to me. She swallows and nods.
“We have grimoires and everything you need in the library,” Azra motions up the stairs.
We will talk about this situation later!
I shout into his mind. A smirk pulls at his perfect lips as I pass him and ascend the stairs.
Books are scattered all over the library when I open the large doors, more than normal. Andrea must have seen my reaction to the mess.
“I was doing some research, I needed something to get my mind off everything that was happening.” She squeezes her arms that are crossed against her. She doesn’t have to tell me what she was searching for. I remember the word that was tossed around in Kai’s living quarters.
Psychic.
A word many have used to describe my own grandmother. My grandmother that an Archangel fell for because of her abilities.
My stomach tightens in knots. If Andrea is anything that is on the supernatural radar, how can I protect her when I couldn’t protect anyone else?
Azra’s hand rests on the small of my back, pulling me from the spiral of those thoughts. Salem begins to look around, waving her hand through the air as if she is feeling for something. Her long red locks are in waves down the back of her black leather jacket and her burgundy nails halt in the air. A book flies to her hand a second later.
I blink, jolting back, I have never seen a human do anything like that before. Azra has moved things but seeing someone obviously mortal with such magic is strange to witness. I have been trained to be able to spot the distinct features supernatural creatures have and not seeing any on Salem throws me for a loop.
“The thing that found the bond couldn’t find a way to break it?” She peers through her dark brown eyebrows at Azra, then to Torin as she blindly flips through pages. As if whatever she’s searching for will find itself.
I like her. Not one ounce of fear shows on her freckled pale skin as she stares ancient creatures down. She reminds me of a part of myself I haven’t felt in months.
“She doesn’t possess the type of magic to break it, it’s strictly a witch’s work. Hence the reason you are here and I’m allowing you to speak to us in such a way.” Torin snaps before anyone could answer. I glance his way and see a slight interest under his disguise of annoyance.
Interesting in deed.
“Ah ha, can I see your hand?” She sets the book down and slides everything off the desk before her. Andrea jumps on the side of me from the loud clatter of books hitting the wooden floor.
“Do all witches lack proper home training?” Torin grumbles under his breath. Salem only flashes him a sarcastically fake smile and bats her lashes before she reaches for my hand. His jaw ticks, air blowing out of his nose like she would be getting under his skin.
Oh, I really like her.
Salem pricks my finger with the letter opener that stays on this desk. A bead of blood forms on my pointer finger. She presses it into the shiny finish of the desk and draws symbols using my hand that I have never seen before.
Once she’s done, I pull my hand back, sticking my finger in my mouth to clean the blood off. She wrings her hands a few times and lets out a breath, closing her eyes. Words in a language I have also never heard fall off her lips. Her voice deepens and the pages of the only book still on the desk start to flip but the air around us is still.
Tugging in the deepest part of my body turns my stomach. Then heat in my veins causes a sweat to break instantly at every pore. I feel like I might be violently sick in a few short moments.
Salem’s words falter but she continues, forcing them out of her mouth. Her body shakes and blood appears from her nostril.
“Stop this, I can’t—” A sharp pain in my chest cuts me off. The tip of a scolding hot phantom dagger slowly pushes into my heart. I drop to my knees. Azra is at my side yelling something but I don’t hear him. I only hear a rippling flame and… laughter. A chilling laugh. A bright light numbs my senses. I can’t see or hear anything for a split second and then it’s gone.
I glance around to find everyone on the ground as if they have been thrown back by a blast. Salem’s eyes are wide. Azra picks me up and holds me tight but I can’t take my eyes off the horror and the pure fear in Salem’s face.
“What happened, what did you see?” My voice is shaky, my throat sore, I must have been screaming and not realized it. She only shakes her head. Tears now stream down my face from the pit growing in my stomach. “Tell me now! What did you see?”
“I have never seen anything like this before. This bonding spell is ancient and bathed in blood. It’ll be nearly impossible to break. Blood bonds are intricate and if the bond is made up of blood from the same bloodline, the only way to break it completely is death,” she whispers. I feel Azra tense around me.
“But not impossible? Brielle has no living relatives. It’s simply someone craving her power.” His voice deepens through gritted teeth. When he is met with silence, he sets me down gently and stands, his wings flaring. “You said it’s nearly impossible, so it’s possible! Tell us how now!”
Salem’s face is blurry through my tears but I see her arm lifting until it’s outstretched. Her fingers curling, all but one, until she is pointing at something beside me. My insides squeeze until it’s physically impossible to breathe.
She isn’t pointing at her, she can’t be.
I turn my head slowly, following the line of her finger where I dreaded it would be.
On Andrea.
Those icy blue eyes are surrounded by white as Azra looks at Andrea unconscious on the floor. I crawl to her, placing my fingers on her throat to feel her pulse thrumming underneath. The grip around my heart only loosens some.
“How could a mortal break such a spell?” The voice that once soothed me now sounds like daggers as he asks questions I don’t want to know the answers to.
“Only one species can break this kind of bond, the species that made it to begin with…” Salem walks closer on shaky legs, “A Morveaux witch.”
Andrea’s eyes spring open as soon as that name leaves Salem’s lips. My head shakes and tears soak my cheeks. The sensation of barbed wire wraps tightly around my throat as the words force themselves out, “No. No, no, no, no…” All of my fears rear its ugly head. The one thing that kept me up at night, that this life, my life, would doom others around me. That I would kill more people I love even if my hand doesn’t land the fatal blow.
It should have been me that day in Lilith’s cave. It should have been me to slip into the darkness and for once not try to claw my way out.
Maybe everyone I love would have a chance to finally be safe and happy if I were gone. Maybe, I should let this bond continue to suck the life out of me until there is nothing left of me to save.