Chapter 28 （Nathan）The Witch
Chapter 28 (Nathan )
The Witch
I followed Beatrix through the forest. The night was strangely silent as we walked. I had expected to hear crickets or owls, but there was only the deafening silence around us. Nevertheless, neither of us felt the need to fill the silence with words. She didn’t even turn back to see if I were following because she knew I would.
After walking for what seemed like an hour, we finally arrived at her house. Like the rest of the pack houses, it was made of wood, but in the darkness of the night, it looked black. The house was very modest, with planters hanging from the windows.
The door didn’t have a knob. Beatrix moved her fingers, reciting some words, and it opened itself .
“That’s handy against thieves,” I commented as I stepped inside the house, the scent of herbs surrounding me as I did.
She turned to look at me for the first time since we met, her blue eyes fixating on me.
“Very useful indeed,” she answered with a friendly smile.
The witch went into the kitchen and filled a kettle with water. I stood in what seemed to be the living room, a lone couch that looked like it had seen too many years backed against a wall. A bookshelf was against the other wall, filled with old books, dust, and various regents and bottles. I walked closer, stepping beside the small round table with two chairs that occupied the center of the room, reading the book titles. Most books were about witchcraft and plants. The bottles contained colorful liquid, and most vials were unidentified, making it impossible for me to know what they contained.
I reached for one of the bottles containing a dark green liquid with something at the bottom that I couldn’t quite make up. Just then, something landed on my arm, and I flinched. I’d say it was a bird, but it was so peculiar that I wasn’t sure what it was. It looked like a small black owl but didn’t have a head. The place where the head would be was just covered with feathers all around, with no beak, mouth, or eyes. Yet, it had wings, and its fingers were wrapped tightly around my arm. The creature didn’t seem to mind its lack of head and emitted an owl-like sound from an opening in the feathers in front.
It flew away from my arm just as I tried to pet it. Beatrix entered the room, holding a cabaret service with two cups and a tea kettle. The creature landed on her shoulder.
“I see you’ve met one of my n?k?las.”
The creature cuddled on the witch’s cheek, then flew away and landed on a shelf on the wall. Several other creatures perched on it beside bottles containing owl heads in a viscous liquid.
“Is that their heads?” I asked.
Beatrix nodded. “Indeed. I use a spell to sever the heads from owls, transforming the birds into n?k?las, keeping them alive and bound to me by magic.”
These were indeed the most peculiar things I have ever seen. “What are they?” I asked.
“They’re my eyes. Wherever they go, whatever they see, I see it too.”
These creatures blew me away. Surely, it must have taken a lot of magic to create and keep them alive. They must be very useful. All you had to do was send them flying around to see everything happening at once. I could certainly put n?k?las to good use.
“Now then”—she motioned for me to sit at the table with her—“shall we have tea?”
I sat before the witch but politely declined. “I’m afraid I can’t. I can only drink blood. I can drink a sip or two of tea at most, but not more.”
The witch grabbed her cup. “A sip or two will be enough. I have put herbs in it to prevent unwanted bonding from happening. It’s an old recipe passed down from my grandmother. People have used it to protect themselves from demons forcing bonds onto witches.”
Beatrix handed me a hot cup. It emitted a strong scent of herbs. The first sip hit my tongue with the taste of green tea mixed with something else I couldn’t identify. It had been a while since I had anything besides blood, and I found it refreshing.
“This is good,” I commented.
Beatrix held her cup in her hand, smiling. My head suddenly started spinning, a strong fatigue taking over me. I dropped the cup, the liquid spilling to the floor.
My mind was fogged, and my vision was blurry. I was in a bed under a feather-filled quilt. Where was I? I couldn’t remember what had happened before and was assaulted by a headache.
“You’re awake,” her sweet voice sounded beside me, and I jumped. It was impossible. There was no way it could be. I had to see it for myself. Her green eyes looked at me affectionately when I turned my head, as beautiful as they ever were. She looked the same as the last time I had seen her, and I couldn’t believe it.
“Emerald,” I whispered. “I have searched everywhere for you.”
She nodded. “I know.”
How was it that she found me? This didn’t make sense. “How is it that you’re here?” I asked in disbelief.
She held a finger to her mouth. “Who cares how I got here? I’m here now.”
She was right. What mattered was that she was here. I had so many things to tell her that I didn’t know where to start. Just as I was about to say something, she sealed her lips to mine in a deep kiss that took my breath away. She tasted as good as I remembered.
“I missed you so much,” she breathed between kisses.
Her hands roamed my body, and I became enthralled by her scent, enslaved by her touch. I followed her lead, removing her clothes and discovering her body again. She was my rain after a long drought, and I surrendered completely to her. I groaned when she straddled me, her wet core finding me in the most delicious way. It felt perfect in every way.
“Feed from me,” she begged between her moans as she rode my cock, seeking her pleasure.
I obliged, sinking my teeth into her neck, her nails digging into my back. A wave of pleasure washed over me as the sweet taste of her blood hit my tongue, my sweet nectar.
Basking in this perfect moment, I got drunk from her blood, never having enough of her. She thrust harder with every gulp of blood I drank, and I pushed my hips harder, making her cry in pleasure. When I had enough, I removed my teeth from her neck, still making love to her. The pressure built inside me, and when I finally felt her pulse around me, reaching her ecstasy, I let myself come into her, joining my cries to her.
Emerald sat on me, breathless, her hands roaming my chest. I stared into her deep green eyes.
“I missed you so much,” I whispered.
She smiled and whispered back, “Me too.”
“Where have you been?” I asked, but she shook her head and cuddled next to me.
“Let’s sleep. I’m tired,” she only answered.
I nodded and placed a kiss on top of her head. I held her close, afraid I’d lose her again, and fell asleep in this sweet paradise.
? The birds chirping stirred me from my sleep. I rubbed my face, trying to chase away the searing headache that was assailing me. My body felt heavy. Inside me, my wolf growled and clawed. I looked around me but didn’t recognize where I was. Only then did I notice a bird perched in the room, a n?k?las.
? Anger rose in me as I recalled the events from last night, from the tea to the . . . dream. It was a dream, right? It had to. It couldn’t be.
? My eyes lay on the woman lying in the bed, naked, beside me. What had I done? Rage seared inside me. The thought of tearing her to pieces crossed my mind.
? “You tricked me,” I roared.
? Beatrix woke up, startled, and jumped out of bed, stumbling on the sheets. She tried to hide her naked body with her arms.
? “I didn’t,” she screamed.
? “The fuck you didn’t! How do you explain me lying in your bed? You drugged me!”
? “It was an exchange of service.” She tried to justify her acts.
? Whatever she said, I didn’t care. She used me. She deserved to pay for what she did.
? “Calm down,” she insisted as I walked toward her from the bed. “I let you drink my blood, as promised. I awakened your wolf, as promised.”
I could feel my wolf clawing restlessly. I knew she was telling the truth, but still . . . “But you drugged me, and after . . .” I couldn’t speak the words. It was so wrong.
“It was the only way,” she explained .
“The only way for what? Fuck me? Making me believe I had found my mate again?”
“The tea prevented us from bonding. It also made you see your innermost desire—your mate. It was the only way for me to conceive a child.”
“A child?” I was astounded.
She hurriedly added, “Don’t worry. I won’t ask anything of you. I will raise the child alone. It is my wish.”
I clenched my fists, and a muscle ticked in my jaw. “Tell me one good reason why I shouldn’t kill you right here right now.”
“I helped you as promised. You didn’t think I would ask for anything in return?”
I stepped forward, and she stepped back, hitting the wall. Panicking, she added, “I know where she is.”
I stopped. Was she telling the truth? I knew I couldn’t trust her. Still, the possibility of finding Emerald was too great for me to ignore her.
I narrowed my eyes at her. “How could you know where she is?”
“The n?k?las. They are my eyes. They’ve seen her. Let me live, and I will tell you where she is.”
I forced myself to breathe. Every fiber in me wanted to kill her, but I had no lead on to where to look for Emerald. I got a few inches from her face. “You’ve got a deal. But if she’s not there and I see you’re lying, I will come back to kill you, even bearing a child. Do I make myself clear?”
The witch nodded nervously, and I stepped back, gathering my clothes .
“She’s in Ichoryllia, in a slave shop. It’s in a dark alley near the eastern walls of the city, near the destroyed windmill. The front door is red.”
I knew the street she was talking about. There was only one destroyed windmill, remnants of an ancient war that had been waged, and no one had rebuilt it.
“You’d better be speaking the truth,” I said before heading for the front door.