Total pages in book: 27
Estimated words: 25186 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 126(@200wpm)___ 101(@250wpm)___ 84(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 25186 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 126(@200wpm)___ 101(@250wpm)___ 84(@300wpm)
The High Priestess frowned. I could see the wheels turning, likely trying to decide how far to take her charade. Finally, she shrugged. “The two are not mutually exclusive.”
“I missed you, Celeste,” a male voice spoke up. Arthur stepped forward to stand beside his mother. He looked at Celeste with such longing that if I didn’t know better, I would have thought he actually cared for her. But it was the power and prestige that she gave him, that’s what was truly the reason behind his forlorn demeanor.
“I didn’t realize how much I wanted you to be my wife until I lost you. I love you.”
Celeste snorted, and I suppressed a chuckle.
Damn, she was amazing.
“Then you won’t mind that I’m no longer a virgin?” she queried.
His mask slipped for a moment, revealing the rage inside him, but then it was back in place. “I just want you.” He turned his beady eyes to me and didn’t bother to hide his hatred. “I can overlook your indiscretion.”
I growled at him, baring my fangs, and for a moment, he looked unsure. Then his ego returned, and he sneered at me with condescension.
“You think accepting the destiny given to me by The Goddess is some kind of misjudgment?” Celeste snapped.
Arthur responded, but I stopped paying attention to their argument when something else caught my eye.
A nearly indiscernible mist was crawling across the clearing, and the closer it got, the more it took on the shape of a rope.
Curious to see what the witch controlling it had planned, I didn’t react right away. Soon, it became clear that the spell was intended for Celeste. I was willing to bet that the magical rope would bind not only the person but their magic as well.
That’s when I gave everyone permission to move in. The first witch grabbed, from the back of the group, had no time to warn anyone before they were teleported to the dungeon below my Kieran’s mansion.
I’d hoped they were the person controlling the mist—since I couldn’t see them yet—but it was still advancing.
Suddenly, Celeste stopped talking and put a hand on her hip, her expression becoming indignant.
“Seriously, Sanderson?” With a wave of her hand, there was a rush of air, and then a man appeared to be floating above the other witches.
Celeste whispered something, and the mist suddenly retracted, slithering back toward the man. But instead of disappearing into the hands it had been released from, it wrapped around him. He went zooming over the stream, then fell into the water.
That was when all hell broke loose.
I’d instructed the vampires to avoid killing, if possible. But as the fighting ensued, it became evident that the witches had no intention of leaving any of us alive.
Spells flew through the air, bodies clashed in physical battle, and the elements became a tumultuous whirlwind all around us—as though they were spinning in confusion over the multitude of conflicting commands.
To my surprise, the High Priestess stood out of the fray. I expected her to at least be helping her people, but her focus was solely on Celeste.
I was grappling with a warlock when I felt my muscles begin to burn with more than exertion. I knocked him unconscious before spinning around and spotting a witch staring intently at me. Her lips were moving, so I ran straight into her at vampiric speed, sending her flying backward. The breath was knocked out of her, keeping her from continuing her incantation.
I conjured a roll of industrial-strength duct tape and slapped some over her mouth.
“Ren!”
Athan appeared next to me and pointed off to our left. “I’ll take care of this one. Go!”
Somehow, Arthur had managed to get near Celeste and was dragging her into the trees. Well, dragging wasn’t exactly the correct term since she appeared to be going along willingly.
Fuck. I’d forgotten that he had the ability to ensnare people. It was similar to vampire compulsion, but the effect wasn’t as strong. He could only make suggestions that seemed very appealing to his victim. Whereas, when I used compulsion, the receiver had no choice but to follow my commands.
Celeste had said that next to her and the High Priestess, he was the most powerful.
But considering Celeste’s knowledge of him, it shocked me that he’d been able to get her under his spell.
But it didn’t matter at the moment. All I cared about was making sure my woman was safe. Anger and possession clawed at my insides, and I knew it wouldn’t take much to push me over the edge and end his worthless life.
In the blink of an eye, I was standing a few feet in front of Arthur.
He was looking back at Celeste, sneering, “If you thought fucking that leech would keep me from what’s mine, you’re out of your fucking mind, you little slut. I can still gain power from fucking you, whether you want it or not. At least before, I would have treated you with respect, like a partner. But now, you’ll be my whore. I—”