Witch Infernal (Infernal Hunt Book 3) (9 page)

"There was nothing I could do. She had already passed when I arrived."

The elf walked closer and put himself between Haeyl and the Sidhe.
 

"He speaks the truth. I got here first, the celestial had just taken her life when I got here. He vanished before I could draw any weapons or magic."

Haeyl's face flickered with rage
,
but he stood and gave a small nod of acceptance. "Fine."

Azfin placed his hand on Haeyl's shoulder and squeezed it gently.
 

"She is at peace now
,
friend."

He looked to Elise. "Thank you."

Elise smiled. “It is as my lady wanted."

Azfin nodded to himself. "Your relationship with the gods isn't our way, but I am thankful for your help. Now, we must find this celestial."

I looked around the group hoping one of them had a solution
,
because I was lost.
 

Elise said
,
"the others said he could not be tracked."

Anger bubbled up through her body
,
making it taut; her fists clenched as she fought for her familiar calm. The Sidhe growled and paced, their feet leaving heavy marks in the soft ground as they drove their anger into their stiff movements.
 

"Nothing can hide from our kind for long
,
" Haeyl finally snarled.
 

Eighteen

The group had dispersed not long after Haeyl's promise. Kadrix and Quin headed over to their alchemical workshop, the fae returned to whatever hole they hid in, and I was left with Lysander. Waiting. I paced around the living room
,
trying to pull up any contacts or information I might have to track down the celestial. Elise was speaking to her lady. I was tiring of being the soldier; the desire to be connected to magic, to be something more, was growing. I slumped down on the sofa
.
I didn't know how I felt about that. I'd been happy as the protector and the guard dog for years, but things had changed. The stakes had been raised
,
and I felt as though I needed upgrades to keep up. Being pushed out of the group wasn't something I relished or was used to. Nor did I intend on becoming used to it.
 

Lysander snarled and dropped to his knees. White fire shot down his spine and he bent over further, as though pinned to the ground by an invisible weight. I rushed to his side and tried to stroke his hair; he snapped and snarled when I pulled back at the shock of the pain from the fire. He swallowed hard and relaxed for a brief second before he exploded upwards; the fire vanished, but his lips remained pulled back in a snarl.
 

"That fucking witch."

I tilted my head. "Excuse me?"

His nostrils flared and his fingers flexed. "I had a word with that witch you fucked."

I squared up to him; any empathy I made have had for his pain soon faded. "You did what?"

He ran his finger over his split lip and his cheek where the blood had been earlier.
 

"He put up something of a fight
,
but I thought he'd learnt his place."

I glared at him as I grabbed a good handful of his hair and dragged his head down to my height.
 

"Hound. What did you do?"

His expression softened as mine hardened; his eyes met mine. "I told him to leave you alone."

I ground my teeth and tightened my grip on his hair, causing him to flex his neck and try to pull away.
 

"That was not your place. Hound."

He swallowed hard. "My apologies."

I released him. "What happened to you?"

He snorted and straightened.
 

"The witch
,
" he spat
,
"tried to curse me. He wasn't prepared for the level of magic within a marrok. It hurt, temporarily. Not as much as I will hurt him now."

I took his legs from under him with a swift kick and wrapped my fingers deep within his hair and wrenched his head back to look up at me and expose his throat. "You have done enough. You should not have started this. I will end it. Understood?"

He looked away.
 
I tightened my grip on his hair and pulled his chin to look at me.
 

"Understood?"

"Yes
,
mistress
,
" he said softly.

"Now, behave yourself. We're going to have a word with Lucien."

The hound remained uptight during the journey to Lucien's shop. I'd texted the witch warning him I was arriving, although I'd chosen to leave out the detail of the hound being with me. His mouth was fixed in a tight line as we approached the shop
.
I flexed my fingers and tried to push down the anger that bubbled up within me.
 

"Relax
,
" I snapped.

The hound looked away from me and drove his hands down into his jeans, his shoulders slumped and rounded. I took a deep breath and prepared myself. The words had swirled around my mind on the journey over, the anger at both of them.
 

Fortunately
,
the shop was empty when we walked in. Lucien's face brightened when he saw me; it quickly turned sour when he saw the hound at my back. I held up my hand when he opened his hands and went to talk.
 

"You cursed my hound."

He narrowed his eyes and ran his thumb over his split lip before he tenderly touched the black bruise on his cheekbone.
 

"He started it."

The hound pressed against me, eager to start it again.
 

"Back
,
" I growled without looking at him.

He stepped back and growled under his breath. I glared at him, he looked away and went quiet. Lucien smirked. I strode over to him and fought to keep some semblance of calm.
 

"No one hurts or threatens my hound. Understood?"

He opened his mouth. I placed my finger on his lips.
 

"No arguments. I don't give a shit if he started it. He has been reprimanded and it will not happen again. Are we clear?" I said coldly.

He kissed down along the edge of my palm, his eyes flicking to the hound.
 

"We're clear
,
" he said seductively.
 

I raised an eyebrow. "You two will leave each other alone. I belong to neither of you."

Lucien's smirk broadened, his eyes dancing with merriment. The hound kept his head down, a growl rumbled in his throat. Lucien's hand went to my hip. I stepped back.
 

"Don't push it."

He gave me his best sexy pout
,
and I found myself starting to melt. I turned away
.
 

"It's over
,
" was all I said as I left with the hound just behind me.

A flicker of something white, a tall broad man caught my eye as he vanished around the corner. I shrugged. Blond men were unusual in the city; it wasn't unexpected that he'd catch my eye. My heart thundered in my chest, the emotions roiled within me. We walked along the tramline while I composed myself. It was such an absurd mess. The hound started to relax behind me, his anger melting away to guilt and sadness. My own mood shifted with his
,
and I cursed the bond. I never had any interest in territorial men; my life was my own
,
and I had demonstrated time and time again I could look after myself. Yet that hound was dangerously close to making me reconsider that stance.
 

We sat on a simple wooden bench and waited for the next tram. He went to sit on the floor by my feet
,
but thought better of it and sat a foot away from me on the bench.
 

I pointed to the space next to me and said, "sit."

He scooted closer, refusing to look at me. I stroked behind his ear, running my fingers over his neck in a motion that soothed us both.
 

"Give me time. There will be no others, but I still need time
,
" I said softly.

It was a hard admission to make. That I was falling for an infernal beast
,
of all things. I didn't know how much was the bond and how much was my own shattered heart, but I couldn't deny it was happening anymore. He nuzzled his cheek against my hand and the familiar warmth of his happiness fluttered in my chest. A smile tugged at my lips
,
and I saw no reason to resist it. Things were looking up. My chance at real happiness was packaged differently to my hopes and dreams, but Lysander was just that. My chance at happiness.

Nineteen

The evening and night had been surprisingly peaceful, given everything that had happened. Quin had crawled into bed sometime after midnight. Lysander and I had sparred for a couple of hours to vent and keep up good practice before we curled up in bed together. The memories I'd shared with him burnt in the back of my mind, but it was becoming easier to push them aside and focus on the sweet creature that had wrapped himself around me, protecting me from the cold dark world.
 

Elise had arranged a small ceremony of sorts for the nymph; we'd all chosen to attend. The celestials had caused it
,
yet I couldn't help but feel some edge of guilt, some unseen role that I'd played in the poor woman's death. Haeyl knelt on the earth where her body had been, his head bowed. Tears tumbled down his cheeks while he said a quiet Sidhe prayer. Azfin stood at his side, back stiff and hands balled in fists. His face was a mask of sharp angles and promises of revenge. He stood watching over the city while the rest of us stood back a little, heads bowed in quiet thought and prayer of our own. Once Haeyl stood
,
Elise stepped forward; her hand rested on Haeyl's slender shoulder as she took a deep breath and drew up the energies of the earth. A peaceful smile lit her face; her pure white clothes almost seemed to glow in that moment.
 

"May Marielle find peace in her time after
,
" Elise more commanded than said.
 

We each repeated her phrase quietly.
 

The Sidhe thanked us for our presence
.
Small nods and light handshakes were passed around
,
covering mutters of blood and death under cold breath. We let them be; they made excuses about finding a way to track the murderer. They'd be in touch when they needed us again. We slowly wound our way through the park back to Elise's church, Kadrix's fingers entwined with Quin's. I had to smile; they gently leaned into each other, their steps matching. They fit. The elf certainly wasn't my choice for my twin, but as Lysander was proving
,
sometimes we have to look outside of our usual biases.
 

The quiet contemplation on the nature of life and the role of the varying species within the city and the web of life was shattered by Zair's little smirk. Tiel strutted in front of him, a grin plastered on his face.
 

"How quaint. You all look delightful
,
" he said.

Quin put himself between me and Tiel stopping me from punching him. Lysander snarled but remained at my side. Elise's calm facade shattered. She exploded at them. Her body seemed to double in size as she stood taller
.
Her muscles went taut. Her rage encompassed her.
 

"How dare you show up now! You foolish, worthless pieces of shit. You stand there in your fucking suits while we mourn for the loss of a good soul that you killed."

Zair raised his hand a little and went to speak. Elise slapped the words from his mouth.
 

"You killed her. You and your moronic little mistake that allowed a killer loose in our city. Not just any killer, a half-trained warrior that can hide from us."

Tiel chuckled. Elise squared up to him, her body vibrating as she fought for control.
 

"You're really very pretty when you're pissed
,
priestess
,
" Tiel said nonchalantly.

"I'll show you ‘pretty
,
’" she snarled before she grabbed his balls in a vice-like grip.
 

All colour left the celestial's face. He choked and spluttered as he doubled over in agony.
 

"Mock me again and I will rip these off, before I take my time gutting you
,
" she whispered harshly.

I hadn't even dreamt of Elise speaking in such a way before. The dainty little priestess was a force to be reckoned with, but she had turned into a volatile storm that would make even the most hardened warriors quake. I loved her all the more for it.
 

Zair lifted his hands and stepped back. "We were here to pass on some news."

Elise narrowed her eyes at them. Quin and Kadrix stopped me from pushing forwards; the edge to his words told me it was nothing good.
 

"The witch that Evie coupled with was killed by the rogue last night."

My stomach dropped. My lungs shrank, suddenly incapable of taking in any air.
 

"I was there yesterday afternoon
,
" I said quietly.

Lysander's arm wrapped around my waist and pulled me close
,
giving me an anchor to the world. Lucien's face flashed in my mind, the sexy smile, the way his eyes danced with merriment, how his lips had brushed my skin. I remembered the flash of white. It must have been the celestial. I choked. How had I not known? The world spun for what felt like an eternity before I regained my composure.
 

"You're sure it was your rogue?" I said quietly.

Zair took another two large steps back as everyone glared at him; even Tiel had the good sense to back off.
 

"We're sure
,
" he said.
 

"How do you know?" Kadrix asked sharply.
 

"The style is distinctly his, and there was a broken feather on the scene
,
" Zair said while looking around the group.