86. The Witch

KIARA

Her scent filled my nose and I turned, looking at the faint shimmering red glow that came from one spot. It was strange that I couldn"t even hear her heartbeat.

"Show yourself." Alejandro said coldly.

I frowned and pointed at her.

"She's there, right?"

"Oh? You can see me?" Her voice seemed to hold an age-old feeling to it.

"Yeah, I don't see a fucking thing." Alejandro said, now stepping in front of me and shielding me from the direction that I had pointed to.

"She doesn"t mean any harm." I whispered quietly, hoping the witch couldn"t hear me. I could sense her power, which felt very strong, and her thirst for knowledge, but I didn't sense any danger from her.

"You should listen to your Queen." She said, making both of us tense.

"You know we're mates?" Alejandro asked.

"Oh, I know a lot, King of wolves. The question is, what will you give me in return for my knowledge?"

Did she want something? I wasn't expecting that…

"What do you want?" Alejandro asked, his voice low and deep. Yet the authority and power were emanating from him in waves and even I could feel it.

"Restrain yourself or I assure you, you won't ever hear a word from me." She hissed.

"Alejandro, relax. She means us no harm." I said, stepping out from behind him and wrapping my arm around his muscular one.

"I"m only asking, what the fuck do you want in return?" He spat.

Well, it was clear he had no patience and was not about to back down.

"The witch working from the shadows has something that I need. If you give me your word that you will retrieve it, I will tell you all you need to know."

That sounded fair enough.

"Fine." Alejandro said.

The darkness was only growing, and I took a deep breath. How did he keep all this power suppressed?

"Alejandro…" I said.

He looked at me, his glowing orbs looking down into mine. He seemed to instantly realise what was affecting me and I felt the pressure ease off. I heard the witch also take a deep breath. Which meant, although she was acting all calm, it had been affecting her too.

"Let's go somewhere safe to speak." The woman said. "Follow me."

"I can't even fucking see you." Alejandro growled.

"Your Queen can." She said.

I now took his hand, a move that was becoming so natural, and led the way following that red glow. From time to time he'd pull me to the side or even lift me over something or the other. The woman stopped after a few minutes and I heard her whisper something. Her red glow seemed to spread, surrounding what now took the shape of a house.

"This house will do." She said. I heard the creak of a door and the strong smell of mildew along with something stale. I wrinkled my nose, gasping as Alejandro let go of my hand and lifted me by the waist to place me inside the house. Stepping in behind me, his hands remained around my waist and my stomach was going crazy. I leaned into him, unable to resist, and his arm snaked around me, making my already beating heart go wild.

The witch whispered something else and I felt, and saw, her powers wrap around the room, seeping into every corner. Suddenly the room became lit with a warm orange light and I finally looked at the woman who now seemed willing to reveal herself entirely as I could hear her heart beating too.

She was in her mid-fifties, her long black hair was streaked with white. Her eyes were hooded and deep blue, rimmed with thick lashes watched us sharply. She wore a black cloak which I found rather interesting.

Did witches actually wear those?

The place itself was falling apart. The wooden walls were damp and stained. The windows were broken and boarded up. There were a few dirty chairs to one side and a broken table was tilted against the far wall.

"What do you want me to retrieve?" Alejandro asked her coldly.

She smiled slightly.

"The witch who I know for a fact is helping them, has an amulet. In the shape of a crescent, made of selenite and with engravings in the old tongue upon the back. I need you to remove that from her neck before you kill her. Otherwise, it is of no use to me."

"Fine, I will get that necklace for you… So, you know her identity?" Alejandro asked, his arms wrapped around me possessively.

"I have never met her in person, but I have heard about her. She is a hybrid." The witch spoke up, her own eyes darkening as she pondered something.

"A hybrid of?"

"A werewolf witch." She said with contempt. "Two species that should never, ever, become one."

"The daughter born from darkness. Stories say her father was an Alpha who raped her witch mother and that is how she was born, but no one really knows. As a werewolf would have to mark the woman to get her pregnant it seems odd, I don't think anyone would do that if their aim was simply to rape… Unless, of course, they were mates." The witch said with clear distain. It seemed they really did hate our kind.

I knew humans couldn"t get pregnant by a werewolf unless they were marked, as it made them stronger and able to carry pups. It seemed the same rule also applied to witches.

"So apart from how the fuck she was produced, do you have any information that could actually help?" Alejandro asked mockingly.

I almost rolled my eyes at his remark. If I didn't sense how much he wasn't enjoying being here, I would have said something.

"Patience child, you may be a king but you have a lot to learn. If you don't know the start, how will you learn anything? You have come to me for answers, so simply listen." She said coldly. "A witch will always pay a life debt and this is mine."

"So, get a fucking move on." Alejandro said.

Her eyes glowed and I could feel her anger and dislike growing.

"He's being nice, he just swears a lot." I said, not wanting this situation to get out of hand.

"Hmph. Then don't speak." She hissed.

I felt Alejandro's anger rise and I leaned into him, stroking his arm as I looked up at him.

"Please." I said, blushing when I felt him throb against me, sending my own body into a frenzy.

He simply frowned and looked away. I knew he wanted answers, but at the same time, he was getting angry. I turned back to the woman.

"Could you tell us about this witch, I"m sure there must be something we can deduce from what you know."

"Learn from your woman." The witch said looking at Alejandro, who glared murderously at her.

She walked over to one of the filthy chairs. I saw that she wore black pants underneath her cloak and she was holding a walking stick. I frowned as I noticed her limp while she walked, slowly sitting down. Despite the fact she didn't let it show on her face, I could sense the pain she was in.

"There are three types of witches, well one type but three paths. There are us lone witches who blend in and just want to live an ordinary life. Then there is the coven of Alamoria, a coven based in Salem, America. They seek out witches across the world and believe they need to keep track of all of us, to use as they wish. Then we have those who have turned to the dark side of magic. I am a lone witch who refuses to abide by the coven"s rules and plans. They are witches who would choose to help hunters rather than side with vampires and werewolves."

"Wait, vampires exist?" I was surprised.

"Child, if werewolves exist, why can't vampires? Yes, unlike you… wolves… they don't have so many offspring… They are far and few, but where do you think the other monsters have morphed from? We know Wendigo"s are born from dark magic and werewolves. Manangal's are similar, created from vampires. This witch, known by her given name Endora, has tapped into the darkest of magic to create these things."

"For what purpose?" Alejandro asked.

"Only she would have the answer to that, don't you think Lycan King Alejandro Rossi?"

"You know more than that. If you want that amulet, something it seems you yourself will never be able to retrieve… Then you better tell us everything." He growled warningly.

I saw her anger rising, but from her heartbeat, it was clear Alejandro wasn't wrong. She was holding some stuff back.

"Well then, I would advise you to take a seat… This will be a long conversation." She said.

Alejandro frowned but moved forward, grabbing one of the dirty chairs. I wrinkled my nose. Did I have to sit on those? But he had other plans. Sitting on it, a good few feet from the witch, he tugged me into his lap making my heart pound. I looked into his eyes, very aware of his firm thigh under me as I slowly locked my arm around his neck, forcing my gaze back to the witch and trying not to focus on how perfect this felt. The pain of his unspoken rejection was still raw and it kept coming back, but maybe one day…

"Callum told me you wanted to know about the Asheton bloodline… I see now why he asked. You are of a special bloodline, are you not child?" This question was directed at me and I nodded.

"She wants her, the Wendigos and Manangal's are sent after her. Do you know why?"

"The same reason that the monster Zidane wanted his daughter. Endora is the very same witch who was working with him all those years ago."