Chapter 5

The Dream Walker

She flinches ever so slightly as the door seals shut. Her doe eyes scan the room, and a brief flicker of panic flashes in them. She sees the wide open window. Her fingers flex, and she no doubt feels the power she can channel in the dirt Archie has, for whatever reason, decided to expose.

She figures that she can escape if she has to. That she can defend herself if needed. If she runs, she won't get far. We've made sure of that.

She won't last a day alone out there. Not with Neve and Cole, who are probably watching us from afar and waiting for us to make a mistake. And not with her old coven circling our border. They know she's here. And they think she has something to do with Cole, their coven leader, going missing.

Never mind her magic and newfound bloodlust. Both of which she can't fully control.

But I'm glad she sees the open window. The dirt.

And I'm glad she chooses to stay and not fight her way through us. It would be a bloody mess, and things would get bad quickly because we're not going to let her go, and she would rather die than succumb to us right now.

She's ours. She just hasn't accepted that yet. But she will.

Pixie steps closer to the soil, thinking she's being clever and sneaky. If her fingertips touch the earth, our asses will get kicked.

But so will hers.

Well… smacked. A lot. And she would love it.

I clear my throat, reminding her that I'm watching, and she lifts her gaze to meet mine. That flash of vindictiveness grips my heart. That threat she delivers with nothing but a look is chilling.

Neve. That's where Pixie got that look from. A couple of times since we caught our girl, I've captured a glimpse of the blood queen stirring inside. Every time I see that disgusting resemblance between the girl who stands before me and the twisted witch who destroyed me a million times over, I have to fight the urge to make Pixie pay for what her mother did to me.

To the three of us.

It's instinctual to tear apart the enemy. But since I heard the snap of her neck and saw her lifeless eyes, I no longer see Neve. Just Pixie. So stubborn and angry. Frightened and powerful.

But weak and lost. Unsure of her place, her power and her purpose.

She's never been able to trust a single soul. Everyone in her short and brutal life has betrayed, abused and fucked her over. Us included.

I'm determined to make that change.

We'll give her what she needs.

We'll make her strong. Make sure she knows that her place and purpose is at our side. And show her that her power makes her a fearsome creature.

Because the alternative means she is just another blood witch. And that ending is not an option.

‘Talk then,' she demands, her back straightening a little.

This little witch, her head barely reaching our chins, commanding us.

I love it. Love how she stands tall. Speaks firmly.

So unlike any female earth witch I've ever seen. Sure, she's a blood witch. But she was raised in an earth coven. Force fed their keep sweet and be obedient bullshit. And yet she goes against every grain her father tried to force on her.

I have never understood why a man would want some meek and obedient little thing, afraid of their own shadow and desperate to avoid any upset.

Passion comes from all those emotions that boil over. That can't be tamed. And Pixie is always ready to explode. Has been since she stole Dorian's knife and killed the pixie I had strapped down on that table.

It was unfortunate that our first meeting had to be when we were tearing apart a living thing. But that little pixie fuck had been spying on me for days. The Unseelie may have been in the shadows all these years, but I know they've been watching me. That they've been continuing to spy on us since we executed their blood queen and her sisters and reporting back to whatever creatures have been ruling the unseelie in Neve's absence.

Turns out I should have tied down the fucking banshee all along.

Neve's spies are everywhere.

Pixie fiddles with her bracelet. I hate that thing and how she refuses to take it off. It's a glamour given to her by her mother to hide the blood witch kindred marks Pixie has etched onto her skin. The dead giveaway as to what she truly is.

But it also hides her scars. The ones given to her by a life of abuse and neglect.

I hate that she feels the need to hide from us. She's beautiful. But I pick my fights. And that is not the hill I'm willing to die on today.

‘I said talk, Dream Walker,' she repeats.

‘Are you seeing spirits?' I ask.

Her hand rests over the many, many charms Dorian made for her.

The last thing we want is for her to be seeing the dead. Considering we killed her prick of a father and two insane aunts, that's certainly not something we would want. All mirrors have also been removed from the castle. Their glass shattered and frames burned to ensure she never accidentally sees a spirit from the beyond.

‘I'm sorry. But if you want to ask me questions, you must earn them first.' She smiles cruelly. ‘You can talk, and I can listen. That's what I agreed to and what you offered. So talk.'

‘What do you want?' Archie asks. ‘In exchange for giving us the answers?'

‘How about,' she ponders, her finger tapping her lip in fake contemplation. ‘You all drop dead right here and now. Do that, and I'll answer any questions you like.'

Archie laughs, looking between the two of us. Even I can't help but smile.

‘Afraid we can't do that,' I reply. ‘But I can offer you training?'

‘Training?' she repeats.

‘Help you practice your magic. Help you learn to feed properly.'

‘Oh. Do I not get a selection of half-naked males delivered to me by the king?' She steps closer, her eyes staring into my soul. ‘Ones I can strip and fuck and drink? Just as you do?'

‘Did,' Dorian corrects. ‘You know we haven't touched another since-'

‘The fire was lit four nights ago. Do not lie to me,' she spits.

‘We fed from a wrist only and left straight after. We neither touched nor even looked at the women they presented.'

She scoffs and rolls her eyes.

‘We need to feed. Or we get weak.' I step closer. ‘We would rather feed from you.'

‘Did you?' she asks accusingly. ‘Whilst I was sleeping?'

‘You were in a drunken stupor. Not sleeping.'

‘That's not an answer.'

I shake my head.

‘We vowed we wouldn't, and we kept that promise. Even though feeding from you makes us strong enough to protect you.'

She lets out a little exhale. She believes me. That's an improvement. And she's speaking to us. A step in the right direction.

I risk another step closer. She looks up at me through her lashes.

‘Pixie. Are you protected from the spirits?' I take her wrist, my thumb rolling the beads and charms.

She nods and pulls away from me, cupping her hands behind her back.

‘Where is Neve?' she asks.

‘We don't know.' She visibly pales at my words. ‘Her and Cole haven't surfaced.'

‘Have you looked?'

‘Of course. But no one knows about her return except us and the unseelie who serve her. All of whom have gone annoyingly quiet.'

‘Did you discover anything about my biological father?' she asks Archie.

‘No.'

She lets out a breath and lowers her head. Not the answers she was hoping for, I know. But I promised the truth, so that's what she will get.

She lifts her head and meets my gaze.

‘I want my snake,' she says. ‘My familiar. I want her back. You have no right keeping her from me.'

‘I don't think so,' Archie laughs nervously, shuddering at the suggestion.

‘She's mine,' Pixie insists. ‘My familiar. She protects me, and I want her.'

‘You know she can't kill us,' I remind her. ‘Her bite will merely hurt and annoy.'

‘She kills any threat to me. Are you a threat, Dream Walker?' she asks, her brow raised. ‘Or are all your promises of protecting and caring for me simply another lie?'

‘You can have her,' I reply, making Dorian and Archie snap their heads up at me in surprise.

‘I can?'

I nod. ‘When you allow us to feed from you again. Starting with twice a week. Agree to that, and I will get her for you.'

I tense, ready for her to lash out. For magic and screams, just as Neve would have done.

Her jaw clenches, and she winces before she turns and walks to the open window. The early morning breeze brings her scent to us all. We all catch it. We all crave it.

Blood.

She's bitten her lip again.

She takes a few deep breaths.

I go to her, standing at her side and looking out at the distant forests. A bead of blood slides down her chin, and her eyes shimmer with tears. I remain quiet and wait, unable to pull my gaze from her. The fa?ade of pure disinterest and anger has cracked, and a glimmer of vulnerability slips through.

I know she's in pain. We all do. She's broken and betrayed. Confused and afraid. And we played a part in all of those hurts.

‘How can I be the daughter of such an evil creature?' she asks, a deep frown on her troubled face as she scans the world beyond the window. Like she's looking for Neve out there in the darkness of the early morning. ‘She killed and tortured witches and humans. Destroyed and consumed everything in her path. And I came from her. I'm part of her. What does that make me?'

She looks up at me, her eyes pleading for an answer. I wipe away the bead of blood with my thumb.

‘You are not your mother's daughter, Pixie. You are you. Actions define a soul. Not parentage.'

‘Then your soul is destined for an eternity in hell.'

She looks back outside, her hands gripping the window ledge so tightly that the wood groans.

‘Am I a prisoner in your castle, Dream Walker?' she asks.

‘Are you locked in a cell, Pixie? Are there bars around you that we don't see?'

‘No. But I wear the chain, and you won't let me out of your sights.' She glares at Dorian. ‘And you used your mark on me.'

All fair points.

‘You're not leaving this room until we've spoken. And the chain is around your neck in case I need to use it. Do not give me a reason to restrain you or lock you up, and I will do neither.'

‘So I can leave the castle?' she asks.

‘You can go into the grounds within sight. That's all I can allow until we know it's safe for you. You must also tell no one what you are or what happened with Neve. Do you understand me? Or those living here will tear you apart.'

‘Huh. You mean all the creatures who have abandoned you?' she scoffs.

She may have been silent, but she's been watching.

‘I want my snake back, Dream Walker.'

‘Sure, ' I raise my brow. ‘I've already agreed to that. You know my terms. I won't repeat them.'

I won't further arm her without giving us the strength we need to keep her and us safe. Even if her Kedar familiar would protect her when we could not, that thing could still bite us and put us all on our arses as she made a run for it.

She sweeps her hair over her shoulder and exposes her neck. The thrumming of her pulse and the scent of her skin hits me and goes straight to my cock.

Shit… this fucking girl.

‘Agreed,' she says. ‘Do it.'

I hate how her voice breaks when she speaks, but she's prepared to do what she must to get her way. As she always has been.

I rest my hand on her hip and run my thumb along her jawline. Her skin erupts in goosebumps, and she lets out a sharp exhale at such a slight touch. But despite her body's reaction, she steps away, shaking her head.

‘Just drink, Dream Walker. I don't want you to touch me.'

That's a lie. Her body hummed as soon as it felt me.

I step closer. All I fucking want is to touch her. To throw her down and ravage her in the dirt she loves.

My fangs sharpen at the mere idea, and I take her cheek in my hand, my thumb caressing back and forth, creating more goosebumps for her to enjoy.

‘Please,' she says quietly, unable to look at me. ‘Please don't touch me. Just feed and step away. Please.'

There's a desperation to her I've not heard before, and I wonder if, perhaps, her body is betraying her just as much as ours did when we first played with her. We loathe blood witches. Find them vile and repulsive. But when I touched her for the first time, my skin erupted in those same little bumps now coating her flesh. My body ached for hers. My cock was hard in an instant, and her scent consumed my mind, body and soul. And her taste… fuck… every taste has been as phenomenal as that first.

But I was supposed to hate her. Make her pay. She was to be put in the cell and left there to serve no purpose other than to feed us, perform that spell, suffer and die.

That was the plan.

But when we held her in the woods and placed our marks on her, we all knew that was never going to happen. The cell we had prepared wasn't an option; instead, we gave her a bedroom. Hell, we made her food and gave her clothing!

Despite everything inside us screaming that it was wrong.

That she was the enemy.

Now, we are her enemy. But she has tasted us just as we have tasted her. I wonder if she fears our touch, not because she doesn't want it, but because she does and can't accept that she loves us.

I lower my hands and ball them into fists. She exposes her neck for me, and I bite, piercing her flesh easily. She doesn't wince but stands statue-like as her blood pools in my mouth. I swallow three times before she steps back.

She can't even look at me.

Archie drops the axe and takes his fill. His fingers flex as he fights every urge he has to grab that girl and make her beg for more.

Again, three swallows, and she steps back. Dorian and her meet in the middle of the room.

He looks down at her, his darkness stirring.

‘You feel what I feel,' she says. ‘That link between us is still there, isn't it?'

‘It is,' he replies.

My insides twist with jealousy at the bond they share. The Shadow Master and his necromancer. Both with one foot in the beyond.

‘Do you enjoy feeling it?' she asks him. ‘What you did to me? Feeling my pain?'

‘Compared to the nothingness I felt after Neve killed you,' he breathes, stepping closer. ‘I adore it. Every drop of anger and hatred. Every ounce of pain. I'll drown in it gladly.'

She tilts her head to the side and he claims his fill.

Three mouthfuls, and he pulls back. His entire aura settles as he regains complete control over the shadows inside. Her wound heals, and she returns her gaze to the window.

She wipes her tears before they can fall and swallows before she speaks.

‘Do we still have the blood grimoire?' she asks.

‘Why?' I ask, feeling Dorian and Archie's cautious gaze flick between her and me. ‘No good will come from it.'

‘I just want to know if it's still here or if it is with Neve.'

I look around to make sure no spies are lurking anywhere. ‘It's here, safe and hidden, and not for you.'

‘The earth grimoire?' she asks.

‘Gone.'

‘My coven has it?' She asks. ‘After they attacked the castle and set it on fire, they took it. Do they still have it?'

‘Perhaps. But we think it's more likely that Cole has it.'

Her shoulders rise and fall as she takes a calming breath.

‘How is Thalia?' she asks without looking at any of us. ‘Is she still alive?'

‘She is,' I inform her. ‘In the cells. A friend has been taking care of her.'

I wanted to kill the bitch. Just end the traitorous whore as Pixie slept. Say she didn't survive us ripping out her tongue. But the list of reasons for Pixie to hate us was long enough already, and I didn't want to add to it.

I'm getting soft.

‘Good,' she says, her voice suddenly cold and hard again. ‘Leave her there to rot.' She looks back at me. ‘I want my fucking snake, Dream Walker. A deal is a deal.' And with that, she hops out the window and slowly saunters across the grounds.

‘You think she's gonna run?' Archie asks, watching her every move.

‘No. I don't,' I answer. Pixie stops, and her shoulders slump as her bare feet sink into the earth. ‘She has nowhere to go, and she knows it. She's pissed off and upset. Not suicidal.'

She glances back at us.

‘I think she'll get over this quickly,' he says.

‘She's not even referring to us by name,' Dorian reminds him.

‘Yeah, but at least she's speaking to us. She'll be riding our dicks in no time.'

Archie gives her a little wave and blows her a kiss.

She returns his gesture by holding up her middle finger with a smirk.

‘Maybe not,' he adds, lowering his hand. ‘Do you think she'll kill us in our sleep?'

She sinks her vulgar gesture between her robe and between her legs, sliding it inside her and then sucking it clean. She then sits, palms down, as she connects to the magic below her.

‘That was hot, no?' Archie asks, looking between us. ‘Should I be turned on by that?'

‘You were turned on by her pissing on a dying man,' Dorian reminds him.

‘True. Fuck, I hope she does that again.'

‘I'm sure she'd happily oblige if any one of us volunteered,' I sigh, turning away from her. ‘Watch her, Dorian. And Archie, just… carry on doing whatever the fuck it is you're doing and stay out of trouble.'

I head to the door.

‘Where are you going?' Archie asks.

‘Fetching her damned snake.'

As I leave, I hear Archie shudder. ‘I fucking hate snakes.'