34. Chapter 34

Chapter 34

Roman

E verything was quiet. With the window closed and most of the house occupants gone on patrol, it was so, so quiet. Unlike my mind, which was buzzing with plans and questions so loud, I was sure that if I were human, I'd be sporting a killer headache.

I still couldn't fathom how everything could spiral out of control in such a short time. The situation hadn't been great when I left with Beleth, but now… now it was even worse.

Pinching the bridge of my nose, I sighed heavily.

Isaac, unconscious in the Coven of Eternal Light. Maria, in the wind after escaping Malakai's trap. Samara, Lily, and Alice gone who knows where, and judging by the state of the garden, they hadn't left for a sisterly bonding time.

After Malakai and Chester filled me in on everything I had missed, I had to compel the Martens not to worry, so I could buy myself time to figure out what to do next. And not to tell Celeste about Samara's… bond . I wasn't sure they could explain it properly, and I needed her calm and logical, not panicking like they had been.

As far as they were concerned, Alice and Samara had taken Lily somewhere safe to aid her recovery, and that's all there was to it. With the werewolf's healing knowledge and the witch's powers, it was a lie that was easy to sell. I

Meantime, Celeste had been distracted with tending to Beleth for the past two days and while I'd much rather see him rotting away, I didn't say anything. It kept her busy, and it allowed me the opportunity to think things through and make a plan. However, now that he'd woken up, she'd no doubt start noticing things. And unlike the others, I couldn't lie to her. She'd never forgive me for that.

A quiet creak had me dropping my hand and leaning back in my seat. The door closed and a tiny flame blossomed in the dark, throwing light across the room for her to see. When her eyes fell on my chair, she jumped, one hand flying to her chest as she exhaled heavily.

"You startled me," Celeste muttered, motioning with her fingers. The flame flew through the air, swirling over the candelabras on the table and walls until the entire chamber was drowned in a soft orange glow. It was still day outside, so the curtains were drawn and I didn't need light to see, but she did. "Why aren't you resting? Something on your mind?"

"Always," I smiled somberly, extending a hand toward her. She gave me a knowing look before slipping into my lap. Nestling her head in the crook of my neck, she sighed tiredly while I wrapped my arms around her.

My worries faded to the back of my mind as I inhaled her scent, and then her warmth seeped into me. For a few minutes, the only sound in the world was her steady heartbeat. I thought that maybe she had dozed off, but when she spoke, her voice was anything but sleepy.

"Are you going to tell me what's on your mind, or do I need to coax it out of you?"

I closed my eyes, smiling as I rubbed my cheek against her soft hair. She pulled back until she could meet my gaze, her eyebrows raised expectantly.

"Is Beleth still in one piece?" I asked instead, receiving an annoyed look.

"Yes," she said tersely, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Pity," I smirked, but when she didn't take the bait, I let my smile drop. "And Isaac?"

Her expression softened, concern turning the lines of her face sharp and harsh.

"He's alive, but I can't reach his mind." She pursed her lips, staring expectantly, then suddenly pushed herself up. It crossed my mind to stop her, but in the end, I let her go. Her impatience was so palpable that I knew there was no more delaying this conversation.

"Roman, please, I'm tired. Don't play games with me. Tell me." She sighed, dropping into the cushioned seat nearby. I had caught her up on almost everything that had happened since she disappeared. Apart from mentioning Maria, the only topic I had consciously avoided was…

"There is a male witch alive right now, and he's tied to Samara by an oath—or so she claims." The words hung in the air between us, heavy and ominous. She stared at me like she couldn't understand what I was saying and when they finally sank in, her eyes widened with horror.

"She gave birth to a male?" she gasped, covering her mouth with her hand. "But she wasn't… She didn't…?"

I raised my hand to stop her from babbling. "He's not her child. From what she's told us, he's older, much older. Regina was controlling him when she was alive, but after Isaac killed her…" I trailed off, watching the color drain from Celeste's face.

"That can't be," she whispered, shaking her head in denial. I reached for her, needing to reassure her, but she abruptly got up. Her steps were heavy as she paced around. "How did Regina… Why…? And Samara…" When words continued to evade her, she ran a hand through her hair, heart racing so fast that I thought she might faint. "How did you… Why didn't Julia tell me? Where is Samara now? Was the story about taking Lily somewhere safe even true?"

Her fear made my rage burn hotter, and for a moment, I regretted telling her. Deep down, I knew this wasn't something I could fix on my own. I wasn't even sure if there was a way to kill a male witch, but if there was one, it would take all of us working together to see it through. Including the most powerful witch in the world.

"No. Malakai said that they were likely taken from the garden—Samara, Lily, and Alice. There was blood from all three of them left behind." Celeste's eyes had grown distant, as they often did when she was trying to puzzle out a difficult problem on her own. "It was probably the male witch who took them, but we can't be sure. Samara said he could hide his scent and pass through wards undetected."

"The Martens… you compelled them, didn't you?" When I didn't answer, she took a step toward me, then stopped. "Why would you do something like that? We're talking about their children! They have the right to know!"

Frustration coiled in my gut, and I glared at her. "Because I had to!" She flinched at the harsh tone, so I tried to soften it as I pushed myself up. "You left them in my care and asked me to keep them alive. So that's what I was doing! If they knew the truth, they would have tried to force me into doing something rushed and stupid. And had I refused, because I'm not an idiot with a death wish, they would have gone after them, anyway! They are humans! All they are good at is dying!"

I didn't realize I had raised my voice until the last word echoed through the room like a curse. Her expression was calm and disapproving, but a little guilty too.

"You don't mean that," she whispered, shaking her head. "I know you're just protecting them, but…"

"But what, Celeste?" I interrupted. "What would you have me do? Lock them up? Let them go? Tell them their daughters are as good as dead because nobody here can match the power of a male witch, not even you?"

She looked down at her hands just as they balled into fists.

"I can take their anger. Their hate, too. I'm used to it. But at least they're alive," I said, catching her hands gently and tightening my fingers around hers. "But we can't let this get out of control. If it was my choice, I would have taken you far from here and let others deal with this problem. But I know you and I know you'd never go. So the only other option is to stand together. All of us." I hooked a finger under her chin, pushing up until she had no choice but to look at me. "The night Samara came here and told us about the male witch, the rules of the game changed. And if what I suspect is true, Mariam is after him. And if she gets hold of his leash…"

Celeste shuddered, her eyes closing as if she was trying to compose herself.

"Does Isaac know about his sister? That she's missing?" she asked.

"No, he left before I did. Nobody knows except me, Malakai, and Chester."

She sighed tiredly, stepping away and running a hand through her hair.

"I hate lies. You know that," she said. I almost sighed with relief when I saw no anger in her eyes, just sadness and… pain. My heart clenched, but I refused to let that look sway me.

"I know," I replied. "But you know as well as I do that if Isaac learns his sister is in danger, he'll throw caution to the wind and go after her. That will get him killed. And not only him."

Celeste's mouth set into a stern line.

"He might be driven by his emotions, but Isaac's not an idiot, Roman," she said. "When he comes back, he'd expect to see his sister here. And if she's not, no matter what we say, he will go looking for her. Regardless of if he knows the truth or not. "

"I know," I smiled, and she narrowed her eyes. "That's why we're going to distract him until everything is in place. We can send Nym to look for them, he knows Lily's scent. And when everything else is in place, we'll find them and figure out a way to get them back. Together. Using our heads, not our hearts."

She didn't look convinced. If anything, even more unease oozed out of her.

"Distract him how?" she raised an eyebrow. "If you think I can—"

"Even he's not that simple." I sighed. Scowling, she crossed her arms, looking at me expectantly. "As much as it pains me to say this, if we are to stand any chance against a male witch, we need to stand together. Shifters, vampires, Fae… and witches." She blinked a few times, and I used her stupor to add, "I have the vampires' support, at least as far as Oscar and his nest are concerned. Malakai will have to convince his sister to help us. You and Isaac will unite the shifters. And the witches… the witches will have no choice because they know better than anyone how dangerous a male witch is. After all, they have been killing their children for centuries just to avoid this day."

Celeste opened her mouth several times, then threw her hands in the air. Moving past me, she flopped down into her chair and rubbed her face.

"I need you to explain, slowly," she said, pointing at the seat I had previously occupied. I sank into it just as she continued. "I get where you're going with this, but I think you're skipping over some very important parts. Like, how do you expect Isaac and me to unite the shifters? Because of our bond? They have known about it for some time and they don't care. And the witches…"

"A mating ceremony," I said and her eyebrows rose almost to her hair. "They have known about the bond, but they have not seen you together. A public ceremony between a witch and an Alpha would tie them to you stronger than anything else." She continued to stare as if she expected me to say I was joking, but when I smiled, she slumped back. Her expression remained closed, but there was something in her eyes that made me sit at the edge of my seat.

"You're… serious?" she asked quietly, her heartbeat speeding up.

"Mates are not a casual matter," I said, running a hand over the left side of my chest. Her eyes followed the movement. "Especially for shifters. The mate bond is sacred and unquestionable. And they need to see that witches can be allies. They need to see you ally yourself with them. "

She stayed quiet for a long time, studying my face as if looking for any signs of duplicity. I showed her none. I had accepted Isaac already, our fates had been tied and sealed after the night in the crypt. Still, her heartbeat continued to race faster and faster, a heavy sadness settling in my chest, which I was almost sure came from my mark.

"Why are you pushing me away?"

The words struck deep, the fear and heartbreak in them so profound, I stood stunned for a second. In the next, I was kneeling beside her, holding her face so she wouldn't look away when tears welled in her eyes.

"I would never push you away," I said slowly, accentuating each word. "I would never not want you, not need you, not crave you, Celeste. You are mine and I am yours. Forever." She sucked in a deep breath, relief flooding her eyes, but the fear lingered. "I love you more than anything, and I would rather die than live without you." Her lip quivered, but she nodded. "But so does Isaac. And it doesn't matter to me if you have a public ceremony with him, because I am already here."

I moved my hand to rest over her chest where my mark glowed faintly through the fabric.

"This is about more than love. This is about survival. Our survival."

She closed her eyes and leaned her forehead on mine, taking deep breaths. Her heartbeat began to slow and after a few painfully long minutes, she cleared her throat, rubbing her face before meeting my gaze.

"So, this is how you want to distract him?" she asked, giving me a pointed look.

"For a little bit, yes." I shrugged. "It will make him happy, believe me. Meanwhile, we'll be moving the final pieces on the board."

"And the witches?" she frowned. "How do you expect to get them to agree on this? They won't even come if we invite them." Her throat bobbed, and she huffed a bitter laugh. "They might not even believe that there is a male witch. I'm not sure I want to believe it."

"They'll come," I smirked, and her eyes filled with curiosity and suspicion.

"Oh? And how do you plan to make them?"

"By having you take down their ward." I raised her hand to my lips, kissing her knuckles while she gasped in surprise. "You can do it now, can't you? "

A slow smile spread over her face, her eyes twinkling with amusement. She cupped my cheek and leaned in as if to kiss me, but stopped right before our lips touched.

"Remind me to never make you my enemy," she chuckled.

"Never," I whispered while I wrapped my hands around her waist and dragged her against me. "The moment the sun goes down, I'll take you to the ward to study it. And when Isaac gets back, you'll convince him to do the ceremony. It shouldn't be that hard."

"And I'll send Nym to look for Lily. We can't waste time, we need to find them," she added.

Looking up, I met her gaze, seeing my own hope and determination reflected there.

"Yes, and then…"

"...we get our friends and family back and make sure your plan works," she finished instead of me. "I finally have everything I want. I'm not ready to lose it forever."