Page 69 of Witch's Fate

Warmth and comfort suffused her. If only she could have this forever.

She shook the thought away.

Impossible.

“I want you to come live with me,” Malcolm said.

Her head snapped back as she tried to look at him. “What?”

“It was a mistake to give you up.” His voice was gruff. “I own the action and won’t make excuses, but I regret it. I made the wrong choice.”

Her heart thundered. “When did you decide this?”

“Honestly, probably a long time ago. Though I ignored it. There was no other option. But after you left the apprenticeship, my world was darker than it’d ever been.”

“But you wanted the power.” She glanced up. It looked like he was about to argue, but he closed his mouth. He wouldn’t blame it on his upbringing, she realized. Though that really was the reason he’d chosen magic over her.

The reason didn’t matter now, not when they couldn’t be together, but it helped her understand.

After a moment, he said, “Yes, I wanted power. But I was mistaken. I returned to my sorcerer clan after the apprenticeship, but it no longer made sense the way it once had. The way they live… No love, no real affection. They’d be better off as loners, but Mytheans are always stronger as a group. So they built some strange bond based on the worship of power. But to do what? It’s all well and good to have immense capability, but after a while, what do you use it for? What’s the point?”

“I never thought I’d hear you speak this way.”

He shrugged. “Time. Life. They change a man. I built my fortune and reputation with power, but it’s been empty for a long time.”

She bit her lip, then asked, “Did you leave the sorcerers? You live alone now.”

“I did. I went to my father’s people. Wulvers. Being a half blood is probably why I didn’t fall completely in line with the sorcerers.”

“Did you like it there?” Though it was a bad idea to grow too close, she found that she was ravenous for information about him.

“It was all right. I got to meet my brother, Felix. And to know my father a bit before he died. But even that didn’t suit me. I was searching, I think, for what I felt with you. I never found it.”

Sofia’s hands twisted in the comforter.

“When this is all over, I want you to live with me,” he said again.

She tried to crush the stupid desire that welled in her at the idea. “What about my village?”

It was a dumb question. They couldn’t be together, so it didn’t matter. She would be with them no matter what—at least the ones who chose to relocate with her.

“We can live with them if you prefer,” Malcolm said. “Establish a new settlement somewhere. The curse shall no longer apply since it’s not Bruxa’s Eye. I’ll help you build it.”

Aching want was crushed by dark disappointment. “Build it? You’re a warlock. Your specialty is destruction. And wecan’t be together. You know that. You’ve heard the stories. YouknewLaira. You saw what happened to her. Fate will find a way to tear us apart. I can’t take that. Not to mention, the way fate does its work, it could be terrible.”

“I can make it work. I can keep fate off our backs.”

“How? By not loving me?” she asked. Her throat tightened at the thought. She blinked quickly, trying to hold back tears.

“Yes. It’s the way it has to be.”

He didn’t love her. She knew that. He might have once, but he no longer did. Not loving was safest. It had to be that way.

But why did it hurt so badly?

“If we’re careful, we can make this work.” He rubbed his hand gently over her arm as if he couldn’t get enough of touching her.

“By careful, you mean you’ll never love me. Never make promises. Never really be with me.”

---