Page 31 of Hellish Witch

Me being one of them.

Panic iced my veins at the thought, and I drew a calming breath to stop myself spiralling.

I hurried through the small mud room and into the main corridor bisecting my cabin. After grabbing a battered pack from the cupboard, I raided my bedroom for all the necessities, including tough leathers and bland clothing. It would take days for me to reach the portal, and as a lone hybrid travelling through the Bloodwood, skirting a neighbouring kingdom or two, I needed to go unnoticed.

Adding a light bedroll, gold coins for Hell and cash for the human realm, I charged into my kitchen next.

And stopped short.

A feast lay across the island counter: an enormous steaming joint of roasted boar resting on a wooden chopping block.

Along with a familiar evil hellcat, dramatically stretched out to get the maximum amount of fur on my stone surfaces. The curious feline lazily sniffed the golden meat and practically unhinged her jaw.

Wicked fangs disappeared into the plump haunch as the fuzzy wretch chomped off a bite. Her throat bobbed with the lump she swallowed lying down before she rolled to a sit and casually licked the grease from her chops.

Even the heavenly scent couldn’t stop me from scowling as I noticed the glass cookie jar beside the meat was empty save a few crumbs.

“Oh, well, if it isn’t the fluffy menace. Have you even left yet,Cookie?” I mocked, brushing my curls back between my horns.

Her tail flicked in annoyance, the cute tuft hiding a deadly stinger. It was the most emotion she’d shown.

“Cookie,” I drawled again, smirking to myself when her tail puff gave another irate twitch. I jerked a claw at the food. “I’m guessing this isn’t your handiwork?”

She began licking a hefty paw, somehow mocking me without words like she was saying, “Does it look like I roasted you a fucking boar?”

I shifted on my feet, watching the steaming food, now missing a sizeable chunk, like it might turn into a viper and bite me first.

Only a skilled hunter could bring down a shadow boar. I’d literally just patched up poor old Hubert for even looking at one wrong.

The more docile wild pig breeds were eaten regularly, but the type with midnight bristles and sharpened tusks was a deadly delicacy, usually reserved for special occasions like mating ceremonies.

Must have been from Rex. The old worrier was always looking after me, and he knew I’d been craving more ever since I’d tried it for the first time at his mating ceremony last month.

My brother was one of the few people in the kingdom who could hunt the creature without having to visit me afterwards.

He definitely couldn’t cook it though. The poor demon was so culinarily challenged, he’d once burned water.

I snagged a neatly cut amber-hued slice from the chopping block. The scent of honey-apple cider wafted off the prime cut. Its crispy crackling passed the test as I tapped it with a claw, making a hollow noise I knew would crunch deliciously.

“Damn.” I bit into the juicy piece, letting the heavenly food melt in my mouth with a low moan. “I’d literally mate the person who cooked this.”

The hellcat made that weird hacking rasp I just knew was her laughing at me.

“At least you’ve got dinner for a few days, since you already snaffled all the cookies,” I huffed back and wrapped as much of the meat as I could carry in wax paper, throwing it into my pack with a few other essentials.

I had no clue how the hellcat kept getting in, but she’d see herself out when she was good and ready, apparently.

My hands shook slightly as I placed the letter I’d written earlier on the kitchen counter. I had to get far away from the Hybrid Kingdom before Rex found out I was gone. I didn’t want him to think I’d just disappeared on him again though.

He was family. He’d be worried sick if I didn’t reassure him I was coming back as soon as I’d fixed myself.

I needed to do this on my own, without putting anyone else in danger, and I hoped explaining that in my note would be enough to keep him and his mate here, where they’d be safe.

With a deep breath, I snuck out the backdoor, turning to face the Bloodwood.

It loomed quiet and dark, despite the sunshine pouring over the village, pretending nothing was amiss.

Lying bastard.

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