Page 27 of The Witch's Heart
“Did he hurt you?” Declan asks again, and there’s a promise of violence in his tone. A promise to protect.
But his question tells me everything I need to know. What I saw wasn’t real. Or at least it wasn’t what they saw.
“No. He’s been much kinder than the others,” I say.
“No one here is kind,” Dean mutters.
His words remind me of Sir and the pure rage reflected in his expression just before I passed out. I shiver at the memory of it.
“Did Sir hurt you at all?” I ask.
“No. They sent us all back to our rooms after you left,” Dean says.
Declan presses closer to the bars. “Celeste, do you think you can do what you did earlier?” he asks quietly. “Do you think you can unlock the doors again?”
“I don’t know. I can try.”
Placing my hands on the lock, I bite my lip, concentrating and trying to dredge up from the depths of my being the same feeling I had earlier when the strange silvery energy pulsed through me.
It takes several moments, and I’m nearly ready to give up when the lock suddenly clicks and the door swings open.
I sag in exhaustion against the cold metal bars.
“Good girl,” Declan says, his praise and the way he looks at me sending a shiver up my spine.
I push myself up and take a few unsteady steps across the narrow hall to unlock their cell. This time, it takes even longer, and my body is completely drained by the time the door clicks open.
The brothers rush towards me and pull me into a hug, sandwiching me between them. Their touch, their heat, it recharges me in a way nothing else could. The attraction I feel for them both is equal parts exciting and confusing, but for now, I take comfort in their caring.
“We’re glad you’re safe,” Dean murmurs against my hair, and just like before, my mind and body warm at their touch.
“We have to get out of here,” I say. “This place is crazy. Dangerous. After what happened today… we can’t stay. Maybe now, I can use this power to unlock the main doors.”
It didn’t work the first time, but I tell myself that’s because I hadn’t yet come into whatever power this is inside me. I have to try again.
But even as I say the words, my legs wobble, and Declan catches me in his strong arms, his muscles rippling as he supports my weight against his body.
“Easy there, little witch. You can’t even stand on your own. How do you imagine this going?”
My eyes burn with tears as the weight of this day drowns me. “We have to try. I can’t stay here another night.”
Declan scoops me into his arms, and my eyelids flutter closed against my will as he carries me to my cot. “Tomorrow. We can try tomorrow. Tonight you need sleep.”
It takes me a moment to realize we’re not actually going to my cell. Declan lays me on his cot, and I lift to my elbows and watch as Dean pushes his own cot over until it’s side by side with Declan’s. In the narrow space, the boys both climb in beside me, sandwiching me between them.
“What are you doing?” I ask, exhaustion blending my words.
“You need to sleep,” Dean says simply.
“And you need to be warm.” Declan presses in close against my left side, his breath tickling my ear. On my right, Dean’s nose brushes my chin.
Lust pools lazily in my belly, but it’s overshadowed by the drugs pulling me towards oblivion.
“You’re safe now, Celeste,” Dean whispers. “Rest. We’ll return you to your cell before anyone finds us.”
Declan murmurs his agreement, and my eyelids flutter as the exhaustion tugs at me. “We’ll keep your secrets, little witch.”
I wake some time later and find two heavy arms draped over me from either direction. On my left, Declan snores softly, and I roll to find Dean watching me in the darkness.
