Page 38 of Witch's Exile
16
DEJA
Idon't know what came over me.
I ran to the shackled, battered man and dropped to my knees in front of him. He tried to pull away when I brought my hands to his swollen face but was too weak.
"Deja." Raum's tone carried a hint of warning but I ignored him.
Even through the concrete floor of the basement, I pulled magic from the earth as if there were no barrier at all. My magic poured out through my palms and scanned through Seth's body, looking for injuries to heal.
Fuck, they really did a number on him. Slashes bleeding from his chest and torso from Sal's claws, bruised ribs likely from kicks and punches, not to mention the damage done to his face.
Within a minute, the broken blood vessels repaired themselves and inflammation simmered down to nothing. His open wounds closed up and the pain reduced to a dull throb.
Raum made an annoyed sound behind me. "I don't think that was the wisest thing to do, baby."
Still ignoring him, I met Seth's gray eyes, now fully visible and alert without the bruising around them.
"Tell me why you're here without a single breath of bullshit," I told him. "Or I'll have these two fuck you up all over again."
Raum's smirk behind me and the pleasant surprise in his aura wrapped around me like an embrace. It didn't feel right to keep Seth down here suffering but if he led hunters directly to us, he deserved no less.
"My cover was blown," Seth answered through gritted teeth. "Your crazy grandma figured something out correctly for once."
A hot spark of anger jolted my fire magic at the mention of Diana. "What do you mean?"
"She sucks at shadow magic but when she gets it right, she really gets it right." He let out a weary sigh. "She knows I communicated with you through shadow, and that I told you how to find Air."
My heart stopped. Everything around me seemed to freeze as I replayed that dream in my head. Seth standing so close to me in that circle of candlelight, shadows dancing over the long, lean muscles of his body. His full lips drawing me in, begging me to kiss them, and then moving as if to caress my face.
Only now I could no longer write it off as a dream.
"Tell her how that old cunt found out," Raum taunted him from behind me. "Tell her what you did to keep your precious cover from being blown, which turned out to be ultimately pointless."
Seth bit his lip so hard, he nearly drew blood and lowered his eyes. His aura faded to a dark midnight blue, and I sensed genuine regret and shame.
"Answer the question," I pressed. "What's he talking about?"
He let out a ragged breath and lifted his eyes to me again.
"Once I access your shadows through the first touch, I can reach your subconscious without physical contact," he explained. "It's a rare ability in shadow masters. Most demons can't even do it."
"How nice for you," I remarked impatiently. "I saw you in a dream so I already knew that. Tell me what I don't know."
He ground his teeth before continuing. "I can also allow other people to reach your shadows without touch. But I'm the one who controls access. Anyone who wants to reach you relies on me to keep a channel open between my mind and yours."
The gravity of his words sank through me like an anchor reaching the ocean floor. My mouth dropped open, useless and speechless. Red hot anger boiled inside me and I was barely aware of my fist curling at my side, ready to slam through his face.
"You let that woman into my mind?" My voice came out a shaky whisper. "You're the reason I didn't sleep for a week straight? I woke up every hour thinking I was completely alone and my daughter had been ripped away from me."
"Yeah, that was me."
He said it so casually. His eyes were cool, calm, and defiant. Any glimmer of regret and remorse I saw in his aura disappeared. My fist struck out before I could control it. It connected hard with his cheekbone and made his head snap to the side.
Immediately, his face began swelling and coloring up with a bruise again. He looked at me again with no change in expression. My knuckles cried out in pain but I wouldn't show him that he hurt me.
Disgusted, I got up from the dirty floor and turned to go up the stairs. Raum followed me up like a loyal bodyguard.
