Page 130 of Rescued By the Beast
Jack, in the driver's seat, remains motionless, his eyes fixed on the house ahead. I, on the other hand, watch Viklaus, who has already moved onto the pavement. He closes his eyes, his face impassive, as if he were feeling the pulse of the energyaround him, listening to the heartbeat. After a few seconds, he nods discreetly.
Green light.
Balthazar moves forward without hesitation. He stops in front of the dark wooden door and rings the bell. The sound echoes inside the house. The silence that follows is thick, cutting.
Then the door opens.
The woman who appears is a shadow of her former self. Her deep-set eyes stare at him through the small crack, there are deep marks on her face, she looks like she has aged years in the last few days. Her hair, once vibrant, is thin and lifeless.
She examines him suspiciously, without stepping outside or letting him in.
"What do you want, wizard?" From here I can hear her hoarse, tense voice.
The arrogance is still there, but something about her reveals that she is at her limit, exhausted.
Balthazar smiles, his expression taking on a friendly, innocent look.
"Pleased to meet you, I'm Balthazar. I hear you're new in town and not yet part of acoven... I've come to invite you to join mine."
She hesitates. Her eyes narrow. Her breathing slows. She assesses him, trying to read his intentions.
"I'm not interested..."
Before she can close the door, Balthazar raises a closed hand in the air, opens his palm and blows a yellowish powder into her face, murmuring quickly:"Somnus gravis".
The effect is instantaneous.
Her eyes roll back and her body collapses with a thud onto the floor.
"Done," murmurs Balthazar, holding the door open.
Viklaus emerges from his hiding place behind a tree and walks calmly over.
Mark steps out of the van, tension turning to action. I follow him, my steps steady, while Jack stays in the van, ready to speed away if we need to make a run for it. Mark pulls the witch into the house and ties her to a chair in the centre of the room. Thick ropes bind her torso and arms, each leg firmly secured to the chair's legs.
"She'll be unconscious for an hour," Balthazar warns. "Unless I wake her up first."
"That's enough," Mark replies.
Jack was in charge of watching the street and warning us if any suspects approached. Viklaus made sure there was no one else on the premises, and Balthazar infiltrated the house and kept her unconscious while Mark searched the entire house for the grimoire and evidence that she was behind the monsters.
And I...
I want to understand how such a beautiful and powerful woman could have gone down such a twisted path, destroying herself in the process...
All because of a man?
I don't know if I feel sorry for her, seeing her broken like this, or if I feel relieved that she's suffering too.
"Viklaus, stay close to me, no more than three steps away. I can't create a larger barrier around me while we search..."
The vampire just nods and approaches him. I go with him.
Mark sighs and shakes his head at me, knowing he can't convince me to stand still and do nothing.
"Kitten, please, I need you to stay alert and inside the barrier at all costs."
"I promise..."
