Page 98 of Heart of a Witch
He moved his thumb to my lips and pulled down the bottom one, his pupils dilating. He kissed me again, this time softer. His pain matched mine; I heard it in the confliction in his tone when he spoke about his dad, in every touch when he trailed lines so gently along my skin, giving me exactly what I needed without him knowing it.
I let the moment swallow me whole, entangling my limbs with his as I dove deep into every touch, moaning at every kiss and nip. Soon I wouldn’t have him or anyone anymore. I always knew I wasn’t going to get out of this alive. The deal with the succubus, continuing to use dark magic, was proof of what I knew but didn’t want to admit. My revenge was going to destroy me too, and at the very least, I should allow myself some enjoyment, some feeling of pleasure before it happened.
Because when we stopped for air and I looked into his face, I didn’t see the younger version of the hunter. I saw a man who’d do anything for the people he loves, someone just as tortured as me in their own way, trying to find their way in the world.
I saw the face of someone I would miss.
We lay on the bed, a sheet sticking to our sweaty bodies. I looked up at the ceiling, and he kissed my temple.
“You could always take over the household now,” I said, realizing that if I couldn’t get a life after this, at least he could. “If he’s branded insane, then you can take over the estate. It would be as if he died.” I softened my tone. “Sorry.”
“Don’t be.” He inhaled sharply. “I’d already thought of it, and you’re right. I can keep my club, take care of Corbin, and not have to become a hunter.”
I moved gently. “You should.”
“Victoria.”
“It would be easy.”
He sat upright, running his hand through his hair. “I know, okay?” He clenched his jaw. “It’s just—”
“He’s your father,” I said, finishing for him. It was like Corbin had said.
“I need to let him go. He’s not the man I thought he was. Even with his darkness, I truly believed one day he would see the light, but I was wrong. I should take over the house. I saw the high priest. He’s leaving in two days, which is unusual. He normally stays for much longer. They’re going to take away Father’s priesthood. I just know it.”
I hadn’t ever heard such good news. “Maybe if you take over the estate, if they find him insane, then you can keep in the house, under a doctor’s care of course,” I said because I didn’t want them to send him away. I still needed to kill him.
“I will. This will be good for me and for Corbin.”
I kissed his cheek. “It’s okay still to be sad.”
“Does that make me crazy?”
I shook my head. “No, it just makes you human.”
He paused, running his fingers through mine. “If I didn’t have you these past few weeks, I don’t know what I’d have done. You’re an angel who’s come into my life.”
I held my breath. I was far from an angel. For the first time since starting our plan, I felt a twinge of guilt, but I quickly pushed the feeling aside. “You’re too kind.”
“No, you are.” He looked into my eyes with an intensity I couldn’t match. “When I inherit the estate, I’m going to do something for you.”
“There’s no need, truly.”
He kissed my hand softly. “I want to. Come with me tomorrow. I’ll have two of the doctors come to the house to check him, and I’ll need to discuss everything with my lawyers, but first, I should tell him in person.”
“Is that such a good idea with him being… unhinged?”
“It’s the right thing to do.”
He lay next to me, and I pushed my hand through his hair until he fell asleep. I turned my mind back to the plan. Damian would most likely attack me in front of Elijah, which had been the plan all along, and the revenge was almost done. Cas had already started spreading rumors through the church, not about him beating them as I’d asked him not to, but about his insanity.
Everything would be coming to an end soon, and I would have to leave. I looked at Elijah sleeping, so peaceful under my covers, and my heart sank a little.
Twenty-Nine
Elijah
The visit to the house couldn’t have gone worse. As soon as we were alone with my father, he’d grabbed her in a chokehold.
