Page 63 of To Crave Deeply
She made it sound so easy.
It is easy. You can’t read any of my thoughts, can you?
I scowled but did as she said, imagining a wall blocking all my thoughts. Hopefully, that meant she wouldn’t start poking her nose in places I didn’t want her going. That accomplished, I turned my attention back to the witch who was now standing in front of the cell she’d trapped Iveri and I in.
“Long time, no see, Selene,” Iveri said, making my voice sound all smug. This was definitely going to take some getting used to.
“How long has it been, Iveri?” Selene asked, smiling widely and displaying a mouth devoid of teeth. “How long has Lucifer kept us down here?”
“About six centuries. You’ve missed a lot.”
The witch’s smile faltered. “Has it really been that long?”
“Why? Has time been flying for you down here?” Iveri said with a mocking chuckle.
Selene hissed a breath and spat on the floor. “It’s your fault we are all down here. You did this to us.”
Iveri barked out a laugh and I shuddered. There was more to Iveri’s dealings with the original three than I knew, and I had a feeling it was about to bite me in the ass.
“You were just as much to blame as I was. You wanted Lucifer gone as much as I did. Our reasons might have differed, but you all were just as determined to destroy him.”
They wanted to kill Lucifer? So that’s why Iveri knew that one of his creations couldn’t destroy him. They’d all tried, and they’d all failed.
No wonder the angels needed mages. Their power source was different to the witches, and they had no loyalty to him as a King. They were the perfect pawns to use and, if it ever failed, I suppose the angels could brush it off as a war between the magical factions. There had always been an uneasy alliance between mages and witches; it wouldn’t be unbelievable that one day they just turned on each other.
“What are you doing here?” the witch asked, curiosity arching her wiry brow.
“Returning a favour,” Iveri replied. I still didn’t know exactly what was going on.
“Is that so?” she cackled. “I don’t believe you. Why wait all this time? You could have rescued me centuries ago.” She looked us up and down, and I could see her mind turning over possibilities. It was almost like she could see right through us, and she was working out the best way to manipulate us. It was fucking terrifying. Her withered lips puckered as her eyes flashed with glee. “You want something. Youbothwant something from me.”
Shit. She knew. How the fuck did she know?
“Hi,” I said with more confidence than I felt. Torsten stiffened behind me, and I knew he didn’t approve of me making my presence known.
Her eyes hovered over the spot on my chest where my soulbond mark was and it flickered to life as if sensing a threat.
“So, you’re the girl who captured the King. I expected something more,” Selene said with a snarl.
I looked her up and down and shrugged my shoulders. “I could say the same thing about you, grandma.”
She grinned, but it was a cruel, mocking thing. “Give me a drop of blood and I’ll show you somethingmore.”
Torsten grabbed my arm and shook his head. “Don’t. She is powerful, and to her, a drop of blood would be more than enough to set herself free.”
I nodded. Okay, no blood donations today, then.
But before I even realised, I’d moved. Iveri shot an arm out and offered Selene my hand. It all happened so quickly. The circle of light disappeared, and the witch pricked my finger with something sharp and pointy. The air filled with the acrid smell of magic and then, right before my eyes, the years fell away from the witch like dust being blown off an antique. One minute, she was a little old lady, covered in rags, and the next, she was a beautiful young woman with bright golden curls, the same shade as Lucifer’s, looking like she stepped off the cover of a fashion magazine. I hated to admit it, but that was impressive.
Selene rolled her shoulders and stretched her neck. “That’s so much better. Being old is no fun at all. Everything creaks and sags.” She twirled and looked herself over, before looking down the front of her tight-fitting blouse. “Hello, girls. I’ve missed you.”
“Are you talking to your tits?” I asked incredulously.
“Yes, I am,” she replied with no hint of shame. “Aren’t they great?”
They were. All perky and definitely an improvement on her previous haggard look. She gasped before her hands flew to her trouser buttons and she started to undo them.
Is she…?Iveri said, slightly taken aback.
