Page 21 of Traitor Witch
The first mouthful is so salty I can’t help but spit it straight back out.
His blush is adorable. “We were supposed to be getting fresh supplies today but…”
“But I happened?” I guess. “Don’t worry about it. I canmake charms for freshness so you won’t need salt in the future.”
The awestruck look the shifter gives me makes me smile.
He doesn’t need to know that those charms are something I came up with to keep the bodies of my marks from decomposing. Sometimes it’s useful to stop corpses rotting and making a smell that gives their location away.
I sip slowly at the stew, unnerved by the way Cas watches me. He has pretty, honey brown eyes. They seem to swirl between light and dark, and I find myself wondering if Nos’s were the same before Fate touched him.
Otherworldly turquoise eclipses that warm brown for a second, then flickers back. Cas’s shifter side peeking out, examining me through the eyes of the man. There’s an alphaness to the presence that examines me, something primal and ancient that instantly sets my teeth on edge.
I straighten my shoulders and stare back. Something as predatory as the creature looking out of Cas’s eyes can’t ever be allowed to see me as weak.
“You’re staring,” I point out after a few minutes.
“Just mesmerised by your beauty,” he quips, but the turquoise is gone in a blink.
“You’re just… not what I expected a Solar witch to be like,” he admits as the fae—Kier—joins us.
Now that he’s in the light, I can properly make out his features. His jet-black hair is escaping the messy ponytail he keeps it in, and the shorter pieces at the front fall over his forehead. His iron eyes are hooded and angular, enhancing the sharpness of his ears and jaw.
I’ve always thought the fae look more regal than any other supernatural species and Kier is no exception. He even holds himself like a lord as he ladles his own bowl of broth and comes to sit in the chair on my other side.
“I thought most Solar witches were quiet and studious,” Cas continues. “Not that I’ve met many, but the priestesses in the temples always seemed reserved.”
I grimace, remembering the stuffy, silent rooms and quiet meals I’d endured at the Solar Temple. “I’m not like a lot of Solar witches,” I reply, choosing my words carefully.
Kier will know a lie the moment it leaves my lips.
Bloody fae.
“Did you really kill those priestesses?”
I choke on my broth and glare at the shifter. “No!”
Cas ignores me and stares at Kier.
The fae nods, his hair falling further into his face.
So, the interrogation has begun.
I won’t last. I’m too exhausted to try to keep my secrets from a fae while telling only truths and half-truths.
“I’m not stupid enough to lie to a fae,” I mutter. “But I’ve had a really shitty day. Can this wait until the morning?”
Casimir looks sympathetic, but he doesn’t let up. “Are you a danger to anyone on this ship?”
“Maybe Valorean if he pisses me off enough. Probably both of you if you keep this up.” He just gives me an unimpressed look and I roll my eyes. “I don’t plan on endangering any of you. Happy?”
His sideways glance at Kier to check I’m not lying infuriates me.
“How old are you?”
I raise one eyebrow. “That’s rude to ask a woman in any culture.”
“Just answer the question.”
