𝗖𝗥𝗜𝗠𝗦𝗢𝗡 𝗣𝗘𝗔𝗞 | (✔︎)

thirty-six

𝐓𝐖𝐎 𝐘𝐄𝐀𝐑 𝐀𝐆𝐎

Celeste walked out of the cemetery and breathed the crisp cool autumn air. Her lips curled into a grin as she began making her way home. She had been in the body of Sabine Laurent for about a week and so far everything had worked according to plan. She had picked the right body. She was quite happy with her new identity.

Sabine was a loner and while she was part of the French Quarter Coven, she was an outsider in many ways. She had no family, a small group of acquaintances, and only one real friend Sophie Deveraux. All of which worked in Celeste's favor. The thing about possessing another person's body was not just taking over their physical appearance but pretending to be them, for a time at least. It was why Celeste had always chosen people no one would miss if they were to disappear one day.

Sabine was a tour guide which Celeste was going to have no problem continuing to do. She knew the city by heart. She had been in the Quarter for two centuries and knew every corner, stone, building, and every little secret of the Crescent city. This was her home. The place she refused to leave. The place she wanted to claim as her own.

Keeping the charade of being Sabine was going to be easy and maybe even fun.

Celeste pulled the keys from her pocket and dangled them in her hand as she made her way towards Sabine's apartment. It was located right in the heart of the Quarter. She liked it. She was just about to unlock the door when an unfamiliar voice reached her ears.

"Sabine Laurent."

Celeste turned around startled. The woman had sneaked up on her without her notice. "Can I help you?"

A tall, dark haired woman with light caramel skin stood proudly in front of her. "I saved your life and you have already forgotten me?" her green eyes glinted with malice.

Celeste didn't know how to respond to that. She simply stared at the woman wondering who she was. She had never seen her in the Quarter before. There was something about her, something that immediately put her on edge. Something inside her told her that this was a woman one should not mess with.

"Had it not been for my intervention, that vampire would've killed you."

"I'm deeply grateful for what you did for me," Celeste responded, trying to sound as sincere as possible. She had no idea a vampire had tried to kill Sabine but she had a part to play. In many ways, this was a first test to fool others into thinking she was Sabine.

The woman smiled and tilted her head to the side, studying Sabine's face in detail. "Now, you must do something for me," she said never taking her calculating gaze away from Sabine's face.

Celeste tensed at those words. She didn't like the look on the woman's green eyes. There was an air of arrogance, of cunning that she didn't like. "What can I do?" she asked in a gentle voice. The last thing she wanted was for the woman to notice she wasn't really Sabine, she had to keep up the charade. "How can I repay you?" She had a feeling as to what the woman would want.

"I demand a witch's oath," the woman said with a smirk.

Celeste swallowed nervously. A witch's oath was sacred. She knew better than to make such a vow especially with a stranger that gave her such a weird vibe.

"I will gladly pay my debt to you but I will not make such an oath, I-" the words died in her throat as she was suddenly pushed to her knees by a dark and strange kind of power. The attack caught her completely by surprise.

Celeste gasped. Her magic flared ready to defend her but it was in vain. The strange dark power that engulfed her was too strong. No matter how hard she tried to break free, she couldn't. How can this be? She wondered in panic. She possessed an incredible amount of magic, unrivaled by any, but this woman had her completely under her control.