"So you're a virgin, then." He says it so blatantly it rattles me to the core.
"No! I mean, would it matter if I were?"
"I suppose not," he muses, his gaze shifting back to me. "But when I look at you, I want to violently fuck you until you cannot m...
He stops to look at me. "Yes, but you cannot share this information with anyone, not even Hazel. Carran cannot learn about a witch who has enough power to survive a long life."
I freeze under the intensity of his gaze. Sire doesn't display much emotion beyond amusement when he teases me and irritation upon hearing Carran's name.
Now, I can see how serious he is about keeping this a secret.
"I don't understand how that is possible."
"It's possible because it is my magic, isn't it Rivera?" Sire turns toward the mass of shadows, flicking on a light.
The room doesn't seem like a witch's workspace. It's rather generic looking, with a bench on one wall and a bookshelf on the other. A woman stands at the bench, chopping vegetables before scooping them into a pot.
At the mention of her name, she turns.
Despite knowing a witch myself, I am always taken aback when I see a perfectly normal person that I know is capable of immense power.
"Sire," she breathes. "You've awoken."
She wanders close, holding her hands out. Sire bends down a little, letting the woman take his face into her hands.
The woman is younger than I expected - perhaps only a decade older than me. Her skin is smooth and glassy, her dark hair absent of any grey. She does not look old enough to have lived at the same time as Sire.
My mate seems relieved, as he clutches her hands, smiling down at her warmly. "Something familiar...this is truly a blessing."
"I was beginning to think you would never be freed," she tuts.
Her eyes are a cloudy grey, and when I notice she isn't even focusing on Sire's face, it becomes clear she is blind.
How can she paint?
Rivera doesn't turn her head, although it's clear she is addressing me as she speaks. "My sight goes beyond that of a mortal."
My eyes flare wider. Did she just read my mind?
"This is my mate, Meara. She woke me," Sire tells her, still holding her hands as they fall from his face.
Rivera turns to me, and I freeze. All of a sudden she is a far more imposing creature than I anticipated.
"Do you have any idea what you have unleashed?" She doesn't say it cruelly, but it still feels like an insult.
I dip my head. "I've been made aware, yes."
Did she know about the curse? I want to ask her, but considering her absence of a reply to my thoughts, she doesn't wish to talk about it.
"I'm here to reclaim my magic," Sire tells her gravelly, a frown creasing his brow as if he regret having to ask.
I look between the two, bewildered. "Reclaim?"
"I gave Rivera my magic when I sensed my enemy was about to make an attack. At the time I figured his plan was extensive enough that all my power wouldn't serve me, so I gave some to Rivera for my Pack in the case that I was killed," he explains.
I blink. Oh.
Rivera wipes a tear that slips from her eye. I hadn't even realised she was crying.
"But you weren't killed, so I used your magic to keep myself alive. Now I can return your magic in hopes you will enact your revenge and recreate your Pack," she says.
She smiles, and for a brief moment I can see her age. It's evident in her wisdom, in the sacrifice she is about to make in returning the very magic that is keeping her alive.
It seems many people desire the reformation of Sire's Pack.
"That is the goal," he muses. He leans forward and kisses her cheek. "Thank you Rivera. I knew I could trust you to make the right decision."
"Are you going to die?" I ask her.
A gap seems to open up in my chest, tearing at my heart. I don't know this woman, and yet I'm witnessing a tragic event right before my eyes.
"Not right away, although I won't have much longer," she explains, straightening. "I intend to spend the rest of my days trying to find out how to end this curse."
"We must do this outside, so you can channel energy from the earth," Sire encourages.
"Go boy." She brushes him off, motioning up the stairs. "Let me speak to your mate."
He gives me a look, willing to bail me out of this situation if it makes me uncomfortable. I give him a curt nod. If she has something to say to me, then I want to hear it.
She remains quiet until Sire is up the steps, the hatch door closing behind him.
"Is there something you want?" I ask her.
She drags a small stool from the corner of the room, brushes the dust off the top and encourages me to sit. I do so, anticipating her next move.
"I have had many years to think about what I would say to Sire's mate," she mutters, shaking her head. "Nothing ever seemed right."
"I didn't mean to wake him, you know. It was an accident," I tell her, blurting out the words like I'm on death row, pleading to be forgiving for my heinous act. "I never intended on releasing this curse."
She waves her hand dismissively. "This is what you fail to understand, girl. What happened was no accident. It was written by fate, in the very fabric of your existence, to come across your mates resting place to raise him from the dead."
I stare down at my trembling fingers. "I don't like the idea of that. That means that none of us have any agency in our decisions."
"It means we bear no burden in inexplicable acts as they happen. You were meant to raise him, and now, you are meant to stop him," she insists.
"Stop him?"
"I wish to warn you." She says this lower, like she suspects Sire may still be able to hear us.
"About what?"
"Sire's power is immeasurable. Once I give him his magic, there will be only one person capable of ensuring he doesn't destroy the world," she hisses, jabbing me in the chest with her sharp finger.
My hand lands on my chest, feeling the small hurt. It hardly compares to the rising tide of fear that is gathering within me.
"I don't know what you want me to do."
"You're his mate. The power that bond holds is more than even his magic can compare to," she explains, although I shake my head.
I don't believe her.
"He doesn't love me..." He may want me in his bed, but he doesn't love me.
"He will," she breathes. "He will fall deeply in love with you, and you must ensure that love is used for positive reasons, or he will destroy everything."
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