Darkness (II)

CHAPTER NINE

I sighed heavily but nodded, caving at the thought of pleasing my newfound friend. If Thea needed me to play nice and pretend to accept Magali's apology, I'd do it. Even if that did mean surrendering what little dignity I had left.

"Fine." I reluctantly acquiesced. "Take me to the bitch. Witch. Whichever she is."

Alex grinned broadly and led me down a corridor, skipping as he went. I watched him with a faint smile—one that tentatively tugged at my lips, teetering on the edge of nonexistence. When I made no conscious effort to keep up with the eccentric Beta, he grabbed my hand and forced me to skip alongside him, albeit less elegantly; my legs seemed to fall behind my torso as I jumped, unused to such frivolous movements.

Just as I was settling into the rhythm, Alex abruptly stopped beside a door. I collided with his back, the breath rattling harshly in my lungs, the smile upon my lips dying like a rioting star.

"Wha—" I began to ask, eyes wide.

"She's in there." Alex answered my unfinished question and smiled, pointing towards the door we'd stopped beside. "Knock 'em dead. Not literally, though, as that'd be hard to explain."

I rolled my eyes and nodded. Alex backed away but didn't leave, watching me intently. I sighed heavily, realising that this was the Beta's way of ensuring that I didn't procrastinate. He held his hands up in feigned surrender, sensing my annoyance. I resisted the urge to stick my tongue out at him.

After a few moments of staring Alex down, I shook my head good-naturedly and pushed the door open.

At the sight of the witch, my blood boiled. She was stood at the foot of the table, smiling softly. I wanted to lash out, to scream that she shouldn't be smiling after what she'd put the child and I through, but for the sake of Thea I smoothed my features into a crisp, professional smile.

"Hello, Isa." she greeted, her voice as gentle as summer winds.

Hi, you creepy ass bitch, was what I wanted to say, but instead I settled for "Hi, Magali."

"I want to apologise for yesterday," she began, sighing. "I never intended to cause you—or anyone else, for that matter—harm."

Her words were like a match and they set my anger aflame. I gritted my teeth, resisting the urge to curl my hands into fists, resisting the urge to shout and scream at the woman before me. My outward appearance was mostly untouched by my innate fury, albeit for my thinned lips and set jaw, but inside I was a tornado; whirling and twisting and curling, the fragments of my rationality and calmness lost to this frenzy of anger.

"You never intended to cause anyone harm?" I asked, my voice incredulous. "Then why demand that I hurt a young, innocent girl? Let me tell you something, Magali-whatever-the-fuck-your-last-name-is. You're full of shit."

The witch, if offended by my words, did not show it. "She wasn't real, Isa. She was a projection of a spell—nothing more and nothing less. No harm would have befallen anyone."

I looked at Magali with wide eyes, my brows climbing higher and higher until they touched my hairline. "Then why do this? Why do any of this if the girl wasn't real?"

"Because you're a Huntress, Isa!" at the sight of my hurt expression, her tone softened. "I couldn't be sure whether you were controlled by your own beliefs or those that'd been instilled in you from birth. I had a son once...a boy of incredible power. But despite his strengths as a wizard, he was plagued by many flaws. He was consumed by bitterness and anger and it destroyed him."

I went still. "Is he...dead?"

"In a sense," she replied vaguely, a faraway look in her exotic green eyes. "Do you see now? Do you understand why I needed to ensure that you were not like him?"