Witch Infernal (Infernal Hunt Book 3) (8 page)

“Oh
,
Evie. It’s one thing after another. I wasn’t cut out for this.”

I put my hand on her cheek. “Yes you were. You’re the strongest, bravest person I know.”

Her mouth pulled up into a small smile. “We’ll do it together.”

“Always.”

Sixteen

Kadrix pulled me to one side once Elise has calmed down. His delicate hand on my wrist was an odd sensation. The magic rippled from him. He led me to a quiet corner of the main area of the church where he stopped and crossed his arms, a stern expression on his face.
 

He huffed quietly before he held my gaze and hissed, "When are you going to stop hurting that hound and accept your feelings for him?"

I narrowed my eyes at him. “When are you going to treat my twin like he deserves?"

His nostrils flared and his eyes flicked away from mine. "Your brother increasingly means more to me. I treat him with a great deal of respect."

"Do not hurt him
,
Kadrix. Nothing on any plane will stop me from hunting you down if you hurt him."

He ground his teeth. "Stop deflecting the topic
,
Evelyn. Your feelings for that hound are as clear as day, and yet you insist on torturing the poor beast because you're too weak to act on them."

I stepped closer to the elf standing almost toe to toe.
 

"How dare you speak to me like that
,
" I growled.
 

"I am looking after you, and your hound. Do you think we haven't noticed how miserable you've been? The way you light up when Lysander is close to you? For your own sake
,
Evelyn, fuck him already."

Heat crept across my cheeks.
 

"This is not an appropriate conversation
,
" I said before I walked away.
 

Kadrix grabbed onto my wrist and held me firm. I balled my other hand into a fist and contemplated ruining his pretty face.
 

"Evelyn. I am trying to look after you. You may not always appreciate my insight, but it is for your benefit. I hope to keep Quin for a long time
,
and that would make you family."

I smirked and turned to face him. "You're really falling for him
,
aren't you?"
 

He refused to look at me.
 

"Then do not hurt him again
,
" I snarled and walked away.
 

Elise was fussing over the tiny bits of dust left from the remains of the cup; she brushed at the area on the floor with a determination I hoped never turned against me. I ran my hand down her back and crouched next to her.
 

"It'll be ok."

She sighed and stood up slowly. "I know, truly I do, but it's so hard sometimes. It can be lonely up here in the church alone. I watch you and Lysander, and I can't help but want it for myself."

I stroked her hair and pulled her into a hug. "Your lady will give you everything you deserve."

I didn't know how true it was
,
but I chose to believe it, for her sake.
 

I looked around the room for Lysander; there was no sign of the hound. I frowned and tried to recall if he'd gone past me while Kadrix was being himself.
 

"Where did Lysander go?" I asked Elise.

She gave a small shrug. “He muttered something, I didn't quite catch it. I assumed he needed a little air, he's a sensitive creature."

I snorted. “Given his past, he certainly is that."

Elise narrowed her eyes at me. “He is a good soul
,
Evelyn. He had no choice in his past actions, you've seen and felt his scars. He's a gift, cherish him."

I pursed my lips and walked away. I was growing weary of people interfering in my non-existent love life. As if on cue
,
Azfin and Haeyl stormed into the church. Just the distraction I didn't want.
 

"The hellmouth was supposed to be fixed
,
" Azfin shouted.

I raised an eyebrow and pulled my blades. "We did everything we could. Now respect the space you have entered."

The Sidhe both glanced at the altar to the moon goddess and bowed their heads
,
muttering something foreign.
 

"Our apologies
,
" Haeyl said quietly.
 

Azfin scowled and composed himself before he said, much more calmly, "There have been more shivers from the infernal realm. Is your hound screwing around? Trying to bring around some of his underlings?"

I glared at him. "No. Lysander is not involved in this."

He strode over to me. "Are you sure
,
Evelyn? Can you tell me honestly that your infatuation with the creature isn't clouding your mind?"

I punched him. Hard. He rubbed his jaw and glared at me while bundling energy in the palm of his hand. I set my shoulders back and prepared my blades for the ensuing violence.
 

Elise screamed
,
"Enough!"

I bowed my head and tucked my blades away; I knew better than that. I should have restrained myself better. Azfin swallowed hard and backed away from me.
 

"My deepest apologies
,
priestess."

"What is this about the hellmouth?" she asked coldly.
 

"There has been movement from the infernal realm. The energies are flexing and shivering
.
Something is trying to find a way through."

I ground my teeth, we were supposed to be done with that.
 

Haeyl said, "What are the celestials doing about this? Surely they know."

"Nothing
,
" Elise spat.
 

I waved my annoyance
.
"The celestials are nothing more than pathetic messengers, they have no power here."

"They fucked us
,
" Kadrix growled.

I laughed, a harsh unamused laugh
.
"They allowed a 'rogue' through."

Azfin raised an eyebrow at me. "A rogue?"

I gave a shrug and smirked. “Yea, you know. A hot-tempered, wrathful, arrogant, asshole who hasn't learnt he's not supposed to kill us. The usual."

Azfin growled and dragged his fingers though his hair. "I tire of this."

"You and me both,” Elise muttered.

Kadrix snuck up next to me, I made a note to tell Quin to put some bells around his elf.
 

"Standing here complaining about life isn't going to fix our joint problems
,
" he said coolly.
 

I was a little surprised to hear sense coming from him. Azfin eyed him darkly.
 

"And what do you suggest we do, alchemist?" he growled.

Kadrix rolled his eyes. "Does my position in the world matter so greatly?"

"You're an elf from a strong bloodline. You bring shame to that
,
" Azfin said with a sniff.

Kadrix shook his head
.
"I am an alchemist. I bring pride to my family via a very profitable business and a strong connection to the city."

Azfin narrowed his eyes and looked the elf up and down. "You have too many secrets, elf."

"And you don't?" Kadrix replied lightly.
 

I cleared my throat. "And how are we stopping the next wave of infernal bullshit from hitting my city?"

They all looked at me sharply. I smiled sweetly. I didn't care what their views were; the city was mine. I was the one protecting it, therefore I was the one claiming it.
 

Seventeen

Lysander had appeared after a short while of poking at the fae; I needed to vent. If I couldn't be violent, and I had no one to screw, then I saw no reason why I couldn't rile the fae. A smile played across Elise's lips as she finally relaxed and laughed at Azfin
,
who became more and more uptight.
 

A splatter of blood marked Lysander's cheek; I narrowed my eyes at him and dragged him back outside.
 

"Where were you? What were you doing?"

He held my eye-contact and said, "I was solving a small problem."

I sighed but didn't press the topic any further. I couldn't help but run my fingers over his silver collar; it fit him perfectly.
 

"Do I hurt you, Lysander?"
 

I couldn't look at his face. His fingers brushed my cheek, his warm breath soon followed.
 

"Sometimes, mistress."

His lips were dangerously close to mine. Panic filled me, I took a step back and took a deep breath
,
relishing the crisp air of spring. He thrust his hands into the pockets of his jeans and leaned back against the wall, trying to look casual despite the hurt that marked his face.
 

A yowl came from inside, an almost feline noise that cut through the air. I ran into the church to see Haeyl pacing around the room while the others looked at the smashed phone on the floor.
 

Azfin said, "Enough
,
Haeyl. Speak."
 

Haeyl's eyes took on a golden glow, claws extended from his fingers, his ears pointed. I hadn't seen a Sidhe change into their natural form before. He calmed himself before it took hold entirely; the temperature of the church kept fluctuating as he did so.
 

"Marielle. She has been found."

"Found?" Azfin said sharply. "What remains of her."

A knot of dread formed in the deepest pit of my stomach.
 

"Who is Marielle
,
Haeyl?" Elise asked gently.
 

"A nymph, my dear nymph."

Azfin stood taller and said, "Marielle was under our protection. A nymph that no one had wanted. Haeyl had a tenderness towards her."

Elise vanished
,
leaving us to deal with the distressed Sidhe. She re-appeared within a minute in tight jeans and a fitted shirt
.
 

She pulled a blazer over the top and said simply, "Take us to her."

The Sidhe gave small nods. Azfin's hand fluttered to Haeyl's shoulder but quickly left it again.
 

Strahov park is very popular with nymphs, so it was hardly unexpected to find her remains weren't far from the church. We wove our way down the winding and complex paths for a few agonisingly silent minutes before we cut into the trees and were confronted by the mess. An elf and a Sidhe, neither of whom I recognised
,
were standing watch over her remains. Her head remained entirely untouched, her long pale hair flowing out behind her as though caught in an invisible breeze. Her face betrayed nothing of the pain she must have endured, her expression one of peaceful resignation.
 

Her body, the remains of it at least, was scattered across an area half the size of my living room. An arm was caught in the lower limbs of a tree, her legs were strewn on the bare earth, while her internal organs were very firmly external in a heap near her pelvis.
 

"What did this?" Azfin snarled.
 

The elf, his auburn hair tied back in a messy braid, refused to look at Azfin.
 

"It appeared to be a celestial
,
" he said quietly, his eyes fixed on Marielle's face.
 

Azfin and Haeyl looked at us with a stony glare. I stepped forward.
 

"Do not blame us for this
,
" I snarled.
 

Lysander was at my side, his teeth bared in preparation.
 

The Sidhe's expression flickered and shimmered as they fought to hold onto their fully human forms.
 

"The celestials came to you. You are connected to them."

"Connected does not mean in control of,” I snapped back.

Elise knelt by Marielle's head and stroked her hair tenderly, she whispered something under her breath. Her body took on a pale silver light and became nothing more than a faint mist.
 

"Say your goodbyes peacefully and quickly
,
Haeyl
,
" she said firmly.
 

Haeyl looked between her and the mist before he crouched down as near as he dared and whispered something in rapid-fire fae.
 

Azfin gave a small nod and said, "Thank you
,
Elise."

She smiled and stood by my other side while Quin and Kadrix walked around the perimeter of the scene.
 

"Are you sure it was a celestial?" Elise asked the unknown elf.

He spread his arms out gesturing around the scene. “That's what it looked like. Big guy, golden celestial energies. He took off just as we got here."

"No more details are needed. For Haeyl's sake
,
" Elise said coolly.
 

The elf bowed his head to her and showed the palms of his hands. "Sorry
,
priestess."

She smiled gently. "You did nothing wrong, yet."

The elf lifted his head; the Sidhe that had been with him slipped away, or tried to. Quin and Kadrix blocked his exit route.
 

"What do you know?" Kadrix asked.

The Sidhe backed away, careful to avoid the remnants of the mist. "Nothing that Essan hasn't already said."
 

Panic edged his words.

Quin moved closer to him, his shoulders back and expression stony. He'd made lycans back down, one little Sidhe wasn't going to stand up to him.
 

"Please... I know nothing. I just don't want him to find me
,
" he whimpered.

"You bring shame on your bloodline
,
" Haeyl spat.
 

The Sidhe paled.
 

"Please understand
,
" he begged.

"She died in agony. What did you do?"
 

The Sidhe dropped to his knees and lowered his head.