I lie flat on my back, using my skirts as a cushion against the cold stone floor. The guards had brought me to a cell straight away. They’d chosen the space at the end of the empty corridor and stationed the individuals meant to watch me outside, far from speaking distance. Convinced my voice alone could persuade their actions with my magic.
It wasn’t an incorrect notion altogether. I was a Nephilim. A succubus. Siren. That I had no intention of coaxing my way from my temporary holding was knowledge they neither possessed nor would have believed.
Sighing, I counted the drips of water as they hit the ground from a leak in the roof. How long would it take them to deliberate my death this time?
“You’re a dangerously beautiful creature, even wallowing in the mud as you are.”
I didn’t need to see the figure to recognize Jonah’s voice. Pulling myself into a sitting position, I wrapped my arms about my knees and tilted my head toward him. My skirts were wet and covered in filth from being dragged here, but I was thankful for the padding they provided against the cold ground.
Jonah leaned casually against the stone wall, his arms crossed over his chest, and a slouch to his shoulders. The pulse in his neck was the only betrayal that he was not as relaxed as he wished to appear.
“What did you tell them to cause this?” I asked. Remembering the guard’s words as he crossed the threshold into my home, “He spoke truth.”
“I didn’t tell them anything at all. They assumed.”
“And you didn’t think it worthy to correct them?”
“You think they would have listened?”
“You are very persuasive.”
“You underestimate their bias,”—He paused—“We could always share your true nature.”
I scowled at him. “Only if you wish to speed my execution.” If the idea of a witch, a woman dealing with the devil, could set a town on fire. Imagine what they would do with me.
His eyes shone, as he undoubtedly contemplated the reaction the word Nephilim would draw from the mob. “Could prove fun.”
“It would be more fun with you on this side of the bars.”
He moved forward, leaning his head against the iron. “I apologized.”
“You mean as I was sacked? That is hardly an apology.”
“I meant it properly.”
I sighed, sinking my back down to the cold stone floor. If Jonah meant to release me, he’d have done so. He came to taunt. “Where’s Hunter?” I asked.
Jonah hesitated a moment, parting his lips to speak, but shook his head before replying, “I’m on my way to gather him. His incessant demands for your release convinced them all that he’s still under your influence. It’s earned you an immediate pyre come morning and him a visit from the priest with a holy water bath. Truthfully, it’s him you should be angry with.”
“You would think that.” I turned my face back toward him. “How did your little dalliance end up with me being burned and you free?”
A Cheshire grin spread across his face. “In truth, I took your advice to give her a wide berth. But as it turns out, she’s a very jealous sort. I think Hunter would have had more fun with her than I… if he were still willing to play along. You’ve made him very boring.”
It would be like Jonah to bring my household down over a forlorn lover. I didn’t suppose she would listen to my proclamations that I had no machinations for his heart, either.
“What are you waiting for, then? If you truly wish to apologize, call for Everly and get Hunter to safety.”
“And I shall. I simply thought you might want a visit first. Maybe a last meal?” He leaned forward, waving his wrist at me through the bars in a provocative gesture.
“Come close enough for me to sink my teeth into you and I will snap your neck for good measure.”
His laughter echoed in the small cell.
“As you wish,” he said. He stood fully, straitening his tunic. “For what it matters, I do regret the outcome. I was attempting to follow your lead for once.” Before I could scoff at his flippant apology and scold him for not managing eye contact in the process, he laughed again. “Though this may be a blessing. This is rather a terrible time to be a woman. Better that you skip this and awaken in a few years, once this madness has passed.”
When my only response to his nonsense was to glare back, he sighed. “We could escape tonight. If we left Hunter here, I could have you to safety by morning.”
“What could cause you to think I’d leave Hunter, and with you no less?” I asked.
“Oh, come now. You fancy me at least a little.” Jonah beamed his best smile at me. He wasn’t wrong. He had grown on my affections despite his destructive tendencies, but his affections and mine were not the same. I cared about Jonah as a companion.
Or maybe as an endearing younger sibling, one you ponder if you shouldn’t have just let drown in the lake instead of rescuing. That felt about the way of it.
“Jonah, there is no lifetime in which I choose you over Hunter. Certainly not one where you managed to label me a witch and have me executed in a matter of hours.”
He measured my expression. His own brow furrowed at the sincerity of my response before he smiled wickedly. “Next life then?”
I turned away, nearly angry enough to abandon my duty to keep him contained. I just hoped Everly could control him long enough for me to awaken again and return to my charge.
The silence falling around me let me know he had taken his leave just as sneakily as his arrival. Releasing a breath, I closed my eyes and leaned my head back. Jonah was more trouble than he was worth. A truth that only seemed to multiply with every lifetime.
Comments (0)
See all