and thick, black veins start spilling over her skin, rushing up to her face. A sinister smile splits her lips and black goo drips from her mouth like sludge. A mirthless laugh bubbles up and her hand opens, dropping a small stone to the ground.
“I would never let you kill me,” Vanessa sneers at Gunnar. “You don’t deserve my life, or any other. We made you!” she screams, dropping to one knee, her eyes still locked on Gunnar, but then she turns her focus to me. “He’s coming for you,” she whispers, before crumpling face first onto the gleaming wooden floor.
Her stench of death and rot permeate the room far quicker than what should be possible. The last witch standing’s shoulders are trembling as she heaves sobs into her hands. “How did you see this playing out?” I question the woman who promised to take me to Aeson. “Did you think you would just get away with killing people?”
“He said he’d been doing it forever,” she snivels, as if it’s an excuse.
“I can’t even look at her.” I turn around and storm out of the room. Grim is close on my heels. I trust Gunnar and Calix to bring the witch. I have every intention of finding Aeson tonight, but I need to get the hell out of this house.
“Are you sure we should trust her alone in there? Couldn’t she cast some sort of spell or some shit?” I glare through the car window at the witch locked inside. There was no way I was letting her contaminated ass in Betty. Calix left his bike at the Lakeview house and drove here with the witch in one of the cars that were at Vanessa’s. It’s not like she needs it now.
“That woman couldn’t do a spell right now if her life depended on it.” Gunnar balls up his fists. “As soon as I know she isn’t lying about this being the location of the rituals, she’ll be dead anyway,” he adds.
“Just dying might be too easy for her. You wait until I find Aeson before you do anything,” I demand, looking around at the empty alleyway.
We’re at a crossroads, in the center of four dilapidated warehouses. All the buildings are tall and look abandoned for the most part. A few have overflowing dumpsters next to them, but I don’t see any cars or activity to indicate anyone is using this place.
“Which one is it?”
“That one.” Gunnar extends his hand and points to the farthest building on the right side. It looks the worst. The high windows are nothing but shards sticking up and out like crocodile teeth. There are even slats of wood missing high up on the building. Would they really use a place like this for something so important?
I step forward, but Grim braces his arm across my chest, stopping me. “Nemean, shift,” he demands.
Calix doesn’t argue, instead, he strips out of his shirt and tosses it onto the hood of the car the witch is sitting in. I storm over in his direction and get into his space, forcing him to take a step back. I don’t stop until we’re behind the car and he’s out of the witch’s sight.
Calix looks down at me, his brow furrowed. Then he looks at the car and a smile blooms on his lips, but he doesn’t say anything. Instead, he inches a little closer and reaches for the fly of his pants. His nostrils flare as he drags in a deep breath.
He finishes stripping quickly and puts his jeans on the trunk of the car before giving me a wink. I stuff my hands under my arms and narrow my eyes at him. I don’t like that I was just a possessive bitch, and he knew it.
Calix takes a few steps away from me, he’s completely nude and looking pretty fucking good. He lowers his chin the slightest bit and it changes the features of his face, shifting from the hot motorcycle riding man, to something much more predatory, and fuck me if it doesn’t make him even more appealing.
I watch Calix closely to witness his shift, curious if the process will be slow and subtle like it is when Gunnar hulks out or different. “You know I like an audience,” he comments, while taking one more step backward. I nod my head, still waiting.
Calix’s tawny skin seems to glow from within. I squint my eyes as a wave of golden light bellows out of him, and in its