Page 94 of The Slayer Seduction

Chapter 41

The Slayer

“You can drop the illusion,” the woman in front of us says.

Her wand isn’t as pretty as my Iris’. It looks more like gnarled tree roots, not the sophisticated beauty of the swirled patterns of my mate’s metallic wand.

Something about this witch seems oddly familiar and I’m not sure why.

“Well. I haven’t got all day,” the mayor complains and when I look down at Iris she seems uncomfortable, but with a flick of her wand she removes the illusion, and now the witch can clearly see us.

“We don’t have an issue with you or your coven,” Iris says, trying to be diplomatic, but the woman finds her words humorous.

“Coven?” The woman snort laughs, shaking her head. “You sound just like her, you know that?”

My mate stills next to me and I reach between us, grabbing her wrist.

“It was silly of me to make you such a promise of a mate, Atilius. Look where it’s landed me.”

I grab Iris’ wrist harder than I mean to as this woman says my true name. The one that I promised to give Iris; it was only ever meant to come off her tongue. Iris adjusts her hands so that our fingers are interlocked in a soothing caress.

“You created the slayers?” Iris stumbles through her words and the woman before us rolls her eyes.

“The price of staying young is difficult. I figured out a way to use vampire souls to keep my youth. I know it’s shocking, isn’t it? The idea of them having souls, but it’s true. So when a strong-willed human died, I’d trap their soul into the void, make them so miserable and desperate that they’d have no choice but to become a slayer for me. They collect the soul, but it funnels right back to me.”

Iris’ brows furrow next to me.

“And how did you promise him me?”

The witch sighs. She seems bored with all this as she looks Iris over again. “Because, dear Iris, I’m the creator of the Celestial Coven. So, of course, you don’t have an issue with my coven, because we’re one and the same. Now, I’ve already had to remove one unruly member of our coven for finding out my secrets. I’d hate to have to do the same to you.”

Iris blinks and her grip on my hand grabs me tight, like I’m tethering her to the world.

“An unruly member?”

The woman clicks her tongue. “Yes, well, I guess it’s frustrating to find out your child has been used as a bargaining chip. Seers truly are such a pesky fucking business, knowing things they shouldn’t. I was going to let you have your fun too, Atilius. You’ve been a very high producing slayer for me, but now that you’re trying to kill your brothers and have them all in a jealous fit, it seems I may need to eliminate the problem. I thought this could all be avoided, keeping you out of commission for a while. Then that fucking vampire stole that book.”

The use of my name has a shiver rolling down my spine.

“You need to teleport out of here, get Iris as far away from this woman as possible,” Adam says in my head as alarm bells basically sound off in my mind.

If this witch brought me here, she’s ancient. I can’t imagine how strong she must be. We’re no match for her.

“My mom. You killed my mom?” Iris whimpers out and my heart shatters for her.

“She knew too much. She was planning on trying to stop me, just like you are, and I can’t have that.”

Iris’ eyes are wet with tears, and my rage is boiling over. I let go of my witch’s hand to grab a stake and it’s my greatest mistake yet.

The moment my hand leaves hers, the witch across from me gives me a wide grin, flicking her wand and I watch as she teleports Iris away from me.

“Bring her back now!” I bellow and the witch looks bored as ever.

“You know, they always say keep your employees happy and they’ll work hard. Well, I think that’s a crock of shit. Hold something over your employees’ head, something so precious to them they wouldn’t dare to act up and risk their life.”

“I’ll kill you,” I promise, gripping the stake in my hand furiously.

“While that’s really adorable, I’m afraid that if you kill me, your sweet Iris will also suffer. I’m the only one who knows where she is. If I were to disappear, who would make sure she has water and gets fed?”