CASSIAN'S POV
The girl's body jerked in my hand as I lifted her off the ground, her mouth dropping open as she struggled to suck in air into her throat, her eyes widening as she writhed in my arms, her pulse racing. My hand tightened around her neck, squeezing the air from her body. Her face was already turning blue, her life slowly drifting away, yet I did not stop strangling her.
Agnis and ignis.
How was she able to use both of them at once from such a simple spell she wanted to do? She stood in front of the hall, her body shaking with wrecked nervousness, and she seemed like she lacked experience, as she had never done anything like that before.
I put my nose to her skin and sucked in a breath, inhaling the smell at her neck. She did not smell like the usual uppity witches I was used to, the ones that like drinking and smelling like exotic fruits, that loved to live a wild lifestyle. She smelt rather like wild berries, like the forests, so clean, yet…
Don't lose track, Cassian, I hissed in my head. If Eryx had not stepped in when he did, she would have killed a lot of my people, even though he was still in the infirmary, his wounds healing slower than ever. Her fingers dug into my hands, words spilling out of her lips, but I would not hear anything over the thrumming of her heart.
She concentrated way too hard on a simple spell, creating a small orb that led into something much bigger, which made me know she had to be faking it. She was hiding her true identity, and using agnis and ignis had given her out.
Poor lamb. Her pulse kept jumping in my palms, making my fangs elongate more. She smelt so sweet, her blood humming for me to taste it.
I had followed her closely, melting into the shadows all the way from the meeting hall to the training room. She had not noticed anything, humming a song underneath her breath, a small smile curving her lips as she cleaned the floor, while I watched her from the darkness. She was barely aware of her surroundings, and I watched her try out the swords, failing tragically.
She struggled against me, her nails digging into her skin. Why did she not try to use any powers? She did not try to cast any spells? Her eyes were wide with fear, tears pooling. Rage built underneath my skin. How dare she pretend like she had not sent all my people into hiding? Someone as weak as he is, I thought, could not possibly be who I think.
"Please, ease," she finally managed to let the words out, tears falling down her cheeks like water torrents. "Please let me go."
I tightened my grip more, waiting for her to free herself with her spells. Come on, I hissed internally. Do something, just a spark.
"What do you want?" she cried out." What did I do to you?"
What I wanted? What a silly question, I thought. I wanted her gone. I wanted her to die. I wanted her to show me what she could do. She had already shown me a glimpse of her power in the main hall, but that was not enough.
The witch just continued struggling in my hands, till suddenly her body went limp in my hands.
She was a good pretender, I had to give her that.
"Listen to me," I hissed in her ear," little witch. Karma is going to come for you, faster than you realize, and this is only the beginning, and if you know what is good for you," I continued, feeling her pulse steadily in my palms.
"Prepare to face me, little witch," I warned. "Prepare to face me during the trials because even your luck will not save you this time."
Her face scrunched up in fury, letting out a little snarl, and suddenly, her limp body moved faster on my arms, clawing at her eyes.
No matter how much she struggled, she did not once try to cast magic; instead, she was relying on her physical strength, which was really pathetic. She was breathing only because of my mercy.
I was a very patient man, and being the vampire prince, I knew how to toy with my food long enough so it wouldn't die easily. Even if it took me all night, she would reveal what she knew.
I heard her friend come down the hallway, singing to herself as she returned from the soap she had gone to get. I looked at Celine one last time, then I dropped her, watching her body crumple into a heap of bones. "Soon, little witch," I hissed, running.
Her friend entered the training room, and I heard her cry as she rushed to her friend. When I got to the courtyard, my veins were thrumming with so much power. I lifted my hands to my face, staring at how much I was shaking from the urge to kill her that was thrumming through me. My mouth watered, my skin whiter than usual, and slowly, I became my normal self.
If I headed towards her again, I would surely kill her.
I closed my eyes and sucked in a deep breath, the air cooling my insides. Something about her made me more feral than usual, made me want to drink off that pulse, sucking it in till I felt her last shuddering breath escape.
I headed for the Nocturane library. It was quiet; no single soul, including the library keeper, was absent. I went to the shelves, my eyes scanning the books as I threw some over my shoulders, looking for one particular book.
Finally, the leather-bound cover peeked through. I pulled it out, taking a little whiff of it, and pulled a chair out of a small table, opening the book.
As I scrolled through the pages, my lips lifted into a small smirk. I read the words, muttering them beneath my breath as I scanned through them.
Everything just became more interesting.