Zoe

---

All was quiet for a moment before the Priestess let out a cold laughter.

"Your mate?" she sneered. "He's long gone. What does he matter now?"

"You lied to me," Scarlet continued, her body seemed to shake with the anger she felt. "You lied to me and used Zoe."

The Priestess scoffed. "What has the traitor been telling you? You know you can't trust her. Who knows what she's capable of? She even kills children for her own amusement."

I felt Felix's hold on my hand tighten and his anger at the words. I squeezed his hand lightly and sent calmness through our bond. The conversation between Scarlet and the Priestess was between them and only them. It was about Scarlet's mate and the betrayal, anger, and sadness she felt. It wasn't mine or Felix's place to interfere.

"She is capable of a lot," Scarlet agreed. "A lot more than you think and a lot more than you'll ever be, because she's not rotten like you are."

"Scarlet, why don't you speak frankly instead? What is it she has told you? What lies has she fed you?"

"Lies?" Scarlet laughed. "She's told me none, but opened my eyes to yours. You didn't know he had a daughter, you said. She killed her on her own accord, you claimed. You made up a story to Zoe as to why he deserved death, but the truth is that you wanted Zoe to kill him simply because he was my mate."

"I did you a favor!" the Priestess scoffed back. "He was too weak for you. A pathetic human. He would be dead by now anyway, so what does it all matter?"

"You really are an awful person, aren't you?" Scarlet hissed.

"And you are ungrateful! Do you really think you would be as powerful as you are now if you had let yourself be mated to him? Killing him was the right decision, and I did it all for you."

Words didn't seem to be enough for Scarlet anymore as she instead launched an attack. She made a dagger appear in her hand that she threw at the Priestess, who easily dodged it and made a nearby stone hurl towards Scarlet instead. Scarlet put up her hand, sending a shock wave from it that made the stone disintegrate. And so it continued.

They both fought viciously and with all they had. Clearly aiming at harming the other. Both dodged and blocked the other's attacks over and over, but slowly Scarlet forced the Priestess back.

I stood at the side and watched, knowing that Scarlet could handle herself and instead focused on protecting Felix if the need would arise.

"Now this is cool magic," Felix mumbled behind me, and it was.

Fire in the shape of a bird flew at the Priestess but it was turned to vapor by a wall of ice. Lightning was passed between them until Scarlet redirected it towards the sky. The Priestess was knocked to her knees by thick roots that grew from the ground, that then twisted themselves around her legs and arms, trapping her to the earth.

"You'll regret this," the Priestess shouted at Scarlet from where she was stuck.

"I doubt that," Scarlet answered with a raging calm and I could see something icy form in her right hand as she spoke. "I should have seen you for what you are a long time ago and done this. You are a selfish, manipulating bitch and I hope you rot in hell."

The icy object in Scarlet's hand had grown to form a sharp spear. As she raised her hand, I realized what was about to happen.

"No!" I shouted and let go of Felix's hand. I didn't know what to do, only that I needed to stop Scarlet. My body acted faster than my mind and I flung myself to a kneeling position, my hands connecting with the earth as Scarlet threw the spear.

A wall of thick and huge straws of grass grew from the earth in front of the Priestess. The spear pierced them instead of the Priestess' heart and got stuck with its tip only inches away from the Priestess' body.

Scarlet rounded on me, her eyes still burned and I couldn't help but be afraid that her anger would never go away. But it had to. Anger and revenge wouldn't make anything better. It would only destroy Scarlet even more.

I made the grass retreat, taking the spear with it to the ground. When it reached the earth, it melted and formed a small puddle. I stood up and waked to stand next to Scarlet. I took her hand in mine and gave her a soft smile.

"I know what it feels like to live with the guilt and regret of being responsible for someone else's death," I told her.

"What guilt and regret?" Scarlet snorted. "She's been using you your entire life! She's manipulated me. She made me hate you. She... She killed my mate."

"I don't want you to become a murderer as well."

I watched as the rage slowly subsided in Scarlet's eyes. The burning evaporating to be replaced by tears. She leaned in and I welcomed her into my embrace. Hoping the hug could give her some comfort as she cried again.

"You're both weak," the Priestess spat at us. "Weak and foolish."

Her mouth worked fast and both me and Scarlet were to wrapped up in Scarlet's emotional turmoil to react in time. But as the last word in the Priestess' chant left her lips, I felt myself being hugged from behind. Felix's embrace made the amulet protect both me and Scarlet and the Priestess' chant became nothing more than incomprehensible words.

I snapped. Though the amulet protected us, I could feel that the spell had been aimed at Scarlet and would have killed her. I could picture what the Priestess' plan had been. Kill Scarlet, blame me. Deceive all other to remain in power. Use and manipulate, like she had done with me and Scarlet. I was done with her and finally brave enough for the rebellion I should have done many years ago.

I let go of Scarlet, got out of Felix's embrace, and went forward. Like she had tried to frighten me and Scarlet with a display of her magic, I brought mine forward as I went over. Let it emanate from me and if hers had been like the strength of a tiger, mine was that of a dragon. I saw how she visibly paled as I crouched down in front of her so our faces would be on the same level.

"You must wonder," I said in a low and threatening tone that carried all the power I possessed, "how I'm suddenly able to touch living things. Though likely you care too little about me to wonder. The only thing of importance is that I've lost my killing touch and therefore are of no use to you anymore. But you couldn't be more wrong."

I raised a hand and placed it on her cheek in a pretend caring way, just like she had done to me so many times. In satisfaction, I saw how my touch made her flinch.

"You must know that my mother was a nymph. Or did you also care too little about my father to know that? You definitely care too little about such weak creatures as nymphs, though, to ever reflect on what it means."

I felt completely in control of everything around me and of myself and my magic. So I let myself see her physical life energy. It was completely whole, just like Scarlet's had been.

"But you see, nymph magic is quite interesting, and it is nymph magic that makes me able to kill with a single touch. Now that I've found this out and learnt to control it, I can touch without killing. But that doesn't mean that I'm not able to kill as easily as before."

I concentrated on her life energy. Concentrated at a specific part which I knew was her right pinky and instead of imagining smoothing out any hindrance on the road as I had done to Alex and Harry, I imagined making a cut through the road.

A snap sounded, and the Priestess let out a yelp of pain. The bones in her pinky had shattered. It wasn't much and she could easily heal it later, but it was enough to make her fear grow stronger. It grew to the point where I could almost smell it on her.

"I want you to leave this place, this coven, and never set foot here again. I want you to stay away from all other witches and magical creatures. If I ever hear anything that might suggest that you are using anyone again or trying to gain power or anything really that displeases me. Then I will hunt you down with the help of my mate, the witch hunter's son, and I will kill you."

It was a lie. I could feel in every fiber of my body that I never wanted to kill another person ever again. But I put all of my power into my words, made sure she would believe them to be the truth. And by the trembling of her body, I succeeded.

"But you..." she stammered and seemed to want to reason with me. "You just said... You told Scarlet..."

"Yes. I told Scarlet I don't want her to become a murderer. But I already am one. You made me one. I already live with the regret and guilt of having killed hundreds of people. Adding you to that list won't affect me in the slightest."

I concentrated on her life energy again and shattered the bones in her ring finger. That time, she let out a scream from the pain.

"Now, will you do as I asked you to?"

For a moment, she looked defiant, and I got ready for any argument or action she could make. But then she faltered and quavered.

"Yes," she mumbled. "I promise. Please, just don't... Don't kill me."

I let a contemptuous smirk form on my lips. "Good decision. And make sure to not break that promise. I'll be keeping a close watch on you."

Her eyes turned murderous, but I could also see that it was only from the pain and humiliation she suffered. That she likely wouldn't go back on her words. At least not anytime soon.

I stood up and waved my hands at the roots that held her in place for them to release her.

"Now get out of my sight, and for your sake, I hope we never see each other again," I spat at her.

She didn't have to be told twice, but immediately teleported herself away. As soon as she was gone, I let my own anger and hate and power recede. Let it ebb away and felt myself return to my normal self. I turned around and smiled at Felix and Scarlet, who both had a mix of admiration, shock, fear, and respect written all over them.

"Well, then that was taken care of. Doubt she'll ever set her foot near here ever again," I said cheerfully. "I'm quite hungry now, actually. Some newly baked scones with butter would be amazing. You want some too?"

They both just gaped at me, then turned to look at each other to see their facial expressions mirrored. But then, to my complete bewilderment, they started laughing. Scarlet was first with a small and quiet one, but as Felix joined in, their laughter became strong and filled with relief.