The Five Cursed Witches: Volume 1 - Zoe, the Witch of Innocence

Chapter 42 Answers

Felix

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I didn't think I had ever felt as frustrated as I did in that moment. My body was so wound up and screamed for some type of release. She had looked so sexy and with such desire in her eyes. Desire that I wanted to fulfill. I wanted to take hold of her and pull her back into my arms and kiss her. Get to taste her and feel those soft lips, that would have been magical. A naïve part of me thought that would be enough, but I probably would have craved more if I had gotten that small taste.

The fear she radiated when I had looked at her sobered me up a bit, though, and Alex did the rest.

I shot her an angry look. "No one was forcing you to watch."

"It was hard not to. And you had quite an audience." She looked behind her at the people that now faced the stage, but some looked over their shoulders in what they probably thought was a discreet way.

I turned to Zoe, who seemed to be horrified by that fact. She held one arm by the elbow and looked as though she tried to make herself as small as possible. Her eyes were focused away from everything.

"I think it's time to call it a night," I decided and added brusquely to Alex: "I trust you can take yourself home."

"Sure thing. You two go and have fun. Just make sure to use protection." She laughed as I took hold of Zoe and started walking away from there with quick and long strides.

"I'm sorry," I said when we had gotten a bit away from all the people. "Don't mind her though, or anyone else."

Zoe didn't answer. She just looked down and kept walking. I stopped and put a hand under her chin to make her look at me.

"Stop thinking whatever it is you're thinking. You have nothing to worry about," I told her, but she shook her head and I could see tears.

"I almost killed you," she whispered, and the first tear fell.

"Stop that!" I almost yelled at her, making her jump. "I can take responsibility for myself. I know the consequences, so even if we did touch and I would get sick, it would be my decision."

My words seemed to have the opposite effect compared to what I wanted. Her whole body seemed to be shaking, and she pulled her hand from mine.

"No. You don't know." Her voice was low, almost too low to hear over the sound from the music and people around us, and thick with the tears that streamed down her eyes. "All this, it's... It's wrong. I'm sorry... I... I have to do something. I have to find answers. I'll be back when I have them, but I need the answers. I need to keep you safe."

Before I could respond, she turned around and ran. I went after her. Shouted at her to stop, but she didn't listen. She made a turn into an alley by a building and I lost sight of her for a second. When I rounded the building and should have seen her again, she was gone. I kept going, hoped I would catch up. But when I got to a big street on the other side of the alley, she was still nowhere to be seen. It was as if she had vanished into thin air.

"Damn it!" I swore, causing a few people nearby to look my way. But I didn't care.

I got a taxi and went to her hotel. I waited outside her room. Knocked from time to time to make sure she wasn't inside. Leaned against the wall for a few minutes, then walked down the corridor to the stairs and elevators, then back to the still closed door to knock some more. I waited until the owners told me to leave. There had been no sign of her.

Where had she disappeared to? It wasn't like she had any other place close by to go to.

Answers, I thought. She said she needed to find answers. But where would she go for that?

In a desperate attempt, I went to the main library, but of course they were closed. I also went to the main hospital, but they just looked annoyed and said they hadn't seen her.

Finally, I went home.

I would sleep for a few hours, I decided, and then go back to her hotel. If only she had a phone. Just any way for me to get in contact with her. As I tried to sleep, I resolved to buy her one first thing in the morning and force her to use it.

I laid tossing and turning in bed, my mind everywhere. After an hour of failing to sleep, I decided to get up and find something to read. Just anything to occupy my mind and make time move. I went to the library and took a random book off the shelves before settling into one of the armchairs.

It was a book about different forest creatures. I flipped through the pages without actually reading anything until one word caught my eye. Healing. I flipped back a few pages to see what the chapter was about. "Nymphs" it said in bold letters and I started reading it properly.

It talked a lot about them, starting with the history behind them. It wasn't until the end of the chapter that their magical abilities were mentioned and, with that, their healing abilities. It said that it was mainly only plants that they would heal, but that there were unconfirmed stories of nymphs healing humans too.

I wasn't even sure if I believed nymphs were real. Since witches were, I guessed they could be too. My dad had never taught me much about any magical creature apart from witches, though from the way he talked, he seemed to believe in a wide array of them. If nymphs were real, however, I would look for one and capture it and hopefully it could heal Zoe.

I walked around the library and pulled all books that seemed to contain any information about nymphs. Then I settled myself down again, with a huge pile next to me, and started reading.