Runaway Mortal Read Online Free

how much of this stuff she actually used or if they were only there to set the mood.
    There was a couch against the wall, but Valeska guided me towards two large cushions that had been placed on the floor on either side of a low coffee table. A piping hot kettle and two mugs sat on top as though she had been expecting company.
    Valeska sat down and I followed suit, crossing my legs and making myself comfortable on the soft cushion. I watched as she poured what I assumed was tea into each mug and pushed one towards me.
    Taking a whiff, I almost gagged. There was a sickly sweet smell to it, like cough syrup that had been heated up.
    I hastily pushed the cup aside and frowned at her. “Is this some sort of poison?”
    “It’s prune juice.”
    Holy hell, it was way worse than I’d thought.
    “Oh God, you’re joking.” Who in their right mind would drink prune juice? Seriously.
    “There isn’t much humor in prune juice, Katerina,” Valeska said quite seriously as she took a sip of the putrid smelling liquid.
    “I guess not.” I shuddered and peered into the cup again. “Does prune juice have some sort of magical property?”
    “Don’t be silly, child. They help with my bowel movement.”
    Suppressing a shudder, I watched Valeska drink her prune juice. After a few minutes she appeared to be drifting off, so I cleared my throat.
    Valeska’s eyes fluttered open and she eyed me warily. “What is it?” She seemed irritated that I had interrupted her nap.
    I got straight to the point. “Do you know why I’m here?”
    “You are here to find out a dark secret. Something that has been plaguing you for weeks, tormenting you in your sleep.” She said this like we were discussing the weather.
    I leaned forward eagerly. “Can you give me the answers that I need? Do you know?”
    “I can tell you what you wish to know, but I have already told you that this knowledge comes at a price. What do you have in exchange?”
    A sick feeling started up in the pit of my stomach and I bowed my head in frustration. “I-I did have something for you; angel hair.”
    Silence met me and I looked up to see a glint in Valeska’s eyes. “That is rather remarkable. Angel hair comes in handy for a witch’s magic, but I see that you do not have it in your possession anymore.”
    I shook my head as the sick feeling intensified. “No, I don’t.”
    “So then what are you willing to give up in exchange for the information you need?”
    “Anything,” I blurted out, then reconsidered my answer. “Well, anything except my friends and family, or my kidneys.”
    “Unfortunately, I have no need for any of those things.” Valeska studied me in a way which made me avert my gaze in discomfort. I wracked my brains trying to figure out what I could exchange with her—my wakizashi, maybe—when she spoke again. “Maybe there is something you could give me.”
    My ears perked up at that and I glanced over at her again. “What?”
    “It’s called a blood promise. It is an ancient witch tradition.”
    “What does that mean exactly?” I had been warned that witches could be tricky. There was no way I was going to make a promise to give away my first born child or something insane like that.
    “You will make an oath to me that if I ever call upon you for a favor, you will do as I say, regardless of any reservations you might have at the time.”
    I wasn’t a moron. That was a big ask. She wasn’t being specific about what the favor would entail.
    “I don’t know.” I trailed off.
    “You do not have to do anything you do not wish to, but our paths have already been laid out for us. We are destined to meet again, Katerina.”
    “You could ask me to do anything .” I put a stress on the last part.
    “I could.” Valeska’s expression didn’t change. “But that doesn’t mean I will.”
    As I let her words sink in, I went over my options—there weren’t many left for me. If those SRECON agents had found me once, they’d be able to do