Muriel POV
She stood only a few feet away, the shirt was too big for her and would have covered her sufficiently without the leggings. It was absolutely adorable. A word I'd never used until now but found applied to her perfectly. She really was quite small without her boots and leather making her seem far larger than life.
I was unceremoniously broken out of my reverie when she asked, "What's your name?"
I was stunned. Surely I'd told her at some point. Looking back over the last few days I realised I hadn't, a horrendous oversight on my part and I berated myself internally. I'd told her we were bound together for all eternity but hadn't bothered to give her my name. How the hell was she supposed to scream it in passion if she didn't know it? Terrible oversight, I thought.
"Muriel, my name is Muriel", she appeared to ponder this revelation before moving to sit on the floor in front of the fire, no longer looking at me. "Where are my clothes?" Ah, yes. In a fit of childishness I may have hidden them so she would be less inclined to leave. "I washed them, they're drying by a wind vent in another cavern" possibly, maybe, not really. She shot me a quizzical look. "Can't you just", she waved her hands in the air, "magic them dry?" That's exactly what I did, "I prefer not to use magic for everything", this was true to some extent, I found I quite liked cooking for Gretel but I drew the line at laundry. She gave me a sceptical glance then turned back to watching the fire dance.
We sat in silence for a while longer, I found myself quite content to watch the fire light dance on her skin. "I don't suppose there's any other clothes?" the hope in her voice was mildly amusing even if it meant she might want to leave. "Other than my dresses and robes, no. I didn't think you would want to wear those." She wrinkled her nose at the thought, and I smiled. "You thought right. Can't get anyone to take you seriously wearing a dress and it's hugely impractical." I cocked my head to the side, wondering if it would be too soon to tease her, "you don't take me seriously?" she snorted in a very un-lady-like manner, "okay, correction, for normal people, it's impossible to get anyone to take you seriously in a dress". I grinned at her and for a moment she returned it. It didn't last long as she quickly remembered herself and turned back to the flames.
"I can get you some more clothes tomorrow if you wish." She nodded in response, and I left it that. I'd pushed her far enough, the next move was hers to make.
Gretel POV
Why am I joking with her? Searching myself for answers I can only nod in response to her offer of more clothes. Though I wouldn't need them if she'd take me back to Hansel. He presumably gathered our belongings before leaving that bloody town. I had no idea what day it was and that bothered me. Hansel and I had never been apart for more than a few days at most.
"What's wrong?", her silken voice reached my ears and the ludicrous question had hysteria bubbling up inside. "What's wrong? Everything. I have no idea what day it is let alone where I am. I don't know where my brother is or even if he's alive. Oh, and just to top it off, I'm supposedly bound by fate to fall in love with a dark witch. I'd ask if this could get any worse but knowing my luck I'd just be tempting fate".
During my impassioned rant she merely watched me intensely. Carefully setting aside her book, she leaned forward and again my gaze dropped from her face to her chest. I couldn't help it; I kept imagining what it would be like to expose her, to undo every tie on her dress and corset. Perhaps with my teeth. Her throaty chuckle made me snap my head up and I knew I was blushing. The mischievous grin she wore said she knew exactly what I'd been thinking and I flushed an even deeper red. "You know most would have a problem being bound to another woman as much as to a witch, but that seems to have bypassed you completely", I looked away, she was far too observant. I'd had feelings towards other women before and felt no interest in men whatsoever. Knowing what it would mean if anyone found out, Hansel was the only one who knew of my orientation and while he accepted and didn't see anything wrong with it, he knew as well as I that others wouldn't agree. We faced enough scorn and prejudice as professional witch hunters.
"Light or dark, witches don't care if two people of the same sex wish to be together, I've never understood the logic of mortals on that one" she was shaking her head, a bewildered expression on her face that brought a smile to mine. A smile that she returned, it made me want to kiss her.
I turned away from her. "I can't stay with you Muriel, I have to get back to my brother", I was expecting her to get angry, dark witches don't tend to like being told no and she was the darkest witch out there. "Why?" it was quiet and calm. It threw me, turning to face her once more I replied, "Because he's my brother, because he's probably out of his mind right now". She cocked her head to the side in that adorable way. "If you go back now. He'll convince you that I only want to hurt you, you'll go back to your hunting and you'll be dead before you're thirty. But while you still live you will be plagued with thoughts of what could have been. You'll dream of me every night because the mate bond will urge you to come back to me, but because you're strong and stubborn you'll ignore it until it drives you insane". She said it so matter-of-factly; it was only the pain and longing in her eyes that convinced me she, personally, cared if I left. Considering what she'd just told me I began to feel claustrophobic and sprang to my feet, "So if I want to live, I'm stuck here?". Concern was expressed on her face as she said, "You're not a prisoner Gretel. What I said is true but if that is the path you choose", she swallowed, her face grim, "I will not stop you. But I would prefer that you give this, us, a chance". I stared at her, a thousand thoughts swirling in a maelstrom inside my head. She's responsible for my parent's deaths. She stabbed Hansel. She's killed, god knows how many people; men, women and children. She made me stew. She might be my one chance to be happy with someone. She smells so good… Muriel had stood and was now edging closer. Like she was trying to reach out to a wild animal. It was apt I suppose, I felt unbalanced; in the last few days everything I thought I knew had imploded. My mother was a witch and apparently so was I. My brother was falling for a white witch and the dark witch I thought was trying to cut my heart out had changed her mind and now wanted me to be her lifelong mate.
I chuckled. I snickered. I bent over, arms wrapped around my abdomen, gasping through the gales of laughter. Tears ran down my face when I caught sight of Muriel's expression of pure panic.
Muriel POV
She was laughing. Loudly.
One moment we were discussing her staying and the next she was doubled over laughing. I didn't have a clue what to do so I just stood there helplessly.
When I leaned forward, deliberately exposing my cleavage, desire had been written all over her face and it had taken all my control not to take her right there, even if I did enjoy teasing her. It had only been five days since we first met but the mate bond was growing strong enough to test even my iron will. If I could get her to stay, our proximity would eventually convince her to give in.
When she finally straightened, she stood staring at the wall attempting to control the chuckles that still escaped her lips. I slipped my body behind her, leaning down to whisper in her ear, "I fail to see what is so amusing". Apparently she didn't notice me move because she jumped and let out the tiniest squeak. I smirked at her glare.
"You've murdered countless innocents but because of this mate bond all I can think of is that you smell good", I grinned at her irritated tone and expression, supremely self-satisfied with my apparently attractive scent.
Even though I wished to tease her some more, I sobered and resolved to offer explanation as to how I became what I am today. I needed her to know me, so she could accept me.
"Did you know I was a white witch once?" her mouth opened slightly but she only shook her head, "My sister lived in the next town over from me. Like your mother, she tended to its inhabitants with a gentle hand. One day she found her mate, an honest, honourable man who treated her like a princess. But another woman in the town, the magistrate's daughter, had fancied him for a while. When he asked for my sister's hand instead of hers, she named her a witch. She called on amateur witch hunters to 'bring her to justice' and so they burned her at the stake. The same people she'd cured stood around her pyre and cursed her name because of petty jealousy."
I don't know what kind of reaction I was expecting but for her to wrap her arms around my waist, rest her head on my shoulder and murmur "I'm so sorry", was beyond my comprehension so I just returned her embrace, wondering absently when I'd be able to get her to do this with me naked.
Gretel POV
When she'd grinned I wanted to kiss her just to shut her up, but her face had become serious again too fast for me to do any more than consider it. When she told her story I saw pain in her eyes. When she finished, it was so pronounced I couldn't help myself and wrapped my arms around her, breathing in her delicious scent. She startled for a moment before wrapping her own arms around me, resting her cheek on the top of my head. She really was quite a bit taller than me.
After what could have been an eternity I pulled back and suddenly didn't know what to do with myself. I found myself swinging my arms and looking anywhere but at her. Clearing my throat I said, "Well I'll just" I gestured vaguely in the direction I'd come from "go". Turning I was about to hurry from the room when something occurred to me and I turned back to face her. "Hey, where's your room?" She seemed amused by my whiplash change of topic. She gestured to the tunnel I'd come from. I frowned, "I didn't see any other rooms leading off from there". My tone was cautious and she smirked again. So damn irritating. "I never have visitors here. This is my personal sanctuary, nobody else knows of its existence" So no need for extra beds, I concluded and hung my head. There were two ways this could go. If it turned out she put me in her bed with the presumption of joining me, not only would that not be happening, I'd be using the crossbow she admired so much on her. If it turned out she was merely being courteous, not that I was naïve enough to think that, she would get to live another day. Although she still wouldn't be sleeping with me.
"I'm not insane, even though I was rather hoping you'd be willing to allow me access to my own bed, I'm perfectly comfortable sleeping in my chair". Her smug expression only served to annoy me even more and I turned on my heel marching down the tunnel. I marched back a minute later and threw one of the pillows at her head. Feeling supremely dissatisfied when she effortlessly caught it before it hit her, I turned around again my hands curling into fists as her laugh followed me.