“You did this.” She glared at me, spitting fire with her eyes.
A raccoon sat at her side, glaring at me.
“I did not.” I clenched my fists, wanting to tear the bars off their hinges and slam them into Ubhan’s smug face. How dare he do this to her?
“Unlock the cell.” My voice gritted with anger, and Penelope hurried to comply.
Carrow looked from the guard to me, confusion on her face. I caught the briefest whiff of her lavender magic and the scent of her skin—something undefinable that made me want to bury my face in her neck and—
I wanted to bite her.
No.
I would not think of that. Not here, no matter how tempting the idea. Now that I’d had a taste of her—my first in centuries directly from another person—I wanted more.
The heavy metal lock snicked as Penelope turned the key. The door swung open, and Carrow and the raccoon darted out. She was close enough to touch, and I almost reached for her.
But no.
I’d done terrible things in my life. I didn’t deserve to touch her. Nor did I have permission. Again, I clenched my fists.
“You orchestrated this somehow,” she said. “Got me locked up because I wouldn’t help you, and now you’re conveniently here to rescue me. That is right up your alley.”
I opened my mouth to deny it, but… “You’re right. It’s something I’m capable of.” The fact that I’d manipulated and threatened the entire Council to get her out of here proved that my morals were nonexistent. “But in this case, I did not. It is coincidence.”
She scoffed and crossed her arms.
Penelope shifted uncomfortably, and I cut her a quick look. “You may go.”
The guard scurried away, almost running up the stairs.
“It’s true,” I said. “This is coincidence. Think of Ubhan. Do you truly think he doesn’t want you here, locked up for his own reasons? He wants to force you to use your magic to help him.”
“Why not hire me?” There was the slightest trace of doubt in her voice. “I’m starting a business selling my services.”
“He could. Unless he wants you to read something. Unless he’s worried you will reveal terrible information about him or his allies. Not to mention your power.”
Her eyes flickered.
“The spell that would assign you to a guild couldn’t work on you. Your magic is too strong, too strange.”
Her jaw tightened. “You’re here now. Why?”
“Because I’m fond of you.” Fond was such a weak word. It felt awkward on my tongue, but I didn’t know what else to say that wouldn’t scare the hell out of her.
“Fond? That’s a ridiculous word.”
We agreed on something, it seemed. “You’re right. Frankly, I don’t know how I feel about you. But I do want you.” I could be honest about that. I had to be honest about that. I wanted her more than I wanted her blood, more than I wanted anything.
“You want my magic.”
“That as well.”
“I don’t know how to process this.”
“Why don’t you start by following me out of here?”
She drew in an unsteady breath and nodded. “Hell, yes. Let’s go.”
4
Carrow
I followed the Devil out of the horrible old church, moving at a quick pace alongside him. I didn’t want to spend a second more in that hellish place. Cordelia followed silently at my heels.
My mind spun as we walked through the damp, dark hallways.
He wanted me.
Not just my power.
Me.
I couldn’t deny it. I could feel it coming off him like a heady scent that spun my mind and caressed my skin. I’d felt it during our near kiss, and I’d definitely felt it when he’d bitten me. That bite had been better than any sex I’d ever had.
To be fair, it had all been mediocre sex, but still.
I shot him a surreptitious glance, taking in his lean, powerful grace. He was the most beautiful man I’d ever seen, but also the most terrifying. Not just for his magic, but for his physical power as well.
His strength and speed, not to mention his charm, were enough to get him whatever he wanted in life. Add his mind control powers to it, and no one could mount a defense against him.
Except me.
His powers didn’t work on me.
He was stronger than me, but my mind was my own.
Except for the fact that I wanted him right back, but it would do me no good if I gave in to those damned instincts.
Cursed Mate.
Especially given that little prophecy that I didn’t understand. Did he know about it?
We approached the main exit, and the sight of the two figures by the door drew my mind from the Devil.
The guards watched us as we left, and I barely resisted hissing at them. Garreth and Penelope. Their names were going on my list of people to avoid.
The afternoon sun welcomed us as we walked out onto the massive front steps of the church. The square spread before of us, its pale stone gleaming. Cordelia disappeared immediately, and I couldn’t blame her.
Mac, who’d clearly been waiting outside, launched herself at me. “You’re out!”
She threw her arms around me and squeezed tight. I hugged her back. “You’ve been hanging around out here?”
“Of course.” She pulled back and looked at me like I was crazy. “I’d have been in there, too, if Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum hadn’t kept me out.”
I grinned. “Thanks, Mac.”
“Duh, I’ve got your back.” She grabbed my arm, obviously ignoring the Devil. “Come on, we’re getting out of here.”
“Not quite yet.” The Devil’s voice was quiet but commanding. It wrapped around me and squeezed, like an overly tight hug that I both liked and loathed.
I turned back to him. “Is it time to pay the piper?”
“If I am the piper, then yes.”
“Seriously?” Mac glowered at him. “Can’t you just do something out of the goodness of your heart for once?”
“Perhaps. If I had a heart.” His slate-gray eyes were so cold that I believed him when he said it.
Yet I’d felt the heat in him, so deeply buried beneath the ice.
There was a heart in there, albeit one that no longer worked. Sure, it pumped blood—vampires weren’t undead like I’d believed when I’d known nothing about this world—but his heart was probably as shriveled as he seemed to imagine.
Almost.
Mac crossed her arms over her chest. “What do you want, O Heartless One?”
“Carrow’s help with the issue that I requested earlier.”
My mind raced. “Will you let me go if I don’t help you?”
“No.”
Still, he might let me go. I knew he wasn’t a total bastard. There’d been a connection when he’d bitten me.
But I had a big problem with the Council, and it seemed to all stem from my lack of control over my magic. I had to learn how to control it. I could feel it inside me, growing.
Mac and Eve had tried to help, even Quinn. But they hadn’t understood it any better than I had. The tricks they used to control their signatures didn’t work for me.