"Ah," I hummed. "You've risen to your position on the Coven."
Her eyes narrowed, while a chuckle escaped my throat. The temperature seemed to drop in the room, but it did nothing to lower the burning heat in me while my desire to see red across her flesh grew stronger.
"I could kill you," she warned.
"You're not wrong," I assured her, but I took a step forward, lifting my head in a smug, belittling manner. "And yet you wouldn't dare try to kill me."
She swallowed the lump in her throat, and I was sure she was fighting harder not to drop to her knees at my slight display of power.
Generations of power that I had no choice but to accept as the only true son of the Ramiro family.
I indeed had a brother out there in the world, but this world of shifters and power wouldn't cross his path. His world held enough instability. He wouldn't survive the dangers this one held.
"Neo," Onyx warned, and I think he was trying to stall me.
"Nico," I corrected. "The untamed, misanthropic side of Neo that carries a name and reputation that you hear in wolf folk tales. Or horror myths."
"You’ll kill Willow," she snarled. "I can't allow that."
"If I wished to kill my Sweetness, I would have done so the night she stabbed me in the gut, witch misfit," I spoke with authority, and my words made her grit her teeth. "Instead of attempting to put the blame on me for your missed insight on the matter regarding Willow's intense desire to kill herself, I suggest you back down, or I'll blow your brains out and cook them for dinner."
"Neo." Dimitris was trying to reign in my craziness, but he must have forgotten the last time I'd come out to play.
No one fucking controls me.
"You wouldn't go against the Clementines," she tossed out.
"Again, you're correct," I replied and lifted my hand so I could look at my palm before turning it back to see the newly branded mark that helped to tame my sanity. "But do I really need such an alliance if the newly sworn leader is already trying to destroy a connection that's older than your great-great-grandmother?"
The news was unexpected to her, and I decided to allow more energy out. It was a fraction of what I contained, but it forced her to take a step back. Immediately, she was on her knees, fighting the gravitational force.
Onyx cursed, and I took a side glance to see he was forced to his knees as well - Willow still in his arms. She was asleep, which impressed me, leaving me to wonder if any of this intense force was bothering her in the slightest.
She deserved to be resting peacefully on sheets of satin, in a bed that would steal away the nightmares that surely tried to encourage her internal suffering, but I guessed this had to be addressed now that Aurelia was a newly sworn Coven Head.
That would work in our favor if I kept her alive.
"Be very careful, child," I warned. "I play to the rules of this world because I enjoy the peacefulness I gain with my profession and get enough out of my hobby to tame this part of me. When I'm balanced, so are my organizations and the wolves under my complete authority. You may carry generational magic, but I carry generational bloodshed. The blood of all those who have fallen beneath my paws and the ultimate power I've inherited runs through me. I do not need the Clementines. You all need me. If you can't agree to cooperate without spilling all our secrets, then I'll happily finish you off here and now."
I couldn’t care less about the rules of secrecy regarding this matter, and though I trusted everyone in the room, including Onyx and Viktor, I wasn't in the mood right now.
To be honest, I was just hungry and wanted a good fucking with my mate, but I guess I'll stick with appeasing my appetite with food and alcohol.
She couldn't say a word, but my view was suddenly blocked as everyone fucking froze - including me. All I could do was arch a questioning eyebrow at my mate, who now stood between Aurelia and I. Willow’s eyes gave me the impression she was half-awake, and yet they were voided of emotion but palpitating with energy that was rather lethal in nature.
She's so fucking beautiful.
She wore the clothes Onyx donned on her once we’d reached the car: fitted t-shirt and black tights that made her fit physique stand out marvellously.
"Neo, do not hurt her." It was Onyx's stern voice that cut right through our wolf bond, but he couldn't tell me what to do. I purposely took a slight step to be right against Willow while my hand was around her neck a nanosecond later.
The action had everyone holding their breath, and yet Willow remained completely unphased while her eyes merely lifted to acknowledge our height difference. The way I wanted to smash her against the wall and fuck her mercilessly was beginning to make me see red, but I could feel the sane part of me again - the "Neo" part of me - that was warning me to not do something utterly stupid.
My rather tight grip loosened just slightly, though my Sweetness wasn't struggling in the slightest to breathe as she stared at me. Poor Willow looked like she was far too tired to deal with my bullshit, but here she was, defending her best friend even though she had no clue what she was getting into.
She couldn't understand how very wrong it was to stand between me and my current prey.
"Do you want me to stop?" I inquired.
She stared at me for a hard minute, as if she were slowly processing my words. I wondered in the meantime if this was that psychotic version of her like in the forest but in a calmer state of mind. It would be intriguing to look into, but for now, I just wanted to see how she'd react to me.
She nodded at first and then added, "Yes."
"Do you know who I am?" I inquired for added pleasure. She studied me.
"No."
"Do I frighten you?"
"No." Her immediate response made my smile deepen as I inched closer to her. "Your friend doesn't want me to be with you."
The way she pouted was a sight far more priceless than a man could ask for.
"You won't hurt me."
"How are you so sure, Sweetness?" I inquired and purposely tightened my grip around her neck, my lips were now inches from her. "I could kill you."
Her eyes seemed to flicker then, and with a few blinks, Willow was actually awake. What an intriguing situation for her to wake to, but my question still remained, and I expected her to answer it.
"Neo wouldn't hurt me," she began, lines of exhaustion already beginning to inch into her expression. She was fighting against it as she continued, "Neither would you, though I expect a personal introduction. And the next time you have your hand around my throat, it better be in bed while you're fucking me senseless and not for taunting pleasure."
Yes. I fucking love this woman.
"Nicodemus Ramiro," I introduced. "That's my real name. I'm the royal prince of a very endangered group of wolves that hide in the shadows and oversee the way things work in the realms of wolf shifters."
She seemed to handle the introduction well. "Willow De Luca," she introduced. "You knew that though."
"Indeed, I did," I replied. Her gaze drifted to my wrist, which prompted the low chuckle that vibrated against my throat before my lips sealed hers for a solid five seconds.
I expected her to not dare to kiss me back, but boy, she blew that assumption out of the ballpark by kissing me back and even tugging on my bottom lip when I tried to pull away.