“Ezra doesn’t seem to be your biggest fan,” Dahlia casually observed.
“Such a tragedy,” Sin replied, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
She flipped through the spell book she’d borrowed from Nonali. “He gave me a rather intriguing warning about you.”
“I’m aware.”
She raised an eyebrow. “No defense? No explanation?” She bit her lip to suppress a grin, burying her face in the book.
His cool skin glided up her legs, his breath fanning over her thighs. As he slithered into her lap, she closed the book and looked down at him. His smirk was wide, his eyes reflecting a hint of mockery.
“Do you think I’d believe you if you defended yourself?”
“Would it make a difference if you did?” she countered, leaning in to kiss him. It was a bit awkward at first, but she was convinced there was nothing this man couldn’t make sexy.
Ever since he had confessed his feelings for her, they’d been spending more time together. Their relationship had deepened, and she was surprised to find she enjoyed it.
She’d always liked Sin, but now the distance that used to exist between them had vanished. He was taken to appearing and disappearing at random, always finding reasons to touch her, to dote on her.
“You’ve become quite clingy,” she complained, swatting away his hand as it stroked her hair.
“I am…content,” he confessed, capturing her hand and pressing a kiss to her palm. “Being able to touch you freely is a privilege I don’t take lightly.”
“Sin, when have you ever been hesitant to touch me?”
“I love hearing you say my name,” he murmured, his voice a seductive whisper.
“Listen—”
“Touching you, now that you know you’re mine, is an entirely different kind of pleasure,” he interrupted, crawling up her body with a predatory grace. His muscles rippled under his skin, and she was pinned to the bed by the intensity of his gaze alone. “Shall I remind you how different that pleasure can be with me?”
“No, I suppose it wouldn’t matter if you believed me. But it does hurt to think you might doubt me. Haven’t I been loyal? Helpful? I am truly devoted to you, darling,” he purred, pulling her closer and nipping at her throat, pulling her out of her reverie.
She didn’t need to trust him completely, just enough to know he wouldn’t intentionally betray her. Especially since their interests often aligned. He was aware of his untrustworthy nature and used it to his advantage.
“Please, I doubt anything truly bothers you.”
“If you were to reject me, I assure you I’d be quite upset.” He chuckled, releasing her and picking up the fallen spell book.
She rolled her eyes. “I can’t find anything useful in here to get back at that second-rate witch, Ashes.” She groaned in frustration, tossing the book across the room.
“Should I handle it?” His eyes sparkled with anticipation.
“Cane said we can’t kill her.”
“I could always—”
“No bodily harm.”
“To suggest that I—” He stopped at her knowing look. “Fine, then what should I do?” He pouted.
“Scaring her shouldn’t be too hard, right? I mean, I can’t even begin to imagine the things you’ve seen.” More accurately, she didn’t want to imagine what he’d seen. During their pact, she’d gotten a glimpse into his life, but it was too much for her to fully comprehend. There were things better left unknown.
“A trivial and uninteresting task. It’s laughable to even call it a task. I’d prefer not to be involved in such mundane matters,” he sighed, his hand resting suggestively on her waist.
“Maybe I should just show her what I’m capable of,” she mused, ignoring the soft lips brushing against her hip. “If I put her in her place, it would be better. And I’d love to take back the power I gave to Ash,” she decided.
His fingers froze on her skin, and his dark eyes glared at her. “I believe we’ve discussed your use of blood magic, darling,” Sin ground out through clenched teeth.
“I remember,” she replied dryly. “But you have to admit”—she tugged his head back by his hair, nipping at his bottom lip playfully—“it would be a lot of fun.”
“I knew you enjoyed being punished,” he groaned, his hand tightening around her throat.
“I should go,” she murmured, her eyes half-closed, her reluctance clear.
“Go where?”
Between Sin’s smirk and the promise in his dark gaze, she couldn’t remember. He leaned in, pulling her closer with the hand on her neck. She could feel his breath ghosting over her lips and she closed her eyes.
“Don’t you have somewhere to be?” His voice was a silky whisper in her ear, catching her off guard. Her eyes snapped open in surprise, landing on his smug grin.
“I’d strangle you if you didn’t enjoy it so much,” she growled, ignoring his laughter as she grabbed her jacket and stormed out of her apartment, slamming the door behind her.
“PMS?” Ryder snarked outside her door, inhaling just deeply enough to let her know he’d caught her scent. “Thought I’d wait until you were done flirting with your demon buddy before coming in.”
Not in the mood for his nonsense, she used her magic to lift him into the air and toss him across the parking lot. He landed with a startled noise that was a mix between a hiss and a yell.
“Ryder, you should really tie your shoes. Tripping like that is dangerous.” She grinned, suppressing her laughter with a few coughs.
“Serves him right,” Wrath mumbles.
“That was mean,” Kindness chides.
“I can’t find it in me to care right now,” she muttered, smoothing her expression and offering Ryder a hand up. He accepted it gracefully, letting her help him up without commenting on her talking to herself.
“So, you’re finally going to fulfill your duties to the pack?” he asked, raising an eyebrow in mock surprise.
Dahlia dismissed the girl as a minor annoyance, but one that’d become bothersome enough to warrant her attention. She strode toward the boundary of Ridgecrest territory, Ryder trailing behind her. “And I’m honestly tired of Cane’s constant complaints about her.”
Her guardian was still somewhat miffed about her harsh rejection, but he was gradually reverting to their old dynamic. Their chats were effortless, but any mention of Sin was strictly off-limits. If the wolf even got a whiff of her pact partner, snide remarks would flow freely.
“Remember, no physical harm,” he cautioned.
“I got it, don’t worry. I won’t lay a finger on her.”
Dahlia effortlessly dismantled Artemisia’s protective wards, like a hot knife slicing through butter, and stepped onto the enemy pack’s territory. The magical barrier shimmered and fractured, allowing the werewolf behind her to gaze at it.
The shattered silver strands of magic caught his eye, leaving him in awe.
“No time for gawking. She’s a lousy witch, but even a newborn would sense their wards have been breached. I didn’t exactly ring the doorbell,” she quipped.
It took longer than Dahlia anticipated, but eventually Ash and the Illios witch materialized before her.
She glanced at an imaginary watch on her wrist and yawned, regarding the pair with an air of profound boredom.
“You sure took your sweet time, a whole five minutes. That must be a record for the slowest response time after a ward’s been breached,” she remarked.
“Are you looking for a fight? You’re on enemy ground, and you’ve confessed to breaking the wards that protect this pack,” Artemisia retorted, a smug smile playing on her lips.
“Actually, I’m here to prevent a massacre. You’ve been a naughty girl, tampering with my wards.” Dahlia reveled in the younger girl’s wide-eyed surprise and the guilty glance she shot at Ash.
“Arty? Is that true?” he growled, glaring at the girl.
“She’s lying! Why would I mess with her pack? We’re at peace right now!”
She tilted her head, cracking her knuckles one by one as she slowly advanced on the pair.
She circled him, grinning at how he positioned himself between her and Arty. She could feel a hint of hysteria creeping in as the twins’ power surged through her.
“I don’t need you to protect me,” she heard the frail voice of the girl behind her former friend protest.
The thought was so absurd it made her giggle. Once she started, she couldn’t stop. Manic laughter overtook her, and her smooth prowl turned into a frenzied stagger toward Ash.
“They’re so terrified, little old me is so scary,” she cackled, lunging at Ash playfully. He stumbled, pushing Artemisia back a few steps.
“What’s wrong with her?” the younger witch whispered, her eyes wide at the drastic change in the woman before her.
“Dahlia?” Ryder was approaching her from the side, his entire demeanor submissive. “You promised no physical harm,” he said softly, as if he feared she might turn on him next.
“We? Who’s we?” Ash asked.
Dahlia only giggled in response and darted closer, her fingers brushing against Artemisia’s dress before Ash pulled her away.
Dahlia’s grin widened as she grabbed onto the werewolf’s arm, appearing a few feet away from where his mate stood.
“No, no, if you try to take him, I’ll rip his head off,” she snickered, her fingers tracing his jaw almost affectionately.
“Listen, I’m really sorry about what happened, she won’t do it again, will you, Arty?”
“I won’t, please let him go,” she pleaded, tears welling up in her eyes.
“Let him go? I let him go a long time ago,” she mumbled, feeling Sin’s gaze from somewhere nearby. She smirked wickedly and nuzzled Ash’s neck, her teeth grazing the soft skin of his throat.
She could feel his annoyance through the link they shared.
“Please stop!” Artemisia sobbed.
“It’s okay,” Ash said, his voice shaky.
Dahlia laughed and sliced a small cut on her palm, smearing the blood across Ash’s face when she forced his mouth open. “You’re going to return it to me. The power I gave you.”
Sin was closer now, his disapproval hung heavy in the air, as if it had a physical presence.
“I won’t be pleased if you persist,” he warned, a pale hand resting on the shoulder of the Illios witch. She jumped so high Dahlia couldn’t contain her laughter.
Her fingers were burrowing into the flesh of Ash’s back, trying to reach his heart. She locked eyes with her lover, daring him to intervene.
Artemisia’s cries for help fell on deaf ears; Sin clearly couldn’t care less about her predicament. She could feel the man in her grip struggling harder against the magical bonds.
Sin’s eyes narrowed dangerously.
With a giggle, she withdrew her hand, healing the wound and roughly pushing Ash toward his mate. He stumbled into her arms, panting heavily and never taking his eyes off Dahlia for a second.
With a clap of her hands and a wide grin, she vanished, only to reappear next to Artemisia. Her fingers, stained with blood, gripped Artemisia tightly. “We should do this again sometime!” she exclaimed, before collapsing.
Ash was quick to react, pulling her away with a protective instinct. He growled a warning, his eyes flashing dangerously.
“Easy now, she’s finished,” came the soothing voice, smooth as velvet and lulling her into a drowsy state. “I believe her message has been delivered, yes?”
The magic was slowly seeping out of her, leaving her feeling drained and yearning for the comfort of her bed.
Sin gave a nod to Ryder who was standing behind her. She felt herself being lifted into strong arms, and she nestled into them, seeking their warmth and strength.
