17
He’s not triumphant
ZARA
The air smolders like the acrid decay of a decomposing bonfire, its rank thick stench clinging to me as it makes my skin crawl. The pulses of magic grow stronger, setting my teeth on edge as they’re meant to. The clearing reeks of death and sulfur, and the night darkens around us as the thunder beats a deadly rhythm.
Kade stands a few paces away, coiled with a barely contained fury. It isn’t directed at me and we’ll be dealing with whatever the fuck it was he thought he was about to get away with as soon as we’re through with this.
“Who are they?” I demand, hauling my trousers back up.
He doesn’t look at me, his jaw clenched tight. “Not friends, that’s for sure.”
A part of me thrills at the unease flickering in his eyes. Whatever’s coming, it’s enough to rattle him. I should be scared. I probably am, somewhere under the seething ragethat’s taken root in me since the moment I realized Kade was about to brand me like a goddamn piece of meat.
“No clever quip?” I bite out, stepping closer. “No lecture on how powerless I am compared to you?”
His head snaps toward me, the coldness in his gaze a warning, but I’m far past caring. Kade can stare at me like he wants to kill me all he wants, but we both know he can’t hurt me anymore than the blood weave will let him. He sure as fuck can’t kill me, although the ebon chain appears to be happy to let him mark me.
“They’re not here for you,” he says through gritted teeth. “You’re collateral they’ll take on top of whatever payment they think they’re receiving.”
I’m about to snarl a response when more oppressive magic curls through the clearing, swallowing my words as its darkness spreads like thick tar. It presses against me, each pulse heavier than the last, and the part of me that knows when to shut up and listen tells me we don’t have time for this argument.
“I thought you governed with your brothers?”
“Gods, you witches are ignorant,” Kade sighs, his tone laced with frustration. “Warlocks have always fought each other, always vied for power. My brothers and I have held it for centuries and we’re not inclined to give it up. That doesn’t mean someone won’t try to take it.”
A slow hand clap rings out and my eyes snap to the warped trees to my left, watching a bleak silhouette emerge from between their trunks. He’s neither as tall nor as broad as Kade, but his precise features are difficult to make out as the cape he wears conceals him.
It’s standard warlock dress code for an ominous and intimidating entrance, and I’ve seen it so many times it no longer bothers me. His tactics won’t work on me and he’ll haveto do a damn sight better if he wants me to do anything other than dismiss his arrival as a cheap trick.
“Aiden,” Kade snarls.
The warlock nods and pulls down his hood, revealing what he’s kept hidden. I wish he hadn’t, and his features are more grotesque than I could have imagined. He isn’t a natural beauty and his scars and crooked nose only make him more hideous, while the tattoos drawn on his face don’t improve his complexion. He looks like the monster he wants to be and there’s little doubt in my mind he’s even more evil than Kade.
“Who’s the witch, Kade?” the warlock snarls. “She’s pretty if sluts are your type.”
Kade steps closer and his magic spits around me. “Zara, meet Aiden. He’s a mean bastard I should have put out of his misery years ago.”
I smile. It’s fake. “Delighted.”
“She’s entertaining, Kade,” Aiden says, stepping closer. “Is her cunt as delightful as her mouth?”
I sigh. “And I didn’t think it’d be possible to find someone more disgusting than you.”
Kade smirks, and Aiden stares at me with a look of unbridled hatred. His fingers flex and curl, threatening all sorts of violence, and I wonder if he actually has the balls to take the pair of us on. He wants us to believe he’s a threat, but experience tells me bullies are all bluff and no follow through—and this warlock doesn’t seem strong enough to take down Kade.
“You’re going to let that whore speak to me like that?” Aiden snarls.
Kade nods. “I see no reason to correct her when she’s right. Now, where are those other fuckers, Aiden? Those little weasels that scurry around after you.”
My eyes flick around, scouring the darkness for more warlocks. Aiden’s confidence comes from knowing he has us outnumbered, and he thinks one warlock and a witch aren’t a match for whatever he’s brought with him.
We might not be, not when our magic isn’t exactly firing on all cylinders.
Kade’s comes easier but he hasn’t figured out how to use it to full effect now it’s merged with mine. I’ve demonstrated some control, but I’m not sure how far I can push it, and I might have to figure that out on the fly. I’d rather not, but I might be left with no choice but to throw caution to the wind and be damned or dead.
“Are they all here, Aiden?” Kade continues. “They’d better be. I can’t be assed hunting those little fuckers down after I’m done with you.”
