Her question hangs in the air and I search for a simple answer. There isn’t one. I’ve seen what she can do. More than once. I’ve felt the depravity and depths of her darkness, and I know it’s as terrifying as mine.
“You nearly broke everything,” I say, my voice unsteady. “You let the void inside you consume you. Its power, its darkness… you almost destroyed us both.”
Zara blinks, as though the words don’t fully sink in. “I need you.”
I want to believe her. I want to trust her, trust that she needs me for reasons beyond her insatiable hunger for power. But Malric’s warning echoes again, a reminder of the danger that lurks beneath her beauty and her strength.
“I know, kitten.” My voice is laced with longing and uncertainty.
“I need you, Kade. You don't know.”
Her eyes search mine; a flicker of vulnerability mingled with a fierce determination that sends a jolt through me.
“You tried to break the blood weave—”
“For us,” she hisses, her eyes sparking with the defiance that makes my heart soar. “I needed to know, Kade. That we were a choice. For us.”
The pull she has on me is undeniable, and I almost allow myself to fall into her darkness, nearly betraying everything I’ve become.
“I want you, Kade,” she whispers. “Only you.”
I reach out and cup her face in my hands, feeling the warmth of her skin against my fingertips. It’s time to find out what she truly wants and this test, my test, won’t be the same as Malric’s.
“You didn’t break the weave,” I sigh.
Zara shakes her head furiously. Vehemently. With more determination and honesty than I thought a witch could ever possess.
“Fuck the ebon chain.” She sucks air in as she inhales. “I don’t want it broken, Kade. I won’t let it break. Not if that’s what it takes to keep you. To have you. As mine.”
I lean in, my breath brushing her ear, my voice low, dangerous.
“You’re changing your mind? Now? After all this, Zara? The blood weave is dangerous. It could consume us both.”
Her lips curl into a defiant smile, and the darkness inside her deepens. Her silver irises flash with unbridled lust and her breath is hot against my skin.
“It’s a risk I’m willing to take,” Zara says. “For you. I’m not afraid of it, Kade. I’m not afraid of you. Not anymore. I'll have you, even if you don't want this, warlock.”
I freeze, my heart slamming against my chest. Zara’s without fear. She’s embracing this. This bond. This connection between us that I gave up fighting days ago brought us together, and it’s inescapable. It’s inevitable. And Zara finally wants it.
“You let Malric test you, kitten,” I say, desperate for her to give me more. “You wanted the blood weave broken.”
“You let him test me because I’d hurt you,” she replies, her fingers trailing down my chest, slow and deliberate as she marks her claim. “You didn’t stop him and I didn’t sayanything. We’re as bad as each other, Kade.”
I hesitate for a moment and she notices. “You knew?”
“Of course I fucking knew,” she says, her lips barely a breath away from mine. “You wanted to know my weaknesses. You hoped I’d admit I wanted you. I wasn’t ready.” Her touch burns through me and I want to drown in it. “I am now. You lied to me, I lied to you. It’s about time we stopped pretending, don’t you think?”
I never wanted a partner, but she is my equal.
Zara isn’t quite my opposite or my antithesis.
She’s the pieces of my depravity I’m missing, the places where my evil cannot reach. I’ve never entertained the idea of sharing power, but Zara is different. She’s a force I can’t resist and in every moment I spend with her I find myself questioning if she’ll be the one who finally breaks me.
My hand moves over her and she rolls over, offering no resistance. Her back arches as the fabric of her clothes fades, disappearing as her magic strips her bare. Zara is perfection and every one of her curves was made for me. She stares up at me and her nipples harden as her chest heaves, and the witch who has me under her spell is more nervous than she’s letting on.
“We’re finished fighting each other?” I ask, demanding nothing but complete acceptance of who and what I am.
She nods. “Except for fun. You like it when I fight.”
