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“No.” I didn’t like that look on her face. “And I have no intention of ever entering the state.”

“You don’t believe in love?”

“Not particularly.” That wasn’t exactly true, more I wanted to avoid it at all costs.

“Good, because marriage has nothing to do with it…” I opened my mouth and she shut me up with a look. “It’s a way to strengthen, to grow, to ensure one’s power is all it can be,” she said, and a small smile curled her lips.

It was the first time I’d seen the old bat smile. It was terrifying. I had no idea how this woman could be related to us. She was rotten to the core. “I’ll keep that in mind,” I said, and somehow I stopped myself from saying a cleansing spell to flush away her bad energy.

I needed another drink, and when a waiter offered one to me, I took it and downed almost half.

“You have that wonderful cemetery, don’t you, Willow?” she said, and her gaze slid to her son again, conveying something that had him straightening from his slouch against the wall. “And as unsuited to this role as I think you are, I have eyes and ears all over this city and know what a powerful witch you are, Willow Thornheart. It obviously comes from our side of the family. It’s only fair and right that we benefit from that as well.”

It was my turn to straighten. “Now hang on a minute…”

She smacked her walking cane on the floor, silencing me. “I’m proposing a union between you and Isaac. I’ll speak to your mother. She always was a meek, weak-willed woman, I don’t see her refusing.”

Had she really just said that to my face, right here in the middle of this ballroom? “Thanks for the offer,” I said through gritted teeth, “but I’ll have to decline.”

Her expression didn’t change. “I’ll give you some time, but this will happen. Once I make my mind up about something, I can’t be deterred.” Her gaze sliced to Isaac. “Dance with the girl.”

He immediately closed the space between us and held out his hand. I wanted to slap it away. I didn’t want to give the terrifying old crone the satisfaction of doing what she’d demanded, and I also didn’t dance, but she was right, nothing deterred her from going after what she wanted, or the lengths she had been known to go to in order to get it.

I needed to cut this line of thinking off at the pass. I didn’t trust her not to use magic to get what she wanted. One minute I’d be living my life, the next I’d be married to her wet mop of a son with no idea how it happened.

I had hex protection, Mom had tattooed the spell on our hips when we were infants, but one could never be too careful. There were ways around it if someone was motivated enough and willing to dabble in dark magic to get it.

Downing the last of my drink, I took his hand and let my cousin lead me to the dance floor. Yes, he was a very distant cousin, but still—gross. He pulled me into his arms and started to move.

I stepped on his foot. Hard. “Sorry. Two left feet.”

He smiled, or more grimaced.

“So, did you know she’d planned that?” I asked him.

He opened his mouth to lie, then shut it and nodded. “When you became Keeper, she deemed you worthy. Not worthy enough for Elmer mind you, she has loftier goals for him, but she thinks we’d rub along nicely.”

I couldn’t decide if he was being sarcastic or he was just that much of a dick. “And how do you feel about being married off to some random witch, your cousin, no less?” He thankfully kept the dancing uncomplicated, but as we turned, Warrick came into view across the room. His gaze wasn’t bright anymore, it was dark and seriously unhappy.

Isaac’s blue gaze moved over my face. “I agree with Mother, it would be advantageous for both of us. Alone we are powerful, but together we’d be unstoppable. I’m more powerful than Elmer, and everyone knows it. I should be Keeper. But this way if he fails, we still gain power even if it’s not through my brother.”

I shouldn’t be surprised by this, some of the covens were on a never-ending search to increase their power, but I still had trouble believing what I was hearing. “You’re willing to marry me, even though you don’t really know me, for more power?”

His gaze dipped, moving over my body, and I didn’t like the look in his eyes when they came back to mine. “You’re a beautiful woman, Willow. Do you find me handsome?”

“You’re all right,” I said, because this guy was obviously used to being flattered and I wasn’t going to boost his already massive ego.

He chuckled, knowing exactly how good-looking he was. Oh yes, he knew all right, and he thought I should be flattered by his attention, that maybe I was and playing coy. I’d never played coy in my entire life.

“No, we wouldn’t be a love match, but I’d want a true marriage, a partnership. And that includes sharing a bed.”

This asshole was beyond cocky. “So you’d be a faithful husband?”

“Sure, why not? If that’s what you want.” He smirked. He was lying through his teeth. “But we can revisit the topic in a few years. I can’t imagine getting bored of fucking you, but who knows how either one of us will feel in the future.”

“So true.” I shouldn’t be letting him think I was even entertaining this whacko idea. I should be dissuading him, but he was just so goddamn arrogant I couldn’t help myself. “So you guys are rich, right?”

His grin widened; he thought he had me. “Very.”