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I never wanted to see Casey like this, so empty and vulnerable, but she’s so damned stubborn. This is the only way she’ll believe the danger she’s in, the only way to get her to cooperate with my attempts to keep her safe.
So, I harden my resolve and whisper, “On my command, you’re going to try to kill me.”
Something flickers deep in her eyes, but she doesn’t shake her head or offer any argument. She stands as limp and loose as she was before, a puppet awaiting the guidance of her puppeteer.
“When I snap my fingers, you’ll do your best to strangle me to death with your bare hands,” I continue. “When I snap my fingers again, you’ll stop.”
The panic in her eyes intensifies, proving just how strong she is. Most people can’t even put up that much of a fight; they are lost to my powers and remain that way in perpetuity. Until now, I’ve never left a victim of my mind control with the memory of what I’ve done intact.
I’ve reprogrammed dozens of potential threats over the years, ensuring they can never harm me or my clan again. My would-be assassin now works on a lavender farm in Provence and believes himself to have been a pacifist since the age of sixteen.
That man will never recall who he was before our paths crossed, but Casey will. And perhaps she’ll hate me for introducing her to this particular flavor of violation, but that’s a chance I’m willing to take to keep her safe.
I have to make sure she understands the danger.
“To be clear, I would kill her if I could,” I add softly. “I would do that to ensure your safety, but Priscilla would sense me coming a mile away. She’s too powerful to be taken by surprise by her own offspring, and she never drops her guard. That boat was a trap. If you’d set foot on it, I would never have seen you again. Herbish likely saved your life.”
Casey’s nostrils flare in a silent challenge to my words.
“You don’t want to believe it.” I sigh. “Understandable, but you haven’t felt her, Casey. That’s how I knew she was back. I thought I felt something earlier, up at the estate—that’s why I went to check on you and Amy—but down here her hatred is suffocating. She’s furious and intends to make me pay for finding happiness without her.”
I take several steps back, wanting Casey to have plenty of time to realize that she’s been forced to obey my command before the deed is done. “But don’t worry. I’ll talk to her, convince her that a few brief months of marital bliss with a woman I’ll leave bereft when I turn to dust, is worse than any punishment she could devise. For either of us. I just need time and to know you’re safe while I’m working on getting through to her.”
My lips curve in a tight smile. “You and Amy will be fine. I promise. I’ll make sure of it. You weren’t wrong to place your trust in me.”
I lift my hand, bringing my middle finger to my thumb. Casey makes a soft, distressed sound.
“You’re strong,” I tell her, hoping perhaps it will make what comes next a little less horrible. “Most people can’t hold on to even a scrap of their free will. It’s proof you have magic and that you’re going to do incredible things with it.”
I swallow, forcing a lighter tone into my voice as I add, “And we’ll both survive this. One good thing about being a vampire, we’re practically impossible to kill with your bare hands.”
Taking a deep breath, I snap my fingers.
A beat later, Casey knocks me to the ground. She moves so quickly that I’m flat on my back with her hands at my throat before I can so much as brace myself for impact. My skull hits the stone floor hard enough to send stars flashing before my eyes, but I can still make out her miserable expression.
Her breath comes in fast, shallow huffs as she fights the thrall, but it’s no use.
Once it’s taken hold, no human, no matter how magical or powerful, can throw off this kind of mind control. The only defense against the power Priscilla and I possess is not to find yourself on our hook in the first place.
I blink, then blink again, but I can’t clear my vision completely. The edges of my eyes have become puffy frames surrounding Casey’s tear-streaked face as she leans her entire weight onto my neck. As a vampire, I don’t technically need to breathe, but it’s a habit from a former life most of us never let go of.
The steady rise and fall of breath make us seem more human—to ourselves and the people around us. It’s a comforting, familiar thing, a reminder that no matter how long we’ve been undead, there is something human inside of us still.
But I don’t need that reminder with Casey.
When I’m with her, my humanity is always front and center, longing to be closer to her, lamenting the fact that I can’t be the man she deserves.
Knowing she feels the same longing and grief is a shadow that darkens every moment we spend together, no matter how sweet. But maybe things will be different after this, maybe she’ll decide she’d rather take her chances with the demons than throw her lot in with a mind fucker like me, even for what little time remains before the curse takes hold.
I wait until my throat aches and my windpipe is on the verge of collapse before I snap my fingers again.
Instantly, Casey’s hands fly up, hovering in the air on either side of her face as she pants on top of me. “Shit,” she says, the word emerging as a sob.
“I’m sorry, I—”
“Shit, Edmond,” she shouts, swatting at my chest. “What the hell was that?”
“It was my—”
