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I smile. “You sound like a restaurant critic. Or else some hipster with a food blog.”
He laughs. “Not a word of this to the acolytes. But I truly believe all that. Don’t you? I’ve seen you do your core meditations and sink your mind into the earth. I’ve felt you draw on the power in Mannith’s woods and rivers, and give it something of your own power in turn.”
“I guess that’s basically the same thing as eating hand-caught scallops and forced rhubarb?” I reply, glancing at the menu in front of us. But despite my flippant tone, I know what he means. It echoes the words that start the Ritual:Mannith is a blessed place. It’s always drawn something from the rivers and mountains that surround it.
All of the tension of the drive seems to have faded away. We’re squarely back in date territory.
The waiter brings me a glass of English sparkling wine—really taking local produce to the extreme—and anamuse-bouchethat tastes as good as it looks, though despite my attempts at London sophistication, my palate’s not quite developed enough to tell what it is. I take a sip of the local equivalent of champagne and relax.
* * *
Several delicious courses and a couple of glasses of wine later and I’m feeling more chilled and cheerful than I have in months. I’m snuggling closer to Gabriel by the minute, and in between feeding each other mouthfuls of food, we both seem to be laughing or nodding at every word the other says.
“We could drive back,” Gabriel says, once we’ve finished our after-dinner coffees. “One of the benefits of steering with magic is that it’s perfectly safe after a few drinks. But I do have a room upstairs…”
For a moment, I snap out of my flirty, contented mood. Does he really think he’s so irresistible that after everything that’s happened and everything he is, he could take me for a nice—okay, a very nice—meal, and I’d just fall into bed with him?
But the angry words don’t come, because there are two truths I can’t avoid. Firstly, as soon as he invited me, I started preparing as though for a date. And secondly, looking at him now, I want him more than I’ve ever wanted anyone. Perhaps more than I’ve ever wanted anything.
I mentally scan my body and the surrounding area, looking for any trace of a spell that could be affecting my choices. His powers shouldn’t have any effect on me, of course, but who knows with him? All I can sense is my power and his, the forces still, steady and intertwined.
I lean in closer. “It’s a beautiful place. And as I presume you kicked out some poor couple who’ve had it booked for months, it’d be a shame to waste it.”
His smile widens, as though, for all his confidence, he’d actually been worried I might say no. Surely not something that’s normally high on his worry list.
He takes my arm and leads us out of the restaurant. It’s unclear whether the bill for dinner has gone on a tab or he’s made the manager forget the meal ever happened.
The room is as lovely as I’d hoped. The furniture is old and heavy, but the bright white walls, curtains, and bed linen make it feel light and spacious. There’s a huge, high bed, with a massive carved wooden headboard behind it. I take all this in in a moment, because now we’re alone, it’s almost impossible to focus on anything but Gabriel. If the room contained the original Mona Lisa or a live alligator, I’d barely notice.
What’s glorious and terrifying is that he’s staring at me in the same way, as though I’m the only thing capable of capturing his attention, the only thing worth looking at.
“How many people have you brought here?”
I just about manage to make the question sound casual. It’s not like it matters. It’s hardly as if I’m some sweet little virgin about to be dishonoured. It’s not as if I want more from him than sex.
“Here? No one. I’d never deny that I’ve had plenty of flings and one-night stands. But I want this to be special. I want us to be special.”
His words send a cheesy smile to my lips, a blush to my cheeks, and a rush of blood to my erogenous zones. God, he’s good. No wonder everyone falls for him.
You can sleep with him if you really must,I tell myself sternly.But you cannot, must not be taken in by his nonsense. You can’t be used or betrayed if all you want is a night with a hot guy and all you get is a night with a hot guy.
I shake my head. “Less of that. Perhaps you want to stop me freeing my brother? Perhaps you want to score a point against the Sadlers? Or prove no one can escape you or resist your charms? Or hell, maybe I just look hot in this little dress? Dinner was delightful, you’re basically more handsome than any guy I’ve ever seen, and I’m looking forward to ripping off that shirt. Don’t try to pretend there’s love and romance at the heart of this.”
He closes his eyes and takes an audible deep breath, almost as though he’s about to start a core meditation. “Okay. If you want to deny you feel anything for me and I feel anything for you, we can pretend this is entirely casual.”
I slip out of my dress. Whether he’s in love with me, using me for sex, or taking forward some wider plan, I appreciate the little sigh that escapes him at the sight of my body. He stares like he’s never had someone naked in front of him before.
I reach up and unbutton his pink shirt, acting like my hands aren’t trembling. “Don’t you dare be all tender and romantic tonight. I want you to pin me down and take me. I want the version of you that unleashed Greenfire on me. Or the one from the casino. Don’t treat me like a lover. Treat me like a captured enemy.”
I’m breathing so heavily I can barely get the crazy, dangerous words out.
He looks stunned. It’s the same expression I’ve seen on all sorts of men’s faces when I’ve been rather more sexually confident than they were expecting. But this is about more than me knowing what I want in bed. It’s half pushing him away, half opening myself wide.
It’s madness to deliberately put myself at his mercy, to demand he brings forth his dark side. But there’ll be less room for bullshit this way. And I’m aroused beyond measure. As is he, I quickly discover once I open his jeans.
“Are you sure about this?”
“Once again, I’m not some breakable human girl or half-rate practitioner. If you push me too far, I can fight back.”
