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“Oh no, you don’t. The boss wants to see you,” he said as the other two got in the front, then the van started moving. The man holding me was huge, and like the other two, he didn’t seem fully human. “And don’t you dare use any of your stupid magic tricks. It won’t work in this car, and you’ll only hurt yourself.”
I struggled to get out of his hold, but he just sneered and said, “Keep doing that, and my wolf will think you want it to come out and play. And once he’s out, he always gets what he wants.” He snapped his teeth next to my ear.
I froze, not knowing what to do. I could try to use my magic anyway, but even if it didn’t work, I might accidentally crash the car, which would probably be worse for me than them. So, I forced myself to calm down and tried to memorize the route we followed.
After a short drive, we arrived at an industrial area, and I was pushed out of the van. I looked around as Wolfman grabbed me by the arm and dragged me toward an abandoned building.
Of course, Mother would choose a decrepit warehouse. So cliché. She followed the villain handbook to a tee.
I wasn’t surprised when Dean met us in the building. He stood in front of me, wearing a cheap suit and a pair of shiny new shoes. He looked pale, as if he’d just run to the bathroom with magical shits.
“Danie! You better explain yourself. You’ve had me looking all over for you. And for what? A fling with a demon?”
I didn’t miss the fact that he’d stuck to form and called me Danie.
“Oh, stop beating around the bush,” I said, ignoring the not-quite-human thugs around me. I guessed exploiting the less fortunate hadn’t been enough, and Amrita had upgraded to better minions. “You and I both know I’ve figured out who you are.”
Even if I hadn’t, seeing Mother’s face in the reflection would’ve tipped me off, especially since it was followed not ten minutes later with kidnapping. Did Mother think I was stupid? Or Dean? Whatever. The mental gymnastics to think of Dean as Mother was tiring.
“What are you talking about?”
Did she seriously not know I knew? Or was it to keep her identity a secret from those who now worked for her? Realizing it didn’t make a difference so long as she didn’t realize I was actively trying to delete her forever, I called her out.
“Oh, come on,Mother.“ I damned nearly spat out that last word. “You’re Amrita, the body-stealing bitch. You’re only using Dean’s body.”
The goons around us looked confused. I guessed they didn’t know.
Her brows drew together. “What gave it away?”
“Aside from the fact that your face showed up all over the reflection? Not this face, by the way, but your old one. How about you calling me Tansy when you got pissed?” I sent her a saccharine smile that just screamed I thought she was stupid.
“My face? That wizard never said that would happen,” she fumed.
“Too bad. So sad. How’s the explosive diarrhea?” I asked, deciding I wanted to be a bitch myself.
Anger flashed on her face at the mention of Iris’s little bottle of fun.
I wasn’t sure how I was going to get myself out of this, but for some reason, I couldn’t find it in me to cower. Tansy from last week would have, maybe, but I was a different person now.
Damn it. I wished I’d learned some offensive spells rather than going through that book in order. No amount of cleaning magic would help me now. I just had to get creative, as Iris had.
Then Mother tried another tactic. Dean’s face screwed up, and when it relaxed, it looked like a different person. The three werewolf goons backed away, sensing something wrong.
“Danie, it’s me, Dean.” He didn’t sound like Mother anymore. This voice lacked the controlling tone Mother had. “We spent time together. You and me.”
I shook my head. “You don’t exist anymore. It’s just Amrita in there now.”
“Sure, Amrita was here, but that didn’t stopmefrom caring about you. We were supposed to get married, remember?“ He eyed my hand and noticed I was no longer wearing his ring. “You lost the ring. That’s okay, honey. I’ll buy you another one. I don’t even care if you’ve been with that demon. I just want the future we planned. I just want us.”
“No.” I shook my head and backed away. “Wedon’t exist. Thereisno us.”
“Don’t you love me?” His voice cracked with emotion.
Either Mother or Dean was very good at acting, or this really was the man underneath, because the pain he showed was real and visceral. If it was Dean, I felt sorry for him.
“I’m sorry she took over your body. I’m not rejecting you; I’m rejecting her.”
“She promised me everything if I gave her control, and she delivered,” Dean explained. “I went from begging on the streets to living in a nice apartment. I went from lonely with no prospect of finding a date to being with the woman of my dreams.”
