Page 11 of Immortal Burden

His pupils dilated.

I felt his pulse spike.

His eyes were drawn to mine, relishing my every word.

And then he swallowed hard and jerked back, pressing himself as far back to the couch as possible in order to put distance between us, that hostility back with a vengeance, as he scoffed at me, “You think a lot of yourself and the allure of the whole creature of the night thing. You’re delusional. Must be an Ancient thing. Living too long and all that. Straining on the mind, huh?”

I stepped back, intending to fix myself a drink at my minibar. It was going to be a long night. The young sorcerer was all too willful and in the most inhospitable of moods.

I’d barely made it two steps away when I heard him rise from the couch, the stomp of his booted footsteps coming my way all too quickly.

He was attempting to rush me.

With a burst of speed, I spun around, clamped my hand around his throat and shoved him up against the wall adjacent to my minibar.

“You need to calm yourself.”

“You’re not even her type!” he rasped against my constricting grasp.

Frowning, I asked, “Who?”

“Don’t play dumb. Why the hell do you think I’m here?”

Clearly it wasn’t for the reason that Cornelius had led me to believe.

The Immortal had told me that the sorcerer had grown disillusioned with the Guardian Movement, that he was vital for what was to come. He’d asked me to coax him back into the fold, to renew his faith in our work.

Struggling against my hold around his throat, he hissed, “Mia! Mia Snow!”

More than a little surprised, I released him and took a step back, frowning, “What of her?”

“She’s mine!” he hissed. He slumped against the wall dejectedly. “Was mine.” His eyes flashed. “Until you decided to make her one of your playthings. She’s not like the people you fuck around with, she’s naïve, not able to deal with the sexual manipulations of someone like you.”

“You’re correct. And, as such, I would not seek to seduce her.”

“You mean again?”

“No.”

“I heard her. And him. That fucking Cornelius. You’re what came between us!”

“I don’t understand what is truly happening here. Although, it’s clear to me that we have both been manipulated by the Immortal. I haven’t laid a hand on your beloved sorceress.”

His eyebrows drew together in consternation. “I—that’s not—I came here because—”

“You believed I had defiled your love.”

He pushed off the wall, his eyes searching mine. “Why did you allow my… disrespect?”

“Cornelius asked me to handle you, to calm you, and convince you to come back to the fold. With Draco’s return, he doesn’t want to lose someone of your impressive magical ability.”

He remained silent for a while, taking my words in. “So, whatever involvement you’re to have with Mia is coming then. It doesn’t explain why she cast me aside, though. Unless, you’re to replace me.”

I shrugged, feigning nonchalance, while I was just as intrigued and concerned as he was. What was truly going on? What did Cornelius know, and why had he elected to keep it from me? “A mystery, indeed,” was all I offered, as I turned away, now that he was no longer presenting a threat, and made my way over to my minibar. A stiff drink was most definitely warranted.

“I’ll take that elixir if you’re still offering,” he called after me.

“As you wish,” I said, pouring myself a scotch, then mixing his drink. “Have a seat,” I told him, pointing to the leather couch. “Again.”

---