Page 160 of Devil's Deal

Chapter fifty

Collateral

Three more days pass without Woland coming to see me, and I don’t call on him. I spend this time plotting and thinking. I’m not sure if losing my virginity will unlock my magic, and I don’t even know if he’ll want me. I still remember the way he looked at my naked body and said I was too thin.

Maybe his desire for me passed, just like he said it would.

But I’m desperate, and this is my only solid plan, so I make an effort to comb through my hair with my fingers every day and wash my scalp with water and clean river sand.

Then my period starts, and I lose all will to live and make an effort. Of course, this is when he chooses to show up.

I’m on my second day, curled up in a small hollow between the roots of a tree. The tree is dying, its leaves raining down on me, and the moss I rest on is black and dry, but I don’t have the power to move. The pain is even worse than usual without my yarrow and red clover brew. Being out in the open feels awful, too. I want to be inside, in my bed, covered in blankets.

“Would you like me to take care of you?” Woland asks, his voice perfectly neutral, after he emerges from the shadow of the tree.

I don’t even look up. My face is sweaty, the hair that I took such pains to wash and comb through tangled again, strands plastered to my forehead.

“Yes,” I answer without hesitation, because I can’t stand this suffering.

He can be as smug as he wants. I’ll endure it if only he makes the pain lessen just a bit.

His sharp intake of breath lets me know he’s surprised, but then, his shadows race to wrap around every inch of me, enveloping me in a warm cocoon of safety. I whimper with relief, sinking into him, and my body relaxes, the pain seeping out in waves.

When he sits down cross-legged right in front of me, I glance up, but I don’t have the strength to lift my head enough to see his face. His beautiful body swings into view, tall, robust, and lean, and I sag into comfort.

For all his vices, Woland has one thing going for him. He makes me feel completely safe, because I know nothing and no one can ever hurt me if he stands guard.

I sigh in bliss. He strokes my sweaty hair from my face, his fingers gentle and warm. I doze off when his quiet voice brings me back.

“I hate seeing you like this. Exhausted, underfed, and in pain. You have no idea how much it costs me not to lay all the comforts at my disposal at your feet.”

“Why don’t you?” I ask sleepily.

He barks a short, humorless laugh.

“Because then I’ll have even less to bargain with, and time is running out. You have ten days left. The good news is, I’m getting accustomed to the idea of doing what I must. I think I’ll even enjoy it. But you won’t.”

I huff, irritated, but my annoyance isn’t very strong. I am too relieved that my pain is gone to be mad.

“Why don’t you just tell me what it is to threaten me properly?”

He laughs warmly, stroking my cheek with a knuckle. “Nice try.”

I sigh and snuggle into his warm, comforting shadows. He snaps his fingers. A tantalizing scent of food wafts up to me, and I give a shaky moan of need.

“Yes, darling. I will feed you, too.”

A moment later, he brings a warm piece of roast meat to my lips. I take it in, so eager, my tongue brushes his fingers in my haste. He inhales sharply, and I would have smiled if I wasn’t so busy chewing.

So maybe he still wants me. Maybe not all is lost.

He feeds me the meat, some greens, and turnips dripping in butter, then gives me a drink of something clear and sweet that tastes like nothing I ever had before. Fragrances and tastes mix in the drink, a bit like flowers, a bit like fruit. Woland laughs as I grab his hand greedily when he tries to take the cup away.

“You could have all this and better every day,” he says playfully, not really trying to sound tempting.

It’s like he knows I won’t agree, and his temptations and threats have become a standing joke between us. I snort and look at his face, a retort ready on my tongue.

I forget what I meant to say as soon as I take him in.

---