Page 69 of Devil's Deal

I clench my fist, my fingers closing around cool, loose soil.

“Come on, Jaga. You know just as I do it’s no use trying to crawl out. Let’s negotiate.”

I grimace, realizing he’s right. I’m trapped, my life still hanging by a thread, because I’ll die the very moment time is released from his spell.

My fear surges, and I do my best to slow down my breathing, even though it’s hard. Every breath fills my nose with the werewolf’s rotting stench.

If I dare take a deeper breath, it tickles my gagging reflex, threatening to make me retch. I walk the thin line between hyperventilating and puking, my chest constricted, my guts roiling with terror and disgust.

When I turn my head to look at Woland, he blows me a kiss with a low laugh. I clench my teeth as my gorge rises.

I realize with complete clarity my life means nothing to him. All he wants is entertainment, and he’ll do anything to get it. Even sic a rabid beast on me.

And when I die, torn apart by those mangled jaws, Woland will laugh.

His grin widens, his eyes sparkling with mirth while my life hangs by a thread. And it’s all his doing. Even if he didn’t steal my protective bones, he stopped me from getting to safety. He makes me feel so powerless, so utterly useless, I want to scream. I hate him so much. Even more than when he killed Bogna.

My hate grows sharper when he caresses my cheek with his knuckle, and I have nowhere to go, no way to stop him. I can’t even spit in his face because of the angle. All I can do is glare, and when Woland brings his finger close to my mouth, I snap at him with my teeth.

He withdraws his hand with an amused look.

“You’re a bit of a beast yourself, aren’t you, my witch?” he says, his voice dropping into the low, seductive purr that fooled me so well at Kupala. “You’ll get to bite me yet. You’ll get to have your revenge. But first, you must survive.”

I don’t answer, letting all my hatred pour out through my glare. Woland grins, his dark lips revealing the red heat of his mouth.

“And if you want to survive, you must give in. Tell me you’re mine, poppy girl. Say it now.”

Chapter twenty-three

Knife

I choke on my next breath, the stench like a worm slithering down my windpipe. Woland waits patiently for me to stop coughing, and I clench and unclench my fists, squeezing the loose soil in my left one convulsively.

When I breathe again, he traces the shell of my ear with a gentle finger. I roll my head to glare at him, and he hums with disapproval.

“I’m saving your life, little witch. Show some respect.”

I want to laugh but manage only a weak huff. My eyes water from the coughing, and my body aches from the werewolf’s bulk on top of me. And yet, the danger clears my mind, at least. I can think fast, and so I do, my left hand playing with the soil. It helps me stay calm.

Woland’s expression turns impatient. “Say it or I’ll break the spell. You’ll die.”

I squeeze the earth in my fingers, desperately trying to think. I have to say something, have to keep him talking, and in the meantime, try to somehow get an advantage.

“I’m considering your offer,” I say, trying to make more room for my left arm.

He laughs indulgently. “Considering it? You have to think about whether you want to live, is that it? Jaga, there is no other way. You’re mine and you know it.”

I shuffle, trying to twist at the waist, my shoulder pressing into the werewolf’s immobile paw. “But you never said what it actually means. Being yours.”

Woland purrs, the sound animalistic and sensual. “I’d show you if you didn’t have so much dog on top of you. There are so many things I want to do once I claim you, poppy girl. Brutal things. Devious things. I’ll make you scream from pleasure until you pass out.”

I grunt from effort, shuffling harder under the werewolf’s weight. My muscles burn but it seems it’s all in vain, my body barely changing position. And yet, I can’t stop.

“So you will fuck me,” I gasp out through clenched teeth. “But what else?”

He hums in thought. “That depends on you. If you please me, I’ll let you sit at my feet, making everyone envy your privileged position. If you don’t, I’ll probably let you do what you want and only call on you when I need you. I’ll always be able to find you when you’re mine.”

I heave and push, and suddenly, my left arm is free. Enough to raise it high, though I don’t try it now, wary of betraying my meager advantage to Woland. I grab another big fistful of soil, my heart hammering painfully.

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