Page 55 of SIN Bone Deep

“A raven.”

“Mal asked what you desired to be or have in five years’ time,” Fleur prompted me, her eyes darting between us. She did not know what was going on, but she knew that something was.

What did I want in five years’ time? I wondered. “I don’t know,” I said slowly. “I had thought I did, but things change, and now, I’m not sure that what I wanted is possible… Or that I still want it at all.”

“It is something to consider,” Mal refilled everyone’s wine glasses. “I often ask people what they most want, and what they’re willing to sacrifice in order to get it, and their answers always intrigue me, some because they are so basic and boring, but others because of how unusual and creative they are.”

He let them turn the conversation to other things and pressed a wine glass into my hand. “You’re not drinking, Nyx.”

“I’m not thirsty,” I replied honestly.

“Hmm, I’m rather thirst-quenching, aren’t I,” he preened a little. He leaned into me. “I am looking forward to returning you to your bed. Our encounters have been somewhat creative, but hasty due to the precarious nature of the locations. The things I will do to you, show you, with the advantage of time and tools, will sate your hunger for weeks.”

“Mal…” I felt the hot flush creep up my skin. Embarrassment… and desire. My eyes flicked to the shadows of the tree where Ender had been. It felt like a betrayal, I admitted to myself. As if I were being unfaithful to Ender by being with Mal – and that was ridiculous, as Ender had never minded. That had been before, though, I amended. When Ender had been anticipating my death and had known that would end my time with Mal and make me Ender’s alone. It was easier to share when a person knew that sharing was temporary, after all.

“Anticipation makes everything so much sweeter,” he whispered, his lips against the point of my cheekbone, and his breath warming my ear. “But I said I’d take you shopping, did I not,” he rose fluidly to his feet and offered me his hand. “And I had best fulfill my promises. Enjoy the picnic,” he added to the other three. “We’ll see you again soon.”

NINETEEN

When misfortune is enow wear the star upon your brow

– The Wiccan Rede

“You intend to steal their souls,” I accused Mal as he drove out of the Pinegrove Academy gates.

“Souls are not something that can be stolen,” he corrected with mild amusement. “Sold, given, bought - but taken? No. However, technically you are correct. I intend to offer our dear, dear, ever so charming friends, something so tempting that they cannot resist but to offer their souls in order to have it.”

“Do I still have my soul?” I wondered. Was that what had happened? Had I somehow given my soul to him in exchange for life?

“Of course you do,” he sent me a frown. “What do you think I am?”

“A demon. You made me into… something not human,” I pointed out. “I just wondered if… I had sold my soul in return for life.”

“You invoked me,” he was annoyed by the question, his brows pulling together over his nose, and his eyes darkening with anger. “As an invoked demon there are certain gifts I might bestow to my beloved witch, gifts that in their giving, heal. I picked one and gave it to you. I saved your life and gave you something precious at the same time.”

“A hunger for blood and sex?” If that was a gift, then I wanted to return it.

“Power,” he corrected with emphasis. “I gave you power. You haven’t learned how to use it yet, Nyx, but you will, and when you do, you will appreciate the true value of what I have given to you.”

“I had power. I was… am?” I glanced at him uncertainly. He nodded. “I am a witch,” I finished with relief. “So, I already had power.”

“Not power like this,” his grin was toothy. “This is power straight from the Hells.”

“What power?” I did not feel powerful. I felt like a leaf might feel, tossed about on the winds of a ferocious storm, as if I had no control where I went, and wasn’t entirely sure I would survive the journey there. This was not how I had imagined having a demon familiar would be. My imagination had been less tumultuous.

“The greatest power in all the realms,” he announced. We were heading out of Mortensby towards the city. “The power to make people fall in love with you, to want to do anything, and I mean anything,” he sent me a sideways smirk. “In order to be with you. This is the sort of power that brings Kings to their knees, which inspires poets and artists, and raises armies to fight losing battles. The power of Helen of Troy, of Gweneviere, Isolde, and Cleopatra. The power of a succubus, when wielded well, can change the world and the course of history. It is limited only to the imagination of the succubus… and her moral compass.”

“If I remember rightly,” I said slowly. “None of their stories ended well.”

“Tsk,” he dismissed it. “The tales of men like to focus on the demise of women as punishment for their power. But are they the true endings? Or just the wishes of those who would prefer women to be weak? Write your own story, Elenyx Vossen, one where the succubus gets her Happy Ever After.”

What Happy Ever After did I seek? I did not know, but I knew that I wanted someone else to have an Unhappily Ever After. There was an ember within me that was slowly building in heat. Rage. “I need to find out who was driving that car, Mal,” I told him.

“What does it matter?” He wondered. “No harm, no foul.”

“There was harm,” I looked at him in exasperation. “I was harmed. I almost died.”

“But you didn’t, and there isn’t a scratch on you, is there? Think of it as… The unfortunate incident that had a fortunate outcome. Now I am your demon, and your future is so much brighter for that addition.”

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