Page 135 of Magic of the Damned

“When dealing with the likes of them, death is the answer. No questioning needed.”

My eyeroll was automatic. Tired of death and violence being the only answer, I wanted one person to believe in an alternative. But it was foolish of me to expect it to be the person Areleus chose to make his children. Nothing she’d said since our meeting had proven otherwise. Somehow, I remained optimistic and hopeful.

“He’s not human,” she asserted.

“I know.”

More of her narrow-eyed assessment. “Do you? He may be drawn to you for some unknown reason. He is my son. To perform his job, he needs to be cruel. Savage. Feared. People with great power and magic need a reason to abide by the rules.” She inched closer to me, studying me. “What you may perceive as unnecessary, is essential, I can assure you.”

“I am familiar with the way this world works.” Familiar enough to be saddened by the harshness of it.

“So young,” she whispered, and I knew my expression had betrayed me. As perceptive as Ileana seemed, I might as well have screamed my thoughts.

“My son will not be sacrificed to appease your need for civility,” she said, returning to the table and snatching up another strawberry. As she ate it, nothing about her seemed to signify she was a terror. A woman so feared and who harbored so much disdain for other magic wielders. Another strawberry devoured, she bit thoughtfully on a chocolate. Again, space was swallowed in a blink of an eye. She looped a strand of my hair around her finger and stared at it.

“You are pretty and you have a satisfactory body. And based on the reports from his apartment, you two find great satisfaction in one another. Hours of satisfaction.”

Why was this freaky family so open about discussing sex? Did I come from a family of prudes? How had I lived twenty-six years without my parents so brazenly discussing my sex life?

“Dominicus is no stranger to finding satisfaction in many ways with many others.” She made a face. “Human and your betters alike. But it’s the human that captures him.” The last part she mused as if she was trying to make sense of a complex riddle.

The room was fraught with a discord that needed a release.

“I’m witty.”

It spilled out as a joke, hoping to add some much-needed levity to the conversation.

Head canted, her brows drew together. “I don’t see that as being true.”

Ouch.

“Perhaps I’ll never understand the draw. But I accept that it exists. I question whether you will be a strength or weakness for my son. Know that if you are the fall of Dominicus, you will not survive the day.”

“Of course, because you can’t simply say, take care of my son the way I believe he will take care of you.”

The sensible part of me wished I’d held my tongue. As each minute ticked by, I scolded myself. When she started to speak, I expected her to respond with venom or more threats, but she didn’t. She made a choked sound I assumed was a laugh. Rusty from lack of use.

“You are a funny little creature. I see that you’ve mistaken it as wit.” She shrugged it off. “Very well.”

I wanted to debate it, but I wasn’t very funny and my wit was debatable. But I was good for a smile or two.

“Will you?” she inquired, returning to my comment about taking care of him.

“I want to,” I fumbled out, the words spilling so freely from me it felt mystical. This should have been said to him first. My feelings and intentions should have been voiced to him before sharing them with his mother. This world made everything ass backward.

“Helena betrayed him,” she acknowledged in a whisper, compassion and anger flooding her eyes along with the verdant green that eclipsed her amber eyes. A green that was then drowned by charcoal black. She was life and death. A creator of the peculiar beings that occupied her land. Through all her emotions, she seemed resigned to that being the way of her daughter. Another of her creations.

She frowned and stood. “They’ve had their share of quarrels. This one should resolve.” Her hand covered mine, confirming my assumption that this wasn’t an observation but a request for me to somehow intervene. I had no idea how I could help because I was firmly in Make-Helena-Pay-Camp. Theirs wasn’t a typical sibling quarrel. She’d stabbed her brother in the gut with every intention of stopping him permanently or hurting him to the point that he wouldn’t be an obstacle to their plans. Remembering his sorrowful look of betrayal made me resolute. I didn’t want her to die, but if he removed her magic and never returned it or made sure her remaining days were spent imprisoned in the Perils, she was deserving of it.

Ileana’s gaze moved over me in accusation, assigning blame to me for their conflict. With a forced smile she stood and headed for the exit in the opposite direction.

“Tell Dominicus that he and his creature are to meet me in my chambers at seven.”

“Luna’s fine,” I called after her. ‘His human’ was bad enough, but ‘creature’ seemed like a different level of disrespect.

Ileana made no indication that she’d heard me. Things had gone downhill fast and I had no idea how.

When I exited the suite, the panther hybrid was waiting. He flashed a grin at my handful of chocolates and me desperately trying to eat the ones I’d shoved in my mouth so I could speak.

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