Page 45 of Obsession

“Right.”

Something has been burning for some time, but it’s then that the smoke rises, clogging my throat, making my eyes water, and it becomes an effort not to cough. I look back at the monster: two stories tall, with thin, transparent skin that black veins pulse beneath—thick, filled with viscous poison. Thorns the size of a horse protrude from its back, and shooting out when it spits acid from a dislocated, protruding jaw.

I never saw its birth. Was it a follower of Aris?

Did it ask for this?

“Cheer up,” Aris says suddenly, leaning over the side of the tower.

His pointer finger raised, he twirls it, and a small convenience store collapses under invisible weight, compressing until there is just a crater where there the building once was. Then, the same thing happens fifty feet away—a big hole grinds into the cobblestone.

Aris moves his finger another way, and a curved line appears under the two craters.

I scowl at the sight of a smiley face.

:)

“Funny.”

“Thank you, Mary.”

A pause.

“Of course,” continues Aris, too casually, “you could ask Jaegen for a spell to make you feel better.”

I do my best not to react at the jab. He hasn’t mentioned Jaegen or my scheming for over a month now. “Still stuck on that,” I remark cautiously. Where is he going with this?

“I don’t mention your collusion hardly enough.”

His tone has abruptly hardened, and I’m surprised by the gloom on his face. This is a test, like dangling meat in front of a dog and commanding it to sit. Testing my obedience.

Will I stick up for Jaegen? Will I again deny my interactions with him and give Aris a reason to punish me?

I don’t respond, curious to see what he’ll do next. Maybe I don’t need to jump; maybe he’ll simply push me off the tower.

“Join me for dinner,” he says.

I pause, surprised. “Aren’t we in the middle of something?” I ask, casting a pointed glance at the creature. It makes a sound stuck between a gag and a moan, then releases a spray of scalding liquid that dissolves everything in its path.

Aris shrugs, drawing my attention. “It will fall by night,” he says, waving the city away.

Again, the monster loudly regurgitates.

I shut my eyes, but that only makes the smoke smell stronger. I picture thick clouds entering through my mouth, traveling to blacken and poison my lungs, until they are scorched like this city will be.

The clouds turn red, as red as the ink on the book in the mages’ library. As red as the the warning written there, in the pages about Aris: DO NOT SUMMON.

“Dinner, then,” I say absently, gaze returning to the monster. “Sure.”

I study the wine in front of me: dark, served in a crystal chalice. The last time I drank in this house, I was nearly sacrificed. I shove the thought aside.

By the glass is a pre-prepared plate with a large-cut filet mignon, baked potatoes stuffed with butter and cheese, blackened asparagus, and steaming mushrooms—more than I can eat and probably not what I would have chosen for myself. I haven’t had much of an appetite after watching a monster vomit for hours on end. Still, it smells incredible, and was probably prepared by some of the world’s best chefs—kidnapped, naturally.

I’m wearing a long, satin gown with puffed sleeves, looking virginal. Elizabeth eyed the white dress with disdain when she buttoned up the back. Maybe she thought it would offend her god to see me in a color contrary to him, but it was the dress I chose and she could not refuse me.

When I entered the dining room, Aris stood and said nothing. I felt the heat of his gaze as he looked me up and down—a slow perusal, studying my every curve in a way that almost made me feel attractive. He looked closely, memorizing everything that changed about me from when we were together hours earlier.

All of the candles are already lit, the food delivered, wine brought. All needs provided for, there’s no need for servants on standby; we are the only two in the room.

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