Page 16 of Balor

“You would, huh?”

I nodded and swallowed hard. He wasn’t making this easy. Then again, I hadn’t thought he would. “Please.”

The word seemed to make him pause. He let out a sigh and I saw some of the tension leave his shoulders. “You’d think it’s silly, but I enjoy classic literature. I know most people prefer the newer books these days.”

“I don’t think it’s silly at all.” Of course, he’d probably been around when some of those books released. “I like to read too. What else?”

He rubbed his chin and I saw the stubble rasp against his palm. “I have a passion for riding motorcycles.”

“I’d like to see you on a bike one day.”

My voice sounded wistful, even to my own ears. He wouldn’t mock me for it, would he? I probably sounded like some eager, naïve girl and not a witch who’d had the balls to trick him. But he didn’t say anything at all. I took a step closer and then another. I sank into the chair across from him and stared at the floor. Maybe I needed to start this differently. While I felt like I didn’t know anything about him, he didn’t know about me either. Did it feel like I was prying by asking so many questions and not offering up information on myself?

“Did I ever tell you what my life was like in the coven?” I asked. “What I had to endure?”

“No, you haven’t.”

I nodded and gathered my courage to continue. “My father… was strict. To the point of being abusive sometimes. My mother always agreed with everything he said, and she never stood up for herself. Or for me. I refuse to spend the rest of my life being a chess piece for warlocks.”

“Sounds like a wise decision.”

I let out a breath and nodded. He still wasn’t giving me much, barely responding to anything I said. But I felt like I needed to keep going. “Learning magick was hard. My father always said a woman had no business wielding that level of power. It was a struggle to learn the basics. Even now, I’m not sure I can master the higher-level spells.”

He remained silent and I risked glancing up at him. I saw the way his eyes darkened, but not with anger. Something else. Empathy? Pity? It was the latter I didn’t want. I wasn’t weak. At least, I didn’t think I was.

“One day, you’ll be the greatest witch in the world. I have it on good authority from someone who always seems to see or know what lies ahead,” Balor said. “But you need to have faith in yourself.”

I blinked back tears. “You really think I could be?”

“I do. You have incredible potential. I’ve seen it. You need confidence. I’m not saying it will be easy, but I’ll do whatever I can to help you.”

I felt my walls start to crack. No one had ever said anything like that before. The belief he had in me… it was humbling. “I dream of being the most powerful witch. I’d like to find a way to break my father’s control over me and my mother. I don’t want to be at his mercy ever again.”

Balor leaned forward and reached for me. I placed my hand in his and felt the warmth of his touch. “You’ll be free of him. I promise.”

“You can’t know that.”

He tugged me from the chair. He didn’t stop until my knees hit his and he’d tugged me down onto his lap. “You’ve been through hell. Most would have given up by now, but not you. You came here. You’ve made demands. Staked your claim, even if you don’t fully understand what that means. Instead of just a baby, you’ve ended up with a bit more. You’ve faced every challenge thrown your way and you haven’t backed down. Makes me wonder why you think you’ve ever failed at anything.”

“You don’t understand. My father…”

“Is an asshole.” He shrugged when I gaped at him. “I don’t care if he’s a powerful warlock. He’s still an asshole. If he were here right now, I’d rip his throat out. Literally. No one is going to hurt you ever again.”

I saw the way his hands tightened on the arms of the chair, and then he leaned forward. “Your father didn’t just quash your self-esteem. He obliterated it.”

I wanted to argue with him, but I couldn’t quite make the words form. I’d never thought of myself as weak, but I hadn’t considered my father’s actions had damaged me so much.

“You think knowing the spells makes you powerful? Maybe you’re right, but I think it’s more than that. Magick is a living thing, something that runs through your veins. I’ve seen it in you. Felt it. You’ve barely scratched the surface of what you can do. One day, they’ll call you the greatest witch in the world.”

I snorted. “Yeah. Sure.”

“You don’t believe me.”

“Even if you’re right, it’s not like I can just wave a wand and know all the spells. It takes practice, and there are some I don’t think I’ll ever be able to do.”

His gaze darkened. “He’s made you doubt yourself so much you don’t believe you can do these things. Hasn’t he? You have the potential to be greater than anyone before you. I’ve never seen someone with as much raw power as you have. You need to have faith in yourself.”

I felt the tears in my eyes and blinked them away. “Why do you care?”

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