Page 53 of Devil's Doom

I freeze by the bench at the end of the table farthest from Woland, where I was about to take my place. Holding his gaze, I sit slowly. He grins. The wood under my ass grows scalding, and I jump away with a yelp.

Rada’s eyes grow bigger and bigger, but she takes a seat on Woland’s left without protest. Lech slides in next to her, his arm around her shoulders. He watches Woland with tension, no trace of his usual amusement in his face.

I clench my teeth and lean against a pillar on Woland’s right, facing my friends. Lech doesn’t look at me, but Rada’s eyes flicker to mine constantly, like she can’t help herself. Dar sleeps in the sling wrapped around her body, his head leaning on her chest.

“Eat. You must be hungry,” Woland says, cutting off a piece of meat, the knife’s handle made of carved bone. “And relax, for fuck’s sake. I mean to thank you, not punish you.”

Lech nods sharply, his shoulders dropping with relief. “Thank you, master. I never meant to expose this place. My task is to recruit new soldiers. I believed Alina—I mean, Jaga—was a perfect candidate. She’s powerful and compassionate. I didn’t know that you and her… That you knew each other.”

Woland chews and swallows, and I watch him, wondering why that sight seems so bizarre. Then I realize it’s the first time I see him eating. Just like seeing his bed before, it’s so oddly mundane. But then, it shouldn’t surprise me. He is alive, he breathes and walks, so it makes sense that he eats.

“You earned my gratitude,” Woland says easily, cutting off another piece. “The willful thing ran away. I don’t care to keep a woman if she’d rather go, but I missed her antics. I’m glad we are reunited.”

He shits and pisses, just like everyone,I think to myself, giving him a grim smile when he looks at me, his eyebrow mockingly raised.He has weaknesses, too. He’s not invincible.

“Hungry, darling?” Woland asks. He holds a piece of succulent meat with his fingers, offering me the food as if I’m a pet. “Come over. I’ll feed you.”

My mouth waters. I’m absolutely famished from magical depletion and the long trek through the tunnels, but hunger won’t make me cave. It’s clear what Woland is doing. He means to humiliate me and make his followers believe I’m in his power.

“No, thank you,” I say cooly, wondering what he’ll do next.

He gives me a toothy smile and drops the piece of meat on the floor by his throne. It falls into a clay bowl that materializes next to his hoof. My nostrils flare, but I don’t move.

“In case you change your mind,” he says, eyes hooded.

I clench my jaw and keep my tongue firmly behind my teeth, pressing it to the roof of my mouth. Woland watches me a while longer, and when I don’t react, he shrugs and focuses his attention on Lech.

“There should be dragon blood in the pitcher,” he says, waving his hand at the dish. “Serve yourself. If you haven’t had it before, I assure you, it’s a delicacy. I suspect your lady will enjoy the duck.”

Lech cuts a few pieces of the roast duck that smells of herbs. The knife clatters against the dish a few times, his hands unsteady. He pours the blood without mishap, his crystal goblet filling with dark liquid.

I breathe through my nose, holding my anger in check. The air is so thick with tension, I have to marvel at Woland’s easy manners and healthy appetite. He seems to be oblivious to Lech’s and Rada’s fear.

While Lech sips on his blood and Rada takes dainty bites of her duck, I think up ways to get back at the devil. I suppose I could spell his goblet to fling his wine in his face. Maybe I could tear his knife out of his grip and attack him—provided his magic flowing in my veins will allow it.

My best bet, though, is waiting until my own magic builds back up. I could do so much with it. He’d pay for every humiliation and hurt.

But for that to happen, I need food.

“So how did you meet my wayward poppy girl?” Woland asks Lech after drinking deeply from his goblet.

“At the milk bar,” I answer first. “He saved me from overpaying for a room. Feed me, please.”

I plop unceremoniously down in Woland’s lap, putting my arms around his neck. He blinks, surprised, but then a slow smile curves his lips.

“Well, darling. I expected you to hold out at least until dinner,” he says with a soft laugh, spearing a piece of meat onto his fork. “Here.”

He drops the knife onto his plate, his hand splaying possessively over my hip, but a moment later, the knife rises and cuts more pieces, controlled by magic. Rada stares at me as I chew, finally clearing her throat.

“Excuse me. So your name is Jaga, then? Not Alina?”

I nod, sighing with regret. “Yes. I’m sorry I deceived you. I needed to hide.”

“Because he beats you and won’t let you eat on your own? I understand,” she says softly, her eyes big and filled with sorrow as she stares at my throat. “I would have hidden, too.”

Woland stiffens, and I bite the tip of my tongue, unsure whether to laugh or beg him to spare her. I don’t think he’ll hurt Rada for saying what she thinks, though. Wasn’t it his goal to make everyone believe hepunishedme?

“I’m still hungry,” I say innocently, twisting in his lap to look at his face. “Feed me more, please.”

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