Page 10 of Home: Posy 5

I'm jealous as hell. I've been looking for thatcreatura malvagia(evil creature) for years,he'd scowled.You can kill her however you want. Just remember to burn whatever is left.

The king returned my nod, then unlocked the door and stood back.

"Have at it."

Whatever I expected Alecto Sanderson to look like, it wasn't beautiful. No, more than beautiful. More like knock-down, drop-dead gorgeous. Long black hair that curled at the ends in big waves, a heart-shaped face with high cheekbones, a Cupid's bow mouth, and big brown eyes that looked as innocent and harmless as a teddy bear's.

And all that stirred in me as I looked at her was contempt.

She stood in the center of the cell wearing the witch catcher Angelo had made. It consisted of an iron collar that was lined with tiny spikes on the inside. Seven thick loops were positioned equidistant around the outside. To transport her, seven poles could be hooked into the loops, but now that she was in a cell, chains took the place of the poles. Anchored to the wall, they were pulled taut so that she had no choice but to stand in place.

Thin rivulets of blood ran down her throat to join the growing black stain on her gray top. The spikes inside the collar were wicked sharp, and the more she struggled against them, the deeper they would dig into her slender neck.

Her hands were free, but Angelo had explained that part of the trap was the inability of the wearer to open it.

When she saw me, the witch gave me a sultry smile and her dark eyes lit up.

"Well, well, well, aren't you a big boy?" she purred.

I didn't reply as I stared at her

"Come closer, alpha wolf. Iliketo play with puppies."

I still didn't respond. I was too busy wondering just what had happened to send her down this path.

Angelo had told us a bit about dark witches during our lessons with him and Five Fangs' newly established coven. They were like any other witch, only they made a deliberate choice to corrupt their power with demonic influences and unholy alliances.

Did she have a bad childhood?I wondered as I studied her unearthly beauty. Did she endure a trauma that turned her heart cold? Was she abandoned by one who'd professed to love her forever?

Or maybe she's just a bitch, Garnet snarled.Not everyone turns anything. Some people are just born bad. Now kill her!

I didn't know if I could agree with that. How could a newborn baby be bad? I wasn't going to argue with my wolf about it, though, and certainly not here and now.

"Aren't you here to play with me?" She smoothed her hands up and down her sides and over her hips. "You need to get a whole lot closer for that."

I continued to stare at her and my thoughts went to our girl, as they so frequently did.

How? How could Posy be so sweet and gentle and just plain good after what she'd endured? Why didn't she turn bad like this wretched wreck before me?

Can you pause the introspection for now,Garnet rumbled,and just kill this witch?

I moved closer, which made the witch's eyes widen. I sincerely hoped she didn't take it as acceptance of her invitation; judging by the way her smirk grew, however, she did.

Le sigh.

"Ah. Silence is your preferred weapon, I see." Her smirk turned as sharp as a knife. "It's a powerful one, to be sure, but a bit unfair, don't you think, when I've been so thoroughly disarmed?"

When I remained silent, she stomped her foot.

"What's wrong, alpha? Is my soul too dark for a good boy like you?" she taunted, then said the dumbest thing she ever could have said. "Or is it because of that sweet little mate mark on your neck? She won't ever find out."

As knowledgeable as she seemed to be about werewolves, she was just plain dumb to think that I would betray my mate. Even if I didn't love Posy body, mind, and soul, our girl's mate mark bound me to her and only her for eternity. I couldn't break it even if I wanted to - which I didn't and never would.

"Why, you are no fun at all!" The witch's lovely features twisted into a sulky moue. "You won't talk and you won't play, so what are you here for,dog?"

So much for alpha, Garnet rolled his eyes.

Wearing my best poker face, I ignored him and finally spoke.

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