Page 113 of Possess Me at Midnight
All too soon, Blackbourne leads us to the back of the massive stone estate. The bloody rambling place looks centuries old and has so many chimneys, I lose count. Windows everywhere. The stench of old power and utter corruption cling to every brick.
At the back of the large manor, Camden and Spencer sit sipping tea and eating scones as if they haven’t a care in the world. And at the moment, they don’t. Who would believe that Mathias could possibly lose a battle to a mad wizard so far beneath him?
Shoving the thought aside, I round the corner, which brings the rest of the back lawn into view. I brace myself for the jolt of anger, the urge to kill. But nothing can stop the visceral need for vengeance that pumps through my body when I lay eyes on the wizard leaning indolently against a wooden pillar with a deceptively youthful appearance, caramel-colored hair whipping in the breeze and brushing his shoulders. He looks somewhere between absent and bored.
Mathias d’Arc.
I fist my hands so tightly my arms tremble. The corners of Mathias’s mouth lift in amusement. Smug. The son of a bitch gleefully took Gailene’s innocence and life. Now he’s behaving as if my anger entertains him. I look forward to killing the bastard. I might fail—and miserably—but Mathias will feel pain before I go down.
Beside me, Bram appears again. He’s rigid, his jaw clenching so hard I hear his teeth grind. His hands ball into fists. For a moment, the diplomatic mask slips completely, revealing pure hatred.
“That bastard,” he breathes, voice thick with barely contained rage. “Look at him, standing indolently like he already owns the fucking world.” His control visibly frays. “He needs to die, and I’d love to kill him.”
That makes two of us.
Then Bram seems to catch himself, forcing his shoulders to relax, but the effort clearly costs him.
“My esteemed opponent. We meet again.” Mathias ignores Bram completely, as if he’s beneath his evil notice, and eases away from the pillar, mischievous blue eyes clapped on me as he approaches, hand outstretched. “Your last visit ended very abruptly, indeed. Let’s see if we can settle in for a nice long…chat, shall we?”
No fucking way I will even talk to Mathias, much less shake his hand. Mutely, I glare at him with a sneer. With a tight smile, he tucks his hand in his pocket when Bram approaches and begins leading me to the far side of the lawn where a big concrete slab sits, surrounded by something that looks like a plastic bubble.
“A force field,” Sabelle’s brother supplies. “Most of the elders, Tynan, and I erected it a moment ago. No matter what spell either of you throw, it should not penetrate those walls and unwittingly hit someone else.”
Of course. Hitting someone with a blinding spell or unleashing a corporeal form of their inner demon would be bad, indeed. Best to keep the slaughter contained.
“And you must be Miss Rion,” Mathias drawls from behind me. “Pity we’ve never met. A very lovely girl, indeed. After today’s challenge, your brother and I should be working together more. It would be my pleasure to know you better.”
I whirl on the rat bastard. To hell with waiting for the challenge; I want to fight now. Bram claps a hand on my shoulder. Tynan darts over and grabs the other.
“Steady. He’s taunting you.”
Bram is right, I know. But I should have tied Sabelle to a chair—or whatever necessary—to keep her from the challenge ring. The thought of Mathias putting even a finger on Sabelle makes my stomach curdle and rage seethe.
“It seems I’ve made your would-be mate a bit jealous,” Mathias says in mock dismay. “Oh, dear.”
“We have nothing to say to each other, Mr. d’Arc,” Sabelle insists coldly.
I tug and pull at Bram’s and Tynan’s grasps as Sabelle lifts her rebellious chin at the evil wizard, wearing an expression of well-practiced hauteur on her face. Even in jeans, trainers, and a fuzzy sweater, she manages to look like a princess.
Mathias sends her a false pout. “Clearly, Rykard told you terrible lies about me.”
“I don’t believe he has, actually. Since I saw the aftermath of your attack on Thomas MacKinnett’s household, I’m inclined to think that what I’ve heard is fairly accurate.”
With an affronted expression, Mathias saunters closer to Sabelle. “Dear lady, you wound me. Rogue factions within the Anarki, I assure you."
“It took you no time at all after the discovery of Thomas’s death to finagle a nomination for this Council seat.”
“Indeed. I feel quite bad about the old chap’s fate. How better to control these unauthorized elements of my former society than to make new governing policies and enforce rules?”
“By telling them to stop killing in the first place.” Sabelle smiles sweetly. “Then there’s the fact I saw the nasty business you performed on Ice’s back with a whip.”
Something in Mathias’s eyes shifts, and my heart drops to my knees.
“Be careful what you accuse me of, Miss Rion. I do know more than one very intriguing way to stop a pretty mouth like yours from talking.”
That is it, all I can take. I shake free of Bram and Tynan and charge at Mathias. Sabelle’s hand curls around my bicep as I storm past. She can’t hold me back with her grip. Her voice, however, stops me where I stand.
“Allowing yourself to be provoked serves no purpose but his. You’ll look bad to the Council, and it will likely violate some rule about this challenge. Don’t forfeit before you’ve even begun.”
