Chapter 36

The Gentleman Warlock

“Please let me go, Des.”

Tatiana had never been more beautiful. Her eyes held an intoxicating mix of hopelessness and fear.

“There was a time when you were begging me to never let you go,” I murmured softly as I reached out to stroke her cheek. Not surprisingly, Tatiana jerked her head away from my touch and scrambled to the far end of the soundproof room. I loved her fear more than I’d ever loved her total devotion to me. She finally realized how superior to her I was. I had all the power.

I wasn’t foolish enough to underestimate Tatiana’s witch abilities. While she might not be the most powerful witch, her magic would have been a problem. I’d invested in a demon protection spell on the room. It had cost me a great deal, but it was worth it. Like most witches, Tatiana had only magic to defend herself. She’d never learned to fight. Without magic, she was helpless.

“Are you going to kill me?” she asked in a small voice, her head buried against her knees. She looked even more defeated than the last time I’d come to check on her. She’d given up on pretending we could go back to what we had. It seemed she finally realized I wasn’t stupid enough to believe she’d really just come back to me. Now, she was wondering what was going to happen to her, realizing her choices were either death or remaining locked up.

“That was my original plan,” I told her as I leaned casually against the wall. “I’d begun to believe there was no way around it. Then I got to thinking about how much I’ve always enjoyed your body.”

As expected, Tatiana whimpered and huddled in on herself.

I snickered at her reaction. “I’m not going to rape you, you stupid twit. My shade friend will simply need to use your body from time to time.”

The idea had come to me when I’d been considering my options regarding Katya. Since I’d reminded her I could easily end her existence, she’d been much less irritating, and I’d begun to realize how useful she could be. We’d come to a mutually beneficial agreement.

Tatiana looked horrified by the suggestion. “I won’t let you put one of those things in my body!” she shouted.

The sudden return of her attitude made me grin. “I see you still have some spirit left. It won’t be enough to help you. This room is warded against all witch and most demon magic. You’re weaker than a human,” I said with a sneer.

“My parents were right about you,” she accused. “You were using me all along.”

“That’s true,” I agreed. “Still, you could be safe at home with me still treating you like a pampered princess. This is your own fault for betraying me.”

“You are a complete bastard,” she accused.

“Careful,” I warned as I stalked toward her. “If you push me, I might kill your parents just to show you who’s really in charge. I’m tempted as it is. I’d love to see those elitist assholes begging for their lives.”

Her short-lived bravado faded. It was a pity. I’d always been somewhat bored with her, but that bit of fight in her had fascinated me. Too bad it was already gone.

I tossed the bag from the burger joint her direction. “Eat something. I can’t have you dying when I have big plans for you.”

I motioned with my head to the bags by the door. “There are also some protein bars and jerky.”

“I can’t eat this stuff,” she insisted.

“Then I guess you’ll starve, and I’ll have to find another pretty witch for my shade friend to use,” I said with a shrug. “Pretty witches are easy to come by, so don’t start thinking you’re indispensable.”

It was the truth. While I hated to start over from scratch with my plan to elevate my status with the council, I refused to cater to Tatiana. I’d done that for months, and it had gotten me nothing but the mess I was currently dealing with.

As expected, she began screaming as soon as the door opened. I chuckled as I closed it behind me. No one would hear her screams from out here. The small house was set far back in the regional wilderness area and hidden by several layers of magic. It was my retreat. Sadly, I couldn’t stay long. I needed to continue playing the part of the shade a little longer.

Katya’s voice floated around me. “Are you really going to let me use her body?”

I shrugged. “That’s my current plan, but it all depends on you. I’m not interested in dealing with your tantrums. The only reason I’m considering it now is that you’ve been much less irritating lately.”

The air vibrated with magic. It was weak but still enough to know Katya was angry. The fact that she was trying to control her anger was impressive. Katya’s death had been the best thing to happen to our relationship. She was finally learning her place, and she’d have use of a form I’d love to fuck violently. All I needed now was Julia Dupree, but it wouldn’t be long until she was in the room with Tatiana. I wondered idly if Tatiana would enjoy watching me kill Julia. Shaking my head, I decided she’d probably end up weeping in the corner, which was fine by me. Tatiana was stunning when she was cowering in fear.