I’d warded my territory. Everyone living inside my Witch Tower had to have my magical imprint to come and go freely. No one could enter my terrain without my permission. 

Archangel Gabriel passed through my ward without any trouble. 

That was a first, but I kept my perfect icy mask. 

He was a menace, but not to me.

Kaara briefed me on the way to the Assembly Hall in the middle of the tower.

I encouraged my subjects to talk.

The more they talked, the more information I could gather without raising any suspicion. I would hate to eliminate any of them to keep my secrets. It wasn’t easy to gain an efficient fighter on this planet packed with monsters and the worst criminals. 

Gabriel trailed after us. He liked strolling beside me, but the stairs weren’t broad enough for his massive, broken wings.

He’d suffered great pain, yet he hadn’t so much as whimpered.

He now threw questions at Rocky, Kaara’s second-in-command, to find out more about Pandemonium, the nine clans, and other threats. 

That male was untamed, but my instinct said he was the best fighter I’d seen. He’d cut down seven Kruids in record time. I was formidable, yet I’d only managed to kill two. I could sweep away the cannibals with my magic, but I was using it to keep the fog at bay.

Kaara was a top killer, but if she went against this warrior, she wouldn’t make it three steps. Gabriel would be my sharpest weapon.

However, this lethal weapon was a pure alpha. The mystic tattoos slithering up to his temples told me part of his vicious heritage—a predator and a conqueror by nature. If I treated him as I did others, it would backfire.

I had no past memories, but I wasn’t a fool without common sense. I would only strike him when he attempted to undermine my authority and disturb my order. I was afraid those days would come soon.

I would endure him to a degree, even though his air of superiority did not please me. I should bruise his ego, but not make an enemy out of him. 

And I wouldn’t allow myself to lose control again as I had inside his spacecraft. My magical markings hadn’t recorded if I’d ever been seized by raging, primitive lust toward any male.

I didn’t believe I’d ever had a lover here.

But I bet Gabriel was no stranger to one-night stands. He’d had more lovers than I could count.

Two guards positioned outside the Assembly Hall snapped to attention at my approach and stared daggers at Gabriel. I didn’t go straight to my throne but made my way to the full window and looked out at the city beneath and beyond.

Gabriel joined me. No one had ever dared do that without my invitation, but this male emanated commanding power, as if it was his birthright to do anything he saw fit.

His large body made me appear small and fragile beside him. His presence in the room was as strong as mine. For me, it was my lethal magic. For him, it was his honed warrior menace.

He scanned the City of Nine.

Some sections were still burning due to the ongoing war between the clans, but they were far from my tower, so I didn’t care much. There wasn’t much wind around. My ward would serve as a second defense if fire ever reached my territory. My ice storm was the uncontested force. The fire burned half of the city, but never came to my realm.

Gabriel fixed his gaze upon the black tower that faced mine at the other end of the city. “Who occupies that?” he demanded.

No one dared to ask the Wickedest Witch for an explanation. Somehow, his daring amused me.

“Desdemona,” I said, “the Dark Prince of vampires.”

Desdemona coveted me. He craved my blood and the dark magic flowing in it. I’d promised him a date, so his horde was careful not to pick my subjects as their drinking fountain.

The contract didn’t exactly say when the date would be, so I’d strung him along. He might be the cruelest, but I was the wickedest.

I intended to leave him to rot on this damned planet when I found a way out.

“Is he a top predator?”

“He’s as much a predator as you are.”

“How many vampires dwell in the city?”

Did I look like I had a good memory?

“Close to three hundred,” answered Kaara, who stood on my other side.

“Do they drink blood?” Gabriel asked.

“What do you think?” I said. “They’re the bloodsuckers.”

“Leeches,” Kaara hissed.

“I wonder if they’re the mutants,” Gabriel murmured.

“Have you met their kind before?” Kaara asked. 

“We colonized a vampire planet a thousand years ago,” Gabriel said. “The former Dark Lord of All Angels used them for genetic experiments because of their speed and night vision, not because of their diet.” He chuckled, pleased with his sense of humor. “I’m curious to find out if they’re the natural-born or the experiments.”

“Next time you see one, ask for his cooperation to let you check on him,” I said.

My subjects snickered. They regarded him as a threat to their status quo. Gabriel hadn’t acted like a bottom feeder, as any newcomer should behave.

Kaara blinked. “Your race experimented on them? How did you even control those monsters?”

“We Angels are specialists in dealing with monsters,” Gabriel said.

I gave him a sidelong glance, and my heart fluttered at his stunning, wicked smirk. The male vibrated with powerful sexiness. The heat between my thighs grew hotter.

He held my gaze, not bothering to disguise the hunger in his green eyes.

I let my ice magic flow in me to diffuse his effect. 

“I hope you’re what you said you are,” Kaara said. “I sincerely hope you last here. By the way, I’m Kaara Nightshades.”

Gabriel looked indignant.

I turned away, not wanting anyone to see the amusement in my eyes. The Wickedest Witch didn’t amuse. She punished. She conjured fear.

“I’ve lasted eons on the most brutal battlefields,” he said. “This planet is peachy.”

I wheeled toward him, my eyes widening. “Eons? So you’re older than the bark of the most ancient trees in the jungle.”

He hissed. “I’m not some bark of the trees! I’m an immortal. I’ll never get old.”

“If you say so,” Kaara said.

We worked together to bruise the Angel’s ego.

But Kaara liked him.

He ignored her and told me, “You need to tend to the claw wounds.”

Why would he be concerned about some scratches on my left thigh? He’d just met me.

“If you don’t have an experienced medic, I can tend to you.”

Do not get cozy with me so soon, stranger.

I was the Wickedest Witch. I don’t do warmth.

This male needed to learn his place and earn it, just like everyone else.

“Now you’ll answer some questions, Gabriel,” I said, my voice cold, harsh.