Page 46 of Warlocks Don't Win
I grabbed his arm and dragged him and his skunk away from the Librarian before things got awkward. “What are you doing here?” I hissed once we were out of the room and headed for the narrow stairs.
“Tolly was upset, feeling abandoned and lonely. You shut yourself in your house for days while she worried.”
I shot him a look. “She was with me until I went through the way door.”
His soft lips pursed. “That’s another thing. You asked me to make a way door for you, but then you took over like you don’t need me.”
I gave him a good hard stare. “I don’t need you. That’s the point. I don’t need you, I don’t want you, and I don’t like you interrupting my study session. I was trying to solve the problem that you dragged me into. The least you could do is not interrupt.”
He smiled slightly as he moved closer, leaning in to whisper, “I’ve been studying this curse for months. We could solve the problem together.”
My skin prickled at his warmth, his presence, the energy that spread from him to me, awake, alive, and so terribly aware.
I inhaled a gasp and pulled away, drawing back my shoulders and raising my chin. “I’m not interested in working with you.”
His smile was a thing of melted cheese and tabasco sauce. “If my wife doesn’t want to work me, I imagine she’d rather…”
I slapped my hand over his mouth, pressing him back against the wall as I glowered at him. I whispered in case anyone was around. The stairs seemed lonely. “I’m not your wife!”
He kissed my palm and I pulled back, hating how good he felt. “Clary, you married me against my will to save my life. You killed your mother to save my life. You would do anything to save me.” He dropped to his knees on the back stairs of the library. “I’m yours. Body, soul, will.”
“Fine, then give me all your money.” I held out my hand, brow raised.
He smiled and put his hand in mine, strong, warm, irresistible. “I already put your name on all of my bank accounts, house deeds, car deeds, boat deeds…”
“You have boats as in plural?” I shook my head and tried to tug him to his feet. “This is ridiculous. I’m trying to break a curse.”
“She’s old. She was going to die soon anyway.”
I gasped and stared in shock at him. “You wouldn’t fight for another day of her life?”
He gave me a soft smile. “She’s not soft, kind, compassionate, or any of the other things I tried to pretend to be when I wrote to you in her name. She’s not loyal to you. She never gave her consent to our marriage, and she never would have. She’s hard, immovable, chiseled out of stone.”
“But you came to me to make me break the curse.”
“You tried. She tried to kill you. Obligation over.” His voice was light, but there was an undercurrent of rage that made me shiver.
“I can’t just let Sage House try to kill whoever it wants. And you should be researching breaking bindings.”
“I don’t want to break our bindings.”
I scowled hard as I jabbed him in the chest. “Stop trying to make me kill you! It’s not nice! I have a lovely life that I enjoy outside of prison!”
He covered my hand, pressing it to his pectorals. “No, Clary. The proper thing is to not get caught killing me. Kill me if you like, I deserve it. Just don’t get caught. I can help you with that.”
I stared at him, mouth flopped open while the outrageous notion that he didn’t care if I was a murderer flipped the world the wrong way for a second. He’d turned me in because hethought I was working with the people who killed his parents, but didn’t he also care about justice?
He moved closer, taking my paralysis as an invitation. “For example, don’t argue with your target in public places before the murder. Give every appearance of congeniality, like so.” He bent down and kissed me.
For a second I was unmoving, but then the connection brought the bindings to life and I fisted his shirt, shoving him against the wall while I kissed him hard.
His hands came around me, strong, possessive, and we may have stayed like that forever, except Tolly saidWeren’t you going to sell some headdresses?
I broke away, my whole body awake and aching with sweetness. He felt so good.
“Thanks for the tip. I’ll keep that in mind for later.”
I spun around and took the steps two at a time, Tolly on my heels, Winston following lazily, watching me like he was a hunter and I was his prey. He could be more subtle about whatever game he was playing this time. I couldn’t think through the rapid beating of my heart. Like that first kiss…
