Page 18 of To Crave Deeply
Perhaps that was why the Witch Queen wanted the original witch? As a source of power?
Selene would be one hell of a power source and, with the Witch Queen having sacrificed some of her coven, would she be feeling the loss of power? It certainly didn’t look like it at the moment, but I would bet my life that the Witch Queen was less powerful now.
I couldn’t attack magic. I had no way to counter it once it was in the air. I could attack the caster, but once I was under a spell, that was it. I was useless. Having Lori here would be pretty helpful, even if her mage magic was still untrained. She’d get us out of this, but she was dead, so what’s a demon to do?
Urgh. I’d have to bend the fucking knee.
“I promise to behave to the best of my ability,” I croaked. Damn, she really was starting to cut off my ability to breathe. I didn’t have the strength to heal my ribs which meant I was going to have to sit here in pain while making this deal. I bet the sadistic bitch was loving this.
I grinned. I almost liked her for it.
Her eyes narrowed as she weighed the sincerity of my words. Meh. I’d left it vague enough that I could use it as an excuse later. My ability to behave was as fleeting as Torsten’s ability to smile.
“Very well.” The witch relaxed her hands and the magic fell from my sides. Air rushed into my lungs and pain radiated through me. Holy shitting Hell. That hurt.
My knees almost crumbled beneath me, but Torsten ran to my side and grabbed my arms before I collapsed with the pain. Every breath was like a knife in my side. Fuck me, I needed to feed.
Torsten must have sensed my desperation, because the next thing I knew, my hands were cupping his face and his lips were on mine.
My body reacted instantly, seeking out the sins he offered and devouring them. I felt the dark energy flow through me, and I used it to heal my ribs. I felt the bone knitting back together and the pain faded away and, oh god… Torsten’s tongue was in my mouth. And I didn’t care.
His arms wrapped around me and pulled me closer to his body and what a body it was. Pure, rock hard muscle met my soft curves and the soft silk of his hair wrapped around my fingers as I pulled it harshly. His thigh slipped between my legs as he supported my weight and… shit. I was getting carried away.
I instantly shut down the connection and pulled away, my hand covering my mouth with horror at what I’d just done. He wanted Lori. Not me. I might look like her, but Iwasn’ther.
His mismatched eyes had darkened with his hunger for her, and I could feel the mark of the shadow bite on my neck burning as desire flowed through me. I wanted him. And it made me sick to my stomach because I knew he wantedher, not me.
“Don’t ever kiss me again,” I spat. I felt dirty, like he was using me just because I looked like her.
His eyes widened in shock, and I realised I’d just issued a command. Well, good. I hoped that one fucking stuck.
I was pissed as I walked back to the Witch Queen, and I knew I was acting irrationally but, fuck it. I needed this soulbond gone and I needed it done quickly. Lori’s team was smart. They were going to figure out eventually that they could potentially get her back, that her soul was still tied to the mortal plane by some thread, and I couldn’t have that. I wanted to be free. I almost felt regret, because somewhere, way deep down inside, I kind of liked Lori. Out of all the people I’d tied my soul to over the years, she was probably one of my favourites.
Oh well, demon’s gotta do what a demon’s gotta do.
“You’ve got yourself a deal, witch.”
***
LORI
I was numb. Completely and utterly numb.
He’d gone. Cassian had truly gone, and I hadn’t been able to save him. Guilt clawed at my insides as I stared at the perfect white wall.
I’d stopped crying now. I didn’t have any tears left. It felt like I’d lost everything. Why did it feel like that? Why did it hurt so much? I barely knew him, and yet I felt like I had a gaping hole in my heart.
Cindy was trying to explain how she was going to send me back, but I wasn’t listening. All I could hear were the cracks in my heart as it broke into tiny little pieces.
Why couldn’t I save him?
A hand wrapped around my fingers and pulled my attention from the dark depths my despair had flung me to.
“Oh sweetie, I am so sorry about your friend. But we need to get moving. The longer you linger here, the harder it will be to get back.” Cindy’s big blue eyes looked at me with sympathy, but it was clear she was also determined to get me back to my mortal body.
I didn’t want to go back. Not without Cassian. How was I going to tell everyone that he was dead because of me? Because I couldn’t save him?
“I’ll be honest,” I sniffed. “I haven’t heard anything you’ve said.”
