Page 51 of Outlaw Witch

Vampire.

“Tell me why you are here.” His voice rings out, clear and commanding, and I feel my gut clenching in response.

There’s a tickle inside my brain. It’s as though a worm has crawled into my ear and is taking up residence. It nuzzles deeper into my flesh as warmth fills my chest and I open my mouth, entranced almost like—

—like this vamp is using magic. My own greedy reservoir inside me instantly leeches onto it, gorging itself and drawing the power into itself. I feel my magic sucking down his powers of... manipulation? Persuasion? I don’t even know.

Fuck.

No. I don’t want him using his compulsion on me, but I don’t want itinme either.

I mentallyshoveat the wiggling worm, rejecting it.

Roscoe is standing still as a statue beside me, his mouth opens and I just know he’s being compelled to speak.

“Stop. It.” I grit my teeth, pushing his own compulsion back at the vamp. Which is probably a terrible idea, but we lost control of this situation as soon as we stepped into this room and I need a moment to rein myself in. “We’ll tell you of our own free will if you just cool it one second.”

The vamp’s eyes widen just slightly at my words. “Who are you?” he growls.

I know what he means.

Whatam I?

Dammit. I glance to Roscoe, who is still standing frozen at my side, his mouth gaping open and then shutting like he’s caught in a silent loop.

“Is he...?”

“He’ll stay frozen like that until I lift the compulsion fully,” Dante says slowly, his amber eyes raking me up and down with obvious interest. “You don’t look like the usual type to be hanging off this one’s arm.”

“Type of what?” I glance at Roscoe again. “Can he hear us? Are you melting his brain by keeping him in flux like this?”

“No, and no.” He shifts closer to me, the movement freakishly fast. He’s blink and I would have missed him fast. Dante is then right in front of me, tipping my chin up to meet his steady amber gaze.

I jerk my face away from his touch. What is it with these males and that particular move? I’m not a doll for them to play with.

“Don’t touch me.”

He pulls back, eyebrows shooting up and I wonder if he’s another male that doesn’t hear those words very often.

“Tell me what you’re doing here.” It’s a command, but one that’s surprisingly gentle, without the same weight of compulsion behind it.

Even though he’s not making me, I find myself filling him in on the bare bones details.

“Roscoe here hired me to help his buddy Fabian Nightshade. Apparently, he had an issue with one of your kind not too long back and, well, he’s sick now. We’re trying to get some more information about what’s wrong with him before we can start to heal him.”

I don’t go into detail about the blood curse. Given how reluctant Fabian was to share the information with me, and the less than warm welcome here, I don’t think he’d want me spreading word of his current weakness to his enemies.

Dante leans back against his desk, drumming his fingers on the wood. His attention is focused exclusively on me. I find it makes me want to shrink away, to make myself smaller. He seems very much like a predator that’s sizing up his prey, trying to work out whether I’d be worth one bite or two.

I shiver involuntarily and that seems to break him out of his one sided staring contest.

“You’re working for them?”

I nod, swallowing through my dry throat.

He shifts his attention back to the window and stares out pensively over the club for a moment. “Don’t be surprised if they change the terms of whatever deal you’ve got going with them. These Nexus mages aren’t to be trusted.”

“Oh yeah? Something you know from experience?”

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