by Lola White
“Yes.”
Ileana’s face went still, but there was something about the set of her lips that told him she was evaluating all her options and advantages. Eliasz gave her a moment, vaguely surprised at how quick she’d proven to be thus far. When speaking of the Lovasz Family, it was all too easy to forget they even had a daughter, let alone assume she would be as intelligent as her brother and father.
“You know what I think?” Her beautiful lips curved in a superbly innocent smile. “I think you’re one of the strongest witches the Levys have.”
“How do you figure that?” He had made certain that his talents were not widely known.
Ileana ignored his question. “I think the notoriously weak-in-magic and widespread Family of yours would do almost anything to keep you from sitting on the Council. Position and magical strength would make you very dangerous.”
Admiration for her brain sparked in his chest and groin simultaneously. “You’re on the right track. Essentially, I need to sweeten the pot, and an alliance with your brother would be just the thing to get my Family Father thinking along the paths I want. I have a plan.”
“I can’t wait to hear it. But if you really want results, you’ll need to speak with me, Silviu, my father…” She licked her lips and gave a decisive nod. “And Georgeanne.”
Eliasz blinked, surprised at the Davenold addition. “Georgeanne?”
“She’s instrumental in this scheme of my father’s. She is vital to getting Silviu into the proper position. Without her, there is no support from Madeleine and without Madeleine, there is no hope of any Seat, let alone the High Seat.” Her eyebrows pulled together. “Georgie won’t be the problem. Be careful how much you tell my father, though.”
A slow roll of warmth enclosed Eliasz head to foot. His scalp tingled, his back muscles stretched. He had a sudden awareness of just how much he wanted the Lovasz female—in his bed, as his wife. He would have taken Ileana with any number of deficiencies for a chance at the Council position, but she was intelligent too, a woman who could truly help further his cause, if she chose to do so.
Suspicion bloomed.
“Why are you here, Ileana?”
Her shoulder lifted, giving nothing away. “Because I was invited. Ordered, actually.”
Eliasz’s lips pulled taut. “Are you in favor of this marriage?”
“Oh, yes. I’ll take my chances with the devil I don’t know, rather than keep on living with the one I hate.”
“What?”
“I live for the day I can get away from Grandfather.” She met his eyes frankly, her own a hard, slate gray. “But he’ll never have it. This is what my grandfather does, the only use he sees for me. He thinks I should be the Family’s happy little whore, my body bargained out for a few acres of land, or a thousand head of sheep, or whatever the hell he asked of the Castillos.”
“Is that what he did?” Eliasz straightened from the desk, only to find himself holding his breath, waiting for her answer. Wondering how often she’d graced another witch’s bed to trade off on a vague promise of allying with her magically strong Family.
Her chin lifted. “I’m no man’s whore, but neither will Grandfather let me be a wife.”
“You’ll be mine,” he promised her.
“You’ll see, just like before, Eliasz, he’ll break the agreement. My father wants it in blood, by the way.”
It would make the agreement unbreakable. That was something he wanted, too. “Sure.”
Ileana tsked. “Selling your soul for a Council Seat? It must be awfully important to you.”
Eliasz leaned toward her, snagged her wrist and pulled her close. Ignoring his father’s protest, he wedged Ileana between his outstretched legs, molding her to him as his hand lifted to cradle her jaw.
For a moment, he was sidetracked by the softness of her skin, the delicate strength of the bone he traced with his thumb. He distantly heard the clink of her glass as she reached past his hip to set it on the desk. With a subtle shake, he came back to himself.
“You want out of your Family and I want to elevate mine. We can work together to achieve both our goals.”
“Your success hinges on my grandfather’s whims.” Her whisper drifted over his lips, sending sharp need into his gut. “You can’t win.”
“Yes I can. And I will.” Eliasz smiled, a slow grin that showed exactly how ruthless and dominant he could be. Alexandru Lovasz would be no match for him, especially if the rest of her Family members took his side. “The minute you stepped foot on my property, you became my property, Ileana. I’m not the others you’ve been betrothed to who let you slip away.”
Boldly, brazen in a way he could find no fault with, she leaned forward and rested her arms on his shoulders, her soft weight against his chest. “Then let’s go find my father and let him deal with the old man. You, me, Silviu and Georgie will handle all the rest.”
Thirty minutes later, Ileana had tracked down the people she wanted involved and set about explaining what she intended to do. Looking around at their faces, Eliasz saw a mixture of deep thought, stunned pride and laughing amusement. Something warm expanded in his chest and solidified into an intense need to have Ileana for all time.
Naked and beneath him, where her devious mind would be put to good use.
Chapter Five
Ileana
Ileana dressed for the Family party in a vivid red wrap dress that displayed her curves to their best advantage. Walking the line of tempting and demure, it was the perfect outfit to both meet the Levys and seduce Eliasz. She still had her father’s orders to follow, after all.
Her dark hair gleamed, falling loose to the middle of her back, her makeup was subtly perfect and the red heels on her feet showcased the length of her legs. Confidence flooded her, now that she finally saw a way out. Even her father had agreed with her plan, offering a few adjustments to make everything run more smoothly.
She’d had to show her cards, but it would be to her benefit in the long run. It had always been more useful, safer, for Ileana to seem less intelligent than she was. Only Silviu had guessed at the full extent of her abilities—but that was to be expected. He was usually a good judge of others.
There was no nervousness, no doubts, as she descended the curving stairs. A bright smile lit her face, she knew that her expression was serene. Eliasz was waiting for her at the bottom, his blue eyes deepening as they raked over her with possessive appreciation.
Tingling awareness spread over her skin. She gave a little spin, letting the skirt flare out, just above her knees, and raised a brow. “Well?”
“Beautiful.” He lifted her hand to his mouth and brushed his lips over her knuckles.
In his father’s office, she’d seen how she’d intrigued him with her bold flirtatiousness. He was a dominant man, Georgie had warned her, but Ileana had dealt with her fair share of those. A bold woman always caught the attention of such a man, but it took a smart woman to understand how to toe the line to further her own goals. She had her work cut out for her, balancing challenge and submission.
“You look nice, too.” She let her gaze play over him, taking in the silk button-down stretching over his wide shoulders, molding to his muscled chest and the dark trousers highlighting the strength of his thighs. His blue eyes shone in his faintly tanned face, his golden hair gleaming under the soft lights overhead.
Desire unfurled in her belly, trailing warm fingers down her body to rest between her legs. She let him see the lust rising within her, her appreciation of his looks and presence. His magic brushed against her skin softly, adding to the warmth.
Eliasz’s eyes narrowed, lids growing heavy over the darkening blue. His beautiful mouth curved at one end. With blatant disregard for the Family filling the hall around them, he put a finger to her naked breastbone in the vee of the dress’s draping and boldly dragged it straight down the center of her body.
Every nerve she possessed contracted then stretched, looking for more.
Hold
ing her eyes, his finger at rest just above her pubic mound, Eliasz smiled wickedly. “You’re playing with fire.”
In spite of proverbs to the contrary, there were few rewards for the meek, as she well knew. Finding her courage, she gave him a smile of her own, lifted her hand and mimicked his actions. He stopped her at his waist, pressing her palm to his belt buckle.
She looked up at him through her lashes. “Fire’s not my talent. Growing things is.”
He laughed and lifted her hand, linking their fingers before leading her into the throng of guests and Family. The entry hall was becoming crowded with Levys. Their progress toward the reception room was slow, as they were forced to stop many times for introductions. Ileana smiled brightly, held her tongue unless she was asked a direct question and set about charming the Family.
“I thought this was to be a small party?” she whispered. “Just an introduction.”
“It is.” Eliasz grinned down at her. “These are only local Levys, all from the region.”
“Then there are more members of your Family in Poland than in the entire Lovasz Coven.”
“Mmm, we are a prolific lot. Unfortunately, there are even more people in the reception room because of the unexpected presence of the heads of both the primary and secondary branches tonight. They, and their entourages, decided to come and join the party.”
Eliasz led her to the overfilled room, one warm hand burning the small of her back through her thin dress. As they stepped over the threshold, his hand coasted down over her bottom, a sweeping, unexpected caress that had Ileana stumbling. She paused, regained her balance, and looked up at him. Lifted an eyebrow and struggled for breath.
He flashed her a wicked grin and slid his hand back up. “Come, you must meet Daniel, the Father of the Family.”
“Why is he here?”
“This would be an important match for me, Ileana. You’re the daughter of a primary branch. Technically above my station, so Daniel would have to give his approval of the marriage.”
She stopped moving and turned to him, unable to keep her spine from filling with sudden tension. “You didn’t tell me that, Eliasz. Your father’s permission should have been enough.”
“It’ll be fine. It’s just relations are a bit strained between the primary and tertiary branches.” His hand stroked over her back, the warmth of his palm soothing her, easing her muscles. But it didn’t help her think.
She tried to anyway. “Will he care? The Lovaszes aren’t exactly a relevant Family.”
His expression turned hesitant. After a moment of silence, he gave a low curse and pulled her toward the wall, where they could speak more privately. He leaned down, his lips close to her ear, his breath feathering against her temple.
“Yours is a primary branch, but not very important.” He pulled back with a look of apology. “It’s true that you have little political relevance yet, so Daniel should have no problem with the match.”
Ileana wasn’t offended, she’d always known that truth. Her grandfather had done little to improve the situation his own grandfather had left the Family in. As inheritance skipped a generation, supposedly creating more stability with longer reigns, Vasile had had no chance to rectify the damage. After the way he’d been brainwashed, Ileana doubted that Costel would do much to further the cause, either.
She sighed. “But if your Family Father has heard the same rumors as you, he might refuse. When Silviu rises, you would hold a great and dangerous advantage, and Daniel would understand that. Resent it, even, if relations between your branches are strained.”
“He doesn’t know anything about it yet. That’s why I need to move quickly. For now, he’ll only think—”
She shook her head. “Politically, you’re marrying beneath you, as we’re one of the lowest ranking Families, I know. But we’re very strong magically, and that’s not a secret.”
Eliasz winced. “A fact I can appreciate for the sake of the child we’ll one day have, but Daniel won’t care. That situation is common in all the Levy branches.”
“Not when the witch in question is you. You’re one of the strongest—”
“It’s the politics he’s worried about, Ileana.”
She closed her eyes briefly. “Won’t he wonder what you want with me, since my Family isn’t influential?”
He had the grace to blush. “My father put it out that I’ve wanted you since the Castillo affair.”
“God.” Lust at first sight was a ridiculous reason for marriage, and yet three new offers of betrothal had come within a week of the disaster. She quickly pushed the memories away. “Is there any other reason Daniel would stand against us?”
Eliasz scanned the crowd. “He’ll be fine, so long as your grandfather doesn’t pick a fight with him. Then he might refuse the match out of spite.”
“I don’t think there’s any way to keep them apart.” Ileana turned to face the room, searching for her brothers and father. “They’ll have to greet each other. Find my father. He’ll help keep Grandfather in line. Or at least smooth things over.”
Several minutes of searching yielded no results. Finally catching sight of Georgeanne, Ileana pushed through the crowd, throwing polite smiles left and right as people called greetings to Eliasz, following on her heels. She came to a halt at the small group Georgie was chatting with and let her smile grow as Eliasz made the introductions.
At the first lull in the conversation, Ileana latched onto Georgie’s arm and excused the three of them from the group. Letting Eliasz explain the issue they faced, Ileana looked around, only to meet her grandfather’s narrowed glare from across the room. She could read the expression in his eyes clearly, as if he’d climbed onto a table and announced his decision to call off the whole thing before they’d even had a chance to talk about the benefits of a match between the Families.
Hate and anger swirled in his eyes. His mouth was pulled into a thin line of distaste that explained the void of guests around the chair he’d parked himself in. The rest of the room was crowded, but a barren circle spread out around Alexandru, as if he’d driven all his company far away.
Georgeanne was quick to notice the same thing, after a glance at Ileana’s face. Jaw firming stubbornly, Georgie lifted her chin and nodded. She swept across the room with more bravery than Ileana knew she’d ever find within herself.
Eliasz’s hand returned to its new home on her back, sending a strange sense of comfort deep into her stiff muscles. Ileana drew a shaky breath and widened her smile, hoping her eyes didn’t show her inner turmoil. With a word of reassurance, Eliasz drew her away, toward the opposite side of the room where a jovial, pale-haired man held court.
Daniel Levy was a young Father, but secure in his place. Unofficially, he’d been the Levy leader for seven years, groomed for the position since birth, chosen as heir by his grandfather the moment the old man had learned his son’s child was a boy. Officially, he’d been Father for a month.
Daniel wasn’t that much older than Eliasz but they greeted each other with a respectful chill that spoke of a deep wariness between them. That didn’t keep Eliasz from putting his arm around Ileana’s waist possessively. An obvious message.
Ileana demurely dropped her gaze as she let Daniel take her hand. The Levy Father indicated the younger man at his side. “Please allow me to introduce my cousin, Robert.”
Eliasz elevated his chin. “Michael’s son?” The man nodded and Eliasz asked, “I suppose your father is looking forward to retirement. What will he do to occupy his time when he leaves our Council Seat?”
“I really don’t know,” Robert said.
Eliasz managed to look curious, rather than calculating, in spite of the importance of his next question. “Are you trying to take over his position?”
Robert’s lips thinned, but Daniel spoke before he could. “Robert, why don’t you find your new bride? I’m sure she’s feeling lost in the crowd by now.”
He obeyed his Father’s suggestion with alacrity and Daniel made
a vague comment about newlyweds, which turned their conversation to the news and gossip of other newly married patriarchal witches. Ileana chatted easily, employing all her skill to seem as vapid as possible while still holding her end of the conversation—nothing threatening. After a few minutes, talk of marriages naturally flowed into a discussion of alliances, and the Levy men began to speak over her head. Ileana did her best to pretend to be lost in her own thoughts as she listened intently.
“The Njeles and Ngozis have made a match, Eliasz.”
“I heard, yes. It’s in their best interests to form a united front in the face of the African witch-hunts. They’re losing too many people.”
“Of course, but that’s two Council Seats tied together in opposition of our Family’s goals. I need a strong man to counter them, now that Michael’s stepping down.”
Ileana saw her chance and jumped into the conversation. With wide eyes, she turned back to Daniel. “Council Seats? My brother, Silviu, has suggested taking over the Lovasz position for Costel, giving him more time to spend on Family affairs, which he much prefers, of course.”
Daniel blinked. “Is that so?”
She smiled up at Eliasz and squeezed his arm as if excitement had overcome her. “Oh, just think, after we are married and I become a Levy, perhaps I could speak to Silviu and explain what your Family needs to have accomplished. And then he could help. Since we’ll all be Family, really.”
The Levy Father chuckled. “What do you know of politics, sweetheart?”
Ileana turned to him with a rueful smile. “Well, almost nothing at all, but my brother is very good at finding solutions to problems.” She knew full well that Silviu’s reputation preceded him, and capitalized on her relation to him shamelessly. She put a finger to her lip. “Perhaps he could help you. And, of course, Family should stick together, don’t you think? My brother has always thought so. Although…I suppose I would be a Levy, not a Lovasz…”
“A patriarchal witch situated in the heart of the Davenold Coven.” Eliasz nodded at Daniel, murmuring, “Perhaps an ally?”