The Sorceress Screams

by Anya Breton

  Maximo leaned his torso into the corner without shifting his attention. “And why is that a potential problem for me?”

  “Because the vampire is Nadir Khan.”

  His chair snapped forward, banging against both the floor and the desk. Maximo choked on his next breath.

  Charon, take it!

  I’d hoped dropping that name wouldn’t go as badly as this. I’d wanted Maximo to merely wave it off as he had everything else. Choking wasn’t a good sign.

  He settled his palms atop the desk, regarding me with a steady gaze. “Where are the witches now?”

  Had that been a calculating gaze? “They’re safe with their covens. You’re not getting your hands on them so you can barter a deal to further your career.”

  Maximo made a disgusted noise. “I’m content with my lot in life. I questioned you because you’ll be in grave danger when Khan arrives in search of them if they’re crammed into your small apartment.”

  “I handled him once.”

  “I suspect he didn’t believe you were a threat. He won’t make that mistake twice, Miss Walsh.” Maximo leaned into his chair and set his palms in his lap. “You are an unenthralled human with impressive power. That makes you a sought after commodity in this world. Add to it a quest for vengeance and we have a recipe for mayhem. Do you want to risk becoming another of his toys?”

  Now it was clear where he was going with this. “I’m not letting you enthrall me, de Sole.”

  His mouth spread into his indulgent smile. “Max.”

  “What?”

  “Call me Max.” His smile deepened. “There may be a compromise between Khan taking you and my enthralling you.”

  I wasn’t going to like his suggestion, was I?

  But I was in a tight spot. Khan would be gunning for me once he figured out the African American spa employee was actually me. And unless I was willing to kill him to save myself, I’d end up just another member of his supernatural harem.

  Maximo tilted his head to the right as he sank the chair in a slow bounce. “City ruler’s significant others are generally considered untouchable.”

  I drew a loud breath through my nose. Though he probably wasn’t fooling me, I didn’t like the suggestion. Not considering his recent history.

  “You killed your significant other.”

  “I killed my significant other to save you, Miss Walsh.” His precise pronunciation and stiff frame hinted he was irritated he’d had to speak the words.

  I couldn’t refute the accusation. My face heated. I’d be dead or still enthralled if he hadn’t stopped Ascencion. Enthrallment was a fate worse than death. Was I wrong to be disgusted with him?

  No, my disgust was because he’d immediately sought me out so soon after his lover’s death. His failure to observe a period of mourning was simply in poor taste.

  A little truth might be in order. “And then you came to me the next night. That doesn’t give me warm fuzzies.”

  “I will admit that probably didn’t look good from the outside looking in. But you must understand Ascencion and I had been over for decades.”

  He stood, moving toward the window behind his desk. Maximo lifted the white Roman shades and gazed into the moonlit garden. His back remained to me as he spoke.

  “I asked that woman to marry me ten times in our century and a half together.” He emphasized the number with slow enunciation. “Each elaborate gesture earned me a laugh in the face. She broke my heart more times than I can count. I cared too much to make her stop. When I finally hardened myself to her and her whims, I no longer cared enough to make her leave.” He shrugged. “She kept the house organized. What I didn’t realize was how deeply she’d dug her nails into my business. I’m not sorry she’s gone, Miss Walsh. There was nothing left to mourn.”

  His long-winded speech reinforced the words they’d exchanged during Ascencion’s final minutes.

  But there was still the little matter of my ring. “How do I know you’re not just trying to use me for the ring?”

  He gave a soft laugh. “Like you’re using me?”

  “You’re enabling this behavior.”

  “I’m taking advantage of something you want, yes. But if you’ll recall, I’ve been after you since Ascencion dropped you in my living room last month. Long before the appearance of this.” He wiggled his pinky where I could see it.

  “You were after me?” I couldn’t stop my loud scoff.

  “I claimed you as part of my faction so you could stay.”

  “That hardly seems like—”

  “I asked you to the solstice ball so I could win your date.”

  He had been in a bid war with Eamonn Cary for the date. There was one problem with that. “But you let Marino win it.”

  Maximo gazed at me out of the corner of his eye rather like the woman in his painting. “Because Ascencion wouldn’t have allowed anything else without hurting you.”

  His girlfriend had joined the bid war shortly after him. I recalled that much. And I recalled thinking she’d torture me if she won.

  But he still had my ring.

  What leverage would I have if I agreed to his terms for safety from Nadir Khan? And was I honestly thinking of dating a vampire? I didn’t know the first thing about dating! Trip had scared every potential beau off for as long as I could remember.

  But Trip was avoiding me. Two weeks was an age for him. Had he finally given up his obsession? Or had the gods finally done something to keep him away from the Mortal Realm as part of his punishment?

  Shaking myself, I focused my attention back on Maximo. “I need my ring back. I can’t agree to anything until that’s settled.”

  He fully faced me, rubbing his fingers over the thin strip of hair coating his jawline. “Yet if I return it to you, you’ll have no incentive to remain with me.”

  “I would as long as Nadir Khan was a threat.”

  His indulgent smile returned. “The ring will be an anniversary gift.”

  The only anniversary I’d ever observed was my birth. But I could handle his demand if it were for a short time. “A month?”

  “Like all anniversaries it would be a year, Miss Walsh.”

  My jaw dropped open. “You’re not serious! I’ve never had a boyfriend in my entire life! There’s no way I’ll last a year! I don’t know the first thing about how! I really need that ring! You can’t do this to me!”

  Maximo was in front of me before I’d noted the movement. I gasped through quaking lungs. His hands slipped around my waist, drawing me against his fresh lavender and warm sand scented chest before I knew what hit me. And then he kissed me with an urging press of his cool lips against mine.

  He dug a hand into my hair, holding me still. My temperature lifted as he deepened the kiss with a sweep of his tongue through my lips. The eerily cool temperature should have been disturbing, and yet it wasn’t. I hardly noticed it as the soft muscle swirled and teased along the inside of my mouth. It had been so long since a man had held me that I was nearly helpless to fight my desire.

  This was the kind of embrace that preceded something far more intimate. Yet he eased away, holding my gaze with his deep-set dark eyes. Together our chests rose and fell far heavier than they ought to.

  “I’ll teach you how.” He stared at my lips. “Rebecca.”

  My given name spoken in his softest voice was an unexpected aphrodisiac. I pushed my nails into my palms—the only way to avoid grabbing onto his cheeks for another go. The man could kiss.

  His mouth curved into a slight smirk as if he knew what he’d done to me. “¿Sí?”

  I nearly opened my mouth for an answer. But … what would I be agreeing to if I said yes?

  There needed to be space between us if I had any hope of thinking clearly. He was a little too sexy for coherent thought. Even for a dead guy.

  I applied some pressure to his chest until he stepped away. A heavy dose of uncertainty slowed my delivery. “You won’t enthrall me?”

  Maximo gave
a single shake of his head. “Not unless you ask me to.”

  “Are you going to expect I let you feed on me?”

  He laughed softly. “I would like to taste you, but I won’t expect it.”

  A zing of heat shot through me. Hera, help me. What was I getting myself into?

  His head tilted to the side. Amusement glittered in his eyes. “The sex is better when blood is involved.”

  Oh, Zeus, he would expect sex!

  Of course he would. What was I thinking? If I agreed to date him for an entire year, there would be sex. How thick could I possibly be?

  Warily I asked, “You understand I have a business and business comes first?”

  “Of course.”

  “And…” My voice trailed off unsteadily.

  How could I put this without damning myself? I glanced to the ceiling for inspiration. “Occasionally I have to do … things, like go to Vegas to help six witches.” It was common knowledge among the coalition now that I’d been in Vegas. There was no point hiding it from him. “You can’t be angry if I have to cancel something without warning.”

  “I’ll be tolerant of your emergencies provided you’re tolerant of mine.”

  There was one more thing I had to ask of him before I could agree. An uneasy lump formed in my throat ahead of the request. I swallowed it down. The sooner we came to an agreement, the sooner I could get back to my guest.

  “Desmond Marino claimed me as his responsibility earlier this afternoon.” A spark of anger appeared in Maximo’s eyes as I spoke. “The coalition found out I had access to Water magic, too. Your claim was no longer enough to keep me here. In return for taking responsibility, Marino expects I’ll let him help me hone my abilities.”

  Maximo pushed a sharp huff out of his nose rather like Desmond had done countless times. “Hone your Water abilities?”

  I nodded.

  “Do you want to hone your abilities?” His irises darted back and forth over my face seemingly searching for something there. “I can persuade him otherwise if you don’t.”

  Gazing to the window allowed me to avoid his eyes, but it did nothing for my discomfort. “I’ve been guessing as I go along. He can teach me things I didn’t know were possible.”

  More importantly, I couldn’t afford to alienate Desmond if I had any hope of earning the other coalition members’ respect.

  “I won’t sit idly by while another woman cheats on me at every turn.”

  His sharp words snagged my attention. Maximo’s dark eyebrows had lowered into a dramatic V that echoed his thinned lips.

  “Cheat? No. No, definitely not. The man is practically a walking icicle.”

  Maximo’s jaw set. “I’d have thought you’d give me that title.”

  Oh, Zeus. I should have picked my words carefully. I hadn’t been thinking about the vampire’s cool temperature. I hadn’t been thinking about the vampire at all. Shouldn’t I be if I were agreeing to date him?

  “I don’t have a title for you,” I said. “His title is actually ‘Desmond the dick’.”

  Maximo barked out a laugh that was rich and melodious. I couldn’t help but smile upon hearing it. My smile remained now that his expression had softened.

  “I’ll have to see that you come up with one for me very soon,” he said, crooning while ducking his head closer to mine.

  He was making me uncomfortable again. I reacted by blurting out another question. “What if you decide you don’t want to continue before the year is up?”

  Maximo stepped forward, slipping his hand behind my neck. “I’ll give you your precious ring when I feel you’ve devoted yourself to this relationship.”

  His evasion made me suspicious. I tried to withdraw from his hold.

  Maximo’s hand went slack and eventually fell away. He made a weary sound. “If I decide this isn’t going to work, I’ll give you back your ring.” He ran his thumb along my lower lip. “But that isn’t going to happen.”

  I stifled a shiver at the intimate gesture and his soft, but emphatic words. He was either an excellent actor—something I suspected most vampires of a certain age were—or he truly believed what he’d said.

  Maximo let his arm drop between us. He lowered his head until we were at eye level. A cautious half smile appeared on his lips. “Do we have a deal?”

  I nodded before I could change my mind.

  He lifted upright. “Then kiss me.”

  It was a firm command I didn’t think he had the right to give. But now was not the time to test his limits.

  I edged toward him, rising on the balls of my feet until my lips were level with his. Maximo’s expression transformed into a wry half smirk—a combination of amusement and passion—as he stared into my eyes. He was a little too tall to kiss without assistance. I slipped my hand behind his neck for something to hold onto. And then I eased my mouth against his.

  He stood unmoving, forcing me to up the ante if I wanted to prove I was “devoted to this relationship”. I pushed at his lips with my tongue. Maximo accommodated by parting them enough for me to get inside. Like him, I swept my tongue over his. But unlike him, I felt like an untried schoolgirl despite the numerous encounters I’d had with males at bars. This male positively exuded experience from his pores.

  I must have done something correctly because he let out a low growl before wrapping himself around me, bending me along his body, and deepening the kiss until I couldn’t breathe anything but the air he gave me. I was lightheaded, unsteady, and muddled when he pulled his mouth from mine.

  His grin widened. “That’s a fine start. Rebecca.”

  Chapter Ten

  I ran my fingers over my puffy lips while I waited for the stoplight at Wipuk’s town hall. This was bad. Wasn’t it? I was dating Maximo de Sole? Why didn’t that horrify me nearly as much as it ought to? Truth be told, the level of horror was really quite small.

  He’d asked me to stay. My initial reaction had been disgust because I’d thought he was asking me into his bed, and he might have been. But Maximo’s claim he couldn’t appropriately protect me from Nadir unless I was beneath his roof had explained the request. Only the assurance that Khan thought my name was Becky and that I looked quite different got me off the hook.

  The debate raged for several minutes more because he’d wanted to post a guard outside my apartment. I couldn’t afford his guards reporting back everything they’d heard. So I’d claimed the “independent female” card. Maximo’s admission that my independence was one of the traits he enjoyed most got me off the hook a second time. Now I only had to get home to my guest and hope her vampire master hadn’t called her while I’d been haggling with de Sole.

  My hand dropped away from my lips. What was I going to do about Jacqueline and the other enthralled witches? They couldn’t stay in Wipuk forever. Jacqueline was happily married. She hadn’t complained yet, but she must want to go home. I’d want to go home, and I didn’t have a husband waiting for me.

  I’d pawned the witches off on their covens, but they were still my responsibility. There had to be a way to fix this without killing anyone. I didn’t care that this was business as usual for the vampires. No faction ought to have the power leeches had. There was an answer somewhere that didn’t require tarnishing a soul.

  I simply had to find it.

  ****

  Jacqueline’s petite body was folded into the beanbag chair with my laptop propped on her thighs. Electronic light flickered over her mocha face in the darkness while her fingers flew over the keyboard. I’d left her with the laptop to watch movies or surf the Internet because I didn’t have a television. She’d seemed content to play when I’d left. And she still did.

  “Hi,” she said quietly.

  “Hi.”

  “Everything okay?”

  I sighed and flopped down onto the futon. “I feel like I just sold my soul to the devil. And enjoyed it when I shouldn’t have.”

  The Dark witch’s eyebrows lifted as her head made a quarter turn toward
me. She continued to tap out a steady beat on the keyboard. Her attention was only partially on me, but I wasn’t offended. She didn’t know me. She had no reason to be concerned, and yet she put forth the effort anyway.

  “You’re not enthralled, are you?” Jacqueline’s careful question brought concern to the forefront.

  “I don’t think so. He said he wouldn’t unless I asked him.” But my hand went to my neck anyway. Maximo could have done it and made me forget. I didn’t think he had.

  I’d told her I was going to warn Wipuk’s First and that she should get a note to Desmond if I hadn’t returned by sunrise. In hindsight it had been foolish of me to go like that. She would have had no way to contact me because I didn’t have a home phone and I’d taken the cellular phone with me. I supposed it had worked out in the end.

  “I’m pooped,” I said. “Do you mind if I go to bed?”

  Jacqueline arched an eyebrow at me. “It’s your place.”

  I grunted. “But you’re my guest. It’s rude of me to take off on you like this.”

  She shook her head. “I’m not your guest. I’m a refugee you’re kind enough to put up.”

  “You’re a guest. But I’m going to bed because if I don’t get some quality sleep, I’m going to be no good to anyone.”

  “Well, okay.”

  I shot a quick glance at her. Was that the beginning of a smile twitching the left corner of her lips? She hadn’t smiled or laughed since I’d taken her out of the spa. This was a good change.

  With that bit of positivity on my mind, I stumbled into the bedroom for a good night’s rest despite my lingering depression.

  This wasn’t how I’d wanted my life to turn out—dating a vampire I didn’t particularly like to remain safe from one who ought to have been killed, hosting witches I didn’t know so they wouldn’t be used against humanity, and with hair I wished I could turn the clock back on. I missed my hair. I missed being a graduate student. And I missed more I couldn’t put my finger on. Maybe it was the simple day-to-day of homework and eating at a bustling cafeteria with happy-go-lucky humans.