Playing with Monsters (16 page)

Chapter Seventeen

To judge from the notions expounded by theologians, one must conclude that God created most men simply with a view to crowd hell. ~
Marquis de Sade

~Lucian

I paced the room, my eyes drifting back to the connecting door and the woman who slept on the other side. How the fuck? No one was immune to my compulsion, no one. Yet this little wisp of a witch resisted it twice now. It made me want inside her mind even more.

I wanted to see what was in there, to know her weaknesses and learn her faults. I wanted to do a lot of things to Lena, most of which would make the sexy little witch cringe and blush to her roots. Her pussy…Seeing it with nothing between it and myself had almost undone my resolve. The taste of her, fucking hell, I’d wanted to bury my face in it, and listen to her scream as she came unraveled on my tongue.

Bathing her had been a fucking horror show. She hadn’t even understood how badly she was burned, or that her flesh had disappeared in places, revealing the damaged muscles of her succulent thighs. Probably better that way; she’d been as oblivious to the life-threatening burns as she was to my efforts to heal her. She’d inhaled enough smoke that I’d feared we would lose her. Instead, she’d disregarded it, and turned her concern to her family. Luckily, she’d be healed by the time she woke up. Thanks to the salve and the salt from the leyline.

Mortals were weak, dragged down by those they loved. Love itself was a fucking disease. It’s one I myself will never suffer again. I let myself weaken when I thought I was in love, only to be betrayed and cursed. Never again.

My cock jerked, hard as steel, and begged to be buried in Lena’s soft, inviting flesh. I laughed soundlessly, hating that I was hard over something that I shouldn’t be lusting after. I would have liked nothing more than to fuck the little imp until she never forgets me or my name for the rest of her days.

I grabbed my cock, yanked it once and imagined her lips, her soft lush mouth that probably couldn’t open wide enough to take it. She could be taught, if I had the time. I don’t. I could possibly make enough time to ravish her, fuck her senseless, and then do what I came here to do: Kill them all. I tired of the game, though, so only a few would live this time. Each one would be carefully selected; the weak. The weak were easy targets for when she’s born again. I grunted, wishing it was that fucking easy.

It was never that easy.

I could easily destroy them all; however, there was always a chance of her being reincarnated into a new coven. That scenario would only make her harder to find when she comes of age.

This last hunt for Katarina had been challenging enough; challenging to the point that I had to use outside help to verify that I had located the correct coven. Normally, she would make an appearance every other generation or so. For some unfathomable reason, her last appearance was over a hundred and twenty years ago, and the coven had hidden itself well since then. I simply did not want to spare the effort to go through the endless searching again.

I opened the door before Bane knocked. His eyes went to my cock and I growled. My eyes turned red as his blue eyes did the same.

“Bringing them here was a bad idea, boss. Should have let them burn. Less to kill later; killing is messy. Messy is fucking time-consuming. I’m tired of burying bodies, and witches altogether. Need to go to the other clubs, find some girls, fuck five or six, maybe twenty, you in?” He absently itched his head where his dark blonde hair was gathered into a bun. He really should cut that shit off or just fucking leave it down.

“No,” I growled, my eyes sliding back to the door and the sleeping feminine flesh on the other side. “Pretty sure only one can make my dick happy tonight,” I snapped.

“Take her, make her forget it. Then take her again.” His reasoning is simple, but then Layton always had been. He had a hunger, one that couldn’t be sated. He craved pussy, and a lot of it. His fixation was everything and anything his partners would allow.
Anything.

“It’s not that simple; she’s different. Smarter, stronger. I need to know why. I also need to use her to get close to Kendra, who won’t give me the fucking time of day. She’s different as well, and she was in the group that set off the wards.”

“There’s that, but there’s also someone trying to kill them. We need to figure out why. Her grandmother, she was in the running for high priestess of the coven, and her mother isn’t. Like the more powerful magic skipped a generation, which would make the girls powerful,” he mused.

“Magic is selective of who gets to wield it; it’s possible that both could be powerful, or one. Twins are an oddity within a coven, not even they understand why it happens. This bloodline has two sets; that isn’t just a coincidence.”

“Again, could be genetics.”

“It could be genetics if any of them had it in their lines, but they don’t. Therefore, it’s not something we should ignore. Unless her brother returned, and isn’t really dead,” I considered out loud. “I’ve got Helen on a short leash; unless she can shut her worthless face, she may need to disappear soon.”

“She’s salivating for the place you promised her: high priestess of the coven.”

“Not going to happen, ever. She’s cunning, ambitious, and lazy in bed,” I growled. Deviant mentioned that she couldn’t even suck him off; she gave up. I fucking hate quitters.

“Vlad was in the club, pouring booze like he owned the place. Any particular reason you allowed it to happen?” he asked. His eyes searched for the answer as if it would be written on my fucking face; as if. 

“He didn’t hide who he was. It is better that we are able to monitor what he sees in the club, instead of him sneaking around on his own. I’d prefer to control what he sees, so that I know what he reports back to the Fae. I like him; respect is earned and he’s earned it. His reputation for fairness bothers me. The Fae in general fucking bother me. I don’t like that I respect them. We may need them, though; there’s something different about this time, and they won’t ask too many questions if we need their help. I find them a useful lot, deadly, but useful. There’s also the fact that they need us as much as we need them. Back to the matter at hand, I want Dev in position, ready to charm my little witch. If I need a distraction for her, he’s it.”

“He’s already here. Helen has him on her list as one of the sons of a coven elder in Utah. Bloodline originated in Salem,” Layton said carefully. “You think they’ll go through with the celebrations if they think their girls are in danger?”

“Witches stick to tradition, even if the fucking sky is falling. They think their magic depends on it.”

“I think you should fix their house, get them out from under our roof. You already did it at the club.”

“No, I can’t have these witches thinking anything other than what I want them to. I want to have eyes on this family and this is the best play to do it.” I narrowed my eyes on him as a thought struck. “You think I shouldn’t fuck her, just say it.”

“I don’t think you should fuck her.”

“Too fucking bad,” I growled, my eyes turning to hold his. “My dick has been rock hard since the moment I kissed her. Not even the thought of Elaine and her skills have lessened the effect Lena has had on me. Not to mention I need her, and I want her. No matter if she’s my enemy.”

“And if she gets pregnant, you’ll kill her?” he snapped angrily.

“You seem to have forgotten one of the curses the first little reincarnation gave me was an inability to sire children. It was her first pathetic attempt at protecting her coven from me. It’s a new world, Bane; women can prevent pregnancy now. Magdalena Fitzgerald is already on birth control, if the packet in her medicine cabinet can be trusted.”

“I thought the point of the Harvest was for them to fuck like rabbits and make a few babies. What if she went off of it?”

“It would seem my little witch is a rebel and has no intentions of making pretty little babies. Perhaps she has a plan in place to play along with the coven and her ancestors. She wouldn’t be the first witch to do it in order to obtain her powers and avoid baby spit-up,” I grinned, remembering how angry she’d been when she’d told me to go make pretty little heartbreaker babies and get lost. She’s got fire, and beautiful chaos inside of her.

“Do we know the plan for the girls who set off the wards?” he asked, his eyes darting in the direction of one of the bitches he referred to that was sleeping inside this house.

“Elaine comes; we’ll discuss the plans for the girls later.”

*~*~*

~Magdalena

I didn’t sleep as he’d requested, or, rather, demanded in his strange voice. Instead, I kept trying to remember everything I could about tonight. Pieces kept coming to me and I wasn’t sure what really happened and what had been an illusion. I snuck a pen out of the bedside drawer and wrote every strange detail that I couldn’t quite place on my arms; just in case I forgot. It wasn’t until a woman’s voice could be heard through the door that I left the bed.

I crept forward, listening to the woman as she bitched at Lucian, her voice rising as she got a good heated steam going.

“That’s bullshit, I earned my spot! No stupid little witch is going to replace me in your bed, understand?”

“You forget your place, Elaine.”

I lifted a brow at her declaration for her
spot
.

“Fuck that! Who the fuck is she? I’ll slice her from ear to ear, and then you’ll remember why you love me!”

“I never loved you, ever. I told you that it wasn’t possible years ago. She’ll die soon enough, but it won’t be by your hand.”

I clapped my hands over my mouth as images of Lucian standing with a swaddled dead body came rushing back. He was in my room, whispering words to me as he held my throat, preventing air from entering my lungs. No dog. Oh, fuck!

I looked around the room for an exit, realizing my family was in this man’s house! Had he set the fire to get us here? It didn’t make sense.

“Use me the way you like to. Anything you want, you can even call me her name,” she pleaded, and I grimaced.

Desperation was not sexy. Her whiny voice grated on my nerves, and her threats made me wish I had enough magic to curse her with warts.

“Elaine, have some dignity. I told you this was a short-term arrangement, to not get attached.”

“Is it
her?
If it is, you can just fucking kill her and be done with it! Or I will, Lucian; it’s an easy fix. I’m not going away, and you can’t make me!”

I heard scuffling, a window shattered, and as I moved to the small window in my room, I watched as a small body hit the ground. I slapped my hands over my mouth and trembled. Holy shit! The knob on the door rattled, and I jumped into bed as silently as I could. I pulled the covers up to my neck, and closed my eyes.

I felt the bed give with his weight as he sat beside me calmly, like he hadn’t just thrown a woman to her death. What the fuck? His hand slipped to my cheek and his fingers touched it gently. I opened my eyes slowly and turned to look up at him.

His lips touched my forehead as I turned to look at him, keeping my arms that were covered in notes beneath the blankets.

“Hi,” I whispered, surprised that my voice was smooth and even.

“Morning, beautiful,” he mumbled before his lips hovered over mine before claiming them. “It’s not time to wake up yet, I just wanted to make sure you slept free of nightmares.”

The only nightmare I was having was him.

Chapter Eighteen

He only stayed with me until he thought I was asleep. I waited a few more hours, making sure the house was quiet before I snuck out of the room and slipped out the front door.  I ran to the cottage and quickly fed Luna before jumping in the shower and scrubbing the notes off as best I could.

I was careful around the areas that had been burned. The salt bath I took last night—mixed with the cream Lucian used—was amazing, and I wanted the recipe he used for it.  The burns looked almost completely healed and barely hurt when I moved.

I stepped from the shower and screamed as I ran smack into Lucian’s chest. “What the hell?” I demanded angrily, before I remembered a woman soaring through the air. Yeah, best not to piss him off.

“You snuck out of my house,” he said smoothly, his eyes slowly trailing over my wet, naked body.

“I didn’t want to wake you, and I needed clean clothes.”

“I purchased clothing for you and your family,” he countered. I blinked at his words, and faltered for a moment. How did he even know our sizes, let alone accomplish it so quickly?

“I need a towel,” I whispered, painfully aware that I was naked, and he wasn’t. I felt exposed and vulnerable in front of him like this. I had covered my breasts with my arms, but it did little to hide anything from the heat in his midnight eyes.

“I have those too,” he said with a soft smile.

I glared up at him. “You’re in my space; you really need to learn about personal boundaries. Now, get out while I get dressed, please?”

He smiled again, but this one said he didn’t care much about personal boundaries, and before I could push him out, he captured my hands. “Something changed in you, little witch. You’re cold today.”

“Because I’m standing here naked?” I growled.

He dropped my hands and turned on his heel, leaving me watching his back as he left the bathroom. I didn’t breathe until I heard the front door slam behind him. The entire cottage shook with his departure, or maybe just me. I quickly pulled on panties, a long sleeved shirt, and some black sneakers I’d found in the closet, along with a pair of overalls, and gloves.

I moved out of the bathroom, only to find myself staring at Benjamin, who looked at me cautiously, but with relief, before his smile took on a hard edge of coldness.

My already erratic heart thundered as I looked at him. I wanted to rush to him, throw my arms around him and pretend he was Josh. I wanted to gush over the house catching fire, cry in his strong arms about what I’d gone through; instead, I slowly moved out of the bedroom, and gave him my back as I pulled my hair into a tight ponytail.

“Can I help you?” I whispered as I met his eyes in the reflection of the small mirror. “Perhaps you came to burn down the cottage too?”

“I didn’t set the fire, Lenny; when I heard about it, I came to check on you.”

“Sure, and you didn’t set off the bomb either,” I snapped angrily; he had the same ‘tell’ that Joshua had when he lied: He’d chew his bottom lip after he’d fed me the line of utter shit and then waited to see if I’d believe it.

“Knowing how much you meant to him, I would never hurt you,” he said carefully, his arms crossing in a defensive pose as his eyes watched me.

“You mean Joshua, how much I meant to him? I mean nothing to you. You’re a stranger.” My voice was cold as I turned to look at him. “You made it clear that you didn’t come here for us. So why
are
you here? Or tell me this, why does shit start blowing up the moment you show up? Or explain why we end up burned in a fire that was set to the manor and then suddenly I find you here, in my house?”

“You were burned?” he asked, his eyes filled with worry as he looked me over. If he had set the fire, he hadn’t meant to hurt us in it.

“I was; I almost died, as well as Kendra, and our mother, too. If you cast the spell, you did a piss-poor job if murder wasn’t your intention,
brother
.”

“I didn’t have a fucking teacher like you did. I didn’t have a mother who loved me enough to keep me!” he snapped, and it hurt. I felt it bone-deep.

“So what was your plan or reason for setting the fire? Why did you want inside the house, and do a shit poor job on the spell?  I am pretty sure it takes more than one witch to cast something as powerful as that spell was, asshole. Is there something specific you came here for?”

“I didn’t set the fucking fire.” He scowled and wagged his finger at me. “You’re not sweet and innocent, he lied,” he mused angrily. “You also have the darkness inside of you,” he growled as he moved closer slowly, his eyes narrowed on me knowingly.

I held my ground, watching him as he stalked around me. “Is that what you think?” I asked carefully. “That I’m like you?”

“You are like me. Darkness can sense others with the same taint. You have it; you stink of it,
sis
.”

It was meant to be a slap in the face and we both knew it. “It’s nothing,
brother mine
. I got this shit handled, unlike you. I’ve never used it. No matter how much it tried to make me, I resisted it.” 

“No one can fight off the darkness alone, not when it sinks its teeth in. You know that. That’s why I was thrown away like the garbage. So why keep you, when she didn’t even try to save me?”

I smiled sadly at him. “You broke her, Benjamin, believe it or not. She didn’t just send you away and move on. She’s always been a bit broken and we never knew why. When Joshua died, it was devastating for her, because she didn’t just lose him, she lost what little bit she had left of you that day too. It took everything she had just to get the hell out of bed in the morning. You think it was an easy choice for her to send you away? It wasn’t. Sad part is, it’s what the coven’s done since forever; it’s what we do when a child is born wrong. It isn’t your fault, and it isn’t hers. It sure as hell isn’t mine. You want a pity party, look elsewhere.”

“I could kill you,” he snarled.

“Easily, I’m sure. You didn’t come here to kill me, though. I don’t think you’re as bad as you want everyone to think, either. If you were, Joshua wouldn’t have told you dick about us. He would have protected us from you and he didn’t. I think he saw in you what I do, a lost kid who got a raw deal in life, one who is of our bloodline and family. You may have been raised badly. You, however, you are not full darkness. You accepted it in, sure, but you figured a way to control it.”

“What makes you say that?” he asked carefully, a guarded look in his eyes.

“Because if darkness had taken complete control of you, I’d already be dead, and I’m not. I’m not the best at math, but even I can take an educated guess on that one.”

“You’re playing with fire, witch.”

“Why does everyone call me that? My name is Magdalena! Lena, or Lenny to you; yes, I caught that you used the nickname only Joshua called me. So I know you knew him; what I want to know, the only thing I want to know, is what you meant by it should’ve been you instead of him.”

“Got to run, sis,” he said with a guarded smile and a haunted look in his eyes. He moved in his creepy way, stopped abruptly in front of me and placed three chaste kisses on my forehead, temple, and cheek before he vanished into thin air.

I threw my hands up at the same moment Lucian threw the door open, burst into the room, and looked around. “You weren’t alone.”

“I wasn’t,” I stuttered. “Luna’s here with me.”

He took in my outfit and lifted a dark brow in question. “Gardening?”

“I was going to work on the main house.”

“I already called someone in to clean it up for your mother, someone who is more qualified.”

“Did we ask you to?” I snapped, and then caught myself. “I’m sorry. I’m tired, my mom’s house is covered in ash, soot, and debris, and it needs to be fixed so we can move home. I don’t like you being so close to my bedroom.” I threw in the last to make sure he knew that I knew he’d placed me right next to him on purpose.

I couldn’t sleep at all last night. But then again, who could sleep after watching a woman get thrown out of a window? I’d walked by the spot where I had seen her land this morning on my way home, only to discover no glass from the window, and no body. The yard yielded nothing as well, no disturbed dirt from a body being buried. I know what I saw and heard last night and he
had
thrown her from the window. Somehow he’d covered it up without even breaking a sweat. It wasn’t an easy task to manage without something being left behind, right?

His eyes watched me as I marched past him. As quick as a snake, he grabbed my arm and pulled me close to him.

“Who was here?” he asked coldly; his jaw tensed, revealing a muscle that hammered with his growing anger.

“Who I allow inside my house isn’t your business. I’m a grown woman, not a little kid who needs to report to you.”

“You should watch that mouth, it might just get in you into trouble,” he growled as he licked his own lips.

“Wouldn’t be the first time; doubt it’s going to be the last.”

“Maybe it needs a purpose, someone to show it what it can do, and how to use it properly,” he mused and before I could think better of it, I licked my own lips and peeked at the python hiding in his pants.

“Let me guess. You’re going to offer to teach me? Pass. Now, if you’re done I have to get started on the house.”

“Last night, you wanted me to fuck you, witch,” he stated, and he was right. Not that I would admit it. “Now you’re cold, what changed?”

“Nothing,” I whispered carefully, my eyes rising to lock with his.

It was a mistake. His eyes searched mine, and I felt a gentle push against my mind, as if he was reading my memories. I felt him hit the walls I’d erected and I smiled, his eyes narrowing at me as I added extra layers around the walls, and felt him pull away.

“Trying to hide something, little witch?” he asked, and I smirked as I glared at him, but kept my mouth closed. I wasn’t suicidal, or stupid. I could however, play stupid really well.

“I’m not an architect, and I don’t work in construction. I need to get past you, so that I can go work on my mom’s house. I don’t want to impose on your generosity for any longer than we have to,” I replied with just the right amount of saucy sarcasm.

“The coven has forbidden anyone from entering the manor house. It’s not been cleared of the spell that caused the damage. Let me be crystal clear about this, because I’m only to say it once: It’s not safe for you. Get changed; I have a few things for you to do. Your punishment from the coven isn’t over, and I find myself in need of your help,” he growled low. His self-assured grin made me want to slap it off his beautiful face.