She surprises me by pushing her flesh harder against the knife. Blood slides down the side of her neck as she glares at me before a smile takes over her face. It’s as sick as it is seductive. The way she isn’t afraid of anything and knows she’s above all beings. It’s addictive, and I want a taste so fucking bad.
“I think I have you beat. All I have to do to get under your skin is exist.” She doesn’t tell me to get off of her this time. She uses all of her strength to push me away from her, flinging me against the dresser. I could easily get right back up, but I don’t. I let the ricocheting pain along my spine fester as I sit there.
She stands up, straightening out her dress. The small slice on her throat already healed as she walks over to me, her heels clicking against the hard floor. She bends down, takes my blade, and uses it to tilt my chin up.
“As charming as all of this sexual tension is. If you get in my fucking way during this mission, I’ll kill you. Maybe I’ll have your body taxidermied and sent back to my father so you can sit in the corner of his office and be just as useful as you are now.”
Her words cut as deep as she wanted them to. She drops the blade, and it clanks against the ground as she leaves my room. The door clicks with her exit, and the back of my head smacks against the dresser.
My cock is hard, and that’s probably the most fucked-up part of it all. We were violent and volatile towards each other, but I still want that crazy bitch.
* * *
Elvor looks like he wants to eat me alive as I approach the group. Dax and Blair are also waiting in the foyer for us all to leave.
Mara bites her lip before she turns to her sister like it takes everything in her to speak to her.
“Could you glamor Elvor’s ears?” she asks Blair.
“Do you want me to shrink him, too?” Blair asks.
Mara looks over at Elvor and shakes her head. “No, if you wouldn’t mind with his ears, though?”
Blair looks at her sister skeptically but performs a quick spell, taking away Elvor’s pointed fae ears. He still doesn’t look quite human with his size. He’s going to stick out like a sore thumb. But after last night, I’m not looking to piss Mara off any further, so I keep it to myself.
Elvor gives Blair a friendly nod and then glares at me.
Fuck, what did Mara tell him?
The demon runs the pit, so with that, we’ve become familiar with one another. Well, as familiar as you can with someone who doesn’t really talk. I don’t know anything about him when I think about it.
Judd is easier to read, and I don’t know what Mara sees in him. Every interaction I’ve had with him has been at the clubs. He’s known as somewhat of a drug dealer in Hell, bringing the temptations of Earth to our realm. I suppose some demons love him for it, but he doesn’t have a close inner circle. I suppose it’s possible that I just don’t know him well enough. Either way, I’ll have to keep a close eye on him during the mission.
“Thanks, Blair,” Mara says to her sister, though it looks like she’d rather bite off her tongue.
Blair looks at her sister and sighs. “You’re helping me protect Stevie. It’s the least I could do.”
Mara nods, and it’s the first civil interaction I’ve seen between the siblings.
“We’ll keep you updated from Europe,” Mara states, and Blair nods her head. Blair and Dax portal out of the foyer, and I’m left with my squad of heathens.
“Where should we start?” Mara asks.
“I have contacts in Budapest,” I throw out. I have a love-hate relationship with the city, but I’m being honest. The quicker we take Michael captive, the quicker I get away from these three, and that’s what I need.
I just need to quit Mara cold turkey, and everything will go back to normal. I’ll complete Lucifer’s task and receive his accolades before asking for a new assignment. I can survive this, I’ve gotten through much worse.
“Budapest it is,” Mara declares, arching an eyebrow at me like I should be grateful I’m still breathing and having a say in the mission. Her eyes sparkle, and I know I’m going to sleep with one eye open while I’m around her.
I grab Mara’s hand and Judd’s wrist. They both link hands with Elvor as I portal us all to my favorite hotel in Budapest. It will only take me compelling the hostess to get us the penthouse suite for as long as we need it in this miserable-ass town.
Chapter14
My mental checklist reads as follows: make Toth feel comfortable around the three of us; ditch Toth in some euro-trash town; find out who and where my mother is; kill some angels along the way.
It’s quite the to-do list, but I got to say, I’m confident. The hardest part is going to be finding my mother. Asking Blair to glamor Elvor’s ears gave me an idea, though. I’d met a lovely fortune teller back when I was in Hallows Deep, and I’m sure I can find a more than adequate one in Budapest.
Some of the witch bloodlines here are nearly ancient. I’ve seen firsthand how they feel about demons, but I can put the charm on or at least make it worth their while.
