“Only under my authority!” he growled. His eyes must have glittered with something dangerous, because Lady Catharine dared to wipe the smirk from her face. “Where is she?” Another demand.
Her focus shifted to a point over his right shoulder. He turned—and was temporarily blinded by the vision he spied on the opposite side of the ballroom. His cock immediately responded to the image Marlene presented. His nostrils flared as he recalled her naked and writhing beneath him. He wanted nothing more than to whisk her away from these stifling surroundings and take her somewhere more private.
Even if Alaric hadn’t possessed the power of wicca, there was a reason he eschewed such gatherings. He found them to be empty and tiresome. He preferred to do anything else but play the gallant host and make small talk in order to appease those shallow enough to imbibe from his cellars and partake of his generosity. He despised everything there was about society and all the chains that went along with it. But more than that, he didn’t like the fact that he was beholden to attend this gathering to ensnare his enemies, rather than taking his time pleasuring Marlene in the privacy of his chamber long into the night.
For now, he was going to ensure that she didn’t stray from his sight. Hector was too much of a threat to entertain the idea that he might abscond with his love. If there had ever been any doubt in his mind that what he felt for Marlene was deep and true, abiding adoration, there was no longer any hesitation. Not only would he ask her to be his wife when this nightmare ended, but he hoped that she would also consent to be his High Priestess, so that the circle of his coven could finally be completed. All this time, love had never come close to touching his heart, so although the circle had been strong, it hadn’t been unbreakable. With Marlene’s initiation as the thirteenth member, that bond was growing rapidly, but it still wasn’t exact.
His focus was fixed on Marlene as he made his way across the floor.
A couple moved in front of him in the dance, and by the time they had slid out of his line of sight—Marlene was gone.
Fear, the likes of which he had never known before, struck him directly in the center of his chest. He closed his eyes, sending out a warning to the rest of his coven.
If anything happened to Marlene, he wasn’t sure he would ever forgive Lady Catharine.
She might not even live long enough to have the chance to beg for it.
One moment, Marlene was staring at the stranger from the carriage, his true identity revealed—and the next, she was standing in the middle of the garden, far away from the merriment going on behind her.
“Hello again, Miss St. Clair.”
She slowly spun around to face the man who intended to unleash hell upon the earth. “I wish I could say the pleasure in seeing you was genuine, but then I would be lying to us both.”
Rather than appearing annoyed, he chuckled. “I knew you had more pluck than you wanted to exhibit initially.” He took a long inhale from his cheroot and expelled it in a slow circle that grew in size until it vanished around her head. She shivered, because she distinctly recalled the sensation of being held captive in the mist around the manor, and how easily she had allowed herself to be manipulated by it. No longer would she allow herself to be so naïve. “But then,” he continued. “I suppose I already sampled a taste of what you had to offer the night of the masquerade ball, one not so dissimilar to the one being held tonight.”
“I recall that evening quite vividly,” she returned evenly. “That dreadful mistake has haunted me all these months, but none worse than the deception I have been subjected to since I was a child.”
He smiled in a tolerant manner, making her ire rise to exorbitant levels. “I merely offered a chance for your eyes to truly open to the world around you. It was a gift, one that I was benevolent enough to bestow.”
She barked out a laugh. “A gift? One that serves your own means, perhaps.”
He shrugged. “It has appeared to serve you well with our gallant host. You made your way here and certainly found a way to wrap him about your little finger. I could feel his possession of you pulsating from across the room.”
Marlene clenched her fists at her sides. “What transpires between me and Sir Gothry is none of your concern. He has treated me kindly as would any employer toward his staff.”
He was the one who laughed this time. While Alaric had a smooth, baritone that enveloped her in a sensual embrace, Hector’s voice was oily and distasteful, as if she had dipped her hand into a jar of tar. “If you think love does not play into the equation, then you are more foolish than I had believed.” He looked at her directly, tossing his cheroot on the ground and crushing it beneath his shoe. “It is rather fortuitous that everything has worked out so well. Your feminine prowess has not disappointed in the least. My plans have nearly come to their fruition.” He glanced toward the house. “Take this evening, for example. I know that Gothry and his little coven were hoping to ensnare me in a trap, but the truth is, I yet retain the upper hand.”
The way he spoke caused sudden fear to trail up her spine. “What are you talking about?” she whispered.
He smiled in a cruel manner, and slowly walked in a circle around her, like a vulture circling its prey before the deadly strike. “Before Gothry blocked me from seeing into your mind, I could tell he believed my pursuit of you was so that we could complete some sacred ritual with sex magic, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. I have conceived of another way for the Dark Lord to be freed from his bindings in hell.” His dark gaze slid to her. “A blood sacrifice is all that is required—” He ran a finger down the side of her cheek. “From the one you love.”
Marlene’s eyes instantly widened. “I will never—”
Her words were instantly cut off, her throat collapsing from the ability to speak. She clutched at her neck, but the power inside was too strong. “You will do whatever I say, because you are under my command. You might be a witch now, but you are too weak to defeat me. You will kill Gothry before they are aware of the danger about to occur.”
He waved a hand and her arm lifted, palm outstretched. He withdrew a jeweled dagger from the inside of his jacket and placed it in her grasp. His gaze turned white, and he started to speak instructions in a disembodied voice that was not his own. “Lure Gothry away from the party and use this to end his life. Once his blood has pooled beneath him, you shall be able to locate the Book. Bring it to me, along with your lover’s right index finger, to the orangery. At three in the morning, the doors to hell shall be revealed and the key you possess will open them and unleash a force upon this earth like no other. At that moment, the Prince of Darkness shall conquer all.”
When he was done speaking, the bond between them was broken. As they parted, Marlene grasped the handle of the dagger, but when she moved to plunge it into Hector’s chest, she found herself back in the meadow, the field of bright, red poppies surrounding her.
Alaric burst onto the terrace, expecting to see Marlene held within Hector’s embrace. Instead, she was standing alone at the railing.
“Marlene?”
She turned and offered him one of those mesmerizing smiles. “It took you long enough to find me.”
He lifted a brow. “Don’t claim that you were playing games when you know the threat that yet lurks.”
She offered a slight pout. “I have yet to see anything that looks dangerous.” She moved toward him and placed a finger in the center of his chest, swirling it around his heart. “I was merely hoping to find some time alone with you, away from prying eyes. Is that so terrible?”
