Jules had hope in his eyes, but Nicolono would dash it soon.
“I don’t know how it’s possible. Playing with Fate is never a good thing. Don’t you know that, Thomas?” Nicolono smiled. Months ago, when Silvia had put the curse on him, he had used Thomas’ little sister to get him to cooperate and he wouldn’t hesitate to use her again if needed. “Take off your clothes, Thomas.”
Hacen’s jaw clenched. “I won’t mate with him. It doesn’t matter what you do to me or them. I won’t do it.”
“Come here, Jules.”
Nicolono waited for Jules to get up off the floor and walk over to him. He could tell he was shaking. “Whose mate are you?”
Jules looked from Hacen to Thomas. Nicolono noticed when Thomas nodded as if giving Jules permission to say whatever would come out of his mouth. “Hacen and Thomas.”
Nicolono slapped Jules across the face. Jules let out a cry as he fell. “That is the wrong answer, mate.”
Hacen’s eyes changed and he stood, taking a step to put himself in front of Jules.
“He is my mate. Mine,” Nicolono said to Hacen. His claws came out, and he took a swipe, missing Hacen by mere inches. “Jules, come here.”
Jules started to get up but Thomas who took Jules’ hand, pulling him up. Thomas ran a finger down Jules’ cheek and whispered something to him that Nicolono couldn’t hear. Nicolono smiled at the sweet gesture. “Thomas will let you come to me, Jules, or I will kill his sister. Isn’t that right, Thomas?”
Hacen frowned, turning toward Thomas.
“You will mate with Thomas in that chair or I’ll kill them both. Jules is mine. Mine! You can’t have him.”
“Hacen mating with me won’t breakthe pull he feels toward Jules. It won’t break mine, either. Fate has decided, just like the curse has decreed,” Thomas said to him, guessing Nicolono’s thoughts.
“Mate with him Hacen and I’ll let you both leave here without consequences,” Nicolono said.
Hacen stood for long minutes before he finally nodded. He sat back down again and held out his hand to Thomas, who took it, pulling Jules along with him.
“Jules, go back to your corner,” Nicolono said and nearly smiled with glee when Thomas held on to him.
“I’m not leaving him.” Thomas pulled away from Hacen and Jules both, and came over to him. “Please don’t do this. I’ve done everything you’ve asked.”
Nicolono watched them all, especially noticing the way Hacen held Jules.
Thomas started chanting then, his eyes turning white as they had every other time Nicolono had seen him cast a spell. He was invoking his ancestors.
Silvia had explained to him once that warlocks had to rely on the magic of their ancestors and their ancestors worked through them. Witches, on the other hand, had their own magic. Silvia could only curse someone with a medical ailment, while Thomas was able to do all sorts of things.
Nicolono smiled when Thomas finally opened his eyes and he chanted something at him. “You can’t curse me any more than I already have been, Warlock.”
Thomas’ eyes turned a pale blue color. “You’ve manipulated our kind far too long, Vampire. You will know what it’s like to want something you can no longer have. You will want that which you have destroyed.”
Nicolono started laughing. “I already do.”
Jules nodded at something Hacen said right before he went back to his corner. He sat with his back to them all.
“The warlocks will fight against you when this war starts. It’s time the witches and the warlocks stood together once again.”
“Are you threatening me? I have connections. If it’s war you want, then it is war you’ll have, Warlock.” Nicolono had a few calls to make when he was finished.
Thomas started chanting again and Nicolono could feel the wanting shift, building up so much that all he wanted to do was visit his crazy wife in that cell he had put her in. Instead, he pushed that wanting down and waited until Thomas was done. Thomas’ eyes changed back to the pretty hazel color they had been, and he slumped forward, breathing deeply as if he had run a marathon.
“Take off your clothes Thomas.”
Chapter Nine
Lucas felt so warm and comfortable he never wanted to move again. Since he’d been on the run, it had seemed like a fight just to stay warm. It was a constant thing, even on the warmest days. He was sure he’d have felt that way even if it were in the middle of summer. He knew it had something to do with his nerves and always being on edge. Having to always look over his shoulder did weird and unexplainable things to his body.
