“We certainly shall.” He went to reach for me again, but I stepped back.
“I need another session of thecurative immersionafter what it took to pull you back from that ill-advised assault on the Dracoryn Realm.”
“I see. Of course. We need you at full strength as soon as possible.”
“Good,” I said, walking over to the sunken pool in the middle of the room, and thankfully putting some relieving physical distance between us.Jeez.The creep factor was off the chain with him. Using touch to try to anchor me to his point of view,his will. It wasn’t sexual, but it was definitely coercive, him trying to reach down into me beyond skin deep.
“Then our strategy session will accompany your healing session,” he spoke.
I ground my jaw, then turned around. “What?”
“I will stay here, we will further our discussion, and you will heal in the pool at the same time.”
“You need to get cleaned up,” I reminded him, gesturing the length of him.
He waved his hand. “That matters not. I am already healed anyway.”
“It matters to me to have privacy with thecurative immersion.”
He frowned. “Privacy? You have already been presented in vulnerable states before my very eyes. Bare, even. Bound. Weakened. Shattered emotionally. You need not feel at ease with this now.”
Son. Of. A. Bitch.
I walked back to him, my eyes drilling into his. “Later.”
“Denied. I have used the last vestiges of my patience as it is, Winter. First, waiting twenty years before I could reach out to you, due to your stubbornness and fear regarding your use of Necromancy. Secondly, waiting on you to actually come here with me after finally making contact, you continuing to waste yet more time. Thirdly, your uncooperative state when you were brought here.”
“Your patience issues aren’t my problem.” I shoved my hand to his chest, digging my nails in, my amber magic flaming and managing to penetrate his skin, even with him being True Celestial. He hissed and tried to back away, but with my other hand, I enveloped him in Undead Domination—something normally only meant for death-touched beings.”
“How are you achieving this?” he asked, unable to do anything but move his mouth.
When I’d pulled him from the Dracoryn Realm, I’d interacted with his magic. It would leave my system soon, and there was just a tiny bit there. Yet, enough to warp Undead Domination to impact the likes of him.
“How I’m doing it isn’t what you need to be focused on right now. The fact is that I can. And that should concern you. I want it to concern you. Because you can’t kill me with how much you need me. Your insistence on me healing has also demonstrated that you can’t even harm me now either. A slam against the wall was nothing and we both know it. What you did to me with theNihilumbra, you regret because it’s set you back. You won’t allow that to happen again. So what am I now in your eyes? For your purposes?”
He growled.
I smirked up at him. “That’s right. Untouchable.”
With my fingers still digging into his chest, I sent out a slight pulse.
Within moments, some of the veins plaguing his skin faded.
His eyes shot wide.
“Now, we can move along with this… situationship of ours pleasantly and I can give you this—yes, me pushing back the rot all that overtaxing you’ve been doing to maintain Sanctus has caused you—and we can become partners with no more mindfucks from you.” I jerked my hand free and he grunted, blood leaking down his chest. “Or you can push me and I’ll push back, and it will be a fucking nightmare for us both.” My eyes flashed. “And I swear to fuck, I will make it a nightmare this time.”
I closed my hand that was trapping him in Undead Domination and broke the hold.
He stumbled forward a little, before catching his balance.
And seething at me.
His nostrils were flaring.
He was close to frothing at the mouth.
I stood there calmly, twisting my left hand and playing with some amber sparks—yes, for his viewing pleasure.
