22. Matilda
22
MATILDA
I lean against the door after Luc leaves, my heart pounding. That was intense. His seduction powers are no joke. I could feel the waves of desire washing over me, urging me to give in. It took every ounce of willpower to resist.
But I did resist. A small thrill of pride runs through me. I stood my ground against a Prince of Hell.
Still, his words linger in my mind. The temptation to learn more about Draven’s past, about their shared history, is strong. But at what cost? I shake my head, trying to clear it. I can’t let my curiosity lead me down a dangerous path.
I finish drying off and slip on the oversized t-shirt. As I climb into bed, exhaustion hits me hard, but I grip the pendant again and consider taking it off. But I’m scared. I don’t know what I’m capable of, and part of me doesn’t want to find out.
Sighing, I curl up under the covers, clutching my pillow. Sleep feels dangerous after what Luc said about seeing me in my dreams. And nightmares.
Sleep eludes me, and my thoughts swirl around and around. Draven, Vex, Luc on a constant loop.
With a huff, I get up and get dressed, slipping out of my room and silently making my way downstairs and out into the cold night. I shiver but start walking. I have no idea where I’m going, but then I find myself outside the menagerie again. The source of my biggest rejection. The gates are closed but not locked, so I creep inside and back to the place where I stood earlier. The animals move around me, ignoring me.
“Take the pendant off.”
Vex’s voice in the dark startles me.
“I can’t do that,” I say, not turning towards him. “You know I can’t.”
“It is caging your magick, Matilda. That’s why they won’t come to you. They don’t recognise you as a witch.”
“I could hurt someone, or myself.”
“I’m here. I’ve got you.” He steps up next to me, but neither of us looks at each other. I stare forward, knowing he’s right.
“I’m scared.”
His hand clasps mine lightly. “I’m here.”
“I can’t,” I gasp and pull my hand from his.
I run out of the menagerie with him close behind me. I stop near one of the towers, struggling for breath.
He moves in closer. “Are you scared they will still reject you?”
My gaze shoots to his as he reads my mind. I shake my head, lying to him and myself.
He cups my face. “Don’t lie to me, honey. I know your thoughts. It’s okay. It’s okay to be scared.”
“I spoke to Draven,” I blurt out, desperate to change the subject.
“And?”
“What do you want from me, Vex? Is this a power trip for you? Do you go after all your students?”
Vex’s eyes flash dangerously at my accusation. “You think this is just some game to me? That you’re interchangeable with any other student?”
He steps closer, his body radiating heat and power. I hold my ground even as my heart races.
“You have no idea how rare you are, Matilda. How special.” His voice drops low. “I’ve never met anyone like you. Your power calls to me in ways I can’t even explain.”
I swallow hard, caught between wanting to believe him and fearing this is all part of some manipulation. “Why should I trust you?”
“Because I’m the only one who truly sees you,” he says intently, his hand dropping around my throat. “Not the caged version of yourself they’ve forced you to be. The real you—wild, powerful, magnificent.”
His words send a tingle through me. Part of me desperately wants to believe him, to let go, and to be the version of myself he describes. But fear and doubt still hold me back.
“I don’t know who I am anymore,” I admit quietly. “Everything I thought I knew about myself, my family, my magick, has all been a lie.”
Vex’s expression darkens. “Then let me help you discover who you truly are. Are you free to be with me?”
I nod. “Yes, Draven is okay with it, but?—”
He slams his lips to mine, his hand tightening on my throat, squeezing until I choke.
I gasp into his mouth, pressing on his chest to release his hold on me. He pulls back, his eyes almost black with desire. “I have to decide something.”
“What?”
“How to have you both?”
“Do you need to make that decision tonight?”
I shake my head slowly.
He grabs my hand and transports us to his room. It’s dark, almost medieval in decor. “Who are you?” I murmur, glancing around at arcane weapons adorning the walls of the massive room that has to be a perk of being part of the staff. The stone floor is bare, and across the corner is a ginormous four-poster bed.
“A dark warlock with more power than I know what to do with,” he replies. “I have spent most of my life in servitude to an organisation called The Syndicate, seeking answers they couldn’t give me, despite their promises. One trip here, and it all became clear.”
My mouth drops open at the frank answer. I wasn’t expecting it after Draven’s nothing and Luc’s games.
Vex chuckles. “Surprised?”
“A little. But now I’m intrigued. What became clear?”
“My purpose.”
“To teach?”
He shakes his head and takes my hand, leading me over to the bed. I sit down tentatively as he lies back, propped up on one elbow. “That’s a perk. But I’m not spilling all my secrets in one night, honey. You have to earn the rest.”
I clench my jaw so tightly that I give myself a headache. “Is that what this is? You make me wildly curious about you, so I will fuck you, and you will give me titbits about your life. A blowie for something less juicy, a full-on fuck for the good stuff?” I stand up and take one step, intending to leave, but he stops me with his magick. A tendril of black electricity wraps itself around my wrist and drags me back to him.
“No, that isn’t what this is. But consider this, honey. I could ask the same question of you. I know nothing about you except what you have inadvertently spilt and what I’ve learned on my own. Do I get more after giving you an orgasm that will make all others pale in comparison?”
I glower at him, having no answer for that. He is right, and that pisses me off. He smiles, knowing he caught me out. “I apologise,” I say stiffly. “I am not used to honest communication.”
“I’m getting that. Neither am I. You make me want to tell you things, but like I said, it has to be earned, and by that, I mean trust. Not bartering.”
I nod slowly, considering Vex’s words. “Trust. That’s not something I give easily.”
“Neither do I,” Vex says, his intense gaze locked on mine. “But I’m willing to try if you are.”
My heart races at the sincerity in his voice. This feels different from my interactions with Draven or Luc. More raw, more honest.
“Okay,” I say softly. “Where do we start?”
Vex sits up, reaching for my hand. “We start by you taking off that pendant.”
I instinctively grab the amethyst, fear coursing through me. “No, not yet. I have to do this in my own time, Vex. I need you to stop pressuring me.”
He gives me a searching stare, but then nods. “Okay. As long as you promise that you will take it off soon and let your magick out of the prison. I’m worried about you, Matilda. About being here, stunted like you are.”
“Worried?” I choke out. “Why? Am I in danger?” Panic slams into my chest, squeezing all the air out of my lungs.
He shakes his head slowly. “I’m worried about you not stacking up and them sending you back to your family.”
His words kick the panic right out, and I get angry. “Not stacking up? Fuck you.”
“I’m being honest. But hold onto that fire, Matilda. You are going to need it.”
“Fuck,” I spit out. “Talk about tough love.”
“Who said anything about love?” he says with a laugh as my cheeks heat up at my faux pas.
“I didn’t mean?—”
“Save it, sprinkles. I didn’t bring you here to argue.”
“Sprinkles?” I splutter.
He curls a finger around a lock of my hair. “Like those sprinkles they put on cakes. It seemed fitting.”
The growl escapes me from the bottom of my feet.
Vex grins at my growl, clearly amused by my reaction. “There’s that fire I was talking about. I like it when you get all riled up.”
I narrow my eyes at him. “I’m not here for your entertainment.”
“No?” He raises an eyebrow. “Then why are you here, Matilda? In my room, on my bed?”
The question catches me off guard. Why am I here? My anger deflates slightly as I search for an answer. “I... I don’t know,” I admit quietly.
He reaches out, his fingers ghosting along my jawline. “You’re here because you’re drawn to me, just as I’m drawn to you. There’s something between us, Matilda. Something powerful.”
A shiver runs through me at his touch. I can’t deny the pull I feel towards him, the electricity that seems to crackle in the air whenever we’re close.
“But it scares you,” Vex continues, his voice low. “The intensity of it. The potential. You’re used to playing small, to your light being dimmed. But I see you, Matilda. All of you.”
His words strike a chord deep within me. “Stop,” I whisper. “You don’t know me.”
“I know enough,” he says before he pulls me down on top of him when he falls back to the bed. His hand clasps the back of my head, and he kisses me with a passion that gets me going. I grind over his cock, which stiffens under my movements. He groans into my mouth and rolls us over, pressing me into the mattress. He runs his hands down me, stripping me naked before he uses his magick to wrap around my wrists. The other end of the tether wraps around the top posts, and it drags me further up the bed, holding me tightly in place.
“Vex, wait,” I murmur, struggling with the ties.
He responds by shoving my legs wide open and attaching tethers to my ankles as well.
“No,” I say, shaking my head. “Vex, please.”
“I’m not going to hurt you,” he murmurs, ducking his head to taste my pussy.
I cry out and arch into him.
“Tell me you want it, Matilda. Tell me you want my mouth on you, my dick inside you.”
“Yes,” I pant when his tongue flicks my clit. “Yes!”