41. Magnus
I t’s hard to believe this is the same defiant, stubborn bitch I stole away all those months ago.
She curls into me as I shower us both.
In truth, I could have just left her as she was, but I’ve realised I actually enjoy taking care of her. I enjoy the intimacy of it, and relishing how far we’ve both come. How much she has bent to my will.
She pushes her hips against me as if she wants another good fuck, but right now I have things to do and it’s amusing to keep her wanting, to watch her lips pout, to know that she’s so desperate for me now.
I dry us both off, then dress in a shirt and suit. My little pet, I keep as she is; naked.
And as I take my seat behind my desk, I order her to kneel, and to be silent.
Her eyes drop, her body obeys and for a while I’m so lost in my work that I almost forget she’s there at all.
When I do remember, I glance down, and there’s a small pool of tears on the rug. I grab her face, pulling her roughly to look at me. From the way she squirms, I can tell her body is in pain, that keeping herself in such a position is making her muscles cramp.
A spark of hope lights in her eyes, as if I might give her a reprieve, but I’m not done yet, and so neither is she.
My thumb brushes the tear from her cheek and then I drop my hold, making it clear what I want, what I expect.
She sniffs just a little bit but beyond that she stays still, she stays obedient.
When Antonio arrives, I make no move to let her up. Nor do I send her away. It doesn’t matter what she hears now, anyway. She can hear all my secrets because she has no one to tell them to.
He looks weary, as though he’s also fought a battle, and he sinks into the chair, sighing the way an old man would, though he’s my age and far too young to be acting like that.
“Well?” I ask.
He reaches forward, swigs the whiskey I’ve readied for him and sighs again. “It is done.”
“What is?”
“The battle lines have been drawn.”
Like I don’t know that already. Like I haven’t already started the war.
“The Senate are still content to sit on their hands and be silent?” I reply, hoping he hears the disdain in my voice. They’re so safe in their ivory towers, while they leave the rest of us undefended.
He nods. “That’s what they do.”
“You know, as Chapter Lord, I will be very different to Turner.” I state .
He meets my gaze and his lips curl. “Why do you think I chose you? Turner fitted our needs back then, but now, now we need someone unafraid to act, someone unafraid to fight.”
The way he says it makes me pause.
“I know,” he confirms. “I know where you’ve been these past two weeks.”
“And?”
“I’m assuming you covered your tracks?”
“Would you think me so stupid as to do otherwise?”
“No.” He smiles more, leaning across the desk to close the distance between us. “With the Esau back, we need to be bold, we need to act. We have no Chapter Lord to command us, this is a pivotal moment, one we must take advantage of.”
Sure, he would say that, considering he was once one of them. For a second, I contemplate revealing that I know that fact, but knowledge is power, and with Antonio, it’s far better to keep your cards against your chest and only reveal them when you know you’re winning.
“Something I am not afraid to do.” I state.
He lets out a chuckle. “No, that’s one thing we cannot accuse you of ever showing, Magnus. You’re a hard-nosed bastard, but you get the job done.”
I laugh with him, wondering if it’s an act, his friendship, his favour. Is he really on my side, or is this another move I can’t yet figure out?
His eyes drop to where Liliana is, where she’s shifting enough to relieve the pressure in her legs from how I’m forcing her to sit.
“Shouldn’t she be dead?” Antonio asks.
“She is, or she will be. There was no timeframe on her sentence.” I state.
He lets out a little chuckle, getting to his feet, and he clicks his fingers for her to go to him. I know he showed little interest in her that evening back in Oblivion so I’m curious as to why now he’s interacting with her.
Only, she doesn’t move, she stays where she is, but her eyes look to me, and clearly, she’s waiting for my instructions on what to do.
“Go.” I order, crossing my arms.
No, I don’t want to say it. No, I don’t want her to do it. But we’re playing a game here, a dance of wills. We all have our parts to play, and her especially so. If she doesn’t want to get hurt, if she doesn’t want to end up back in the darkness, then she needs to be obedient.
She gets up, her expression locked down, and she walks to him as if she’s a ghost. Serene and yet aloof, and she comes to a stop with her hands by her side.
My eyes watch every move he makes as he closes the distance and prowls around her.
I’ve never been possessive of a woman before. Never felt that inclination. If anything, I enjoy sharing what I have, proving how little they mean to me and how much power I have over them.
But Liliana is different, she’s not like any other woman, she’s my creation. I moulded her with my own hands, I brought her into being. Watching her, it’s like understanding the way God would feel looking down on creation.
I can see she’s reluctant, I can see she’s uncomfortable. Her body is too stiff, too tense. I wonder if she’s thinking back to that night, the last time she came face to face with Antonio. How I bound her breasts and let my friends fuck her any which way they liked.
I know I could reassure her, could let her know that that will never happen again. And yet I don’t see the point. She’s mine to do as I wish, it doesn’t matter what her future holds, she should be grateful for every bit of attention she gets.
But I am on my feet, silently moving to the other side of the desk as if stalking her shadow, needing to be close to her like our two souls are suddenly bound up and forever dependent on the other.
Antonio makes a point of cupping her breasts, squeezing her nipples, and I hate the sharp, stifled cry she makes in response.
Those noises are mine.
Those noises are meant for my ears only.
I take a step closer before I realise I’ve done it, then lean against the desk as if I’m merely trying to get more comfortable, get a better look at the action.
His hands touch the brand on her chest, the sign to everyone that she belongs to me, and I feel a flash of it; pure fucking hatred.
He grabs her arse, squeezing enough to once more elicit a response.
But as he moves his hand between her thighs, and goes to touch what is mine, I see red.
“Enough.” I bark.
He turns, narrowing his eyes at me. I doubt anyone has dared speak to him like that in years, but I don’t give a fuck anymore.
“I thought you liked to share your toys,” he remarks.
“Not her.” I say before considering the consequences of those words. “Not anymore.”
His eyebrow raises, he glances back at Liliana, tilting his head before he once more looks at me and this time, he’s fully smirking.
“Surely not,” he murmurs. “Surely you would not be so stupid as to fall for someone like her?”
Liliana gasps, a sound full more of surprise than insult.
I click my fingers, summoning her back and she quickly scrambles to obey, kneeling once more as if she could blend into the carpet and disappear.
“Do not presume…” I begin but Antonio cuts across me.
“I am not a fool. You think I didn’t see how you carried her from Oblivion? You think we all didn’t see? ”
“She was dying.” I shrug. “I’ve invested months into breaking her, you think I was really going to let her have an easy death after all that?”
He tuts, waltzing back into his chair but I can see the bulk at his crotch, evidently he enjoyed the brief moment he had touching her. “Come now, Magnus, you and I have always been honest.”
Have we? I wouldn’t say I’ve outwardly lied to the man, but I certainly wouldn’t trust him with a thing like honesty.
“You care for her.” he states again. “I can see it, and considering how much time you’ve spent, it makes perfect sense but…”
“But, what?” I ask, refusing to acknowledge that statement.
“But rules are rules, Magnus, you know this as well as I. We are nothing without them, the Brethren is nothing without them.”
“I have broken no rules.” I reply.
“No. But there is a price on her head, no matter how much you enjoy her, there is a limit, a sentence, a termination that must be carried out.”
“And it will be.” I state. I know that Liliana will die. And she will die by my hand. I’m just not nearly done with her yet.
My little pet reacts to that, she gulps, dropping her gaze further, as if my words have torn out her little heart, but I keep my focus on Antonio because I know if I look at her now, there’s a good chance I might just do something I seriously will regret later.
Antonio sighs. “If you are to make Chapter, then sacrifices have to be made.”
“And she is one?” I say, keeping my voice level. Is it worth it? Money, power, to sacrifice my perfect woman all so I can become a living God?
Yes. Yes, it is worth it.
And no, it is not.
I snarl, turning my back and move to stare out the window. Actions have consequences, I knew that, I was happy about that, I just didn’t realise how deeply I would allow my soul to intwine with hers.
“There is no immediate rush.” Antonio says coming to stand beside me. “Becoming Chapter Lord will take time, even with Turner gone. Enjoy the bitch while you can. Just remember, when the time comes, you will need to put her down, and you will need to do it publicly.”
I give a sharp nod. Of course the Brethren would demand that. She’ll become a sacrifice to my altar. The first of many by all accounts.
But she will also be the greatest, the worst, the hardest to make.
I will have to tear out her heart from her chest, knowing that mine is gone with it.
As Antonio leaves, it feels like we both feel the weight of his words. Neither of us speak. We both just stay where we are, clearly mulling over the future he presented.
It makes me wonder if her newfound devotion will crumble away now that she knows her fate is unaltered. Will she come to her senses? Stab me in the back and try to flee when I least expect it? The woman’s a determined bitch when she wants to be, and she’s proven that fact more than enough times for me to be wary.
I’m not foolish enough to trust this new docile creature she’s become. And I didn’t get to where I am now by ignoring my instincts. No, despite my apparent like of her, I cannot let her beguile me into becoming some lovesick fool. I need to be clever, cleverer than she is.
I clear my throat, turning to look at her. “What do you want as a reward?” I ask.
She frowns in obvious confusion.
“You were obedient just now, you did exactly what was necessary and you took his molestations without complaint. What would you like as a reward? ”
She blinks, startles, then looks at the same view I’m facing. “Outside.” She breathes. “It’s been so long since I even felt the sun on my skin.”
She could have asked for a diamond. She could have asked for clothes. But my lips smile at the simple request she makes, one that’s so easy to grant.
And as I take her hand, I feel as though I’m a genie delivering on her final wish.