Chapter 10 Obedience will suffice
Obedience will suffice
KADE
She purrs, and I’m not too fond of it.
She lifts her head a little, nestles as she adjusts herself and I wouldn’t say I like it.
She pushes her pert tits into me as she hooks her leg around my waist and I hate how fucking good it feels.
Worse than all of that, I hate the way my arms wrap around her and pull her against me. It’s as if I’m frightened to let her go. It’s as if I need her to be this close to me. It’s almost like I want her.
I don’t blame Zara for running. I should, but I’d do the same in her position and the girl deserves credit for being bold. She’s smart, in an uneducated and undisciplined way, and maybe with the right guidance she’ll become tolerable in polite company.
Tolerable, but not enjoyable.
Not a thing to want or crave or need.
But she’s here and I’m here with her, and I find myself wondering if I can stand being parted from her. She’s an offense to everything I hold sacred, yet I’m delighted she’s at peace. I move my hand as I contemplate the problem that is Zara, and I find myself stroking her back with care.
The blood weave hums between us, a constant reminder of how fucked we both are as it pulls at something inside me I don’t want to examine too closely.
Her emotions bleed into mine in faint whispers, echoes of feelings I’d rather not share.
Fear. Defiance. Exhaustion. And something softer, warmer, that I can’t name but wish I could crush out of existence.
This is a disaster, and I want to punish her for it. I want to bend her over my knee and turn her ass that pretty shade of red it went yesterday. My cock twitches and I groan, debating with myself whether the blood weave would let me turn her ass purple, and how spectacular that would look.
She’s brought madness to my life, upsetting all the order and structure I’ve dedicated myself to upholding. The witch unleashed chaos and now I’m stuck in its aftermath, subjected to a never-ending onslaught of random acts I can’t control.
I can’t allow myself to fall for her.
I’ve never wanted anyone like this and she’s the last girl I should be attracted to.
But the blood weave is pulling us closer and I’ve got to stop it from corrupting my feelings.
I don’t want to be emotionally attached.
I can’t let myself be emotionally attached.
Not when it means giving up everything I’ve ever known and fought for.
Not when it’s the opposite of all I’ve ever wanted. Especially not with her.
She shuffles again and I try not to like it.
My lips curl into a smile against my head’s instruction, and I sigh. Gods, I almost sound content.
It’s disgusting. She’s disgusting.
She’s so damn soft.
Zara isn’t weak. She’s hard as fucking nails.
The girl fought with absolutely everything she had and if she were better educated, she might just be a match for a warlock.
Not for me, but for one of my brothers, and maybe I can teach her if she’s willing to learn.
She’ll need to suffer, as we all do when we learn our craft, and I’ll need to trust her not to betray me.
But maybe the blood weave will take care of that. Unless I can find a way to undo it. I don’t know of one ever being undone, but then they’re so rare that few know much about them at all. Maybe we can unwork this magic or a way to weaken its pull on our souls.
Gods, I’m going to have to explain this to the girl sleeping comfortably in my arms. I started last night but barely scratched the surface of the bond’s intricacies, and I sure as fuck didn’t tell her how far it’d go. I don’t want to admit it to myself, let alone to her.
Zara snorts and huffs, and I can’t help but laugh. She’s like a kitten, all fluff and cuteness and exuberance without any common sense or control. This one has claws though, and maybe, just maybe, I could learn to take some pleasure in her company.
My fingers glide over her and she stretches, pushing back against my touch.
Zara’s enjoying this, and I don’t know how that makes me feel.
I don’t know what to do about it, and I find myself continuing, almost too afraid to disturb the fragile peace we’ve found.
She’s content to sleep and I’m content to let her, and for now, that’s a balance I don’t want to disturb.
I will soon enough, and when I figure out how to use my magic now it’s changed, then I’ll make damn sure she doesn’t always get a restful sleep.
The idea of keeping her asleep as I fuck her has more than a slight appeal, and the spell shouldn’t be too hard to conjure.
Controlling it is what’s tricky and that’ll be harder than usual because of the bond.
My cock’s already keen to sink into her again, but my head doesn’t know if it can bring itself to fuck her.
Her cunt was made for me, but I loathe her lithe limbs and gorgeous ass.
Her little body is so breakable and the greater part of me wants to pulverize her until she’s broken.
But some disgusting part of me wants to protect her and it doesn’t want her to come to harm.
It won’t let her come to harm, and it’ll protect her no matter what.
Even if the person I’m protecting her from is me.
This is a disaster.
My hand strokes Zara’s back, and my fingers find her hair.
It’s still a knotted mess, matted with blood and dirt.
Its silver is an unfortunately attractive color and I’m surprised to catch myself playing with it.
She hadn’t managed to clean it properly at the stream, and it’s a testament to how much I’ve fallen that I care enough to try to fix it.
Usually, this would be a simple task, but my magic doesn’t feel the same and it isn’t as strong as usual.
My magic is stirring, faint but growing stronger.
The familiar weight of it trickles back into my veins, filling the void the bond left behind.
I grit my teeth, suppressing the urge to let it loose and obliterate something—anything—just to feel in control again.
But instead, I focus. There’s work to be done, and now that my power is returning, I can at least make this cave slightly less of a hellhole.
For myself.
For her.
I close my eyes and feel. All of it. The air and the ground, her skin and her soul.
The warmth that radiates from my palm and the gentleness with which it spreads is a revelation.
My eyes snap open and Zara’s hair shimmers, rippling as if it were liquid moonlight.
The strands dance as the knots come undone, and I stare in disbelief, unsure if I’ve ever seen anything as ethereal before.
Her head lifts and she blinks herself awake, those emerald green eyes dazzling me with their intensity. They sharpen and their green darkens as they connect with me and her mouth turns inward.
“What the fuck are you doing?”
My simple act of kindness appears to have surprised Zara as much as me. She will have to learn some manners quickly if she knows what’s good for her. I’ve never allowed a woman to be attached before, but now this witch is, and I’m absolutely certain that I won’t allow her to be badly behaved.
“Cleaning your hair.” My voice is clipped and that should be enough of a warning.
“Don’t bother.”
Apparently it wasn't enough of a threat.
“It was dirty.” My tone turns sharp enough that even the most stupid of witches would know I’m pissed.
“Of course it is. It’s been near you.”
My eyebrow arches and Zara smirks. She thinks she’s scored a cheap point and she’s about to walk herself into a world of trouble if she isn’t careful.
“Get your fucking filthy hands off me,” she spits.
My hand finds her upper arm and the girl tries to wrestle free. I hold her and she writhes while I smirk, delighted she can’t use her magic yet. It’ll return as mine has started to, but the absence of her magic is a gift—a temporary reprieve—but I’d be a fool not to use it while I can.
“Behave,” I snarl, my tone dripping with venom. It’s enough to make even Zara pause. “I’ll make it worth your while.”
She rolls her eyes, the gesture so insolent it sets my blood on fire. “You’re never touching me again. I don’t care about the ebon chain; I’d rather die than go through that again.”
“Then I guess I’ll be fucking a corpse,” I sigh, smiling with satisfaction as her mouth falls open.
The silence that follows is charged, her wide eyes darting to mine as she scrambles to form a retort.
The stunned expression on her face is delicious, but it’s the flicker of uncertainty beneath it that I savor most. Zara hasn’t been lost for words in the short time I’ve known her, and seeing her stumble like this is a victory I’m savoring.
“You’re disgusting,” she finally hisses, her voice trembling with a mix of rage and something else she probably won’t admit.
“And you’re exhausting,” I counter smoothly, my grip loosening just enough to let her pull away. “But here we are, bound together. Isn’t that poetic?”
Her nostrils flare, and for a second, I think she might strike me.
Part of me almost hopes she does, and it would give me an excuse to put her in her place.
Instead, she pulls back, her chest heaving as she struggles to rein in whatever storm is brewing inside her, and I decide to hold off on the spanking she’s earned.
“Go to hell, Kade,” she snaps, her voice cracking just slightly on my name.
“Already there, darling,” I reply, my smirk widening. “You’re my plus-one.”
The fire in Zara’s eyes glares and she’d gladly burn me alive if she could.
Her shoulders sink as she exhales and for a moment, it looks like she’s finally figured out how powerless she is.
But Zara reverts to her type and behaves like the insolent, defiant witch she is, refusing to accept the reality around here.
I rake a hand through my hair, forcing my irritation down.
“We’ve got bigger problems than your pride, darling.
We can’t run away from each other or the repercussions of our blood weave.
My brothers are the least of it, Zara. The rest of the warlocks are going to be fucking furious that a witch like you managed to ensnare me, and they’ll come for us.
Galen and Darius might join them unless we’re careful. ”
Her face pales slightly and I’m sure I’ve hit a nerve.
“I don’t care,” she mutters, almost to herself. “This chain is unnatural. Twisted. You need to undo it, Kade.”
Her words claw at me, each one laced with venom, but I’ve had enough of her ignorance. I snatch her wrist, yanking her attention back to me.
“You think I want this?” My voice is low, a warning rumble. “You think I chose to be shackled to you?”
Her glare hardens, fire burning behind those emerald eyes. “It wasn’t me. I didn’t do this.”
“It wasn’t me,” I snap, cutting her off.
“And I would know if it was me. I’m not the one who lacks control.
I’m not the one who conjured this bloody bond, and now we’re stuck with it.
With each other and our magic. The blood weave isn’t something you just undo.
It’s ancient, unpredictable magic, and right now, it’s the only thing keeping either of us breathing. ”
“You’re lying,” she spits, but her voice falters. She’s not entirely sure.
“Believe what you want,” I say coldly, releasing her wrist. “But you’ve done this to us. Your desperation to escape put us both here. Find a mirror if you want to find the person to blame.”
Zara’s lips part in shock, but she snaps them shut quickly, her jaw tight. Her silence is gratifying and her fury almost palpable, a maelstrom she’s struggling to contain within her small, defiant frame. The witch is far too volatile, and that makes her easy to push and pull.
And I always know where to strike.
I lean back and gloat, as the semblance of a plan begins to form.
It’s wicked and cruel, but Zara has reminded me of my former tutor, and I know exactly where to start.
Malric. The old warlock is brilliant, ruthless, and as steeped in forbidden magic as he is in debt to me.
If anyone can unravel this blood weave, it’s him.
But if he can’t, then it’ll work out for me too.
It’ll let me mold her into something I can use, into something I can control. I can use the time and pressures of the journey to manipulate her, and by the time we find Malric, even Zara should be trained to obey me. To fulfill me. To satisfy my needs and submit to my whims.
“There might be a way,” I add, my tone almost dismissive.
Zara’s silence stretches, her suspicion sharpening as she studies my expression. I meet her glare with a smirk, letting just enough of my intention slip to unnerve her.
“I can’t promise anything,” I continue, sounding like I’m trying to win her trust. “It’s dangerous too, Zara. We should wait until we’ve got a handle on how our magic works now. It’s changed and we’ll be safer if we defend ourselves before we set off on this course.”
Her eyes narrow, the emerald flames within them flickering. “What course?”
Zara shifts her weight. Her lips press into a thin line, her distrust radiating off her in waves.
But behind it, I see the faintest glimmer of unease.
I feel it too, and while I’m loathe to admit it, this blood weave born of her recklessness does come with some perks.
Her emotions can be exploited, along with her magic, and all I have to do is learn how to control her. Or get her to obey me.
“If anyone knows how to undo this, it’ll be my old tutor,” I tell her with a grin.
“Malric is dangerous and difficult to find. You’ll need to obey me.
Without question,” I continue as if her trust, or lack of it, doesn’t matter.
“Malric knows more about ancient magic than anyone alive. He’ll either untangle this mess or help us figure out how to make this bearable. ”
“I don’t trust you,” Zara says, her voice low but steady.
“Smart,” I reply with a grin. “But trust isn’t necessary right now. Obedience will suffice.”
Her fists tighten, but she says nothing more, and I turn away, already envisioning the pieces of this puzzle falling into place.
Zara is a challenge conceived in chaos, but I’ll enjoy playing with her, savoring every moment until she’s under my control.
Her fight makes this more delicious and breaking her slowly will be the most exquisite game I’ve ever played.