Chapter Eleven
Willow
The incapacitating grip of his shadows wrapping around my body pushed me into a blind rage I couldn’t afford with my powers still recovering.
They wound around my limbs, pressing in like chains I couldn’t escape unless he allowed it.
Each time I tested them, a glint flickered in his eyes, and they tightened slightly.
Never enough to hurt, just enough to remind me who held the power.
Adrenaline flooded my limbs as I fought to break through, to show him how little his efforts to break me meant. To show him the kind of opponent he had chosen.
The bastard needed to learn. My whining witchcraft clawed at me, urging me to humiliate him, to strip him of willpower and enslave his mind just long enough to shatter it.
My water power coiled through my arms, ready to strike, to drown him from the inside and leave him gasping at the brink of death.
The only problem was that it would most likely kill me too.
Pride versus survival. It was a tough choice when survival didn’t mean much if it cost me dignity.
My brief adventure with that tall, black-eyed disappointment I found on the porch the other day had angered him. Alec—the name I only remembered because he kept repeating it like it mattered—seemed to have grown attached to the woman he rescued from her oppression.
His little neanderthal brain probably pushed him toward me because, in the world of primitives, it would earn him my eternal gratitude. And more.
He would get more. A lot more of my attempts at making his life miserable until he eventually realised his little urges were wrong.
And he had urges, okay?
While he held me still and cleaned my bleeding nose, I could see the effect I had on him.
Whether it was my blood or powerlessness, I didn't care.
His sick fascination proved exactly why women needed to raise their standards and stop entertaining lacklustre men. It never ended well, and in extreme cases, they deluded themselves into thinking they had a chance with someone far superior.
A few hours had passed since he left me alone, and I spent them coming up with a way to crush him.
Powerlessness gnawed at my entrails, eating away at my resolve from the inside out, but I refused to cower and hide behind excuses.
There might have been little I could do, but that little could devastate him even more.
If I was being honest with myself, what I came up with was a little far-fetched and relied on third-party cooperation. Still, if it worked, it would serve as a valuable lesson and a shiny fuck you slapped right across Alec’s face.
Knocking twice, the door swiftly opened, and I barged in hoping for the best.
The spacious room offered ample opportunities for me to accomplish my little plan of ruin; the dimmed light provided a fitting atmosphere.
My eyes landed on the small sofa by the wall; it wasn’t the soft wool I was used to, but I didn’t have time to agonise over trivial matters like their inferior taste.
‘May I help you?’ Alec’s father asked as I sprawled across his three-seater. Surprise flickered in his gaze, almost making me cackle.
Was I bolder than their women, or were they so unaccustomed to female attention? Or perhaps it was the tight dress that clung to every part of me like an invitation.
‘In many ways, actually…’ I whispered, repositioning my body to lie on my side with a hand propping my head up.
Many times I’d been told that my tight waist and wide hips looked unholy in that position. All I needed from him was a tiny step toward the sin. I would take care of everything else.
The shadow daddy might have been reluctant, but the way his throat bobbed as my dress hiked up to reveal more of my tan thighs told me everything I needed to know.
A man was a man. An eager woman, and a beautiful one, was difficult to pass up.
‘What exactly do you mean, child?’ he rasped, not moving like he was afraid of what he might do.
The way he treaded carefully wasn’t how I envisioned it going, but I could make it work. I had conquered bigger hurdles and enslaved men much more reluctant.
His awkward stance made me giggle. ‘Child? Do I look like a child to you?’
‘You look like a deeply troubled young woman,’ he said, his voice quieting toward the end.
I winked, slowly dragging a hand down my hips. ‘Come here, and I’ll show you just how bad.’
‘You need to go,’ he said, crossing his arms. ‘Leave.’
What a bore.
Switching to a seated position, where I perched on the cold leather arm, I observed him more closely. Although he showed some signs of ageing, he was tall and muscular. The wrinkles gave him a rough edge I liked in my men.
Quite handsome. His eyes held a feral glint that intrigued me. I was certain he would fuck like a savage. And he obviously wanted me. He just didn’t want the complications with his son.
Crossing my legs, I caught his wandering gaze. ‘Sit with me. I don’t bite.’
The man squeezed his eyes shut for a second. ‘If only you knew how inappropriate this is.’
Bleh. ‘Oh really, why? Because your son will cry himself to sleep?’
‘Because to sleep with both a mother and her daughter is too taboo, even for me.’
I straightened. ‘What?’
‘Leave,’ he barked, holding the door open.
I didn’t move.
‘You slept with my mother?’ I asked, feeling blindsided.
Before he could answer, shadows wrapped around me and hurled me back into my room.
Fucking shadow people.
Pacing around the room, it felt like perhaps I’d died and ended up in my own personal hell. It would explain all of this.
Leaving once more, I decided it was time to put plan B into action.
Since the bastard’s father was a failure that couldn’t recognise the time of his life if it smacked him in the face, it was time to stir some shit in the manor.
Walking downstairs, I couldn’t help the smirk pulling at my glossed lips. My next victim wasn’t bad-looking at all. A little too cute to be called handsome, but he would do.
‘Hi there,’ I said as I exited through the front door. There was even a hint of sunshine above us, which must have been a good sign.
Dirt covered his dark overalls as he stood, flinching as if shocked that I spoke to him.
Weird.
‘Um, hi.’
‘I’m Willow.' I extended my hand, waiting for him to put down the spear he trimmed the bushes with.
How can the grass be black and the shrubs green?
He stared for a couple of seconds before throwing it to the ground and wiping his grime-covered hand on his trousers. ‘I’m filthy; are you sure you want to—’
Without letting him finish, I grabbed his hand and shook it. ‘I don’t mind getting a little dirty.’
Nothing. He just watched me, pupils blown wide.
Was I the predator in this scenario? Was he my little lamb?
I flashed him a teasing smile. ‘So what are you doing there?’
A drop of sweat slid down his forehead before he wiped it with his sleeve. ‘Oh um, I’m a handyman, but I mostly tend to the gardens here.’
Boring.
‘Cool,’ I feigned enthusiasm. Hurting his feelings wouldn’t get him in my bed. Or me in his. ‘You probably have to be really strong to do that, right?’
His mouth twitched. ‘It depends… a lot of what I do is pretty easy.’
My expression dropped for a moment as I waited to no avail for him to carry the conversation. The guy was as green as they come.
‘What’s your name?’ I asked cheerfully, noting his curious stare and the way he kept shifting in his spot.
Nerves were eating him alive. I almost found it cute.
‘Adam,’ he extended his hand again, and I shook it eagerly, even though I remained a little confused.
I didn’t need any confrontations with delusional mothers because I deflowered their sons. Not anymore at least. And even then, it was just once, and he was twenty; I was only a decade older.
His throat bobbed when he swallowed, looking deep into my eyes. ‘Just turned twenty-one last weekend.’
Thank fuck, I could proceed. ‘Amazing, did you celebrate?’
The half-smile of his twitched like he couldn’t even fake calmness. ‘Not really, a lot of my friends are away at the moment.’
The hunt needed to begin; I couldn’t bear the useless conversation any longer. ‘Not even with your girlfriend?’
‘I don’t have one,’ he said, almost apologetically.
‘Impossible. A handsome man like you?’
His eyes flicked to my chest before snapping away. ‘Girls don’t usually flock to me.’
Of course, they didn’t. He wouldn’t know what to do with them if they did.
‘I think I know what the problem is, Adam,’ I said, batting my eyelashes slowly.
‘You do?’ he sounded shocked, staring at me like I was his salvation.
So eager. So pliable.
I nodded. ‘Girls like experienced men. You need to know how to take care of them.’
Chest rising a little too quickly, it looked as if his breath caught.
Deciding not to waste my time, I stepped into his space properly this time.
He leaned in without realising, like something in him had already decided for him.
‘How do I do that?’ he asked, his voice lower now.
Too easy.
‘I could show you,’ I offered. ‘Somewhere private.’
Adam shuddered, utterly lost in my eyes. ‘I—yeah—I know a place.’
‘Well, then what are you waiting for?’ I urged him. ‘Lead the way.’
Moments later, we landed in a cramped studio apartment. It must have been smaller than my room at the estate. Not to mention the Ortensian castle. How could people live like this?
He fidgeted behind me.
Adorable.
‘My brother’s place. He’s away,’ he said quickly, like he needed to justify it.
Posing as a gracious host, he poured us drinks. Or maybe he just needed something to do with his hands.
I took a slow sip of juice, matching his movements, watching him over the rim of the glass. ‘Tell me, have you had any experience?’
His gaze dragged slowly over my body, lingering just long enough to betray him. ‘I’ve… done things.’
‘What things?’ I pressed, tilting my head slightly.
He hesitated. The confidence slipped off him piece by piece. ‘I… haven’t. Not really. No one wanted to.’
The innocence almost made me hesitate.
Almost.
I didn’t particularly care about him, but I would rather not break him either. There was something about him that made me genuinely want to help him. Probably how hopeless he was. He required a confidence boost, and what better way than to get lost in mindless passion?
‘Well,’ I murmured, stepping closer, ‘that changes today. I’ll teach you how to make girls lose their minds.’
My hand slid down his torso. While he looked lean, his pectoral muscles didn’t disappoint. ‘Would you like that, Adam?’
‘Yes,’ he choked out.
I guided his hands where I wanted them.
‘Good boy,’ I murmured, dragging my nails down his stomach. ‘Take this dress off me. Slowly.’
He flinched like he already belonged to me. His fingers rushed for the buttons, fumbling as he tried to pry them open.
‘Not like that,’ I said, catching his wrist. ‘Slower. Pay attention.’