She shrugged. “It seems pointless, doesn’t it? I mean, what are the odds you’re going to kill me this time?”
“You gotta play to win, sweetheart.”
As soon as she dropped the shields, he backed her against the wall and ripped his pants off. “Be a good girl and wrap your legs around my waist.”
“Good girl? You must have me confused with somebody else.”
But she did as he requested, and he lifted her like she was nothing. As he impaled her, she let out a gasp that drew a satisfied laugh from him.
“You really want to die and leave all this? That’s a solid death wish you’ve got there,” he said.
“Don’t flatter yourself,” she tossed back.
But she’d dropped her shields, all of them, and he knew the effect he was having on her. She wanted him almost as much as she wanted death. If he just held out a little longer, she’d beg him to keep her, he was sure of it.
Chapter Seven
Tam tried to catch her breath. He’d weakened her when he’d fed, but he hadn’t killed her. That would be too much to hope for. He seemed committed to this battle of wills. But she would win. If he thought she’d ever willingly ask another monster to keep her, he didn’t know her. And that was the point. He didn’t know her. Though he knew Jack had been her lover, the realization that she wouldn’t fall for that charming evil shit again hadn’t penetrated his massive Neanderthal ego.
Cain wasn’t a big cuddler. After he’d finished with her, he’d left her in the cave. Another woman might have been emotionally devastated or felt horribly used, but Tam was just annoyed he was holding out. She could attempt to use magic to get what she wanted, but there was a part of her that did genuinely fear him. The only kind of magic she’d feel safe using against the demon was the kind that sealed him somewhere far away from her. And with her life span, even that wasn’t a safe bet. Curses could be broken.
She pulled the dress on and made her way back into town. A few demons held her gaze then looked away quickly to whisper amongst themselves. She didn’t have to hear them to have some idea of what they were saying. It was such cruel irony. Every single one of them wanted her dead because they felt she was compromising Cain and their kind. If only that were the case.
Many of them were probably old enough and strong enough to kill her, but even if she could get an accurate list of all their ages and strength levels, not one of them would double-cross Cain and get sent to the caves. He’d been pretty intense about his threat.
His disdain for vampires ran deep. He wanted to use her in a future war with Anthony if it came to that. She had enough contacts that with her, her current coven, and the other magic users she knew, Anthony’s victory wasn’t a sure thing. In fact, between all of them, Cain’s demons, and the Cary Town wolf pack, it would be a slaughter, no matter how many vampires the king recruited to fight his battles.
She was kidding herself if she thought Cain would put a petty vendetta against her above his personal ambitions. He had more self-control than she’d anticipated. He was a complicated demon, and getting him to kill her involved more issues than she’d wanted to admit. Plus he couldn’t stand to lose ever, for any reason. But really, were they any different? They were both ruthless in their own ways. She should have known she wouldn’t get him to snap and kill her. Damnit.
She was lost in her own world and didn’t notice when Anna crossed her path.
“Tam?”
She’d been avoiding Anna because she was afraid if they spent too much time together, her friend would learn about her suicide mission. Plus, things felt distant now. Anna was so wrapped up in her new mate that things weren’t the same anymore, no matter how much they’d tried to force it or fake the easy way that had once been between them.
“Hey,” Tam said, trying not to look guilty.
“Where have you been? I hardly ever see you.”
The witch shrugged. “I wander a lot. I’m pretty bored being stuck here.” That much was true. Though she suspected a big part of the boredom was depression. Why else would she have such a death wish? Even if Jack could be caught and destroyed, and the threat from her life erased, she’d hit her breaking point this time. The idea of sticking around sounded awful. She couldn’t stand admitting that the brightest spots of the past week had been in Cain’s arms. What did that say about her?
She couldn’t allow herself to fall down that well again. He was just like Jack. He’d turn on her and everyone she loved. There were no true consequences for him outside the inconvenience of a curse here and there. No one to answer to. No laws that bound him or his power. In a way, he was worse than Jack.
Anna stared at the dress. “Why are you wearing that?” She asked the question as if she already knew but wanted to torture out a confession.
“Not out here in the middle of the street,” Tam hissed.
They were still surrounded by too many demons, and she didn’t exactly want to have this conversation with an audience. She tried to grab Anna by the elbow to steer her toward her tent but her hand went through.
“Damnit. I keep forgetting about this ghost-form thing. I’m glad you’re not really a ghost, though.”
“Me, too. I guess I thought since I gave Luc my soul and died, that I wasn’t real or something. Now what about the dress?”
You couldn’t sidetrack Anna.
Tam glanced around. She wasn’t sure if the demons edged nearer in fascination over the conversation in general or due to the upcoming big reveal over why she looked like she’d joined a harem. Now that she thought about it, Cain probably had a harem. She had no delusions he was only sleeping with her, nor did she care. All she wanted was to wear him down to make him give her what she wanted—a free ticket out without unnecessary horror or trauma. She’d do anything he wanted to get that, though she wouldn’t come right out and say it. It was smart to keep a few cards close to the chest. She was sure Cain could get extremely creative if he knew she’d do anything.
“Let’s talk in my tent where the peanut gallery can’t eavesdrop.” She had half a mind to take Anna to the caves, but it could get her friend in trouble with Cain. He might see it as undermining his authority with the demons—inviting them back to the punishment caves like it was an open house with tea and crumpets.
“Sure, no problem. I didn’t mean to put you on the spot out here.”
The guards each arched a brow when they got to Tam’s tent. She hadn’t given them a backward glance when she’d left. They’d probably been waiting hours for her return so they could sneer and smirk at her.
“What are you? Twelve?” she asked. “Grow up.” In point of fact, she probably was much older than her demon guards.
She motioned her friend into the tent. Once inside, Anna crossed her arms over her chest, her suspicion growing, waiting to explode like fireworks. They weren’t going to be able to escape the elephant. “In the entire time I’ve known you, I’ve never seen you in a dress. Especially not one like this.”
“You’ve only known me a couple of decades. I used to wear dresses all the time. It used to be the only fashion option for women before they got all liberated. I just went for a change of pace this cycle. It’s no big deal. Besides, I don’t exactly have a washing machine here, do I? I’m not allowed to leave the dimension. Do you think I’m going to go scrub my clothes on a rock in the stream?”
Tam wouldn’t be out of clean clothes for another week or so, but it might come to that. She shuddered at the idea. Nothing sounded less appealing than her boobs falling out of one of these dresses as she bent over a rock in the stream while angry demons loitered, making snide remarks. If that happened, Cain couldn’t hold her responsible for what she might do to them.
Anna didn’t seem convinced. “You’re sleeping with him, aren’t you?”
“What? He tried to kill you. What kind of friend do you think I am?” It was a fantastic question, actually.
“That was going to be my next point. Just don’t lie to me again.”
Tam became fascinated with the embroidery on a pillow. “I’m sorry. I could have told you about the cycling thing, but I was so used to keeping my secret. The last person I told was Henry, and that was a few centuries ago. And it was less telling him than explaining to him what he’d just seen when a woman he’d befriended died and came back to life younger.”
Technically that priest vampire a few decades ago and his insane sire fell into that category as well, but it wasn’t like they’d had a sit-down about it or anything. Certainly not the kind of heart-to-heart she’d had with Henry, or the kind Anna was hurt she hadn’t gotten.
Anna reached out to put a hand on Tam’s shoulder. When it passed through, she cursed. “Just tell me the truth. I won’t judge.”
“Okay. I’m sleeping with him.”
“What?! How could you sleep with him? He’s a demon, a monster—”
“Good job not judging,” Tam said, though it was hard to get mad at Anna’s theatrics. She was used to them by now, and they could be somewhat entertaining. Even with her memories of her previous lives, she’d remained Anna, clinging to her most recent incarnation as who she was.
“I was waiting for you to reassure me I was wrong. I didn’t think you’d sleep with Cain. Holy God. Of all the monsters to go to bed with.”
Now Tam was mad. Anna had slept with Luc. Wasn’t he a monster? Hadn’t he killed humans on a routine basis for centuries before he’d hooked up with her? Was he not a demon as well? The hypocrisy was so grating, it pushed Tam to drop another bomb.
“I also slept with Jack.”
Pin-drop silence. Maybe someone had sat on a remote control and hit the mute button, but finally Anna spoke, destroying that theory.
“As in... the Ripper? As in, the guy we’re trying to find to kill right now? Mr. All-powerful Crazy Magic Man who is killing everybody in the original coven, with you on the hit list? The guy who wants to expose us all and bring destruction upon the whole planet? That Jack?”