“Excuse me?”
“We should drink,” he muttered beneath his breath, holding his hand out to indicate that I should follow him toward the large settee that sat next to the bed. On the table, there was an aged bottle of scotch, and my lips jerked in the corners as I noted it was the same type that had been shattered on the floor in this very house earlier in the week.
“How did you manage that?” I asked curiously, feeling a little calmer with knowing he’d noticed the age and brand of scotch, and had cared enough to pay attention to the details.
“Knox brought it back with him when he returned from Scotland last night.”
My heart stopped and then restarted with a flutter. Of course, it had been Knox who had thought of it. For an absolute prick, he had a knack for noting fine details. I didn’t sit down, not with the nervousness that flooded my system the moment my brain registered the cut of his suit, and that he was dressed for seduction. I exploded with anxiety until I thought I would pass out from the blood running to my head at the decision I was making.
I was about to give this man a piece of myself that I’d never been able to give to another man. It was supposed to be something that happened, not something planned or done because a spell called for it.
Brander watched me moving around the large room, studying certain items as he poured two glasses of scotch then stood there in silence. His room was larger than the main floor of our mansion. It stretched down long, dark hallways that appeared to extend further into other rooms, and yet from my vantage point, I couldn’t make them out.
My fingers hovered over a crystal, sensing the power that pushed through it before I finally turned, looking at him, trembling nervously while fidgeting and biting my lip to find peace in pain.
“So, how do we do this?” I asked, hating the shiver in my voice that made my words seem weak, forced.
I wasn’t afraid of many things, but forking out the missing ingredient for the blessing spell? It had my insides churning with anxious energy. My hands shook as they rose, brushing over my naked arms as he trailed his vision over my dress and frowned. My heart raced at a rapid beat, which I was sure Brander could hear even at the distance from where I stood, quaking.
“Why me, Aria?” he asked softly, countering my question with a look in his eyes that tugged at something deeper within me than I cared to acknowledge at this moment.
I took in the wide stance of his legs and the fold of his arms as they crossed over his heavily built chest. He stared me down without looking away as I debated my answer.
“Because I don’t like you,” I admitted, shrugging my shoulders as my hands dropped to my sides. “It’s messy if we tie emotions to the act, and I’m not looking for messy. I’m looking for someone who won’t hurt me, and will also walk away after we’re done.”
“You don’t like Knox, so you could have chosen him.”
“Knox is a predator. He looks at me as if I am something he can easily devour. I loathe him, and you, well, you, I just don’t like. Knox is intense, the way he looks at me makes my insides quiver. He awakens something within me, and honestly, it terrifies me. He’s also the most arrogant, self-assured, conceited prick on this planet. Knox wouldn’t be safe or easy with me, and you will. He’d also enjoy taking my virginity entirely too much to allow him to have it.”
His smile curved into a dark, sinful smirk. “I’m a predator, too.”
“Yes, you are. But you, Brander, don’t terrify me, and Knox does. Knox is intensely dangerous, and he doesn’t care who he hurts or who knows he can murder them with a mere thought, and the deed would be done. He’s very secure in playing the prick, and not even you can argue that fact. Besides, I don’t care that you’re about to take my virginity, really. It’s a nuisance at this point.”
“Then why haven’t you given it away yet? Not that I’m complaining, but it is curious why you still have it.”
“I had my reasons.” I wasn’t willing to divulge that I was a dud and couldn’t manage to give it away, considering what we were about to do. “It wasn’t so much that I didn’t want to have sex as much as I couldn’t.” I offered, knowing he deserved some explanation to know that there wasn’t something wrong with me. I opened my mouth to say more, but his dark brow rose as the smile twisted a little more.
“Drink,” he offered, nodding his dark head at the glass that sat untouched on the table in front of the settee. “You’re nervous, and it’s starting to mess with my vibe, woman.”
I made my way to the settee and sat, lifting the amber-colored scotch to my nose, inhaling it deeply before I drank it down in one gulp. It burned its way down my throat. I silently watched him reaching to refill the glass I held. He sat across from me, placing his feet on the table before tipping back his drink, studying me over the rim.
“You’re a nervous little thing, aren’t you?” he asked huskily before taking a long swig from the glass.
“I’m not that nervous.” It was a lie, one that hung heavy on my tongue. He’d noted the shiver that etched my tone, and the way the glass trembled even though I held it with both hands to prevent it from being too obvious.
The tattletale heartbeat that raced against my ribs was audible to my ears, which meant his inhuman ones had noted the erratic rhythm. It didn’t help that it raced like nitrogen gasses had fueled it, either.
“Fine, then strip out of that dress for me, and prove how not nervous you are, Aria. After that, finish the scotch, and we’ll start this thing so I can show you how it’s done instead of telling you.”
Placing the glass on the table, I stood. My hands vibrated with tense energy, and yet I wouldn’t stop. I couldn’t afford to. My sisters depended on me to play my part, to get the blood of an untouched witch, one of purity. Spells like the one we were preparing to perform were ancient, written by witches who used the carotid artery when it called for the blood of a virgin.
Pure witches were rare—mixed with the fact it had to be from my bloodline made it more unique, meaning there was no way to do this myself. Ancient spells were more detailed, fine-tuned, and precise. If it called for a sacrifice, it wasn’t talking about animals. They didn’t mess around in the old days and, of course, didn’t think twice about slitting someone’s throat to make sure the gods knew they meant business.
Slowly, I untied the thin ribbon around my waist. My hands reached around, unzipping the dress, pushing the thin straps from my shoulders as it pooled to the floor at my feet. His breathing hitched in his lungs as I bent down, lifting the dress to fold it and place it onto the arm of the settee. Gradually, my eyes rose to his, watching them smolder as they moved down my long frame.
“Damn, woman,” he groaned, covering his face with his hand before he sat up, pouring more scotch into my glass. “Finish that, and when you’re done, stand by the bed, and we’ll begin with binding your hands.”
“What?” I asked in a high pitch squeal. “You’re fucking with me, right?” I probed, worried I’d heard him right.
“No, not at all.” His voice was husky, filled with enough gravel to refill an entire driveway. His gaze slid over my body when I stood, turning to follow him as he moved through the room. “You asked me to do this, and I’m pretty sure Knox is still here, so I can go get him if you’d like to change your mind in that pretty little head of yours. I have rules that I play by, and I won’t break them, not even for you. You will be bound and blindfolded before I fuck you. If you can’t do it, you can find someone else to pluck that cherry. I’m a kinky prick, but I plan to be gentle with you, and I won’t hurt you, Aria. Now come to me and give me your hands.”