by Anya Bast
Rue inclined his head. “And maybe she can just come for a visit now and then, too.” Sarafina met Claire’s eyes briefly and suppressed a smile.
“If she chooses,” answered Thomas.
Rue glanced around at the ruins of the Coven. “Do you require more diamonds to repair the damage?” Thomas shook his head and grinned very slightly. “What you gifted us with before has been well invested. We have enough to repair the Coven and run it for the next hundred years. Thank you for your offer.” Theo had thrown Stefan over his shoulder. He walked over with Adam and Jack. “I was tempted to kill Stefan, but I thought up something better than death, if Rue agrees.” “Tell me,” said Rue.
“Take the warlock back to Eudae with you. Lock him up, make him a slave, do whatever you want with him.” Theo paused, his expression growing dark. “Just make sure he’s miserable every damn second of his life and can never get back here.” “Do you want a pet warlock, Rue?” Thomas asked, with a brow raised and a smile playing around his lips.
Rue rubbed his chin. “I’m sure we can find something useful for him to do on Eudae.” Thomas put his hand on Micah’s shoulder. “Ultimately, it’s Micah’s call. What do you think we should do with him?” Micah’s face took on a brutal expression. He stared hard at Stefan before answering. His hand was white on the handle of his sword. “Lock him in Gribben, send him to Eudae, put him out with the trash — I don’t care.” He paused, a muscle working in his jaw. “Just make sure he’s got no magick before you do it. He should suffer the fate he’s inflicted on us.” Rue opened his hand and a blue orb popped to life above his palm. All of them took a step back. Fear clenched Sarafina’s stomach at the mere sight of it, and she was sure she wasn’t the only one.
Stefan roused on Theo’s shoulder, as if somehow knowing the fate that glowed so deceptively and innocently in Rue’s hand.
Theo tossed him to the floor.
Stefan exploded in a flurry of French cusswords. At least Sarafina was pretty sure they were French cusswords.
Theo stepped forward and pinned him to the floor with one booted foot on Stefan’s chest. “Watch your language.” “Fermes ta gueule et laisses moi me lever!” He shook his head in agitation and switched to English, since French wasn’t getting him very far. “Shut the fuck up and let me go.” Clearly, he had no fire left or he would have used it already.
“No.” Theo pressed down and smiled grimly. “And don’t make me charm you again.” Thomas stepped forward and looked down at the warlock. “You’re defeated, Stefan. This time you’re defeated forever.
The Atrika have been sent back to Eudae by the Ytrayi, and the warlocks you brought are either dead or in Gribben. The rest of the Duskoff. .” Thomas paused and a secret smile passed over his lips. “Well, the Duskoff are soon to be no more.” “What—” Stefan started.
“Shut up.”
Even Sarafina wondered about that last comment and the secret smile that had accompanied it.
“Your punishment for kidnapping Rue, allying with the Atrika, and attacking the Coven, for using daaeman magick against us is—” “Let me guess,” Stefan sneered. “Death.” “No, actually. Your punishment is to be divested of your magick and to live out the rest of your life on Eudae.” Thomas smiled again and this time it wasn’t so secret. “As a slave to the Ytrayi. Somehow I don’t think they’ll treat you as well as they did Claire.” “You’re being neutered,” Jack interjected.
“And banished,” added Isabelle.
“You can’t.” Stefan began to fight against Theo. “Just kill me. You can’t take away my power. You can’t!” “And yet you were ready to take away the power of others?” asked Thomas calmly.
Stefan’s countenance darkened. “You killed my father.” “I killed your father,” said Mira.
“You’re making it hard for the Duskoff to exist,” Stefan said. “You’re always in our way.” “I’m growing bored,” said Rue. The ball flamed in his palm and Stefan’s eyes widened.
“No!”
The ball left Rue’s hand and shot straight into Stefan’s chest. The warlock’s spine arched and his face twisted in agony. A keening sound erupted from Stefan’s throat. It was one she’d heard often during the last few hours, signaling the loss of something precious and beautiful. Something Stefan had misused, something he’d taken from others.
The world would be a safer place with Stefan magickless. The world would be a safer place without him in it at all.
All the people who looked down at Stefan did so with solemn expressions. This was no celebration.
Wordlessly, Rue scooped the warlock up and turned toward the doorway. Stefan fought and bellowed in outrage, but he had no hope of escaping an Ytrayi. The Cae just gripped him in strong hands, turned around once to meet Claire’s eyes, then stepped through.
The sound of Stefan calling, “No!” still rang through the silent foyer even after the doorway winked out of existence.
No one moved or said anything for several moments. Then the murmuring began, shuffling, talking. Stefan was gone and the Duskoff defeated — maybe permanently.
She raised her head and her gaze met Theo’s. He looked worse than she did. Burns from demon blood marked his clothes and, in places, his skin. His shirt and jeans were ripped. He had scratches, scrapes, and bruises all over his face and body. His lip was split.
Something in her chest clenched. What would happen between them now? The look on his face was cold, distant. It was the same look he’d worn when they first met.
Maybe it was the end of them, too.
She forced herself to hold his gaze and not look away, even though her heart was breaking and that’s all she wanted to do.
Well, at least Bai was dead. She could go home now, go back to her apartment to try to pick up the tatters of her life. She had some colorful pieces to weave in, too. Her magick. The Coven. Her new friends. Overall, her life was richer than it had been before.
Of course, it could be even richer.
Suppressing a wave of sadness for what she suspected she was about to lose, she reached out her hand to Theo. “Come on, let’s get you fixed up.”
“STOP IT,” SARAFINA SCOLDED HIM AS SHE APPLIED salve to a cut on his abdomen.
Pain burst through Theo anew. “It stings.” He growled, flinching away.
“Don’t be a baby. I want these wounds clean before the fire witches do a healing.” Sarafina still didn’t have any juice left and wouldn’t for a while, so she’d have Doctor Oliver’s nurses treat him. They were pretty busy at the moment, and he could wait. There were others with injuries a lot worse than his.
Sarafina, he’d learned, had been healed by Rue. Now she was showered and had changed her clothes. Aside from having her seat tapped, her wounds were minor.
She finished and threw the cotton swab onto the bathroom counter. He was leaning up against the sink. Sarafina halted for a moment and sighed. “Okay, I’ll pack my stuff and be out of your hair. No need to stay now that Bai is gone.” Theo studied her ferociously, a tangle of emotions twisting in his gut. He couldn’t get any words out.
She turned and walked to the doorway, then suddenly turned. Tears shone in her eyes. Fuck. Sarafina pointed a finger at him. “And no booty calls. I couldn’t stand to sleep with you again, knowing you—” She swallowed and shook her head. “Never mind.” Theo stared at the empty doorway for several moments, not really feeling the pain of his injuries anymore. He pushed away from the counter and caught his reflection in the mirror over the sink.
He couldn’t do this. He couldn’t let her leave like this.
He turned and stalked out of the room, finding her in the hallway, headed toward the door.
“I can’t stay here another moment. I’ll come back for my stuff,” she said, not looking at him. She finally raised her gaze and there was anger there, a challenge. “Don’t think you’re chasing me away from the Coven completely. I’ll be here a lot, so you’d better get used to it.” And every time he saw her, it would be tortu
re.
She pushed past him and made a beeline for the door. “Come on, Grosset. Let’s go.” Grosset jumped down from the couch and went to her side.
“Sarafina.”
She held a hand up. “I don’t want to hear it.” She turned, her eyes snapping with fire. “And if you ask me if we can be friends, the answer is no.” She swore. It was one of the few times he’d ever heard her use a cussword. “I can’t be friends with you when I. . I. .” She made a disgusted sound and opened the door.
“Sarafina, I have things to say. Sometimes love isn’t enough. You wouldn’t be happy with me. Eventually, I would ruin our relationship and make you miserable—” She whirled. “Oh, bullshit! Theo, that’s such a load of crap.” She stalked toward him, door ajar. “First off, don’t you think I know life with you wouldn’t be all cream and sugar? You’re stubborn and you’ve got a temper. You’re dark and uncommunicative and moody as hell. You’re not exactly puppies and sunshine.” “That’s why—”
She held up a hand. “Oh, you’d better stop right there and let me speak my piece.” Her slight Southern accent had grown thicker with her emotion. “You need to give me some credit for knowing my own mind and emotions. I’m much more familiar with them than you are, and it pisses me off that you presume to know what’s best for me.” “Sarafina.” He stopped, not knowing what else to say. She just didn’t understand.
A tear slipped down her cheek. “Anyway, all that is just more bull. The real reason you don’t want to stay with me is because you’re scared. Every time you’ve let yourself get close enough to trust someone, they’ve either let you down or they’ve died. Your parents, Colleen, Ingrid. You won’t even let the Coven witches in, right, Theo? You can’t even risk their friendship because it’s too much of an emotional investment. It’s just fear, that’s all it is.” She extended her hands. “I’m here and I love you. I would do anything for you, but you’re just going to let it all go, let me go, because you’re frightened.” Sarafina stood there for a moment as if willing him to deny it all, to say something — anything. But all the words were stuck in his throat. Finally, she turned and walked out the door, Grosset at her heels.
THIRTY-THREE
“COME ON, SARAFINA, YOU LOVE A GOOD MOJITO.” Maria singsonged her entreaty and waggled the short glass filled with her favorite cocktail in front of her. “And you know I make them the best.” Sarafina eyed the drink. What she really wanted to do was get blindingly drunk so she could forget Theo, if just for a little while. Otherwise she was going to eat the entire pint of Cherry Garcia in her freezer.
In the last twenty-four hours she’d finally cried. All those tears she couldn’t seem to shed for Rosemary after she’d died had arrived with interest. The grief had finally come in an unstoppable flood of deep cleansing, cathartic emotion — the kind that comes all the way from the depths of your stomach. Despite the headache she’d had when it was over, it had felt good to finally vent.
Some of the tears had been for the Coven’s fallen — the ones who’d perished and the ones who’d lost their magick in the battle.
Some of those tears had been for Theo, too. Maybe even more than a few.
She shook her head. “No, thanks, Maria. Go on and enjoy.” “Oh, honey, I know it’s bad when you turn down a mojito.” Maria stared at her for a moment, then whirled and walked to the kitchen, putting the drink on the breakfast bar. “Dios, if I ever see that guy who played you during such a vulnerable time in your life, I swear I’ll beat him up.” She turned, a hand on her hip. “You still haven’t told me what happened.” Sarafina uncurled her leg from beneath her and pulled her sleeve down to hide one of the small puckered scars she had from being touched by demon blood. Grosset was in the kitchen crunching kibble. It was nice to be home, back in the cocoon of her world, pre-abduction. Even though everything seemed a bit odd — a bit surreal.
“He’s not a bad guy, Maria. You don’t have to beat him up.” “I’d beat up any man that hurt you, honey.” Maria wagged a finger in Sarafina’s face, then flounced down on the couch beside her.
“Did you beat up Alex?”
Maria waved a hand dismissively. “Alex didn’t hurt you. You two were like a carton of milk a week past the expiration date. That relationship needed to be thrown out. Hell, you hooked up with that Theo guy not even a week afterward, right?” She paused and gave her a meaningful look. “But this guy. . well, I can tell you love him, and he broke your heart.” Sarafina ripped her gaze from her friend’s face. “Maybe a little.” Maria made a scoffing sound. “Maybe a lot. Anyway, let’s stop talking about him. You’ll tell me what happened when you’re ready, though, won’t you?” Sarafina nodded. A highly edited version, anyway.
“ ’Cause that was not like you at all,” Maria continued. “You can be impulsive sometimes, but. .” She whistled. “I want to know the scoop on this guy for sure.” “He’s something else, all right.” Sarafina pursed her lips and swallowed hard. She just wasn’t ready to talk about him yet.
After a moment, Maria said, “So are you going to take your full leave of absence, or are you coming back to the office soon?” Sarafina chewed the edge of her thumb, trying to figure out how to best answer that. Thomas had offered her a job at the Coven and she wanted to take it, but the thought of having to see Theo so often was making her consider it at length.
The thought of going back to her cubicle now, though, after all that had happened, made her flat-out cringe. Back to all the non-magickals. Back to everyone who had no idea of the secret side of reality. Sarafina wasn’t sure she could do it. Yet Maria worked there and Sarafina would miss seeing her every day.
Of course, so did Alex and she wouldn’t miss seeing him.
“I don’t know yet, Maria. I’m thinking of a career change, actually. I might take the rest of my leave to look around a little and do some thinking.” “I thought you were tight for money.” Thomas had given her some money, saying it was for her help in vanquishing Stefan and the Atrika. At first she’d turned it down, but he’d been aggressive about it. Sarafina had enough to float for a while as a result. “Uh, I came into some unexpected cash.” “Did Rosemary leave you some?”
Sarafina didn’t answer. She didn’t want to lie to her friend. That’s what made keeping the Coven’s secrets so hard. Sarafina valued Maria’s friendship very much and she hated having to hide this part of her life from her.
Just then the doorbell rang, saving her from having to explain.
“I’ll get it,” said Maria, rising and going to the door.
Theo was on the other side. He looked over Maria’s head at Sarafina, and she touched her hair self-consciously, kicking herself for even caring that she hadn’t done anything to it today besides wash it. She was wearing her old, washed-many-times jersey pajama pants, a soft sweatshirt, and the barest minimum of makeup. At least she’d taken a shower that morning.
Maria cocked a hip and pointed a finger at Theo. “Listen, Mr. Muscle, if you think you can—” “Maria, it’s okay,” Sarafina interrupted.
She turned. “Should I let him in?”
Sarafina smiled and nodded. “Thanks.” Maria shrugged and walked away from the door. “Okay, it’s your heart, not mine.” Theo entered the apartment and stood awkwardly near one of the bookshelves near the door, looking at Sarafina. Grosset barked happily and went to him, tail wagging. Theo bent and scratched his head.
“That’s my cue to leave,” said Maria, gathering her purse. She leaned down and kissed Sarafina’s cheek. “If you want to go to Casey’s one night, like old times, give me a call. We can drink a mojito and scope the men.” She said that last bit with a look of scorn at Theo.
“I will.”
Maria breezed out the door without another glance at Theo.
He raised an eyebrow. “Mr. Muscle?”
Sarafina suppressed a smile. “She’s a good friend, very protective of me.” She paused and pulled her sleeve down again. This time it was a defensive gesture, not to hide her scars but t
o hide herself. She hated feeling so vulnerable in front of him.
“Why are you here, Theo?”
He hesitated, then walked over to her. Lowering his huge body to kneel at her feet, he took her hand in his. “I’m here because I love you, Sarafina. Because I was wrong and you were right.” He paused. “You scare the absolute shit out of me, and you have ever since the first day I met you. At first I wanted to simultaneously push you away and bring you nearer. Later on, I just wanted you, body and heart — but I knew it was a mistake. I knew I wasn’t the right one for you.” “Stop.”
He shook his head. “But it’s not that I’m wrong for you, it’s that I’m afraid. Afraid I’ll push you away or lose you like I’ve lost everyone else. I don’t think I could stand losing you.” “I know.” Sarafina licked her lips, emotion rising in her throat. “The question is, can you get beyond it, Theo? Can you take a chance?” He took a moment to answer. “Here’s what I know, Sarafina. I know I love you and that I can’t live without you. The last twenty-four hours have been hell. I know I’m willing to do everything I can to hold on to you. I’ll be the best partner I can be.” Sarafina gave a little laugh, her eyes filling up with tears. “Does that mean you’ll go to the ballet with me?” He grimaced a little. “I swear to go to the ballet with you.” She laughed again, trying to picture Theo, with all his muscles and tattoos stuffed into a suit, watching men in tights prance across the stage. “You love me that much?” He moved between her spread thighs and leaned in to brush his lips across hers. “I would do so much more than endure a night at the ballet for you.” “Oh, I have season tickets,” she answered brightly, but then her smile faded. She knew he would endure a night at a ballet for her. . and so much more. After all, he’d risked his life for her. Put himself in the way of a demon for her. He’d wielded a sword to defend her. Sarafina was pretty sure she could live her whole life and never find another man who’d do any of that for her.
She touched her lips to his. “You’re not going to disappoint me, Theo. You’d never be able to do that.” Shadows haunted his eyes. He didn’t reply.
