Page 56 of The Devil After Dark

fifty-five

CASSIO

I squeezed the handle of the bag in my hand as Jason and I strode through the private club at The Devil After Dark.

The other council members had arrived and all of them had brought larger entourages than they usually did.

They were scared and they should be. Each of them had lost magic wielders under them and some lost family and friends.

Three of the council seats now had a new council member sitting in them—including the seat the Delacourt family once held.

A new family now held the seat for the eastern province.

The massacre at the Claiming had been devastating for everyone except me.

Jason and I had watched on the cameras as each of the council members and their entourages arrived at the club.

The clock was rapidly approaching midnight as the last group arrived.

I would make them wait a bit longer. Panic had been unfolding over the last week as no one knew what happened at the Claiming.

Anyone who was there was dead. Their family and friends only learned of the deaths when people didn’t return home.

News of the fire had spread across multiple provinces and eventually people put it together that the building had been a magic wielder private facility.

I had called the council meeting and left no interpretation or room for negotiation regarding when the others needed to be here.

My doorman opened the door to the private room and we entered.

No one in the room had been talking, and it was dead silent as I approached the table and slammed the bag on the wooden surface.

I looked around at the other council members, then I unzipped the bag and pulled out Merrick’s head, tossing it onto the middle of the table.

Anger and confusion and panic crossed their faces, followed by a surprised realization of what Merrick’s head in my possession meant.

Jason lifted his hand and burned Merrick’s head into nothing but ash.

A few council seat holders started to stand, then thought better of their decision and sat back down.

“If any of you,” I began as I glared at each of them, “even think about touching my woman, or a member of my family or crew again, I will slaughter you like I slaughtered everyone at the Claiming.” They all stared at me with their eyes wide.

I continued, “Instead of allowing Jason to burn you into a pile of ashes, I will send your broken body to your next of kin in a cardboard box.” I paused, giving them a chance to speak up.

No one dared. “Do you understand?” I asked loudly.

Heads nodded and a few murmured their understanding.

“Good. Now please, enjoy yourselves. Drinks are on the house tonight,” I said coldly.

Then I turned on my heels and exited. My point had been made and to my delight, they all looked like they had probably pissed themselves. Not a single one had dared say a word.

Liana was awake when I returned to my penthouse around two in the morning.

Zac had warned me she was up when he met me at the door, then he had quietly slipped out, leaving Liana and I alone.

What I was about to do was far scarier for me than facing the council.

I knew how to deal with them. I didn’t care about them.

I cared about Liana. I cared about her so damn much I was willing to set aside what I wanted.

I was going to set aside my need to control her and allow her to choose.

I owed her that much after what I had done to her and what had happened to her because of me.

I dropped onto the couch next to her and gathered her in my arms. “How did it go?” she asked as her head leaned against me.

“The way I wanted it to,” I responded. I was breathing her in.

I was trying to soak in every bit of her.

Before I could lose my nerves I pulled her gently off me and turned to face her.

Her beautiful long hair fell around her as she looked back at me with a questioning look.

I couldn’t stop myself from touching it—from touching her.

Taking a deep breath, I braced myself for the possibility that I was going to lose her.

LIANA

“You can leave me … I won’t force you to stay,” Cassio said, his voice low.

His fingers tucked my hair behind my ear and I could see the sadness in his eyes.

After everything he put me through I still wanted him.

I needed him. I needed him like a drug. Maybe it wasn’t healthy, but I needed his obsession.

I needed his control. I needed the way he made me feel like I could completely surrender to him and everything in my life that I needed would be fulfilled.

“You can think about it. I can give you space to think about what you want,” Cassio continued.

The way his hands danced along my body and continued to tidy my hair told me this surrender was nearly physically painful for him.

He wanted to keep me. He wanted to keep me and he was fighting the urge to force me into submission.

“Don’t let me go,” I whispered and his eyes raised to meet mine. “Keep me.”

Cassio’s breath quickened and he pressed a kiss to my forehead. “You’ll stay?” he asked in disbelief. His hands on either side of my face held me looking at him. “This is what you want? I am what you want?”

I nodded. It was what I wanted. I wanted him. I wanted us. I was his. I crawled on to his lap and whispered, “I’m yours.”