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“No more interruptions,” Quinton promised, his voice shaking. “You won’t hear another peep out of either of us.”
I swallowed hard. Hearing Quinton suppressing his own laughter was not helping me to control mine.
“I would appreciate it,” Adrian sniped, his voice cold.
I didn’t know what he had to be so upset about, this was all his fault. He was the one who’d broughtCharleshere, even when he knew no one would want him here. He had no room to be snarky with any of us.
“Daniel found some interesting things while digging around through this Charles’s memories. Some rather concerning things. It would seem he had a strong dislike for our newest female witch. In fact, he told his friends of some rather unsavory things he would like to do to our Ariel.”
I cringed. Both at him calling me ‘Our Ariel,’ and at what he was implying. I really did not want to know what Chucky had been thinking about doing to me.
“There’s also a blonde girl that he’s been involved with in secret for a while now. It would seem this girl has a strong dislike for Ariel as well. Together, they came up with a plan to seduce her, and they had planned to tape it. What they were going to do with the tape and Ariel afterwards, well… I feel it’s best we not speak of such things. I will say that the Council wanted to dispose of him, but I felt we could find a better use for him. And I was right. He can be put to use, which is why he’s been driving me around, doing my laundry, preparing my meals, and, well, you see where this is going.”
Quinton was right. Chucky belonged somewhere where he could be contained. Far, far away from me and my coven. I never wanted to see him again. I couldn’t believe I’d ever actually cared about what happened to Chucky.
“I think you should take him back to jail,” I said in a hushed voice. “I don’t want him here. I don’t want him anywhere near me.”
Or Dash.
I really hoped Dash didn’t have to see Chucky.
Adrian smiled at me sadly, and this one looked genuine. The genuine looks were starting to frighten me more than the fake ones.
“I’m sorry, my dear,” Adrian said softly. And, I had to give it to him, he did sound genuinely sorry. “I’m afraid that’s no longer an option. We take the safety of our females very seriously. This young man wanted to physically harm you, and he succeeded. Perhaps not in the way he’d originally wished for, since there was no pleasure on his end, but it was a successful endeavor all the same. Now-”
I sliced my hand through the air sharply, cutting him off.
“Please,” I begged. “Do not say any more about what he wanted to potentially do to me. I don’t want to hear it, Quinton doesn’t want to hear it. Save it. I don’t want him around me. I don’t want him to drive me around or do my laundry. If you’re not going to take him back to jail, then I think you should keep him for yourself.”
I snapped my mouth shut, but it was too late, the words were already out there. I couldn’t take them back.
I had just encouraged Adrian to keep Chucky, and I’d meant it.
Adrian shook his head. “I will give you time to reconsider,” he told me. “You may change your mind. If this happens, I will gladly deliver him to you. If you do not change your mind, I will need to find you another servant to do these things, and anything else you might want them to do, for you. I’m positive I could even get you a witch from another coven; there are plenty of us out there who’d love to serve you.”
I gaped at him and took a step back, away from him. I shook my head frantically from side to side.
“A… a servant?” I stuttered. “I don’t want one. I’m good, really.”
“You’ve worn out your welcome in my home today, Adrian,” Quinton growled. “It’s time for you to leave.”
“No surprise there,” Adrian muttered under his breath. “I’ll be back tomorrow.”
That last part was directed at me, and sounded vaguely threatening.
I wondered if he’d be bringing potential “servants” with him. I hoped not.
Adrian glided out of the room without even bothering to look back. I really wasn’t looking forward to his next visit. This one had been so much fun.
“Ariel,” Quinton said in sweet, soft voice. “You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to. And you don’t have to take any gifts from him, certainly not of the people variety.”
I blew out a breath in relief. I was glad to hear it.
I moved away from Quinton’s heat and said, “I have things to do, and I need to get home to do them.”
His hand shot out and he grabbed ahold of my wrist. He gave a tug and I looked back at him questioningly.
His dark eyes were troubled as they swept over me, but he didn’t say anything.
