“You will return to Archangel and we will finish this. Do you understand?” Kordula tightened her grip on Vail’s throat, the last of the ribbons crept into his flesh and his struggling ceased. He stared at her, docile and calm, his purple eyes hazy and unfocused.
Kordula set him down, caressed his cheek and placed two fingers under his chin. She caught it with her thumb and lowered his head, so he was looking at her. The redheaded witch rubbed her body against the full length of his and kissed him. Vail didn’t move but his eyes lost their calm edge and darkened. The pointed tips of his ears flared back and Olivia knew it wasn’t because he felt lust and desire.
It was because he felt rage.
Vail was locked in his body as Kordula kissed him and worked her body against his, and Olivia had a dark urge to stand up and lash out at the bitch. She almost went through with the ridiculously stupid idea that would end in a very swift death when Kordula ran her hand down Vail’s stomach and cupped his groin, fondling him.
“Play nice, my love, and I will reward you later.” Kordula kissed across his cheek and curled against him, and looked down at Olivia, her arms draped around his shoulders. Vail continued to stare forwards, motionless, the only sign he was alive the dark edge to his eyes, the hunger to maim and kill.
Not his brother, but the witch-bitch draped all over him like a lover.
Kordula pressed her cheek against Vail’s and ran her fingers down his other one. “Now go, my love, and end your brother.”
Darkness flickered across Vail’s expression, that same black emotion curling through Olivia’s veins in response to Kordula’s order. He tried to shake his head, and then his demeanour changed again, turning feral and savage. He growled, flashing enormous fangs, and the points of his ears flattened against the sides of his head, and then he was stepping back from Kordula.
Violet and pale blue light traced over his black armour, growing in speed as he stared at Kordula with hunger for violence in his eyes.
“Go.” Kordula pointed at him.
Vail disappeared.
Olivia kept very still, suddenly aware that she had just lost her one unlikely ally and was now alone with a psychotic witch hell bent on making Loren suffer for what he had done to her.
“I don’t know why you want me—” Olivia started but Kordula whipped around to face her and cut her off.
“Save it, sweet thing. I know you belong to Loren. His fated one. Vail had some nerve throwing you two together. I had wanted to do things peacefully and merely capture you and take you down to see Loren.” Kordula moved to tower over her again and made a noise of disgust as she eyed the words Vail had scrawled on the parquet, her lip curling and her pale blue eyes turning glacial. “Vail’s disobedience might have changed the plan but the objective and the outcome remains the same.”
“What plan is that?” Olivia said casually and Kordula tossed her a wicked smile.
“You think I have lived this long, come this far, to tell you my plan like one of those villain clichés?” Kordula laughed, the sound raking down Olivia’s spine, and dark ribbons swept over her arms again, fluttering upwards towards her shoulders. “You will not live to foil it, and neither will Vail if he dares to go against me again.”
“I wasn’t calling you a walking cliché.” Although it had crossed her mind. The woman looked and acted as though she was going for the wicked witch or evil sorceress of the year award. “I just can’t understand what drives a talented, beautiful woman to go to war with the elves.”
Kordula eyed her with suspicion and then moved past Olivia to one of the antique wooden armchairs that formed a crescent with a couch around the fireplace and settled herself on the padded dark blue seat.
Perhaps flattery really could get you everywhere and playing on Kordula’s desire to be adored and obeyed was the way to sneak through her defences and discover what she was up to.
If Olivia could find out, then she might be able to find a way to tell Loren. Their connection was fuzzy now but it might grow clearer if Vail led Loren to her. She still wasn’t sure how the link worked or if it could be used to communicate with Loren in some way.
Kordula crossed her legs, revealing a long split up the side of her black dress and flashing a lot of pale toned thigh. It probably hadn’t taken the witch much effort to convince Vail to let her close enough to him to cast her spell on him and ensure he was firmly under it. Most men in this world and the other one would probably throw themselves at the feet of such a beautiful woman.
She had used that beauty to gain Vail as an ally and had gone to war with his brother. Why? What did Kordula hope to gain? Only two possibilities came to Olivia. Either Kordula wanted revenge for something, or she wanted to gain power.