Entwined Enemies (13 page)

“And when the person you’re trying to seduce has no emotion?” Felix asks.

“That would be a very rare person. Take yourself, for example, which I assume you mean—you said that you admire my spirit, that you’re keeping me alive to bend it. You may as well have confessed your undying love for me.”

That makes Felix laugh out loud. “You mistake curiosity for emotion. Your spirit interests me precisely because I’m curious to see how much force is needed to break it, reshape it to my will, even. If you think that there are any emotions attached to that curiosity, I’m afraid you’re going to be disappointed.”

I don’t doubt that Felix is telling me the truth. A warlock like him isn’t troubled by emotions. He mastered them long ago to gain the power he wields. Still, he took the time to answer, which gives me more insight than he knows.

If nothing else, taking the time to explain himself means that I got a rise out of him. A slight one, but something. Whether Felix likes it or not, that’s an emotional reaction.

The warlock opens another door, this time by putting his eye up to a camera.

“Felix Eichmann. Recognized,” the computer predictably answers.

I wait until the doors close behind us before continuing.

“Given the right set of circumstances, any two people can develop feelings for each other. Sometimes it takes the slightest nudge. Other times it takes a forceful shove.”

“And sometimes it takes being trapped in torch-lit room together?” Felix says.

“Exactly.”

This time I stop and turn around to face Trent behind me, which takes him by surprise.

“It may not be clear from the start—it might even be the last thing that you ever expected—but sometimes the right set of circumstances reveals more in a split second than you could have ever realized with unlimited time to premeditate. If, and only if, you trust your instincts.”

I can see in Trent’s expression that he knows exactly what I’m talking about. I seem to have the floor, so I keep going.

“To do that, you have to ignore all of the conflicting thoughts screaming at you. You have to turn them off completely and let your body take over. If you can do that, actually surrender to instinct, what you find will often be surprising.”

I stare into Trent’s crimson eyes. He doesn’t look away. He can’t help himself. I’m both making him remember the moment we shared and letting him know how it felt for me.

I turn back to Felix. “You may be interested in how to break spirits, but I’m more interested in what makes the heart work. If pitted against each other, only one of us will succeed.”

“You assume I even have a heart. That’s your first mistake.”

I nod calmly. “I see. Well, thank you very much for protesting the existence of your own heart, Felix. That in itself is very edifying,” I say, smiling like a cat with a bird in its mouth.

Felix realizes he’s said too much. I can see it dawning in his golden eyes. The more he talks, the more I learn about him, especially when he denies something vehemently.

That little insight has changed his estimation of me. Warlock or no, he was human once. Now he sees me a little differently. Not just as a seductress, but an observant manipulator, like him.

His eyes focus on me intently. They aren’t looking at my body so much as studying the woman in front of him, taking stock of my character.

Felix drinks me in with his gaze, dissecting the component parts, examining my soul. He’s weighing it for the first time. I don’t know whether to be disturbed or flattered.

“You’re very good, Ms. Aberdeen. I won’t deny it, but let’s say that I do have a heart after all. You may not like what makes it beat.”

“Challenge accepted,” I say.

Felix smiles at me appraisingly. “At your peril, then.”

The warlock leads us to the end of the next hallway and opens the door. Rather than going first this time, he holds it open for Trent and I to walk through.

The corridor ends at a set of elevator doors. There’s a desk and chair off to one side of the hallway. Two sets of clothes have been neatly folded on the surface.

Trent goes to one set and starts to put them on. Felix goes to the remaining set and starts dressing as well. A full suit. Not cheap, either. It’s much cooler than before, but still warm where we are. I’m glad for my cut-offs and shirt.

The warlock turns to me as he finishes knotting his tie.

“I would have brought some clothing for you as well, but like I said earlier, you were a surprise. Still, I’m sure we can find something for you to wear.”

He pushes the button on the elevator door, which opens immediately. Trent goes in first and Felix gestures for me to go next. He steps in last and presses one of the buttons on the console. The doors close and the car lurches up.

My fate is no longer my own. It’s in the hands of two men now. I only hope that I’ve made enough of an impression on one of them to be kept around a little while longer. Maybe then I can figure out a way to get out of this place alive.

ENTWINED ENEMIES
Sorcery & Shifters
Book 3

You've just finished reading Sorcery & Shifters Book 3, ENTWINED. The story continues in Book 4, ENTWINED STRANGERS.

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