The Emperor (The Tarot Club 2)

As I do this candle spell

Bring my enemy three nights of hell.

Candle Black - black as the night

Bring her pains of flesh tonight

Lesions on her skin will grow

Madness embedded in her mind bestow

Hallucinations causing her to stumble

May death and darkness end this all

Until the dawn three days from here.

I changed the words, altering them to my purpose, infusing them with my burning need to end it all. As the flame grew brighter in the dimness of the bathroom, I held my breath, half afraid that should I exhale too hard I might snuff it out.

I watched the shadows peel themselves away from the wall as they danced around the flame, only to finally dissipate, no doubt embedding themselves in her mind - beneath her skin.

So mote it be.

I whispered the final line before leaving the comforts of the bathroom and sliding between the cool covers of the bedspread. I would allow my spell to burn down overnight. Watching the flames flicker and grow seemed a waste of time, and I allowed my exhaustion to force me to rest my head against the pillowy softness of the bedding.

Dimitri

I entered quietly, slipping onto the floor as the smoke billowed over my feet. Some of the girls were decked out in feathered costumes that somehow resembled seashells. I still failed to understand how the average man found this attractive, but what the fuck did I know?

Corinne didn’t need any of this shit to get me hard. One look at her in her little sun dress, drenched in the pool, was enough to propel those fuckers out of my house.

I sat at our usual table - the one Arlo had seated himself at since the day this place opened. And I waited.

It didn't take long for them to notice me - they always did. I pretended not to hear them - pretended that the girls on the stage were simply dancing and chatting away before the club opened - pretended that I couldn't hear the hushed tones filled with concern because he was here.

A few moments later, Madame Elise glided across the floor, her burgundy gown cinched at her waist, showing off her assets through the deep vee that slashed through her chest.

"Dimitri." She purred my name as if she were delighted that I was here - as if I were the only man in her orbit.

I knew better.

"I believe congratulations are in order."

"Is that so?" I kept my voice low - casual, even.

"Yes." Her red-lipsticked smile was enough to turn my stomach. "Eli notified all of us, and I must say that a Vedman is quite a catch."

I would expect nothing less from the snivelling worm. Instead, I shrugged in nonchalance as I motioned the Madame to lean in closer.

Her strong perfume accosted my nostrils as I snaked my hand around the column of her throat. Her eyes flared in panic. Good. Let her panic.

"I am going to make myself perfectly clear right now."

She didn't nod - she didn't even move, she simply swallowed, her throat pressing against the palm of my hand in her compliance.

"The next time I hear that you or any one of your girls has made Corinne feel anything other than welcome - wanted, even, I won't simply be paying you a visit."

Her lips began forming the beginnings of a protest, so I simply pushed against her throat harder. I had fuck all interest in hearing what she had to say.