The Emperor (The Tarot Club 2)

Chapter Twenty : Beignets for Breakfast

Corinne

After Brenna and I coated the warehouse in sigils of protection, Dimitri worked late that night, needing to move the bodies of both Tommy and Billy.

My stomach twisted into itself when I realised that they had been left there for five days because of me - their families did not know for certain that they were dead because of me - they were unable to be laid to rest for a week because of me.

Worse still, when we eventually stumbled across their decaying flesh, I saw that they were young. They were not old men who had lived a long life, they had been young with so much opportunity laid before them.

What had Lauren been thinking? To escalate our feud in this manner was virtually unheard of. In fact, the only time I had heard of it was when reading the hidden history of the Witch wars - when covens did not practice in secret, and marriage alliances were pledged long before children were even born based on their Magickal lineage.

I lay in bed, my mind a swirling concoction of my own making. Had Lauren felt the effects of the spell yet? Could she sleep? Did she even try? What protections did she have in place for these kinds of things? Would it even work?

Even as the last thought flitted through my mind, I knew that it was a false hope - knew that the spell would work. Isis herself would see to it. I allowed sleep to engulf me, tugging me into dreams of white powdered hallways and decaying flesh. But even in those dreams, Dimitri’s hand was always pressed at the small of my back, his scent swirled in my nostrils, his hand slid around my waist, and suddenly it was my turn to take.

I pressed my hand against his chest, pushing Dimitri deep into the mattress, only half conscious of what I was doing. He didn’t protest, if anything, he helped me slide on top of him, and as I hovered above him, his cock lined neatly at my entrance, I whispered my truth against his lips.

“You are my Emperor.”

Before I seated myself.

The following morning, we awoke to a loud buzzing sound that seemed to ring through every crevice of the house. In all my time being here, I didn’t think I had ever heard that sound - which was ludicrous really, because it turned out to be the buzzer next to the pedestrian gate that led into our home.

Dimitri had holstered his weapon, shucked on pants, and was out our bedroom door before I truly registered what was happening.

Someone was here.

Was it Lauren? Had she already arrived to threaten me, or was she here to bargain?

I pushed myself down the passage. Brenna’s rumpled auburn head sticking out the door, her sleep mask slid down upon her face as she frowned, unsure why anyone would deign to disturb her sleep.

I sighed, offered her a tight smile, and bolted down the stairs, already aware that I could hear a distinctly female voice with Dimitri.

He better not let Lauren into our house. I knew that he wasn’t well versed in the rules of Magick and its etiquette, but I was fairly certain that inviting someone that you had cursed across the threshold into your home stood as a faux paux in any society.

My toes curled into my bare feet and I had the sudden urge to scrub my eyes, simply to ensure that the vision before me was real.

She was talking in that way of hers, but I knew that Dimitri wasn’t listening to a thing she was saying. Her accent had that effect on people. Her blue eyes met mine and the smile that she allowed bloom made my chest burst from joy.

This - this was what I had been missing.

I bolted towards her, pushing past Dimitri as my arms wrapped around her small, delicate frame. I wasn’t large by any means, but Marie was beautiful fragility personified.

Her tinkling laughter was so much better in person, and it was all I could do not to sob against her neck. Because they might not all be here yet, but my family was arriving, and it was a homecoming of a different sorts.

When we finally broke apart, I discreetly wiped away the pooling wetness collecting near my tear ducts and turned towards Dimitri. He held himself still, as if his body hadn't quite accepted that Marie wasn’t a threat.

“Marie, Dimitri. Dimitri, this is Marie.”

His gaze pivoted towards mine, and I tried to relay calmness and acceptance towards him through my vision alone.

“Salut!” Marie’s simple joy was contagious, and I allowed my own grin to blossom as she tugged Dimitri down, smacking air kisses on each one of his cheeks.

I was certain that a blush rose against his cheeks, but it may have simply been the lighting. Just as quickly, Marie released him, turning towards me as she demanded that I escort her to her room to freshen up.

I shrugged as I passed Dimitri, tugging Marie towards the stairs and into another one of the many guest rooms we had available.

“Why are you here so early?” Brenna hissed from her doorway, and despite the early hour and her undying ‘need’ for beauty sleep, she had remained in the exact position I had left her in when I rushed past her towards the front door. No doubt curious about who our early caller was.