nothing if not arrogant in his ability to control everyone and everything.
We’re going to prove you wrong, you prick. That arrogance is going to be his undoing.
“Delta Gates,” he coos, his voice patronizing. “So good of you to finally join us. Now set it down.”
Robotically, she pulls the scythe toward her and sets one end on the ground, but I notice that even though she’s listening, she doesn’t go dead-faced like Medley and I do when we’re under Morax’s power.
“What did you do to my sister?” Delta demands, confirming my suspicions that she has control over some faculties and not others.
His grin widens as his snakes snap in Delta’s direction, taunting her and making her feel even more helpless in her immobile state. Morax begins a slow circle around Medley, making Delta tense even more, a tic visible in the muscle of her jaw. “She’s very docile like this, isn’t she?” he says, leaning in to pet Medley’s head before running a taunting finger down the curve of her wing. She continues to look straight ahead, not reacting at all.
“Don’t you fucking touch her!” Delta yells, but Morax just laughs.
“Oh, I’m going to do more than touch her. And now that I finally have all three of you, it’s time to stop wasting time.”
At the mention of all three of you, Delta’s eyes search the dark room until her eyes land on me. “Sable?” she breathes, her voice hitching.
My eyes burn as I nod, and I see her own eyes take on a telling sheen before she hardens her gaze back on Morax. “I’m going to fucking kill you.”
“No. You’re not. None of you are, and the sooner you accept that, the easier all of this is going to go for each of you. Everything has fallen into place, Delta. Just like I planned.” He looks over at Vudu. “Send for Shateel.”
Vudu nods tersely and then stalks out, while Morax turns back to Medley and grabs her chin harder than necessary before he leans forward and licks up her cheek.
“You fucking son of a maggot!” Delta yells as she fights his compulsion to move, but Morax just pulls away and chuckles, leaving Medley standing there looking like she isn’t fazed one bit.
“As much fun as this has been, we’re on a time crunch, girls,” he says before stepping up to Delta. He runs a finger down the staff of her scythe, no doubt just to piss her off that she can’t move. “Send your scythe away. Don’t call it until I say you can,” he tells her, power braiding his words. “You will not use it without my express permission.”
In a blink, her scythe disappears, and a growl of frustration leaves her throat, though she’s still stuck in place. “Good girl,” he purrs, and the look she gives him is so lethal that there’s no doubt in my mind—she would kill him without hesitation if she was given the chance.
“Now, you will behave. My will is your will. Isn’t that right?”
Delta’s fury-filled face immediately slackens, her brow furrowing with confusion for a half-second until that too smooths out, and I know that his compulsion just smashed the barriers in her mind.
“Good.” He turns to me next, his steps unhurried as he stops in front of me. But when his eyes meet mine, I’m ready for him, already picking up the blanket of darkness and wrapping it around my mind to protect me from his control. “You will be compliant, too,” he says in that cocksure tone of his.
I force my eyes to lose their hatred and hostility, the worry lines around my eyes smoothing out as I nod. “Yes.”
“See how much easier this is?” Morax says mockingly as he looks around at the three of us, an eager excitement to him that turns my stomach. “Now, you three have to get ready. I wish I had more time to play with you, but the Seven Sins are throwing a party, and it would be rude to be late,” he says with a Cheshire grin.
Morax addresses Toreon next. “The cuffs?”
Toreon picks them up and walks over, his chains already secured around his torso again. I watch with trepidation as he dutifully hands the magicked metal bands to Morax. White snake eyes study them, turning them over under his intense inspection.
“This will do,” he finally says, and then he looks over Toreon with the same scrutiny. Whatever he finds there makes Morax smirk. “Hmm. You don’t seem drained at all,” he muses,