Page 17 of Balor

“Why wouldn’t I? You’re mine, Belladonna. How many times do I need to tell you before you believe me?”

“You don’t even know me.” I lowered my gaze. “I don’t know you.”

His thumb rubbed along the back of my hand. “Then I guess we’ll have to fix that. But I think this has been a good start.”

I took a deep breath, my hands trembling slightly. “I want to master higher-level spells. Maybe even lead my own coven one day. I don’t want to be under my father’s thumb anymore. Nor do I want to marry the warlock he picked out for me. I don’t even know why I’m telling you. Maybe because you’ve been kind to me.”

“You came in here for a reason. Asked a few questions and shared a bit of your past. What do you want to know?” he asked. “You said you wanted to know me.”

“What’s your favorite color?”

His lips twitched. “Black. I’m a dark mage. What else would I choose?”

“Favorite food?”

“Steak. Medium rare.”

I watched him, and noticed he appeared more open than he usually did. He really was trying, and I felt my heart warm. “What do you do for fun? Aside from reading or riding motorcycles.”

He studied me for a moment. “Don’t really have a lot of time for fun things.”

“Do you have a favorite book or author?” I asked.

“Frankenstein. Dracula. The Picture of Dorian Gray. Anything by Poe.”

My fingers brushed over his cheek. “I like Poe.”

“Anything else?”

I nodded. “Everything.”

“Everything?”

I bit my lip and nodded again.

He held me closer. “I was born about two hundred years ago. My father was a powerful mage. My mother was human. They both died when I was fifteen. Back then, I was already considered a man.”

My heart ached for him. He must have felt so lost and alone. I knew things were different then, but fifteen was still so young.

“All I had to remember them by was an old spell book that had been my father’s. I lived a solitary life for a long time. Participated in the war, on the wrong side. Caused a lot of damage, killed a lot of people. When it was over, I came here and founded Darkwood. Over the past two decades, I met the men who would eventually become Balor’s Saints. That’s my motorcycle club. We don’t operate the same way most do. No officer positions, even though they sometimes call me their president.”

He’d founded this place? Why didn’t I know that? Was it not common knowledge?

“They didn’t know who I was at the time, and I didn’t offer up that information. They only knew me as a mage. Hell, they still don’t know my real identity. They call me Luke. And now you and two other people know Luke and Balor are the same person.” He paused. “I use a glamour to change my appearance when I’m Luke. That’s how I’m able to hide in plain sight when I’m in town.”

“I’m sorry you lost your parents.” I swallowed hard. “I can’t imagine what that must have been like.”

He rubbed his thumb along the back of my hand. “You’re the first person to touch me in years.”

I blinked at him. “But you’re…”

“Not exactly unattractive?” he asked. “I guess not. But there’s something about me that tends to keep people away. They sense the darkness in me. Those who do want me, either want more than I’m willing to give, or were only a one-night stand. After a while, those get tiresome.”

“You’re not a bad person.”

“But I’m not a good one either. I’ve done things, Belladonna. Things I’m not proud of.”

I leaned in, my gaze on his lips, and I saw the way his eyes darkened. It only made me want him more. “Balor.”