chapter twelve, channelling and horcruxes

t o m

IN EVERY ASPECT OF LIFE, TOM WANTED TO SHOW POWER. Dreading humanly feelings, he only now has learnt that love wasn't a weakness when he was in love with a daring person. Especially, love wasn't a weakness in a moment like this, when he was gently stroking her bare thigh while he was looking at the bulky guy with buzzed hair.

Never in his life will he forget the way Igor Krakov is looking at Evelyn. Sitting on the edge, his clearly disposed and forgotten wife by his side as he was burning his gaze into the hand that was stroking Evelyn's thigh.

Delicately.

Slowly.

The cruellest wizard of Russia was right in front of him, the nightmare of Evelyn's and yet, he found his weakness from the minute he appeared in the mansion. Tom didn't think that Evelyn knew that she was the biggest weakness of Igor Krakov.

Evelyn was sitting on the armrest of the armchair in which Tom was sitting. Only a few meters away from them sat Igor and his scrawny-looking wife with a ghastly pale face. Igor, himself, was a bulky man with wide shoulders, fairly tall. His gaze was dark, slightly squinted as his ringed hand rested on his chin.

"Searching for you only to find that you belong to a British children's club?" Igor's voice was rough like rubbing gravel.

Evelyn was doing surprisingly alright on the outside even if she was sitting in front of the man she loathed more than anyone else. Her posture was delicate - slightly leaning on Tom's body, intoxicating him with the blood orange perfume with a glint of his. He was proud of her for not displaying fear, but after all, she would probably rather jump out of the window than show that she is terrified.

"I don't belong anywhere, Igor," her voice was honey-like even if her eyes glistered with wickedness.

Tom wanted to differ, but he knew that she didn't consider herself his follower. He didn't consider her as one too, but without any doubt, she belonged to him.

"I thought you wanted to be independent," he started, watching the way her hand softly moved on Tom's shoulder down to his chest. "And you exchanged me for—chevo? A younger one?"

"There was no you to exchange in the first place... Isn't it quite cruel to talk about in front of your... seventeenth wife?" Evelyn's tone was mockery and, God, how much he was getting turned on from just listening to her.

The Russian man grinned, a set of white teeth contrasting with his slightly tanned skin tone. He didn't even gaze back to look at his wife and the woman didn't even make a sound of disapproval. There was a similarity between her actions with Evelyn's mother, only this woman was drugged way more.

"Sixteenth, krasavica," he admitted, grinning as he eyes Evelyn as if she was a piece of candy. "Your father promised your hand—where is he, by the way?"

Both her mother and her father were in London at this moment. Tom promised her that he will keep them away from this whole marriage thing until they both found a better plan, so some of his followers were monitoring her parents so they wouldn't come back once it is necessary. A few potions to foggy their brains were a necessity for smoother work as well. But Evelyn didn't ask about them - clearly, she was fuming at them because of being promised to Igor Krakov.

"You know well he didn't have a right to promise me like that as if I am some sort of thing," her voice slightly raised, her body tensing and he quickly squeezed her thigh, letting her know that he was right here and with one word only - he will shut him up forever.

"Our traditions are legal. He had every right."

"Is that why you came here? To ask for my hand?" Evelyn inquired, scoffing as she shook her head.

Igor rubbed his chin and hummed, "Won't you praise me for my efforts to ask for your hand nicely?"

Her body stiffened once again.

"Her hand is taken," Tom admitted, finally catching the eyes of the man who was gawking at his woman for the moment he has stepped inside. He grabbed her hand, pushing it to his lips as he was keeping his gaze on the man. By the twitch on his lips, Tom knew that the man in front of him was thinking of murdering him slowly. Oh, well— let him try.

     "What do you want in exchange for her?" Igor asked and his bluntness surprised even the man sitting in front of him.

     Evelyn just openly rejected him and he was asking for a price tag in order for Tom to sell her? My God, he was more desperate than he has given himself credit for.

     The woman's posture straightened and he felt that she was nervous. Did she really think that he will hand her to Igor? There was nothing that old idiot could offer him that could be more valuable than her? Yes, he wanted his power, but the thought of being apart from his red-haired beauty was tormenting.

    "Oh, my darling," Tom murmured, standing up and turning around to look at Evelyn that clearly seemed tense. Pushing one strand behind her ear as he leaned down, pressing a soft kiss on her alluring, plump lips before he whispered: "Act worried."

She didn't reply and he kissed the corner of her lips as he moved to the back of the armchair, standing still as he faced Igor, putting his hand on her shoulder.

"I want you to become the Minister of Magic."

Igor cracked into a thunderous burst of laughter, and Evelyn's shoulders tensed more than he has ever felt. After a few seconds, the man stopped laughing, his mood changing with a flick of a wrist - getting all serious.

"I do not give any damn about your little ministry. Why would I become a Minister of Magic?" Igor asked.

"You asked what I want and I told you," Tom shrugged.

"I get Evelyn if I become the Minster? Clearly, you just want me to get all of the blame when you wreck all of your little game," Igor pointed and he wasn't wrong - that was exactly what Tom wanted.

     "Your choice," Tom shrugged, placing his hands on the back of the armchair and leaning his weight slightly forwards. "I told you my conditions."

     Igor grinned, leaning back on the couch, making his wife move slightly away, "I'd be fine becoming the master of your puppet show. However, would you really exchange this krasavica for anything?" his voice sounded accented the more he spoke. "Or you just want to grasp her magic and dispose of her."

     Within these words, Evelyn clearly tensed. Even if that was the plan, in the beginning, Tom couldn't allow himself to dispose of her. It was the only person making his life a bit more interesting. Why not learn the power from her and cherish her at the same time?

     "So what are you offering?" Tom asked.

     Igor stretched his hand out on the back of the couch, crossing his legs as he looked at them both for a few seconds: "Give me Evelyn and I won't kill you."

     That brought a huge smile to Tom's face. Walking behind Evelyn, he gently moved her short curls to the one side, revealing her slightly bruised neck and the collarbones in a soft shade of yellow and the rest was covered by her shirt. Leaning down to her shoulder, he gently kissed it, inhaling her scent as if she was the finest drug and moved to her ear:

     "Evelyn, my darling, you didn't mention that he is quite the comedian."

     Finally meeting her brown gaze, he felt the need to have her again explode in the depths of his heart. Noticing a small glint of fear, he kissed her temple, not wanting her to be worried.

     Instead of replying, she rose from her seat and walked forwards, keeping a fair distance from the Russian wizard. Her stance was tall and once Igor raised and walked closer, he wasn't that much taller than her. Her chin was raised high and, God, she looked spectacular.

"I am done with you not being able to hear that I want to do nothing with you. Me, running away, wasn't clear?" her sweet tone was laced with venom, batting her eyelashes so sweetly, when she clearly itched with the desire to murder him.

"What else could you want? Why are you so rebellious while others would die to be in your place?" Igor asked, his gaze burning Evelyn with pure desire.

"Fifteen have already died," she nudged her head to the woman on the couch, "sixteenth is on her way."

"Smeshno," he chuckled. "You seem different."

"I don't want you, Igor. All of your messed-up plans about having the perfect newborn don't bother me."

Something wicked glinted in his eyes as he was eyeing her up and down for the hundredth time already and at this point, Tom felt a little bit uneasy. His head seemed to be slightly dizzy as he was watching them intensely. Suddenly, it started to become a little bit too hot, feeling like his suit was stuck on him.

Someone was messing with him.

Within a swift move, Igor pushed his hands behind her, grasping her hands and with the other he turned her around, pushing his hand on her shoulders to hold her tight. Even if Tom was fuming inside, slightly dizzy, he remained still as if he was a statue.

He knew one thing - Igor will never kill her, so there was nothing to worry about. The only thing that he wasn't content with that he was touching her and Tom has promised her that he won't stay alive if he does that.

"That's not nice of you," Tom began.

"You seem a little bit perished, no?" Igor mocked, pressing the red-haired woman tight to him as she wasn't even moving one bit.

"Evelyn made it clear that she wants to do nothing with you and here we are - you look like a moron."

Igor grinned, his lips pressing against her head and she didn't even blink from the impact. She stood there as if paralysed. "Potions are my salvation, companion. I heard you are quite talented at them yourself."

Meeting Evelyn's gaze, she turned her head slightly down and she dug her teeth to Igor's forearm with immense force, making the man groan out of pain and push her out of his grip. Taking, the opportunity, Tom simply extended his hand towards the man that had a pretty sharp mark of her teeth and the man dropped to the floor.

His wife didn't even react.

Looking at Evelyn, her lips were bloody, nose slightly scrunched, but she seemed alive, just like back at the inn when they killed that woman. He was right - Evelyn looks beautiful killing someone. She blossoms like a flower after dreadful rain, only each time more beautiful.

Igor's body was twisting in pain. It was a simple spell leaving the man's body to experience short spasms that attacked every muscle. It was quite painful, but it was just the beginning. The man was yelling curse words in Russian, clearly degrading Evelyn, but she didn't even flinch once. She was a little bit too busy wiping the blood off her mouth.

Tom walked closer, raising the man's head to face him. His face was barely twisted in pain, but his jaw clenched as his eyes were dark, full of fury. The younger man scoffed, moving back to Evelyn, swiping her thumb through the bloody corners of her lips.

"Go on," he urged.

Evelyn looked at him, "Like that?" she shook her head. "My darling, release him out of his misery."

     Even if he was confused, with a flick of his wrist, Igor stopped his grunting, making him stand up with a raging look on his face. Only then did Tom realise that Evelyn was planning something and he wasn't sure he is going to like that.

     Catching her eyes - they were glistering. "I don't want you to die like this, Igor. You have always dreamed of possessing my power, of uniting our bloodlines and yet, you forgot that too much time has passed between us two."

     She continued, "If I were to kill you and I will - I will do it properly."

     Evelyn turned to face Tom and she offered him a small smile. Walking closer to him, she placed her hands on his shoulders and looked up: "Find me."

     Pressing her bloody lips against his for a bittersweet kiss, Tom felt dumbfounded, because when he felt her move away, a gust of wind made him open his eyes only to see that she was gone.

     And Igor Krakov was looking at him with the exact same surprise before disappearing into thin air, leaving his wife on the couch.

     Suddenly everything clicked for Tom. Those scars on her back, her statement that it was the price for the magic she has learnt— fuck! How didn't he realise this sooner?

     Evelyn stole some of the magic from Igor Krakov, channelling it. The obsession with her wasn't because Evelyn was a gorgeous woman. Channelling magic was one of the hardest things a wizard could do - for some, it was impossible just like splitting the soul. It was Dark Arts. And Igor Krakov must've realised this at some point - perhaps, by taking some of his magic, she accidentally left an image of her in his head; the infatuation— did she know what she was doing?

     Evelyn wanted to break the channelling by grasping all of his power and for that, she needed to be at a very specific place. Then why was she so nervous about seeing him if this was the case?

     Tom must find her. Because Evelyn appeared to be far more powerful than he had predicted. And Tom knew what he had to do in order to rule the world.

     If he splits his soul with her, they will share the magic with each other— not only immortal but incredibly powerful as well. Both of them can be indestructible. Indestructible.

author's note:

i'm so sorry for the late update!
this book is coming to an end - we have two chapters left + epilogue. what do you think of where it is going? do you have any speculations?
thank you for the support <3

m.n