That Damn Imp Ch. 10

She could only stare at him, at the face of the imp that was as familiar to her as Malcolm's own. "You... you..." She sputtered, "Where is he? Where did Malcolm go?" Her voice melted into a panicked screech. Puck had promised that no harm would come to Malcolm, but the imp could find a fucking loophole through anything...

"He's right here. I've been him all along, since day one." He took a deep breath. "I wanted to tell you. So many times. But you were so happy with me. I liked seeing you happy, so I just kept on."

"I can't. I just..." Koshka stared down at her hands for a moment before the shock started to subside, and rage bubbled up. "How could you do this to me, Puck? Damn you!" Over her time with Malcolm, she'd been fearful of Puck's interference, and had cast spells of protection around her lover. Apparently that had been unneeded...

Puck looked at the dirt like a scolded child, shamed into silence. His hair hung around his face as he stood there, looking like someone who had raided someone else's wardrobe. Malcolm's jacket was too large for him, hanging on his shoulders, and the pants were loose on his slender legs. Koshka barely made note of this observation before he made eye contact with her, quickly looking down again.

Puck. Malcolm. Puck. One and the same. The man she was seriously considering sharing magic with was the one who had been pursuing her for many centuries, his magic rivaling her own.

She wanted to kill Puck. To wreak a horrible vengeance upon him for what she'd done. However, her time with Malcolm had given her pause, and she thought of the things Malcolm had done to make her happy and feel good... She blinked back tears, feeling her eyes glaze over as the visage of Puck started to ripple and blur. She heard him say her name.

No. Vulnerability and confusion were two emotions that Venjanca was not familiar with, and she hated these feelings, especially in front of others. Before she could say or do anything, Puck let out an almost breathless tumble of words.

"I know you're shocked and angry and I don't blame you. I deserve it, and I will do what I can to earn your forgiveness. But understand that all of this was because I cared for you, and the more I got to know you, the deeper my affection and respect for you grew."

He took a step closer and seemed to be about to take another one when he stopped himself, as if he could feel her fury pulsate off her in searing waves.

"I could see I was making you happy, so I kept putting off the reveal. I was tempted to just keep the charade going, but I care about you too much to keep lying to you."

"You lied to me all along. I took you to bed, and trusted you." Her heart was pounding.

"Venjanca, I'm sorry. I never wanted to hurt you! I-"

Before he could speak further, she waved her arm, magic exuding from her, searing through her flesh before she disappeared in a flash of sharp blue light. The heat produced from her rage set ablaze several nearby trees, but the imp was able to quickly extinguish the flames before they could spread.

"That... could have gone worse." Puck murmured, smiling slightly, if only for a moment as he glanced at the blackened ground around him. She hadn't set the whole forest on fire. That was a good sign... right? Damn.

o0o

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