I stared up at him, silently pleading. Say something. Anything. Talk to me.
Nothing.
Something hot wrapped around my ankle. I kicked out. Heat spread through my foot and up my leg. I hissed and swung my legs around. “What is—” it tightened on my ankle and then I was pulled under the water.
I didn’t have time to suck in a breath. The black, ice-cold ocean opened up and swallowed me whole. I thrashed at whatever had me but it wasn’t letting go. I looked down and saw something had a hold of me. Something with long black fingers and eyes like red lava. I tried to scream out, but the water muffled the sound. My chest burned. I didn’t have much oxygen left but I was not going down without a fight.
Golden magic exploded from my palms and shot out around me – and I froze. Dozens of big, red eyes stared up at me. Creatures with white fangs snapped at me. I yanked my leg back just in time to miss them. I screamed and thick, salty water filled my mouth. I couldn’t stop myself but now I was out of breath. My lungs seized up. My pulse hammered so fast that the beats overlapped. Darkness swam in the corners of my vision. This is it.
NO. This can’t be it.
I squeezed the citrine crystal in my hand and energy rushed over my arms in an instant. The golden armor glowed in my peripheral vision and then the sword buzzed in my palm. My body felt heavy and thick as cement. I swung my arm but it barely moved. No. I pushed with my magic and swung again. Golden glitter erupted from my palms and then my blade sliced through the black hand dragging me under.
Something grabbed the back of my sweater and yanked me up. Water rushed by my head — my face broke the surface of the water. I choked on a gasp and water bubbled out of my mouth. I heard the clanking of metal and the smell of maple syrup – demons.
I cursed and lunged forward, trying desperately to get to the shore but my legs crumbled under me. My knees hit the sandy ocean floor and pain shot through my body. Something grabbed my sweater again and I gasped. But before I could even swing my sword at it I smelled a burning fireplace and I froze. My feet lifted out of the water. I looked down and saw red eyes swarming under me. Long pale strands of hair flew in front of my face. Riah.
“Drop me,” I shouted. But he didn’t listen, he kept trying to hold me out of the water while fighting them one-armed. That wasn’t going to work. There were too many. I held my sword out, ready to fight, then screamed, “DROP ME!”
Riah cursed violently and then his grip on me vanished.
My feet hit the water first, followed immediately by my blade. I swung my sword as hard as I could, aiming for each pair of red eyes. Riah and I stood back-to-back, slashing and slicing. Gold and silver magic erupted like a volcano, lighting up the black night.
But there were too many.
And we were in their territory.
Riah cursed. He spun and wrapped his arm around my waist then hoisted me out of the water. I started to scream at him to put me down when the world wobbled. We were running. Riah raced toward the shore, splashing through the waves without slowing down or dropping me.
The second he hit dry sand he placed me down on my feet and spun back to the water. Large, black tentacles flew up out of the water with little venus-fly-trap looking things on the ends. My mind burned as the word for this monster tried to come to me. I’d seen this before, I didn’t know how I knew that. I just did. It had five tentacles, each with a claw full of razor-sharp barbs.
I gasped and stumbled back until I slammed into Riah’s chest. “How do we kill that?”
He steadied me, then stepped to the side. He twirled his sword, adjusting his grip. Then he used the sword of his blade to point. “You want the heads or the bases?”
My eyes widened. I turned to him. “You’re letting me help you fight it?”
His mouth curved into a wicked smirk. “If only you knew.”
“What does that mean?” I breathed.
“Are you afraid of that sword in your hand?”
I looked down at it and how I held it. The only fear I felt was fearing why I was so comfortable with it. “No,” I whispered.
“You are no damsel in distress, Saraphina.” He swung his sword through the air like he was warming up. “I think you’ve proved your abilities. I can do this without you, but it will be much easier with you.”
“I’m with you.” I raised my sword. “Though I do not remember where to strike.”
He chuckled and it made the hair on my arms stand tall. “Chop off the heads. I’ll get the base.”
I nodded. “One-two punch. Got it. Say when.”
The demon thrashed in the water. Its red eyes emerged from the surface, tentacles swinging through the air. My pulse quickened. My mouth grew dry and thick. I swallowed through the lump of nerves in my throat and gripped my sword’s hilt with both hands. I rolled to the balls of my feet.
Riah leaned forward. “WHEN.”
We sprinted forward, heading straight for the beast from the deep. My magic rushed out ahead of me. Golden glitter littered the ground under my feet. I threw one hand out in front of me and my magic slammed into the tentacles. Riah let out a sinister laugh that made my stomach flip with excitement. As my magic hit them, the tentacles froze like they’d been stunned. They vibrated and thrashed but stayed locked in place.
“NOW!”
I jumped up and swung my sword through the bitter-cold air. The blade sliced through the tentacle like butter, severing the first head. But I didn’t stop to look at what I’d done. Riah was racing into the water toward the base of the tentacles. He needed me. He was counting on me. I’m NOT going to let him down. I spun and charged for the other heads. My body sang with power. I felt light on my feet, ready for anything.
The demon screeched and lashed out but I wasn’t slowing down. I leapt into the air then spun in a tight circle. I had no idea how I was doing this but now was not the time to question my body. I sliced the last two heads off in the flash of a few seconds and dove for the ground. My body hit the sand and I bounced back in the air, flipping and rolling a few times before landing on my knees.
There was a loud, ear-splitting screech that echoed through the beach.
I looked up just as the demon crumbled to dust…and then vanished.
Riah stood in the crashing waves at the edge of the shore. His long golden sword was thick with black demon blood. His long pale hair whipped around his shoulders. He stared at the ocean a moment longer, like he expected something else to attack.
After a few seconds of silence, I cleared my throat. “Riah?”
He spun and marched over to me. When he stopped in front of me, he held his hand out. “Let’s go, you’ll freeze out here now.”
Chapter Fifty-Four
Saffie
“W-w-where ar-r-re w-e-e-e g-g-going?”
Riah grabbed me by the elbow and dragged me off the sidewalk. “My place. It’s closer.”
Your place? We’re going to your place? I had a million questions but my teeth rattled too much to speak coherently. So I just let him lead me across the snowy lawn of a wooden house. The moon was full and bright, and it made the snow look slick in this wet air. It couldn’t have been more than twenty degrees outside, but that ocean was definitely in the negatives. I’d never felt so bitter frozen in my life.
Riah stopped us outside a door nestled under a wooden staircase. He glanced over his shoulder at me and frowned. I didn’t see a key, but when he squeezed the handle silver light flashed and the door popped open. He pushed it open wide then stepped aside to let me in first.
Inside was…not what I expected. Then again, I wasn’t sure what I expected from his home. Everything was tidy and neat, clean and organized. There didn’t seem to be a single thing out of place, right down to the books stacked on a massive library wall to my right. It was comfortably warm in the living room where we were, even if there was a slight chill. The lights were dim and warm and I found myself wanting to cuddle in somewhere.
Maybe this IS perfect for him.
Riah looked me up and down then huffed and disappeared around the corner. A moment later, he reappeared holding a small stack of clothes. He walked right up to me and shoved the clothes in my chest. “Put these on. Then give me yours. I’ll put them in the dryer.”
What? Oh. Right. I’m soaking wet. I opened my mouth to say something when he glared and pointed down the hall. Well, all right. I nodded and padded down the dim hallway, my bare feet made no sound as I walked but the ground turned to golden glitter under each step. I frowned. That’s probably not helpful for around humans. I need to ask someone about that.
The hallway was narrow and short with only two doors. The first one was open with soft yellow light pouring into the hall. When I got there, I peeked inside and found a small bathroom that was entirely white. I paused on the threshold and glanced down the hall to the only other door. That must be his room. The urge to go in was overwhelming, yet somehow I resisted. I’d come so far with him, I didn’t want to risk betraying his trust.
I stepped into the bathroom, then shut the door behind me. When I turned I got a real good view of myself in the mirror. My heart sank. “Saffie, you’re a mess.”
My normally red hair looked gray from all the sand caked in it. The long wavy strands were dripping wet. My sweater had soaked up so much water it was sagging down to my knees. I sighed and sat the clothes Riah handed me on the counter, then began the fight to peel my clothes off of me. Each item I took off I tossed in the bathtub to my left. I paused with my fingers on my bra strap. Every single part of me wanted to take my undergarments off as well. They were soaked and sticking to my skin…but is that appropriate? I’m alone here with Riah.
I scoffed. Right, the guy who said he has to stay away from you.
I eyed the clean clothes. Who wants to put clean, dry clothes on over wet ones? I gnawed on my bottom lip a moment before deciding I did not care what was appropriate. Wet clothes were gross. And cold. I quickly stripped down so that I was completely naked then wrapped a white towel around my body. It was warm and smelled like lavender. I already felt better. I went over to the tub and rung the water out of my clothes, then laid them carefully on the edge. Then I went back to the sink and did the same to my hair.
After a quick towel drying, I sat the towel on the toilet and grabbed the piece on top. It was a light gray long-sleeved shirt made of the softest cotton I’d ever felt. Unable to stop myself, I held the shirt to my face and sniffed. Warmth spread through my body and I sighed. It smelled like him. That delicious burning ember smell. I grinned and slipped it on over my head, laughing. Riah was huge, and I was tiny. His shirt fell all the way to my knees, or just above them. The neck opening was so big my entire right shoulder popped out. But it was soft and cozy and there was a good chance I was not giving it back.
But then I grabbed the sweatpants and slid them on…and they fell right back to the floor. I giggled. I pulled them back up to my hips, tucking my shirt inside and pulling the drawstring as tight as possible.
I grabbed my wet clothes and sat them on top of the towel I’d used, then headed back out in the hallway. The pants were so long that my feet were buried in them. I was walking on the ends of the pants and it put a smile on my face.
When I got back into the living room, Riah was standing right where I left him. Like he hadn’t moved. Although there was now a roaring fire in the fireplace behind him, so I knew he had. His golden gaze looked me up and down as I waddled my way over to him, but he said nothing.
I stopped in front of him and held up my wet clothes. “Here. Thank y—”
My pants slipped free of their knot and dropped to my feet. My eyes widened as cool air swept over my bare legs. I froze and stared up at him.
He glanced down at my feet then back up at me. He arched one eyebrow.
I shrugged. “Too big.”
He looked down at the stack of my wet clothes in his hand and his nostrils flared. I followed his gaze – and gasped. My lace bra and underwear sat right on top. Heat swarmed my face and my eyes widened all over again. He looked back down at my bare legs and his eyes flashed. I knew what he was thinking – she has nothing on down there.
His gaze flicked back up to mine and the fire in them was hotter than the flames behind him. A muscle in his jaw flexed. “Sit. Warm. I’ll be right back.”
Before I could say anything, he turned and disappeared down the hallway. I sighed and kicked the pants off, then went over and sat on the fuzzy rug in front of the couch. The fireplace was only a few feet away and the flames burned hot, but I couldn’t quite shake the chill in my bones.
I sat there staring at the flickering flames until the hardwood floor creaked from my left. I glanced over – then did a double-take. Riah walked into the room wearing only loose black sweatpants that hung dangerously low on his hips, with each step he took they slid farther down his hips, like they too, were going to fall to the floor. I tried to pretend I wasn’t hoping for it. I also tried to pretend that thundering sound was not my pulse or that the sight of him shirtless wasn’t doing weird things to my insides.
He padded across the room bare foot, his wet hair hanging halfway down his back. I let myself enjoy the view while he wasn’t paying attention. His skin was flawlessly tan and stretched tight over endless muscle. I’d gotten a glimpse of his muscles in the hot tub but this view was so, so much better. I drank in the sight of him until he sat down on the couch across from me but even then my gaze only made it to his face.
If he knew I’d just been ogling him, he didn’t let it show. He leaned over with his elbows on his knees and stared at me. His gaze slid down to my bare legs then held. There was so much left between us, and I felt it in the heat of his stare. If he kept looking at me like that I was going to fall apart right in front of him.
I cleared my throat. “I thought you couldn’t be near me?”
“I’m not.” He met my stare again. “I’m all the way over here.”
Despite the heat from the fire and his stare, I shivered violently, my teeth and bones all rattling together. Riah stood and walked over. He reached over my head and it made the muscles in his abs tighten. When he pulled his arm back, he held an ivory colored blanket. He unfolded it, then wrapped it around my shoulders. I sighed at the warmth and pulled it tighter around my body like a cocoon.
Then to both my horror and happiness, he sat down on the floor right beside me.
I turned toward him without even thinking about it, like he was a magnet. “But really, I thought you had to stay away from me.” I hated how soft my voice came out. I meant to sound strong and tough.
He arched one eyebrow. “I thought you wouldn’t walk into the ocean at night in the middle of winter.”
“It called to me, okay?” I groaned and threw my head back against the couch. “I didn’t know there’d be demons.”
He leaned closer, too close for my sanity. “There are demons everywhere. Always expect them.”
I blinked and tried to breathe through the flutter of my heart. “Thank you. For saving me. Again.”
“I will always save you,” he said softly, not matching the intensity in his eyes.
I didn’t know what to say to that. When he was this close…when he looked at me like that…when his scent invaded my senses…everything inside me went haywire. I had nothing. No words. No thoughts. No control of the heat rushing through my body like a tsunami. We sat so close. Close enough to touch. Close enough that I could snuggle into his lap. The urge to climb onto him was suffocating. The air between us pulsed with electricity. It was so tense I could slice it with my sword.
He licked his lips. “How do you feel after Savannah’s memory spell?”
“Oh…um…” I frowned and tried to think, but my brain was not working. “No different. Except that I feel more spacey”
He reached out and tucked my hair behind my ear, his fingertips lingering on the tips of my ears. “How so?” His voice rumbled softly, like waves crashing on the beach.
“Like I k
eep zoning out without realizing it, then suddenly finding myself somewhere I didn’t realize I’d gone.”
“Like the beach tonight?”
I nodded.
He cocked his head to the side and eyed me. “You know, I know a memory spell as well.”
I gasped and leaned into him, grabbing the crystal necklace that hung low over his abs. “You know spells?”
He smirked. “I’ve learned a fair share in my lifetime.”
I bit my bottom lip as hope flared in my chest. “And this memory spell, it’s good?”
A distant look filled his eyes and he grinned. Then he looked back to me. “A long time ago, a witch wise beyond compare created it to protect herself from the Fae.”
My eyes widened. “Did it work?”
He shrugged one chiseled shoulder. “To my knowledge, she did not end up needing it. But everything else she does works so I see no reason this would not.”
I turned to fully face him and my bare legs slid over his and into his lap. I inhaled sharply through my nose but didn’t move. Not that I wanted to. The heat seeping through his pants and radiating from his body was better than any fuzzy blanket. I wanted to fully curl up in his arms and just have him hold me. The sexy way his lips curved up in a smirk was not helping, nor was the fact that he didn’t push me away.
But I needed to focus, especially if he had a memory spell that could help me. “Tell me?”
He leaned to the side and reached to the center of the coffee table to where a small golden metal box sat. His long fingers slipped inside the box then pulled out a small piece of parchment. He held it delicately between two fingers and held it up to his face. For a moment, there was an expression in his eyes that was softer, one I hadn’t yet seen on him. But it was gone before I could really dissect it. He held it out in front of me.
I reached up and carefully took it from his hand. Rainbow-colored mist seeped out from under my touch. The paper was thin and soft. The color was tan and tarnished, the edges beaten up. It looked ancient. I knew immediately that it had belonged to a witch because their power radiated out of it, tickling my fingertips.
The Cursed Witch Page 33
