by Dara Kent
Lily snorted. “Is that what you said to Jensen?”
“Enough.”
“You definitely didn’t say that to Jensen.” She fell back on the couch, laughing demonstratively for my benefit.
Monica stood, her mood shifting to business. “We need to put a plan into action, and the first step is confirming or denying what the Hell marked said.”
Great. I know where this is going. “You want me to ask Jensen to use his magic.”
She fiddled with her hair. “I’m sorry, Riss, I am. I know things are complicated between the two of you right now, but this is more important.”
I squinted at her. “Doesn’t anyone know another warlock we can use for this?”
“Not as powerful as Jensen.”
“What about a witch?”
Lily rolled her eyes. “Stop being an idiot. You know there isn’t anyone as powerful as Jensen who we can trust with this. I’m sure you don’t want to put anyone else at risk because you’re being petty right now.”
Ignoring my sister, I continued, “How about a druid? Or a voodoo priestess? There has to be a hunter somewhere who has a close, personal relationship with a powerful magic-user.”
Monica’s lips twitched. “I’m sure there is somewhere, but we need to act now. Not go on a wild goose chase for a resource we already have access to.”
My shoulders slumped in defeat. “Fine.”
“Great.” Monica strode toward the door, pausing to peer over her shoulder. “Coming?”
“What? Now?”
“Time is of the essence with this.”
Hanging my head, I shuffled after her. Why does it feel like I’m doing some kind of walk of shame? But in reverse?
My finger trembled as it hovered over Jensen’s doorbell, images of our recent tryst assaulting my mind. It hadn’t even been half of an hour since I’d been on the other side of the very same red door, him buried deep inside of me.
He’s in there somewhere feeling all smug, I know it. Probably thinks things are going to go right back to the way they were before. That he won. I gritted my teeth. But they’re not. And he didn’t. I’ll show him. Yep. I’ll pretend none of it happened and it’ll drive him insane. Which is only a bonus and not the point. Because I want him to leave me alone, nothing else.
Lily nudged me. “Are you going to ring the bell, or do I have to do it for you?”
“He knows I’m here,” I hissed. “He’s just being an obstinate asshat.”
“Yeah, takes one to know one.” She reached around me and pushed on the illuminated button, the bells chiming within.
Not even a full second later the door swung open, Jensen greeting us with the exact smug expression I pictured him having. It made me simultaneously want to punch him and throw him down to go for another round. Neither one of those options gained you any headway with him. You need new tactics.
Jensen tilted his head. “Yeees?” he drawled. “Is there something you need, Val?”
My nostrils flared. “We would like to take you up on your offer to find out about Pestilence.”
He lifted his arms, bracing himself on the doorframe, his T-shirt stretched taut over his muscles. “Let me make sure I got this straight, you’re asking for my help?”
“We—”
“Uh-uh-uh-uh.” He shook his head slowly, gaze locked with mine. “I want to hear you say it, Val. Ask me for my help. Otherwise, how am I supposed to know if I’m confused again and doing something you don’t want me to do?”
My upper lip curled. “Stop being such an asshat.”
“Me? I’m simply doing what you want, aren’t I? Making sure you’re actually asking for my help. Hmmm … that is what you were pissed about before, isn’t it?”
Oh, okay, this is the game he wants to play now. All right. Fine. “Take the tracking spell off.”
His countenance shuttered, all mirth washing away. “No.”
I fluttered my lashes at him. “But, Jensen, I thought you were going to do what I wanted? Hmm …”
“Oh, for the love of everything holy,” Monica interjected, pushing up beside me. “The two of you are giving me a headache.”
“We—” I started, but she cut me off.
“No. I’ve had about enough. I understand that the two of you are having a difference of opinion or a fight or whatever you want to call it, but—” She choked back a sob. “Do you know how lucky you are to be able to do that? I would give almost anything to have Tomas with me again and the two of you are wasting time you’ll never get back.”
My chest tightened with guilt and regret. A part of my hyper-focus on fighting with Jensen the last few days was because of Tomas. It was easier to put all of my energy into something I could somewhat control rather than face how truly powerless we all were when it came to matters of life and death. In fact, Tomas’ sudden death had shaken me more than I wanted to admit. For one, I’d finally been able to ditch my mask habit because I realized the real reason behind that particular anxiety.
Grabbing Monica’s hand, I squeezed. “I’m sorry.” There was nothing else I could think of to say in that moment. I knew I was being every bit the asshat I was accusing Jensen of being.
I turned back to Jensen. “Will you please help us find out the status of Pestilence?”
“Yeah.” He moved to the side to make room for us to enter. However, as I passed him his baby blues narrowed on me, determination sizzling.
This is not going to end well for either of us.
11
“What do you need from us? Candles? Chalk? Some blood?” Lily bounced up on the balls of her feet, a bit too gleeful under the circumstances for my taste. After all, Jensen was about to summon and force a demon to do his bidding.
“I’m not a witch,” Jensen replied, glowering.
Lily shrugged. “Yeah, I’m well aware. What does that have to do with anything?” Her eyes widened. “Oooh, do you need a special dagger or something? Wait. What are they called? An athame? Do you need that to do your blood magic mojo spell to summon a demon?”
Jensen glanced at me, his left eye twitching. I fought off laughter. He liked being confused with witch stereotypes about as much as I enjoyed my full name.
Monica placed her hand on Lily’s shoulder. “Jensen is a warlock. Their magic doesn’t work the same as a witch’s.”
Lily twisted a blonde curl around her finger. “Okay, but how are they different?”
Jensen pinched the bridge of his nose, hissing out the answer, “Witches have internal magic, but they use spells and mingle them with other elements, like things from nature or their blood. Warlocks have specific powers or a range of powers. We don’t need spells or anything else. We merely have to intend to do something.”
“And what’s your specialty?” Lily regarded Jensen like he was an insect under glass.
Jensen sighed, knowing my sister wouldn’t let it go until she got the answers she craved. “I have more than one, which is what makes me so powerful.”
“And he also has the ability to work witch spells and magic,” I added.
Lily scratched her head. “If you can do witch spells and magic and your warlock mojo, then— I don’t … I’m confused.”
I wasn’t going to admit it out loud, but that would make two of us. No matter how many times I asked Jensen to clarify his powers and the differences between what he could do and what witches could do, I was sure I ended up with the same expression Lily currently had etched into her face.
“It doesn’t matter,” Jensen grumbled. “I don’t need anything fancy to summon a demon. Just me and willful intent.”
Lily’s lower lip crept out. “Oh.”
I flicked the back of her head. “What were you expecting, something straight out of a movie?”
Shrugging, she mumbled, “Maybe.”
“I may not need all the trappings of a witch to summon a demon but I do need quiet so I can concentrate.” After drawing all the curtains and blinds, and pushing the table and chairs against the wall, Je
nsen settled himself cross-legged in the center of his dining area, elbows resting on his knees, hands up.
Lily bit her lip to contain the pout that just wouldn’t go away. “What should we do?”
“Wait,” Jensen grated.
Grabbing my sister, I hustled her to the couch, where we could still observe, but were out of the way. Monica followed in respectful silence, positioning herself next to me.
I eyed my Heaven marked friend. “You okay?”
She nodded once. “Yep.”
However, I couldn’t help but notice the shadows under her eyes and her peaked complexion. Despite all her talk of faith and meeting with Tomas again in the afterlife, I knew his loss had to have taken a bigger toll on her than she would admit. Although, as the reigning queen of all things in denial-land, I would not be the one to call her out on it. If she wanted to pretend she was fine and everything was normal, then I’d play along until she requested me to do otherwise.
Lily poked me in the shoulder. “When is he going to start?”
“As soon as you shut up,” Jensen snapped, his eyes squeezed shut.
“Oops, sorry. I’ll be quiet now.” She leaned back, her foot knocking into the coffee table, sending the TV remote crashing to the ground.
Jensen growled under his breath.
Lily’s cheeks flushed. “Starting now. I’ll be quiet starting now.”
I snickered, causing Jensen to peek at me from under his dark lashes. I bit back my smile, waving at him with a flourish to continue.
He grumbled something under his breath, his nostrils flaring as his eyes fully shut again.
Blue flames erupted around Jensen, the scent of ozone filling the air.
“Isn’t that going to damage the floor?” Lily hissed. “Or burn off his clothes?”
I sure as shit hope his clothes stay where they are or I might accost him in the middle of the ritual, audience be damned. Ugh. No. Stop.
I slapped my hand over her mouth, hoping her outburst hadn’t screwed with Jensen’s concentration.
A humanoid shape formed in the space in front of Jensen, wavering a bit before solidifying with an audible pop. A red haze filtered over my vision, and I blinked it away.
Jenson jumped to his feet, towering over the crouched demon, flames slithering from him to encompass the thing as well. It lifted its head to gaze at Jenson, onyx eyes unreadable, set in a face of perfection.
“What kind do you think it is?” Lily whispered against my ear, having been freed from my constraint, but obviously too soon.
“Shut up,” I mouthed at her.
She snorted, returning her attention to the scene in front of us. I glanced at Monica, who seemed completely enthralled.
“You will do my bidding, Amattican.” Jensen’s voice was low and commanding, brokering no room for challenge.
“Yes, master.” The pretty-boy demon bowed low, touching his forehead to the ground. It was only then I noticed that it was naked, the rest of its body as much of a work of art as its face.
Guess with Jensen in the room I hadn’t even noticed.
Yeah, and with thoughts like that, how the fuck am I supposed to ever say no to him?
The demon scrambled forward a few inches, lifting its gaze to Jensen once more. “You merely need to tell me your bidding and I will obey.”
Jensen nodded his approval. “You are tasked to discover whether or not the demon lord Pestilence is alive or dead. I require proof of your findings.”
“It is done.” It remained frozen in place, waiting.
“That is all.”
“Yes, master.” The demon disappeared, leaving an increased scent of ozone in its wake.
Flames fizzling, Jensen clapped his hands together, causing the three of us to jump. “Amattican will inform me as soon as he gets the information we seek.”
Lily stared at him, doing her best baby owl impression. “Wow. Just like that?”
“Just like that.”
Monica and Lily’s voices swirled around me, their words no longer making sense. All I could see was Jensen, his eyes blazing, filled with something I’d never seen in them before—something I couldn’t quite define. Whatever it was, I knew it meant trouble for me. “Val,” he purred.
My fingers turned white gripping the back of the couch. I was afraid to move, to respond because the inevitable outcome of me doing either of those things was me falling prey to Jensen’s allure. It was only then I remembered a snippet of a long-ago conversation between the two of us.
“What does it feel like after you do magic like that?”
“Like I’m a god.”
“Seriously?”
“Yeah, I have all this energy coursing through my system and it’s like I’m supercharged. It’s difficult to describe. Only those who know that kind of power truly understand.”
“How do you come down from that?”
“Grounding is one way. But it’s boring. I prefer sex.”
Sex. He prefers sex. The words circled my mind on an endless loop as he stalked across the room, his aura sucking the air from my lungs. And I conveniently forgot that part until now.
Glass exploded inward, all of the windows shattering at once. With a flick of his wrist, Jensen placed the four of us in an invisible bubble, protecting us from the shards.
Ratta demons oozed into the condo from every available opening. Small, green, their bodies completely covered in razor-sharp spines, the nasty little herd demons were easy to kill one on one, but in a horde, which was how they preferred to travel, they could be deadly. And just like the last species of demon encountered at the pub, they weren’t usually spotted on our plane of existence.
Leaping over the back of the couch, a blade in each hand, I dropped into a defensive position. Monica and Lily were seconds behind me, each adopting their preferred battle-ready position, one on each side of me.
Jensen glided up in front of us, flames erupting from his hands, roaring through the throng of demon invaders. Ashes lifted into the air, flitting around us.
Thrusting my blades back into my boots, I stalked forward, shoving at Jensen. “Damn you! Why the fuck would you do that? Again? It’s exactly what you did in the bar and you don’t even have a decent excuse this time!”
Jensen’s eyes glowed, lit from within. “Don’t I? This is my home. I have a right to do as I see fit when it comes to protecting what’s mine.”
What’s his? Oh, yeah, sure, he’s talking about his condo. Except he’s also talking about me. “Maybe I shouldn’t have been fighting at the bar because I wasn’t exactly sober, but this time I was ready and you know it.”
He grabbed my wrists, yanking me against his chest, his hot breath mingling with mine. My heart rattled within my ribcage, threatening to break free. If I thought he exuded seduction pheromones regularly, his body was working overtime at the moment. It was all I could do not to melt at his feet and beg him to fuck me right then and there. The only thing holding me back was my iron will, which I was pretty sure was about to be smelted if I stayed in close contact with him.
“Val,” he purred. “It’s time we stop playing this game. You want me, and I want you.” He bent to nuzzle my neck, and I bowed back, allowing him access even as I considered a way to make my escape.
“If it was only sex, we wouldn’t have an issue. It’s you wanting more.” My fingers threaded in his hair, and I ordered my body to push him away, but instead, I pulled him closer. Come on, Riss. Do not do this.
“You want more, too. You’re just afraid.”
I wiggled, grasping at anything that might force him to let me go. “We’re not alone. Lily and Monica are here.”
He nibbled on the tender flesh along my jaw. “Not anymore.”
Traitors! I’ll deal with them later. “What about the windows?”
“Already taken care of.” He tore at my shirt, the fabric falling down my shoulders.
His magic. Of course he would use it when he was like this, practically high on the stuff.
“The demons,” I moaned as his fingers skimmed along the apex of my thighs. “We need to figure out why they attacked like that again. They’re targeting one of us.”
“We’ll figure all of that out later.”
Grabbing him by the ears, I tugged his head up, forcing him to meet my gaze. “This will be the last time we do this.”
His upper lip curled, baring his teeth in a savage grin. “Then I better make it count.” He hefted me over his shoulder and palmed my ass, turning toward the stairs.
I smacked at his back from my upside-down position. “I mean it, Jensen. This is it. After tonight we’re one hundred percent officially over.”
He smacked my ass hard. “If you say so.”
I opened and shut my mouth with an audible click. Yeah, okay, Riss, you don’t believe it any more than he does. You’re just giving yourself permission to give in to what you really want. But it’s too late to turn back now. Enjoy it tonight and punish yourself tomorrow.
12
Sun streamed through the cracked room-darkening curtains, a thin slice running along Jensen’s muscular back. His face pressed halfway into the pillow, he snored softly, the epitome of being at peace. I was the opposite of peaceful, having been awake for hours, my thoughts ping-ponging between self-flagellation and considering waking him for more of his blissful attention. My body was all too eager to make up for the Jensen deprivation I’d suffered over the last two months, despite my mental protests.
I was frozen, locked in indecision. I should have escaped, slipped from bed the moment I woke up, but instead, I lingered, delighting in the delicious soreness in my muscles and between my thighs.
I lovingly traced the hard planes of Jensen’s body with my gaze, sweeping over his wide shoulders down to his narrow waist, and settling on his perfectly round ass. I was lucky to have spent any significant time with a man like Jensen, not only because of his carnal skills, but because he was the full package. Smart, funny, handsome, and yeah, just the right amount of domineering to get my blood boiling.
But you can’t keep him. It’s not in the cards for you two. Never has been. If you love him, and there’s no point in denying that you do, it’s time for you to let him go. For real this time.
