by Bonnie Lamer
“Yes,” I say but there is something she is holding back. “What are you thinking?”
“Nothing,” she says avoiding my eyes again.
“Alita, we have been friends too long for you not to speak your mind to me.”
She sighs and looks back at me. “Do you think it means that Xandra secretly has feelings for Kegan and this just gave her the opportunity to act on it?”
Wow, that hits me like a rabid Tasmanian devil attack. “No.” I shake my head and say it again. “No.”
Alita looks so guilty for having asked the question that I am able to curb my own rising doubts. Picking up her hand, I do my best to reassure her. “The only person in this house who wants my cousin is you, though I have no idea why. You can do so much better than a kangaroo like him.”
She laughs. “I do not and no I cannot.”
I shake my head. “You have no idea of your beauty, do you?”
“Now you are simply teasing me.”
I am about to say something else when I hear Xandra’s footsteps. Alita and I both look her way. “Did I interrupt something?” she asks.
A smug grin finds its way to my lips. I am not the only one in this relationship with a jealous streak. “I was simply explaining to Alita about your unusual behavior.”
“Oh.”
Alita smiles up at Xandra. “I understand that it was not really you who behaved in such a way.”
Xandra flushes. “Did he tell you I have voices in my head, too?”
Alita’s eyes get big and she seems intrigued. “You can communicate with them?!”
Xandra grimaces. “Um, I’m not nearly as excited about it as you are.”
Alita giggles a little bit. “I just think that it is a wonderful opportunity to learn. You can explore the thoughts of others and you could probably learn a lot about history from firsthand accounts.” Leave it to Alita to always find a bright side to things.
Xandra is not convinced. “So far, I’ve only learned that they can control my body when my mind’s asleep. This experience hasn’t made my list of fun things to try this year.”
“No, I suppose it would not,” Alita laughs.
I have had enough of conversation for the night. Standing, I say, “Alita, I am stealing her away from you.” And I do.
Chapter 23
When we are finally alone in Xandra’s bedroom, I sweep her off her feet and carry her to the bed. “You were jealous of Alita,” I smirk.
“I was not,” is her adamant response but her face belies the truth of that.
“Imagine how you would have felt if I had my arms around her and was trying to kiss her,” I say laying down next to her.
She gives me a sour look. “Are you going to tease me, or are you going to kiss me?”
That is a stupid question. “Kiss you,” I murmur against her lips just before claiming them in a kiss that makes my mind go numb. All there is in the world is her lips beneath mine and her skin under my exploring hands. Sinking deeper into the passion, my hand slides up the silky smoothness of her side, under her shirt, and she arches into me. She tugs at my shirt, trying to get it off.
Which tugs me right back into reality. I cannot believe I am going to do this. With a feral growl, I tear myself away from her and roll onto my back
“Uh, what are you doing?” Xandra asks a little out of breath. Hurt and confusion lace together in her voice.
“Trying to keep the promise you made to your mother,” I say as I reluctantly sit up and pull my shirt back down. I really hate her mother right now.
Xandra groans and rubs her hand up and down my arm, leaving goose bumps in its wake. “Can’t we start keeping our promise tomorrow?”
She is killing me. If she keeps touching me like this, I am not going to give a damn about what her mother thinks. “Oh, you have no idea how much I would like to take you up on that,” I say in a voice that sounds strained even to me. Standing up and out of her reach, I add, “I think I will take a cold shower.”
Xandra laughs but there is disappointment in her eyes when she asks, “Does that really work?”
Not at all. I lean down and give her a long, lingering kiss. “Not as well as it should when it comes to you.”
“Then skip it and come back to bed.”
I shake my head and chuckle. “Perhaps it is not only me who needs a cold shower.” I definitely need a cold shower. “I will be back in five minutes.” I move to make my escape trying not to see the cute little pout on her face.
I am not fast enough. She stops me at the door when she says, “Okay, will you make me some pajamas before you go?”
Oh yeah, I will make her some pajamas. Sheer black nighties have become a specialty of mine. God, she is so beautiful. I have to hold on tightly to the doorknob to keep from racing across the room and showing her how beautiful. Instead, there is awe in my voice as I whisper, “Perfect.”
Xandra giggles again. “I don’t think this falls under the fully clothed category.”
Who cares? I sigh. I should. “I suppose not.” I replace the black nightie with green pajama pants and a black tee. Funny, she is still just as sexy. I have to get out of here. “I’ll be right back,” I say and I walk out of the room before I act on every thought that is going through my mind at the moment.
Once in my own room, I let the water run a moment to make sure it is nice and cold. Then I plunge ahead, nearly waking the whole house with my reaction to the jarring sensation of becoming an icicle. Son of a bitch. I have never actually done this before. I stay under the water for as long as I can, but that is not very long. I hop out, my entire body covered in goose bumps and numbness has spread throughout my body. But none of that matters when I think of Xandra lying on her bed in that black negligee. Well, this was a futile exercise. One that I will not partake in again.
Making my way back to Xandra’s room, I am surprised to find her out of bed. Damn it. I was so wrapped up in my hormones, I forgot that she is not supposed to be left alone. She must have fallen asleep and god knows what the other souls are making her do.
I need to do a cursory check of her room before I tear off through the mansion. The door to the toilet room is open so I know she is not in there. I open the door to her bathing room and every single thought I have ever had seeps out of my brain and I am left mute and spellbound.
Xandra is here. Wow. Is she ever here. And a cold shower seems the farthest thing from her mind at the moment. Naked in the bath, she has decided her sleeping time is time better spent exploring her own body. Inch by glorious inch. Her hand lingers in the places I would kill a thousand Fairies to be. Every cell inside of me has paused in its activities so that all of my body’s attention can be focused on the beautiful seductress before me.
“Xandra.” That came out strangled and pleading. But I am not sure what I am asking her – to stop what she is doing or to invite me to participate. Oh hell, who am I kidding? I know exactly which of those I want to do. “If you are trying to negate the effect of my cold shower, you are doing a very good job.”
A sexy, sultry smile spreads across her beautiful face. She stands up and begins to wring out her long black hair, affording me the opportunity to drink in every iota of her perfection. A fact that she is well aware of since she is arching her body in ways that are meant only for seduction. “You should join me,” she purrs.
Yes. The word slams into my mind so hard I almost lose my balance. She definitely has me under her spell. If only it was the Witch Fairy I love speaking. My loyalty to her is what gives me the strength to stay rooted to my spot at the door. “You are not Xandra,” I say quietly.
She will not be daunted so easily. “The body is the same, regardless of who is driving it. I can see your desire, your need. What harm is there in indulging yourself just a little bit?”
She would have me take advantage of Xandra’s body without her being aware? Disgust fills the places in my mind where lust is now long gone. Turning away from this creature who is not Xandra, I
walk out of the room and slam the door behind me.
I keep walking until I am out of Xandra’s room and in the hallway. Each step brings more anger and pain. I need to find a way to get those creatures out of Xandra. In the meantime, I need some distance between her and me before I do something drastic that may cause harm to Xandra, not just her soul barnacles as she calls them.
Alita’s door is open and I find myself walking inside. Thank god she is still awake. I plop down in a chair across from her bed where she is reading. “I need to ask you to do something for me,” I say in lieu of a greeting.
“Okay,” Alita says slowly, sitting up. “I do not have to kill anyone, do I?”
“Maybe me,” I grumble.
Wrinkles form on her forehead. “Why on earth would you say that?”
I sigh and look out the window. “Because I am finding it increasingly difficult to refuse my girlfriend.”
Alita is still confused. “Refuse what?”
I turn back to her and cock my head until pink washes onto her cheeks. “Oh.”
“Yeah, oh. The other souls inside of her seem to take great pleasure in driving me insane.”
“But what can I do?” Alita asks.
I stand up and start pacing. “I just need some time away from her to clear my head.” I stop and look at her. “Will you please watch her tonight?”
“You mean babysit her?” Surprise is clear in her voice.
I nod grimly. “That is what I mean. She cannot be trusted when the other souls take over. I should not have left her for even these few minutes. Will you go to her and keep her out of trouble?”
Alita stands up from the bed. “Of course. I will go right now. But what should I do if she will not stay with me?”
I had not thought of that. “Call for help. One of us will come running.” Especially me. I do not want any more incidents between Xandra and Kegan. I do not believe Alita does either.
Chapter 24
My normally comfortable bed seems to be made of rocks this evening. It is impossible to find a spot that feels right. I know it is because I do not have a beautiful, sexy Witch Fairy lying next to me but I really need to get some sleep. That has been in short supply lately.
After spending several hours tossing and turning and getting possibly an hour total of sleep, I give up. I rise from my useless bed and take a shower. A warm one this time. After drying my hair and dressing, I head down to the kitchen. I need some food in my stomach. Maybe that will give me the strength I need to resist Xandra’s little friends.
Tabitha is in the kitchen pouring herself a cup of tea. She is surprised to see me and almost drops her cup. “Did you leave that girl alone?” she grouses. Guess I am not the only one who did not sleep last night.
I shake my head and grab the eggs from the icebox. I will make my own eggs because at the moment, I am terrified that Tabitha will kill me if I ask her to do it. “No, Alita is with her.”
“Give me those,” she says, grabbing the eggs from me. “The last time you tried to cook eggs I spent three days scraping the walls and counters.”
That is a gross exaggeration. She used magic and cleaned it up in two minutes. “I am perfectly capable of making my own breakfast.”
A spatula appears in her hand and I just barely miss being swatted with it. The Fairy is fast with her kitchen utensils. “Get on out of my kitchen before I have to scrape you off the counters and walls. You go get that girl of yours and bring her down here. I think I have figured out how to rid of her those pieces of souls.”
“Really?” I will gladly let her take out her bad mood by swatting me if this is true.
“No, I have spent the night drinking ale and playing cards.” She is lying. She hates ale. “Now go and get her before I suddenly forget how to do it.” In a swift movement, I lean in and kiss her cheek before racing from the room. I did not miss the corners of her lips turning up.
Alita is awake, barely, and reading a book in one of the chairs near the end of the bed when I open the door to Xandra’s room. She looks relieved when she sees me. “How was it?” I ask.
Alita shrugs. “She has slept the night through,” she says through a yawn.
“Thank you for taking over for me last night. I feel terrible that you have not been able to rest considering what you have been through.”
Alita stands up and crosses the room to give me a hug. “I am your friend, I will not hold a few hours of sleep against you.” Stepping back, she says, “But I will leave you now if you are ready to face her again.”
“I am fine,” I assure her. She has no idea how relieved I am that she kept Xandra out of trouble. Alita truly is a good friend. Why she is in love with Kegan I will never understand. She is way too good for him.
After Alita leaves, I decide it is best to wake Xandra up from afar. I stand in the doorway and use a magically created feather to tickle her cheek. It does not take long before she stirs.
Annoyed, she sits up. “Will you please get rid of the feather? And why are you way over there?” When I do not answer her question fast enough, she puts her face in her hands and says, “What did I do?”
“You did not do anything. Your little friend, however, went to great lengths to torture me. I slept in my own room.”
I am next to the bed now and she frowns up at me. “They are not my little friends. Was it that bad?”
That is a tricky question. “Bad, no. Tempting beyond belief? Almost. But, if I am going to participate in anything involving your body, I want to be sure it is you in charge of it.”
A wicked smile curves around her lips. “Does that mean I can tempt you beyond belief right now?” she purrs and she pulls me to her, meeting my lips in a fiery good morning kiss.
She. Is. Killing. Me. “It was difficult enough leaving your luscious, beautiful body last night. If you tempt me with it as my precious Witch Fairy, I fear I would not leave this bed until I have made love to you,” I say against her beautiful lips.
Bringing her lips back to mine and tugging on me until I am lying next to her is not the response I expected. But I am not complaining. Until I feel someone at the door.
With great reluctance, I pull back from the kiss. “I forgot to tell you the reason I came to wake you. Tabitha believes she may have found a way to exorcise your demons.”
A strange look washes over face. “Mine aren’t really demons. I hate that I have to send them back to hell.”
What? “You are not thinking of keeping them, are you? I fear what would happen between us if you did.”
It takes a moment for that to sink in. When it does, color floods her cheeks. “I guess it’s not always easy to tell who’s in charge of my body, huh?”
I let go of the air I have had trapped in my lungs for too long. “No, it is not at first. I would hate to make a mistake as the ‘barnacles’ become better at behaving as you do.”
A gentle knock on the door saves her from replying. “Come in,” she calls out.
Alita peaks her head around the door. “Xandra?” she asks. She is asking more than what she said.
Xandra grimaces. “Yes, it’s me.”
Alita smiles and opens the door a bit further. “I hate to disturb you two, but Isla asked me to hurry you along.” Huh, I thought she was going to bed when she left the room. I guess insomnia rules the house right now.
“We’ll be right down,” Xandra says, pushing the covers back and getting up.
“I’ll let her know.” Alita closes the door behind her.
I rise from the bed and reach out for Xandra pulling her close. “I love you.”
She nestles into me and wraps her arms around my waist. “I love you, too.” Pulling back, she looks up at me and says, “I’ll brush my teeth and comb my hair, then I’ll be right down.”
“Sounds good.” I give her a quick kiss on the cheek. No sense tempting our hormones with a real kiss. If we do not go downstairs soon, someone else will come to retrieve us. Probably someone who can move through walls.
As if reading my mind, I sense Kegan in the hallway. Feeling like a heel but asking anyway, I say, “Would you mind terribly going through the explanation about your aunt with your parents by yourself? I would like to take a quick run.”
Xandra laughs. “You don’t have to be at my side every minute. Of course I don’t care.”
That earns her another kiss on the cheek. And a quick one on her lips. I pull back before I get carried away though. “I will find you in a bit.”
“Okay.”
Kegan is just about to knock when I open the door so he stumbles a bit. He gives my grin a sour look. “Thanks. How kind of you to open the door.”
