Lucifer was nearly Gryph’s height with broad shoulders and a narrow waist. Dressed in a crisp black suit, his dark brown hair was pulled back from his angular face. When people talk about Lucifer being the most beautiful of the fallen angels, they really aren’t doing him justice. He was gorgeous, with full lips, crystalline blue eyes, and a neatly trimmed beard. It was difficult to stop myself from gawking at him—a normal reaction when faced with the Angel of Darkness.
Jezebel was the only one in the room who didn’t stop moving. Instead, she sidled up to the man at Lucifer’s left, purring until he picked her up. Rainer Vigil was not what anyone would describe as beautiful, but he was definitely striking. With harsh features and a five o’clock shadow, Rainer was just over six feet tall. His broad-shouldered frame was also encased in a black suit.
“Are you doing business with the mafia, Sass?” Gryph asked. Apparently, he wasn’t nearly as affected by our visitors.
Lucifer chuckled softly. “This is why I like werewolves so much, Rainer. Few recognize me. It’s refreshing.”
“I know who you are,” Gryph told him. “It was a joke.”
Lucifer’s lips twitched as he regarded Gryph. “Are you a Bliss employee?”
“He’s my bodyguard,” I began before realizing that made it sound like that’s all Gryph was to me. “We’re also dating.”
When I looked over, I caught Gryph’s slight smile.
“Good for you,” Rainer praised. “Too many witches get caught up in bullshit witch social rules. It’s nice to meet a witch with a brain in her head.”
Jezebel’s purring got louder, and her ears pressed back against her head as she regarded me, making me wonder if she didn’t want Rainer talking to me. That cat was strange.
Shaking myself out of my inner-musings, I reminded myself that I had a business to run. While I didn’t have them on my schedule, they could be here to employ Bliss for some purpose.
“Is there something I can help you with?” I asked with a pleasant smile.
“I was hoping you might be able to help me with a project,” Lucifer began.
“We’d love to help you set up a getaway sure to wow that special someone,” I said brightly.
“Sadly, I don’t have a special someone,” Lucifer replied with a sigh. “That’s what I’m hoping you can help me with. As I’m sure you already know, the preternatural community has no dating services. With yours and Alana’s unique talents, this might be a good area for you to delve into.”
“Why would you need help finding a date?” I practically gasped.
“I’m wondering that, too,” Gryph added. “In your position, I’d imagine you have no trouble finding willing demons.”
Lucifer shook his head. “I’m having trouble finding the right type of woman, a woman who’ll be a good influence on my daughter.”
“That’s not an area we’re interested in exploring,” I began as diplomatically as I could.
“I would be willing to pay well for your services,” Lucifer added.
“I’m sorry,” I told him. “It’s just too far outside what we normally do.”
Lucifer nodded before handing me a business card. “Please, let me know if you change your mind.”
I nodded and took the card.
“I’ll wait for you downstairs,” Lucifer told Rainer before stepping back into the elevator which just happened to open the moment he stepped in front of it. It seemed even the elevator was afraid of making Lucifer angry.
“Jezebel seems very fond of you,” I remarked, noting that Jezebel was the only familiar who’d abandoned her pursuit of the enchanted slippers. She seemed happy to bask in Rainer Vigil’s adoration.
“I’ve always had a knack for making Evangalina’s pussy purr,” Rainer replied in a dark tone. “Since Jezebel is here, I have to assume my witch is close by.”
His witch? My brain blanked when I heard those words. I knew Evie had avoided dating since college. I also knew she avoided all council meetings unless she was forced to attend. Even then, Mel had told me her sister asked for the list of attendees first and often found an excuse to miss the meeting after seeing the list. I suddenly understood why. It definitely sounded like Evie had been involved with Rainer at some point, and she’d been the one to end things.
Rainer wasn’t nearly as scary as Lucifer, so one could miss what a powerful predator he was when he stood by his employer. Alone, it was easy to see this wasn’t the type of man you wanted on your bad side.
“She’s not here,” I told him. “I’m watching the familiars.”
“When will she be back to collect Jezebel?” he asked in a smooth voice.
“Evie’s sister is picking up their familiars later today,” Gryph answered for me.
“Perhaps, I should take Jezebel for her,” Rainer mused with a smirk.
“No,” I replied. “I’m not sure what game you want to play with Evie, but I won’t let you take Jezebel with you.”
In response, Jezebel hissed at me with her claws on one paw extended.
“Easy, Jezebel,” Rainer soothed. “I’m not about to run off with Evangalina’s familiar. Just tell her I’d like to see her. She can either call me, or I can stop by her place.”
On those words, he put Jezebel down and headed to the elevator that also opened for him as soon as he stepped in front of it.
After the doors closed, Gryph blew out a whistle. “Damn, Sass. You might want to warn Evie about that Rainer guy. What did he mean about her being his witch? Were they a couple before?”
I shrugged. “I don’t really know Evie that well, but it seems that way. No, we have to be missing something. There’s no way Evie could have kept something this big from everyone. It was probably just a fling.” Not a wise choice for a fling, in my opinion.
“You’re probably right,” Gryph agreed. “That meeting was strange.”
“Yes, it was,” I agreed. “We’d better stop the familiars before they destroy the office.” When I turned to face Gryph, the expression on his face made me suck in a sharp breath.
“Not so fast, Sass,” he murmured as he reached out to pull me closer. “You just told the devil we’re dating.”
“Because we are,” I stated, but I knew what he was getting at.
“Thank you,” he uttered before leaning in to kiss me. His mouth moved against mine in a slow kiss. I could feel the tension radiating from Gryph. My magic immediately reached out to him, flowing along his body. He growled low in his throat at the contact and deepened the kiss. His tongue slipped past my lips to explore my mouth. I moaned as his hand settled on my hip, guiding me closer to his erection.
The chaos of the familiars and the enchanted bunny slippers faded into the background as our bodies pressed together. I couldn’t get close enough to him. Beneath the surface of Gryph the man, I sensed the wolf clawing his way toward me. Without thinking, I thrust my magic into Gryph, allowing it to slide along his wolf side.
“Excuse me.” My client’s nasally voice cut through the haze of magic and lust. I couldn’t believe I’d actually forgotten I was working with clients.
“I’m so sorry,” I began when Gryph released me so I could pull away.
“Please, don’t apologize,” the iridescent blue demon with the sparkling horn at the front of her head said. “I can see why you got distracted. That’s exactly what we want.”
“What is?” I asked.
“That kind of passion,” she clarified. “We want to feel that deep connection of both love and lust.”
Clearing my throat, I stepped away from Gryph just as the elevator opened and Allie entered the lobby. With one raised eyebrow, she looked around before asking, “Bunny slippers?”
“You got it,” I confirmed.
She nodded. “I’ll help Gryph gather up the kids while you finish with your client.”
“Thank you,” I told her before turning back to my client with a shaky smile. “Shall we head back to my office?”
The demon nodded befo
re casting one last wistful glance Gryph’s way. “I’ll bet he tastes delicious.”
With some types of demons, I might have assumed she meant that in a sexual way, but not this one.
“You know our rules,” I reminded her.
“I know,” she said with a sigh. “No eating werewolves or lesser demons at your office or during any of the fantasies you create for us. Such a pity.”
Chapter 31
Gryph
After getting the familiars back into the conference room and searching Mr. Whiskers’ bag to make sure he hadn’t stashed anything else in there, I headed out to help Allie clean up the mess.
“Do you think Mel would mind if I burned the cursed slippers?” Allie asked as she held up the slippers in question. The slippers began to squeal. “I’m not going to set you on fire,” she assured them.
“They aren’t really alive,” I pointed out. Some spells could make things seem alive, but that didn’t mean they were.
She shrugged after securing the slippers in a bag. “Even knowing that, it’s hard to remember at times. They act very much alive. Did you see how they reacted to the idea of being set on fire? I don’t think I could do it without feeling like a killer. The warlocks who created these are very good at spells.”
“Too bad they couldn’t make something less annoying,” I muttered. “Those slippers seem to be the center of far more trouble than any other spelled item I’m aware of.”
“You don’t have much experience with spelled items,” Allie pointed out. “I do, and these are by far the most aggravating things I’ve ever seen. The creators of the spell likely never expected them to become a play thing for familiars.”
I chuckled and shook my head. “That bird is something else. I can’t believe he tucked those away in the bag Melina packed for him.”
“That reminds me,” Allie began as she grabbed her phone from her purse, which she’d tossed on the reception desk. “I should text Mel to let her know what Mr. Whiskers has been up to.”
When the elevator doors opened, Persephone stepped out. “What happened?” she nearly screeched when she saw her tidy little reception area torn apart.
“The familiars got into a bit of mischief,” Allie explained.
“We’ll get this mess cleaned up,” I assured her. “Why don’t you grab your laptop and work from one of the conference rooms for now?”
“Let me just put my leftovers in the fridge, and I’ll help you,” she insisted.
“This is definitely not part of your job,” Allie argued.
“Nonsense,” she said with a wave of her hand. “I’m paid to work. Most of the day, I just sit at that desk doing nothing. I may as well earn my wages today.”
“I’d argue, but we really need the help,” Allie told her.
The good thing about having a huge mess to clean up was that I didn’t have time to think about my kiss with Julia.
“Oh, Gryph,” Persephone called out when she returned from storing her leftovers.
“Yeah,” I replied.
“You should probably clean Julia’s lipstick off your mouth,” she suggested. “It seems best since you’re both trying so hard to hide your relationship.”
“Lipstick?” I asked as I eyed Allie.
Allie coughed to cover her giggle. “Would you believe I hadn’t noticed it?” she asked.
“No,” I replied before grabbing some tissues from the desk to wipe the pink lipstick from my mouth.
Persephone smiled at me and placed a hand on my arm. “It’s so adorable the way you got embarrassed about the lipstick!”
“Nothing I do is adorable,” I grumbled as I pulled away and started cleaning again.
“The way you’re so in love with Julia is also adorable,” Persephone added with a wistful sigh. “I hope I find a man who loves me that much. Perhaps, one who’s not quite so intense.”
“She’s right, Gryph,” Allie agreed. “You seem much less intimidating when you’re around Julia. I guess she has a talent for soothing savage beasts.”
“That she does,” I agreed with a grin.
Chapter 32
The Gentleman Warlock
I was barely able to keep my temper under control while Tatiana’s parents droned on about how it was all my fault their daughter was missing. Not once did they consider their own culpability. It also seemed they weren’t willing to accept that Tatiana had run off with me. If it wouldn’t arouse too much suspicion, I’d kill them both.
This was a wrinkle in my plan I hadn’t anticipated. Tatiana had left a note saying she was leaving because she couldn’t live without me. I’d had her write it while she was under the influence of a special demon mind-control substance. Her parents couldn’t have missed the note, so there was no reason for them to contact the police. The bastards hadn’t even shown the police the note written in Tatiana’s own hand. Instead, they’d accused me of abducting their daughter. They’d even convinced the lieutenant that crime scene techs should be dispatched to Tatiana’s apartment. Acting as if I didn’t know what deceitful assholes they were while pretending to investigate Tatiana’s disappearance hadn’t been easy.
I stomped into the apartment, fists clenched at my sides, before shouting, “Fuck!”
“You should kill her parents,” Katya cooed. “It would make you feel better. I still can’t believe all those horrible things they said about you. Poor Des. No one understands you like I do.”
I’d never realized how annoying Katya could be. It seemed that while I’d had sex as a distraction, I could tolerate her bitchy, manipulative ways. Now that she offered me nothing physically, I couldn’t stand the bitch.
“Get the fuck away from me, Katya,” I hissed.
She made a tsking sound before speaking again. “No can do, my love. You’re the only one who can hear me. I’m not going anywhere. Unless you want to be stuck with me every second of the day, I suggest you find someone to kill soon. Your sniveling little witch’s parents seem like a good choice.”
My lips curled into a malicious grin. “Don’t fucking threaten me, you annoying cunt! I’m dealing with enough assholes. If you continue to be a problem, I’ll find a demon to eat your soul.”
“You wouldn’t dare,” she said quietly, and I savored the way her voice shook.
“I would,” I assured her. “I’m getting turned on thinking about it. Do you think you’ll scream while the demon devours your soul? Your first death was rather disappointing. You were too surprised to react with any genuine terror. This time would be different.”
“You love me,” she practically whimpered.
“As much as I can,” I agreed. “That doesn’t mean I’m going to put up with you trying to run things. I decide who is punished and how they’re punished. When I kill Julia Dupree, you’ll get your ability to take on a form again, unless I’ve decided you’re too much trouble. Am I making myself clear?”
“Yes,” she replied softly.
Her voice held both rage and fear. She wanted to call me a bastard and refuse to take orders from me, but she wouldn’t. It was a wonderful feeling to hold all the power after having been forced to deal with Tatiana’s family earlier that day.
“I’m going out,” I told her. “Don’t come anywhere near me again tonight, or I will find a way to end your pitiful existence.”
On those words, I stormed out of the apartment. I needed some relief. I needed to kill. Julia Dupree was going to pay for making me wait. She’d beg for death before I was done with her.
Chapter 33
Julia
The last four days at Gryph’s home had been relatively uneventful. After our agreement to date, I’d been certain we’d be ripping each other’s clothes off. I definitely liked the idea of ripping Gryph’s clothes off. I’d be willing to rip my own clothes off to speed up the process of getting us naked together. Gryph seemed to have excellent self-control—the bastard.
I was watching Gryph do pushups while trying not to drool all over him. It wasn’t easy
. I wasn’t certain I could do a single pushup using both arms. Using just his one arm, Gryph had probably done fifty already.
“Are you just going to stand there and watch me?” he asked without looking at me.
“I’d considered taking video on my phone so I could watch it again later, but I wasn’t sure how you’d react to that,” I admitted.
Gryph chuckled and got to his feet before prowling toward me. With no shirt on, he was a sight to behold. I’d been enjoying his rippling back muscles while he did pushups. Now, I got to enjoy the front view, complete with six-pack abs. “You keep looking at me like that, and I’m going to forget all the reasons I need to take things slow with you, Sass.”
“Then I’ll definitely keep staring,” I taunted. “Why didn’t I notice how sexy you look when you do pushups before?”
“Probably because it’s not nearly as sexy with Oliver on my back,” he remarked.
I giggled at the reminder of how much my familiar loved lying on Gryph’s back while he did pushups, and it helped with my lust—not much, but a little.
“It may not be as attractive, but it is endearing seeing you with Oliver sprawled out on your back. He really likes you,” I mused.
“You still can’t get over that, can you?” he asked.
“You’ve spent enough time around Oliver to know he doesn’t like most living things,” I stated.
“That may be why we get along so well,” Gryph added thoughtfully. “You may have noticed that I don’t like most living things.”
“Good point,” I agreed. “You and Oliver are both somewhat antisocial.”
“We’re not antisocial,” he argued. “We’re just selective.”
“Is that what you’re calling it now?” I asked.
Gryph closed the short distance between us, and his musky scent wrapped around me. My sense of smell had become much more acute in the last few days.
Seductively Spellbound (Spells That Bind Book 3) Page 14
