“The inspections would be easy to avoid out here,” Mrs. Whitmore argued.
Letting out a frustrated sigh, I tried to sound like I didn’t want to throttle them both. “Countless establishments have been shut down for breaking labor laws. I’ve heard of witches stripped of their power, and one was executed for having humans available to feed vampires.” I mentioned that last part in case they were considering using humans as unwilling blood donors. It would be foolish and reckless, but I wouldn’t put it past them.
“It’s done at vampire run establishments,” Mr. Whitmore pointed out.
“Not legally,” I argued. “While the vampires might not have any ethical reservations with this sort of thing, it violates their agreement with the rest of the preternatural community, and even they’ll put a stake in the heart of one of their own for it.”
“How are we supposed to have a competitive edge if we don’t have cattle for the vampires?” Mr. Whitmore demanded.
This couple had been pissing me off for the two months I’d been working with them. Every week, we had a new argument about what they could and could not legally do. They’d even asked about the legality of purchasing sex demons—not hiring, purchasing.
“You will just have to find a way to be competitive without doing anything illegal,” I ground out. “I was hired to keep you out of trouble, not to tell you how to make money.”
“Fine,” Mr. Whitmore huffed angrily. “We won’t hire humans, but this means I’ll have to rework my budget.”
“Did you have any other legal questions?” I asked, wondering if he’d ever considered the fact that he paid me by the hour, so these weekly conversations were costing him a fortune.
“No, I believe that will be all for this week,” Mrs. Whitmore said. “Shall we plan on the same time next week?”
“I’ll email my assistant to see if the time is open,” I said, because both office assistants got more than a little scary when I scheduled my own appointments without consulting them. “She’ll confirm the time with you when she gets in later today.”
“Fine,” Mr. Whitmore said, sounding annoyed that I wasn’t giving him an answer now.
I looked up to find Allie standing in the doorway dressed in faded jeans and a red hoodie.
“I’ll talk to you next week,” I added before ending the call and logging my hours.
“Good morning,” Allie said somewhat shyly when I finished and stood from my desk.
“It is now.” I crossed the room to pull her into my arms and kiss her. What I wanted to do was kiss her so hard and long that she wrapped her legs around my waist and begged me to take her on my desk. Instead, I just brushed my lips against hers. “How are you feeling?”
“Hungry,” she admitted. “You really need to buy groceries.”
“I was thinking the same thing this morning,” I said. “How about if we grab some breakfast, and then we can pick up groceries?”
“Sure,” she agreed, pulling away from me. “Just as long as we aren’t going anywhere I need to dress up for.”
Seeing Allie dressed casually with no makeup on took my breath away. “You know, I thought you were the sexiest woman I’d ever seen when you walked into Trevor’s house that first night.” Damn! I really wanted her.
“I know that look, Dylan,” she said, and I blinked twice to clear my head.
“What look?” I asked innocently.
“You look like you want to bend me over your desk,” she accurately accused. “While that sounds fun, I’m hungry, and something tells me you’re squeezing breakfast and shopping in between meetings.”
Looking regretfully at the time, I realized she was right. “While I only have a couple more meetings today, my next one is in less than two hours.”
“I’ll grab my shoes and purse,” she said as she hurried out of the room.
My eyes remained on her cute ass as it swayed back and forth in her tight jeans. Oh, yeah, I definitely loved seeing Allie in jeans.
Chapter Forty-Two
Allie
“These are the best pecan waffles I’ve ever had,” I said with a moan of pleasure.
Dylan’s hand edged across the table, and I held my fork in a threatening manner. “Don’t even think about touching my bacon or I will stab you,” I warned, only half-joking.
He gave me an innocent look of surprise. “Maybe I was planning to hold your hand.”
“Ha! I saw you eying my bacon, so don’t bother denying it.”
“You aren’t eating it,” he argued. “It would be a shame to let good bacon go to waste.”
“Listen, I don’t want to hurt you, but no one steals my bacon, got it?” I said, waving my fork in the air to bring my threat home.
Dylan laughed. “Fine, be selfish with the bacon.”
“You had your own bacon, so you don’t need mine.”
“I had no idea you got so violent about bacon.” He grinned.
“Everyone will fight for bacon,” I said.
“Not Trevor’s sister, Jessa,” Dylan argued. “She doesn’t even eat bacon.”
“How can she not like bacon?” I gasped.
“Her familiar is a pig, and he makes her feel guilty when she eats any pork,” Dylan explained.
“Trevor never told me about that. I don’t think I’ve ever heard of a witch with a pig as a familiar before,” I mused, and it was true. There were some pretty unusual familiars, but most had cats or owls because they were more traditional.
“Doesn’t Melina have a turkey vulture?” he asked.
“California condor,” I corrected.
“Even scarier looking,” he said.
“Mel’s not like other witches,” I explained. “Her mixed heritage isn’t the only thing different about her.”
“How come you don’t have a familiar?” Dylan asked as if it hadn’t occurred to him until that moment that I didn’t have one. “A familiar would increase your power.”
“Not everyone has a familiar.” That was true enough. For whatever reason, warlocks couldn’t bond with a familiar. I actually didn’t know of any other female witches without familiars, but there had to be others.
Dylan raised an eyebrow because he probably didn’t know any female witches without familiars. Even witches who weren’t in good standing had familiars.
“Obviously, my mom couldn’t have gotten a familiar for me because she’s not a witch.”
“And your father can’t because only the women of our kind can select familiars,” Dylan said, as if he’d suddenly figured it all out. “Your father should have asked one of his female relatives to take care of it.”
I shrugged. “It’s not that big of a deal,” I said, and it wasn’t really. “Maybe I’ll get a cat one day and pretend he’s my familiar.”
When Dylan looked like he was about to say something sweet, I interrupted him. “Is this just a plot to make me too sad to eat my bacon?”
Dylan looked like he was going to ignore my attempt to change the subject, but thankfully, he gave me a lopsided grin. “Is it working?” he asked, walking his fingers across the table toward my bacon.
I lifted my fork and eyed him. “Don’t even think about it.”
Dylan laughed. “Why did I have to pick such a cruel witch?”
“You’re a masochist,” I said with a smile.
Chapter Forty-Three
The Hunter
It was tempting to let her go. Yes, I was angry about the burn to my arm. Her escape had also bruised my ego because I prided myself on being a good hunter, and that stupid little cunt shouldn’t have escaped. Still, going after her was risky, especially with the warlock closely guarding her.
Unfortunately for her, I dreamed of her torment every night. Killing her had become an obsession I couldn’t let go of, so I had to come up with a plan to take her. There had to be a way to get her bodyguards away from her. If I could get the bitch alone, she’d be mine to torture. Reaching a hand down to stroke my throbbing erection, I imagined her agoniz
ed screams.
The incoming call interrupted my fantasy, and I was tempted to ignore it. Unfortunately, I knew I couldn’t. Tonight, there would be another ceremony, and I’d already selected the succubus. Sadly, it wouldn’t be the cunt who’d gotten away.
“What is it?” I snapped into the phone.
“Have you picked a sacrifice for tonight’s ritual yet?” the irritating asshole calling me asked.
“I’m working on the details,” I said impatiently, not sharing the fact that I already had everything planned out. Let the little prick worry.
“Maybe I need another partner,” the arrogant bastard stated. “Yes, it might be time to find a partner who can actually deliver on his promises.”
The rage building inside of me was almost overwhelming, and I really wanted to kill someone. Luckily, I’d get that chance tonight. “Just be at the meeting place on time,” I said before hanging up.
Looking over at my laptop, I stared at the screen. Alana Talbot’s face stared back at me. “Soon,” I murmured, as I reached out to touch the screen. “You might be foolish enough to think you're safe with your warlock, but your days are numbered.”
My phone buzzed again, and I saw it was a message from the little prick. When I read the message, I had trouble containing my rage. Staring at her picture on the screen again, I felt fury and disappointment mix. “I’ll bet you think this change of plans means you’re safe, don’t you, bitch? Well, guess again.”
Chapter Forty-Four
Dylan
Since Mel had stopped by to spend the afternoon with Allie, they’d convinced me to work at the office for a few hours—not that I was getting much work done. Thoughts of Allie seemed to consume my mind, making it hard to focus on anything else.
At the moment, I was staring at my phone waiting for a reply. We were playing This or That at Allie’s suggestion. Finally, my phone buzzed.
ALLIE: Mashed potatoes or rice? How is that even a question. Mashed potatoes, of course. Cat or Dog.
ME: Cat because dogs are too needy.
ALLIE: That’s funny. I figured you for a dog person.
ME: Really?
ALLIE: Yes. I could totally see you with one of those cute little dogs that barks all the time.
I had to laugh at the image, and I was pretty sure she was laughing, too.
ME: Smart ass. Top or Bottom.
ALLIE: Pervert! You know the rules—nothing about sex.
ME: Pervert? Me? I meant top or bottom bunk. What in the world was going through that dirty mind of yours?
ALLIE: Liar. Bottom because I’m always afraid I’ll fall out of bed at night. Left or Right?
ME: I like both of your breasts equally.
There was a pause as I waited for her reply, which came in the form of a phone call.
“Hey, sweetheart,” I answered with barely contained laughter.
“You are not very good at this game,” she said, trying to sound stern, but I could tell she’d been laughing.
“On the contrary, I’m awesome at this game. I get all the right answers.”
“You have turned almost everything I ask into something related to sex,” she accused.
“I would never do something like that,” I denied innocently, even though we both knew that was exactly what I’d been doing. “It’s your fault, anyway. Being away from you sucks, and I’m not doing anything but thinking about you. This wouldn’t happen if I was at home.”
“How would being closer to me keep you from being distracted?” she asked.
“Simple,” I said, my voice dropping so my nosy assistant wouldn’t hear. “If I were at home, I’d fuck you until I was too sated to even think about sex.”
The annoying succubus actually laughed at my suggestion. “I’m not sure Mel would appreciate you having sex with me while she’s in the house.”
That’s when I heard Mel’s shout from the background. “Don’t make me use an impotence spell on you.”
“Impotence spell?” I asked loud enough that I’m sure everyone on this floor of the building heard me. “Can she really do that?”
“Oh, yeah,” Allie said. “Don’t mess with Mel.”
“Does Trevor know about this?” I asked, because he should know that the witch he was pursuing could render his dick useless. This was the kind of thing a man needed to know about.
Allie giggled. “Don’t worry. If she uses one on him, he’ll recover in a week or so,” she assured me. “Remember, I did warn him to stay away from Mel.”
We all had, but I still thought this might be a bit extreme. Of course, if it happened, I’d have to make fun of him. We’d been friends too long to let the opportunity pass me by.
“Are you still there?” Allie asked.
“Yeah, sorry, but that impotence spell kind of threw me off,” I admitted. “What were you saying?”
“I said Mel needs to leave in an hour. Will you be home by then?”
“Sure thing,” I said, glad I had an excuse to duck out of the office early. “See you soon, sweetheart.”
“Bye,” she said before hanging up on me.
It was impossible to wipe the smile off my face as I finished up some work and got ready to head home to Allie. She definitely gave me a good incentive to leave the office on time.
Chapter Forty-Five
Allie
Trevor was babysitting me at work tonight, and after a week with no incidents, I was beginning to think he and Dylan were worrying over nothing. Of course, I was more than happy to have them walk me to and from my car, but I thought hanging out at SpellBinders all night might be overdoing the protection. Marcos was also starting to get annoyed with my bodyguards, but he’d calmed down immediately when Trevor agreed to spend more money at the bar. Marcos would do just about anything for money.
Tonight was slow, which wasn’t uncommon on a Wednesday. Thursday through Sunday were our busy nights. I was restocking and oiling the leather in one of the rooms when I heard the ominous click of the door closing. Spinning around, I was faced with a vaguely familiar looking demon. Flashing a sinister grin, his forked tongue darted out to toy with his lip ring. Based on his shiny red skin, his emotions were running high. That’s when I remembered him, and I had to struggle not to show my fear.
“Fancy meeting you here,” he said, sounding overly cocky.
Arms crossed in front of my chest, I tried to look tough, but that was hard to pull off wearing a blue halter dress and hooker shoes. “Did Marcos promise you my time again?” I asked. “If he did, I’m sorry because I am not for sale.”
“That’s right,” he said, his grin widening to show off his pointy teeth. “You’re the succubus who thinks she’s too good to let me fuck her.” His hand drifted down to the front of his pants, and my eyes involuntarily followed to see him stroking his huge, corkscrew-shaped erection through the fabric. “Like what you see, baby?”
“No,” I responded automatically. “I think I’m going to vomit.” Why I’d chosen to say something that stupid, I had no idea. Pissing this demon off was not a good idea.
“Fucking cock tease!” he roared, lunging toward me.
I managed to sidestep him and was working hard to remember the self-defense spells I’d learned. Unfortunately, it had been too many years, and I hadn’t practiced any of them recently, so none came to mind.
“You’re going to pay for turning me down,” he growled as he stalked toward me again.
He was positioned so I couldn’t get to the door without fighting him, and I wasn’t stupid enough to think I’d be able to overpower a demon who was nearly a foot taller than me and outweighed me by at least a hundred pounds. Looking to my side, I saw the table designed to restrain one’s partner, and decided I would only be able to jump over that if he was distracted. I’d moved into a position where I was sure the security cameras would get the best view of what was happening, in hopes that someone would notice I was in trouble. Of course, that was assuming Marcos hadn’t told security to ignore anyth
ing happening in this room. For the first time, I was truly afraid Marcos would let someone rape me because they’d paid him for the privilege.
One defensive spell finally came to mind, and I silently mouthed the words to the spell while pointing my finger at his crotch. My wrist cuffs not only dimmed my succubus powers, they also dimmed my rusty witch powers, but I still saw the blue arch of electricity zap through the air, making contact with the demon’s jeans.
He howled in pain, but it sadly wasn’t enough to take him down. I held the spell as I foolishly tried to leap over the table in four-inch heels. Slipping and nearly falling on the floor broke my concentration and released the demon from the spell.
The demon’s hand fisted in the back of my hair as he slammed me down onto the table. I struggled under his hold and then felt his body press behind me as his hot breath fanned across my face, nearly gagging me with the scent of sulfur. “If you’d cooperated the first time, it could have been fun for you. Now, I’m going to make you bleed.”
I opened my mouth to try another spell, but his hand clamped over it so hard my teeth cut into my lips. “Don’t even think about it, bitch,” he warned. “I’d love to hear you scream and watch your eyes fill with terror, but I’ll have to blindfold and gag you. No one told me you were a witch, too. I wonder if your blood will be even more potent.”
His leathery forked tongue scraped across my neck, and his penis lengthened against my back. I continued to struggle under his hold, refusing to just give in when I had a feeling he was not only planning to hurt me, but possibly kill me. With his hand still pressed tightly over my mouth and the weight of his body pressing down on me, he finally released my hair. “We need to take this party back to my place,” he said, and then I saw the syringe as he waved it in front of my face.
Sinfully Spellbound (Spells That Bind Book 1) Page 20
