I tried to open my mouth to bite him, but it was useless. Helpless tears streamed down my cheeks as I stared at the door, willing it to open.
“Don’t cry,” he said with a chuckle. “I’ll make sure you’re wide awake for play time. I wouldn’t want you to miss the fun.”
The door slammed open, and I was surprised to see Trevor and Marcos rush into the room.
“Get the fuck off her,” Marcos practically growled, much to my surprise. I hadn’t actually expected him to come to my rescue. My hope had been that someone on security would help me, even if Marcos had told them to ignore the happenings in this room.
Trevor mouthed a spell, and the demon slammed into the wall, muttering vile threats of things he wanted to do to me, things that would probably give me nightmares for weeks, as if what had just happened wasn’t enough to do that.
“Are you okay, Allie?” Trevor asked as he helped me up from the table and pulled me close.
I nodded because I couldn’t do much more after the shock of the attack. The demon broke free from Trevor’s binding spell and slammed the back of his hand against the wall so hard that large cracks formed in the plaster.
“You’re going to pay for this, bitch,” the demon growled with black foam frothing at the corners of his mouth.
“Don’t threaten people in my club, asshole,” Marcos hissed, taking a menacing step toward the demon.
“What are you going to do about it?” the demon taunted. “I possess power you can’t even imagine.”
“You also just broke a binding spell in front of my security cameras,” Marcos said, motioning to the camera mounted near the ceiling. “Security has probably already alerted the police of your activities, and I’m sure they’ll want to know what you’ve done to gain that kind of power. Either you’ve hired someone to work some very dark magic for you—death magic would be my guess—or you’ve made a deal with someone very bad. Do you really want to stick around and explain this to the police?”
The demon glared at me like he was imagining killing me very slowly, and that was if I was lucky. There was a lot of hate in his beady black eyes. “This isn’t over,” he said before storming out of the room.
“You’re just going to let him walk away after what he did?” Trevor demanded.
I wanted to yell at Marcos, too, but I just didn’t have it in me at the moment.
“He won’t get far,” Marcos said with an indifferent shrug. “Security will do their best to stop him when he walks out of the club, and the police are already on their way.”
“And if they don’t catch him?” Trevor pushed.
“Knock it off, Trevor,” I said with an exasperated sigh. “If he broke your binding spell, there was nothing Marcos could have done to keep him here.”
Marcos’ eyes widened with surprise, probably not expecting me to defend him. That made two of us who were surprised, because I hadn’t expected Marcos to come to my rescue.
“Why don’t you take the rest of the night off with pay, Al,” Marcos suggested, shocking me even more.
“What?” I asked, because I must have misheard him. Slow night or not, Marcos wasn’t the type to let anyone go home early, and he sure as hell wasn’t the type to offer to pay them.
Marcos gave me an impatient look. “You heard me,” he snapped. “Don’t make me repeat my kind offer. Giving away money hurts me.”
I nodded and almost laughed. “Thanks, Marcos,” I said somewhat awkwardly, because I really wasn’t used to thanking him for anything, mostly because Marcos didn’t do nice things for people.
“Come on, Allie,” Trevor said, guiding me out of the room with an arm around my shoulders. “I’ll call Dylan to let him know what happened while you gather up your things.”
“Do we really have to tell him?” I asked, because I already knew Dylan was going to lose it when he found out, and I wasn’t sure I could handle him getting even more overprotective. As if it wasn’t bad enough that I’d been stalked by a killer one night, now I’d almost been attacked by a demon at work.
“Yes, we have to tell him,” Trevor said with a sigh. “Dylan needs to know what’s going on to keep you safe.”
We made our way to the locker room so I could gather up my belongings. Trevor waited just inside the door and made his call to Dylan. Doing my best to tune out Trevor’s conversation, I fumbled with the combination on my locker. It took several tries to get it open, and I have no idea how long it took my brain to function enough to gather up all my belongings.
When I turned, I found Trevor watching me with genuine concern.
“This was just some crazy customer,” I said. “I had a run-in with him the night I was followed. Maybe he’s the one who was following me, and it has nothing to do with the murders.”
“That demon could be the killer,” Trevor said, and I felt a shiver of fear run through my body. That was something I hadn’t considered, even when I’d been sure he was going to kill me.
“You think he might be the killer?” I asked in a shaky voice.
“It’s possible,” Trevor said gently. “Based on what I saw tonight, he wouldn’t have any reservations about committing murder. That type of demon can be vicious.”
“I just wish Dylan didn’t know about this,” I muttered. “I’ll bet he lost it when you told him what almost happened tonight.”
“Is that the real reason you didn’t want me to tell him?” Trevor asked, and I could tell he didn’t believe that was it.
I shook my head. “This may sound crazy, but Dylan knowing makes it seem more real. I’m barely holding it together, and I’m afraid of breaking down with him.”
Trevor stopped and turned me to face him with a hand on my shoulder. “I know you’re scared of what’s going on right now.”
I snorted. “Duh. Who wouldn’t be afraid when someone might be trying to kill them?”
“I didn’t mean that,” he said. “You’re afraid of Dylan hurting you.”
“Duh, for that, too,” I said.
“Do you trust me?” he asked.
“Of course, I trust you. You’re one of my closest friends, Trevor.” I gave him a wobbly smile.
“Dylan’s going to do his best to avoid hurting you in any way,” he assured me. “If I didn’t believe that, I’d be warning you to stay away from him.”
Trevor was right, but there was this part of me that couldn’t let go of my fear. “I know. Dylan’s a good man, but I’m not convinced I’ll ever be enough for him. I’m not a full witch, and I’m not even very powerful. I’ll always be more succubus than witch.”
“You don’t give yourself nearly enough credit,” he said with a frown. “You passed your witch tests the first time, and there are plenty of witches who take it multiple times before passing. From what I heard, you also did great in school.”
I snorted. “The witch tests were mostly about remembering stuff in books. I don’t even remember the last time I used a spell for anything, other than the weak self-defense spell I tried tonight. Look how much good that did me.”
“Sure, you’re rusty, but that’s only because you haven’t been using your witch abilities,” Trevor insisted. “Besides, I don’t think Dylan cares if you can cast a spell or not. Your magic complements his. That first night, I was too busy worrying about how you hooking up with him would affect me, or I would have noticed the moment you met.”
I wanted to argue, but mostly, I wanted to believe what he said because I was really starting to hope I could have a future with Dylan. I was starting to believe in insane things like being happy with one warlock for the rest of my life, and that terrified me.
We’d been standing in an alcove just inside the front of the club having this conversation, ignoring the buzz of voices around us, but the buzzing of Trevor’s phone grabbed his full attention, and he scanned the message quickly before slipping an arm around my shoulders.
“Your ride’s here,” Trevor said as he led me out to the familiar car.
“You
asked Dylan to pick me up?” I was torn between annoyance, anxiety, and relief.
“He was in the city already and insisted on coming to get you,” Trevor explained.
Chapter Forty-Six
Dylan
Despite the fact that I’d been in the middle of a meeting with a very powerful vampire family that could bring my little law firm a lot of business, Trevor’s call had been enough to make me drop everything. Already in the city, it had only taken me fifteen annoyingly long minutes to get to SpellBinders. Security was giving me the evil eye when I parked in the loading zone, but they could go fuck themselves. Allie was not walking any further than the curb after what had nearly happened tonight.
I changed my mind about her walking to the curb when I saw her tucked under Trevor’s arm. Without a thought, my feet were already moving as I stalked toward her. When I reached Trevor, our eyes locked for a moment, and he simply nodded, stepping back to let me pull Allie against my chest. That was when she burst into tears.
“Hush,” I soothed against the top of her hair. “You’re safe now,” I assured her, which actually made her cry harder.
“She’s pretty shaken up by the whole thing,” Trevor said, as if that weren’t obvious, but I didn’t call him on it because I could see he was pretty shaken up, too.
“I’m surprised that asshole Marcos is letting her go home,” I muttered.
“It was his idea,” Allie said around a sniffle.
“He’s also the one who saved her,” Trevor explained. “A demon trapped her in a room she was cleaning, and Marcos caught what was happening when checking the security cameras. He grabbed me on the way to the room,” Trevor explained.
There were no words to describe my shock. “I guess Marcos isn’t as much of an asshole as I thought.”
“He’s still an asshole,” Trevor said. “I would bet my left nut his actions weren’t simply to help Allie.”
“Agreed.” Allie’s sobs had subsided some. I needed to get her home so I could take care of her, and possibly put my fist through a wall to release some of my frustration. “I’m going to take Allie home. Have the police been called?”
Trevor nodded. “I pulled Allie into an alcove when the police showed up. They were on their way back to Marcos’ office. While I know she needs to talk to them, I figured it could wait until tomorrow since she’s not likely to provide more details than the security camera can.”
“Thanks, Trev,” I said, beyond grateful to my friend for taking care of my witch.
“No need to thank me,” Trevor said. “I’m going back in to talk to the police before I head home. Take care of her.”
“Always,” I said with sincerity before scooping Allie up in my arms and carrying her to the car. The fact that she hadn’t argued with me or insisted she could walk on her own was proof she wasn’t herself.
After I had her buckled in, I rushed to my side, climbed in, and pulled away from the curb.
“Sorry for scaring you tonight,” Allie said quietly.
I almost laughed at her apology. Not because it was funny, so much as because it was crazy that she’d apologize. “None of this is your fault,” I assured her.
I didn’t push her to talk because I knew she was upset. Hell, I couldn’t blame her. Trevor hadn’t given me all the details, and as much as I wanted them now, I could wait until Allie was ready to talk. How was I supposed to relax, knowing this kind of thing could happen to her at work?
“You were right,” she murmured about ten minutes later.
“About what," I asked.
“I need to quit my job,” she acknowledged, and I had trouble containing my relief. “I don’t know what I’m going to do about the sex part, but I can’t deal with this crap anymore.”
“It’s okay, sweetheart,” I soothed, reaching over to give her thigh a gentle squeeze. “We’ll work this out.”
Chapter Forty-Seven
Allie
I’d never been the type of woman to let a man take care of me. Sure, I’d had a few boyfriends, but I’d never been able to fully rely on them. Two were human, so I’d known those relationships wouldn’t last long. Eventually, a human would have figured out I was different, so I’d never completely opened up to them. Then there was Chad, who’d always been somewhat embarrassed by me.
Even my own father hadn’t been around too much when I was growing up. That wasn’t completely his fault, since my mom didn’t want him involved, but I always got the impression it was easier for him not seeing me often. That was why I wasn’t very close to my half-sisters. Sure, we got along fine, but I hadn’t called to tell them about what was going on, and none of them had called to ask if I was okay. My father would have told them about the murders and me being a potential victim. Mel had six half-sisters from her mom’s first marriage to my uncle, Demetrius, and they were all close, like sisters should be. My three sisters were nice to me, and sometimes they even invited me to do things with them, but we’d never be true sisters.
“What are you thinking so hard about,” Dylan asked as he carried me into his home.
“My sisters,” I admitted.
“Strange thing to think about at a time like this,” he mused.
“My mind is just taking a rambling journey.”
Dylan carried me upstairs to his bedroom, where he laid me on the bed, then leaned down to kiss my nose. “I’ll be right back,” he said as he disappeared into the bathroom.
I heard the water, so I knew he was running a bath and wondered if Dylan was planning to seduce me in his bathtub made for four. Tempting as that might normally be, I wasn’t sure I had the energy after what had almost happened at work tonight.
A few minutes later, Dylan returned wearing only his dress pants. Seeing him shirtless and barefoot, I was beginning to believe I might be up for a little seduction in the bathtub.
“Your bath is ready,” Dylan said as he leaned down to scoop me up in his arms again.
“Is this just your attempt to get me naked and wet?” I asked with a smile—it was a little wobbly, but still a smile.
Dylan chuckled. “It’s good to see you’re getting your sense of humor back.”
“Who said I was joking?”
“You’re taking a bath, nothing more,” he insisted. “It’s been one hell of a night, and you need to relax.”
“Will you at least join me?” I asked as Dylan set me on my feet and reached behind me to unzip my dress.
“You’re going to be the death of me, sweetheart,” Dylan said with a groan as he handed me the wrist cuffs I wore when I showered. “I’m trying to be a gentleman, and that’s not going to be easy with your naked body pressed against mine in the tub.”
After a pause, I decided to be completely honest with him. “I really need you to hold me.”
When I looked up, I was met with Dylan’s shocked expression. “I’ll give you anything you need,” he promised before helping me undress and then lifting me into the bathtub.
Dylan slid in behind me, and I rested my head against his chest, sighing at how good it felt to just have him with me like this.
“Thank you for coming to get me at SpellBinders,” I said, and I felt him relax even more behind me.
“I’ll always come get you when you need me,” he told me, his hands sliding around to rest on my waist. “Don’t ever forget that, Allie.”
We soaked in the tub in silence for several minutes. Dylan’s hands remained on my waist as I stroked his thighs with my own. All the while, I could feel his erection throbbing against my back. The only sound Dylan made was a strangled moan as he fought to maintain his self-control. As for me, feeling Dylan’s body pressed against mine in the warm water was causing a dull ache of arousal to start in my core.
“I need you so much, Dylan,” I breathed out, and this time, his moan was much louder.
I felt Dylan’s power flare, wrapping around me and sliding along my skin. It wasn’t like when he was trying to seduce me, even though it did have the same effec
t on my body in many ways. What I felt was Dylan soothing me, and then I realized it was more than just his power flowing over my skin; my own power was reaching out to his, and both were moving along not only my body, but Dylan’s, too. He was just as turned on as I was, but he was also feeling the same dazed sense of peace. The combination was strangely erotic, and I suddenly lost all interest in my bath.
“I want to feel all of you inside of me,” I practically pleaded, and it went beyond just the need for sex, delving into something much deeper.
Chapter Forty-Eight
Dylan
This wasn’t supposed to be a seduction. I’d promised myself I would only take care of Allie after what she’d gone through, but her soft pleas and the way her power moved along my cock was stripping away my self-control. Who was I kidding? Self-control was always in short supply when Allie was anywhere near me. By near me, I mean within a ten-mile radius. Still, I had to try to behave, much as it pained me to do so.
“We don’t have to do this,” I said.
“I need to feel someone touching me who doesn’t want to hurt me,” she insisted with a vulnerability that broke my resolve.
I stood and stepped out of the tub to help Allie out. No words were spoken as I wrapped the soft towel around her body and leaned in to kiss her. It wasn’t easy holding myself back when I wanted so desperately to prove she was safe and alive. More than that, I wanted this to be nothing like the attack at SpellBinders. I wanted this to be gentle, and I wanted to prove to her how much she meant to me.
Allie moaned, and her hands gripped my shoulders as her tongue stroked mine.
“Are you sure?” I asked, pulling back to study her face. “We don’t have to do this tonight if you aren’t ready.”
Allie’s answer was to open the towel and let it drop to the bathroom floor. When she looked behind her at the bathroom counter, I shook my head, knowing she could see it in the mirror.
“Why not?” she asked. “It’s the right height.”
Sinfully Spellbound (Spells That Bind Book 1) Page 21
