by LJ Swallow
“Fucking hell,” breathes Xander.
“Why didn't you get Joss to help?” I ask.
“Because I didn't know where the dog went. I heard the kids upstairs yelling for help and thought it might be up there.”
Vee shakes out her hands as if shaking some of the energy away. “Everybody is okay now.”
“I hope so. Where did the dog go?”
I snort. “He found Vee and me. He wasn't very friendly.”
“Did it bite you?” Xander waves a hand at my shoulder.
“Yeah. Not badly. Shifter not a dog.”
Xander nods, unsurprised. “Dead?”
“Yeah, or the bacteria will be working its way through his system and he soon will be.”
Joss appears on the stairs with three boys half-hidden behind him, eyes wide. Xander grabs a grey blanket from the armchair and chucks it over the demon's body.
“How do you explain what's in the room to the boys?” Vee asks in a low voice.
“Never mind that. Where are those dolls?” asks Joss.
I point to where they fell on the floor when Xander picked up the blanket. “There. Why?”
“She put our blood on them,” says one of the boys in a small voice. “Is she a witch?”
“Holy shit.” I reach down and grab the effigies, then toss them into the fire. The shapes burn brightly, spitting blue sparks before burning away.
“What was she going to do?” asks Vee.
Xander glances at the boys then says in a low voice, “I'm not sure. Changelings maybe.”
Vee's mouth parts and I close my eyes. It's not that she doesn't totally understand the situation in her new life at times, but that she knows little about the extent of what lies beneath society's fabric.
“Clever trick with the sweets,” says Joss to the boys and I smile at his attempt to distract them. “Whose idea was that?”
One nudges the other. “Ed's. He's smart.”
“Wasn't very smart coming out here though, was it?” asks Xander.
They tense and Vee shoves him. “They weren't to know what would happen.”
“Yeah, but this gives us a bloody big headache,” he mutters. “Do you know how hard it is explaining this shit to people. What do we say to their parents?”
“No! Don't tell my mum!” protests one of the boys. “She told me not to go far from home tonight! Mum will take my phone and laptop away.”
Joss laughs under his breath. “Fate worse than death, hey, Ewan?”
I pull a face. Yeah, the only thing I own that I value more than my laptop is my bike, but nobody would ever have a chance to take either from me.
Joss steps down the stairs to allow the boys past. “Okay, let me take you home, and we'll think of an excuse on the way there.”
Xander watches them leave and stares down at the covered body, rubbing his mouth. “Why can't memory wiping be one of our powers? That would make these situations a hell of a lot easier.”
I shrug. “Maybe someone with those powers will be our Sixth Horseman?”
Xander's look is the evilest thing I've seen tonight. “Don't even joke about that.”
9
VEE
I'm exhausted and elated, my usual combination when I've spent an evening with the boys that ends in me using my powers. I'd worried Halloween would bring challenges but thought those would be unwanted guests at Kailey's party. I never expected to encounter demons in fields and stopping children from being replaced by changelings.
Xander and the guys aren’t entirely sure what the Roggenmuhme’s plan was. The boys told us they found a dog wandering the road and stopped to catch it. A woman was searching for the dog too, and they returned him to her. Apart from he definitely wasn’t a dog. The dead body we returned to outside the house, after killing the demon, was a man’s—her demon husband? The kids can’t remember what happened next, or how they found themselves in a strange house.
Joss suggested the couple wanted children so decided to take some. The thoughts at what might’ve happened to them shivered through me as we returned the boys to their street and watched as they went home. Xander didn’t want anymore involvement.
The quiet house welcomes us after the chaotic, loud party. The shrieks still ring in my ears, even after a couple of hours away from the little darlings.
I'm unsurprised when the guys immediately help themselves to beers and sink into the chairs in the lounge. I'm still wearing Ewan's jacket, and I delve into the pockets to pull out the gifts Kailey gave me as we left.
I flop on the sofa between Joss and Heath and rest my head on Heath's shoulder as I unwrap the small chocolate bar. Maybe if I satisfy myself with chocolate, I won't look to one of the guys for a different kind of satisfaction. They look exhausted. Heath's half asleep already. He complained on the way home that we had the better deal while he was stuck with the kids entering sugar highs.
The chocolate doesn't satisfy me, and my blood runs hotter as I'm squeezed between both guys, their legs pressing against mine. One day, I'll get a proper handle on how to control this sexual need that follows me.
I'm left in the room with Xander as the others walk away one by one. I've heard Xander complain that his brother broods too much, but Xander is often lost in thought too. Xander hides his emotions better than Heath. He runs his thumb around the bottleneck without speaking.
I pause to look back at him as I leave. “Are you okay?” I ask.
“Yeah, just thinking over tonight. Halloween usually ends in chaos for us, but I hate dealing with attacks on humans.”
“Maybe it's good we were forced to the party; otherwise we might never have seen what happened to the kids.”
Xander drains his bottle and stands. “Think about how often things like tonight happen and we don't stop it. Every time I see missing person reports, it sickens me.”
I look up at him. “You can't watch every person, every day.”
“Yeah, I know. I try to look at the bigger picture, but our ultimate role is protecting people.” He stands too. “Are you okay?”
“Yes.”
But he isn't.
I approach and touch his face; for once he doesn't flinch but allows me to keep my fingers on his cheek. He's smoothly shaven, but his clothes are dishevelled from the fight.
“I don't think you are,” I say.
“Long night. Those bloody kids,” he says with a weak smile. Despite his dismissive words, there's a weariness about Xander I haven't seen since we struggled to work without help from the fae.
“You hardly interacted with them! You hid outside.”
He takes my hand from his cheek and squeezes my fingers. “I'd better move before you pin me down and try to seduce me.”
Xander's joke holds a truth; I'm learning to deal with the rush of sexual energy that comes after I use my powers, but the need for release doesn't leave. Heath told me our sex energises him, something I've noticed when we spend long and pleasurable nights together.
Xander avoids physical contact with me when I'm in this state of mind and arousal. We both struggle against losing control when we're close, and Xander hates unleashing the emotion that comes with this.
So we avoid the thing we both desire—each other.
“You're safe,” I say with a smile, even though my body already responds with the images he's putting in my head.
“Your eyes tell me I might not be,” he whispers.
I tense and attempt to push down the voice in my head suggesting I follow through and kiss him. The one that pushes me to suggest we indulge in some hard and fast sex, and we'd pull back the tension between us for a few days.
Oh god, don't think about this.
I stare at his mouth and ache that he denies how he feels or what he wants. But I understand. Every one of them is okay with this dynamic; they just act in different ways.
And Xander isn't ready to reveal himself and trust me the way the others do.
I nod but can read that Xander's desires match mine when I look int
o his darkened eyes. He turns his head to break the connection. “Night, Vee.”
As he heads through the door, I watch. Recently we've broken through the wall between us, but the hole is small and easily covered. I'm happy he's allowing me closer, and that we fight less. But the friction is hard to deal with.
I turn my thoughts to Ewan. I'm worried after his reaction after we killed the demons. I've never witnessed him use his pestilence powers, though I saw the result once, on the night I was attacked in the club. The guys often choose weapons over their powers as they have the opposite effect than me—it takes energy from them.
But Ewan's frustration and not wanting me near him concerns me.
I walk upstairs and creep along the quiet carpeted hallway.
Rapping on Ewan's the door, I call “Trick or treat!” in a light-hearted tone.
The door clicks open, and Ewan appears. Naked. Almost. A dark blue towel is slung and knotted low around his hips, barely reaching his knees, but aside from that… naked.
My breath disappears. Not helpful, but oh so helpful.
Oh no.
Don't let this take over.
I close my eyes, but the image of his firm, muscular chest covered in tattoos and glistening with water won't leave either.
Ewan runs a hand through his damp, messy hair and I'm distracted as he licks away the drops of water from his lips. “Have you come to trick me or treat me?”
In the past, men who look like Ewan would have me reddening and stumbling over my words in response to this question asked in a suggestive tone. These days, no.
“That depends on which you'd prefer. I have some treats that Kailey gave me.” I pull a lollipop from my pocket.
He arches a brow.
“I came to see how you are after tonight, Ewan.”
“What do you mean?”
I point at the teeth marks on his shoulder; the skin surrounding is red but the wound already faded.
“I'm okay.” He doesn't take his eyes from mine.
The darkened look reflects what I'm thinking, and I hold his look. Do. Not. Look. At. His. Body. Otherwise, my hormone-fuelled, post-killing side will have him on the bed in seconds.
I fail, and my eyes drift downwards, taking in the site of solid, ink-covered abs and the light trail of hair disappearing into the knotted towel.
Oh, hell.
I'm fooling myself. I can't use the excuse I killed tonight as the reason I want Ewan; the sheer presence of this man, almost naked would undo any woman's resolve.
I move closer and place my lips against his cheek. His skin is soft, the rough scruff shaved in his shower.
“Don't kiss me, Vee,” he whispers, but his hands grip my hips and hold me in place.
“I wasn't going to, but you're too bloody tempting, Ewan.”
“How was I to know you'd stalk me to my room for sex?”
“I was not stalking.” I press myself against his cool, damp chest and wrap my arms around his neck. “I was worried about you.”
“You know nothing hurts us for long,” he murmurs.
Ewan's face remains close, his breath against my lips. I tip my head and meet his mouth curling a hand around his neck to pull him closer. Ewan circles an arm around my waist and holds me as his lips press harder against mine. The warm pressure of his mouth moves from tentative to firm as I eagerly respond, pressing myself into him. Ewan's grip on my waist tightens, and he slides his hand into my hair. Mouth harder against mine, Ewan parts my lips with his tongue, exploring as I push mine against his.
I drop the lollipop and run both hands along his smooth back and grip his shoulders and Ewan holds me tightly as if I might fall if he lets go. My arousal by just a kiss shouldn't shock me, neither should what my body craves.
Ewan moves his head to look at me, eyes darkened with a desire matching mine. We could kiss again, our lips close enough that they still feel connected.
Or we could do more.
I loosen the knot and the towel drops to the floor. Unable to resist, I slide my hands behind and grab his ass. His arousal pushes against my stomach, and he reaches over my head to push the door closed.
Not taking his lust-filled eyes from mine, Ewan pulls at the lace fastening my costume's bodice. “You never said, Vee. Trick or treat?”
I smile at his question. How could a girl resist this treat?
The End
The Four Horsemen Series
A reverse harem paranormal romance
What’s worse than being pursued by the Four Horsemen? Discovering you’re the Fifth.
Legacy (99c)
AMAZON
Bound
AMAZON
Hunted
AMAZON
Guardians
Available December 2017
AMAZON
Chaos - Available January 2018
Other books for release 2018
OTHER BOOKS BY LJ SWALLOW
The Soul Ties series
New Adult Paranormal Romance/Urban Fantasy
Fated Souls: A Prequel Novella
AMAZON US
AMAZON UK
Soul Ties
AMAZON US
AMAZON UK
Torn Souls
(Jack & Dahlia’s story)
Amazon
AMAZON US
AMAZON UK
Shattered Souls
Releases 2017/2018
Touched By The Dark
Paranormal romance/Urban fantasy
AMAZON US
AMAZON UK
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About the Author
LJ Swallow is a USA Today bestselling paranormal romance and urban fantasy author who is the alter-ego of USA Today bestselling contemporary romance author Lisa Swallow.
Giving in to her dark side, LJ spends time creating worlds filled with supernatural creatures who don’t fit the norm, and heroines who are more likely to kick ass than sit on theirs.
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