Love Charms (102 page)

“Would you get Felipe a steak from the
fridge while I get dressed?” she asked, flouncing off naked, her ass cheeks
jiggling. Stunned speechless for a moment, the view truly incredible, he didn’t
have time to retort before he found himself alone with the cat. A cat who stood
and showed him his tail and ass end as it wandered away.

Emerging from the bathroom, he watched it
saunter into the kitchen, and Remy stalked after it. “I know you’re not a
pureblood hellcat. So what’s your game? And what do you want with my witch?” he
growled in a low voice.

The huge cat shrugged, the gesture so
human like, it took him aback.

“Did you find the meat?” Ysabel hollered
from the bedroom. “I had the butcher deliver some this morning because I had a
feeling Felipe was going to pop in.”

“I got it,” Remy snarled as he tore open
the fridge and pulled out something bloody wrapped in brown, wax paper. He
tossed the hunk of meat at the feline, trying not to wince as the huge jaws
opened and snapped shut on its meal.
I guess I should count myself lucky he
didn’t take a bite of me while I was distracted.
So distracted he never
heard a gigantic feline arrive. Pet or not, he already didn’t like the
creature.

Remy leaned against the counter with his
arms crossed. “I’m telling you right now to stay out of my way. She’s mine.” He
staked his claim in a low tone lest his words carry. He didn’t need Ysabel
freaking out over his caveman announcement. Because if one thing became certain
in that bathroom, and before he’d even touched her in a sexual manner, he
wanted her.

Holding her as she burned alive, victim
to a curse, he’d felt so many things– helpless, afraid, angry. He wanted
to hunt the other souls down, right that very minute and bring them back to
Hell so she wouldn’t hurt anymore. He wanted to ask Crax to let him aid in
their punishment, knowing they’d hurt his witch. Hell, he even wanted to take
Lucifer to task for putting such a ridiculous clause in her contract to start
with.

He and the cat stared each other down,
kind of disconcerting considering the giant beast also polished off the raw
meat all the while, maintaining his gaze. It licked its chops and Remy snorted.
“She has no idea does she? She thinks you’re just some plain ol’ cat.” The damn
thing practically laughed at him, chuffing at his statement. “How long have you
been hanging out around her?”

“I’ve had Felipe since he was a baby,”
she answered, coming into the room wearing jeans and a halter top. “Do you
often talk to animals? And of even more interest, do they answer back?”

“Just thinking aloud,” he lied. “So you
found him as a kitten and took him in. Pretty brave considering his mama can
track a flea through a swamp and would kill anyone who touched her kittens.”

“His mother was dead. I found him hiding
in the brush nearby, half-starved and covered in snake bites. Even though he
was just a baby, he was a fighter, weren’t you, Felipe?” she crooned scratching
his chin again.

Yeah, he couldn’t hold back his snort or
rolling eyes that time.

“What?” she asked, catching him in the
act.

“You do realize he’s a three ton killer
right?”

“Who would never hurt his mama, would
you, baby?” She rubbed her nose against him, and if it weren’t for the fact
Remy was insanely jealous of her treatment of the creature – who was
definitely more than he let on – he would have thought it funny. His
witch possessed even more facets than he knew. That of baby talking, crazy cat
lady was surprising – and cute.

“Don’t call me when he decides to bite
your face off one day.” He said it but didn’t believe it. Much as it disgusted
him to admit, Felipe wouldn’t hurt the witch. Although, he’d probably tear
apart anyone who tried.
I should count myself lucky he didn’t tear off a
limb when he caught me fooling around with her.

“I’d be more worried about somebody else
losing dangly bits,” she replied with a sly smile and a pointed look at his
covered groin.

It took a little more fortitude than he
liked not to cover his man-parts at her subtle threat, especially when the
damned feline bared its teeth. “You know, I liked you a lot more a few minutes
ago when you were just moaning, ‘Yes! Yes, Remy, you big stud muffin. Give it
to me.’”

The blush in her cheeks totally delighted
him.

“I said no such thing,” she huffed.

“But you thought it,” he replied with a
wink.

“You caught me during a weak moment. It
won’t happen again.”

“Oh yes it will, but next time, we won’t
get interrupted.” He’d make sure of it by dragging her to his place and locking
his door; bars, chains, deadbolt and more if needed.

“But aren’t you the one who loves an
audience?” And yes, she said it with a straight face.

“Witch.” He said it in a warning tone.

She smirked. “What, demon? Not used to
your sex dolls talking back?”

“If you weren’t hiding behind your cat…”

“You’d what? Take me over your knee and
spank me?”

“Yes. Then I’d lick those red cheeks.
Then your pussy before I tossed you onto your bed and fucked you.”

That threw her for a loop judging by the
flare of interest in her eyes and the way she bit her lower lip.  “You know
what, I’m almost still aroused enough to let you. But, not only will Felipe
tear off an important part if you try, we have work to do. This whole daily
barbecue thing is getting old real fast.”

Way to slap him with reality, however,
she was right. He needed to track those souls for her. Save her from the curse.
Buy groceries for a month. Block off the kitty’s access to the apartment. Then
he could put his plan into action, a pleasurable plan that would result in
chafing in sensitive places and a smile so silly he’d put clowns to shame.

First though, work. Because he couldn’t
do a thing until the job was done.

But she is so worth the effort.
And the aching blue balls. Sigh…

Chapter
Nine

As they travelled to a bar where Remy’s
source claimed some medieval spirit was harassing the girls, she couldn’t help
but relive what happened in her bathroom. And she didn’t mean the fabulous
climax Remy gave her and the second one that got interrupted.

He’d heard her scream, caught her in the
midst of her personal nightmare, and he didn’t run away or wait it out. He held
her. Stayed with her while it ran its course, and though his fire demon status
protected him from the flames, she still appreciated the gesture. Most males
would have walked away.

As if that weren’t astonishing enough, he
got angry. She couldn’t deny a certain pleasure in hearing him condemn
Francisco’s and the other’s actions, in knowing he wanted vengeance for her
death. It made her…like him.

It also made her vulnerable, so that when
he kissed her and touched her, she didn’t fight. For the first time in five
hundred years, she let a man caress her intimately – and she enjoyed it.
Wanted to do it again as a matter of fact.

But I can’t just throw myself at him like
some crazed old witch.
Desperate
wasn’t sexy, even if that was how she felt. Besides, judging by the way she
kept catching his eyes on her – filled with male appreciation and a
smoldering heat that promised wicked things – it was only a matter of
time before he seduced her again. She just needed to exercise some patience.

She also needed to practice reining in a
surprising jealousy. As soon as they walked into the strip joint, with naked
breasts hanging out everywhere and more cheeks than she could count with dental
floss tucked between them, the green eyed monster had her narrowing her gaze.
Something in her posture must have given her away.

Tucking her into his side, Remy dipped
his head low enough to murmur. “Sheath your claws, my sexy cougar. These slags
can’t hold a candle to you.”

Startled he’d read her so easily, she
peeked up at him. He winked. She warmed. And then he ruined the moment. “Of
course, I wouldn’t be against you getting a glittery thong and dancing around a
pole.”

“In your dreams, demon.”

“You have. And might I say,” he crooned
in the shell of her ear, “that your finishing move atop my pole is the best
I’ve ever seen.”

Shaking her head at his crude, sexual
one-liners – and blushing at the backwards compliment – she left
his side and strode into the den of iniquity. Talk about a dump.

On the far edge of the ninth circle,
where the lowest of the low lived, any attempts at niceties evaporated. The
lighting barely illuminated the smoky tavern, which given how her feet stuck to
the floor, probably counted as a good thing. The dancers were listless, their
bodies all marred by some type of imperfection, from a lopsided set of breasts,
to the legless female who swung around on her arms.

Then again, the patrons weren’t much
better. A more disreputable group she’d never seen, and she’d seen a lot as
Lucifer’s assistant. The dregs of society seemed to have congregated in this
forsaken place – and forgotten to bathe. She made a mental note to have
the health inspection unit pay a visit. The dancers deserved better, and as for
the men, there were always dirty jobs in need of dispensable crew.

Who cared if the place was a festering
plague just waiting to infect? She needed to find Alvaro. It seemed, unlike the
previous two souls, he liked his new home in Hell and didn’t stray to the
mortal side. He also liked to make a nuisance of himself with girls just trying
to eke out a living.

Given Lucifer’s policy on rape –
which he considered on a wholly different level than sexual harassment –
word moved quickly about the fellow who thought it was okay to pinch and fondle
the girls at work despite their repeated ‘No’s. He’d even gotten kicked out of
a few strip bars before this one.

And judging by the crack that sounded
– a well-deserved slap she’d wager – Alvaro was moments away from
getting the bum rush once again.

Given her diminutive height, Ysabel
didn’t manage to see her prey until she landed almost on top of him. A taller
demon fellow moved suddenly out of the way and brought her in direct view of
Alvaro. His eyes widened in shock, but only for a moment before he grinned,
displaying a gap toothed mien, which given the state of decay, made her vow to
brush her teeth three times a day.

“Hello, Alvaro.”

Unlike her previous two escapees, he
didn’t engage her in conversation. Waving goodbye, he slid out of his seat and
bolted. As if Ysabel would let him get away so easily.

She took off after him, only to stop
short when a large body stepped in her path. His size, while incredible,
couldn’t hold a candle to his rancid stench and hairiness. Holding her breath,
she tried to veer around the revolting frame, careful not to touch lest she
need to cut off her hand to prevent infection, but the idiot in her path
jiggled from side to side matching and blocking her attempts to get around.

“Would you move out of my way?” she
snapped, glaring up at the brutish male who seemed determined to thwart her.

“You’re new,” the guy possessed of
trollish ancestry, or so she assumed given his green hue, flat nose and tusks,
stated. “Show me what you got.”

“I’m not a dancer.”

“Don’t care. You’re pretty. I like pretty
things,” he rumbled reaching out a paw to grab her.

She evaded his grip, but it didn’t stop
him from swiping at her again. The things she had to put up with because she
owned two breasts.
Time to show him to respect the ladies.
She chanted
under her breath, and waggled her fingers. The massive male in front of her
shrank, and shrank, then diminished in size some more until he stood waist
high. She crouched in front of him with a smirk.

“Next time a witch tells you to move,
don’t talk back.”

“Bitch!” he yelled.

She wiggled her fingers again and he
squeaked before running off. But her fiasco with the troll had cost her
precious time. Alvaro had fled. He also wasn’t the only one missing.

Just where did my demon guard go?
Remy had also disappeared.
He’d better
not have gone off somewhere private with one of those sluts.
Not that she
cared. Really. A claim that screamed ‘Lie’ with every stomp she took as she
exited the bar.

Hands on her hips she peered up and down
the refuse lined street. “Stupid, good for nothing, testosterone laden…”

“You called?” Remy’s query came from
behind her.

Whirling, she meant to glare at him, but
instead gasped, “You caught him!”

He sure had. Hanging from Remy’s grasp,
looking none too happy, was one village drunk named Alvaro. Back in the day,
he’d claimed, to all who would listen, that he’d seen her flying her broom and
dancing naked around fires. The fact he was a drunken wastrel who barely
remembered his own name let alone recalled what happened five minutes previous
didn’t matter to the people anxious to condemn her. It just added fuel to the
charges against her.

Funny thing though, was the things he
accused her of were true. He’d just never actually witnessed them.

“Of course I caught him. While you were
busy playing with the patrons and taunting them with what they couldn’t have, I
was out earning a kiss.”

“Only a kiss?” she teased, immeasurable
happy for some reason that he’d not found a dark corner to screw a slut but
instead, kept to their task. And now he wanted a reward,
from me!

“Dammit. I knew I should have held out
for more.”

“Argh. Someone get me some ale. The pair
of you are making me sick.”

“Shut it,” they both told Alvaro at the
same time. Pulling out her tag, she slapped it on his body and waved good bye
as he got sucked back to prison.

“I’m surprised you didn’t keep him to
question.”

She shrugged. “Why bother? If he’s like
the last two, we won’t learn anything. Besides, I believe I owe you a kiss.”
Did those wanton words come from her? They did, but she didn’t need to worry if
he thought her presumptuous because she no sooner spoke than Remy scooped her
into his arms and plastered his lips over hers.

Just as toe curling as before, his
embrace woke her body, roused her need. She clung to him, tasted him and
hungered.

“Hey mate. Mind passing her along when
you’re done?”

As rude interruptions went, it ranked
high, but the fist Remy put in the idiot’s face, sending him flying proved
beyond delightful. She laughed, a soft sound at first that grew as he growled
in the direction of the crowd of thugs gathered to watch them.

“I fail to see the humor,” he muttered as
he beckoned those waiting with crooked fingers.

“It’s just, he said the kind of thing
I’ve come to expect from you. So I find it funny that you would get so mad
about it.”

He turned his head and hit her with the
full force of his stare. “When it comes to you, my little cougar, I won’t
share. You belong to me. And I want everyone in Hell to know it.”

The declaration, blood thirsty and
unexpected, left her speechless – and even more aroused than before, a
heat that rose with each thug he took down. With flashing fists, well aimed
kicks and a savage grace that made her cheer, he eradicated the fiends who
thought to attack him and then take her. Not that it would have happened. She
had more than enough magic to send them crying, but the gallant gesture, one
she’d never experienced before, at least not aimed at her, made her happy. More
than happy, she discovered in that moment, she liked Remy. Really, really liked
him. Was perhaps even falling in love.

It should have sent her screaming. Or
made her turn him into a fire-lizard. Instead, as soon as he was done wiping
the ground with his assailants, she threw morals and caution to the wind,
jumping into his arms and laying the kiss of all kisses on him.

* * *

Of all the places she could have decided
to seduce him, she chose the worst, Remy thought, not that he stopped her. On
the contrary, he let Ysabel wrap herself around his body and with one eye on
the shadows and the threat they might contain, he carried her to the nearest
portal and in no time had them back in the primary ring, outside of the castle.

All the while, they kissed. Even groped a
little. Hot, hard and hungry for her, he didn’t dare let her up for air lest
she change her mind. Besides, it wasn’t as if he could have stopped. His need
for her seemed bottomless, and despite the odd looks they garnered on their
trek – stares he caught and, with a rude gesture, halted – he
didn’t stop, nor did he let himself think about what it meant. What she meant
to him. He did know that his earlier claim that she belonged to him felt right.
As did his fight to take down the unworthy bastards who thought to fantasize
about his witch.
My witch. And no one gets to think about her doing the
naughty but me. With me.

A part of him should have panicked at the
possessive feeling she evoked. Ran screaming into the wilds at how she seemed
to consume every part of him, from his body, to his heart, and what he owned of
his soul – Lucifer, as Lord of this domain, owned the rest. Instead of
looking for ways to leave without a trace, though, a fierce joy possessed him.
He didn’t understand it, but he embraced it, and let her feel his inexplicable
happiness in his kiss and touch. But seriously, he needed to find them a private
spot or else he’d end up doing something crazy like fucking her in public, and
while necking could pass muster, he somehow doubted the actual act would. And
what she thought, what she experienced their first time together, mattered.
That
and I’d prefer to not have her kill me.
Not to mention, the things he
wanted to do to her…Yeah, he wanted no one to see her naked, sighing and
squirming but him.

So he needed to find a room, which
presented a dilemma. Where to go?

He vetoed her apartment because he didn’t
fancy any interruptions – or chewed off body parts – from her
damned cat. Which left him his place, well, more like his room. He’d never
gotten around to really getting his own apartment given his assignments sent
him all over the place. Most nights, he slept in some lucky female’s bed, and
when he took a night off, he boarded in a barrack.

When working close to the castle, and in
between girlfriends, he tended to live at home. Call him a momma’s boy and he’d
pull your intestines out of your belly button and make you siphon them like
spaghetti. But, really, he did enjoy the perks of home life from the laundry
and mending, to the home cooked meals. Sure, he occasionally had to deal with
some inconveniences like when his mother covered all the windows, got rid of
all the lights and candles so the imps couldn’t find and steal her smuggled
Oreo cookies. But the paranoia wasn’t her fault. He had a weakness for the
sugary sweet centers, not that he admitted his culpability. She’d shaved him
bald while he slept the last time she caught him stealing her treats.

But Mom left on that holiday to the
beach, so no worries about her barging in and saying something embarrassing.
Or crazy. Part fire demon, a whole lot of
nuts, and the one who raised him, his mother took getting used to. Although,
most of the time she acted as a great deterrent to overeager females who wanted
to get their claws in him. Great usually, except he didn’t want Ysabel to run
far, far away.
But if I intend to keep her, which seems more and more likely,
she’ll eventually have to meet Mom.