Playing with Monsters (20 page)

I swallowed at the heat in his eyes. “I come from a long line of highly sought-after witches, so I guess being from my bloodline has its perks. I think women should think for themselves, and about being hot, there’s prettier girls here tonight.”

“Anything you want to ask me?” he said after he nodded at my answer.

“Where did your coven originate; was it Park City?” I asked curiously.

“Salem. However, mine headed west a long time after yours passed through and paved the way for us to do so. Instead of coming to where your coven was, ours moved south down to Texas, where we remained in the shadows, much as your coven did.”

“Texas.” Well, it explained his perfect tan and rough hands. He obviously wasn’t afraid of hard work. “How did you end up in Utah?”

“Aww, that’s two questions and it’s my turn,” he said with a soft smile. “Tell me, are you looking to get married before the Awakening and skip this entire charade, or are you seriously planning to allow a bunch of dead people to choose for you?” There was almost a hint of a dare in his eyes as he took a sip from his drink.

“Are you asking me to marry you?” I countered and he shook his head again as he smiled against the drink.

“Ah, you’re dodging the question, naughty girl,” he whispered with enough heat in his eyes to melt my insides.

“I’m not sure what I’ll do, but I do know that I’ll do whatever is needed to unlock my powers and take my place in the coven.”

“Good answer,” he replied easily.

“Now answer
my
question; did you ask me to marry you?” I watched as his eyes narrowed with heat.

“Only if you plan to say yes, because if you say no, you’ll break my heart,” he countered.

I laughed.

“Tell me; are all the guys in your coven as limp as their powers currently are?”

“Excuse me?” I coughed and covered my mouth with my hand to keep from spitting whisky all over him.

“Do all of the men here have their balls as restrained as their magic currently is?”

“Why do you think that?” I laughed as my eyes grew large at his bluntness.

“Because you’re single, and they seem unaware of it. It makes me think that they’re fucking idiots. You’re hot, smart, and you come from a long line of highly respected witches. You’re also sexy as fuck, and probably a wildcat in bed, which guys talk about. You go after the wild ones if you have the balls to do so, and no one has. So, either they’re limp or you’re playing hard to get, but you seem pretty down to earth to me.”

“It’s not that simple,” I said softly as heat fused my cheeks. “I’ve been gone a long time.”

“Witches, we tend to stay together,” he tapped his glass thoughtfully with a long finger. “I couldn’t imagine you’d leave home. There’s protection in numbers.”

I winced and frowned. “I was going to get married,” I swallowed hard and took a deep breath. “He cheated on me, and then my brother was killed in Afghanistan. I guess too many things piled up, because I left town shortly after we buried him.”

It was his turn to wince. “Someone cheated on you when you’d agreed to marry him? Was he fucking insane, or gay and he cheated on you with a guy?” he snapped, his eyes narrowed as he awaited my response.

“Neither, but I did run. It’s unconventional, and frowned on in my coven…and pretty much all covens.”

“Look, I like you,” he said softly. “Smart, sexy, and seriously funny, plus, you drink whisky instead of some fruity girl drink.” His quiet laugh made my lips twitch in response. “The only thing better than that would be me knowing that you were a fucking knockout between the sheets, which, if you allow, I’d like to figure that one out for myself,” he smiled flirtatiously.  “You’re a serious catch and who cares what happened in the past, that’s why it’s called the past, because we’re here, in the present, Magdalena. I may not be from the best bloodline, but I promise if you elope with me, you’ll never go hungry, and I will make you happy. I’ll also probably never let you leave my bed, but I do promise to run to the fridge to keep you well-fed so I can continually ravish you.”

“I couldn’t tell you if I’m good in bed because I’m not as open about sex as most witches are. My experience with sex is pretty limited, and eating in bed isn’t something I do.”

“Oh, tell me it isn’t so! No one around here’s been itching to get into those pretty panties?” he whispered as he leaned over the table and his hands grasped my knees beneath it. I jumped, and pulled my legs together, or tried to; he held them firmly as he parted them. “Again with the limp dicks, what the fuck you guys raising up here, monks? I’d have worn you down until you’d agreed, and then kept going until your senses were well and truly defeated, then I would have rocked your fucking world.”

“It’s not their fault,” I laughed as heat shot through me. “I didn’t follow the coven’s thinking, and I was saving it for something special.”

“Was, but you’re not anymore.”

“No, I gave it up and got a severe let down for my first time, and then I just stopped trying, I guess. I’m not a virgin, and I’m really not open to discussing it with someone I just met ten minutes ago.”

Something caught his eye and he nodded, so I turned to see what it was. Lucian was the only one behind us, and he wasn’t even looking in our direction. I followed his eyes to where he watched Cassidy as she flicked her hair and smiled at him. She was dressed beautifully tonight. His eyes lingered on her before slowly moving to me, and I felt a tug and twisting in my belly as jealousy spiked. I reminded myself that I had no right to be and turned back to Devlin.

“I need to figure out where I’m staying tonight, Magdalena, but I’d love to see you again, soon,” he announced as he pulled a card from the pocket of his slacks. “My digits—and I want yours.”

“And if I say no?” I teased with a smile.

“This town is pretty small; I’m sure I could find you,” he said with a smirk on his sexy lips. “I’d really like to get to know you better, so do me a favor and give me your number so it can happen. I promise I won’t disappoint you.”

I scrunched up my nose as I pulled a pen and tore a piece of paper off of a receipt that I’d had in my purse, then jotted down my number, before sliding his card in my purse.

“Wait, no address? How am I supposed to sneak into your bedroom and ravish you if I don’t know where you sleep?” he asked with a wicked grin on his face that lit up his eyes.

“Who says I’d allow you into my bedroom to ravish me?” I stood up and watched as he held his hand over his heart.

“That hurt, but I like that you play hard to get. Don’t worry, Magdalena, you can run all you want; I enjoy the chase. Tell me, princess, do you run fast?”

“No, normally if you see me running, you should probably turn your ass around and start running too. The only way I ever run is if something scary is chasing me,” I replied easily, with a straight face that pulled a laugh from deep in his chest. His laughter was as contagious as his smile, and soon I was laughing with him.

“God, I love your sense of humor,” he picked up my info and slid it into his pocket. “I have to run, but it was very nice meeting you, and I can’t wait to see you again.”

I moved from the table, shaking my head as I made my way to the terrace at the back of the restaurant that overlooked the deep ravine. I needed the cool night air to relieve the heat from being in the overcrowded room. Before I reached the doors, feminine laughter pulled my eyes to where Lucian stood with Cassidy, who was smiling as she rubbed her hands down her lithe frame invitingly.

I rolled my eyes as a stark, painful slice of jealousy punched me in the stomach. I had no business being jealous. It wasn’t as if we’d been together, or were even dating. I was a free agent, and that meant he was as well. I chose to ignore them, and pushed open the doors and enjoyed the cool night air as it met my overheated skin.

Chapter Twenty-Three

I leaned against the railing, my eyes searching the dark depths of the ravine as I enjoyed the break from the party. I told myself I didn’t care that Cassidy was moving in on Lucian; the two of them probably belonged together. I did, however, hate the jealousy that seemed to heat me from the inside as I basked in the chilly night’s air.

I closed my eyes and dropped my face into my hands as I exhaled a deep breath, and then I felt him. That raw, powerful current of energy that was always present when he was near. I didn’t turn around, didn’t open my eyes until I felt his hands on my hips, curving around my ass until I was forced to turn in his general direction.

I shouldn’t have turned around; it would have been safer to leave him exploring my curves. His eyes were angry; his body tensed as he lifted me up, cradling my ass as he sat me on the railing. It forced me to cling to him, as the fear of falling washed through me.

“Lucian!” I hissed as he spread my legs and pressed his erection against my thin panties.

“Did you enjoy flirting with him?” he growled as he held me there, teetering between him and certain death.

“Actually, I did,” I admitted.

He laughed cruelly, his hands tightened on my ass and I whimpered as pain rippled through me, along with scorching heat where his cock pressed against me. It was both thrilling and terrifying, a combination I’d never experienced before.

“Don’t drop me,” I whispered as I leaned closer towards him.

“I’d never let you fall,” he assured me, yet his eyes were darker than normal, and his fingers bit into my flesh.

“Enjoying Cassidy’s company?” I wondered why I would choose to ask something so stupid while he held my life in his hands. One single push and I’d be dead. No one would ever know what had happened, either.

“Jealous?” he whispered as he lifted his head and looked at me.

“Hardly,” I countered as a shiver ran down my spine from the heat I saw in his eyes. “You’re free to be with whomever you want, as am I.” I was surprised with how even my tone was.

The wind picked up and he held me tighter as my hair flew in my face. I felt a familiar rush of power as it sent a mixture of heat and fear into my spine. The sexual heat and tension between us was thick enough to cut with a knife.

“I hear stalking is illegal,” I mumbled as I narrowed my eyes on him and nibbled at my bottom lip.

“Hunting isn’t,” he replied easily, his voice cold and filled with a raw trace of emotion that I couldn’t place.

“You don’t have a license to hunt me,” I whispered as I licked my lips nervously. “Besides, I’m out of season,” I was feeling a little cockier than I should, considering he held my life in his perfectly manicured hands.

Tonight his suit was midnight blue, fitted to perfection to accentuate each sleek muscle that his body had. A black silk tie rested against the crisp white dress shirt he wore beneath his suit. He was dark, easily blending in with the shadows.

“You think I need one to hunt you?” he challenged as his fingers moved from my ass to where our bodies touched. I held on tighter, the fear of falling fading away as his fingers slid over my bare thighs.

“Put me down,” I pleaded as the knowledge that he had me at his mercy sank in. I tried to wrap my legs around him, but I couldn’t, and he laughed softly as he watched me struggle. He had me right where he wanted me; exposed and at his mercy as I teetered over certain death perched on the railing. My lips trembled as my heart beat painfully against my ribcage, and worst of all, I was turned on.

“What’s the matter, Lena? Don’t you trust me?” his voice was low and seemed to mock me a little as he wrapped one hand around the small of my back, the other moving to the heat between my legs.

“Lucian,” I whispered huskily, which was all the encouragement he needed. His fingers parted my panties, pushing them out of his way.

“I warned you that you were mine, didn’t I?” he growled as his fingers slid between the wet flesh. The friction caused my back to jerk, as he held on to me securely. “You’re mine, Lena, only mine.” The tone of his voice, mixed with the growl that resonated deep from inside of his chest, sent a thrill down my spine.

“You can’t claim me. That’s not how this works, and no offense, but I don’t plan to marry you. Therefore, you don’t own me. No one does,” I whispered through the thickness in my mouth as he parted my flesh and teased my naked core.

“You need another lesson in who owns this body?” His fingers pushed into me, and I cried out at the fullness. “So fucking wet for me,” he whispered hoarsely, his mouth pushed against my neck and kissed the frantic vein that beat wildly at what he was doing to me.

I felt my body latch onto his fingers, clamping around them as he moved them in and out of me. My body was trying to pull him in, take more from him. My hips rocked, and spread, offering him everything it had, freely. My head lolled back, and his lips and tongue pushed hard against the vein as he growled hungrily.

“The moment the Harvest is over,” he said as he pulled away from me. “You’re mine. I won’t share you with anyone else. I plan to own you the moment you are free of these fucking events, and I plan to make you into a quivering, screaming mess. I’ll show you exactly what it means to be owned by me.”

“And what if I conceive a child during the Harvest?” I whispered, and yes, maybe I was trying to get him to offer for me exclusively, which I would probably kick myself in the ass for later.

“You won’t,” he said in a matter-of-fact tone, as if he could predict the future. Heck, I couldn’t; the insert inside the birth control packet said it had a ninety-two percent success rate. Eight percent was still pretty big a chance as far as I was concerned, and asking my partner for the Harvest to wear a love glove would probably be frowned on considering the entire point was to
get
pregnant.

He pulled me away from the railing and slammed me against the wall without extracting his fingers. It pushed them painfully deep, and more moisture pooled between my legs which he used as he continued to hold me pinned to the wall with one hand securely under my ass as his fingers brought me closer to climax.

I whispered his name as his mouth pressed against mine, the orgasm just out of my reach. I wiggled my hips, trying to extract it myself, only to feel and hear his laughter as he continued to kiss me.

“Not yet, my hungry little witch, the next time you come will be when I decide you’ve earned it,” his voice rumbled as he pulled away from me and allowed me to slide down the wall to my feet.

Both of our breathing was labored, and I felt the proof of his denial as moisture moved down my leg, unhindered by the thin lace panties I’d worn tonight. I struggled to regain my composure, and when I finally did, he was walking away from me as if nothing had happened!

“Lucian,” I bit out through gritted teeth.

He glanced back to look at me as something dark and possessive passed over his face. I stood proudly and adjusted my panties and dress to how they were supposed to be as he watched.

“I think I hate you,” I growled as my body ached from being left in such a state.

His mouth twisted into a cruel smile as he tilted his head and shook it softly. “You hate that you want me. You hate that for once in your life, something you want terrifies you. You’re used to playing it safe, and
fine
,” he turned back around and strode towards me as I moved back a few steps. “You chose Todd because he is and will always be fucking weak and you knew he’d be safe. You chose the other asshole because he was even weaker than Todd, even though he at least was driven by a need to fuck. I’m not safe, and I’m sure as fuck not weak. You can’t control what you feel, and it terrifies you. Good. You shouldn’t feel safe with me. You should be fucking terrified. I taste your excitement and the way you crave the filthy things I do to you, and it turns me on. You don’t hate me,” he said, and shoved me against the wall with one hand as his other reached down, pulled up the hem of my dress, and effortlessly ripped the panties from my body. I cried out as he brought them up and held them against his nose, smelling the proof of his words. “You hate that I slipped past all those fucking walls you erected to protect yourself from being vulnerable. You hate that I’m inside your mind,” he growled as he deposited my panties in the pocket of his slacks and slid a finger back inside me as his thumb pressed against my clitoris. “You hate that you want me as much as I want you, admit it, and I’ll give you what your body craves,” he demanded.

“No,” I whispered as a traitorous moan escaped.

“Beg for me to make you come, right here, right now,” he growled as he increased the pressure of his finger bent inside of me. His other hand released my chest and pinched my nipple, hard. I yipped even as I bucked my hips to get more. His eyes held mine; the contact was intense, as if he could see into the depths of my soul. “I crave the taste of your flesh and I’m pretty sure, sweet girl, if you could read my thoughts right now, you’d be fucking traumatized,” he mumbled hoarsely as he pulled his finger out, leaving my body bereft of his touch. His heat left me just as quickly, sending a shiver through my body.

“You’re an asshole,” I hissed as I once again struggled to fix my clothing, only to feel a chill on my delicate flesh as I was reminded by the crisp night air that he’d stolen my panties. “Give them back.”

He laughed; his eyes lowered to where my pussy was drenched from his touch. “I don’t think so; they belong to me now. A reminder of what belongs to me, and how wet it gets at the idea of me owning it.”

“This is ridiculous! You just stole my panties!” I hissed in a hushed tone, not wanting anyone to know he had them. Heat flushed my cheeks as anger raced through me. Who steals someone’s panties?

“You’re even more beautiful when you’re angry, Lena. All that delicate flesh, I bet it looks beautiful when it’s bound and receiving pain.”

“You are sick! Give me back my…” I spun around as voices neared our location. “Lucian…be reasonable, please?” I whispered as I turned around to find nothing but air where he’d just stood. Gah!

It would be okay; I knew where he slept.

*~*~*

Twenty minutes. That’s how long I lasted at the party wearing no panties. Each moment was a reminder that he had my panties in his freaking pocket! His hand would drift to them if I so much as looked in his direction. I’d downed another drink before I found Kendra and noted she was deep in conversation with a man who had to be from out of town.

It wasn’t unheard of to bring in more guys when a coven’s ratio between male and female was off, but this year we seemed to have a lot more. The coven had invited an increasing number of powerful lines into the fold, a precaution and strategic move that would bring more power to our side should the need arise.

My eyes scanned the room and I found Todd at the far end across from me. His eyes moved between Lucian and me, and then back to mine with a hatred in them that I didn’t think he was even capable of. Lucian noticed it as well, and instead of moving closer to me, he pulled out my panties right there in the middle of the room and brought them to his nose with a look that claimed ownership. Todd noted what he held, and his eyes turned to me filled with accusation. His face turned hard, and something sinister flashed in his gaze as he smiled at me.

I swallowed and shook my head as I turned and headed to find Dexter. He never drank alcohol and was a safe ride home, or, back to Lucian’s house anyway. I so needed my own house back, since he was dictating what I could and couldn’t do, and so far, the coven had decided to add salt to the wound and leave us under Lucian’s
safe and secure residence and watchful eye
, as they’d put it.

Thankfully my grandmother was still working to get us moved to the Abbey until the house was ready for us to go home. I found Dexter in the corner, and his eyes snapped at me as I approached him.

“Can you give me a ride home?” I asked, and he groaned.

“Thank you, God! Yes, I can. There’s a guy chasing me around here, driving me batshit cray-cray. He’s been giving me some serious vibes, and I’m not sure he cares that I don’t
sway
that way. Let’s go, quickly before he spots me again. He isn’t taking no for an answer, and Cassidy is looking for you. Something about you being a slut and taking her guy.”

“Her guy?” I asked as the familiar jolt of pain lanced through me. Had Lucian agreed to be with Cassidy? He’d acknowledged that I had to attend the Harvest, and had even said I was his
after
it. Could he have agreed to be hers, and marry her? “Wait, is Claude crushing on you? He was asking me some pretty good questions, but he stared at you the entire time,
rude
.”

“She’s had eyes all over Lucian long before you got back. He’s been ignoring it, but her mother is pushing for any reason to make it happen. You know Helen. She takes what she thinks she’s entitled to have, and seems not to give a fuck about the little inconvenient truth that she isn’t god, and the only way her daughter and Lucian would be paired during the Harvest would be if they married before the Awakening ceremony. Thanks for the heads up about that guy, by the way,” he said in one single breath.

“You think he’s going to agree to it? Cassidy must think it’s a sure thing if she’s calling him her guy. Yeah, I probably should have given you warning but it’s not as if I thought he’d invite you into the men’s room for a little meat pounding.”

“
Meat
pounding? Fuck, that sounds painful,” he winced, his eyes darting around the room for his admirer. “Did you hear that Helen announced that she wants to be included in the choices for next high priestesses of the coven?” 

“She’d never get it; she’s not descended from one of the original bloodlines.” I felt a little sick at the thought of that psycho bitch in that position of power in the coven. The high priestess was supposed to be a nurturer, not some power hungry control freak with her bitch pants on too tight. 

“No, but she is an elder, the first chosen outside of the bloodlines. She’s making her way to the top rather quickly, too.”

“It will never happen, right?” I asked and watched as he shrugged as he held the car door open for me.

“There’s a lot of shit changing pretty rapidly around here. I wouldn’t cross her off the list. She’s one determined bitch; materialistic and motivated by greed, too. However, the coven isn’t doing well moneywise, and she’s been bringing in money, which is badly needed. She might be what we need, Lena,” he said as he pulled out of the parking lot.

“She’ll ruin us all if she is allowed to, but there’s something off about her, too. I just haven’t been able to figure it out.”

I looked out the window to the little side mirror and caught Lucian hidden in the shadows, watching me leave. I’m not sure how I knew it was him, other than I was sure I could hear him growling inside my head. He wasn’t happy that I’d escaped his panty sniffing theatrics, but I’d had enough fun for one night.