Мишель Роуэн - Something Wicked

Then he had a vivid flashback to what had happened the last time she’d touched him like this — when she’d been awake and willing and about to make the decision that could ultimately cost her soul.

Guilt worked as well as an ice-cold shower.

He swiftly moved away from her and sat up on the edge of the bed. With a focused thought he conjured clothes to cover his naked body — black T-shirt, black jeans. Same as usual. He watched Eden sleep for another five minutes, before forcing himself to stand up and leave the bedroom.

Real or not, he really wished he could dream as well.

Eden’s dreams lately hadn’t been very helpful. Especially the ones she had about Darrak.

All of him. Every single inch.

After these dreams, she’d wake up all hot and bothered and still exhausted. It was like she’d been out all night gallivanting around town, rather than tucked safely away in bed.

At least Darrak was respecting her wishes. The first few days he’d possessed her, he’d stayed in bed after taking form, and she’d been dismayed to wake up wrapped around him like a flannel-clad anaconda.

Eden’s unconscious self seemed compelled to grope the demon in her sleep. How embarrassing. During her waking hours she was totally in control of herself. To find that she couldn’t do the same at night was embarrassing, to say the least.

This morning, he was gone. That was good, of course. What sane woman would want to wake up snuggled against a gorgeous, naked demon?

Not her. No way.

This morning, she awoke still feeling weary, but filled with purpose. They’d been close last night. Really close. She’d seen it with her own two eyes.

It had been a long, bumpy road, but the end was finally in sight.

Believing any differently wasn’t going to help matters. Eden worked daily on staying positive. Not the easiest thing to do, but she really had no choice.

Things were going to work out perfectly.

Well, except for the black magic problem.

Her face tightened at the thought. Put it out of your mind, Eden. One thing at a time.

She could try to be positive about that, too. Honestly, she could.

Plus side: Even if she never used the magic that came with the designation of black witch , she was now immortal. She could live forever and not age. That was a definite perk.

Down side: she could still be killed. Witches were still human. Bullets, knives, a fall down a flight of stairs. A poorly chewed Chicken McNugget.

A slow but steady depletion of her life energy to keep Darrak in existence.

Yes, these were all dangerous and potentially deadly to her.

Oh, my God. I’m going to die.

No. Positive thoughts only, please.

She finally dragged herself out of bed and went into the bathroom, peering at her reflection in the mirror. She yawned so widely, she could see right down to her tonsils. Being possessed was a draining experience. Literally.

They had to get back to that club tonight and talk to the wizard’s assistant. The rest, she assured herself, would run smoothly.

Darrak told her so. And she believed him.

She tried to unclench her jaw.

She showered and got dressed, then left the bathroom to find Darrak cooking scrambled eggs in her kitchenette. She wasn’t sure why, but after dealing with him in her head every night, it was always a shock to see how attractive he was when he had a body. Tall, broad-shouldered, with dark hair he had tucked behind his ears since it was a bit too long and unruly. His eyes were pale blue and would seem cold if not for the glimmer of warm humor they almost always held.

Yes, Darrak was admittedly gorgeous and seemed utterly out of place in Eden’s tiny, plain apartment. Let alone in her tiny, plain life.

“Hungry?” he asked, indicating the frying pan.

An explicit clip from her erotically charged dream flickered in her mind. “Not really.”

“Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, you know.”

“Followed closely by a steady stream of caffeine. Which I will grab at work.”

“Fine. More for me.” He scooped the contents of the frying pan onto a waiting plate. Demons didn’t have to eat, but Darrak enjoyed the taste of food anyway. He could shovel it in and remain the same size, not jeopardizing those mouthwatering abs of his no matter how many calories he consumed.

Please think about something else , she instructed herself sternly.

She squeezed her amulet, focusing on the coolness of the stone. But that only helped remind her of why she had to wear it in the first place. Black magic stirred under her skin.

Ignore that, too.

Tonight. They’d go back to the club tonight. She wondered if Graham had ended up finding out any more about the missing women. She grabbed the newspaper Darrak had brought in earlier and flipped through the first few pages. Nothing stood out to her about the case. Of course, Graham was the only one who thought it was a case. To the police, it was a half-dozen adult women who’d wandered off without telling anyone.

She truly wished she could channel her psychic abilities into something more practical than an unhelpful and unreliable flash of information every now and then.

Leena sat quietly on the sofa in the living room reading a copy of Cosmopolitan .

“So?” Leena asked, glancing over at her.

“So what?”

“How did it go last night?” She waggled her eyebrows.

Why was she waggling her eyebrows?

Two weeks ago, Eden had allowed a small black cat to have some shelter one cold, rainy night. That black cat turned out to be a shapeshifter hiding from people she said wanted to kill her. After being possessed by Darrak, Eden gave off some otherworldly vibes that Others were able to sense. Because of this, Leena assumed Eden could protect her and wouldn’t take no for an answer when she tried to get rid of her.

Whether or not Eden could protect her was one thing. However, they’d come to an agreement. In return for temporarily living there, Leena watched over Eden — she was extremely distrustful of Darrak and demons in general, and her presence helped ease Eden’s mind a little bit when it came to him. Besides, there wasn’t much of a chance for forbidden romance with a third party lurking about in the small apartment.

Not that she needed a chaperone for that. It wasn’t as if she couldn’t keep her hands off Darrak. Dreams were not indicative of reality.

“Well?” Leena prompted after a moment passed.

“Uh, it went okay last night,” Eden said, still disappointed they hadn’t talked to the wizard’s assistant. But Darrak had been right to leave. She didn’t want to meet any of his old demonic friends if she could help it. An unpleasant chill ran down her spine. “Could have been better, I suppose, but it was a start.”

“And is there anything you want to tell. . anyone?” Leena’s head bobbed in Darrak’s direction. He stood with his back braced against the fridge, eating his breakfast, watching their conversation carefully.

Eden glanced at the egg-loving demon. “Uh. . like what?”

“You know,” Leena said pointedly. “About where you were going late last night?”

“Late last night? What are you—?”

“Gosh, would you look at the time?” Darrak interrupted, dumping his empty plate into the sink. “Eden, we really should go. Andy said he wanted to talk to you first thing this morning, remember? He used the word important , so obviously it must be important.”

“Right.” Eden shook her head, trying to clear the early morning fog. Normally she was much more alert than this. “Hang on. I have to have my orange juice first.”

Her morning rituals were important to her. She might not be in the mood for eggs, but she had to have her vitamin C. She quickly poured a glass and downed it in one gulp.