Cat Devon: The Entity Who Came for Christmas

She’d been stupid to fall so hard. The first time Simon had kissed her she knew she was in trouble. She’d sensed he was a vampire and knew things rarely went well between a vampire and a witch. But he could do things with his tongue that were incredible. She was no novice, but he was so much more experienced than she was. He’d bestowed kisses on every inch of her body.

At first she’d told herself she was in it just for the sex. Simon had gladly shared his knowledge of the erotic arts with her. He’d instigated her orgasms in ways she’d never imagined, introducing her to positions she’d only read about in books.

But in the end, she’d ended up sharing much more than her body with him. They’d shared the fact that they were both outcasts in human society with a secret they had to keep from outsiders. She’d shared her thoughts, her heart, her love. Big mistake.

Enough with the deeply intimate memories of Simon. She refocused her attention on her surroundings. Actually, the loft looked like those she’d seen on HGTV. Brick walls, open floor plan, and lots of leather–as in couch and chairs, not whips and dominatrix costumes.

After Pru had cursed him, she’d figured he’d show up on her doorstep at some point. She hadn’t expected him to show up on Zoe’s doorstep. But then Simon had proved that he was master of the unexpected.

He burst into the room, demanding answers. No niceties. His hair was slightly ruffled from his journey, giving him a just-out-of-bed look she still found incredibly sexy. He got right to the point. “Tell me how to cure this bloody curse you placed on me.”

“It’s simple,” she said. “You just need to believe. That’s how the curse can be broken.”

“Believe? Like believe in Santa Claus?” he scoffed.

“Like Arthur believed he could pull Excalibur from that stone. And don’t mock Santa. I happen to like him.”

Simon yanked her close. “How do you know about Excalibur?”

“I’m a descendant of Morgan Le Fay. Of course I know about it. But then anyone who has seen the movie or the play Camelot would know about Excalibur. Any kid who has seen Disney’s The Sword and the Stone would know about it.”

“What do you know about it now ? For real, not some movie.”

She looked into his angry face and realized what this was all about. “So that’s why you’re here. It has nothing to do with Damon. You’re here for the sword.”

“So are you,” he said.

“That’s not true. I’m here to see Zoe and for the sword.”

“It’s of no use to you,” he said.

“I wasn’t even sure if the rumors were true,” she murmured.

“What rumors?”

“You know what rumors. That Excalibur is here in Chicago. Embedded in ice, not stone.”

He tightened his hold on her. “Tell me where it is.”

“I don’t know. There’s a lot of ice in a city this size. Not to mention all of Lake Michigan. They’ve had a cold early winter and the lake is frozen along the shoreline in places.”

“The waves should keep it from freezing,” Simon said.

“There are places where the crashing waves have frozen on top of objects. I saw that on the local news earlier tonight.”

“Fine. So all I have to do to get rid of the curse is believe. Great. I believe. The curse should be over now, right?” He looked down at his privates.

“Wrong. You can’t just say the words. You have to mean them.”

“Listen, witch, I’m a vampire from King Arthur’s court. I kill demons. I don’t need you messing with my head. Not that I’d ever allow that to happen.”

“The curse has other ramifications,” she said.

“Like what? I’ve still been able to seek out and destroy demons.”

“Of course you have. I would never interfere with that,” she said.

“Only with my ability to have sex.”

“I was trying to teach you a lesson.”

“You were trying to punish me,” he said.

“That’s not true. I could have done something much worse.”

“Like what?”

“Like give you an erection lasting an entire year. That would have been more painful. I wasn’t trying to hurt you.”

“Liar.”

She ignored his drawled accusation. “I was trying to teach you a lesson,” she repeated.

“I’ve been around over a thousand years. I don’t need a witch like you teaching me anything. I’ll tell you what I believe. I believe I can kill demons. What more is there?”

“A lot more.”

“Right. How could I forget? I believe I’m a vampire and you’re a witch.”

“Those are all facts.”

“What’s wrong with facts?” he demanded.

“Nothing as long as you believe there’s more.”

“More what?”

“Things you can’t see, only feel.”

“Do not give me that shit,” he growled. “Magic is your world, not mine.”

“You were turned by Merlin, so magic is part of your sire’s world.”

“I’m not my sire.”

“No, but you like to be just as mysterious. As for magic, you have the ability to fly. Some would call that magical.”

“Humans, you mean. Humans would call that magical.”

“And vampires. They can’t all fly. Only vampire Demon Hunters. Your line is responsible for the legends that vampires turn into bats and fly, you know.”

“That goes back to the Middle Ages, when people’s eyesight sucked,” he said.

“Your dagger is magical. It has the ability to destroy demons. I’ve heard that a lot of Demon Hunters use a curved sword. A katana.”

“I don’t like curves unless they’re on a woman … or a witch.” He gave her one of those head-to-toe-I-know-how-to-trigger-your-orgasm looks, which she could have totally ignored had he not in fact known exactly how to trigger her orgasms.

If he said anything about preferring the thrust of a sword or made any other sexual references, she’d have shut him down. Instead he simply initiated eye contact with her. She couldn’t look away.

He knew it. His trademark half smile indicated his confidence and gave her the strength to break off their visual connection.

“You were turned by Merlin,” she said. “I’m a witch in Morgan Le Fay’s line. Merlin and Morgan were hardly BFFs.”

“Some say they were. That she was his protégé.”

“You were there,” she retorted. “What do you say?”

“I say that maybe Merlin and Morgan are pulling the strings,” Damon suggested as he entered the room. “Did you ever consider the possibility they’re matchmaking?”

“Never!” Simon went on to mutter a string of foreign words she suspected were all curses.

“Yeah, what he said.” Pru impatiently shoved her hair away from her face. “Why would they want the two of us to be together?”

“Because the two of them couldn’t be together. I touched base with a vampire friend of mine here in Vamptown, Pat Heller. That’s why I was delayed. He has an impressive collection of ancient books. He’s helped me before. He found a reference in a medieval manuscript indicating that while powerful forces kept Merlin and Morgan from being together, at some point in the future their bloodline would be united.”

All this talk about Merlin only served to infuriate Simon. He’d failed on his first mission, and although he hadn’t failed since, it still haunted him that he hadn’t been able to save his liege, King Arthur. He should have been faster, tried harder, done better.

“Leave us, Damon,” he growled.

Damon hesitated.

“You may go,” Pru said.

Her approval increased Simon’s anger but did allow Damon to withdraw. Simon unclenched his fists. He’d gone about this all wrong. As soon as he found Excalibur, all his powers would expand. If the rumors were true, he only had forty-eight hours after his arrival to find it. He’d thought to have Damon help him in his quest, but now he knew he needed this witch.