Page 35 of The Witch Queen of Halloween (Immortals After Dark 20)

“Youcan break your pact with females.”Thudthud thud.“Admitit: you don’t want to.”

“Idon’t go out of my way to hurt them.OnceIclaim my mate, all this will take care of itself.TheyknowI’llnever stray from her.”

Iknow this too!Sowhy wasPoppyeven looking at him? “Youcan’t convince me that you don’t love the attention.Theneed.Youlove it, or else you would stop it.”Thudthud thud.Pfft.IRRITATION.“Whydid you have to be such a big disappointment?”

Hewhirled around on her. “BecauseI’ma demon and demon things happen?You’rea disappointment too—hating me for thingsIcan’t control!”

Danger, attraction, and that wild electricity charged them up like lightning desperate to strike.Wordsleft her lips: “Whatwas so special about the woman who summoned you from our date?Wasshe sexier than me?”Poppy’svoice broke with emotion. “Abetter kisser?”

“Areyou high?Noone’s sexier to me.Noone’s a better kisser.Gods, witch, you nearly made me come in my pants in the parking lot!”

Shedrew her head back in confusion. “Thenwhy didn’t you return to me?Why?”Hervoice cracked on the word, but she was beyond caring.

“Idid come back, and you were gone.Itold youIsometimes temporarily disappear, was honest about it.YouknewImight get summoned, and you still ditched!”

“Iwaited for an hour!”

“BecauseI’ma demon, and you don’t want a . . .”Hefrowned. “Iwasn’t gone an hour.”

“That’swhenIleft, so it was longer.Buthey, males tend to lose track of time if they’re balls deep.Didyou give a single thought to me, sitting alone in that restaurant?”

Frustrationevaporating, he quietly said, “Ididn’t thinkI’dbeen gone that long.”

“Explainthe situation to me.Awoman you used to sleep with summoned you because she needed a chess partner?Orsome furniture moved?Or, more likely, for sex.”

Lipsthinned, he turned to check behind the door of a storage cabinet. “That’sallIever get summoned for.Iserve a function: empty, emotionless sex.”

“Youresent that?”

“Maybe.ButIunderstand it.EverybodyknowsI’mdestined for my mate, so no one wants anything more.”Hefaced her. “Thefact remains:Poppy,Ididn’t bed anyone that night.”

“Thenwhat took an hour?Didyou get caught in a time warp?”Cadeonhad gotten caught in one with a beautiful demoness, leadingHollyto suspect the worst.

Rökshook his head.Heparted his lips to speak, then seemed to think better of what he’d been about to say.Finallyhe muttered, “Igot summoned again.Andagain.Maybea few times after that.Erol’smust’ve been running a drink special or something.AnditwasaSaturdaynight.”

“Oh,Hecate, what a piece of work!You’relike a debauched pinball bouncing around from one score to the next.”Andshe’d dared to consider placing herself into the rotation?

“Ididn’t sleep with anyone!”Couldthat possibly be true? “Imade my usual excuses, but extricating myself takes time.MorethanIfigured,Iguess.Beingsummoned isn’t like teleporting.It’sa mind fuck.Inever know whereI’llappear.Iget taken from a dead sleep or right whenIsit down to a mealI’mlooking forward to.Andthen that night with you, everything was perfect.Everythingwas prelude.”Hecupped her face in his big hands, and she could feel the calluses from his sword. “Weboth knew we’d finish what we started in the parking lot.Forthe first time in my life,Iwantedto create a summoning pact.”

Sheexhaled a breath that sounded suspiciously like a sigh.

“Idream about taking you.”Hisattention dipped to her lips again. “Ifdanger wasn’t all around and a severed leg giving us mood music,I’dbe kissing you right now, kissing you long and slow.I’ddo it till you got so wet for me and craved me inside you so bad. . . .Yousaid you don’t beg, butIcouldmakeyou.”

Theirresistible charge between them dwarfed even the lightning.Sheangled her chin up.Thetip of her tongue decided to daub her bottom lip.

Hispupils enlarged as he clocked her mouth. “Fuck,Red, you love to tease me.Youplay with me.”

“Iplay withyou?”

“Youlook down on demons.Youwant a warlock for your man.”

“Ijust want someone who’ll be true to me.Idon’t care what species he is!”

“Yeah?” he asked, his tone saying,Really?

“Yeah,” she answered, her tone saying,Duh!“Ican’t trust my own magic;Ican’t trust my fellowLoreansuntilIfind out who cursed me.ButIhave to be able to trust my partner.”

Allthe ire seemed to drain from him. “Nowonder you wouldn’t give me the time of night after our date.”

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