Page 10 of Midnight Witch

Mae and Nikolai chatted briefly to the detective Jared had left in charge before taking the stairs to the apartment. The official story was that a group of oversized feral dogs had burst into the movie house and attacked the people inside. They’d disappeared just as quickly after Mae and Nikolai had scared them away. Animal control was supposedly on the lookout for them.

Mae grimaced as she and Nikolai entered her apartment. “I sure as hell hope animal control isn’t really out there searching for missing hellbeasts.”

“They’ll be looking for a long time.” Nikolai kicked off his wet boots and headed for the bathroom. “I’m gonna take a hot shower and hit the sack.”

He reached for his T-shirt and peeled it off.

Mae’s mouth went dry as she stared at his broad shoulders and muscular back. Her gaze lingered on the scar Oscar Beneventi had inflicted on the sorcerer during the Trial of Blood.

“Same.” She bit her lip. “Er, don’t you need to grab pajamas or something?”

Nikolai turned, leaned an arm up against the doorjamb, and arched an eyebrow. “Whatever for?”

Mae gulped at his teasing expression.Oh Lord. Don’t tell me he sleeps in the nude.

The thought of the sorcerer lying naked in bed mere feet away from her own room started doing strange things to her pulse.

Calm down, my witch,Brimstone warned at her glassy expression.It’s just the adrenaline talking.

She’s drooling, Hellreaver remarked.

Alastair made a worried noise where he perched on the hallway console.

Nikolai’s lips twitched, like he’d guessed the dirty direction her imagination had just taken. His hot gaze stayed on Mae as he slowly closed the door.

The sound of the shower coming on stirred her from her lust-induced daze.

Mae clenched her fists, her face hot. “Shit. That was close.”

Tell me about it,Brimstone groaned.I seriously thought you were gonna attack him for a second there. Maybe we should buy a replacement for Bob.

Mae’s thoughts strayed to her trusty and defunct vibrator. It had met an untimely demise a while back, courtesy of a curious demon fox.

“How do you know about Bob?” she muttered as they headed for her bedroom.

Brimstone grunted.Ryu enlightened me.

Mae grimaced. Considering her sister was currently sleeping with Noah Tegner, the sorcerer assigned to the Jins’ protection, she had zero need for sex toys. Especially since it seemed Noah was a total beast in the sack.

“Appearances sure are deceptive,” she said glumly.

I know, Brimstone concurred.You look like butter wouldn’t melt in your mouth most days.

Mae scowled, dumped Hellreaver on the bed, and stormed inside the bathroom.

She spared a thought for her landlord as she stepped under the shower. Mr. Seong was a frail octogenarian who also owned the movie theater. The last thing he needed was for the place to become the scene of a major crime.

At least no one died.

She’d assured him she would help look after things when she’d called him that evening to tell him what had happened. Luckily, the guy Mr. Seong had hired to manage the place was not prone to fits of hysteria.

She grimaced as she dried herself and wrapped a towel around her body.I bet this is already all over Mrs. Son-Ha’s network.

Myung Ki Son-Ha was Koreatown’s number one matriarch and chief gossip. She was better than the CIA at information gathering, so much so Mae wondered whether she’d been a spy in a previous life.

She stepped out of the bathroom and rocked to a halt.

Brimstone and Hellreaver were rooting around in her lingerie drawer. They froze when they sensed her horrified stare.

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