Page 14 of Christa's Obsession

Liquid sloshed over the rim of the glass Dakata had reached to pick up as he stared at her wide eyed.

When he said nothing and continued to stare, she sighed. “She rejected me.”

“Seriously!”

“As a heartbeat, on both counts.” She sipped her cider, getting a solid punch to her system, and figured that Dougal had to have made it.

Dakata’s glass landed on the table with a thud, more cider splattering the wood, though he didn’t seem to notice. “When did you… when?” he finished softly.

“When Merihem pulled up the vision. My demon side was—”

“A pain in your ass? Difficult to control?” he replied, sounding a little amused.

“Yes.” She ran a finger up the side of the glass, staring at the pale, straw-colored liquid. “I didn’t know what to think… I took some time…”

“To think? To resist?”

She met his gaze. He knew her better than anyone. “Yes.”

He matched Christa’s pose. “When did you go to see her?”

“A few days ago…”

“And?” Dakata pushed, his gaze holding sympathy.

“My hand brushed hers. She felt our bond and when I told her what we were to each other…” A hot ball of tears gathered in her throat, stopping her from carrying on.

Dakata reached over and cupped his hand around hers and the mug. “What happened?”

The soft request had her dashing her free hand over her cheek to catch the tear working to ruin her make-up. “Those demons that took her, do you know what they did to her?” she asked, instead of answering him.

“Beat her and molested her.” His reply was swift, like pulling off a band aid.

Christa’s hands shook, the sips of cider attempted to force themselves up her throat. Dakata took the glass from her lifeless fingers.

No.

No.

Oh, to the demon gods, no!

Wanda’s vehement refusal of her made sense. She had seen the marks on Wanda’s flesh, but she had not considered they would molest her.

“I’m sorry.” The depth of feeling in those two words left Christa in no doubt that Dakata meant them.

“I know, brother. It’s not your fault.” She took a second to regain her composure. “Tell me those you got to first suffered in the most painful ways imaginable?” The malice was all her demon because she could think of many ways to make someone suffer.

He nodded before she’d finished speaking. “They did and if I could make them suffer again, I would.”

She worked to keep her composure. “What do I do now?”

The shudder was visible as he lost some of his color. “You need to be careful. Staying away from her, her trees… will kill you.”

Chapter Eight

Wanda

You’re being very naughty.

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