Page 23 of Which Witch Is Wicked?
“You don’t understand. None of you do. I know he’s supposed to be all big and bad, which he is. Trust me. I’ve had firsthand contact with those muscles and that iron will. But there’s something more. I can’t explain it. Maybe he’s right. Maybe it’s because he held my fire and I stole his sword. But I know this, no matter what you or my sisters say,
I’ll never be able to stay away from him. Never.” Kai sighed and nuzzled tighter against her.
She breathed in the scent of burning logs and closed her eyes, searching for the part of her still connected to Dru. It wasn’t as easy to find without him in her head, but after a moment, she recognized the red pulse.
Then it disappeared. Panicked, she dug deeper. This time, what she considered his heartbeat grew stronger.Dru? Are you there?
She sensed his presence, but he didn’t respond. She thought his name again…but nothing.
When her phone rang, she nearly jumped out of her skin. She rolled and grabbed it from the bedside table, frowning at the unknown number. No one called her. Except her sisters.
“Hello?”
“Claire.” Dru’s voice came across the phone in a sexy rumble that rolled through her, leaving goose bumps on her skin.
“How did you get my number?”
“I’ve had your number from the moment we met, my petite warrior. A good soldier doesn’t miss an opportunity to find out anything and everything about his target.”
“You looked at my phone?”
“I’ve looked at everything you own.”
A delicious shiver tickled her as she remembered their encounter less than an hour prior. “I’m sorry you had to leave.”
“It was for the best. You and I are dangerous together.”
“I’m not afraid.” Memories of saying that to him at their first meeting sparked in her mind. So much had happened since then. She should despise him, but she couldn’t. “I wish we could sit and have a conversation like normal people.”
He snorted. “I’m not sure I could be normal if I tried.”
“Me, either.” She smiled though he couldn’t see. “I suppose we’re kind of past that, aren’t we?”
“Mmm…” He paused for a long moment. “Claire?”
“Yes, Dru?” She loved the sound of his name on her lips, the deep timbre of his voice in her ear.
“I’ve something to tell you. I need you to listen carefully because you will need to take the basic intel I give you and then continue to decipher on your own. I’ll tell you what I can, but you cannot ask questions of me. It would put us both at grave risk. Ask your sisters for help if need be.”
The way he phrased it left her curious and a little afraid. “What is it?”
“There is something in Port Townsend that’s far more dangerous than anything you or your sisters have encountered.”
“That’s pretty vague. This thing is not you or the other Horsemen?”
“No questions, remember? I cannot tell you much, but I caution you to pay close attention to your encounters with others. Anyone could be lethal, even if he, she, or it doesn’t appear to be so. Trust no one but your sisters.”
A shiver unfurled inside her, along with a tremendous amount of confusion. “Can I trust you?”
“Yes, my love. You can trust me. You and I are bound to each other now. I think you know this. Listen to your heart. You’ll find me there, and you can trust what it tells you.”
Thoughts fired through her brain left and right. “Is that all you can say? I have so many questions.”
“‘Tis all. More, and I will be discovered. I will do my best to protect you, but this is a power greater than mine. Or yours. Do not ask more. Do not think of more when you’re thinking of me. Do not forget we are linked.”
“Okay. I will be watchful. But when I’m safe in my bed, I will think and dream only of you.”
He chuckled. “I would enjoy that very much. With the gods’ favor, perhaps one day we can put this behind us and have that casual conversation you desire. For now, I need to go before others discover me and discover what I’ve told you.”
