Page 87 of Her Wicked Knights
"You... found something?" I laugh. "What does that mean?"
Colton glances at me when Rev doesn't answer, stalking instead to the doors at the church exit to be sure they're shutproperly. When he stalks back to us, it's to pull a folded sheet of paper out of his pocket.
"What's this?" I ask as he hands it to me without any sort of explanation. He watches expectantly as I unfold the paper, and Colton looks on over my shoulder.
It's a lined paper that looks like it was ripped from a notebook. It's covered in small writing, but none of the words jump out at me, and it takes a moment before I realize that's because the words aren't written in English.
"I've pieced together what I can, and I think it's a spell for projection."
"A spell?" Colton laughs. "It looks more like someone's journal than an instruction manual."
"You're laughing, but you know it's real. You know Whit trapped us in this town."
Colton doesn't make any attempt to deny that. Instead, he just shakes his head.
"Come on. Whit was a trickster. He used sleight of hand and mind games to convince us to fall for his bullshit..."
"You can't be serious." I laugh. "Colton, you saw it happen. You saw how he moved Audrey's body without touching her, how he sent her to the ground in pieces."
"He stabbed her a dozen times, brutally." Colton argues. "Of course, she fell apart when she dropped from so high."
"You can't be serious." Rev shakes his head. "After everything we did, you still don't believe?"
"Believe what?" Colton snorts. "That the girl he ran off with is our destined lover and we all just share her? That magic is real?"
"Yes." Rev snaps. "Exactly that."
"Nope." Colton shakes his head. "I'm not buying it."
"So, the night he controlled you... what was that?"
"Hypnotism. Voodoo." Colton shrugs.
I don't bother pointing out the irony of believing in those things but not witchcraft.
"You almost raped me because he was controlling us both." I say. It's the first time I've said it out loud, but I haven't forgotten. I know it wasn't Colton, that he had no control, because I had no control, either. The only difference is that I remember every last detail. Colton claims not to, that everything is a blur.
"I wasn't going to..."
"You had no control." Rev reminds him. "You weren't the one calling the shots, and you know that. You're not interested in men. You did that because Whit made you. And you know, deep down, that this is all real. But I'm done arguing it with you. I'm going to prove it. I just need you guys here to anchor my body."
"Anchor your body?" I repeat, expecting him to elaborate. Instead, he only nods. "I'm going to perform this spell. I need you to be ready to pull me back."
"Pull you back from where?"
It's only one of the questions I have, but I forget the rest when he grins. "I'm going to go find Marley."
40
Marley
ThebeautyofDr.Whittier's methods of therapy is that I'm not on any kind of drugs. So, when I want to enjoy the occasional glass of wine, I let myself. Tonight, as I sink into a bubble bath, submerging myself up to my neck in the warmth and comfort of the bubbly water, I feel the tension lingering from being trussed up at Logan's desk begin to melt away. The orgasms—yes, multiple— made my mind relax, and now that it has, I can let my body relax too.
I never knew sex could feel like this. With Jake, it was... methodical. Uninspired. Almost routine.
We were young, but I could have fallen asleep with him inside me if it hadn't been so uncomfortable the first few times. By the time we figured out what worked, which was using lots of lube, he never wanted to deviate from what he knew worked. I could set a metronome by his motions— start with a kiss, add tongue, trail kisses down my neck, grab my boob over the clothes, and slide his hands down to the waistband of my jeans. From there, he'd slip a finger in, pumping me until I fake moaned loudlyenough he thought I wanted more even though I just wanted to get it over with.
But when I'm with Logan, it's like our bodies know each other on a cosmic level. I trust him, for reasons I can't identify, and the result of that is magical. It overrides my nervous system, if only for a little while, and lets me experience a deep catharsis, a peace that erases all the hurt from before. It doesn't bring back the people I lost, but being with him makes the ache less pronounced.
