Page 99 of A Witch-ish Guide to Protectors and Pendulums

“We don’t know where he is right now,” he countered. No. We definitely didn’t. But I could manifest myself to whereverhe was. Luc loved me. More than that, he and Connor were best friends. He’d make me the wards and probably without demanding payment.

“Can she manifest to him?” Shafira asked. The woman paid attention.

“I suppose we could go. I’m just worried about this guy,” Connor said.

I shook my head. “You’re staying here.”

He shot a death glare at me. “What are you smoking? You’re not going alone.Igo with you.”

The man could be so thick sometimes. Of course, I wanted him to go, but I needed him here. “Connor, babe, I need you here to help keep Kimaris subdued until I get back. Shafira is a powerful witch, but her area of expertise is as a kitchen witch. And Karro is stronger than he realizes, but he’s never kept a demon occupied?—”

“Oh, I’ve kept a demonoccupied,” he said, cutting me off.

I shot him my ‘really?’ face. “With magic, not sex.”

“He might be open to?—”

“As far as I know, Kamaris wouldn’t be,” Connor stated with the authority of a man who knew. And given our connection, he knew exactly what I wanted to ask and went on, “Kimaris has a mate. A woman. He can’t get with anyone else.”

“Demons have mates?” Shafira asked and Connor nodded.

“All supernatural beings have a mate out there. They just have to connect. Once you do, that’s all she wrote,” he said. I smiled. “You’re stuck,” he finished. I frowned.

“‘Stuck’?” I raised an eyebrow at the infuriating man. “You really want to go with that?”

He grabbed my hand, pulling me into his arms, and tried to kiss me. I turned my head and he got my cheek.

“Baby…”

“Don’tbabyme, you jackass,” I said, but I let him kiss me for real this time and he whispered something Shafira and Karro didn’t need to hear in my ear. I giggled under my breath, letting him off the hook for the time being. “My point still stands. I can manifest myself to Luc. You need to stay here and keep Kimaris under control.”

“I’ll go with you for backup,” Shafira said. “I might not be as strong with shooting off spells as you or Karro, but I can be of use.”

“I don’t like it,” Connor grumbled.

“I never thought you would,” I told him, “but this is what we’ve got to work with, so deal with it or don’t,dear.”

He grumbled again and I knew he was giving in. I wrapped Shafira in a manifestation bubble with me and shot us off to Lilith-knew-where. I just kept repeating:Take us to Lucifer. Over and over in my head:Take us to Lucifer.

The bubble popped, landing us in a posh living room. I dropped into a cushioned chair covered in black fur. I hoped not real fur. Shafira dropped on a black, leather sofa, one of those massive sectionals. I had no idea where we were, but there was no Lucifer in sight. Well, until the door opened at the end of the room and the gorgeous, blond man walked in. He stopped short at the sight of us, pressing the palms of his hands to his eyes before dropping them and openly gaping.

“Nope. Not seeing things,” I said.

“Oh my god, Simone—are you okay? Where’s Connor?” He turned his head from side to side, scanning the room.

“He’s not here. This is my friend—” I didn’t even get her name out when Luc jerked his head back to face us, like he’d just now noticed her in the room, gaping like an idiot before he pulled himself together.

“Shit,” he said, turning on the Luc charm. “I’m Lucifer. You are?”

“Not interested in blond fallen angels,” she replied.Go Shafira.

“I bet I can change your mind.”

I snapped my fingers to gain his attention. “Focus, Luc. She’s my friend, not your newest booty call.”

Luc bit his bottom lip in such a sexy way that even a mated woman got hot and bothered. And I meant me. I was that woman. “She could be both.” He never took his eyes from Shafira. “The ladies love it when I do this—” He gyrated his hips and looking at that, I knew from the depths of my soul that the ladies loved it.

“Luc, this is Shafira. Please, we’re here because we need demon wards.”

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