Page 11 of April's Fool
I gaped. Reaching for him, I caught his hand. His skin was warm next to mine. The chill of the January air had seeped into my bones. Or rather, Mori’s words had cut me so deeply I felt exposed, naked. “No,” I protested. It sounded weak to my own ears. More firmly, I said, “I love him, but I’m not in love with him.”
Mori’s dark demon eyes met mine. He studied my face. “One of the most honest things you’ve said.” He leaned in closer. This time, my body reacted. Prickling awareness of his proximity lit up my nerve endings and my cock twitched. Mori smelled divine, wood smoke and jasmine, and something else I wanted to get more of.
Leaning closer, I caught his whispered words. “I’m going to keep a very close eye on you.”
Watchful
Damon
As suspected, the carjourney was deeply uncomfortable. Because of my smaller stature, compared to my demon acquaintances, I was stuck in the middle seat as the shifters drove. Mori had refused my last plea to travel with the witches, insisting that I stick with them.
We drove to a place between Northarbor and Sweetwater, where the shifters were from. As we ate up the few miles to where Toth was being kept, I tried to text Parker to let him know where I was going.
“Who’s that?” Mori asked with a hint of demand.
“My handler and friend, Parker. I told you about him at dinner,” I answered honestly. Mori and Toth had both peppered me with questions, the majority of which I deflected onto them. It made me too vulnerable to talk about my private life and everything about the contract was now out in the open. Everyone knew Austin had contracted me to kill Cody, but had used magic and Basil to make it so he wouldn’t befound out.
Mori hummed and settled back, brushing against me. There was a burst of his scent, and my chilled skin absorbed his warmth. With difficulty, I repressed my shudder.
It was strange, seeing this quieter side of Mori. When texting with Cody, I’d gotten the impression that Mori was excitable and overeager. Here he was being restrained. It made me wonder what was going on underneath. Had my presence in Cody’s life rattled the demon?
All the vehicles pulled up to a deserted lot, and I watched in fascination as the shifters peeled off their clothes and shed their human forms for their alters. I loved watching Parker let his bird out whenever he shifted, even if it was a bossy, prideful bird. I knew my issues with magic were strange.
In my thirty years on this earth, I’d experienced a lot. I’d seen magic in many guises, the fae, elves, shifters and especially witches. None of the supernatural races made me as nervous as the witches did, so I kept back as Oak exited a car and began using his magic to trace Basil.
Everything about what Oak was doing was to help Cody find Toth, but it made my skin crawl, a visceral reaction I could barely control.
“Are you alright?” Mori asked with concern as he observed Oak and watched the shifters fan out.
There was a small part of me that wanted to lie, but it was obvious that Mori didn’t trust me, and wouldn’t if I lied. “Witches make me uncomfortable.”
He studied me. “They do?”
“Old habits die hard, I guess.”
Mori wasn’t given a chance to question me further as the shifters all began running in the same direction, a massive Komodo dragon lumbering behind them at a slower pace. He was still faster than Cody until my friend let out his violet wings and took flight.
I couldn’t help my whispered shout at seeing him be his true self. Mori slapped a hand over my mouth, muffling the sound, and drew me close to him. “We can’t let anyone hear us.” Like Cody, he let out his wings without damaging his finely tailored suit. Really, it was a beauty. I’d have to find out where I could get one. He slung an arm around me, pulling me tightly against his hard body. Holy shit, he felt good.
With a hop, Mori lifted me into the air, gliding after Cody just as my friend entered a warehouse. The sensations of the air rushing over me and Mori’s tight grip were exhilarating. Being in his arms, trusting him with my safety, should have been impossible, but I found myself leaning into him, soaking up his warmth as the cold air blasted over my exposed skin.
Up ahead, Cody entered a warehouse and Mori landed not far behind him.
Inside was my own personal hell.
I took in the details, the spell circle holding a tortured Toth inside, the cup of coffee on a counter, signs that Basil had been living here. All of it registered in a detached manner. While I worked to get my feelings under control, the facts filed themselves away. The demons were sure to be sensing the mounting distress that I tried to squash down under a veil of apathy. The shifters could likely scent my growing fear.
Both Mori and Gregoris looked at me as I watched my friend with his mate. It was easy to read their concern, not only for Cody and Toth, but for what they were getting from me.
Taking a step away as Oak settled next to the outer ring of the spell circle, I looked around for more clues to where Basil could have gone. I needed to get a photo of this fucker.
With no one paying attention to me, I snagged Basil’s comb. There, on its lacquered surface, were fine dark red hairs. Hopefully, there was enough DNA to get into the registry and find out everything there was to know about him, including a way to trace him. Without magic, of course, because he would expect that.
There were mutterings happening around the circle, and despite my fear, I drew closer. It didn’t surprise me that Oak dismissed my suggestion aboutthe spell. I barely refrained from rolling my eyes. The witch seemed to have some misplaced hero worship for Basil. Although Basil had been High Witch of the Northarbor coven the previous year, he’d also prevented the coven from growing and having healthy relationships with other supernaturals. He believed witches were above everyone. He was the exact kind of witch that I had been taught to despise.
Cody agreed with me and with a small sigh, Oak tried my approach. It worked. Of course it did. I might not like magic, but I could spot a rushed spell and the signs of a man on the run. Basil had left his toothbrush along with his comb. That guy was fleeing before he could be caught. This spell had been one last fuck you to his former coven.
I felt a pang in my heart at seeing the mates reunited. Not out of jealousy, but of longing. No one had loved me like that. I wanted it for myself.
