Page 22 of Sorcia's Heart
“You’ll give me a bite of your burger, right?”she asked, her tone casual, but she paused as memories flickered through her mind—flashes of other times when Marcus had ordered beef, and she had inevitably leaned over to ask for “just a bite.”
“I didn’t think you liked red meat,” Marcus remarked, taking a long sip of the draft beer the waitress had just set down in front of him.
“I usually don’t, but I think I need the extra iron for our hunt,” she replied, her tone light but purposeful.
“Good idea,” he agreed, leaning forward and crossing his arms on the table.The soft light from the window cast warm highlights on his features as he fixed her with a steady gaze.“So, where do you think this demon is lurking?And why do you think he targeted you?”
“I don’t know,” Sorcia admitted, reaching over and lifting his beer without asking.She took a long sip and sighed contentedly.“Oh, that’s good.”
He chuckled, agreeing with her as he took the glass back, deliberately drinking from the same spot where her lips had been.It was a subtle move, but the taste of her lingered on the rim.Delicious.
“I don’t know either,” he finally replied.“We should’ve sectioned off the city and—”
“Already done,” Sorcia interrupted, setting her empty water glass down with a soft clink.
Marcus’s eyebrows lifted in surprise.“You already divided the city into grids?”
“During the last two crises with Jace and Viktor, my witches developed a grid system for my entire territory,” she explained, a hint of pride in her voice.“By now, Bethany, Zelda, and Jane will have called their deputies, who’ll call their team leaders.Within the hour, every witch in my coven will be searching their assigned grids.They’ve already canceled their meetings.They know the importance of finding a demon hiding in our territory as quickly as possible.”
Marcus leaned back slightly, his blue eyes appraising her.“That’s very efficient of you,” he said, genuinely impressed.
Sorcia gave him a small smile, but there was an edge of determination in her expression.“It has to be,” she said softly.“We don’t have the luxury of wasting time when it comes to demons.”
As the waitress returned with their meals, Marcus glanced out the window, his mind racing with possibilities.Whatever this demon was after, it had chosen the wrong territory to mess with.
Marcus couldn’t take his eyes off Sorcia.She was beautiful in a way that never failed to captivate him, no matter how many times he’d seen her.Her dark, glossy hair framed her face perfectly, the strands catching the light in a way that made them shimmer.But it was her green eyes that always held him.They weren’t just striking—they were expressive, revealing the fire of her temper, the depth of her intellect, and the vulnerability she tried so hard to hide.
Her lips, though, were his greatest weakness.Full and soft, they always seemed to invite his attention.Whether she was speaking with her sharp wit or biting her bottom lip when lost in thought, he couldn’t stop himself from watching her mouth.He liked the way she pursed them slightly when she was thinking something over—like now, as she considered their next steps.
But the memory of the woman Sorcia thought he’d betrayed her with burned in the back of his mind, stirring a simmering resentment.That woman had meant nothing, a mere pawn in someone else’s scheme.The fact that Sorcia believed otherwise—believed he could even think of someone else when she was everything—still tore at him.He’d prove her wrong.Eventually.
Chapter 11
“Neverletthegrassgrow under our feet!”Sorcia said brightly, but her words gave her pause.Something about them stirred an odd feeling in her chest, though she couldn’t pinpoint why.Shaking it off, she forced her focus back to the present.“But there’s another question I need to answer.”
“Weneed to answer,” Marcus corrected smoothly, lifting his hand to call the waitress.She caught his signal, and Marcus raised his nearly empty glass, requesting another beer.
Sorcia sipped her ice water, trying to calm the pounding in her chest.Marcus’s quiet assertion of their teamwork was unsettling in its intensity.She loved leading her coven, loved the sense of purpose and camaraderie it gave her.But Marcus had a way of making her feel like she wasn’t alone in bearing the weight of her responsibilities—like he’d step in at any moment to catch her if she faltered.
The thought made her mouth dry, so she took another sip of water and glanced down at her plate.The fish and chips had been a solid choice—crispy fries, perfectly battered fish—but Marcus’s burger looked so good.
And then he offered her a bite.
“Go ahead,” he said, slicing the burger in half and holding it out to her.
Sorcia hesitated.It shouldn’t feel intimate.It was just food.But as she leaned in and took the bite, her cheeks warmed, the closeness of the gesture striking a nerve she hadn’t expected.
“Good?”Marcus asked, watching her reaction.
She nodded, swallowing.“Delicious.But don’t let it go to your head.”
He smirked, then leaned back slightly, his gaze holding hers.“Another thing, you don’t have to be self-conscious about last night, Sorcia.It’s normal.Releasing that much passion after holding it in for so long—it’s not a bad thing.”
Her stomach flipped, and her eyes narrowed.“Why would you assume I’ve been holding anything in?”she asked, defensively reaching for her water.
Marcus grinned, his trademark confidence infuriatingly intact.“Because you wouldn’t have reacted that way with anyone else,” he replied, his voice low and deliberate.He winked, his blue eyes twinkling with mischief.“You’ve never accepted second best in your life, and you’re not about to start now.”
Her face flushed even hotter, and she turned her attention to her fries, stabbing one a little more forcefully than necessary.“You’re awfully sure of yourself,” she muttered.
