Page 26 of Rise of the Witch
“The hell you don’t!” Asa snapped, his pretty face transformed into the cold mask of a killer as he swiftly moved past Harbison to start sweeping the downstairs for additional threats.
“Excuse me?!Is this any way to treat our host?” A familiar haughty voice called down the grand staircase, and I raised my gaze to find the swan shifter on the landing above, arms crossed and eerie violet eyes blazing.
“Anthia!” Harbison yelped, his panicked gaze flitting between Nox and me and the guns we had trained on him. “Tell them! Tell them this is all a misunderstanding!”
Sighing dramatically, Anthia stomped down the stairs and placed herself in front of the occultist, with her back to us. “I apologize for their behavior, Harbison. I thought inviting these men along would make the trip easier for Baba Yaga, but I forgot howtrigger-happythey are.” Her tone was thick with contempt as she helped him to his feet before turning to face us again. “Especially the big, dumb one.” That last bit was aimed at Nox alone.
Emerging from behind Nox’s enormous frame, Vasi grimaced at Harbison. “I apologize as well. It’s not often I’m around humans, and some of the villagers were less than friendly, so tensions are high among my...the men.”
Harbison squinted at Vasi before starting to approach her. Nox and I growled so menacingly that he stopped mid-step but continued to scrutinize her with a confused expression. “I...I could’ve sworn for a moment you looked...young,” he mumbled before timidly smiling at the rest of us. “Shall we try this again? Please, come in! Welcome to my home, and feel free to stay as long as you would like.”
Is that what this wanker was trying to say the first time??
I lowered my gun, exhaling in annoyance as I hissed, “Perhaps try tonotlook and sound like a movie villain when people arrive, and this won’t happen.” I looked in the direction Ace had gone just as he appeared in an arched doorway, signaling the downstairs was all clear. Nox snarled once more in our host’s direction before stalking upstairs to check the rest of the house.
Harbison swallowed hard before motioning for us to follow him through the archway Asa was guarding. Ace gave the occultist a hard look as he passed, but his expression immediately softened when Vasi appeared. His face lit up with such unadulterated joy when they made eye contact that I momentarily stopped in my tracks.
I haven’t seen that expression in a long time...
The decor in Harbison’s house distracted me from further contemplating Ace’s reaction. Which wasn’t surprising, considering it looked like granny’s basement had a love child with a discotheque. The wallpaper and upholstery had a distinct 1970s floral-theme, offset by a rainbow of neon lights glowing from beneath cabinets, shelves, and the living room’s frosted glass floor. As if this horror show wasn’t bad enough, mirrors in every shape and size covered the walls, reflecting the hideousness from all angles.
“It’s actually reassuring to know a supernatural treasure like Baba Yaga has such skilled bodyguards,” Harbison crooned, back to his cartoon villain demeanor as he steepled his finger to scrutinize us. “Especially since the veil is thinning…” He allowed that slightly ominous announcement to hang in the air a moment before abruptly gesturing toward the kitchen island. “Please, help yourselves to some refreshments.”
The “refreshments” were various packaged cookies and cakes that again gave me a homebody grandma vibe. I started looking for the cut-glass candy dish full of jawbreaker caramels when Asa’s gaze shot to a red-and-white-striped box on the far end.
“Are those...Savannah Pralines?”he gasped, his tone holding the same level of desperation as when he was trying to dive nose-first into Vasi’s pussy.
“Why yes!” Harbison beamed. “I was visiting an old colleague in Savannah several years ago and ate my weight in these Pralines, so now I always keep a box on hand. You’re from Georgia, then? Is that the accent I detect?”
“What’s left of it,” Ace murmured, beelining for the Pralines and falling into easy conversation with our host about his hometown.
As much as a snack sounded good after our journey, there was something else I was far more interested in nibbling on. Vasi hadn’t invited either Ace or me back to her bed since we’d rescued Nox, and the few kisses I’d stolen since then had only made me more desperate for her. Whereas the love I felt for Ace had started as a friendship and deepened to more, this was a primal need I couldn’t control. It almost felt like there was a tether between Vasi and me, pulling us toward each other, making me ache for her...
“Can I show you two where you’ll be...sleepinglater?” Anthia purred, ignoring Vasi’s sexy glare while raising an eyebrow at me knowingly.
All right, swan, you can be my wingman.
Wing...lady.
Snaring Vasi’s tiny hand in mine, I pulled her along with me as we followed Anthia up the white marble staircase, passing a scowling Nox as he headed downstairs to join the others. Anthia simply pointed down an adjacent hallway at the landing before leaning in to whisper something in Vasi’s ear. Whatever she said made my witch blush worse than Ace, which of course, made my dick instantly rock-hard in response.
“Okay, thank you, Anthia!” I sang, briskly striding down the hall with Vasi still firmly in my grasp. Opening the first door we came to, I realized we’d stumbled upon a bathroom that was almost as big as her chicken-leg hut. Determined to find a more suitable, horizontal surface for me to feast on some witchy deliciousness, I turned to leave but froze when I saw Vasi gaping in wonder at the glassed-in, rainfall-style, black marble shower behind me.
“You know,” she cleared her throat, tearing her gaze away from the shower to address me. “I...after the long ride today, I think perhaps I should clean up a little first, before…”
Oh, no, you don’t.
Firmly shutting the door behind us, I advanced, herding her backward until she was trapped against the wall. “I want younow,little witch, and I don’t care how dirty you are.”
Unmistakable arousal glazed her expression, nipples pebbling beneath the thin shirt she wore, but still, she tried to dissuade me with an adorably stern tone. “Tan, I haven’t washed in a couple of days. I would rather be clean for you.”
Time for you to learn one of my secrets…
Chuckling, I leaned down, brushing my lips over hers while lightly caressing her bare arms, attempting to soothe away some of her uncharacteristic nervousness. “I. Don’t. Care. How dirty you are,” I breathed against her lips, feeling her shiver against me. “In fact….” I slowly lowered myself to my knees until my face was level with that magic pussy of hers—the only separation being the skintight yoga pants perfectly containing the aroma that was my kryptonite.
Pressing my nose against her mound, I inhaled deeply, groaning as I nuzzled closer. “In fact,” I repeated. “Iwantyou dirty and unwashed, and I’m gonna do my best to make you soak my face in your scent before I come all over this fancy bathroom floor from how goddamned delicious you smell right now.”
Unsurprisingly, silence followed my confession. Most women were horrified to discover just how much I loved day-old pussy in its natural state, and though a few girlfriends had humored me over the years, their enthusiasm never lasted long. Somewhere along the line, they’d been conditioned to scrub that flavor away, much to my disappointment. But I assumed my wild wood nymph would be more than happy to bathe me in her jus de vagine. My suspicions were confirmed when I looked up to find her staring down at me with feral hunger, all traces of nerves thankfully gone.
