Page 25 of To Crave Madly
I darted forward, catching her by surprise. She squealed as I grabbed her waist and lifted her swiftly over my shoulder.
“Cassian! Put me down. Right. Now.” Her hands beat down on my back and she kicked her legs to try and wriggle out of my grasp.
My hand came down on her pert ass and the gasp of surprise that escaped her mouth had my cock twitching.
“Not going to happen, Princess. I warned you and now you have to pay the consequences. You’re going to stay right where you are until we reach the Witches’ Corner.” I paused, just to make sure she was listening intently to my words. “Which is on the other side of the town square.”
She stilled, suddenly silent at my threatening words. She’d just realised that I was going to parade her through the busiest part of the Conclave in a very humiliating fashion. I couldn’t help the self-satisfied grin that spread across my face. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d had this much fucking fun.
Chapter 6
RAE
It was quiet. Way too quiet for a neighbourhood that housed spell casters. Mages and witches tended to be lively by nature, seeking out social groups to form natural Covens and Guilds to share and boost their magic. But right now, I could hear crickets singing their twilight lullaby.
It unnerved me and I found myself checking the corners more than I normally would.
“Think happy thoughts…” I muttered to myself, hoping that images of unicorns, rainbows and hot naked shifters would distract me from my increasing, adrenaline-fuelled fear. An image of a topless Alec, riding a unicorn with rainbows flaring behind him chose that moment to pop into my mind and a snort escaped my lips. He was definitely a hot shifter, but I knew I’d never be enjoying that fine male specimen. I could tell he only had eyes for Lori, despite the curse that old witch put on him. What a pity; I bet he was fun between the sheets. Ah well, that image would just have to go into the wank bank to enjoy later.
First, I had a witch to find.
I stopped outside a three-story townhouse. Everything was neat and orderly, but something felt off. I paused at the gate and looked over my shoulder to the penumbra that lingered threateningly behind me. The street lamps shone a hazy glow through the light autumnal fog and the lack of moonlight made the dark corners seem more steeped in shadows than they normally would be. The whole effect had my heart racing and my ears straining for any unusual sounds.
I walked the short path to the front door and knocked lightly. The door swung ominously inward as my hand connected with the jolly red paintwork. That was Sukie, a light witch with an infectious smile and joyful personality. Everything about her was bright, so to see her home shrouded in darkness had my stomach churning and my hands turning clammy.
The sound of a scuffle caught my attention and I paused. A muffled scream followed, and I caught a burst of light in one of the upstairs windows.
Shit! My feet slowly stepped over the threshold. I didn’t want to alert anyone to my presence, so I slinked deeper into the house, my ears straining for any sound in the silence.
I dropped my bag in the hallway and pulled out my phone, dialling Alec as I headed up the stairs. Voices drifted along the landing as I moved towards the front of the house where I saw the burst of light.
“No! I won’t do it.” That was Sukie, her normally bubbly voice shaking with fear.
“You’re coming whether you like it or not,” another voice hissed. It was a raspy and wet-sounding voice and it sent shivers down my spine. There was a muffled response from a deeper voice, but I was too far away to hear it. That meant there were at least two people in there, but I wouldn’t rule out there being more.
Come on Alec, pick up the fucking phone.It just rang and rang. Fuck. Where was he?
“No!” Sukie screamed. There were more flashing lights followed by bangs and crashes.
Alec’s voice finally sounded on the other end of the line.“Rae, I’m in the middle of –”
Oh, sweet baby Jesus, thank fuck. “Alec, get the team to Witches’ Corner. House number 101. Bright red door. Someone is stealing witches!”
I hung up the phone, took a deep breath and headed into the fray. I just hoped I could hold them off long enough for the others to arrive.
***
LORI
I was seething. No, strike that. I was royally fucking pissed. I was still balanced over Cassian’s shoulder and looking as graceful as a sack of potatoes.
“Put me down, Cassian.”
“Not going to happen, Princess.” He was laughing. I could hear it in his voice. He was enjoying this, and I hated him for it. I was seriously going to have to find a way to get him back for this. I propped myself up with my hands on the small of his back. I could feel his muscles flexing beneath my fingers as he walked, his strides firm and confident as he marched me towards humiliation. If I wasn’t so concerned about feeling embarrassed, and maybe if I actually liked the guy, I’d probably enjoy the feel of him beneath my hands. Imighthave even liked the feel of his hands cupping the backs of my thighs, but I didn’t like the guy and I didn’t like his hands on me.
Well, notreally.
Just as I was trying to figure out how to worm my way out of the embarrassing crossing of the town square, Cassian dropped me unceremoniously to the ground.
