Page 2 of Demanding Discord
I took another sip of sulfur water and handed him the bottle. “This entire ordeal is unsettling. Could you be more specific?”
“I don’t believe Hecate will be in her temple. You found it too easily.” He handed me the empty bottle and rose. “The seer had been scrying for years to no avail, yet you found the goddess within minutes. That doesn’t make sense.”
I bristled, my ego taking a hit. “After everything we’ve been through, now you’re questioning my abilities?”
“Not at all. If any mortal witch could locate her, it would be you.” He offered his hand. “You are the most amazing woman I have ever met.”
Ignoring his last comment, I shoved the bottle into my backpack and accepted the gesture, letting him tug me to my feet. “Maybe she’s ready to be found. And anyway, you helped me. Maybe the seer just needed to channel a Prince of Hell.”
I tried to pull from his grasp, but he tightened his grip as we stood there, face to face, the intensity in his eyes making my stomach flutter. He was silent for a beat…two…three, and the fluttering rose to my chest.
“You saved my life.” He sandwiched my hand between both of his, the warmth of his grip and the sincerity in his eyes making my breath catch.
“I didn’t have much of a choice.” My body drifted toward him of its own volition, the magnetism between us getting stronger with every battle we survived. “If you die, I die.”
“You’d have saved me even if we weren’t bound.” His gaze slid to my lips, and my heart raced. “As I would save you.”
My mouth suddenly felt drier than the Mohave. “I’m a light witch. It’s what we do.” I licked my chapped lips, tugging my hand again. This time, he let me go.
I stepped away and grabbed my backpack, willing my hormones to calm the eff down. The urge to throw myself into his arms and let him ravish me right there on the cave floor overwhelmed me…but getting it on with a demon was the last thing I needed to worry about… Right now, anyway.
Honestly, if he hadn’t kissed me by the river, I wouldn’t be thinking about it at all. That kiss though… Damn.
He let out a little grunt, narrowing his eyes as I strapped on my backpack.
“We should get moving before someone figures out where we are.” I leaned a shoulder against the giant rock blocking the cave entrance and pushed. It didn’t budge. Of course it didn’t. The damn thing was taller than me and probably weighed a ton, but I needed to get out of this confined, private space before I said eff it all and let my hormones take control.
“Or we could finish what we started on the riverbank.” He rested a hand on the rock above my shoulder and leaned toward me, his smoldering gaze making my traitorous stomach flutter again.
“Not a chance.” I pressed both palms against the boulder, shoving with all my bodyweight and ignoring the desire unfurling in my chest.
A strange look contorted his features for half a second, as if I’d physically slapped him, but he recovered and smirked. “This might be the only chance you get.”
“I’m good with those odds.” I flashed a tight-lipped smile and crossed my arms.
He inhaled deeply. “Your scent betrays you. I can smell your desire.”
You have no idea… No doubt, my pheromones flared again at that animalistic statement, but I deflected and forced out a dry laugh. “We are not doing the deed on the cave floor.” A girl had to have standards, right?
He arched a brow, mischief dancing in his eyes. “I could brace you against the wall.”
Hecate on a highwire. Wouldn’t that be something? If I kept my shirt on, maybe the rocks wouldn’t chafe too badly. My backpack could act as a buffer too. He was definitely strong enough to hold me up, and we could… Whoa. Slow your roll, Cin.
Seriously, get a grip.
The sly grin on his lips told me I’d just turned the dial on whatever my desire smelled like to full blast. He took another deep breath, the knowing look in his eyes making me feel naked, even though I was fully clothed.
And Hecate knew I wouldn’t mind getting naked with the man. He was packing quite the package, but… Standards, Cin. You have standards. “We’re not doing it in a cave. End of story. Now, will you please move this rock so we can be on our way?”
“You don’t deny the attraction.”
I pressed my lips into a hard line. No. No, I did not. “That’s not the point.”
He gave me one more smirk and waved his hand in front of the boulder. When nothing happened, he cut his gaze toward me for half a second. I tried not to react, but damn. If he’d done his dematerializing trick to get us inside, and now we were trapped, I would become the unhappiest little camper he’d ever seen.
Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath. His muscles tensed, his nostrils flaring as he tried again. He waved his hand back and forth, his fingers curling into a claw, his exertion evident by the tendons protruding from his neck. He huffed, waving his arm three more times, and finally, it disappeared.
The memory of passing through the partially formed wall back at the palace had my feet moving before my brain had the chance to send the command. I darted through the opening and pressed my back against the outer wall, jerking my head side to side, searching for signs of an impending ambush. The coast seemed clear. For now.
