Page 44 of Wrongfully Magicked
The song he’s humming is the same song he usually whistles while hunting his prey.
Only Cassius seems unaffected…until you look closer.
The basilisk is agitated, and that’s never a good thing. I tilt my head, then hear it—a low, rattling hiss that fills the truck. Most would assume it’s a tire losing air, but I know better. His beast is pissed, and I can practically see the snake writhing and twisting upon itself with the need to escape his human skin.
When his gaze meets mine in the rearview mirror, the sound stops abruptly, and his expression turns sulky. “Bringing her is a rookie mistake. Not only is it against policy, but she’s likely to get us killed.”
“Do you want to leave her behind?” I keep my eyes on his and don’t miss the slight flinch at the suggestion. “Because my intuition says that we need her, and I trust my instincts. It’s the only thing that’s kept us alive this long. If we leave without her, I doubt we’ll ever see her again. Are you okay with that?”
Darby reaches for the handle of the car door, ready to throw himself out of the vehicle if I dare to take off without her, while Soren’s merry whistle cuts off abruptly, a menacing rumble filling the vehicle as he slowly turns to glare at Cassius.
His pupils swell until they completely swallow the whites of his eyes, leaving the orbs a soulless black. Dark red shimmers in their depths as his beast rises to the surface, and the scent of sulfur fills the vehicle. A hint of fangs peek out between his lips, and alarm has my shadows rising from my skin. While I might be able to get between them fast enough if he lunges for Cass, I’ve learned from experience that his hellhound can hurt my shadows.
Cassius rarely bothers to antagonize the hellhound. Their beasts are pretty evenly matched in a fight and just as deadly. They both grew up rough and fight dirty. If they truly fought in earnest, they would both likely end up dead.
Instead of showing fear, Cass just rolls his eyes and shakes his head, then he turns and looks out the window. “Whatever. If you get her killed, then that’s on you.”
Before Soren can completely lose his temper and his beast can slip his leash, Darby holds up his hand. “Do you honestly believe she would be safer in the borderlands by herself than surrounded by us?”
Cass glares at him, a muscle ticking in his jaw. “You’re all obsessed with her. Do you think you’ll be able to protect her when you’re too busy watching her ass to see the danger coming?”
Before anyone can start throwing punches, a snort sounds by my window. I nearly jump out of my skin, unnerved that my shadows didn’t alert me to anyone’s approach. I whirl, pulling my shadows close, ready to throw them at the person and steal the air from their lungs…only to halt dead in my tracks when I see Anita standing just inches away with a scowl on her face. With my heart pounding like a drum against my ribs at the near miss, I barely hear her words when she speaks.
“Hey, asshat,” Anita snarls, her hands on her hips as she gazes into the back of the truck. “I don’t need you or anyone to protect me. I can do that on my own, fuck you very much. Anytime you want to try me, fang boy, I’m game.”
“Enough,” I snap, not waiting for them to come to blows. The thought of anyone laying a finger on her has my shadows writhing with the effort to keep them from exploding off my skin, and I’m not sure if I could stop myself from shredding his flesh from his bones. “The decision is final.”
Soren doesn’t hesitate to open the door and hop out. Instead of offering her a hand to help her enter, he slips his arms around her, then boldly picks her up by her hips and settles her in the vehicle.
“Jeez!” Anita huffs, then scrambles inside the truck the instant her feet touch down. “Warn a girl next time you plan to manhandle her.”
Though she snarks at him, there is a breathless quality to her voice that says how much she enjoyed it. My shadows still at the familiarity of his touch, and I’m not sure how to react at knowing he laid his hands and probably more on her.
My mind immediately fills with images of him exploring every inch of her body, and the different ways he would pleasure her over and over until she screamed his name. I wait for my shadows to fill the truck and seek vengeance…so I’m caught by surprise when they creep forward with curiosity instead. My cock immediately hardens when image after image of her naked and pressed between us flash through my head.
The slamming of the door snaps me back to attention, and I blink, struggling to get my breath—and my cock—back under control.
Unable to speak, I wait while Soren carefully buckles her into the middle seat, then I start the truck and pull out. The only way I can keep my eyes from wandering back to her again and again is by focusing on the darkness and watching for anyone who might be following.
As we drive down the road, the morning light slowly crawls across the desolate landscape of crumbling buildings and barren streets. Many people think the borderlands are creepy at night, but they obviously haven’t visited during the daylight hours.
The town falls away after a few minutes, leaving open land as far as the eye can see. While it might give the illusion ofsafety, it’s a mirage. Danger lingers everywhere, ambushes and boobytraps waiting for the unwary.
The road is almost familiar after traveling over it so many times in the last few weeks, our truck a recognizable sight in this area. While an MID officer might scare some predators away, it makes us a bigger target for others—those who want revenge or the prestige and bragging rights for taking out an MID agent.
Darby gives directions to the crime scene, his voice the only sound in the vehicle. Cass remains stiff, staring out the window like the rest of us don’t exist. Soren blatantly stares at Anita like she’s a snack he wants to eat. To my surprise, Anita ignores both of them, her eyes scanning our surroundings, taking everything in like she’s expecting an ambush at any second.
Smart girl.
My eyes slip lower, scanning her form in her new clothes, and my chest puffs up at how well they fit. The shirt clings to her curves, outlining her body in every detail. Though she might be small, her curves are killer and more than enough to distract a guy. Her pants display every delicious inch of her legs and ass.
Who knew someone so short could have legs that go on for days?
She is a goddess wrapped up in a delectable package—one that I want to slowly strip naked and worship every inch of her as I go.
Something about seeing her wearing clothes I purchased just does it for me, almost like a stamp of ownership. When my shadows slowly skim across the floor, as if trying to reach her, I shut down my ridiculous thoughts hard. The shadows disappear in a poof, and I wilt back against the seat, both relieved and disappointed.
I rip my attention away from her and focus on the mission, cutting off my infatuation with the girl before it can grow into something more dangerous. None of us can afford to bedistracted, not when dead bodies have been showing up more and more frequently, the violence increasing with each death.
