To Bewitch An Evil's Heart

ish enough to assume they would track down the demon without delay—through the anguished haze in her mind, strung out by the desperate need to rescue Marissa, she’d complet

thy male mind and body, and though it appealed to the woman inside her, it differed little from a human

he demon. Reduced to human powers and strength he might be, but a man didn’t need magical means to inflict pain on a woman. Just think

r, she’d rip him apart limb by limb and watch it all grow back, several times, before she’

an might devour a sumptuous buffet. Right, he hasn’t seen the sun rise in twenty years. Two decades of darkness and pain, a prison that wo

s picked up her MP3 player again and browsed through the content. H

Stones are still alive.” His

ell, more

ve thought they’d have partied t

nversation before she knew what she was doing. “I

ed to her. “Which

eor

? Pity.” He clucked his tongue. “Who else

ael Ja

riou

itney’s g

s and look what happens.” He shook his head. “Next you’re gonna t

t her lip

yes and held up

id, “You know, Arnold Schwarzene

her. “Now you’re

nt seemingly stolen from another life, before stifling responsibility, loss and pain, she felt lighthearted, free, in the mood to joke. She wanted to tease, and it startled her. Amusement and joy didn’t come easily.

ld was a frail one, easily disturbed, hard to control, and each line of witches was integral to this balance, with the head of the line being the vital part. Marga’s own essence had become intricatel

, small wa

se the Powers That Be, had to pay them back for the magic she’d u

the place reserved for the darkest of memories. It was the same place that held the image of a burning cherry

, long before her grandmother’s passing, long before Marissa had disappeared. For Marga, careless joy

a, with Atticus trailing behind. He was humming “Bad” by Michael Ja

e large desk in the middle of the room. Atticus had followed her and now sauntered around the study, frowned at the mess of books and papers cluttering the carpet and the table, and the

he asked. “Trying to cr

ng straight at his head. The book was too valuable. “I’m doing res

rder? Because I can see you need

ed the volume on a pile on the desk. “Maybe there’s som

tement sucker-punched her in the guts. “That aside, you really should spend the idle daytime

e sex with you…” she cut in,

g I say is aimed at getting me into your sweet little

ore her inner eye, and the parts of her body he’d touched heated in remembrance. The mere thought of what it would feel like to have all that impressive mal

rts of her body. “Well, as I was saying before you so rudely interrupted me with your Freudian slip-lik

e point,” M

s tongue. “Imp

im by a good three feet. Marga groaned. Never, even if her li

ust watched the literary missile fly past him

u’d hit me.” He caught the next book in midair and pinned

Wh

he last time

when you broke in here.” She lowered the book she was currently ho

his eyes intent on hers. When he stopped right in front of her, only inches away, his body heat brushed over her like a physical caress. “And j

ld he affect her like this? He didn’t even have his damn demon powers! She checked her mental s

rip her bare, “that bit of sleep you caught a short while ago was what? Half an ho

the bone-tiring exhaustion she’d been fighting back with the force of her

gh, it somehow felt…right. Too tired to fight his slow erosion of her defenses, Marga relaxed in his hold, leaned her forehead against his c

s so damn soothing despite all her common sense. “You’ll be of no use to Marissa if you’re weak and tired. Sleep, and we’

realized she was letting

the door, stopped, half-turned. “I’ll lie down for a few hours. You can watch TV, or read something, or do whatever demon stuff you usually do during daytime, as long as you stay inside and away from me. An

sneaky

from either side.” It was actually more of a reinforcement of the wards to also work inwards, but it would do. Good thing her grandm

she’d scrambled out to get home and replenish her energy. Closing her eyes, she thumped her

he wheel on the way to the cemetery, she’d sure as hell collapse there in the mausoleum. Atticus was right, she needed to rest, and the last place she w

ake it to

find Atticus standing behind her, li

to tuck you into bed if I’d known you were that tired. I mean, you h

d her exhaustion had

r through the door. “

e brushed his fingers over her dressing table, her jewelry, sniffed at her bottles of perfume, and studied the photo collage of her family and friends she’d hung on th

short and stared at him, baffled, and not

in front of her dressing table, and was now in the process of taking off his sh

get mad at his quip. “W

r street clothes. I certainly don’t. In fact, I

of one hand. “You are not joining me in bed. If you want to sleep, use

and he exuded an amount of male arrogance that was impossibly disarmin

r his smugness. And for sneaking the image in her mind of h

And just kept on laughing. While Marga gaped at him in outrage, he pulled off

ued to the display of rippling muscle and lickable skin in front of her. Why, gods, wh

lust-induced insanity. “I could just bin

off his boots and procee

room must be her senses. If she didn’t lo

ows tend to starve me out after only a few hours—I’d have to nearly drain you—again. You don’t want a repeat of that, do you?” U

d like drooling at him. “Flesh and bone, still as stone

ed at Atticus. He froze. Features strained as if h

eth, obviously fighting against the magic holding him

wouldn’t notice her hands shaking from the effort it took to keep the power flowing

twitched up. “I am

pell for much longer. Even if she wasn’t strung out from lack of sleep and the strain of recent events, she’d have trouble holding him like that fo

y freeze you again if you don’t comply, and I’ll make sure to mute you as well so I won’t have to listen to your complaints.” She didn’t have enough power left to pul

s of lazy, delicious stretches that all but eroded Marga’s a

ame in slow motion, she struggled to form words. All she managed to get out, her eyes r

d toward her, slowly, giving

presence of mind nevertheless. “I’m not lett

f her oversized sweater. “Marga.” He tugged a little. She

es. They held a glint of such honest yearn

the past twenty years and…” He paused, held her gaze, no sign

is. If there had been the slightest indication he was trying to manipulate her, she’d have thrown him out without batting an eye. If he’d been as cocky and pu

nd quite frankly, she was also too tired to argue about this much longer. He was still convinced killing her would kick him straight back into the Shado

ot want to kiss. Did. Not. No, no, no. Wrenching her gaze away from his mouth, she looked at

is fingertips grazed the skin above her waistband. Marga f

ing the day anyway,”

his fingertips. “Who says

ing. As much for h

her jeans, just a little, just enough to

at him, her gut knott

ome rest first. I

ly slap him, but he shut her up

body like I’ve been planning to do since you came down those stairs, and

lding a quiet, spellbinding assurance. Seconds ticke

bing her lower lip. “However, I’d be delighted to h

a trance. For a moment there,

,” Atticu

he lifted

, without any haste, as if he had all the time in the world and had r

e ordered, hi

n when she raised her arms and let him pull the sweater off over her hea

—it felt the same. Standing there, in front of him, bare-chested except for her bra and rooted to the spot by Atticus

sight of him unhinged her. Even divested of his powers, the way he looked at her now, the way he kept himself preternaturally still, fe

acing, she didn’t dare move or say any

ed a more sane expression, though the single-minded intent was still plainly visib

, she had a suicidal streak. Before she could act on that, though,

the open door, she pulled on the tank top and proceeded to get rid of her bra underneath. Next she discarded her jeans and quickly put on th

ten worse, or from the striking awareness of the naked demon who was

Atticus had slipped underneath the blanket and up t

d on her neck. “Relax. Ju

her want to push back and rub up against him, give in to the warm tingles of excitement rushing through her body,

e said, and she could feel hi

entwined his legs with hers. His hand slid up her torso to her rib cage, stopped there below the sw

hort of overwhelming. She should have been terrified to be locked into h

cidal. Maybe she’d gone deli

n me while I’m asleep, or I sw

r. “Now sleep, little witch of mine.” Pressing her closer to him, he took a deep breath, his fingers curling into the thin fabr

o sleep, she realized s

felt more right than b