Forbidden Desire

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

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

the 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 thin

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

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 wou

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

Stones are still alive." His

well, mor

ve thought they'd have partied th

onversation before she knew what she was doing. "I

ned to her. "Which

Geo

h? Pity." He clucked his tongue. "Who els

hael J

erio

hitney's

rs and look what happens." He shook his head. "Next you're gonna

t her lip.

eyes and held up

aid, "You know, Arnold Schwarzen

t 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.

rld 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 intricate

, small was

se the Powers That Be, had to pay them back for the magic she'd us

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

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

da, with Atticus trailing behind. He was humming "Bad" by Michael J

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 then

he asked. "Trying to c

ing straight at his head. The book was too valuable. "I'm doing re

order? Because I can see you nee

pped the volume on a pile on the desk. "Maybe there's so

atement 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 p

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 male

arts of her body. "Well, as I was saying before you so rudely interrupted me with your Freudian slip-li

e point," Ma

s tongue. "Impa

him by a good three feet. Marga groaned. Never, even if her l

just watched the literary missile fly past hi

ou'd hit me." He caught the next book in midair and pinned

Wha

the last tim

when you broke in here." She lowered the book she was currently hol

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 ju

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

trip her bare, "that bit of sleep you caught a short while ago was what? Half an h

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

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

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'l

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. A

sneak

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

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

the 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

make it to

find Atticus standing behind her, l

to tuck you into bed if I'd known you were that tired. I mean, you ha

d her exhaustion had l

r through the door. "S

He 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 t

d short and stared at him, baffled, and no

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

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 o

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

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

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

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

lust-induced insanity. "I could just bi

off his boots and proceed

s room must be her senses. If she didn't l

dows 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?"

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

ped at Atticus. He froze. Features strained as if

eeth, obviously fighting against the magic holding hi

e wouldn't notice her hands shaking from the effort it took to keep the power flowin

twitched up. "I am g

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 for

ly 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 pu

es of lazy, delicious stretches that all but eroded Marga's

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

d toward her, slowly, giving

presence of mind nevertheless. "I'm not let

f her oversized sweater. "Marga." He tugged a little. She

yes. They held a glint of such honest year

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 pus

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 Shadow

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

his fingertips grazed the skin above her waistband. Marga

ring the day anyway,

his fingertips. "Who says I

ning. As much for

f her jeans, just a little, just enough t

at him, her gut knot

some rest first. I

lly slap him, but he shut her u

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

olding a quiet, spellbinding assurance. Seconds tick

bbing her lower lip. "However, I'd be delighted to

a trance. For a moment there

," Atticus

he lifted h

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

he ordered, h

en when she raised her arms and let him pull the sweater off over her he

r-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, f

acing, she didn't dare move or say anyt

ned a more sane expression, though the single-minded intent was still plainly visi

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

y 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 t

tten worse, or from the striking awareness of the naked demon who wa

Atticus had slipped underneath the blanket and up to

d on her neck. "Relax. Jus

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

he said, and she could feel h

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

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

icidal. Maybe she'd gone del

on me while I'm asleep, or I s

er. "Now sleep, little witch of mine." Pressing her closer to him, he took a deep breath, his fingers curling into the thin fab

to sleep, she realized

felt more right than be