by Anna Abner
“That’s at least two hours away. Are you sure?” David asked.
“They might know more about the Dark Caster and his minions than I do. With Cole mentally MIA, we don’t have a lot of choices.”
“Fine.” Ryan was safe. David didn’t have to go to work. Raleigh was doable.
Satisfied with the plan, he turned his attention back to Dani. He eyed her up and down, from her conservative blouse to her long pants and neon-pink sneakers. “Why are you dressed in the same pants and shirt you wore yesterday?”
“I didn’t pack,” Dani said. “I didn’t know I’d be spending the night when I left my apartment yesterday morning.”
“Right.” This could turn out to be fun. Dani needed new clothes, and he had money to buy them. “First stop today will be the mall.”
“What? No.” She picked at her shirt. “It’s still clean. I’m fine.”
It was probably clean enough to wear another day, but David wasn’t concerned with cleanliness. He pictured Dani in ultra short shorts and a bikini top, her nails painted fire engine red, and her dark hair curling past her shoulders.
Maybe that was a little extreme, but she always wore long sleeves and long pants. He couldn’t even recall a time he’d seen her—and for almost two years he’d seen her five days a week—in anything even remotely revealing. Now, he understood why. At the time he’d assumed she dressed conservatively as an indication of religious views. But, no, she did it to cut down on any accidental skin-to-skin touches.
They didn’t have to fear those anymore. She could wear skirts and low-cut blouses and spaghetti straps and capris. And he wanted to see her in all of it.
“I’m fine,” Dani said.
“No. You need clothes, but your apartment is in the opposite direction as Raleigh, so we’re going to the mall.”
“I don’t—”
“What about toiletries? If you didn’t pack, then you don’t have a toothbrush or deodorant or even a hairbrush. How long can you go without those things?”
“I had to use your deodorant this morning. And your comb. Hope you don’t mind.” She nibbled the nails on her right hand as she appeared to consider his proposition. “Okay, but I’m buying.”
“There is zero chance of that happening. But let’s not waste any more time.” David pocketed his cell, his wallet, and his car keys.
“I mean it,” Dani said, preceding him out the front door. “I can’t let you buy me things. It’s not right. I can afford my own toothbrush.”
He was sure she could, but for the amount of clothes he planned on buying, he would pay.
His mother, who loved nice clothes and expensive shoes, only shopped in Wilmington at the more upscale department stores and boutiques, but they were pressed for time, and David had to settle for the tiny mall in Auburn. Half the shops, including one department store, were vacant, and it didn’t even have a proper food court, just a cookie shop and an Asian fast-food counter, but it was the best he could do today.
Like a bee to honey, Dani went straight for the long trousers.
“For the first time,” he said, pulling shorts off a rack in a variety of sizes and colors, “you can bare your skin. Why not enjoy it?” He snatched a couple tank tops off a shelf and steered her into the changing rooms. “Try these on and then show me.”
While she changed, David discovered other options. Skirts. Blouses. And a daring black dress with a deep vee down the front. He returned to the changing area just as Dani stepped out of her stall.
He froze, clutching a heap of clothing to his suddenly achy chest.
She took his breath away. In fact, he had to remind his lungs to get back to work. She stood there shyly in a pair of cuffed jean shorts and a midriff-baring white tank top. He didn’t think he’d ever seen anything so sexy in his life.
“Yeah,” he swallowed, “that’s a yes for me. Put those in the yes pile. In fact, I’m going to find more exactly like those. Here.” He pushed the pile of clothes into her arms, and their skin made contact. He sucked in much-needed air before rushing off to raid more racks.
By the time they left the mall an hour later, David carried six bulging bags of new clothes, and Dani carried one sack of toiletries. He’d insisted, before they left, that she change into those shorts and that white tank, which she did.
Today was going to be a freaking awesome day.
* * *
Dani pulled at her seatbelt, messed with her hair, and then the hem of her new shorts. She felt naked. Only at home, in private, did she ever wear so little clothing. Never in public. Never in front of men. She enjoyed the lust in David’s eyes when he looked at her, but this was going to be a rough day.
“Where in Raleigh is this coven?” David asked, pulling into traffic on Western Boulevard.
“I’ll text my friend Willow.” Though friend was a stretch. They’d been friendly when they’d both been members of the coven, but they weren’t exactly BFFs.
Dani scrolled through the contacts list in her cell phone.
There were about a dozen members of the Raleigh coven, both necromancers and witches. Of the people she’d met, Willow and Scarlet were her favorites. They were nice, unlike the one or two magic snobs she’d run into who had specific ideas about how and when casters should use their power. Dani didn’t like being told what to do. But Willow and Scarlet were cool.
Dani texted Willow and got the address to the bank where she worked. She inputted it into David’s GPS and leaned back in her seat.
The kind-voiced GPS lady informed them they would be arriving at their destination in two hours and nineteen minutes.
David reached across the gearshift and clasped Dani’s hand. “How does it feel to be able to touch people?” he asked.
She smiled, forgetting about her nearly nonexistent outfit, and squeezed his fingers between her own. “Really, really good.”
Safe and content, she closed her eyes, and though it only felt like a few minutes, when the rented VW rolled to a stop and she opened her eyes, an hour had passed. She straightened and yawned, discovering her hand still clutched in David’s.
They weren’t in Raleigh. “Where are we?” Dani asked. It looked like an interstate rest stop.
David finally, reluctantly, released her hand to turn off the engine. “I was thinking about all the things you’ve missed out on.” His gaze flitted across her chest. “And I want to help you catch up on a few.”
Her skin prickled and warmed. “Like what?”
“One of my favorite things to do as a teenager was making out in a car.” He slid one rough hand up her thigh. It tickled, and her whole body shivered. “Will you kiss me, Dani?”
He didn’t need to ask twice. She grabbed his face in both hands, his stubble sharp against her palms, and kissed him.
His hand brushed up her arm and then cupped her left breast. Her breath hitched, and she made a mewling sound in her throat.
She tried to get closer, but the small confines of the car hindered her. Damn gearshift. She grabbed at David’s shirt, and her elbow banged against the steering wheel.
“This is impossible,” she grumbled.
“Come here.” In one well-executed move, David ratcheted back his seat and pulled Dani sideways onto his lap.
He groaned as his arousal nudged her leg. “Better?” he asked, stroking the line of her jaw.
Not really. But then David kissed her, his warm tongue sliding between her lips, and she forgot all about losing blood flow to her right leg or the steering wheel cutting into her kidney. She closed her eyes, and all she could feel was David.
He drew slowly away, rearranging her tank top and dropping sweet kisses at the corner of her mouth. “Do you feel like a horny teenager yet?”
She nuzzled his neck, inhaling his clean, masculine scent. “But you haven’t finished.” His erection pulsed beneath her thigh.
“It’s okay,” he said, his voice suddenly husky.
“You may be done,” she said, climbing awkwardly back int
o the passenger seat, “but I’m not.”
After a quick look around to make sure no one was watching—the parking lot was thankfully deserted—she bent over David’s lap.
As she pulled at the fly of his jeans, he made a guttural, nonsensical sound of surprise. But this was her time to experience everything. Every touch and every sensation.
David tasted like salt and clean skin. She moved hesitantly, only ever fantasizing about this, but never actually participating. She suckled his swollen crown, and then pulled more of him into her mouth.
David’s hips jumped off the seat, and his hand slammed against the steering wheel.
Dani liked the power she had over him, and she enjoyed giving the man she cared about so much pleasure. After a couple of experimental moves, she found a rhythm comfortable for her. And as he lengthened to unbelievable heights, she sucked even harder.
“I’m gonna come,” he gasped.
But she didn’t stop. She wanted to experience all of him, even this.
David collapsed against the driver’s seat. “Dani,” he groaned, pulling her roughly against him and kissing her hard. “You could not be more amazing.”
She nuzzled his throat, wishing she could stay there forever.
* * *
David parked in a space near the bank’s entrance, and Dani got out, pulling at her tank top, but it didn’t magically get any bigger.
“This is where your witch friend works?” he asked for the second time. He must have thought supernatural folks either didn’t have to work or they worked in occult shops or in Hollywood. Dani worked in a day care for slightly above minimum wage. He should know better.
“She’s a teller. Come on.” She hopped onto the sidewalk and opened the door. Cool, stale air blew over them.
It had been a long time since Dani had laid eyes on Willow McCord, but she spotted her instantly. Even among the dozen or so members of the Raleigh coven, she stood out. At five feet ten inches, she towered over almost all other women and even some of the men. Pair that with long russet hair and a pretty face, and she was hard to forget. Dani bypassed the line and headed straight for Willow’s window.
“Hi!” Willow waved and then turned to a man in a suit and a nametag. “Steve, I’m taking a smoke break.”
“You just had a smoke break,” he whispered, trying to be subtle but only drawing more attention to him and Willow. “We need you here, Miss McCord.”
“You can dock my pay,” she said dismissively, grabbing a shoulder bag and sweeping across the office in several long strides, “but I’m taking a smoke break.”
Dani clasped David’s hand in hers and hurried to follow, surprised that her instinct was to touch him. Three days ago her no-touch zone was her number one priority, and now she couldn’t wait to hold his hand. Or slip her arm around his waist. Or kiss his warm, stubbly face.
It worried her how easily she’d become addicted to touch. And not just anyone’s. David’s. She craved him like a drug. The only downside being that when she regained her magic, she’d be in excruciating withdrawals.
Dani tightened her hold on David’s hand, and he squeezed back. Part of her wondered if she shouldn’t slow down. Feelings were growing exponentially. Soon, she’d lose her heart, and then where would she be? Alone and isolated and heartbroken, that’s where.
Willow led them outside and perched on the curb by a dumpster, her long legs stretched out before her.
“I’m glad you came,” she said, gesturing for them to join her. “I’ve been pulling my hair out over this Dark Caster garbage. Cole was calling. He was so freaked out when you went missing. Here, sit, sit.” Willow lit a cigarette and then scooted over to make more room for them. Dani plopped beside her, but David paced, hands on hips.
“I wish I could have gotten word to him somehow.” Dani wished a lot of things, including that Cole hadn’t gotten mixed up in any of this nonsense. He was a good person, and he didn’t deserve what had happened to him.
“Willow?” David asked, pausing in his maneuvers, “You’re a witch?”
She glanced at Dani before answering. “Sure am. And you’re a necromancer?”
David looked surprised, as if he hadn’t self-identified as a supernatural yet. “I guess I am.”
Willow took a drag off her cigarette and nudged Dani with her shoulder. “So, sister, ask me what you came all this way to ask.”
“Are you pretending to be a seer now?” Dani teased, stalling for time.
Seeing Willow again reminded Dani of the good times she’d had with the Raleigh coven. She hadn’t stayed with them for long—a few months—but it had been nice to be part of a group that accepted her wholeheartedly as one of their own. As a sister in witchcraft.
When she’d stopped attending meetings, the easiest explanation to give had been the two-hour drive, but it had more to do with her touch issues. One of the other witches, Sadie, had mentioned Dani focusing her magic inward and taking baby steps with touching witches who could protect themselves. The thought had so unsettled her that Dani had used any excuse not to return, though she’d made genuine friends in the group. Cole, in particular.
That’s why she was back. Cole needed her, and she owed him.
“You know I’m not,” Willow said, “but you didn’t come here to say hello and go home.”
“Do you know a necromancer called the Carver?” David interrupted. “Or Jeff? Just Jeff?”
“Sorry, I don’t.” Willow flicked ash and then immediately sucked in another lungful of nicotine. “I’ve never run into anyone going by those names.”
“Do you have any advice?” David exclaimed, frustration slipping into his voice. “These guys were able to take Dani and me against our wills and lock us in a basement. They threatened to hurt my four-year-old. And they’ve vanished like ghosts. What am I supposed to do?”
Willow finished her cigarette and crushed it under one leather sandal. “Even though we have some power, we are not meant to police the universe,” she said. “Agents of heaven keep balance here on earth as well as in the spirit and demon realms. Because there is only so much either of us can do.”
“What does that mean?” David countered. “You’re telling me to pray?” He laughed bitterly. “Come on. Be serious, please.”
“You’re new,” Willow said, her eyes flashing silver. “So, I won’t take your disrespect personally. If you don’t like the word ‘prayer’ you can call it a plea,” she continued, “but yes, that’s basically what it is.”
“It’s a plea for help kind of spell?” Dani clarified. She’d never heard of it.
“Yeah. You’re going to be sending a message heavenward. And it uses very specific marks. They’re actually more important than the Latin. I’ll draw them for you.”
David frowned. “What happens if this works?”
“Well.” Willow stood up, brushed off the seat of her pants, and shouldered her bag. “Steve freaks out when I take too long on breaks. But, I’ll try to boil it down. You cast a plea to heaven, and if it works—and who knows what works and doesn’t work—an agent of heaven will strip these egomaniacs of their magic.”
“Really?” David asked.
Willow ignored him and tugged Dani into their very first hug. “Don’t give up on your power,” she whispered into her ear. “True freedom comes with control. Embrace the magic within you.”
Easy for her to say. Her magic didn’t work through touch. Hers was spoken. And Dani had never heard of Willow accidentally saying the wrong thing and maiming an innocent person.
Willow patted her hair into place and hurried back inside the bank, waving good-bye over her shoulder. “I’ll text you the spell!”
“That lady gives me the creeps.” David drew nearer, his frown of skepticism still firmly in place. “Did you see her eyes?”
“She’s nice.” Willow was genuinely kind, and Dani believed she wanted to help. “And she gave us an idea we didn’t have already.”
David headed toward the green Vol
kswagen, and Dani followed. “Have you ever tried to contact the angels?” he asked.
“No. But I’ve never been in a situation like this before.”
“Do you think it will work? Honestly.”
“I don’t know.”
He opened her door for her and then hopped behind the wheel. “Anything’s better than what we got right now,” David said, “which is nothing.”
He put the car in reverse but kept his foot on the brake. “Dani?” He glanced at her, his hand snaking out and clasping her fingers tight. “We’re going to solve this. We’re going to find them and stop them. There’s no doubt in my mind.”
She wanted to believe him. And maybe he was telling the truth. But there was plenty of doubt in her mind. The Carver and Jeff were experienced and talented necromancers with nefarious motives. If they were willing and powerful enough to kidnap her and David and plot the demonic possession of another human being, they were capable of anything. Beating her? Of course. Casting hurtful spells on David? Absolutely. Hurting Ryan?
She couldn’t think about that.
“We will.” Dani held on to his hand, not willing to let go yet. “We’ll be okay.”
* * *
After a quick dinner at a barbecue restaurant, they made it back to David’s condo late in the evening. Dani excused herself to use the bathroom, but as she passed his walk-in closet, she spotted the row of fancy cameras, including the one he’d used to shoot her body.
She turned on the camera and scrolled through the photos David had taken of her. She was surprised how beautiful her skin looked, how he’d captured angles and hills and valleys she’d never really seen before. He had an amazing talent.
“Dani?” he called from the living room. “I’ll put your bags in the bedroom, okay?”
She replaced the camera, feeling like the photos were her little secret. “Sure. I’ll be out in a minute.” He dropped the five or six bags in front of his bed, and she scurried into the bathroom.
When she reappeared, he was standing in the same spot.
“I was thinking. Do you have a copy of your business license application?” David asked. “I’ll look at it for you.”