Her heart sank. Was he dead? Touching the necklace again, she focused on the man on the ground. No, a bit roughed up, but not dead.
Suddenly, bright lights shone on her as a car drove up the street. It slowed, then the passenger window rolled down. She flattened herself against the red brick wall and gaped at the driver.
“Hey, baby.” The man inside winked and waved a twenty-dollar bill. “Do you want a ride?”
She threw a glare at the obnoxious man in the car. Why did all men look at her as if she were a piece of meat for sale? “No, thank you. I’m fine.”
He shrugged and continued driving.
Before she could turn back to the scene, a hand gripped her from behind and jerked her inside the alley. The bag of groceries fell and spilled to the ground. A rough hand pulled her a few feet farther before a hard body pushed her against the brick building. Yanking her hands behind her back, the man imprisoned her with his body. Pain shot up her arms and she cried out.
Through the shadows, another man emerged and stood beside his friend. These were the two she’d just seen beating the other.
“Who do we have here?” the second man asked.
Shadows played games with her vision, and the man’s pocked face was all she could see. The scent of leather and stale cigarettes hung thick around him and assaulted her senses. She narrowed her eyes, trying to get a better look at his face, but it was shaded beneath a baseball cap.
The first man grinned. Pale light from a distant street lamp illuminated his brownish-yellow teeth. She grimaced.
“Looks like we’ve got us a tasty morsel.” His hand ran down the front of her dress and rested on a breast.
He squeezed. Disgusted with the thug’s violent gesture, her stomach rolled with anger. “Let me go.” She squirmed.
The man holding her laughed. “Don’t think so, sweetie. You’ve seen too much, already.”
“I didn’t see anything.” Her voice quivered.
His thumb grazed over her nipple. “Sorry, no-can-do.”
She tugged on her hand, trying to free herself, but his tight grip wouldn’t budge. Panic suffocated her. If she could just touch her necklace, she’d show these bozos who they were messing with. Yet, she shouldn’t use her powers in front of mortals.
The man in leather leaned in and sniffed her neck then touched his tongue to her skin. “Hmmm, she tastes good.”
The first man laughed. “How much do you charge, sweetie?”
As usual, a man suspected the worst. She’d thought the Zoetan’s lineage was a curse. Naturally, the women in the Zoetan tribe would be alluring to any male. It had been written that way in the stars. Just because she liked to wear clothes that accentuated her figure didn’t mean she sold herself.
“Hey, Chuck, why don’t you hold her for me and I’ll hold her for you?”
The man pinning her against the building turned to his leather-clad friend. “Why can’t I go first?”
His grip loosened enough to give her the edge she needed. She pulled her hand free and touched her necklace.
An invisible force pushed the men away from her and threw them into the brick wall on the other side of the alley. With wide eyes, they cried out when their heads connected with the wall. They slid to the ground in an unconscious heap.
Colette breathed a relieved sigh. That was too close.
“Oh, my God,” exclaimed a weak voice from up the alley.
She snapped her attention to the third man—the one still on the ground. Damn. She’d forgotten about him.
She hurried over to the injured man and knelt beside him. His eyes were wide, his bloody mouth agape. He’d seen it all.
“Are you okay?” she asked.
“Who are you?” He shook his head. “What are you?”
That she could not tell him.
She gripped his arm and helped him to sit. “We should get you out of here before those buffoons wake up.”
He yanked his arm away. “You didn’t answer my question. What are you?”
She sighed and glanced over at her two would-be attackers, still on the ground. She looked back at the man next to her. “Listen, we have to get you out of here. Those two were trying to kill you.”
“No, they just wanted to rough me up.”
She lifted an eyebrow. “Are you certain?”
“Yes. I made a bad financial decision, and now I owe them a lot of money. Unfortunately, I can’t pay it back when they’d like.”
“Have you reported them to the police?”
“No.” He shrugged. “Since I’ve been under protection from my father’s bodyguards, I didn’t think it was necessary. I didn’t realize those goons had been following me all this time. If I’d known, I wouldn’t have gone to that nightclub alone.”
“Is your father someone important?”
He nodded. “He’s the Senator.”
She blew out a gush of air. “Then we definitely need to get you out of here before those hoods wake up.”
She helped him stand. He limped heavily and fell against her. Letting out a groan, he clutched his side. “I think they broke a rib or two.”
From farther up the alley, the two men stirred to awareness, moaning as they pulled themselves upright.
“Lady, get me out of here.” He grabbed her arm, his voice pleading. “I’ll pay you.”
She looked at him. “I don’t know if I can. If we walk by them, they’ll grab us both.”
He glanced at the men then eyed her. “Do whatever weirdness you’re capable of and get us the hell out of here. When they wake up, they’re going to be pissed off at you. They have guns and won’t hesitate to use them.”
She glanced at the men slowly rising and knew she’d have to use her powers.
Touching her necklace, she squeezed her eyes closed and focused. When she opened her eyes, they stood in the kitchen of her apartment.
“Holy shit.” He gasped and looked around the room. “I don’t believe it.”
Colette helped him to a dining room chair then went to the sink and filled a glass with cold water. She grabbed a dishtowel and dishrag from a nearby drawer. After wetting and squeezing out the dishrag, she turned to face him. “I would appreciate it if you’d forget this ever happened.”
“What are you?” he asked again.
She couldn’t ignore his question this time. Unfortunately, her powers wouldn’t let her erase a mortal’s memory.
She walked over and set the glass down on the table in front of him, then held out the wet cloth. “Let’s try to get you cleaned up a little.”
“Are you some kind of witch?”
She set the rag down and looked at him. “You believe in witches?”
He shrugged. “They used to burn witches in Salem. I figured history can’t be that wrong.”
She picked up the rag again then leaned over and dabbed at the drying blood on his lower lip. She’d tell him, then tomorrow she’d have to move to another town … again. “Many of my ancestors were burned in Salem.”
He laughed. “I knew it!” After taking a sip of the water she’d given him, he leaned forward, grimacing as he clutched his side. “So, what does your necklace have to do with anything?”
“I’m only half witch.” She pulled out the chair and sat next to him. She noticed for the first time how blue his eyes were, and if his face didn’t look like it had slammed into a locomotive he’d be quite handsome. “My grandmother married a mortal.”
“What kind of powers do half witches have?”
“My sisters and I each wear a dragon necklace.” She brushed the tip of her finger over it. “This is what gives us our powers.”
“What kind of powers?”
“Nothing bad, if that’s what you’re asking.”
His forehead creased. “But you threw those men into the wall. That wouldn’t be considered a good act.”
“No, I pushed them off me. The wall just happened to be there to break their fall.”
She studied him. The whee
ls of curiosity churned in his narrowed eyes. She’d have to get him back home before he asked too many questions.
“Let’s say you wanted to set someone’s house on fire. Could your necklace do that?”
She chuckled. “No, I’d have to do it with my own hands.”
He smiled through his cracked lip. “And if you wanted to rob a bank?”
“My necklace wouldn’t let me. I’d have to do it myself. I can only do good things while using the power of the necklace.”
His battered hand slid across the table and covered hers. “Could you make people fall in love with you?”
Her heart dropped. That was one power she had no control over. All the women in her family were naturally sensual.
“No, the necklace can’t do that … not really.”
“But it can help?”
She shrugged. “Depends on how I use it. It’s meant for only good or to bring people happiness.”
His grin widened then he flinched and touched the open cut that began to bleed again.
“Mister, we really need to get you to a hospital.”
“My name is John Robinson.” His gaze rested on her again. “Can’t you heal me? After all, it’s for good.”
Her heart sank. She knew this would happen. Although she didn’t reveal her powers to everyone she’d met, for those she did, they used her afterwards. Would she ever learn?
With a nod, she stood and moved beside him. His dark gaze dropped to her breasts, and she tried not to let the obvious lust in his eyes affect her. Taking his hand in hers, she helped him to stand. Closing her eyes, she touched her necklace. Warmth spread from her body to his. She flinched with each pain he’d suffered tonight, making it disappear within his body. Within moments the physical drain of healing him washed over her, weakening her slightly.
She opened her eyes and was struck by the sight of him, renewed. Built like a Greek God, his muscles fascinated her, as did his extremely handsome face. Without thinking, she reached out and touched his smooth jaw, now free from bruises and cuts. This time when he smiled, his lips did not crack.
“You’re an angel, not a witch,” he whispered.
“Why do you say that?”
“Because you’ve made a married man fall in love with you.”
Her heart dropped. “You’re married?”
He nodded. “And I have a teenage son.”
She lowered her gaze to the floor. “I’m … sorry—”
“Don’t be. You’re exactly what I need right now.”
When he slid his arms around her waist, pulling her against his body, she resisted, but his mouth covered hers in a tender kiss. Sighing, it relieved her that he wasn’t one of those aggressive men. Besides, she wouldn’t see him again after this. And after all—perhaps this kiss was what she needed, also.
Wrapping her arms around his neck, she pressed her breasts against his rock hard chest. She relaxed and enjoyed the way his mouth molded to hers, the way his tongue slipped inside and caressed. She copied his actions.
His hand wandered from her back to her waist, then up to brush by her breast. It moved up from her chest to her neck. The gentle stroke of his fingers relaxed her.
Then her nose twitched again and her body froze. Something bad is going to happen—again.
Before she could pull away, his hand tightened around her necklace and yanked. He shoved her backwards. She stumbled against the table and fell into the chair. Gasping, she touched her neck, now naked without her necklace.
John’s eyes glowed brightly like the Devil’s. Greed and the lust for power flickered over his face as he grasped her heirloom.
“Please, John. Give it back to me.”
He smiled triumphantly. “With this necklace, I can control you, can’t I?”
“Please, John, don’t do this.”
He laughed and fear made her stomach roll.
“My dear witch, I have many things planned for the two of us.”
Colette stood, her hands balled into fists by her side. “My necklace won’t allow me to do anything bad.”
He shook his head. “That’s not what I have planned.”
She scowled. “What, then?”
His smiled stretched further, his eyes twinkling with greed again. “I have a friend I want you to meet. You’ll make him a good wife, and his wealth will support my future endeavors.” He dragged his gaze back to her. “My sweet seductress, you and I are going to become very good friends.”
His laughter rang out through the house. Colette was doomed.
CHAPTER ONE
Ten years later
He watched her.
Just like they all watched her. Wondering. Suspecting. Waiting for the moment they could catch her.
They never would.
Ms. Colette Carmichael brushed the curtain aside and gazed through her second-story bedroom window as the Senator’s son spied her from his lounge chair near the pool. Adrian Robinson stared up, seeming aware of her, despite the others who had gathered for the party. She turned her back to the window, hoping to appear unaffected, but his interest made excitement tingle over her skin. She grinned, already enjoying the game more than she’d thought.
Now for the show.
Peeking over her shoulder, Colette made sure he was the only one watching. Lifting her nylon-clad leg to the cushioned stool, she gave her watcher an eyeful. She rolled her thigh-high stocking down to her ankle, stroking her leg before tossing the garment on the floor.
After removing her other stocking in a similar slow manner, she straightened and turned her back to the window. Still holding the one stocking, she ran her hands down the side of her legs and bent to retrieve the discarded nylon, giving her peeping Tom down by the pool a full shot of her black thong panties.
After flipping her stockings in the clothes hamper, she reached behind to unlatch her black lace bra, and then paused. He still watched. His heated gaze nearly left an imprint on her flesh.
Shrugging, she let the straps slip down to her elbows. With one hand over her breasts, she held the bra in place to keep from revealing too much. She glanced at the partying Harvard graduates—especially the dark-haired man who withdrew his gaze in a hurry. Pulling on the string, she closed the curtains, hiding herself so she could finish changing into her swimsuit.
Roger, her late husband’s nephew, had arranged the party with his friends. When he mentioned his best friend was coming, Colette jumped at the chance to meet Adrian Robinson. She hoped Roger hadn’t detected her eagerness.
From her bedroom, what she could see of Adrian’s dark hair, bountiful muscles, and towering height, confirmed that he resembled his father. Was the boy’s personality anything like his father’s?
Boy? She chuckled as she dropped her bra and slid her thong down her legs. The man by the pool was not even close to being a boy. Sure, he was probably no more than ten years younger than her, but he was no boy.
Holding up her black swimsuit, she smiled. Although it resembled a modest one-piece, the Italian-made bathing suit was far from plain. It barely covered her nipples and the small triangle of hair between her legs, but the see-through sheer black material that made up the remainder of the suit made men turn and stare.
She checked herself in the mirror. Satisfied with her appearance, she slipped into her black high heels, grabbed her sunglasses and suntan lotion, and proceeded downstairs. Pushing open the glass patio doors, she walked out, her heels clicking in rhythm on the cement walkway.
As she neared the pool, Roger’s friends stopped and gaped. She hid the grin tempting to sneak across her mouth. Although these men were twenty-five or older, at this moment they all resembled high-school boys. Even the women stared at her, but their perfectly waxed eyebrows arched in annoyance. Colette wasn’t immune to that look, either.
She stopped in front of the group and propped her hand on the slight curve of her hip. “Hello, Roger. I hope you don’t mind if I take in some sun with you and your friends.”
“O
f course not.” Roger turned back to his group. “This is my Aunt Colette.”
“Are you Roger’s friends from college?” she asked.
The mixed group of seven men and women stood awe-struck. The men nodded, mouths opened wide as moisture popped across their foreheads. The young women glared at her with a frown.
She greeted the man closest to her. “What’s your name, handsome?”
“Tony,” he squawked. She held in her laugh. She was used to younger men acting this way around her. Although most had heard the ugly rumors, they still wanted to get to know her—in a physical sense. Usually, she didn’t oblige them.
She moved away from Tony and crouched down, leaning toward the gorgeous man in the pool—Adrian—the man who had watched her earlier. The one she wanted to know better. “And who are you?”
His elbows rested on the edge of the pool, his feet kept him afloat. He swiped the excess water from his eyes. She leaned forward. His gaze dropped to her breasts. His jaw hardened and the corded muscles in his neck tightened, then immediately his attention bounced back up to her sunglasses.
He smiled. “I’m Adrian Robinson.”
She pulled back slightly, placing a hand on her chest. “Are you Senator John Robinson’s son?”
His charming expression faltered. Did she see right? Was he embarrassed by being the son of such a powerful man?
He hesitated before answering. “Yes.”
She smiled. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. My husband knew your father quite well.” Unfortunately, so did I.
“Really?”
“Yes, but it was quite a while ago. We’ll have to chat more at another time.” She pulled down her sunglasses just enough to give him a wink. He nodded but his forehead creased.
She spent a few moments chatting with some of Roger’s other friends, then walked over to a lounge chair and sat. She kicked off her heels and slid her legs up on the chair, basking like a cat in the sun. But this cat knew what she was doing. This wasn’t the first time she used her talent for seducing—but with any luck, it would be the last.
In the Witching Hour Page 25