by Deanna Chase
Frat boy seemed to grow an inch taller as he stood up straight, his muscles rippling with barely suppressed frustration. I was pretty sure he was half a second from throwing a punch, but one of his buddies came up from behind him and wrapped an arm around his shoulders.
“Hey, Zen. What’re you doing talking to that pretty boy when the ladies are swarming?” His speech was slurred and it was clear he’d been drinking long before he’d arrived at the party.
“Zen?” I whispered into Vaughn’s ear.
His shoulders shook with silent laughter.
Frat boy looked over Vaughn’s shoulder at me. “I’ll catch you later, sweet stuff.”
I couldn’t help it. The laughter bubbled out. I clasped my hand over my mouth and blinked back the tears of laughter.
“Bitch.” Frat guy glared at me, but when Vaughn took a step forward, his buddy hauled him off across the room.
Vaughn stood his ground for a moment, watching the pair weave their way through the crowd, then he turned and raised one eyebrow as he stared down at me in exasperation.
I just grinned and shifted closer, sliding my hand inside his black sports jacket. “Why are you here?”
He leaned in and pressed his lips to mine. “To kiss my girlfriend.” His tongue slid past my parted lips, and then he wrapped me in his arms and deepened the kiss, claiming me right there in the middle of the party.
My magic sparked to life, tingling everywhere as I pressed into him, my body heating up to explosive levels.
He tightened his grip around me, nearly crushing me to him in a delicious display of possession. “Jesus, Mati,” he growled as his hand found the slit in my skirt. His fingers dug into my bare hip, barely maintaining control. “This dress should be illegal.”
I pulled back and grabbed his hand. “This way.” It was reckless and completely scandalous, but Janie and Chad were in the middle of the room, both engrossed in each other, and the only thing I could think about was touching Vaughn’s bare skin. And that meant we needed a little bit of privacy.
“Mati?” Vaughn asked.
I tightened my hold around his fingers and led him to the back of the house to a darkened room full of books. It was a small library, most likely used by the resident advisor.
“Perfect.”
Vaughn’s eyes lit with understanding. And without saying a word, he lifted me up, spun me around, and claimed my lips in a punishing kiss as my back hit the closed door.
I wrapped my legs around him and lost myself to the magic pulsing through my veins.
He ground his hips into me, his hard shaft pressing against my center, and I let out a small moan of pleasure.
“It’s been too long,” he said into my neck and bit down on the sensitive flesh at my throat.
“Vaughn…” My body shuddered with need against him.
“Tell me you want me, Matisse.” He pulled back, his eyes hot with lust. “Tell me it isn’t just about the magic.”
My breath came in short, needy gasps. “What?”
“Tell me I drive you insane, the same way I’m going out of my mind with the need to be inside you.”
Slowly, I pushed his jacket off his shoulders, watching as it fell to the ground. Then, still pressed up against the door, I lifted his black T–shirt and trailed my fingers over his well–defined chest, leaving a trail of shimmering light behind. “You see this?”
He stared into my eyes. “Yes.”
“This only happens when I lose control. Do I need you? Yes. Do I need you inside me? God yes. And the sooner the better.” I dropped my hands to the button of his jeans, stared him in the eye and said, “I want you. Now.”
Vaughn’s gaze dropped to my lips as we both stayed suspended in the moment, my words hanging between us. Then I popped the button on his jeans and his lips were on me, claiming me once again, feeding the hunger that possessed us both.
His mouth was everywhere. My lips, my jawline, my neck, my chest. And then his hand was gripping my hip, slowly working the strap of my G–string down. I was completely caught up in him.
Then magic concentrated at my wrist, grew hot, and pulled all the magic sparking between us straight to the charm.
“What–?”
My world turned black and all I saw was darkness.
Chapter Three
Noise and chatter filled my senses, followed by the slow fade of darkness to light. My feet hit the floor, and I stumbled backward a couple of steps, trying to regain my balance. I clutched Vaughn’s arm–no, not Vaughn, a stranger–and let out a small gasp.
The guy chuckled. “First time to a mixer party?”
I blinked, my eyes finally focusing. I was back in the main ballroom surrounded by people and candlelight. “Uh, yeah. Is teleportation normal?”
“For the witch sorority? Yes. It’s supposed to be the way everyone gets to know each other. But it looks like you might’ve been in the middle of something.” He swept his gaze over me and smirked.
I sent him a flat stare as I straightened my dress. “Funny.”
“I’m Rave, by the way,” he said, holding his hand out.
“Sorry, Rave. I’m leaving.” And without looking back, I drifted into the crowd, scanning for Janie. She’d been in the middle of the room the last time I’d seen her. But she wasn’t now. Chad was there, glancing around, ignoring the coed desperately trying to get his attention.
“Chad!” I called.
He turned around, caught my eye, and moved toward me. The coed stepped in front of him, stopping him. He glanced up, clearly frustrated by the distraction.
“But it’s a mixer, Chad. You’re supposed to mingle with all the sisters,” I heard her say with just the right mix of teasing and censure. “What am I going to put in my report?”
“Report?” I asked no one.
A girl next to me giggled. “At the next house meeting we’re all expected to give a report of who we met. That one is the social chair. If she doesn’t get names, there will be hell to pay.”
Good gracious. Witches volunteered for this? I was willing to admit the magical decorations were cool and it was nice to socialize with people you didn’t have to hide from, but this was taking things a bit too far.
Chad’s gaze met mine. He widened his eyes and gave a tiny jerk of his head, practically begging me to come save him. Still not seeing Janie, I squared my shoulders and inserted myself between the coed and Chad.
“Excuse me, but can I borrow him for a sec?” I asked the girl who was going on about some term paper she just wrote.
“What? I mean, me and… ah… what was your name?” she asked him.
“It’s Chad,” I said. “And I really need to talk to him for a moment. I’ll bring him right back.” Clasping my hand over Chad’s forearm, I dragged him toward the back of the house where it was a little quieter. “Have you seen Janie?”
“That’s what I was going to ask you. She’s not… I mean, this sort of thing makes her very uncomfortable.”
“Yeah. I know.” Shit. Where was she? “Okay, split up. We need to find her.”
He frowned, scanning the room. “I’m sure she’s–”
I’d stopped listening. Vaughn had just emerged from the back of the house, some tall black–haired girl clinging to him. A burning ball of jealousy formed in my chest, and I had to stop myself from snarling in her direction.
Jealousy was an emotion I just wasn’t familiar with. It was ugly and clouded my senses. “Excuse me,” I said to Chad and moved toward Vaughn, who was headed in my direction.
“Are you sure you don’t want to go back to the office?” Skank–girl ran one fingertip down his arm. “It was so private there.”
Vaughn grabbed her wrist and physically removed her finger from his arm. “Sorry. Taken.”
My jealous monster fizzled out as I watched her eyes go wide with surprise. She’d probably never been so blatantly rejected before.
“What the hell happened?” Vaughn asked me when I stopped at his side.
I held
up the bracelet. “Mixer magic. Every ten minutes we’re supposed to meet someone new. By force, apparently.”
He narrowed his eyes and then grabbed the bracelet and pulled, breaking it in one swift movement. The sparkling snowflake charms clattered to the floor. Leaning in, he pulled me to him and whispered, “My heart nearly stopped altogether when you disappeared like that… vanishing right before my eyes.”
As an incubus demon hunter, he was used to walking between worlds. When people vanished it could literally be to another dimension.
“I wasn’t a fan of it myself,” I said. “And I’d like nothing better than to leave right this minute, but I need to find Janie. She was targeted by a few demons earlier this week and I need to make sure she’s safe.”
“Demons? But then why were we–”
“She was with Chad.” I waved to her almost–boyfriend. “I had no idea the jewelry was spelled for teleportation.”
He nodded and glanced around the room. “I don’t see her.”
“Me neither. Split up?”
“Sure. Text when we spot her?”
I nodded, gave him a quick kiss, and took off to let Chad in on the plan. Then I moved toward the grand staircase, which led to the second floor. A giant Christmas tree stood tall at the top. As I got closer, I realized every single ornament from the fluttering doves to the running reindeer to the flickering candles was animated with magic. It was an impressive display of witchcraft. And it called to me. I stopped mid–step, transfixed by the sheer power radiating off the tree. All thoughts flew from my head as I stared at the reindeer running in place. The spell was a perfect piece of magic. Without thinking, I reached for one, needing to touch it.
“Mati!” Vaughn called from behind me and grabbed my hand before I could snatch the reindeer. “It’s a deflection spell. Don’t touch it.”
“What?” I was disoriented, had no idea what I was doing.
“The magic used on the tree. It’s designed to keep anyone from going past it. Probably to keep people out of the rooms.”
“Huh?” I said trying to digest what he’d said.
“Mati,” he said again. “Snap out of it.”
The fog cleared, and I shook myself as the magic tried to grab hold of me again. Vaughn put his hand on my waist. His touch anchored me and everything stopped. The tree was suddenly mundane. None of the ornaments moved and it was just like any other overdecorated tree. “Whoa,” I said. “Are you blocking its magic?”
He shook his head. “No. You are. I’m just lending you strength.”
Damn. I was weaker than I thought. “Thanks. Let’s go. Janie has to be here somewhere.” It was clear I wasn’t going to be able to search the second floor without him, considering the repelling tree, but if it was doing its job, it wouldn’t take long to look around. I glanced over my shoulder at the party, scanning again before rounded the corner into the left wing. Neither Chad nor Janie were anywhere to be found. Dammit.
We did a quick check of the empty rooms, and just as we entered the right wing, I caught a glimpse of the red silk dress I’d loaned Janie disappearing around a corner.
“Come on,” I said to Vaughn.
We ran, and as soon as we turned the corner, I stopped abruptly. Right there in front of us was Janie pressed against the wall, her legs wrapped around Chase, the other incubus demon hunter.
“Janie?” I said tentatively.
Chase had one hand up her skirt and the other one braced against the wall. Wave after wave of their sexual energy slammed into me, making me fidget with unease.
“Janie!” I called again, insistent this time.
She didn’t acknowledge me at all.
“Should we go?” Vaughn asked quietly.
“No. This is all wrong. She has a thing for Chad. Not this… incubus.”
Vaughn’s eyebrow rose in curiosity. Then he scowled. “Shit. She’s under his spell.”
“Chase?” I asked.
When he didn’t respond, Vaughn let out a heavy sigh and grabbed Chase by the bicep, prying him off Janie. “Dude. That’s enough.”
Chase let go of Janie unceremoniously, and without warning, he spun and sucker punched Vaughn in the gut.
“Oomph,” Vaughn huffed out as he doubled over.
Chase stood over him, waiting for him to recover, ready for the ensuing fight.
I let out a loud gasp and clasped my hand over my mouth, horrified by what I saw.
Chase, the demon hunter, stood before me, his eyes glowing red… a sure sign he was possessed by a demon.
Chapter Four
“Janie! Move,” I cried as I held both hands out in front of me, magic crackling from my fingertips. It was uncontrolled, raw power. It would likely only stun Chase and the demon, but if I hit Janie, she’d be toast.
“What are you doing here?” Janie stood up straight, her head held high. “You’re intruding, Mati. Go. Now.” Her tone was confident and commanding, not at all like the girl I’d helped get ready for the party.
Vaughn righted himself just in time for Chase to clock him with an uppercut. I watched in horror as his head snapped back and crashed into the plaster wall.
“Vaughn!” I cried as I launched myself at Chase, taking us both down. I landed on top of him, one hand grabbing his ear while the other had hold of one of his arms. My electric magic sparked and shot straight into him. Only instead of howling in pain as I anticipated, he let out a low groan and arched into my touch, reveling in my magic.
“Hmm,” he said, wrapping his arms around me and rolling until I was pinned underneath him. “You’re not the innocent I was hoping for, but damned if you aren’t delicious. A sex witch strumming with need. I could–”
Whack. The hilt of Vaughn’s dagger bounced off Chase’s head, knocking him sideways, but he didn’t let go of me.
His eyes went wide with shock and then rage. Holding my arm with one hand, he leaped to his feet and swung me in front of him, using me as a shield. “You’re going to pay for that, Paxton,” he said to Vaughn.
“Let go of her, Chase, and we’ll settle this once and for all.”
I’d used all my magic trying to zap Chase unconscious, and now my legs were wobbly, barely holding me up. I needed to do something, anything, to fight back. Pure hatred and frustration bubbled up from deep in my gut. I wasn’t a weak witch. Not when it came to magic or self–defense. This demon could go straight back to Hell before I let him get the better of me.
The demon laughed at Vaughn’s words. “She’s coming with me. So is the angel. The pair of them together.” He hummed as if one of us was pleasuring him right there. “Naughty and nice for Christmas morning.”
Oh, fuck that. My power might have been MIA, but my fist wasn’t. No one got to talk about me that way. While the demon was gyrating against me, simulating his fantasy, I threw my head back, heard the satisfying crunch of his nose, and reached for his crotch, catching his balls in my hand and squeezing with everything I had.
Janie screamed and tackled me, while Chase howled obscenities and fell to his knees.
“Janie!” I grabbed her wrists, trying to keep her from clawing my face. “You’ve been spelled. Chase is possessed by a demon.”
Her wild eyes narrowed as she studied me. For a moment, I thought I’d gotten to her.
But then Chase said, “Janie, don’t believe anything they say. You’re mine and I’m yours.”
His incubus magic filtered over us, making my skin crawl with a slimy demon taint.
Janie’s gaze locked on his, and then she kneed me in the gut before scrambling to get out of my grasp. I stumbled after her while Vaughn yanked Chase up by the collar, and the pair went into full–on battle mode.
Janie stopped a few feet from them, clearly unsure of what to do next.
Vaughn and Chase were matching each other blow for blow, though I had a feeling Vaughn was holding back just a bit, knowing Chase was possessed and not an actual demon. But I also knew he’d do what he had to in order to take the de
mon down.
“Janie?” I tried again, holding my hand out to her. “Don’t let the magic confuse you.”
She glanced at me, her brows drawn together. She shook her head and appeared to study Vaughn and Chase, her eyes clouding with questions.
“Look inside yourself for your own strength. Trust your instincts. Would you really be up here with Chase when Chad is waiting for you downstairs?”
She glanced between me and the demon hunters battling a few feet away. Then, as if a veil lifted, her expression morphed to one of pure shock and horror. One hand came up and covered her open mouth as she shook her head in disbelief.
“It’s okay. You were spelled.” I took a step closer to her, knowing if Chase pushed out any more incubus magic, she’d be right back where she was before, under his demon spell. “Take my hand. It’s all right. I promise.”
She was too new to the world of incubi and demons, and as a trainee she wouldn’t yet know how to deflect such powerful magic, but if we were connected, I could keep her grounded. Our fingers touched and her spine straightened as she stood tall and glared at Chase.
“You animal.” Her voice was low and controlled. “How dare you manhandle me that way?” She tugged at the red dress, trying to pull the hem down to cover more of herself.
Chase paused for just a second, shooting her with a look of pure lust, obviously completely taken with her virginal persona.
Vaughn used the opportunity to kick him in the chest, sending him reeling back about ten feet.
I wrapped an arm around Janie and steered her toward the door. “I’m getting her out of here,” I told Vaughn. “I’ll be right back.”
He was already hovering over Chase, zip ties in hand, ready to restrain the demon. The restraints were magical, so Chase would have to share his body with the demon for a little while longer until the Brotherhood–the demon hunters–could expel the demon and send him back into Hell.
Janie let out a little gasp, clutched her hand to her chest, and said, “No, not again.”
And then her body faded and disappeared into thin air. “No! Janie!” Dammit. I’d forgotten all about the charms and the mixer spell.