Her magic chased every touch. Chills and heat collided, making her nipples tight and hard. She dropped her head back, caught up in kisses so potent she could only feel. “Linc.”
He lifted his head, looming over her. His nostrils flared, and in his eyes, she could see spread wings. Feel the connection between them, bigger than sex. Stronger. Deeper. “I see the bird.”
“He feels you. We both do.” He swallowed, his Adam’s apple sliding down the long column of his throat. “God I want you.”
Those words sank deep into her, wrapping around all her scared and lonely places, making her feel safe and sexy. Linc had seen her at her worst and still wanted her. Not for her beauty. Not to break his curse.
He just wanted her.
Could this be real?
* * *
It took everything he had to pull back from the woman in his arms. Linc meant it, he wanted her. However… “The next time we make love, it’s going to be when you’re ready.”
“I think I’m ready now.” She shifted on his thighs, rubbing over his cock. “I’m swollen, wet.”
He hissed, her sweet ass torturing him and the image of her wet and swollen burned into his head. Didn’t matter. Not happening. It was his job to protect and care for her. “You’re healing. We’re releasing more and more of your magic. I can feel it swelling. But we’re not pushing you into another bout of soul screams.” At her look of disappointment and uncertainty, he rested his forehead against hers. “Soon, very soon.” Because Risa had become vital to him.
“As much pleasure as you can handle, love. I swear it.” He wanted to give her that. She’d been cold and numb, unable to trust the desire that was part of her magic. Except with him. That hardened his cock even more. “I want to watch you come, see you let go for me.” He kissed her, then shifted, rising to his feet and setting her on hers. “But right now, let’s go raid the kitchen and feed you.” He held out his hand.
Putting her hand in his, she tilted her head up. The moon cascaded its light over her skin, which was tinged with the lightest blue witch shimmer. He caught his breath and barely stopped himself from blurting out how beautiful she was to him. Risa viewed her beauty as something that had lured people to their murders, while Linc saw the strong lines of her face, vulnerable eyes and chopped-up hair as a reflection of a woman so strong and determined, she could carry and safeguard the souls of the dead.
Swallowing against a knot of emotion, he asked, “Hungry?”
“Not really.”
Yeah, as they walked, he felt her tension building. “Thinking about Kendall?”
“Always.” She raised her shoulders and added, “I’m not giving up. I’ll get strong enough to find her. I’ll eat something.”
There she was, his warrior witch. The same one who stood up through the sunroof in the moving car and shot a rogue. She wouldn’t ever give up. Fighting another wave of emotion, he said, “What would you like?” Trying to lighten things up, he added, “Don’t say macaroni and cheese.”
“It’s too early for pasta.” She gave him a guileless look. “Do you have Cap’n Crunch cereal?”
Okay, now she was playing with him. “Nice try, sweetheart, but there’s no way you’d actually eat that shit. No one over the age of seven eats that.” He firmed up his tone. “How about an omelet?”
“I’m not in the mood for eggs and all that cholesterol. Do you have Froot Loops? There’s fruit in the name, so obviously they’re good for you.”
Hiding his grin at her attempt to tease him, he said, “Not happening. French toast?”
Reaching the front door, she turned, raising her eyebrows in mock disgust. “Witches aren’t the same as you hunters. We have special dietary requirements.”
Linc leaned his hand on the door over her head. “Is that right?” Risa was stalling, probably not ready to go back inside. Shadows of worry for her daughter lurked in her eyes.
“Absolutely. You need to eat all that protein and whatever to maintain all your massive strength and super hotness you got going on.”
A slow smile curved his mouth. She thought him hot? Yeah, he liked that. “With you so far. So what do witches eat then?”
“Lucky Charms.”
He was so going to regret this, but even with the strain in her gaze, she charmed him. “Why?”
A grin transformed her face. “Because they’re magically delicious.”
He leaned his forehead against hers. “Baby you don’t need cereal to make you magical or delicious.” Nope that was all Risa, and damned if he wasn’t falling under her spell.
~ 18 ~
Linc stood in Baron’s conference room, drinking the swill that vaguely resembled coffee. Baron and Vice were huddled at the front, while Ram and Eli were at the table in the back, rooting through a pastry box. Sutton had stayed at the academy to guard the girls.
Linc’s thoughts drifted to Risa. Once he’d gotten her back in bed, she’d dropped off into a deep, healing sleep in his arms. Her trust in him humbled him, while her strength and will to fight ramped up his admiration and respect.
Admit it, you’re falling hard for Risa. He’d never imagined he’d find a woman he’d want for a real, long-term mate. Oh, he’d desperately wanted to find his soul mirror and end the curse, but he’d assumed they’d come to some kind of deal. Maybe a sweet witch who just wanted her high magic and possibly someone to help pay her bills. He’d have done that, and enjoyed giving her something that made her happy. At least that’s how he’d envisioned a soul mirror would happen for him.
But Risa? Oh, she had a sweet side, but she also had a fierce loyalty and loved her daughter, so much it’d melted Linc’s walls. He’d even told her about his brand. The witch was getting to him.
He didn’t want to just fix her world. He wanted to share her world, along with Kendall. His feelings for Risa scared the shit out of him. But he couldn’t stop it. The pull of Risa was stronger than even the bloodlust had been.
When Linc had woken her this morning to tell her he had to go to this meeting, she’d been so warm and sweet and fully there with him that he couldn’t resist kissing her. And then he’d wanted more. Wanted to make slow love to her, until she came undone for him.
Worry edged into the memory. Without him there, was Risa still doing okay? Holding on to reality? Or were the screams trying to pull her back?
A spark stung his forearm, yanking him from his thoughts. Snapping his head around, he cocked an eyebrow at the man who’d moved up next to him.
Ram shrugged and bit into a donut. Which made him think of Risa with her atrocious taste in food, and he smiled.
The door opened, and Axel strode in. “I got confirmation Quinn Young left Vegas and is back in Glassbreakers. One of my hunters there, Phoenix Torq, ran across him in a fight early this morning.”
Vice crossed his arms. “I told you I got that from two rogues I killed. Young was just here to check up on them while Archer’s in hibernation or regeneration or whatever he’s doing.”
“And I verified,” Axel said.
“Don’t trust my hunters, Locke?” Baron challenged.
Linc saw the possibility of this going bad in a heartbeat and opened his mouth.
Axel cut him off. “I don’t trust Quinn Young.” He stared down Baron, Vice and the other hunters. “Up till now, he’s been the demon Asmodeus’s pet here on Earth. Now the demon just sprang a son on all of us. I wouldn’t be surprised if Young told the rogues he was leaving when he was hunting Archer to kill him and keep his number-two spot. This isn’t about credit and trust. It’s about making sure we know who our enemy is and where they are.”
No one said a word. The tension was so high Linc slid his hand to the hilt of his knife.
Baron nodded in acceptance. “Our intel is that Quinn Young delivered a group of witches as some kind of token to the spawn. Checked things out, then left.”
“Not before trying to kill my hunters in the fight club.” Axel eyes went to Linc. “Young always has moti
ves. He knew my hunters were here and tried to get the drop on them. The rogues are organized and share information.”
“We chased him off,” Vice announced. “Our crew came in, and Young bolted.”
Axel faced the second-in-command. “I appreciate that you had my hunter’s backs. We’ll do the same for you.”
That sucked some of the tension out of the room.
Baron said, “So our enemy here in Vegas is Archer. If he’s still here.”
“He’s close by his spawning sight, probably within a fifty-mile radius,” Axel assured him. “He needs magic through the ley lines to finish his transition.”
Vice paced the front of the room. “Yeah, we could get the rogues we caught to talk about Young, but not the spawn. No amount of torture made any difference. If the rogues tried to say anything about the hybrid, they went into convulsions and died. They couldn’t even write it down or point on a map.”
“Demon magic.” Axel’s frustration showed in the tense lines of his shoulders. “It’s blocking the witches from finding him too.”
“Can’t they remove it?” Baron asked. “Say we capture a rogue, can a witch remove the demon magic stopping him from telling us?”
Axel shook his head. “Too dangerous. Demons can magically latch on to a witch’s power that way. The witches are trying to use their third eye and get above the block to find him, or go to the astral plane and track him. So far, though, nothing has worked.”
Vice eyed Axel. “What about Wing Slayer? You’re supposed to be so close to him.”
“He can’t see Archer either. Asmodeus and Wing Slayer go back centuries. They both know each other’s tricks and magic.”
“Hell.” Baron rubbed the bridge of his nose. “What now?”
Ram walked to the laptop and brought up his PowerPoint on the big screen. “We keep working the grid, going farther and farther out. We’ve cleared the Strip and tunnels beneath.”
Baron nodded. “A few of our men are going to do surveillance and follow any rogues who snatch witches to see if they take them to Archer.”
Eli twitched. “Will we let them deliver the witch?”
Axel turned. “No. Any point the witch is in danger, we move in and save her. Wing Slayer is adamant about saving earth witches first. Always.”
One of the other hunters said, “Sacrificing one witch to find the demon spawn—”
“Is unacceptable,” Baron snarled, moving toward his man who had spoken up. “Clear?”
The blond man paled but held his ground. “Got it.”
Baron looked around the room. “Any witch out there could be your soul mirror. Any one. We save them all if we can.”
Ram and Vice gave out assignments, while Baron came up to Linc. “Interesting that you found your soul mirror here in Vegas. Not in California.”
“Think so?”
“I think a lot of things, Dillinger. Including that I made you and you bailed.”
“I didn’t bail. I’ve come any time you called for backup.” That was true. Linc would die for Baron, but he wouldn’t be a part of strip clubs and prostitution.
“You think you weren’t paying for sex when you gave women gifts or vacations? Flying them to France for dinner and shopping?”
Linc didn’t flinch or show a flicker of emotion. He was too well trained.
“I’m more honest. And I protect my girls. Once they want out, they can work in our other businesses. We still protect them.”
That much was true. Lay an unwanted hand on one of Baron’s girls and the idiot paid in blood. But that changed nothing for Linc. “First, I’m mated, and I have what I want waiting for me in my bed.” His days of searching for relief were over. Instead of that magically fueled drive for release, he had clean and very real desire.
Baron nodded in acknowledgment.
“Second, I’m not profiting off women as a commodity.”
“Son, I’ve been to Axel’s club in Glassbreakers. The whole purpose of starting that nightclub was for sex.”
“He’s not wrong,” Axel said from behind Baron. “But I didn’t pay the women or allow prostitution. That kind of shit turns ugly too fast. Our job is to protect women. Not turn them into a merchandise to be sold.” Axel paused then added, “And I don’t like my hunter being poached.”
Baron turned to face Axel. “He was my hunter first. And Vegas is his town. The stubborn idiot just won’t admit it.” The man walked away.
Linc watched Baron, disloyalty tearing at him. Baron had shown him how to deal with his witch hunter and feral side. And now that Linc was here fighting for Vegas, he had to admit to a certain possessiveness over the town. But Axel, Ram and all the guys, they’d shown him how to be a Wing Slayer Hunter and find his soul mirror.
Axel laid a hand on his shoulder. “As hunters, our first priority is to fight this spawn. And as individuals, our first priority is our mate. Yours is Risa.”
Risa. She tugged at the deepest part of him, as if she were his true home. Not Vegas or California, or Axel’s group vs. Baron’s crew. That clarified things for him. “In the end, it’s going to come down to what Risa and her baby want and need.”
“Whatever you choose, we’re your friends and will always have your back. Always.”
* * *
Risa couldn’t hide forever. For the last thirty hours, she’d stayed in reality, and the souls remained quiet. Linc had taken her out on more walks, and they’d eaten together and swam. He’d even jogged with her.
But they hadn’t run into anyone when they were out of the room. Did they all view her as the crazy witch? Or had Linc asked them to give her a little time to recover?
Didn’t matter, she had to find Kendall, and Linc kept resisting. He didn’t think she was strong enough yet to use that much magic.
But what about Kendall? She’d been missing for just over a week. Risa’d tried on her own to find her, but couldn’t do it. Since Linc had left to meet with other hunters and search for Kendall, Risa decided to ask Carla for help. The woman had tried once before, so hopefully she’d be willing again.
Her stomach clenched as she headed down in the elevator. What did the others think of her? They’d seen her screaming in the room. Would they want to avoid her? The elevator doors opened to the first floor. Guess she’d find out. Walking out in the living space, she glanced around and heard voices.
“I didn’t okay that. Phoenix, what the fuck were you thinking?” The voice boomed through the room, throbbing real anger.
Risa shivered at the vaguely familiar tenor. Where had she heard it?
“That it’s been a goddamned week and we haven’t located the missing baby. It’s pissing me off. Then I started wondering, what if Quinn Young went to Vegas for more than delivering witches to the freakazoid spawn?”
She followed the voices and sprinted to the computer room. Honing in on one of the big monitors mounted on the wall, she eyed the man wearing leathers and a mutinous expression. Phoenix, the hunter mated with Ailish the blind witch. Risa blurted out, “You’re talking about Kendall? Did you find her?”
The two couples in the room spun around. Sutton was at multiple keyboards. Carla and another woman sat on stools, and behind the dark-haired woman stood a huge man with raven-black hair, piercing green eyes and crackling with authority. He wore a T-shirt and jeans the way other men wore a power suit.
Now Risa placed that commanding voice—Axel, leader of the Wing Slayer Hunters. Carla had told Risa he was coming the night she’d had sex with Linc to save him. The other witch would be Darcy, his mate.
“No.”
She jerked her gaze back to Phoenix on the screen.
“Key and I got into the rogue compound. Turned into a bloody battle, but the kid’s not there.”
She closed her eyes, defeat sagging her.
“I’m not giving up. If that kid is anywhere in L.A., we’ll find her.”
Pulling herself together, she said, “Any other leads?”
“Nothing. But I have
people watching the employees of her company to see if one of them leads us to her, and we’re searching for any demon witch activity in the area. If Petra’s here, she can’t hide forever with a baby.”
She held on to hope. “Thanks.”
“What about you? How are you holding up, Risa? Linc says you’re a fighter.”
The kindness in the rough-looking man’s dark eyes surprised and touched her. But how did she answer him? Several of them had seen her in the soul screams. Yet Linc had called her a fighter, and that made her feel braver. “I’m okay. I’ll be fine once I have Kendall.”
“Then let’s get to work and find your daughter. Later.”
The screen went black.
Carla sprang up. “Risa, you’re looking better.”
She half laughed from nerves. “Yeah, I bet.” She didn’t want to know how she’d looked while trapped in soul screams.
“Nice to see you, Risa. I’m Darcy. Carla and I tried to help you, but your magic wouldn’t respond to us.”
Risa winced, unable to help herself. Humiliation that this powerful woman who was mated to the leader of the Wing Slayer Hunters had seen her like that burned her face. “Thanks for trying.”
“Frankly, I’m amazed you’re sane at all. You had so many cracks in your mind it was like a shattered mirror.”
“Darcy,” Carla groaned. “A little tact is called for here.”
Risa blinked, then laughed. She liked the woman’s bluntness, it made her feel less fragile and nervous. “It felt worse than it looked.”
The witch touched her shoulder. “It was hideous to see, Risa. And frustrating that I couldn’t help you. I could feel you suffering, and I saw enough flashes of what you were enduring to know I would have crawled into one of those cracks and never returned.”
“The hell you would,” Axel said, his voice low and possessive as he moved up behind Darcy. “I’d find your ass and pull you back.” Axel reached past Darcy and held out his hand to Risa. “Nice to meet you in person. I’m Axel Locke.”
Manners trained into her from birth had her quickly shaking his enormous hand then releasing it. But manners only went so far when she recalled Carla had told her why Axel had come. “Would you really have killed Linc?”
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