by Richard Amos
He took my face in his hands. “Jake,” he said softly.
My god he smelled so good, his skin so good on mine.
“I …” His lips met mine and set off a chain of sparks through my body.
My hands slid around his neck. I shouldn’t be doing this! He tasted as good as his spicy scent. The gentle kiss became one of need, harder, hungry. I opened my mouth, letting his tongue slide in. My body sung with desire as he devoured me. I ran my fingers through his hair. He pulled me close, his hands wandering into the folds of my dressing gown. His fingers drew circles across my bare chest. My body shuddered at his touch. The kiss still went on, deeper and deeper, too wonderful to break.
I needed more. I wanted him, craved him. I couldn’t deny it. Ever since I first saw him I—
I broke this kiss as a pang of sorrow tore through me.
He was breathing rapidly. “What is it?”
“I-I …” Man, he was so fucking gorgeous. I hated that his lips weren’t on mine. I needed them back. “I can’t do this.”
His dark eyes were full of a lust I wanted to surrender to. But Michael was back on my mind. “I’m sorry … I have to go.”
I stood up, pulling my dressing gown around me. My head was spinning, my dick hard, and I had tears brewing again.
Fucking cry baby!
Dean took me by the arm. “Jake …”
I gently shook him off. Yeah, I couldn’t deny a thing anymore. I wanted Dean so badly. But I was still smothered by Michael, and the guilt gnawed at me like a million termites meeting wood.
“I’m sorry,” I said and fled to the safety of my bed.
I landed face-first onto my mattress, doing what I seemed to do best—sobbing my bloody heart out.
Chapter Thirty-Five
Naomi had cooked up an amazing Christmas dinner—turkey and all the trimmings, as well as crackers to pull and retrieve the crappy gifts inside. She even made us wear our paper hats. Mine was yellow and so not my color. Still, she’d lifted the mood. She had also given us gifts—fancy chocolates. I felt bad I hadn’t bothered, but she insisted it was her thing and we shouldn’t worry. She liked being Santa.
We’d visited Mr. Douglas earlier, but he’d been too unwell to join in with the dinner.
Now we all sat at the dining table, bloated from all the food.
“Sam sends Christmas wishes,” Nay said, putting her phone away.
“You’ve done awesome,” Greg said, patting his stomach. “You really have.”
“Washing up is so on us,” I said. “Well, loading the dishwashers.” We had three of them.
Nay laughed. “My pleasure.”
“I particularly enjoyed the gravy,” Karla said. “What did you do to it?”
“Added mustard and caramelized onions. Been dying to try that for ages.”
So, Christmas Day wasn’t so bad—not as bad as last year. But it was still awkward being in a room with Dean. He kept watching me, I could see from the corner of my eye. I made a point of avoiding all direct eye contact. My lips still tingled from the kiss, longing for more.
That had to be put to bed. Urgh. Bad word to use. Bed meant me and him in it, images of our naked bodies writhing together flashed across my mind.
But so did Michael’s face.
I gulped back a can of ginger beer.
“We need a movie later,” Greg said. “A marathon maybe.”
“The movies have to be cheesy as fuck,” Nay said. “I want to be smelling stilton long into the night.”
“You got it,” Greg said.
Nay was positively beaming. “And I’ve got loads of nibbles we can have with it.”
“More nibbles?” I said. My belly couldn’t take another load.
“It’s Christmas,” she responded. “You got to unleash your inner-pig, babe.”
All I had on the cards for today was moping in my room. Now I was filled to capacity with Christmas dinner, actually spending time with people I cared about.
Dean’s spicy masculine scent wafted across the dinner table. I wouldn’t look up, I wouldn’t. Even if I did want to fall into those dark orbs of hotness in his face …
“Oh, shit,” Nay said, getting out of her chair.
“What?” I said, also getting up.
“The wards. Beast outside.”
Greg groaned. “They can’t leave us to let our dinner go down?” He was up too.
“I’m coming,” Karla said.
I looked over at Dean then as he joined in with the standing. His blank expression gave nothing away. Any sign of emotion was hidden beneath his handsome features, leaving him completely dark.
I’m sorry …
Bloody hell! I had more important things to worry about! There was a friggin’ beast outside!
I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. She was dressed in an emerald cloak, which looked like it actually had real emeralds woven into it, with matching hat and gloves. Her skin was radiant with the glow of health.
Detective Inspector Williams was a completely different woman. I shuddered at the silver shimmer in her eyes.
“Detective?” Nay said.
“Rachel?” Dean added.
So, that was her name! And more importantly, why was she here? Had she broken through the magic with that sleuth brain of hers?
My sparks were going wild.
DI Williams smiled. “Once upon a time, yes.”
“What do you mean?”
She looked right at me, her smile now a wicked grin. “You failed.”
Kill …
“No,” I said. “You can’t—”
“There,” she said. “Now you have it.”
“Lilisian,” Karla said.
“Holy shit!” Greg added.
“My dear Dana is very happy to see I am free,” she said.
“That purple hag ran off,” Nay said. “She left you in the flat.”
“She believed all hope to be lost,” Lilisian said. “Yet I had left a while before your arrival, finding my new home in this wonderful vessel.”
“Get out of her,” Dean spat.
Lilisian opened her cloak a little, exposing a swell of cleavage. “You’ve been inside this body, fae,” she said. “I can remember because she can remember. She likes you. Well, liked you. All that is left is the memory of her. This vessel is mine now.”
Dean didn’t respond, but I saw the rage in his body language.
“Anyway, I just wanted to say hello. We’ll be seeing a lot more of one another.” She blew a kiss.
A fierce wind ripped through the wards, sending us all flying across the driveway. There was a roar from the mansion. I looked up to see every window blow out in a spray of crystal that scattered across the snow.
“What the fuck!” Greg boomed.
Lilisian, now wearing DI Williams, went walking off down the road. I went to run after her, but Dean grabbed me.
“No,” he said. “You don’t know her power yet.”
“I can kill her right now!”
“Dean is right,” Karla said. “She is a Supreme beast—far deadlier than any other beast you have encountered.”
“How did she do that?” Greg was raging. “Her power got through the wards!”
Karla started to walk back to the house. “I must consult with Floyd.”
I watched Lilisian walk away, green on the white. She didn’t sink into the snow, just like the goblins hadn’t. She was right there, alone and an easy target.
Too easy. “Bollocks!” I turned to Dean. “I’m sorry about the detective. Maybe we can save her.”
“Get inside,” he said. His tone was pure ice.
My newly repaired phone, thanks to Nay, pinged in my pocket. “What?” I said aloud. Crap! What if something had happened to Rose and Randy? Aside from my guardians, they were the only ones to have my number. I didn’t have any contact details for the werewolves, which I wasn’t allowed right now apparently. No clue why!
It was from an unknown number.
&n
bsp; “Who is it?” Nay asked, leaning over my shoulder.
I opened it.
Jacob, we have a problem :-/
W.E.G x
It took a moment for my brain to catch up. “He’s alive,” I said. “The white eye guy is alive.”
How the hell did he get my number?
Up next…
Winter Fire
(Coldharbour Chronicles book 3)
Out December 7th 2018!
Click on the image or links below to order your copy!
Amazon US
Amazon UK
About the Author
Richard Amos is an author from England who is constantly lost in the worlds he writes about, and the ones in the queue yet to be written. He also has more books in his house than anything else, and is never without a book (and chocolate) in his hands when he's not writing. He's a proud nerd who loves to dance. Hard.
Richard writes kick-ass Urban Fantasy with gay male protagonists, all with good doses of action, adventure and romance.
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Also by Richard Amos
Coldharbour Chronicles
Winter Rising
Winter Shadows
Winter Fire