Dancing With The Devil, Witches Anonymous Step 5(19)
Kansas, here I come.
A minute later, I woke to the sound of Luc’s soft snores. One of his arms lay draped over my side as his body spooned around mine, spooning me in his protective heat. Cain slept tucked against my stomach and Abel warmed my feet.
My bed. My apartment. I drew a deep breath and a blast of satisfaction filled me as oxygen entered my lungs. The curtain on my bedroom window was open and moonlight filtered in, casting comforting shadows across the dresser and floor. Light snow fell outside. A couple more satisfying breaths and I snuggled deeper into the covers and Luc’s arms.
It was just a dream, I told myself. Just a terrible, no-good dream.
Except it kept playing out on the back of my eyelids. My mother on the steps of the church. Her and the angel having sex. The dragon sitting at the pregnant woman’s feet. The odd fluttering in my abdomen.
Rubbing my hand across the spot, I sighed, knowing exactly what I had to do.
Chapter Fourteen – Witch, Interrupted
I rolled to my left side, careful not to kick Abel and patting Cain on the head when he mewed impatiently at the disturbance.
Luc’s face was relaxed in sleep. A chunk of dark hair hung across his forehead, making him appear boyish except for the fact his jaw was covered with stubble. A dark, wicked angel sleeping on my pink pillowcases. The marauder who’d long ago stolen my heart.
A familiar pang tweaked my chest. How many times had I watched him sleep, feeling a sense of safety I’d never felt with anyone, not even my family?
Family. The Atwoods gave new meaning to that word. “Luc?”
His snores stopped but his breathing continued soft and deep. I touched his cheek, ran my finger across his whiskered jaw. “Luc, wake up. We need to talk.”
Without opening his eyes, he reached for me and pulled me close. We lay face to face on his pillow, my body responding instinctively to his touch as he molded his long frame to mine. He was naked—big surprise—and so was I. The heat coming off his skin warmed my chilly body. I wanted to shut down my brain and let my body take control. My magic seconded that idea.
Warm fingers traced the vertebra of my spine, coming to rest low on my hip and tugging my pelvis against his.
Talk about hot.
And hard.
The skin on my forehead burned. Damn. Real world, real problems. The Mark of Cain was back.
Even though my body cheered at the contact, I shifted back an inch, hoping the space would help me keep a clear head…and the Mark would settle down before I sent Luc on another one-way trip to Hell.
The Devil slanted his eyes open and stared at my lips from under his long lashes. “Where are you going, witch?”
His voice was gravelly with sleep. The deep timbre raised the hairs on the back of my neck. My magic shuddered and I found myself arching toward him. The Mark burned hotter.
Sticking out a hand, I braced it against his chest to keep from succumbing to the desire sweeping through me. Dark, deep and dangerous, I longed to embrace it as much as I struggled to stay away.
An image of the woods in purgatory flashed across my mind. Dark, deep and just as dangerous as the fallen angel in my bed. Instinct told me I needed to get through those woods before Luc and I would be okay.
Before I could tell him about my dream, the phone on the bedside table blared. A modicum of relief swept through me. I didn’t want to tell him about the dream and the phone’s ring cooled the ardent desires swirling around us.
I glanced at the alarm clock and saw it was only a few minutes after ten. Apparently, time stopped while I was in purgatory.
Caller ID read Keisha.
Making an apologetic face to Luc and lifting Cain out of the way, I sat up and answered. “Hey. What’s up?”
Her African voodoo priestess voice was clear and angry. “Get over here right now.”
“I’m sorry I didn’t make it to the party, but something came up.” Something being Luc.
“Sorry? Sorry? You sent that angel here with Mikayla and now all Hell’s broken lose. Get your skinny white witch ass over here and put a stop to this or I’ll curse your ancestors and your first born.”
Curse my relatives was a regular threat from Keisha when she was really upset at me. Normally, I ignored it, knowing there was no real intent to harm me or my family members. Keisha was a lot of talk, especially when she was mad, and I couldn’t blame her for not liking the fact I’d let Zayfeer crash her party. But tonight, the unborn baby I’d seen in purgatory and the fluttering I’d felt in my abdomen made the threat feel serious even though I knew in my heart she was kidding.
“What did Z do?”
“He’s dancing and drinking and taking advantage of Liddy.”
I stood, ignoring Cain’s hiss at shifting him yet again. Liddy, my friend from Witches Anonymous and a rather innocent ex-witch, brought out my protective instincts. “Put him on the phone.”