When Zahir walked in the door, her resolve pushed her to ask the question. She opened her mouth and a lightning bolt hit the floor a foot away from her. A large wall of fire rose until she was surrounded by a circle of flames. Jumping back, she screamed. Zahir walked through the flames to reach her. No burns or injuries were visible on him.
Flames pushed their way toward her, but Zahir drove them back. He wrapped an arm around her, and she clung to the safety of his hold. She felt the heat of the flames, but nothing in the store caught fire. The sprinklers were not turning on, and the circle was closing in on them.
“What do we do?” She tried to keep the panic from her voice, but it was hard. What the hell was happening? Why was someone out to get her? She’d never done anything to anyone. OK, she was no angel, but she’d never hurt anyone purposely.
“Don’t worry. I have this under control.”
The flames lowered in a whoosh to the ground. The driving wind tossed her hair around her face. Zahir lowered one arm until the flames completely disappeared as if they’d never been there.
Lifting a trembling hand to move her hair away from her face, she peered around the store. “For crying out loud. What the fuck is going on? I’m putting an end to this.”
The phone rang just when she pulled it out of her pocket.
“Hello?”
“Sharmila. Your mother asked me to look into your decrease in magic.”
“Oh, Luthian. How are you?”
Tension radiated off Zahir’s rigid posture. He threw a fierce glare at her phone.
She half-listened to Luthian and stared at Zahir’s face. His eyes turned full-on black. Her nipples hardened when she remembered the last time his eyes had turned that dark. They’d been in the middle of having sex.
Moisture gathered in her cunt. Holding back a whimper, she squeezed her thighs together to relieve some of the pressure on her throbbing sex. The glare transformed into the look of a man ready to immerse himself in her passion.
“Sharmila?”
The voice in her ear jerked her back to reality.
“Oh, um, yes. What can I do for you?”
“I was going to suggest for you to try something. To see if it helps with your magic.”
Laughter came across from his side. Could he tell what was going on? It was very possible, considering he was a powerful warlock.
“OK, what do you suggest I do?”
“Have sex with Darkrath.”
“What?” Images of them making love flooded her brain and made her temperature rise until she was sure the fire was back, only this time, right on her skin.
Chapter Five
Zahir smiled at Shar’s response to his look. He craved her, and he intended to have her—tonight. No matter what she said, he knew the truth of her body’s desires. She wanted him. Maybe not with the desperation he wanted her, but it was close. He could feel it. If the hungry flare in her pupils was any indication, she wanted him right now. He heard the conversation, knew what Luthian was suggesting, and was in full agreement with the test.
“That, um, was Luthian. I’m sure you’ve heard of him. He was just calling to give me a suggestion. Nothing important.” She looked everywhere but at him.
Shar had never been shy before, and it bothered him that she was acting as though he’d reject her if he knew of her problem.
“What’s wrong with your magic?”
She snapped her gaze up to meet his. The sadness in her eyes made his heart clench.
“I don’t know. Nobody knows really. Luthian is trying to find out. Something seems to have created some kind of hole that’s made it slowly leak away. I’m at the point that I can’t even make the smallest of objects move. That day you showed up was the first time I had a burst of power. After that, it decreased again.” Her sadness gutted him. He had to fix this for her.
He stepped toward her, grabbed her by the forearms, and pulled her into him. Her eyes flared gold with arousal when his lips came crashing down on her. A burst of sweetness invaded his senses. Every time they kissed, her taste seeped through him until he was surrounded by it.
The light flutter of her magic caressed his restless darkness and soothed the loneliness inside. She moaned and lifted her hands to rake her nails on the back of his neck. He wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly to him. His erection throbbed, grew, and became painful in the tight confines of his jeans.
Hunger roared in his veins. With single-minded focus, he squeezed her ass and ground his stiff cock into her. His sole purpose became to thrust into the hot, slick confines of her wet cunt. He flicked a hand, and the door locked and the shades lowered. He became bolder and more aggressive in his touches, and she whimpered. Her soft kisses drove his desperation up several notches.