Wild Night Road(43)

“You said you could remove the mark?”
“I can,” Lilith said, “but then you will be subject to the seraphim.”
“That’s not really a choice,” Tasha said bitterly.
“Look at it this way,” Lilith said. “Gideon wants you because you’re a beautiful woman, but also because you’re a witch, and he’ll own something that should, by right and title, belong to the seraphim.”
“You make it sound like I’m some expensive piece of art.”
“More than that,” Lilith said. “Should another war break out between the weres and the seraphim, having you on the side of the weres would be a great advantage.”
“What does it mean to be subject to the seraphim,” Tasha asked.
“It means,” Gaebryl said, “you will come into your power. You will become the woman and the witch you were meant to be.”
Tasha pinned Lilith with her gaze. “Is that true?”
“Yes. I can’t tell you one is better than the other because this is a choice no one should ever have to make.”
Lifting her hands helplessly, Tasha said, “I don’t know how to decide. This is impossible. I don’t have enough information.”
Remy stepped foreword. “There’s another way.” All eyes turned to him. “With your leave, my lords Gaebryl and Gideon, we are all tired and overwrought. This is not a small thing, but a woman’s life at stake. Allow a set period of time in which Tasha can learn more.”
“She’s already chosen,” Gideon thundered. “She allowed Owen to mark her.”
“Not when she doesn’t remember,” Lilith said, and then added in a silky tone. “Are you certain you want to welcome an unconscious witch to your bed? All that power and not under control? Think of the mayhem she could cause.”
Gideon’s face turned red, but he backed down.
“I propose the lady spends one month with me and one month with the cur,” Gaebryl said. “I doubt she’ll last that long with him, but fair is fair.”
Remy took Tasha’s hand in his. “What do you say?”
“I need time,” Tasha said, “so my answer is yes.”
Gaebryl bent on one knee. Remy passed Tasha to him. The seraphim gathered her in his arms, spread his wings and leapt into the sky.
Gideon lunged at Lilith. Remy whirled, ready to strike, but before he could move, a beam of light shot from the crystal, hitting the big were. He fell back, a hand clutched to his chest and a look of astonishment on his face.
“Try that again,” Lilith said, “I might not miss the next time.”






 
    Nine by Night: A Multi-Author Urban Fantasy Bundle of Kickass Heroines, Adventure,   Magic
    
 


 

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO


Lilith had never invited a man to her cabin before, so when she opened the door and Remy walked inside, she felt an odd urge to bustle about, fold the rumpled quilt and pick up the discarded clothing from the floor. But she did none of those things, choosing instead to stand aside and allow him to look around. This was her home—the one place in the world where she felt safe.
She had invited him into her world.
For no apparent reason, she remembered his words from the banquet room:  I’m trying to protect you.
She was reasonably sure he was the first man to attempt to do so in a very long time. It had been so long, in fact, that she hadn’t recognized his actions for what they were.
But she was different now.
Free.
Free of the old fears that forced her to keep her distance, and yet it made her oddly shy with him.
“Take me on the grand tour,” he said.
She laughed. “There’s not that much to see.”
He wrapped an arm around her and steered her toward the back. “Unless I’m mistaken, this would be the kitchen.”
“Correct.”
Hugging her close, he gently closed her eyes with the tips of his fingers. “I want you to imagine we’re at the finest hotel.”
“Not in Paris.”
“You have something against Paris?”
She sighed. “It’s a long story.”
“Okay, no hotel then. Imagine we’re in a beautiful cabin in the woods.”
“That easy.” She put her head on his chest.
“And a dashing stranger opens the door and climbs the ladder to your bed.” He moved against her, his hips swaying in gentle motion. She moved with him.#p#分页标题#e#
“He takes you in his arms. Lifts your snowy white shift over your head and kisses you deeply.”
He rubbed her shoulders with his big hands and warmed the hard, cold and lonely places in her heart at the same time. She looked up at him and knew it was going to be all right.