Chapter Two Hundred Seventy–Six
PAUL
Shes wrong. I don’t hate it. But that is what bothers me,
I should hate it. Shouldn’t 17
She’s a witch. A conjurer. She has powers I’m completely unfamiliar with and it fucks up my heart.
She’s more than beautiful enough for me to be naturally attracted to, so I know my desire for her is a primal thing. And actual thing
That’s not the problem.
The thing that gets me is the other stuff. The purple mist, the flashing eyes, the not knowing why my heart is pumping so rapidly with my fingers stroking up her ankle,”
If she’s bewitching me, it makes more sense. If she casted some sort of charm over me,
ne, then I ge
My brow furrows as I tune into her pulsing, galloping heart, and match it with my own.
Am I really affecting her? Or is it in trick?
“You don’t have to use your magic on me,” 1 murmur quietly.
I get it. And I resent it.
Her head snaps up and she snarls behind clenched teeth, “You. Are. Burning. The Food. And I’m hungry” She jerks out of my grip and spins away from the sink, kicking me with her tiny legs in the process. If you won’t cook it. I will.”
She leaps from the counter and I watch as she saunters toward my stove to take over. My eyes are on the barely viuble lines of her juicy little ass as she works and I stroke my cock on the outside of my sweats to ease a little of the tension she created.
For some reason, the sight of her cooking in my kitchen sends an explosion of warmth through me. She looks perfect there. And call me an asshole if you want to, but I like the image of her as a homemaker.
My homemaker.
Fucking hell.
She’s not your anything. She’s a witch running from dogs.
“Tell me about the hounds,” I say to her, grabbing the mop out of the closet. I need to make sure all that powdered glass is gone.
She side–eyes me, snapping a pair of tongs my way as she flips the steaks off the pan and onto a plate to rest. Her hair is still wet and already the curls bounce and sway with her every movement. “I didn’t kill his sister. He doesn’t ever fine a sister. As far as I know, he
never did.”
“Okay,” I reply, mopping quickly and then putting away my supplies. Leaning on the doorframe, 1 watch her start the chicken. With a roll of her eyes, she reaches toward my spice rack and grabs the cayenne, adding a healthy dose of it to the bubbling butter. Cute. So she likes spicy foods. Got it. “The glass you broke was it a tumbler?”
This gives her pause and she bites her plump, delectable lip. Her eyes bat in my direction, dilating when she focuses on my bare chest. “Yeah. I was feeling a couple of cocktail. I dunno. Like a pupaya Pina Colada or something.”
Papaya I quip. “Don’t think I have any. What made you want that?”
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Chapter Two Hundred Seventy–Six
Her lips purse and she turns away from me. “I don’t wait it. Not anymore.”
For some reason I feel that comment like an arrow to the chest and I step forward. “And why’s that?” I challenge her, my eyes traveling over the delicious caramel of her legs.
“Because 17 doesn’t want me,” she whispers, clearing her throat afterward. “Where are we going to eat?”
“Because it doesn’t want you…” I repeat not ready to let it go. “It?”
She doesn’t turn, focusing entirely on the food in front of her as she fills a pot with water and milk for potatoes. “You. You smell like papaya.”
My body jerks in surprise. Papaya? Me? i don’t see how that could be true, but still… I have to ask. Is that what you honestly believe? That I don 1… that I’m not…”
She spins on me, glaring up at my face from shuttered eyelids, her impossibly long fashes casting a shadow over her cheeks. “It’s what you
My jaw goes tight, my fists clenching at my sides as I bypass her to head for the dining room and set the table. I lean in close as I step past her and whisper in her ear, “You smell like honeycomb. Even after your lavender bath.”
“Honeycomb? What? Yuck!” she
lore honeycomb,
she says behind me and this gives me pause.
And something is telling me, she loves papaya.
Then, I continue toward the other room, feeling her eyes on my back the entire time. When I’m done setting the table, I turn around to see her transferring the abundance of food onto platters I had set on the breakfast nook. Papaya….
Pulling out my phone, I shoot Draven a quick text.
Do I smell like papaya to you, too?
Luna D-
Is this a trick question?
Humor me.
Luna D-
I honestly couldn’t say. I’ve never been so bold as to sniff you.
Me-
So that’s a no. Thanks
Luna D-
Save the weird shit for Jater, yeah?
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Chapter Two Hundred Seventy–Six
You’d be so mad at me if you knew what happened minutes ago,
Luna D
That alone pisses me off. I don’t even need to know what you’ve done. FIX IT! Whatever it is…
Chuckling, I put my phone back in my pocket. As Anastacia enters the mom, she scowls. “Is something funny?” she chirps.
ight? A witch couldn’t be my mate. Right?
I shake my head, watching her carefully. There’s no way, right?/
on me
Maybe she has heightened senses, like shifters do. Maybe she can smell it on
Then again, I don’t wear papaya aftershave, nor do I use that type of shampoo,
Could she be trying to trick me in some way? She can’t possibly know about the draws of a mate, can she? Maybe she thinks I plan to take her to the edge of some town tomorrow and just push her out of my car.
Walt just a minute though. I almost forgot about that part. She expects me to take her somewhere. She expects to leave:
Taking a seat across from her at my small, round dining table my body begins to constrict with tension. I don’t think I can do At least,
not until ve dealt with the hounds
“About the hounds,” I start, smiling as she loads my plate with food before she leads her own. “Maybe it’s time you told me how you get involved with them. Why are they chasing you?”
She sighs, pausing in the middle of slicing into her steak. She prefers the red meat to the white… Interesting. She has to be starving, so I almost tell her we can talk about it later, but she lifts her eyes to mine and the fear I see there sends icicles spearing into my chest.
“They re not regular hound shifters,” she says flatly. They’re shadow hounds.”
nds? What the hell is the difference?”
“Shadow hounds?
“I thought you said you’ve met a Voodoo Queen once?”
“I have. She didn’t exactly share all her knowledge with me though. So… what are they?”
eyebrows quirk upward and she settles back against the cushioned velvet of the dining room chair. “I think you better fix us a couple of drinks, Pretty Paul. We’re going to need them.”
