Hannah lets out a one-note laugh. “You expect her to find a loophole?”
I don’t, but I refuse to admit it. The truth is, Rebecca is a skilled witch, and she crafts every spell with precision.
“What were you doing out here with Riley?” I ask, the question spilling from my lips.
She huffs, like she finds it amusing. “Did you really come here to ask me about Riley?”
I grind my teeth, watching her fidget with the hem of her tiny chemise. Her hands are trembling.
“Why do you care what she and I were doing?” she asks.
Heat floods my cheeks. “I don’t want anyone interfering with what needs to be done to break the binding spell.”
A pause. “I see.”
She’s still playing with her chemise, giving me glimpses of the smooth, pale skin at her hips.
“I just want this to be over, Julia,” she says, barely audible.
I watch, frozen in place, as she pulls the delicate fabric over her head and lets it fall to the forest floor. There’s nothing underneath. Just her perfect, round breasts, her nipples hard peaks in the wintry air. Her chest rises and falls, each breath a puff of white mist.
The sight of her bare skin steals the breath from my lungs. She’s luminous in the moonlight, a goddess standing in the harsh darkness.
The wind picks up, sending dead leaves skittering across the forest floor. The ancient trees seem to lean closer, as if drawn to witness this. The old magic in this place ripples beneath my skin, responding to my hunger, the earth itself recognizing me. Perhaps it’s trying to warn Hannah against this.
“Don’t.” The word comes out rough. “Do you have any idea what you’re doing?”
“I’m surrendering.” Her hands move to her bottoms, and I’m helpless to look away as she slides them down her long legs, revealing her pale skin inch by inch.
In the next beat of my heart, she’s standing confidently before me, completely bare and vulnerable. The sight of her naked body ignites a flameinside me that threatens to consume everything. I follow the line of her throat down to her round breasts, down her belly to the soft curves of her hips, and between her legs.
“If breaking the spell requires me to submit to you, then here I am,” she says. “Yours.”
My heart beats faster. To hear this beautiful woman speak those words awakens a deep, ravenous hunger that’s been building inside me since the moment I first touched her.
But underneath the desire, something else grips my chest. I’ve felt this hunger before. The last time, it ended with Charlotte’s lifeless body beneath me. This is how it started with her—this intoxicating willingness, this beautiful surrender. And I destroyed her.
Hands at her sides, Hannah stretches out her fingers as if opening herself to me. She’s shivering, goosebumps rising all over her perfect skin.
“Hannah, it’s freezing out.”
She steps closer. “So warm me up.”
I step closer too. “We can find another way to—”
“I want this, Julia.” Her eyes are dark, her pupils dilated.
The temperature drops. My breath mists between us, mingling with hers. Around us, the forest has gone silent. No rustling leaves, no distant owl calls. Even nature knows to hold its breath.
My feet will not move. Do I want to ruin her the way I ruined Charlotte? She’s too good, too perfect, too innocent for what I am.
But the hunger in her eyes mirrors my own, and it’s clear she wants this as much as I do.
We passed the point of no return long ago, whether I admit it or not.
“Hannah…”
Before I know what I’m doing, I’m grabbing her and pulling her flush against me, kissing her hard.
