His face is concerned, but it banks with heat as he closes the distance in two strides. I’m up and over his shoulder in less time than it takes me to squeal, and then Rogan is marching through the living room, past the kitchen, up the stairs, and into our room. He throws me on the bed like the caveman he is, and all I can say is that I am here for it.
He reaches behind him and with one hand, whips his sweater over his head in that way hot guys know how to do, and I swear I moan just from that action alone. His smile turns predatory, and suddenly my mind is pumping the brakes...hard. Rogan isn’t just feeling feisty and in need of some one-on-one time with my vagina. He’s ready to snap that tether back in place like it’s no big deal. If I hadn’t just found out that my magic has demon magic bonded to it, I would be all for it, but now I’m not so certain.
Rogan reaches for my leg and pulls off first one thick sock and then the other.
Damn, why is that so hot?
And then he grabs my leggings and pulls them off my legs.
“Rogan, wait,” I pant as I scramble back on the bed to try and get away from him. He leaps for me like he’s fucking Tarzan or something, and I scream way too excitedly for someone who’s trying to get him to calm down and listen.
He wraps his big arms around my waist and pulls me to him, crushing his lips to mine in a kiss so searing my ancestors’ toes would curl. I kiss him back just as fiercely, because how can I not, but when his hand skims under his sweater that I’m wearing to cup my breast, reality crashes down on me, and I know we need to talk first.
“Rogan, hold up, we need to think about this,” I tell him, moaning and almost changing my mind when he rolls my nipple between his thumb and forefinger.
I shake my head, trying to clear it of the barrage of lusty thoughts that just avalanched through me, and slap his hand away. “Seriously, the demon magic thing is huge, and we need to talk about that before we just jump back into a tether like it’s no big deal,” I tell him breathily, putting space between us so he can’t distract me with, well, pretty much everything about him, becauseyum.
“It’s not a big deal. I love you, you love me, the tether felt right between us, and I know you want it back just as badly as I do,” he tells me, and the matter-of-fact declarations melt my heart a little.
“I do love you, which is why I want us to really think about what we’re doing instead of jumping in with both feet and potentially fucking something up.”
“Fucking what up?” Rogan grumbles, offended.
“Oh, I don’t know, like your magic for starters. Right now, mine is the only one acting all crazy, but if we jump back into a tether, mine is going to affect yours too. We don’t even know what the long-term ramifications are of what Jamie did. Shouldn’t we wait and get more information from your aunt and maybe a few other trusted sources before we make a decision this big?” I ask him sincerely.
“No,” he counters simply. “I don’t care what the long-term ramifications are. Our tether worked when you woke up the first time, and your magic didn’t fuck with mine then. What makes you think it’s going to start doing something crazy now? In fact, Dave said that it was more powerful and potent, not that it was dangerous, so I don’t see the hesitation here,” Rogan argues, and I roll my eyes.
“You are purposefully trying to be obtuse, Rogan Kendrick,” I accuse. “I’m not saying the tether is off the table, I’m just saying maybe we should be sure that everything is in working order before you do something that one day you could regret.”
“I am sure,” he growls back, but it’s the sexy kind, not the scary kind, and I try not to let him see how it affects me. “And when it comes to you, there’s no such thing as regrets. Now come here so I can kiss you until you’re dripping, and then bend you over and fuck you until you can’t see straight, and then we can make love to one another while we tether our souls together again the right way, the way we should have done the first time,” he purrs, and I huff out a sigh.
Fuck. Why does he have to make this so damn hard?
My foot starts to heat, and I roll my eyes at him. “Cut it out, I don’t have a foot fetish, so you’re barking up the wrong tree,” I tell him as I try to figure out how to make him stop and think about what he’s doing.
“Good to know,” he grumbles dismissively. “Tell me what youdolike then so I can start there, because I’m done arguing. I love you. I don’t care what’s mixed in your magic. I wouldn’t even care if yours suddenly consumed mine and left me powerless. I love you, that means every single part of you. I know we’ll figure this all out together, but I miss feeling you inside of my soul. I can’t help feeling like a piece of me is missing, and I want it back, Lennox. I wantyouback right where you’re always meant to stay,” he pleads with me, his hand pressed against his heart as his eyes are filled with heat and beseeching.
My foot grows even hotter, distracting me from his incredible heartfelt words. “Seriously, Rogan, stop it. Messing with my blood isn’t going to win you any favors. I hear what you’re saying, and I want it too. Imissyou too, I just want to make sure you know what you could be getting into before we jump in feetfirst again,” I plead with him.
“Lennox, I’m all in, feet or otherwise,” he counters, but just then the heat from my foot shoots up into my leg.
Out of nowhere, I feel it everywhere. My eyes widen with shock when I realize I’ve made a mistake. It wasn’t Rogan messing with my blood.
It was the demon mark summoning me.
“Fuck,” I gasp when the tugging sensation starts in my stomach. “Don’t freak out,” I hurriedly tell Rogan as I feel the magical hook sink into me and start to pull me away. “I love you, I’ll be right back!” I shout at him as I go, but all I hear is a furious roar.
Shit, please let me be right back.
21
Bones crunch under my feet as I drop barefoot into a dimly lit cavernous room. The air is thick and stale, the walls and floor a smooth blue marble with black veining, and bones...bones are spread out as far as the eye can see. My magic prickles with their presence, greeting them like old friends, but my pulse races, and anxious butterflies flutter in my stomach furiously.
I look down to see that one of my heels has crushed a horn that was attached to a skull. I step away from it warily and survey the thick layer of osseous matter all around me. I’m surrounded by all shapes and sizes of skulls and skeletons, some with tails, others with horns, wing bones are scattered here and there, and the one thing each and every one of them has in common is that they’re all demon bones.
Is that a dragon skeleton?
Unease creeps up my back as I look around me. Why am I here? Why bring me to a room filled with demon remains? Is Jamie’s demon here already? Is he about to join these piles of bones, or am I?
