The pulsing crimson thread was not only a distraction, but she had no idea what magic it was connected to. The only thing for certain was that since it appeared she’d been tormented by nightmares that left her shaken and drenched in sweat. Eventually she feared that she would get to the point where she was too afraid to sleep.
Then what would happen?
She would collapse from exhaustion.
Shaking her head, Wynn forced herself to focus on the paler strands, choosing a blue one. Mentally plucking it away from the others, she allowed it to coil through her body and out the tips of her fingers. The magic shuddered, as if struggling to work. She clenched her teeth. It wasn’t unusual for the magic she’d acquired to fade. Sometimes she used it once and it was gone. Other times she kept it withher for decades, like the skipping stones. It all depended on the power held inside the object and how much magic she absorbed.
Or at least, that’s how it used to work. Now the strands could work fine one minute and then give out a second later. Or twist into a spell that she’d never seen before.
Yet another reason she was increasingly concerned that the new, mystery strand was causing damage in her body.
At last the magic flowed through her, attaching to the cement before spreading up to the sagging ceiling and from side to side to form an invisible barrier. It wasn’t large, but it provided enough protection for her to scurry to the corner and grab the stone she’d hidden earlier in the day.
Plucking it off the dusty ground, she rubbed her thumb over the smooth surface, hissing in frustration as the magic refused to ignite. At the same time, the heavy tread of boots sent jolts of alarm through her.
“You can’t hide in the corner, little mouse,” the rich male voice chided.
Clutching the stone in a tight grip, Wynn forced herself to turn. She didn’t mind people thinking she was a thief or a liar or a swindler. She was all those things. But she’d be damned if she’d let them label her a coward.
Pretending she wasn’t completely unnerved by her creepy stalker, Wynn tilted her head high and squared her shoulders.
Bam.
Warrior-woman mode activated.
Then the male stepped into a pool of moonlight and her world shattered. Just like that. One minute she was Wynn, thief extraordinaire and the next everything she’d known and believed in was being stripped away and she was catapulted into a new, startling reality.
A reality that included a sexy, outrageously decadent creature who stepped up to the barrier and laid his hand against her magic. A gut-punch of power suddenly thundered through the empty building.
Wynn couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t think. She didn’t understand what was happening. Why was her heart thundering and her stomach twisting into a tight knot of delicious awareness?
It had to be some sort of sorcery, right?
Okay, he was drop-dead gorgeous. His hair was dark and thick and glossy. Like a swath of silk that rippled to brush his shoulders. And sure, her fingers itched to run through the strands just to see if it was as soft as it looked. Then there was his face. It was narrow, almost delicate, with the sort of features thatwere too perfect to be real. They should have softened the impact of his raw male beauty, but instead they emphasized the hint of savagery. And his eyes...
They were astonishing. In the shadows they shimmered with a silvery mist. But as he realized that he couldn’t force his way through the barrier, they darkened to the deepest black, swirling like storm clouds.
Stalking along the shield, he kept his hand pressed against the magic, sparks dancing around his fingers. He moved like a dancer, all elegant grace and supple muscles that rippled beneath his silky black shirt and black slacks. A sleek predator on the hunt.
Wynn shivered. The male terrified her in a way she’d never experienced. And at the same time, she’d never been so mesmerized. As if something inside her understood that she’d been waiting for this moment all her life.
Desperately rubbing the stone still clutched in her fingers, Wynn tried to ignore the heat that seared through her. She might have succeeded if it’d just been lust. That was expected. The male walked straight out of her deepest fantasy. But the tingles of awareness weren’t just a hunger for sex. They were a weird sense of recognition. As if the magic inside her was reacting to his presence.
What was he? Not a leech. Which meant he had to be a demon. But she’d never encountered one without an aura. And never one with the sort of power that made the ground tremble and the hair on her nape stand up in fear.
“Who are you?” The question came out as a croak. Honestly, she was just glad she got the words past the lump in her throat.
“Azh.” He dipped his head, as if they were formally introducing themselves. “And you’re Wynn.” The sparks danced around his slender fingers. “Let me through your shield, sweet Wynn.”
Said the spider to the fly...
“Yeah, I don’t think so.”
“You like to play games? Very well.” He tilted his head to the side, the eyes returning to a shade of misty gray. “I’ve been trying to figure out exactly what you are. You don’t smell human.”
Wynn blew out a shaky breath. She didn’t know what the male wanted from her, but she didn’t intend to stay around long enough to find out.
“What I am is none of your business.” She leaned against the wall, pretending a bored nonchalance as she continued to rub the stone. “I assume you’re the one who’s been stalking me. Do you want to know where you are on the scale of creepiness?”
