He licked and sucked and made her squirm until pleasure became almost too much.
“Nick!” she shouted his name mentally and aloud, and he took her over the edge.
When the pleasure of release faded away into aftershocks, she was still sitting on his face, her hands pressed to the headboard. His hands smoothed over her ass, and he nuzzled her thigh.Do you have a better feel for how to use your power deliberately yet?
She pushed up and away, crawling off him and collapsing on the bed at his side. “If I was supposed to be able to think clearly through that, then we’re in trouble. If the goal was only to generate positive associations to replace the negative memoriesI have of using my power, on the other hand, I think we can call it a resounding success.”
“A worthwhile outcome, but not everything.” Nicholas rolled to his side and wrapped himself around her. “That’s all right, though. We’ll keep practicing.”
Thirty
???
Nicholas woke whenSadie slipped out of his arms. “Where are you going?”
“To use the water closet. Then I want breakfast.”
He grumbled and got out of bed after her. If she wanted breakfast, he’d better send down to the kitchen for something. He had no intention of sharing Sadie with anyone else for at least another hour.
He pulled on a loose pair of trousers and made his way to the sitting room in his suite. After gathering up the clothes strewn across the floor and bringing them into the bedroom, he rang for a servant and requested a tray.
After the servant left, he noticed Sadie’s amulet lying on the ground. He scooped up the agate and set it on a side table. He wouldn’t hide it from her, but he hoped he could convince her not to wear it anymore.
Heading back into the bedroom, he found Sadie struggling to pull on her clothes from the day before. He crossed to her side immediately and helped. “Should I have sent a servant to grab you a different dress as well as breakfast?”
She laughed. “I’m not sure which is worse, being seen in last night’s gown with my hair falling around my face or knowing that a servant had to bring me clothes in your rooms.”
“You look lovely.”
“Thank you, but I didn’t mean being seen by you. With my luck, I’ll open the door to sneak back to my room at the exact instant Abigail or your mother walks past.”
He fastened the final buttons on her gown. “Abigail is already jealous, and I think my mother might surprise you with how unfazed she might be.” He pressed a kiss to the back of her neck and moved to pull on his own clothes. “If it will make you feel better, though, I can head out first and scout the hallway for you. But not until after breakfast.”
“That sounds like an excellent plan.”
Their food arrived shortly after Nicholas finished buttoning his waistcoat. He accepted the tray while Sadie hid in his bedroom, though she had to know the servants were well aware where she had spent the night.
“Yes, I know,” she confirmed when she joined him at the table next to the window in his sitting room. “But there is an expectation of discretion all the same.”
After he finished his first slice of toast, Nicholas admitted that they needed to discuss a few serious matters before facing the rest of the manor.
“I take it you thought you’d be able to hear the demon with your telepathy?”
Sadie set down her tea. “I’m fairly certain I have heard it. That’s what had me feeling so off that day in the foyer and when Abigail found us in the forest. Despite my best efforts, I’ve heard a lot of negative private thoughts over the years, angry people wanting others to hurt and whatnot. But what I heard those days was unique. They weren’t even particularly violent or graphic, yet the tone was…” She trailed off, her eyes narrowed as she searched for the right word.
“Evil?” Nicholas offered.
“Exactly.”
“What about when you caught Jane brewing poison instead of a potion?”
She reached for her throat, but she hadn’t picked up her amulet from the side table. Her fingers flexed, and she lowered her hand once more. “The power you had added to my charm was still active then.”
Seeing Sadie’s discomfort at not wearing her charm gave Nicholas resolve. He hated the idea of her bottling her magic, knew that she needed to learn to control it herself, but he understood that she felt vulnerable without it. “Tell me about the glyph on your amulet. It’s not just a basic ward blocking your magic.”
“No. Nana tried that first, but I started suffering from horrible headaches and insomnia.”
Nicholas nodded. Such symptoms were known consequences of locking magic inside a witch. It was why witches who broke the law had to be jailed in special cells rather than having their power bound directly. The headaches and inability to sleep were only the start.
