Page 8 of Trickery

Chapter Four

Damien DeWinter leaned back against the headboard and gazed down at his conquest as she lay, in a tangle of heaving, boneless limbs, on his bed. Well hell. She hadn’t been what he’d expected. He traced a finger along her long, creamy thigh. She shuddered, her skin pebbled at his touch. So responsive.

She’d been a delightful fuck and so easy to snare.

He chuckled to himself.

Foolish girl. Had she thought to entrap him?

Apparently they didn’t bother to teach novices how to avoid beguiling scoundrels anymore.

Lucky him.

She was exquisite, laid out like a feast on his bed—prepared, as it had been, for her seduction. She’d been the sweetest. Her body had been tight. Ready for him. And her orgasm—hell, it had swamped him too.

He hadn’t expected that. Hadn’t prepared for that kind of…mingling.

It was the kind of mingling the old farts of the Brethren muttered about when their eyes glazed over and they nattered on about their youth, about the old days when it was still possible to find a True Mate. Nobody even talked about True Mates anymore. They all took what they could get when it came to the sacred rite of mating. And, if they were lucky, they could get a natural wood for their partner.

It was embarrassing when a warlock had to resort to a potion to cure his…disinterest. Especially in the Circle. With everyone watching, on bated breath, hoping for conception.

He’d needed nothing of the kind with Willow. That was why he’d pursued her. Hell, he’d wanted to fuck her the first time he saw her in the scrying glass. Midea’s mask hadn’t fooled him. What a joke that had been.

He’d seen Willow and wanted her. He’d found her, followed her and slowly, but surely, seduced her.

But now he had her, now she was his and he had to decide what to do with her. He didn’t want to let her go right away, like all the others. He’d lured those novitiates for one reason and one reason only—to piss off his sanctimonious father.

Willow was different. Damien didn’t even want to flaunt this conquest before the Great Warlock just to watch his face turn purple. He wanted to keep her to himself.

And he wanted her again.

He glanced at his stiffening cock and shook his head. He had a feeling he’d be in a state of arousal for a long, long time. He grinned down at the gorgeous young witch who had tried so valiantly to ensnare him.

She was his captive now. His creature. She’d taken his potion—with both hands. She’d come to him of her own free will. She’d demanded his cock. Begged for it. There was no way anyone could accuse him of taking unfair advantage.

Which, of course, he had.

He whispered a spell and drew his knuckles along her thigh, easing his way to her, finding the warmth at her core. She opened her eyes and turned to him, arousal flaring in those moss-green depths. She nestled closer.

Yeah. He’d be hard for a long, long time.

And yeah, he’d keep her with him.

At least until he tired of her.

Willow shot a glance at Austin and shuddered. She still quaked and trembled in the trails of her orgasm and she wanted him again. Hunger, fresh and new and overpowering, swamped her.

It surprised her, just a tad. She’d always been a horny wench but usually one good hard fuck was enough to appease her…at least for a while. But she wanted him again. Already. Her body wept. Her clit tightened, her nipples ached.

He smiled at her and a thrill trilled through her. His lips were gorgeous and so talented. She longed to kiss them. She levered her body up to take them—and met a wall. Confused, befuddled, she tried once more, reaching for him with a growing yearning. And again, something stopped her.

His smile widened, no, more than that. It changed. It went from a simple salutation to something knowing, something wicked. Willow blinked and stared at Austin in shock. Suddenly he wasn’t just a naïve, goofy coffee vendor all ready for a roll in the hay. Suddenly he was something more. Something…dangerous.

Instinctively she pulled away but something arrested that movement as well. In fact, everything about her was constrained. Panic flared. She’d never been a weak woman, not even before she’d discovered her magical powers. She’d never once been subjugated or controlled. But now…now the feeling was upon her.

Austin tipped back his head and laughed. It had an evil, exultant resonance. It sifted through her like tiny grains of sand, scraping at her nerves.

“Surprised?” he asked.