Black Magic (The Raven Queen's Harem 3)

His hands run down the curve of my sides, grazing over the edge of my breasts. He grips my hips and bends me forward, until my palms are flat against the surface of the ottoman. I feel him behind me, the weight of his cock, the calculated control. I shift my ass, begging, begging for him to take me like this. I know it’s futile, he’s playing games, fucking with my mind as much as my body. The crazy thing is that Dylan knows that I like it. I want it like this as much as every other way the Guardians tease and taunt me with. I want it slow and powerful like Sam. I want it sweet and doting like Bunny. I want it carefree and fun with Damien, and I want the glorious skills Clinton has mastered.

And I want Dylan. Hard and rough. Dark and commanding.

I feel his hand twisted in my hair and he pulls me off my hands. In my ear he says, “You’re close, Morgan. So close. You feel it in your bones. In your heart. There’s one true way to break the Darkness. Only you can choose.”

I think he means that he’s caving. That he’s going to take me here on the ottoman. But his warmth vanishes and his shadow is gone. I blink and I’m alone in the room. Just me and the crackling, magic fire.

Chapter Fifteen

Morgan

It’s Sue that slips me the note the next morning, telling me to forget my normal schedule and meet Dylan at the front door in an hour. My head is pounding in a hangover kind of way. My memories of the night before are hazy, like a ghostly, erotic dream.

I take a gulp from the coffee Sue left on the table and a bite of the gooey cinnamon roll that lured me from my room in the first place. I watch the older woman clean up from her baking. “Sue, can I ask you a question?”

She turns and the wrinkles in the corner of her eyes deepen as she smiles. “Sure, dear.”

“How long have you and Davis been married?”

“Oh.” She thinks for a minute. “Feels like an eternity, but it’s been about forty years this fall.”

“Forty years. Wow.”

“Yes.” She wipes the counter with a cloth. “I suppose that does seem like a lifetime for a girl your age.”

“How did you know he was the right one?”

The woman turns and leans against the counter. Her face takes on a faraway look and she says, “Truth be told, I’m not the most patient person. I’ve always been like this, particularly when I was younger. People annoyed me. Grated on my nerves. When I met Davis, I kept waiting for that to happen—for the part of him I disliked to come forward.” She grins like a schoolgirl at the memory. “It never did. That’s how I knew.”

“Basically he’s the guy that didn’t annoy you?”

She laughs. “Pretty much.”

I shake my head and think about the decision in front of me—the decision that has to be made today. I groan and drop my head in my hands.

“Are you having a problem with a young man?”

Make that five, not-so-young men. “Sort of. I just need to make a decision and I’m having a hard time.”

She crosses the space between the counter and the table. She reaches for my hand and squeezes. “Follow your heart, Morgan, but also your brain. You’re a smart girl. I can tell you’re wise.”

I laugh. “I’m not sure wisdom will help me here.”

“Wisdom always helps. It’s when you follow other body parts that things get tricky.”

I feel my eyes widen at her boldness, partly because it’s so true. She doesn’t seem remotely embarrassed. Her eyes carry a wisdom of their own.

I stand and take my cup to the sink, washing it before she can. “Thank you for that,” I say. “I just needed someone to talk to.”

“Anytime, dear.”

I pause for one more moment in the cozy, peaceful kitchen. Once I leave this room I’ll have to face Dylan and the reality of the day. I’ll have to tell him about Anita and the truth behind Xavier’s death, prepare for the spell, and finally choose a mate.

Chapter Sixteen

Dylan