Circle of Desire (Damask Circle 3)

“How safe is it to be investigating that cabin at night?” His gaze met hers, and deep in the brown depths, hunger stirred.

It echoed through her. She might be angry at his continuing insistence that they could be nothing more than a moment, but right now, she was more than ready to enjoy one of those moments—pounding headache, aching cold, and all.

She licked the rain from her lips and saw his gaze leap down. “Not very. It’s better to wait until dawn, when they’re less active.”

“Then we wait.” He lowered his mouth to hers, his kiss a gentle explosion of heat that ended far too soon. “But for now, let’s get out of this rain.”

The promises in his eyes made her every nerve ending tingle, and for a moment, she found it difficult to even breathe. “The sheriff wants an explanation,” she somehow said.

He touched a hand to her cheek. Desire slithered through her and pooled deep in her abdomen.

“The sheriff is going to get the shortest explanation in history.” His voice was a smoky whisper that made her body thrum. “You need to get back to the cabin and tend to that headache.”

She raised her eyebrows. “How do you know I’ve got a headache?”

“I can see it in your eyes.” He kissed her forehead, then twined his fingers in hers. The grin that touched his lips was sexy enough to curl her toes. “Of course, once we’ve tended to the headache and got you warm again, we just might be able to do something about that other ache.”

“I hope so,” she said. “I certainly hope so.”

HOWEVER MUCH THEY MIGHT HAVE WANTED TO PROVIDE THE shortest explanation in history, the sheriff certainly wasn’t about to let them get away with it. It was nearly an hour before they made their escape. Kat closed her eyes and leaned back against the headrest. They’d given her some painkillers, and her headache had eased to a muted thumping. Bearable, but still not pleasant.

She had a suspicion, however, that a decent cup of coffee, something to eat, and a good hour or so of loving might take away the rest of the ache.

The storm raged, making conversation almost impossible as they drove back to the cabin. Not that she minded. There was a certain intimacy in sitting here, cocooned in warmth, the sound of rain pounding on the car’s roof mingling with the swish of wipers. And Ethan caressing her thigh as he drove, warming her more thoroughly than any car heater ever could.

She was almost disappointed when the car slowed and he moved his hand to change gears. She opened her eyes to discover they were back at the cabins.

“If those lights are anything to go by, your grandmother’s still awake,” he said. “You want to go in and give her an update?”

“We’d better.” If they didn’t, she’d just come in to see them. “Besides, she might have heard from Seline while we were out.”

They got out of the car and raced for the door. Gwen opened it as they neared, and heat and warmth rushed out at them.

“I lit the fire in your cabin, too,” she said. “Thought you might appreciate it.”

“Thanks.” Kat took off the two jackets and hung them over the chair to dry. “You heard anything from Seline yet?”

“They found some text that looks promising. She hopes to have it transcribed by morning.” Gwen’s gaze narrowed slightly. “I’m gathering the mara got away again?”

Kat nodded and held out her hands to the fire. “With the kid, unfortunately. The farmer’s son took me out before I had a chance to follow it.”

Gwen looked at Ethan. “And you had no chance of following it?”

He shook his head. “I couldn’t even smell it, let alone see it.”

“So the mara is invisible even when it’s holding the kid?”

Kat turned and warmed her rear end. “The kid was invisible, too. I didn’t feel any sort of psychic shield, so it has to be some form of magic.”

“Psychic shield?” Ethan asked as he stripped off his wet shirt.

Kat tried not to stare at all the lean muscle on show, then gave it up when she realized her grandmother was openly enjoying the view and Ethan didn’t seem to care.

“Many vampires have the ability to touch your mind and make you think they disappear into shadow,” she said. “But the reality is, your brain simply stops seeing them.”

“So is this mara a vampire, or a spirit?”

“It might be both, for all we know. It just takes souls to survive rather than blood.” Gwen disappeared into the bathroom and came back with towels she tossed to both of them. “So, we—or you—try to hunt down this thing in the morning.”