It was her.His witch, his Anastasia, stood before him, as if conjured out of thin air like some entrancing vision. Wavy onyx strands had come loose from her ponytail, caressing her face. A scratch marred her cheek where she’d grazed the wall. And those deep brown eyes, the ones he’d dreamed about for over ten years, they looked right at him. Saw him.His heart plummeted, leaving a wake of almost painful tingles in its wake. On the heels of that excitement came a rush of fear, though. He checked the tunnel for the presence of other witches. Was she alone? And how the fuck had she managed to sneak up on him like that? Having someone shadow him was indeed a novel feeling. One he didn’t particularly appreciate.As he shifted his weight, glass crunched under his heel, and he looked down. A mirror. Puzzle pieces clicked together in his mind. Some sort of invisibility charm. Clever.Throat raw, he spoke before he could catch himself. “Wh

“Don’t like them,” he rasped. He hated the feeling of losing control, even a little bit, over his own body and mind. He’d rather suffer through hours of agony than be numbed and drugged.“So you never—oh gods, are you okay?” She was at his side in an instant, lifting his head, brushing his hair out of his face. “What’s wrong?”Her eyes searched his, and there was such worry in them. For him. A novel feeling, having someone care like that. Having Anastasia care like that. He could only stare, and marvel, at what felt like a dream, a hallucination. Maybe the pain had gotten to him after all.She bit her lip, a line forming between her sleek black eyebrows. “It’s because of me, isn’t it? You’re in pain because I threw myself at you. I shouldn’t have assaulted you like that.” She closed her eyes. “I’m so, so sorry.”He touched her face, his thumb

White-hot jealousy fired through him, making him growl. He knew about the guy, though. He’d seen her with her boyfriend while he’d been protecting her, and even back then, watching them together had sliced off little pieces of his heart. Nothing he could do about that, however. He’d never had a claim on her.Not until now.As if sensing the direction of his thoughts, she laid a hand on his cheek, her eyes softening. “I’m yours.” She stroked his skin, ran her fingers through his hair. “Only yours.”“Yes.” He caught her mouth in a kiss of possessive passion, tempered with a tenderness that had him tremble inside. “Mine.”The reservations he’d had, his fears of getting closer to her, his plans of leaving her? Fuck that. He’d stake this claim, and he would keep it.With one hand he spread her knees farther apart, balancing his weight on the other, his cock nudging her s

The magic grenade hit Donovan straight on. His shadow cloaking flickered and fizzled out. Anastasia’s heart froze as he swayed, collapsed to the ground.“No! Donovan!” She crouched next to him, hands shaking, pulse aflutter in her throat.Face contorted in pain, he writhed on the grass, his fingers digging into the earth. Sweat beaded on his paling skin.Two shapes emerged from the darkness of the tree line to her left. Aunt Melissa and Kizza, their bodies tense, her aunt’s hand outstretched and ready to throw another spell at Donovan.“Stop it!” Ana yelled. “Release him. Please.”“Get away from him, Ana. Let us handle him.”“No. Auntie, please. He didn’t do anything. Let him go.”“It’s better this way,” Kizza said, coming closer, her expression a mix of determination and pity. “Don’t make this any harder than it has to be.&rdqu

The unusually warm spring night a silken caress on her skin, Anastasia weaved her way through the late evening crowd enjoying downtown. Give Portlanders a little warmth, and they all flocked outside, the dreary winter days forgotten.Kizza walked beside her, checking the streets for any signs of demons trying to take advantage of the bustling human crowds. Earlier, her cousin had covertly singed a kobold that had been in the process of tying together the shoelaces of a man sitting at the outside table of a café. The small demon the size of a fire hydrant had let loose a tirade of grunted complaints but scurried off.Good thing most humans lacked the ability to see the more magical-looking otherworld creatures. Ana didn’t want to imagine the uproar and panic that would spread if humankind became aware of all the supernatural species that shared their world.They were rounding a corner when the familiar black silk of her favorite demon’s shadow