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2022-04-05 19:53:39Note to self: before you start running away in a brainless frenzy, make sure you have shoes on.
Cara leaned against the side of a building, her breath sawing in and out of her lungs, and gingerly lifted one foot to look at the damage. Good grief in a fuck-it bucket. The bare skin of her sole resembled a plowed field. She set the foot back down, grimacing at the pain.
For a moment, she let her head rest against the wall behind her, listening to her pulse roar in her ears.
You’re turning into a agastopia demon…it looked like you were about to kill your brother…you’re hungry and driven by instincts…you’ll need to feed tonight…
The demon’s words echoed in her mind, a swirling, confusing, irritating mess of messages she felt no inclination to make sense of. He—what did he say his name was? A-something. H…ux—wa
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Forbidden Desire CHAPTER 43
Cara’s eyes—glazedover, little flecks of red sparking within the usual indigo depths—finally focused onhis.“I can give you quire,” he repeated. His thumb stroked over her cheek for a moment, for a heartbeat. “It’s an intimate connection. Do youunderstand?”She nodded, then shook her head. Her gorgeous dark blue eyes widened when it hit her. “You’re gonna kissme.”“Basically, yeah.” He didn’t point out that a lip-lock was not usually necessary in order to exchange quireby breath. There was only so much gentlemanliness he was capable of all atonce.She focused on his mouth again, and her pink tongue slipped out to lick her lips. He held back a groan. Not making this about sex was already hard enough. That visual prompt did all sorts of wicked things to his mind—and body—inappropriate a
Forbidden Desire CHAPTER 44
Cara jerked awake,coated with sweat, her heart pounding madly in her chest. She blinked, her breath coming in pants, her mind entangled in the lingering images, sounds, and sensations of the dream. Nightmare, more like. Gasping, she clutched the sheets as the full extent of the horrid memories flooded herconsciousness.Her hands around Alonzo’s neck, claws breaking his skin. His eyes, bloodshot and wide with terror. He paws at her to let him go. A dark whisper deep inside her enjoying his struggle. A drumming force within, lusting after the inevitable end to hisstruggle.Kill.A whimper tore from her throat. What had she done? What had she become? More than anything, she wanted to see Alonzo, tell him how sorry she was, make sure he was okay. And yet, trumping that urge to make amends was a shame so devastating it shriveled every good intention shehad.She couldn’t face him. Wha
Forbidden Desire CHAPTER 45
Cara sat silentlywhile Huxley steered his truck through the early evening Kinland traffic. Outside the car’s window, the last light of sunset painted the sky in hues of fiery red merging toindigo.Her chest and stomach were in tight knots of complicated feelings after the scene at his house. A part of her wanted to nudge him to say something, to break the heavy quiet that had come over him after she blew him off. Gone were the half-smiles and grins he’d directed her way before, gone was the easy way he’d been around her, to be replaced with a tense atmosphere of disappointment andhurt.And it hurther.Surprising, that. And she really shouldn’t feel this way. She should be relieved he was complying with her wishes, relieved to get away from a male with intentions that had her legs itching with the urge to run. Well, a part of herwasglad. Once she got to Marga’s
Forbidden Desire CHAPTER 46
Hux flung openthe passenger side door to his truck and placed Cara on the seat with as much care as the urgency of the situationallowed.“Buckle up,” he barked and slammed thedoor.He jumped in on the driver’s side, started the truck, and tore out of the parking lot. Heart racing a million miles a minute, he forced himself to slow down enough to avoid cop attention. He focused on his breathing—in, out, in, out—centering himself in the sensations of the air leaving his nose, his chestheaving.His pulse decelerated. His thoughtscleared.That was a closecall.He shot a glance at Cara. “Youokay?”She had her fingers buried in her hair on both sides of her face, her palms pressing against her temples. “I attacked awitch.”“Yes.” He didn’t know what else to say. He coul
Forbidden Desire CHAPTER 47
“Chloe.”Marga slammed the door of her car shut and hurried up the driveway to the stately turn-of-the-centuryvilla.The other Elder witch paused and turned, the tense lines on her face softening as she beheld Marga. “Oh, good. You could makeit.”“Do you know what this is about?” They continued up to the frontdoor.Chloe shook her head, her energy tinged with gray. As it had been since Cara’s inexplicable outburst, her unthinkable attack on Alonzo, and her subsequent disappearance. Marga and Chloe both had spent the past night and following day searching for Cara, in vain. Chloe’s locator spell had failed…and there was only one possible explanation for that, one that neither Marga nor Chloe wanted to even consider, much lessaccept.Cara had to be alive. Shehadtobe.They rang the doorbell, and after a fe
Forbidden Desire CHAPTER 48
“Tell me what’s goingon.”Huxley voice slid over Cara’s heightened senses, soothing and thrilling at the same time. Her breath still fast from her sprint, from the panic and adrenaline pumping through her, she swayed as he pulled her to astop.“Talk to me, agitator.”“I—I killed him.” Her throat felt so raw, it hurt tospeak.He laid both hands on her shoulders. “So you can live. It’s not likeyou—”She shook her head hard. “I don’t want to talk aboutit.”Avoiding his eyes, she studied the strong column of his neck, the cords of muscles and sinew that were so quintessentially male. So lickable. Without thinking—can’t start thinking, that’s dangerous—she slid one hand up and stroked over the spot where his neck met his shoulder. His demon aura flar
Forbidden Desire CHAPTER 49
Cara watchedMarga and Atticus drive away in Marga’s car. They’d given Huxley and Cara a ride to Hux truck, which was still parked close to the theater where they picked up the human Cara fedfrom.She quickly directed her thoughts away from the man, still not willing or able to deal with what she’d done. Why sink down a spiral of despair when denial was such a convenient option? Yep, denial itwas.Unfortunately, blocking out the topic of her feeding—on top of the already tabooed subject of her attack on her twin brother—meant her mind greedily latched on to the next big issue in her life right now, the sizzling attraction she felt to one fine demon male, currently getting into the driver’s seat next to her. She’d readily block that subject, too, but there were only so many things she could successfully suppress atonce.Huxley slammed the door and started the en
Forbidden Desire CHAPTER 50
The sky was already brighteningwith the advent of dawn when Hux came back. And if she hadn’t already known she was in trouble with him, the way her every female instinct sat up at attention at the sight of him, the prickling of delight running through her veins when he smiled at her sure did the job. Something restless inside her settled as soon as his energy brushedhers.He walked Max around the block in record time to avoid the first light of day, then whipped up a delicious omelet, and sat down at the table with Cara.“Have you slept at all?” he asked while she cleaned herplate.“Nope. Was too wired.” Although now the lurking exhaustion caught up with her, and she stifled ayawn.He nodded, his silver-gold eyes trained on her. “I think it’s best if we catch some sleep during the day and then start the search for the agastopiaas soon as the s
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- Forbidden Desire
THE FINALE BOOK 3: EPILOGUE
“Bye, Uncle Shay! Bye, Aunt Cara!”The door closed, shutting off the kids’ voices and their franticwaves.Cool night air stroked over Cara’s skin as she and Huxley descended the front steps to the sidewalk. Twining her fingers with Hux, she stole a glance at her mate—mate—and smiled, her heart ready to burst. She’d never get used to thisfeeling.“So,” she said, “howdidyou get to be scared of spiders? You never told me thestory.”He shot her a look from behind narrowed eyes, the silver in them catching the moonlight. “Won’t let it go, willyou?”“Like a dog with a bone. Nowspill.”He grumbled something incoherent, and she nudged him with herelbow.“Come on, Mr. Quire-orgy.”“Agastopia.” His smile made her belly fl
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CHAPTER 65
Sounds and lightfiltered through the darkness blanketing Huxley mind. His thoughts disentangling from a web of images and sensations, he became aware of his current surroundings. A pillow beneath his head, a mattress underneath his back, a soft sheet coveringhim.And two warm bodies pressed against hisown.Eyes flying open to semi-darkness, he looked to his legs, where Max snored softly, snuggled up to him. Hux turned his head, silky black curls brushing against his jaw. The scent of lush flowers and rain teased his nose, let him draw in a breath that threatened to burst hislungs.Cara.Her head resting on his shoulder, hands tucked between their bodies, she lay curled against him, one leg thrown over his. Eyes closed, her black lashes fanned out over her cheeks. Even though he hated to disturb her sleep, he couldn’t help brushing a lock of her midnight hair from her face, his fingers
- Forbidden Desire
CHAPTER 64
“Huxley. Look at me.”Her vision swam, her throatraw.His aura had faded to all but anember.She stroked his cheeks, her lips trembling. “I love you. I’ll mate with you, quire-griffin style and all. I’ll fucking mate with you. But only if you holdon.”Her breath hurt, going in, going out, from her aching throat all the way down to her chest, to the epicenter of a pain so cutting it might annihilateher.“Please,” shewhispered.His lips parted. Silver-gold shimmered as he opened his eyes just a slit. Breath rattling in his throat, he met her anguished stare. “Holding…on.”She choked on a sob of relief. Her fingers tender on his skin, she caressed his jaw, histemples.Raising his hand, he touched her lips. “Tell me…” he rasped. “Need to…hear&helli
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CHAPTER 63
“Cara, no.” Venina cowered against the door, her face tear-streaked. “I’m not worth it. Don’t let—” Jacob’s raised arm silenced her without evenstriking.Trembling, Cara met Venina’s red-rimmed eyes. And saw something she hadn’t noticed before. There was steel in that emerald green, a courage Cara hadn’t reckoned with—no one had reckoned with, judging by how carelessly Jacob turned his back on Venina, his focus on Cara.Away from a threat he’d clearlyunderestimated.It showed in the surprise in his icy eyes when Venina wrenched the dagger from his hand. In the moment of shock when his features slackened after the young witch-turned-demon slit her own throat. In his gasp when she managed to slice through both femoral arteries on her thighs as well before she collapsed. Her blood gushed onto the floor, ruby red on the whitecarpet.
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CHAPTER 62
Forcedinto a glittering black and red nightmare of a dress that was as tacky as it was ridiculous, Cara walked down the hall in front of Jacob, otherwise known as Leading Asshole, her hands tied again, this time behind herback.“Tell me,” she said, flicking a glance over her shoulder and indicating the hideous dress, “did you ask Mira’s permission before you raided her 80swardrobe?”Jacob shoved her, making her stumble and crash down face-first on the carpeted floor. It still hurt like hell, since she couldn’t break her fall with her hands, and the recent wound from when he’d slashed her with his dagger started stinging again.Cara should have kept her mouth shut, but when it came to sadist bastards like him, she couldn’t resist the compulsion to poke athim.“How’s your side?” he asked with a sweet smile while she struggled to her
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CHAPTER 61
They should be herebynow.Staring at the digital clock on the nightstand, Cara clenched her jaw, her heart pounding in her chest. Her hands and feet were tied, the rope also fastened to the headboard of the bed the brutes had thrown her on after dragging her into the house, so Cara had no way to get free. It had surprised her how normal the house seemed, with nice if bland-looking furniture straight out of a catalog, and a level of cleanliness suggesting that either whoever lived here had some OCD going on, or this was a model home in a newcommunity.She tried—again—to loosen her bonds. To noavail.Honestly, where were Marga and the others? They shouldn’t need this long to trackher.Sounds of movement in the hall. She snapped her head up, her body tensing for whatever—whoever—was coming. The door to the room opened, and two demons slipped inside—fem
- Forbidden Desire
CHAPTER 60
Shakingthe water from his hair, Hux jogged back to his truck, the cool night air seeping through his soaked clothes, his wet skin. When he reached his vehicle, he set the tanzaniteon the pickup’s bed, opened the tool box, and pulled out the towel and change of clothing he always kept there for visits to Lucas. With speedy efficiency he stripped, dried himself, and put on the fresh set ofclothes.Tanzanite securely tucked in his jeans pocket, he hopped into the driver’s seat and checked his phone, which he’d stored in the glove compartment for his audience with the Demon Lord. His heart jumped into his throat. There were several missed calls from Cara as well as Hunter, and text messages from both, asking him where hewas.Cara’s face before he left flashed through his mind, the utter despair, the tears glistening in her eyes, the hurt confusion when she saw him back out the door. She&rsquo
- Forbidden Desire
CHAPTER 59
An audiencewith the Demon Lord always involved some form of humiliation. Like being forced to take the scenic lake route, and then showing up before Lucas dripping wet and chilled to thebone.Huxley waded out of the lake and trudged up onto the shore. Pausing for a moment, he shook his head, then peeled off his soaked tee and wrung it hard. Water hit the sand with a muffled splash.Ten years.Ten damn years of working for the son of a bitch, and he’d never figured out another way to reach Lucas lair. And there were other ways. Those closer to the Demon Lord traveled back and forth without arriving soakingwet.He eyed the crumpled, soggy lump in his hands and grimaced. He’d rather have the cool night air assaulting his bare skin than put that dripping wet T-shirt back on, but appearing topless before the Demon Lord was not an option. Not that Hux had any problem with showing some skin, no. Lucas s
- Forbidden Desire
CHAPTER 58
The stenchof fear permeated the air, so acrid it turned Draco’s stomach. Never mind that it was hisown.Above him, the single bare bulb hung from the basement’s ceiling, every now and then swinging with the vibrations of the people walking on the upper floor. Sometimes, when someone banged a door above, fine dust would drizzle down on his sweat-slick, blood-encrustedskin.I’m fucked.That realization should have been a given when Seth’s men grabbed him, but he’d held on to the sliver of hope that maybe he’d be able to escape later. He looked again at the magic-infused manacles shackling his arms and legs to the metal table.Yeah, not verylikely.The door to the basement opened, and warm light spilled in, before a shadow blocked the view of the hall beyond. The agastopiamale closed the door, and his heavy footsteps thudded on the stairs while he desce
