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  “We probably won’t discover that until we know who she is. Since there hasn’t been any communication other than the attacks, she doesn’t want an apology, only revenge.” He couldn’t stand to see her looking so sad and alone. He pulled her into his arms and wrapped them around her. “Try not to think about it. We’ll stop her and we’ll catch the witch.”

  “I can’t stop thinking about it.” She rested her head on his shoulder. “Who’s going to end up dead because of something I did?”

  “No.” His voice was hard and uncompromising. “Not because of you. No one blames you. You need to think about something else.”

  He saw her eyes run down his body. He hadn’t really expected her to take him at his word. He’d wanted her to get angry, to fight with him. As long as she was angry, she wouldn’t be afraid.

  “You’re right. I need something else to think about.” She stood and pulled off her nightgown.

  His eyes locked to the reddened tips of her nipples. He slid off the couch and moved over to the chair, hoping that distance would remove a bit of the temptation. As much as he loved seeing her naked, he knew she was just reacting, not thinking. He licked his lips. This probably wasn’t a good idea, but he wanted to touch her. A scrap of green panties shielded her pussy from sight. He saw her fingers grip the thin strip of silk. She pushed it down and let it fall to her feet. What happened to women wanting to talk?

  “Don’t you want to talk about this?” He tried to keep his eyes above her waist.

  “I don’t want to think.” She took crossed the small distance between them and began unbuttoning his shirt.

  Her fingers brushed over his chest, leaving a trail of awareness in their wake. He didn’t want to take advantage of her desperation. She might want time away from all of the worries, but he didn’t think she really knew what she was doing.

  “I could teach you to use some magic. I guarantee that after a few minutes, all you’ll be thinking about is what comes next.” He had to offer her an alternative.

  She looked at him and raised an eyebrow. The offer was tempting and she was curious, but her body burned. “That’s not what I want. You can teach me magic later.”

  She pushed his shirt off his shoulders. He drew in a shaky breath as her hands moved over his chest. She didn’t want to focus or to think. All she wanted to do was feel. He seemed to realize that. He framed her face and leaned close for a kiss. She nipped his lip. No sweet and slow. Not tonight. She needed more from him. He growled and tangled his fingers in her hair. His lips slanted across hers. She savored his taste, taking it into her.

  She really didn’t understand what was going on inside her. Hunger pulsed and burned and twisted combining with the chaos of her emotions. Her tongue stroked into his mouth. His tongue danced over hers and when she felt the edge of his teeth, it sent a surge of need spearing straight to her core. Her nails dug into his shoulders. She stepped closer, her body brushing against his.

  He slid one of his hands down her back cupping her butt cheek. She held on tighter to him. She needed to feel him pressed against her. He lifted her off her feet. She felt the ridge of his cock nudging against her even through the sturdy denim. She ached to feel his shaft deep inside her, but she didn’t want to move away from him. Not even to peel him out of his pants. He rocked into her. It was almost too much. She shivered and lifted her leg to hold him tighter to her. Her lips slid away. She kissed his cheek. She needed.

  “I want you naked and inside me.” Her low husky voice seemed to flow over him, making his skin feel even more sensitive.

  Every breath she drew in seemed to heighten her arousal. She didn’t understand it and she didn’t want to try to work it out just now. Her teeth nipped at his neck. She couldn’t stop touching him, stop pushing him. She felt him stiffen. He was fighting for control. She knew it and could tell by the harsh breaths he dragged in. She didn’t want him careful and controlled. She needed him wild and untamed. So out of control, he was ready to jump on top of her, just like she felt for him. She needed it to burn away the raging confusion inside her. Sweet soft love and the softness of a bed would have to wait. She raked her nails down his back.

  “You’re not going to play and tease. I want you now.” She unbuttoned his pants.

  He just stared at her for a few breaths, surprised. It was more than enough time for her to lower his zipper. She tugged his fly wide. He stepped back, but she pushed his suit pants just over his hips. She ached to have him inside her. She pushed him back against the couch. He growled and he surged off it. She loved the fierceness she could see on his face. He lifted her and strode around to the back of the couch. She reached down and her fingers wrapped around his cock. She stroked the length. His hips pumped forward.

  Hot breath feathered over her neck. She felt the scrape of his teeth over her shoulder. He grasped her hand and gently tugged it away from his cock. He turned her around and pushed her against the couch. His hips pressed against hers. She felt him move back, but only far enough to kick out of his pants. She felt him leave her for a second and didn’t have time to look. After a ripping sound she recognized as a condom wrapper, he was back.

  He pressed her slightly forward over the back of the couch. She felt his cock brush against her buttocks. She pushed back against him. This wasn’t the time for second thoughts. Her pussy clenched and she felt empty. She needed him there. His cock pushed into her. She caught her breath and her eyes drifted closed. It felt so good. His hips pressed against her just for a moment. She knew he was trying to think, to calm himself.

  Reaching back, she gripped his thigh and sank her nails into the flesh. His hips bucked against hers. He growled low and deep. His lips brushed against her neck and his tongue lapped over her shoulder. She knew it was a warning of how close he was. She wanted him that way.

  His hips brushed against her buttocks. His arm slipped around her waist, pulling her away from the couch. She felt his hand cup her pussy. He pushed two fingers between the soft plump lips. She bit her lip and groaned. He stroked her clit, his finger moving in circles on the hardened nub. His cock drove into her. She braced her hands on the couch, meeting each thrust. She pressed down, grinding her clit against his fingers.

  “Move,” she muttered the order. She clenched her fingers on the cushions of the couch.

  His hips surged against hers in a hard, fast rhythm. His cock sank deep with every stroke. She felt the first shuddering contractions begin to ripple through her and then lost all thought. Fire ripped through her body. Sweet, hot pleasure poured over her. A low growl rumbled against her shoulder as his body tensed and jerked against hers. She sagged against the couch unsure if she could support herself or not.

  Slowly the sensations began to fade and her mind calmed. She didn’t know if it was the sex or the small amount of time, but she didn’t feel so panicked, so rushed. She hated that the witch was destroying Evan’s things. First, she’d gone after the windows and now the house had been vandalized. She knew Evan wouldn’t walk away from her. Not over this or anything else. It was comforting now where it had been a little scary at one time. The funny thing was that all the time she was fighting the claim of being his mate, she’d come to care for him and now it was so much more. The mate thing, she didn’t know about that biological, mystical only one forever stuff. She just knew that what she felt for him was love.

  Chapter Ten

  Geneva saw the activity at the table with all the video screens. She watched as three men jumped up and ran out the door. Her interest was piqued. After days of waiting something was happening. She walked over to the table and tried to see what had them all so interested. Steven was at the table with them. She didn’t see anything strange on the screens. On a few of the screens, she could see groups of men in front of an open warehouse. Most of them looked as if they were eating lunch. A few of them looked as if they were talking. On another screen she saw boxes being loaded onto a vehicle. It was all more of what she’d seen the first day she was here, when
she’d been hoping that something would happen immediately.

  “What’s going on? Why did those men leave?” She looked at Evan who stood at the other end of the table.

  “Two of the men here don’t work in the warehouse.” Evan gestured to the screen with men eating lunch.

  “Are you sure they’re not just visiting friends on a lunch break?” She looked at the screen again. She couldn’t see anything that looked suspicious.

  “Not these two men. Watch the blond at the edge of the building. Look at his hand. Wait and watch,” Jake said.

  She frowned, but watched the man’s hand. His hand rose. She caught a flash of light, a reflection off whatever was in his hand. Now she saw what had them so concerned.

  “Is that a camera or is it a weapon?” She looked down the table waiting for one of them to answer.

  “That’s a camera, but the bulge under his jacket is most likely a weapon.” Evan pointed to a slight lump just above the man’s elbow on the grungy brown jacket. “The men will grab them and take them to be interrogated.”

  “So how long will it be before the witch gets frustrated?” She looked at the screen.

  She wanted this part of it over. Now that she’d accepted Evan and that the relationship was permanent, she was anxious to get started with everything. She knew she had to tell him, but she didn’t want to do that while she was still in danger. Part of her refused to let him have any doubts about why she was doing this. It might be a drive for him, but for her, it was much different. She loved him. That was the only reason she’d ever feel compelled to stay with him. She knew he hadn’t thought much past keeping her safe and keeping her with him. That was all right with her. She was willing to wait for his feelings to grow.

  “With the way this witch has acted in the past, it might be only days. Whoever it is isn’t the most patient of people. It could be days or weeks.” Gage shrugged and kept his attention focused on the screen. “Look there they go and there are John and Van on the hunt.”

  She couldn’t quite hold back her groan. Weeks more of this would push her over the edge. She watched the screen. Hopefully, one of these men would give them some idea of who the witch actually was.

  “Are they going to be brought here for questioning?” She looked to Evan.

  “No, they’ll be taken to another location. We don’t want them anywhere near you,” Evan explained.

  It seemed to take days before the men returned. They walked into the building. She couldn’t tell anything from their expressions. Her hopes fell. If they’d found out something important, surely they’d be happy about it. They walked slowly over to the group at the table.

  “It’s definitely a she, our witches were right about that. That’s about all we got out of them and to get that we had to ask some obscure questions to get around her spell.” Mark dropped into a rolling chair.

  “Was it the same spell as on the others and did you trigger it?” Steven asked.

  “The same spell and we managed not to set it off. We couldn’t mention anything about Geneva or Evan or any reason why this was done. Oh and we found out she didn’t pay them through a middleman.” Mark ran a hand through his hair and grimaced.

  “I half-expected the woman to have someone setting up the attacks for her.” Evan strode over to Geneva and slipped his arm around her. She welcomed his closeness. Her thoughts raced as she thought again about who would do this and why. They’d known it was a woman for a while, but still she couldn’t think of any way to narrow it down without knowing more about why it was done.

  * * * * *

  Two weeks had passed since they’d learned that the person was definitely a female. Evan and the Coven witches had been fairly certain, but Geneva knew there had been a chance they’d been wrong. She was sitting on one of the couches on the ground floor, just because she wanted to be near other people. It helped with the loneliness, but it did nothing to ease the caged feeling. The restlessness only ever went a way for a small period of time. Usually when she was with Evan.

  Geneva had spent most of her time going through the files again. Almost every one of them had a woman involved in some way. She felt like slamming her head against the wall. It was getting the point where every file looked the same. She stared at the screen. When she couldn’t find anything to set this case apart, she went on to the next case. She felt a little relieved that some of them had been ruled out, but that still left too many names to take a guess on the woman’s identity.

  “Wow.” The single word from one of the men watching the monitors drew her attention away from the files on the computer in her lap.

  She turned her head and looked toward the men sitting there. Their eyes were glued to the screen. She wondered what had them so interested, but wasn’t really curious enough to go over there and see. If it was all that important, she’d find out soon enough. One of the men waved to Evan. He strode over to the desk. She watched the muscles of his ass flex beneath the tight denim of his jeans. Man, he looked great in those and the blue t-shirt he wore was as tight as a second skin. She couldn’t help admiring his body as he moved. She heard him draw in a harsh breath and saw his body tense.

  “Geneva, go up to our rooms.” His voice slashed out, sharp and loud.

  She stood, but she wasn’t going to jump to do his bidding. He could be doing his overprotective thing again. She wasn’t going upstairs just because there was someone strange in the area. The last time that had happened, the person had a valid reason for being there.

  “Now!” A distinct growl rumbled in the order.

  “Too late, mongrel. I’m already here.” A soft voice with a rolling accent cut into the silence.

  Geneva whipped toward the smooth sound. She was stunned to see a short, red-haired older woman there. The woman didn’t even look familiar. Evan leapt forward, putting himself between her and the witch although he hadn’t even been close to her. She had no idea how the witch had gotten into the building without using any of the doors.

  A slicing blast that looked like a giant silver blade flew through the air straight toward Geneva. She gasped and stumbled to the side. The blade followed her. It slammed into something she couldn’t see right in front of her. Her heart slammed against her chest. She was so frightened she felt like she couldn’t breathe and she heartily wished she had a weapon of some kind. She had no idea if it would work, but holding it would make her feel better.

  “Did you think I’d let you touch my mate?” Evan stepped more fully in front of her.

  “I’m going to kill the bitch. I wanted her to suffer first, but you blocked everything I tried. She will die, just like…” The woman’s voice trailed off.

  Even from a distance, Geneva could see the hate and anger in the woman’s hazel eyes. She still had no clue why the woman blamed her. Obviously someone had died, but Geneva knew she’d never killed anyone. Before this, she hadn’t been involved in any battle. What had she done that made her this woman’s target?

  “Just like whom? Who is dead?” Evan asked.

  The woman said nothing. Another blast of magic formed and raced toward Geneva. Geneva jumped when it hit that invisible wall in front of her. She knew the woman could do the magic without making it visible. She could only guess the witch wanted her to know the bolt was coming at her.

  “You’re not going to hurt her. You’re going to be caught and face the Council’s judgment,” Evan said in a voice that sounded almost bored.

  “I’m going to kill her and go home. They won’t take the word of any of you over me. You’re mortals and mongrels.” The woman laughed.

  Geneva flinched at the sound. The woman seemed insane, but Geneva didn’t know if that was just because of her anger.

  The door from the outside opened. At first, Geneva couldn’t see anything past Evan and the angry witch. She knew someone had come inside by the moving shadows caused by the bright sunlight. She heard the tap of hard-soled shoes on the concrete floor. The witch didn’t even turn to see who it was. S
he glared and seemed ready to try flinging another deadly wave of magic. Then Geneva saw a white-haired woman. She immediately recognized the woman as one of the Witches’ Council, Sara Lafferty. Sara stopped just behind the red-haired witch.

  “They’ll take my word, Eliza,” Sara said softly.

  The witch gasped spinning around to face the new arrival. Geneva was a little relieved that something had turned the woman’s attention. She trusted Evan to keep her safe, but didn’t want Evan or anyone else hurt. Enough harm had been caused by the witch.

  “Sara… You can’t be on their side. Because of her, James is dead.” The woman, Eliza, gestured back to Geneva.

  “James is dead because he broke mage law and when he was confronted, he killed himself. You know that.” Sara shook her head.

  “She manufactured the evidence. James swore that he hadn’t done it. She was angry because he jilted her,” Eliza accused.

  “No, she didn’t. I saw the evidence, Eliza. Your brother lied to you. She wasn’t involved with your brother. They never saw each other socially, never dated. He was almost old enough to be her father, not to mention the fact that he would have looked down on her for her lack of training and bloodlines. You know that. He was doing everything he was accused of and more. He made witches and wizards everywhere look bad.” Sara didn’t sound as if she was at all sympathetic.

  “No.” Eliza backed away from Sara and the two men with her.

  “Yes, and now you’ve ruined your own life. I hope you’re prepared to live without your magic.” Sara took a step toward Eliza. “Why didn’t you go through the proper channels? We would have shown you the evidence.”

  Eliza was silent. Geneva wished she could see more than the woman’s back. She wanted to see the woman’s expression. She knew better than to think Eliza might apologize. She just wondered if the woman really believed what the Councilwoman had told her. Even without magic, the woman could come after and bullets could be just as deadly as a spell.