she was taking the day off. As much as she wanted to tell her what was going on, she knew she couldn’t. Besides, every single nerve in her body was already on edge waiting for that night. She didn’t need anything else adding to that.
She had asked herself a few times if she wanted to call the whole thing off, and the answer was always the same. She wanted to stay. Not only because the idea of sleeping with Alex made her vibrate with anticipation, but also because she believed him when he said this was the best — and maybe the only — way to stop Corneliu.
And Corneliu scared her, which was hard to admit. She’d been chasing bad guys for years, and this was the first time she didn’t know what to expect of one.
She didn’t want to have to look over her shoulder for the rest of her life, and she certainly didn’t want Corneliu becoming more powerful. Accepting the idea of magical powers was hard, but she couldn’t deny the display she had seen the night before. And if one of those men was going to get even more powerful, she didn’t want Corneliu to be the one.
As the evening approached, her nerves got worse, so she took a walk outside — followed by a suspiciously tough-looking gardener — then took a bath and changed into a tight black skirt and a silk blouse. Skirts weren’t really her thing, but if she was going to wear one, this was definitely the right night for it.
She caught a glimpse of something on the pillow, a velvety black box with a card attached. The note read: “Happy birthday. Last bedroom on the left. Come over when you’re ready.”
The box held a silver necklace with a pendant in the shape of a stang . It was probably part of the ritual, but that didn’t make it any less beautiful. Strange that the item that marked the death of those women could also hold such beauty. She put it on and looked at herself in the mirror.
“Happy birthday to me.”
The absurdity of it all just made her smile. After a good night’s sleep and a relaxing bath, the events of the night before seemed years away. They also seemed a lot less real. If somebody had come in and told her it had all been a dream, she might have been inclined to believe it. It would have made sense, and she would much rather go back to believing magic wasn’t real.
If she was going to do this, she might as well do it right now, before she came to her senses and decided to take off running. Taking a long breath, she made herself relax. Or at least try to relax, because her stomach was tied up in knots and her ears were buzzing.
Come over when you’re ready.
She walked over to his bedroom and knocked on the door. She immediately realized it was silly, so she reached for the doorknob and twisted it.
The bedroom was huge. A large four-poster bed dominated the left wall, but there were also several armchairs and dark wood armoires around the room. It was a room to enjoy, not just to sleep in. Now, illuminated with just the flickering of candles, it seemed made for decadence.
Alex stepped out of the darkness. He was dressed completely in black and looked ravishing. He looked like a god. If there had been any doubt in her mind that she wanted him, it was gone.
“Come in, Laurie. I won’t bite.”
She could hear the wicked smile in his voice.
She closed the door and then leaned back against it, waiting for him to move closer. She felt like a shy teenager all of a sudden. “Sorry, the whole thing is a bit strange.”
He approached her, and immediately the whole room got warmer. God, her body seemed to pulse at the proximity. He traced her collarbone with his finger, touching the pendant. The buzzing in her ears got louder, and then she realized it wasn’t her ears. It was the whole room. It vibrated with an electric pulse of its own. Like the day before, but stronger, deeper.
“You can feel it, can you, Laurie?”
She closed her eyes, letting
She had asked herself a few times if she wanted to call the whole thing off, and the answer was always the same. She wanted to stay. Not only because the idea of sleeping with Alex made her vibrate with anticipation, but also because she believed him when he said this was the best — and maybe the only — way to stop Corneliu.
And Corneliu scared her, which was hard to admit. She’d been chasing bad guys for years, and this was the first time she didn’t know what to expect of one.
She didn’t want to have to look over her shoulder for the rest of her life, and she certainly didn’t want Corneliu becoming more powerful. Accepting the idea of magical powers was hard, but she couldn’t deny the display she had seen the night before. And if one of those men was going to get even more powerful, she didn’t want Corneliu to be the one.
As the evening approached, her nerves got worse, so she took a walk outside — followed by a suspiciously tough-looking gardener — then took a bath and changed into a tight black skirt and a silk blouse. Skirts weren’t really her thing, but if she was going to wear one, this was definitely the right night for it.
She caught a glimpse of something on the pillow, a velvety black box with a card attached. The note read: “Happy birthday. Last bedroom on the left. Come over when you’re ready.”
The box held a silver necklace with a pendant in the shape of a stang . It was probably part of the ritual, but that didn’t make it any less beautiful. Strange that the item that marked the death of those women could also hold such beauty. She put it on and looked at herself in the mirror.
“Happy birthday to me.”
The absurdity of it all just made her smile. After a good night’s sleep and a relaxing bath, the events of the night before seemed years away. They also seemed a lot less real. If somebody had come in and told her it had all been a dream, she might have been inclined to believe it. It would have made sense, and she would much rather go back to believing magic wasn’t real.
If she was going to do this, she might as well do it right now, before she came to her senses and decided to take off running. Taking a long breath, she made herself relax. Or at least try to relax, because her stomach was tied up in knots and her ears were buzzing.
Come over when you’re ready.
She walked over to his bedroom and knocked on the door. She immediately realized it was silly, so she reached for the doorknob and twisted it.
The bedroom was huge. A large four-poster bed dominated the left wall, but there were also several armchairs and dark wood armoires around the room. It was a room to enjoy, not just to sleep in. Now, illuminated with just the flickering of candles, it seemed made for decadence.
Alex stepped out of the darkness. He was dressed completely in black and looked ravishing. He looked like a god. If there had been any doubt in her mind that she wanted him, it was gone.
“Come in, Laurie. I won’t bite.”
She could hear the wicked smile in his voice.
She closed the door and then leaned back against it, waiting for him to move closer. She felt like a shy teenager all of a sudden. “Sorry, the whole thing is a bit strange.”
He approached her, and immediately the whole room got warmer. God, her body seemed to pulse at the proximity. He traced her collarbone with his finger, touching the pendant. The buzzing in her ears got louder, and then she realized it wasn’t her ears. It was the whole room. It vibrated with an electric pulse of its own. Like the day before, but stronger, deeper.
“You can feel it, can you, Laurie?”
She closed her eyes, letting
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