One Night With a Witch (Keepers of the Veil #5)

Chapter 11

11

T he wedding blurred in Eli s mind as a montage of images. He remembered the flowers, a sea of white and pink on the beach, but not much else. Not the ceremony or the party afterward where he drank so much he passed out. Not the day after nor the night he left the beach house in the witching hours to avoid good-byes, done to avoid Avery. He d fake smiled for the camera when asked. He posed with a ton of relatives. All done while avoiding eye contact and anything that had to do with Avery.

He was unforgivable. The most sacrosanct of vows made by each Sentry druid upon reaching the age of sixteen had been broken. He d almost choked the life out of her, a Pleiades. And the woman he loved. He didn t deserve to breathe among these people, even less to be anywhere near Avery ever again.

His mind was the scrambled eggs of fucked up. If he slept, he saw images of the evil bitch who had mind-melded him. He relived the necromancer s past on an almost hourly basis as if it d been he who committed the murders and he who stole their souls. The screams of the innocent tortured him.

The worst were the moments when he remembered his fingers around Avery s small neck, squeezing while she clawed at his hand. He couldn t release her. He had watched her life ebb out of her.

Time became a vague concept. Night was no longer for sleep. Sleep wasn t for rest. He subsisted on beer and carbohydrate junk he bought at the convenience store up the street from the Monterey safe house. His brother hadn t cared when he said he was moving into this place. It was far from the hub of Pleiades, who mostly lived in New York or South Carolina. No one bugged him to take a turn at bodyguard duty. They d stopped sending him email updates on his niece and invitations to social events. Matt had even reduced his call frequency to once every few days, not that Eli answered.

He clicked through Netflix, settling of a rerun of a sci-fi cop series. Just as the credits ended a sensation passed through him, a warning. He clicked pause on the TV show to evaluate the dark house, unable to tell if it was day or night with the curtains drawn.

His cell phone rang. Although he usually let all calls go to voicemail, he picked up the cell phone. Its charge said less than ten percent.

Caller ID: Merck.

He clicked the green light but didn t speak.

Suppose I should be honored the great mind-fucked Eli deigned to answer my call. Well, get over yourself. You have to deal with this. I m not sure you can handle it, but I can t be in two places at once. I m in Santa Fe dealing with a rather nasty renegade warlock. Figures it d all have to go down at once.

What do you want me to deal with? Something other than the rut his existence had become actually interested him.

Avery. While you ve been taking a mental check-out vacation she s been secretly tracking Henrik. Damned inconvenient time for her to embrace her ghost communication gifts and realize her own power. He s there. As in, he s in downtown Monterey. This is like some sort of warped twist of fate. It might be the gods playing with you. Fuck if I care. I m calling to tell you to deal with it.

She s going to confront him? God, even hearing her name made the pain in the center of his chest feel as fresh as the moment it d first been created, the moment he told her to keep away from him.

No. She s going to kill Henrik. Murder is a clear line, Eli. A line she can t cross. You get that, don t you? If you don t, then get me on this. I m not sure I could kill her if and when she kills him. A magical killing a human, even if the human has magical power Yeah, that d be something I d have to deal with. I need you to go to the Hyatt. You have less than an hour.

Finding the infamous Spirit Peddler had been easy once she figured out the right person to ask. Or at least the right ghosts. Turned out once she started asking around, Henrik was rather unpopular in the ghost world. They were more than thrilled to help her quest to annihilate him.

Finally, after five months, she had him. He was within a few hundred yards. She rounded into the restaurant where Henrik should be taking breakfast. With a flirty smile at the handsome ma tre d, she said, I m meeting someone. He should already be here. No worries. He told me where he was sitting.

She waved at the bartender as she marched by. A glance to her right and left found her ghost companions flanking her. Turned out, once she got to talking to ghosts in earnest they weren t bad. Most had unfinished business she could help with, usually quirky, easy stuff that often involved talking to living relatives or relocating personal objects from their life.

She took the seat across from Henrik, whose startled dark eyes met hers.

I see you brought some friends who re less timid today. He waved his knife in a circular way at her before he resumed buttering his toast. What can I do for you?

Why Eli? She thought she d feel more contempt for Henrik in reality, but she felt detached, a bystander.

It was business. Nothing personal. He was in the wrong place at the right time. A perfect match for what that spirit needed. Henrik bit into his toast. The spirits come to me, we barter, and then they get a chance to see if they can possess.

Your business is to find bodies for evil souls?

Why re you here? He set down his toast and glanced at the ghosts around her. Does one of your friends want something?

A commotion started behind her. Bad plan to be back to the exit. Someone appeared at their table. She knew before she looked. One glance up and her body woke up, like it d been on autopilot for months. The rush of emotion and sensations overwhelmed her.

She opened her mouth to speak to him but nothing came out. Her throat closed up. Her heart tap danced as the scent of Eli lit up her nostrils.

Henrik said, Guess this means you were the winner of the quest for your soul. Good for you, Eli.

Eli leaned in to whisper low to Henrik, Your time is coming, you evil bastard.

But not today. I hear Merck is occupied elsewhere, isn t he? Henrik smirked. He addressed Avery. You should be thankful, my dear, that this man made a bargain to protect your soul from me the last time we met. Henrik waved his butter knife at Eli. I don t make many promises, but I keep those that I do.

If you would excuse us. Eli lifted her from the table by her arm and dragged her out of the restaurant.

What re you doing here? She yanked her arm out of his hold once in the hallway. God, why did he have to smell so good?

Don t look into his eyes.

This is not the way to do this, Avery.

The instant her eyes drifted up to his, she was stripped of all self-protection. All those lectures to herself about how she needed to remain distant when she ran into him again, a neutral uninterested party so she didn t get hurt again flew right out the window.

Somehow, she rasped out, Not your decision.

He released her arms where he d been holding her. You can t Eli glanced around and lowered his voice to a whisper. Kill him.

I know exactly how I m going to do it. It ll be a relief to the world to have one less creep in it.

It s not your job. You do this and then you force Merck to go after you. His eyes went wide. Did you want that?

She shook her head. No. Henrik took everything from me. Everything. She gazed up at him. But I wasn t going to kill him. I was going to curse him. Make his life hell like he made mine.

He blinked slowly as if this didn t computer. You weren t going to kill him?

I told Merck I wasn t going to kill him when he called me two hours ago ranting about me being a pain in his ass. Her eyes narrowed. Are you here because Merck asked you to make sure I didn t kill him or are you here because you re going to talk to me? Not slam the door in my face again or ignore me or not answer my phone calls. If you re not here to be a functional adult, then leave and I ll finish what I came here to do.

He muttered, Fucking Merck.

Eli? She put her hands on her hips.

You have a room here where we can go talk?

She nodded and led him down the twists and turns of several hallways to a hall that smelled of recent carpet cleanser and spilled beer. The carpet changed here from red and gold to blue and green, a harbinger of an old wing not yet upgraded.

Once inside her room, he faced her but remained mute.

After a few seconds she blurted, I love you. I forgive you for trying to choke me, even though you weren t you. I don t think I need to forgive you, but I think you need for me to. You saved me. By fighting off that thing, you pushed me away from you so I could jump dimensions. I lived.

Here it comes. Avery watched emotions she didn t think she d ever see again play across Eli s face. This would be the answer to the rest of her life. She feared they d swung full circle to him saying there was nothing between them, which was total bullshit.

She was about to ask if he was okay when he leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers. This was so much better than fantasy. And an answer she liked. He pulled her against him. The thought of you dying for revenge I couldn t live with that.

You re not living now. You think it s okay for you to waste away on some sofa eating crap and watching TV?

Baby, I m not right in the head. That thing messed me up. I see the things she did as if I did them. I remember doing things I didn t do and some I did, like not protecting you. And that makes me doubt myself. I m not tight upstairs like I should be. It means I shouldn t be with you like this again. I m not sure what I ll do. Or not do.

What re you thinking right now? There s no spell or misconstrued thought there s a spell on us. It s just us. You and me like we ve always been, dancing around this thing that s between us. She leaned forward and kissed his chest above the top button. What do you feel, Eli?

Something.

If you stay, I m going to keep going until I get what I want.

She looked up at him through impossibly long lashes, her blue eyes open and honest as she flicked the next button of his shirt open.

He asked dully, What do you want?

I don t want to be without you again . Say it out loud. He needed to say it. She needed to hear it.

Everything, she rasped out.

One night with her hadn t been enough. A week wouldn t be enough. Every moment for the rest of his life might not cut it. This was real.

Her eyes hazed over as her breath came in short pants. She fisted the fabric of his wrinkled shirt in each of her hands. He couldn t even remember how long ago he d washed the thing. Do you understand I m trying to hold back here? I want you so much. I want to watch you come apart while deep inside me and then do it again.

He dropped his head. I don t want to hurt you again. I m sorry it happened before.

I know you are. I suspected the you that was inside and couldn t break free was sorry while you did it. It wasn t you. I trust you, even with a messed-up mind. Hoarsely, she added, I feel like I ll die if you don t kiss me again. I don t only want to do it now. I want to do it any time I want for the rest of my life. If you don t want that, leave me to do what I came here to do, and I ll figure out how to live without you.

He leaned forward to capture her mouth in a brief kiss. I love you. Even when I m not in my right mind I still think that. You re everything to me.

I m still pretty pissed at Henrik. Will you be okay if I jog downstairs for a sec to cast a little curse on him?

Stay. Forget about him. Let Merck deal with him.

Her fingers skimmed the skin of his chest. I think I could cast the curse from up here. May not be as powerful, but I d like to try it.

A low rumble came from his chest, but Avery was the one who pounced, pushing him backward onto a sofa. She straddled his lap and continued to unlatch each button on his shirt. Once done, she gripped his head, taking his mouth with open carnality and intent. I ll do it later.

He tried to regain control with his tongue, but she didn t give it to him. The world blurred around her and not in the color wheel but hazed out until all that existed was Eli.

For a moment, she pulled away to shimmy out of her jeans. He pulled her back onto his lap.

You re soaked. He moaned, sending a streak of sensation through her as he stroked her through her panties.

She rocked against his rock hard erection to soothe the throbbing of her core that she couldn t ease.

He kissed her as his thumb grazed her clit. She tore her mouth away from his to try to breathe as he found a circular rhythm that coiled her higher and higher.

God, you re beautiful. You re so perfect, as you ve always been, he said. Let go, baby. I want to see you fly.

Tension crested in her as he continued his circular torture. He slid his thumb under the edge of her panties inside her as his fingers continued their rubbing. She flew apart, screaming his name.

He shifted to get enough space to pull off his pants and shirt. She wanted to pause to admire every cut line of muscle and the scars. He d said in Paris he d never erase them. They were reminders of failures. He brushed her hands out of his way to strip her panties. A quick flash of his fingers and her bra joined her clothes on the floor.

I want to touch you, she complained.

Later, he promised, silencing her with a kiss. Right now, I need you. These past few months have been an eternity.

His desperation resonated with her. He cupped her breasts and brushed the sensitive nipples, leaning in to suck and tongue her until she squirmed.

I need you, she whispered. Please don t make me beg. She rubbed her center over his erection as her fingers dug into his strong shoulders.

Next time, I m going to kiss every curve. Bloody hell, woman, I think I said that last time. You drive me out of my fucking mind, and I don t have much normally functioning mind left. He chuckled.

He reached for the pants he d discarded on the floor, and a rip of foil later he had himself covered and poised. Avery?

God, don t stop now. Yes.

He thrust into her in one smooth movement.

Oh. Fuck. Me. He groaned into her neck before he started to move. He held her ass in one hand and her head with the other, kissing her as he began moving.

She rocked into him. I missed this you.

His hips rocked faster and harder. She met him, moved with him, against him, anything to hear those sounds of pleasure from him. She watched him hold back as her second orgasm built.

His blue eyes locked onto hers. You re killing me, baby. Let go. I won t until you do.

An orgasm ripped through her again, deep and longer than the first one. It tore everything from her until there was only sensation and movement. She cried out his name as he thrust several more times before he shuddered inside her and buried his face in her neck.

As they lay in the silent aftermath, they both sucked huge lungfuls of air. Overheated, sweaty and surrounded by Eli, she didn t want to be anywhere else.

Wow, he whispered.

Yeah, she managed to croak out. Her heart pounded so hard she felt dizzy. Its pace wasn t just from the incredible sex, although it had been great. It was because everything about Eli-his touch, his smile, the intense emotion in his eyes-insisted she wasn t alone in this crazy whirlwind. This reassured her since she was likely in love with him. Or maybe always had been.

With him, the loneliness that demolished her in the quiet moments disappeared. Even when surrounded by others who sympathized and offered support, she d felt lost over the past few months. With Eli she felt understood and whole.

She wrapped her arms around him and held tight. I m not letting you go again.

Ouch. He rubbed his chest over a raised, reddened symbol newly burned into his skin.

A meandros. The sign of eternity. She traced her finger over the mark, worried it might freak him out. There wasn t any going back once the mark was there. They were together, bound as soulmates, for the rest of their lives. The gods approve of us.

He kissed the skin above her heart. I love you. Always have. Always will. I don t know what I have to offer you or anyone else anymore.

This man needed a reason to live. Love was something, but this man needed danger. It turns out I need a bodyguard. It s a full-time job. But I have to warn you, apparently I m tough to guard.

He kissed down her neck. This job has to come with a guarantee I ll never be bespelled, poisoned by potion, or cursed.

Not unless you want to be? She bit her lip against a smile when he paused his kisses.

What sort of benefits are we talking about?

She pressed her lips to his. All of them. For the rest of my life.

Then I accept.