Buch lesen: «The Witch's Desire»

Chapter One

“Fire on the rooftop, two o’clock!” Demi Chattox called into the radio headset.

“Got it,” her sister Gina answered. A puff of a rain cloud appeared over the roof, dousing the flame that had just sprung up. “The little bastards are heading your way.”

“Whatever you do, gang, don’t let them see you,” Cal Black said, his rich tone crackling over the radio into Demi’s ears, sending ripples of hunger throughout her body. How did he do that? No matter where he was, what he was doing, she wanted him. And, lately, she wasn’t getting enough of him.

Work, work, work. Did he ever stop?

“We can’t let them get away from us this time.” Demi spoke quietly, glancing across at her sister Selena as she held the other end of the fire-retardant netting. The tiny dragon flies had wreaked havoc on Chicago for the past two days, starting fires all over the city. The firemen were worn out and people were complaining the police force wasn’t doing enough to stop the arson rampage terrorizing the city. What they didn’t understand was that they were creatures, not people, starting all the fires. “Everyone in place?”

“Building up some heat as we speak,” her sister Brigid responded from her position several yards in front of them.

With the chief of the Chicago Police Special Investigations Division’s permission, Demi, a special agent on the team, had called in the assistance of her sisters to help corral the pests and put an end to the fear of having another great Chicago fire like that of 1871.

As witches, the five sisters each possessed a magical power they only used in dire circumstances, like rescuing one of their own from an evil chimera or protecting innocents from the machinations of a mind-freezing Medusa. The only two witches employed on the team, Demi and her sister Brigid, worked for the police department as consultants, cleaning up renegade paranorms in order to keep the city streets safe for humans and paranorms alike.

Sometimes Demi called on her sisters when they needed the full power of all five points of their pentagram to stop evil.

“I sense someone else,” Selena whispered.

“Where?”

“Nearby.” Holding her end of the net, she closed her eyes. “In the shadows on a corner. He’s pushing the dragon flies.”

“Pushing them?” Demi asked. “You mean they’re not working on their own?”

Selena opened her eyes and smiled. “They aren’t smart enough to target anything. I think it’s a demon manipulating them.”

“Why?”

“I sense anger over something that happened in his past.”

“Cal and I noticed a pattern. All the residences he’s targeted belonged to executives of Chicago Bank and Trust. And the bank suffered a fire in their mailroom last week.”

“Dissatisfied customer?” Selena offered.

Demi tapped the talk button on her headset. “Cal, check out the street corners as Gina and Aurai work the dragon flies our way.”

“What am I looking for?” he responded.

“A demon.”

“Just one?”

Demi smiled. Cal was one confident, cocky human, unafraid of the paranormal creatures who could kick his ass in a heartbeat.

“Yes,” Selena answered.

“Any idea what one looks like?” Cal asked.

“Like a regular person,” Brigid said, her tone flat. “Unless, of course, he’s a shifter.”

“Thanks.” Cal’s voice dripped with sarcasm. “That narrows it down.”

“I see the dragon flies,” Brigid called out excitedly.

“Passing the open fire hydrant now,” Gina said. “Wall of water is up!” Gina’s talent as a witch included manipulating water. She could create a rain cloud on a sunny day and a tidal wave using the gushing water from an open hydrant. She made a wave tall enough to discourage the dragon flies from retreating in the opposite direction and make them a little nervous. The threat of a deluge of water would help her herd them toward the alley where Demi and Selena waited with the nets to capture them.

“They’re moving fast,” Aurai huffed as if she was running.

“Give them a nudge with the wind,” Demi said.

“Nudging.” Aurai was supposed to stay within sight of the dragon flies. Her skills with wind would help direct the tiny creatures.

A strong breeze pushed through the walls of the alley where Demi and Selena waited, net ready.

“They’re turning into the alley!” Aurai exclaimed.

“Raising the water wall to discourage a retreat,” Gina said. “I’m right on their tails. You should see the wall…now.”

“Now, Brigid!” Demi called out as soon as she saw the wall of water.

“Fire in the hole.” Fire erupted in front of Demi, blocking her view of the flying dragons and the dragons’ views of her and Selena waiting to capture them.

“They’re going for the fire,” Aurai said.

“Get ready,” Brigid said into the headset. “They’re through!”

Demi and Selena pulled the ropes and the net fell over the dragons, trapping them, dropping them to the ground.

They fought and blasted out bursts of flames, but the net held.

“Want me to douse them?” Gina asked, the wall of water hovering.

Selena held up a hand. “No. They aren’t malevolent. Just malleable.”

“You mean they’re friendly?” Brigid stepped closer and one of the dragons shot a stream of flame at her. She caught it in her palm and laughed. “Feisty little bugger, aren’t you?”

“What do we do with them now?” Aurai asked.

“You guys figure it out.” Demi tapped her headset mic. “Black, how’s it going with the demon?”

Cal didn’t respond.

“We shouldn’t have sent him off to handle a demon on his own.”

“He’s a big boy.” Brigid leaned closer to the tiny dragons. “He can handle it.”

“I’m going to check on him.” Demi took off at a jog.

“I’m with you.” Aurai fell in step beside her. “I saw him a block away when we passed with the dragon flies.”

“We’d better hurry. I’m not familiar with demon powers.”

“I understand they’re as varied as witches’ powers.”

“Great. No telling what he’s up against.”

As a human, he had only a gun and his sharp mind to work with. Sometimes that wasn’t enough.

Demi heard the ruckus before she saw the demon and Cal duking it out in an alley a block away. Or rather, the demon was kicking Cal’s butt, and Cal was doing his best to survive.

“Can you whip up a distraction?” Demi asked.

Aurai raised her hands and debris rose from the pavement. Slats from old pallets, rocks, nails, garbage whirled in a funnel, barreling toward the demon who held Cal up by the throat and then flung him against a wall.

Cal hit with a thud and slid down, shaking his head. “Nice move, but I can do better,” he muttered, dragging himself to his feet.

The demon laughed. “Give up, human. You’re no match for me.”

“Hey, dirtbag!” Demi yelled before the demon could lift Cal off his feet and throw him again.

The demon spun to face the two women.

Demi stood with her hands fisted on her hips. “What he lacks in superhuman strength, he makes up for in intelligence and backup.” She channeled her inner connection with the earth and shook the ground the demon stood on; at the same time she sensed a stray vine poking out of the pavement and gave it a burst of energy.

“Well, well. What have we here?” He sniffed the air. “I smell witches.”

“Damn right you do.” Aurai flung her funnel cloud in the demon’s face, the garbage, boards and nails pummeling the bastard until he raised his hands and everything fell to the ground.

“Enough!” he yelled, the sound reverberating off the walls of the surrounding buildings. He raised his hands like a master magician. “I’ll have my revenge and serve up two witches with it.”

“I don’t think so. Not today.” Demi stepped in front of Aurai to protect her from whatever the demon had in mind. She flexed her inner witch and the vine extended, wrapping quickly and silently around the demon’s leg. When it was firmly in place, Demi yanked it with a thought.

The demon’s raised arms flailed in the air as he crashed to the earth.

“I’ll get you for that.” He waved his hand and Demi flew through the air, landing on her backside, the wind knocked from her lungs.

“Like hell you will.” Before the demon could wave again, Cal swung one of the boards Aurai had stirred up in her whirlwind, hitting the demon’s hand.

The demon screamed and rolled to his side, kicking out at Cal.

Cal leaped over the downed paranorm and swung again, catching him on the chin. His head whipped backward and slammed into a wall. The demon lay still.

Standing over the demon like a conquering hero, Cal said, “Don’t mess with my girl.”

“And my sisters.” Aurai stepped over to the demon and nudged him with her toe. He moaned but didn’t wake. “You might be a demon, but you aren’t invincible.”

Demi staggered to her feet.

“You okay?” Cal asked.

“I’d be a whole lot better if I had a day off.” She rolled her shoulders and rubbed her tailbone. “Think Chief Warner would give us some vacation time?”

Cal knelt beside the demon, pulled his arms behind his back and slapped a zip tie around his wrists. “I don’t know. There’s been such a rise in paranormal crimes in the past few weeks, I don’t think he can spare a single agent right now.”

“I’d like to get some rest, get a haircut and maybe a manicure.” She winked at Cal. “And other things.”

“There’s nothing I’d like better than doing those other things with you. But duty calls.”

“Damn duty and damn the department.” Demi’s restraint snapped. She and Cal had been so tired from working overtime and weekends for the past two months she couldn’t remember the last time they’d made love.

“I think someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed.” Brigid joined them, carrying the net full of miniature dragons.

“How can a person wake up if she’s not even getting any sleep?” Demi flung her hand in the air. “Or anything else.”

As he called in their location for a pickup van, Cal glared at Demi. When he finished, he stepped close to her and said in a low tone, “It takes two to make it happen. I can’t make love to a sleeping woman. And I don’t appreciate airing our dirty laundry in front of your sisters.”

Demi knew he was right, but she was tense and tired, so she wasn’t giving an inch. “I don’t keep secrets from my sisters.”

“Maybe there are some you should,” Gina muttered, jerking her head toward Aurai, the youngest Chattox sister.

Aurai rolled her eyes. “I’m twenty-one, not fifteen. Sex isn’t new to me.”

Brigid frowned. “Oh yeah, who is he? I want to meet this man who’s taken my baby sister’s virginity.”

Aurai laughed. “See? I keep secrets from the rest of you.” She gave Brigid a pointed look. “And, no, I’m not telling.”

Brigid rolled a fireball in her hands, her eyes narrowed. “I have ways of finding out.”

“Lay off, Brig,” Gina said. “The point is that Demi’s a mess.”

“Am not.” Demi hated that Gina was probably right, and that her sisters saw right through her protest. “Okay, so maybe I am tense. I haven’t had a break from the job for…hell, since I got back from St. Croix over two months ago.”

“Fine.” Cal sighed. “I’ll ask the chief if we can have some time off.”

“Chicago will be okay for a few days.” Gina smiled. “It’ll still be here when you get back, with all the creepy paranorms roaming around stirring up trouble.”

Cal’s lips twisted. “That’s what I’m afraid of.”

“See?” Demi threw her hands up. “He thinks he can save all of Chicago.”

“Not possible, man.” Aurai laid a hand on Cal’s arm. “Takes more than you two to put the pinch on the renegades of the paranormal community.”

“Hey. I’ll still be here while they’re off humping in the sheets,” Brigid said. “What am I, chopped tinder?” The dragons stirred beneath the netting, shooting out blasts of flames. “You understand me, don’t you?” She leaned close to the little fire-starters, cooing as if they were a litter of puppies. “It’s okay. We’ll get you out of that mess soon enough.”

Gina stepped in front of Brigid. “They stay where they are until we can get them somewhere safe.” One of the dragons shot out a long stream of fire, singeing Gina’s butt. She squealed and leaped out of the way. “Damn it.” She twisted her arm and formed a ball of water, throwing it like a snowball at the offender. The water splashed over the dragon and it hissed its displeasure.

“Leave it to me.” Cal slipped an arm around Demi and pulled her against him. “I’ll get us some time off.”

Demi let the stress roll over her shoulders, feeling tired to the bone. Cal’s warm body next to hers stirred up a valiant rebirth of her flagging libido. “Really?”

He kissed the top of her head. “Yeah.”

“What about the rising stats of paranormal crimes?”

His arm stiffened around her middle as if he was fighting his instinct to stay and contribute to the greater good of the city. Then he sighed and loosened his hold. “Let someone else handle them for a couple days.”

“Don’t worry about Chicago,” Brigid said airily. “I’ll manage fine while you two take a vacation.”

The paranormal extraction van rolled up beside them and two technicians hopped out, loaded the demon into the back and reached for the net with the dragons trapped beneath. Fire shot out between the tiny squares of fireproof strands. “Ouch!” One of the technicians yelped and jerked his hand back.

“Amateurs.” Brigid tucked her long ebony hair down the back of her black leather jacket, gathered the edges of the net together and slung it gently over her shoulder. The dragon flies hissed and fluttered as they tumbled inside the webbing. As if they sensed a kindred spirit in Demi’s sister, they didn’t attack her. She nodded to Gina, Selena and Aurai. “See you guys at dinner tomorrow night.” She turned to Demi and Cal. “And I better not see you two.” With a grin at the paranormal extraction techs, she climbed into the back with the demon. “Let’s get this paddy wagon rollin’.”

Demi couldn’t help the smile and the slight sense of relief she felt at Cal’s promise to ask for time off. If only it was that simple.

* * *

An hour later, Cal stood in Chief Warner’s office pleading their case. “We haven’t had a day off in two months. Demi and I are burned out.”

“And everyone else is in the same boat. But every day we get another two or three calls about strange happenings in the city. I don’t know what’s going on, but it’s as if someone left the gate open and every slimeball paranorm is crawling out of the gutters, stirrin’ up trouble.”

“Yeah, and do you see an end in sight?” Cal asked.

“No.”

“Neither do we. But we can’t keep pushing ourselves like we have. If your team gets too tired, they start making mistakes.”

“Are you telling me Demi allows herself, or you, to make any mistakes?”

Cal shook his head, a smile twitching at the corners of his lips. “No, but it could be a matter of time. I’m only asking for three days. Three lousy days in which I can get Demi out of the city, far enough away from here that she won’t be sucked back in for some emergency or other.”

The lieutenant lifted a file from his desk and tapped it across his open palm.

“Three days and I’ll pull doubles for a week when we get back,” Cal added to his plea.

“Okay.”

“I’ll even take a shift in the paranormal retention center—”

“I said okay. And stop begging.” The chief held up the folder. “You can have the time off, on one condition.”

Cal’s heart pounded at the thought of getting Demi alone for three days and all the sexy things he would do to her body. “Anything.”

Chief Warner’s lips twitched in his otherwise poker face. “You and Demi deliver a package to the Fifth Precinct in New York City and you can have the next three days off.”

Hope surged, then crashed to his stomach at the way the chief’s lips jerked on the corners, as if he was holding back a grin. Dreading the answer, Cal asked, “What’s in the package?”

Chief Warner’s lips spread into a wide grin. “I’ll let you know when you get to the airport.”

* * *

“Three days? Away from the city? Where are we going?” Demi stepped out of the bathroom dressed in a sheer forest-green baby-doll nightgown and paused, running the toes of her right leg along the back of her left calf, fully aware that her breasts showed through the thin fabric.

Cal’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he leaned his back against the headboard, wearing nothing but a smile in the bed of his apartment. “It’s a surprise.” His gaze raked over her, his cock hardening and coming to attention. “Where’d you get that?” he asked, nodding toward her.

Demi shrugged. “It’s a little something I was saving to wear for a special occasion.”

“We’re not on our vacation yet. Not that I’m complaining.” He held out his hand. “Come here. I’d come to you, but I don’t think I can move.” He stretched his back and cringed. “That demon…”

Demi nodded. “I’ve a few bruises of my own.” She did her best vamp across the room. “We could just lie in bed and count each other’s bruises…or…” Walking her fingers up his bare chest, she touched his lips. “We could start our vacation early.” Her back ached and the bruises hurt every time she bumped one, but dammit, she wasn’t going to pass on this round of sex.

Cal captured her finger and kissed the tip. “I’ve had one cup of coffee over my limit so I’m jacked up on caffeine. I’m good for at least twenty minutes.” He winked and tugged her closer.

“As tired as I am, I’m determined to stay awake for the concert and the encore.”

“I’d be satisfied with the concert.” He pulled her across him, his heart tugging as she winced. “I wanted to kill that demon for throwing you.”

“Kinda felt the same way when he threw you.” She sat in his lap, wiggling her bottom.

Grinning, Cal pinched her naked ass. “Mmm. I like that. No panties means we can shave a few minutes off that twenty.”

“No way. I want foreplay.”

He frowned. “Last time I tried a little foreplay, you fell asleep.”

She straddled his legs and rubbed her pussy along his erection. “I think I can stay awake tonight. Considering we’re officially on vacation, I can sacrifice a little sleep to the cause.”

“Uh, Demi, about this vacation—”

She pressed a finger to his lips. “Shh. I really don’t care where we go as long as it’s not Chicago.”

“It’s not Chicago.”

“I still can’t believe you got the chief to let us leave.” She grinned, excitement revving her internal engines.

“Oh, I can believe he’d let us.” Cal swallowed. “I was…uh…pretty convincing.” He gave her a crooked smile.

She loved this man more than she ever imagined she could. “Let me show you how appreciative I can be.” She kissed his eyelids and the tip of his nose, rubbing her pussy along his length. “I’m going to make you so hot you could heat the state of Illinois.”

“Honey, it won’t take much.” He squeezed his eyes shut, his fingers digging into the comforter.

Demi lifted his hand and guided it beneath her nightgown to one of her breasts. “Pinch it.”

He complied, rolling the taut nipple between his thumb and forefinger. “Why are you still wearing this?” He flapped the gown.

“Shh. A little less talking, a little more action.” She sealed his lips with a kiss, her tongue thrusting through to tangle with his. When she broke free, Demi slid her mouth along his jawline and down to his throat, scooting over him to take one of his little brown nipples into her mouth.

Already his cock was so hard he could drive nails with it and she wanted it even harder when he drove it into her.

His body tense, his jaw tight, Cal said, “Babe, I’m not sure I can take much more of this.”

“Two minutes. That’s all I’m asking you to wait. Then it’s my turn.” She ripped the gown over her head and tossed it over the chair beside the bed. “And I want the whole enchilada.” Demi plumped her full breasts. “These haven’t seen near the amount of action they should.”

“I’m on it.” He leaned forward and sucked one nipple into his mouth.

Her core heated and she pressed her breast deeper. “That’s more like it. But I’m not done with you.” She tore free and wiggled her way down his legs, her mouth blazing a path along his chest and over his flat abs to where his cock jutted up, straight and proud, pulsing with his need.

“Ready to be ignited?” She slid her lips over him, tonguing the tip, dipping into the hole on the end.

He surged upward, filling her mouth with his thick girth, thrusting deep until his cock bumped the back of her throat. She pulled back. “Eager, are we?”

“It’s been more than a week,” he said through gritted teeth. “What can I say?”

“Please?”

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “Please.”

Demi cupped his balls and lowered her mouth over him again, taking him all the way in, then slipped up to the velvety rim and back down again. He pumped into her mouth, his hips rocking.

Demi loved to get him off. It made her hot and slicked her channel better than anything. Well, almost as much as when he went down on her. That was pure heaven.

The thought made her impatient for her turn. When she thought she had him on the very edge, Demi pulled free and spun around, giving him access to her.

He scooted diagonally across the bed, parted her thighs and positioned her knees on either side of his head, then captured her buttocks in his big hands and lowered her on top of him until his tongue could flick the lips of her channel.

A moan rose up her throat and she sank down, sucking his dick into her mouth, taking him in and out, loving the musky taste of him, the hard shaft encased in velvety skin.

Cal parted her folds and tongued her clit, licking it in long, sweeping strokes, priming her engine before he began flicking the strip of flesh so tightly packed with nerves.

Her fingers sinking into Cal’s buttocks, Demi pulled him deeper into her mouth as he thrust his tongue into her cunt. It was great…but not nearly enough. He fingered her anus, poking his thumb into the tight hole.

Demi arched her back and sank lower until he could suck her clit into his mouth. She was on fire, so hot she was going to explode.