Scorpio…too bad.
But his name pulsed like a breath of life in her soul, along with the steadfastness and raw power that surrounded him. And she knew that the tangled, unsettling emotions he awoke in her were just the beginning of a deeply complicated web.
“You need a refill.” Zeebi giggled as she poured more wine into Tessa’s glass. Stars shone in the thick velvet blanket of night where they sat behind Zeebi’s cabin.
“No more,” Tessa protested halfheartedly, watching the liquid rise to the top of her glass. “Oh, fine.”
“Girl, after today, we need to finish a bottle each.” Zeebi pointed between her and Tessa.
“No, we need sleep. My god, I feel like I ran for miles.” Emotionally and physically, she was exhausted. Going back to their homeland, putting themselves in danger, losing two guards, finding their magic all but useless, was awful.
But everything about Scorpio still unnerved her to the nth degree.
“We need girl time.” Zeebi took a big drink of her wine. “Pretty soon we won’t be able to do this.”
Tessa sighed. “I know.” She laid her head back against the high back of the chair and looked for the twin moons. They weren’t visible from this vantage point, so she settled on the brightest star. So much was about to change. “I don’t want to think about it.”
“Then, new subject!” Zeebi’s grin turned sly. “Scorpio.”
Something inside Tessa stretched and sparked as if given permission to be let out. But she wasn’t ready to acknowledge it. “You want to talk about the coven’s prisoner?”
“Hell yeah.” Zeebi swirled her glass a little too hard, making a thin splash of wine sail over the rim and onto her hand. “Ooops, damn. But anyway. From the minute you put the restraints on him, oh my gods. He was fixated on you.”
“Not really.” Tessa sighed. “He’s a predator and allowed himself to be bound. Of course he was paying attention to me.”
“He didn’t have to stare at your boobs like he was dying to touch you.”
“Zee!” Tessa scrunched her eyes shut. Heat snaked up her arms at the memory of where he’d been looking while she spoke the restraint spell as fast as she could. His eyes had been hungry, but not lecherous. More like he wanted to devour every detail of something he found exquisite…and she had no clue how to deal with that. She hoped no one else had noticed. Leave it to Zeebi to pick up on it.
“Let’s talk about him and you ,” Zeebi dragged out the last word in a wine-induced sing song voice.
Tessa swallowed. “There is no him and me.” There can’t be. It’s not an option.
“Pfft. He told you he wants you.”
“No he didn’t!” Tessa felt her eyes go huge.
“He looked at you and said mine .” Zeebi arched a brow. “He. Wants. You.”
“Well, he’ll be waiting forever then.” Tessa frowned and picked a stray cat hair off her pants. “Why are we even having this conversation?”
“Because he looked at you like you’re some kind of goddess. He was all, ‘I’m not leaving, and I’ll do whatever you ask.’” Zeebi giggled her way through an attempt at imitating his deep voice.
“He meant the coven! Not me. I didn’t ask for anything.”
“You don’t need to.” Zeebi pinned her with a smirk. “He’s hard whenever you walk by.”
Tessa’s jaw dropped. “He is not.”
“Girl, there’s no hiding that big-ass demon dick.”
“Ew!” Tessa scrunched her nose. “And why are you looking, anyway?”
Zeebi grinned. “Come on. You can’t miss it. The male is hung. And he’s set his sights on you.” Zeebi laid a finger on Tessa’s arm. “Just sayin’.”
“He’s being held for murder!”
“Yeah, but he worked for Dalamos. The whole realm knows that dude had like, a mercenary army. He forced them to do his dirty work.”
Tessa sighed. “That doesn’t change what he did. And what happened to us as a result.” And what I’m about to do to try to help the coven out of this
But his name pulsed like a breath of life in her soul, along with the steadfastness and raw power that surrounded him. And she knew that the tangled, unsettling emotions he awoke in her were just the beginning of a deeply complicated web.
“You need a refill.” Zeebi giggled as she poured more wine into Tessa’s glass. Stars shone in the thick velvet blanket of night where they sat behind Zeebi’s cabin.
“No more,” Tessa protested halfheartedly, watching the liquid rise to the top of her glass. “Oh, fine.”
“Girl, after today, we need to finish a bottle each.” Zeebi pointed between her and Tessa.
“No, we need sleep. My god, I feel like I ran for miles.” Emotionally and physically, she was exhausted. Going back to their homeland, putting themselves in danger, losing two guards, finding their magic all but useless, was awful.
But everything about Scorpio still unnerved her to the nth degree.
“We need girl time.” Zeebi took a big drink of her wine. “Pretty soon we won’t be able to do this.”
Tessa sighed. “I know.” She laid her head back against the high back of the chair and looked for the twin moons. They weren’t visible from this vantage point, so she settled on the brightest star. So much was about to change. “I don’t want to think about it.”
“Then, new subject!” Zeebi’s grin turned sly. “Scorpio.”
Something inside Tessa stretched and sparked as if given permission to be let out. But she wasn’t ready to acknowledge it. “You want to talk about the coven’s prisoner?”
“Hell yeah.” Zeebi swirled her glass a little too hard, making a thin splash of wine sail over the rim and onto her hand. “Ooops, damn. But anyway. From the minute you put the restraints on him, oh my gods. He was fixated on you.”
“Not really.” Tessa sighed. “He’s a predator and allowed himself to be bound. Of course he was paying attention to me.”
“He didn’t have to stare at your boobs like he was dying to touch you.”
“Zee!” Tessa scrunched her eyes shut. Heat snaked up her arms at the memory of where he’d been looking while she spoke the restraint spell as fast as she could. His eyes had been hungry, but not lecherous. More like he wanted to devour every detail of something he found exquisite…and she had no clue how to deal with that. She hoped no one else had noticed. Leave it to Zeebi to pick up on it.
“Let’s talk about him and you ,” Zeebi dragged out the last word in a wine-induced sing song voice.
Tessa swallowed. “There is no him and me.” There can’t be. It’s not an option.
“Pfft. He told you he wants you.”
“No he didn’t!” Tessa felt her eyes go huge.
“He looked at you and said mine .” Zeebi arched a brow. “He. Wants. You.”
“Well, he’ll be waiting forever then.” Tessa frowned and picked a stray cat hair off her pants. “Why are we even having this conversation?”
“Because he looked at you like you’re some kind of goddess. He was all, ‘I’m not leaving, and I’ll do whatever you ask.’” Zeebi giggled her way through an attempt at imitating his deep voice.
“He meant the coven! Not me. I didn’t ask for anything.”
“You don’t need to.” Zeebi pinned her with a smirk. “He’s hard whenever you walk by.”
Tessa’s jaw dropped. “He is not.”
“Girl, there’s no hiding that big-ass demon dick.”
“Ew!” Tessa scrunched her nose. “And why are you looking, anyway?”
Zeebi grinned. “Come on. You can’t miss it. The male is hung. And he’s set his sights on you.” Zeebi laid a finger on Tessa’s arm. “Just sayin’.”
“He’s being held for murder!”
“Yeah, but he worked for Dalamos. The whole realm knows that dude had like, a mercenary army. He forced them to do his dirty work.”
Tessa sighed. “That doesn’t change what he did. And what happened to us as a result.” And what I’m about to do to try to help the coven out of this
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