from Boston. I figured he owed me a favor, so he tracked the GPS on your cell.”
He pulled away from her and smiled at her.
She tried to smile back.
Something must have gone wrong, though, because he took two quick steps backward.
“What is it?” she asked.
“Your eyes. They’re so . . . dead. You’re not Samantha.”
“Very good,” she said, allowing herself to revel briefly in the pleasure of watching his panic.
“Who are you?”
She shrugged. “I’m who she should have been.”
“Castor witch,” he hissed.
She laughed and took a step toward him. “Oh, I’m much more than that.”
There was something about his presence that excited her, made her think things she’d never thought before. She leaned in closer to him. His warmth, his scent, they filled her senses. She slipped her arms around his neck and pressed against him.
She might never have had these types of thoughts before, but Samantha certainly had, and they were all about Anthony.
“Haven’t you figured it out yet?” Desdemona purred in his ear. “I’m the witch you’ve been looking for all these years, the last witch alive from the coven that killed your mother.”
Anthony gritted his teeth. “I want you to tell me what you did to Samantha.”
So he did know and apparently he cared for her deeply enough that it didn’t matter.
“I simply took back what she stole from me all those years ago. Now she’s the one banished, forgotten, nothing but a bitter memory.”
“I will find a way to get her back,” he vowed.
“So very noble of you, but why bother? She wasn’t very much fun.”
She leaned forward and kissed him hard. He shoved her away and she laughed. “You can play it that way if you want, but I know that you want this body. What does it matter who’s inside?” she asked.
“It matters,” he spat at her.
“Really?” she asked. “You know, my mother told me all about sex magic, but I had never had a chance to try it for myself. Maybe you’re just what I need to help me find the witch that keeps eluding me.”
“You’re barking up the wrong tree,” Anthony snapped.
“Am I? You know the great thing about being a witch?” she asked. “I can make any tree the right tree.”
She stepped back up to him, invading his space, reached out, and traced her finger down the line of his jaw, sending tiny electrical impulses through it. And then she asked, “Who do you belong to?”
“Samantha,” he said in a strangled voice.
She made the electrical impulses slightly more intense and tilted his head so he was staring into her eyes. She reached into his mind, looking for the triggers she needed, the ones that would make him desire her uncontrollably. Just a few more seconds and he would think of nothing but her.
Something began screaming inside her mind.
• • •
Samantha was trapped in the tiniest corner of her own mind and had been for days. She was only vaguely aware of what was happening on the outside, but she knew she had to keep fighting, pushing. Now that Anthony had shown up, she had to fight that much harder. She had to protect him.
Desdemona was trying to do something to him. She was trying to compel him to do something, and Samantha had a feeling it had to do with sex magic. Terror gripped her. Desdemona had no right to do that to Anthony and she had no right to do it to Samantha’s body.
Samantha began to scream at the top of her lungs and she could feel Desdemona hesitate.
“Get out of my body!” Samantha shouted.
“It was her body first.”
Samantha spun around and saw one of her younger selves. She believed it was the girl she’d been when she was ten, staring at her. Communing with those younger versions of herself was exactly what had led her to accidentally unleash Desdemona in the first place.
“What?” she gasped.
“Before there was Samantha Ryan, there was Desdemona Castor,” Ten said.
Samantha blinked and she was standing again in the part of her mind
He pulled away from her and smiled at her.
She tried to smile back.
Something must have gone wrong, though, because he took two quick steps backward.
“What is it?” she asked.
“Your eyes. They’re so . . . dead. You’re not Samantha.”
“Very good,” she said, allowing herself to revel briefly in the pleasure of watching his panic.
“Who are you?”
She shrugged. “I’m who she should have been.”
“Castor witch,” he hissed.
She laughed and took a step toward him. “Oh, I’m much more than that.”
There was something about his presence that excited her, made her think things she’d never thought before. She leaned in closer to him. His warmth, his scent, they filled her senses. She slipped her arms around his neck and pressed against him.
She might never have had these types of thoughts before, but Samantha certainly had, and they were all about Anthony.
“Haven’t you figured it out yet?” Desdemona purred in his ear. “I’m the witch you’ve been looking for all these years, the last witch alive from the coven that killed your mother.”
Anthony gritted his teeth. “I want you to tell me what you did to Samantha.”
So he did know and apparently he cared for her deeply enough that it didn’t matter.
“I simply took back what she stole from me all those years ago. Now she’s the one banished, forgotten, nothing but a bitter memory.”
“I will find a way to get her back,” he vowed.
“So very noble of you, but why bother? She wasn’t very much fun.”
She leaned forward and kissed him hard. He shoved her away and she laughed. “You can play it that way if you want, but I know that you want this body. What does it matter who’s inside?” she asked.
“It matters,” he spat at her.
“Really?” she asked. “You know, my mother told me all about sex magic, but I had never had a chance to try it for myself. Maybe you’re just what I need to help me find the witch that keeps eluding me.”
“You’re barking up the wrong tree,” Anthony snapped.
“Am I? You know the great thing about being a witch?” she asked. “I can make any tree the right tree.”
She stepped back up to him, invading his space, reached out, and traced her finger down the line of his jaw, sending tiny electrical impulses through it. And then she asked, “Who do you belong to?”
“Samantha,” he said in a strangled voice.
She made the electrical impulses slightly more intense and tilted his head so he was staring into her eyes. She reached into his mind, looking for the triggers she needed, the ones that would make him desire her uncontrollably. Just a few more seconds and he would think of nothing but her.
Something began screaming inside her mind.
• • •
Samantha was trapped in the tiniest corner of her own mind and had been for days. She was only vaguely aware of what was happening on the outside, but she knew she had to keep fighting, pushing. Now that Anthony had shown up, she had to fight that much harder. She had to protect him.
Desdemona was trying to do something to him. She was trying to compel him to do something, and Samantha had a feeling it had to do with sex magic. Terror gripped her. Desdemona had no right to do that to Anthony and she had no right to do it to Samantha’s body.
Samantha began to scream at the top of her lungs and she could feel Desdemona hesitate.
“Get out of my body!” Samantha shouted.
“It was her body first.”
Samantha spun around and saw one of her younger selves. She believed it was the girl she’d been when she was ten, staring at her. Communing with those younger versions of herself was exactly what had led her to accidentally unleash Desdemona in the first place.
“What?” she gasped.
“Before there was Samantha Ryan, there was Desdemona Castor,” Ten said.
Samantha blinked and she was standing again in the part of her mind
Similar Books
