Of Witches and Warlocks: The Demon Kiss by Lacey Weatherford Page A

Portia.”
    My eyes watered slightly at his words, and I
threw my arms around his neck, hugging him close to me.
    “I love you too, Vance. Thanks for being so
good to me,” I replied, as my mom interrupted, calling out that it
was time for the blessing on our Christmas breakfast.
    We had a lovely meal, which Mom, Grandma,
Shelly and I had prepared for everyone. It was complete with eggs,
ham, sausage, biscuits and gravy, and hash browns. We also had
eggnog and orange juice to drink.
    When the meal was over, everyone just spent
the day hanging around visiting, watching movies, and eating way
too much food.
    “I feel like a stuffed turkey,” Vance
commented later, with a laugh, as we lounged together on the couch
that afternoon. “See? Look how fat I am!” he added, patting his
sculpted abdomen.
    “Whatever,” I said rolling my eyes. “I could
scrub laundry on that washboard stomach of yours.”
    He leaned over to give me a quick peck on the
cheek, flashing his baby blues at me in the process.
    “So you still find me attractive even when
I’m fat dogging it on the couch?” he asked, his eyes sparkling in
amusement.
    “I always find you attractive, no matter what
you’re doing.” I smiled back at him, meaning every word of it.
    “Good to know,” he said, nodding his head.
“And I wouldn’t be too horribly opposed to watching you try to wash
stuff on my abs.” he added in a whisper, his expression clearly
hinting that he was flirting with me.
    I blushed furiously at his remark, the image
of me scrubbing wet material across his chiseled stomach burning
into my mind, but I didn’t get a chance to answer him as our
conversation was interrupted.
    “Portia, Vance?” my dad called to us from out
on the patio where he was sitting with Mom. “Could the two of you
come out here?”
    I stood up, turning to pull Vance up to his
feet. The two of us walked hand in hand out onto the balcony.
    “Close the door,” Mom said, gesturing to the
sliding one that we had just walked through.
    Vance turned and shut door before walking
over to join me at the outdoor table.
    “Have a seat, kids,” Dad said, as he patted
the chair next to him.
    “What going on?” I asked, as I sat down.
    “I thought maybe you could tell us,” Dad
replied, giving me a questioning look.
    I was at a loss to figure out what he was
referring to.
    “I asked her to marry me,” Vance piped
up.
    Suddenly I realized what was happening, as I
followed their gazes. I still had my engagement ring on and my
parents had noticed the bejeweled finger.
    “It’s a little early for that, son, don’t you
think?” my dad asked, staring up at Vance, his expression
unreadable.
    “I had every intention of asking you before I
gave it to her,” Vance said politely. “I’m sorry that didn’t go as
I’d planned, but I want you to know this is not something that I
did lightly. I love Portia, and I know that our love is the real
deal. We’ve been through a lot together, and I wanted to give her
something tangible that signifies my commitment to her.”
    “And what about her safety?” my mom
interjected, frowning slightly. “I understand that even though
you’re no longer going through a demon conversion the desire is
still there for you. Isn’t that a threat to her?”
    I could see he was struggling with his answer
for a moment.
    “It could be,” Vance agreed, nodding his
head. “Portia has been trying to help me see that I’m still
responsible for my own actions, though. She has really helped me to
learn to exercise control over my cravings.”
    “So, can you say for a certainty that there
will no longer be any danger from you toward her?” my dad asked,
looking at him with a hard expression.
    I watched the emotions on Vance’s face as
they warred with each other before he replied.
    “No, sir. I cannot,” he replied
truthfully.
    “Well, you must understand our concern,” my
dad replied, leaning back in his chair and folding his arms across
his