Chloe wasn’t so sure. “I don’t know, Lily. He was pretty angry and he still looks pretty upset.”

“That’s the ‘because I want you and shouldn’t have you’ anger, sis. Duh.” Chloe glared at Lily then they both shushed as Lucinda approached the warrior.

She dipped into a little bow, keeping her eyes downcast. Just faintly, Chloe could make out the sound of voices but not distinct words.

“Damn,” she muttered.

Their conversation was short and soon Lucinda was returning to her seat, bright pink on her cheeks.

Chloe opened her mouth to talk but Lily beat her to it, “Spill now! That man wants you bad.”

Lucinda pressed a dainty hand to her mouth but it did nothing to hide her blush. “Warrior Draven asked, said he’d be honored in fact, to act as my host. ”

“Tell me you said yes,” Chloe demanded.

Lucinda pulled her hand away to reveal a woman’s smile—naughty and secretive. “A

lady never reveals her true desires at first. I graciously told him that I would be happy to think upon it.”

Lily and Chloe burst out laughing and soon Lucinda’s surprisingly bawdy laughter joined them. The vampire looked startled at her own laughter and quickly stifled it.

“I’m sorry,” she said.

“Don’t be. That’s priceless. You’ll have that man eating out of your gloved hand if you wanted,” Lily said.

“Oh, I doubt that. He’s much too strong. Besides, I like him the way he is. I wouldn’t want him to change.”

Chloe and Lily both awwed at the same time.

The conversation slowed as they finally got to work on the spell. Lily wrote a catchy chant and willed the words with magic, as she called it. They spent the next few hours preparing a concoction with an array of ingredients that produced the nastiest smell Chloe’d ever smelled.

Well, not as bad as that demon smelled.

As the last of the ingredients were stirred in, the potion didn’t poof with smoke or explode so much as make wet, garbled sounds as if it, too, were unhappy with its existence. It looked thick as tar and Chloe wondered how she’d “throw” this stuff on anything. Maybe if she had a butter knife she could coax it out like ketchup.

“Are you sure this thing will work, Lily?”

She shrugged. “No, but it’s worth a shot.”

Chloe read over the piece of paper with the spell on it. Go back whence you came, I unsummon thee demon. Chloe blinked, and then read it again.

“That’s it? It’s not even two sentences. The spell from before was like a paragraph.”

“Just trust me, sis. It’ll work...I think.”

Chloe grimaced and prayed her sister was right. Standing, she stretched her stiff muscles.

“All right, I’m going to bed.”

“Memorize that spell and here,” Lily said putting a cork cap on the flask then handing it to her, “keep that with you at all times. You’ll never know when this thing might show up.”

Chloe’s stomach clenched with that unsettling feeling. “Yeah, you’re right. Thanks, Lily.

Goodnight, Lucinda.” Chloe made for Tyrian’s bedroom with heavy steps.

She took a quick shower then climbed naked into the bed. She wanted to wait up for him, wanted to kiss him goodnight, but her eyelids grew heavy and soon she was asleep.

Henry flung open the medical ward’s door with a bang. Nanu jumped, glancing up at him nervously from behind her desk. Yeah, you’d better be scared.

Last night he’d let her into his room, into his bed, and into his heart. Then he’d awakened to a cold bed next to him. He’d checked the bathroom but she wasn’t there. She wasn’t even in her own bedroom. And when he’d gone searching for her, all he found was her brother, who told him in not so gentle words to fuck off.

Henry slammed the door shut and stalked to her. She was smart enough to recognize his anger. She backed up into the corner, her palms held out.

“Henry, hear me out, please,” she said softly.

“Hear you out? If you wanted to talk to me, you could have found me. You knew I was looking for you. You promised me, Nanu! What the fuck...” he said, spinning around and running a hand through his hair.

“I know. I’m so sorry.”

“Was this just sex to you? Was this just a fuck? Do you get off on fucking a warrior?” He turned and glared at her. Her face paled but he didn’t relent. She’d hurt him, hard and deep.

“Don’t fucking look at me like that. Don’t play innocent. You knew what you did, what you said to me, and what I expected. How could you—” Henry roared and kicked a chair, sending it flying into a cabinet with a loud metal chink.

She jumped and that helped to calm him down—some. “No, I had to leave. I’m sorry.”

Henry’s anger boiled hot. He stalked to her, crowded her against the corner.

He pulled her against him and slammed his mouth down on hers. Her hands were stiff but soon fisted his shirt and damn, it felt good. He was mindless for her. Blinded by fear and anger.

He ripped at her pants, his tongue working in her mouth, and then he felt her fingers working just as frantically, pulling his hard cock out. He grabbed her thigh and lifted her, spread her open, then drove inside.

She cried out against him and he groaned at the feel of her wet channel gripping him so hotly. He didn’t stop. Couldn’t.

His mouth ate at hers as he pounded her into the wall. She cried out quickly, her short fingernails digging deeply into his back. It only took a few hard thrusts for her pussy to clench and milk him as she came.

It was too much. Too quick. He drove through her sweet, tight muscles then pulled his mouth away to shout as he came hard, deep inside her.

He came back to earth like a dropped bowling ball. He tore himself away from her,

panting. They both righted their clothing, her movements much slower, her fingers trembling.

“Is that all you want from me?”

She hung her head and the soft sound of her sob was like a knife to his heart. At least, a bigger one than she already had planted there. The urge to go to her, wrap her in his arms, and kiss her was so strong. He had to back away. He waited on the other side of the desk until she could speak.

“No, I’m sorry. It wasn’t like that. I didn’t want any of that to happen.”

Henry’s blood froze. “What do you mean any of it?”

She lifted her watery gaze to him. “Not that, of course. I don’t regret being with you for a minute.”

“Then why did you leave? You made your decision. Or are you just a liar?” A vicious, beautiful liar that had his heart beating in her small hands.

“I- I can’t talk about it.”

Henry laughed, the sound bitter and harsh. “Why? I don’t understand.”

She didn’t have to answer because the medical ward’s door slammed open and Nanu’s

brother strolled in.

“I think it’s time you leave here, warrior,” Heru said and went to stand by his sister as if by visually blocking his view of her, he could protect her. He was very wrong.

“She made her choice, Heru. She’s mine.” Heru’s laughter was mocking.

“I have the say in what she does, not you. I disagree with the match. My sister will not mate with half-breed demon filth.”

Henry jumped towards him, ready to feel bones crack, but Nanu stepped between them.

The look on her face broke his heart. She looked torn and lost, so sad his eyes nearly mirrored the tears in hers.

“Choose,” he told her. “You know I would do anything for you. Just say my name.”

Choose me, his eyes pleaded with her.

She took a ragged sigh, her head hanging low. “I can’t.”

“You did the other night. You chose me,” Henry said fiercely. His world was hanging in silken threads by the tips of his fingers, slowly dwindling away.

“She doesn’t answer to you, demon.” Henry bared his teeth at the bastard, his chest pumping with the urge, the need, to fight.