“Please.” I strode across the intersection and headed home. “I vanquished him with a nail file. I’d hardly call that the actions of a powerful witch.”
“You improvised, and you prevailed.”
“I am good at that, apparently.” Two more blocks, and I could peel these slimy clothes off. Yuck. “You said the imp sensed you, and that’s why the rift formed? How does that work?”
“The veil was already thin in the library. The imp was drawn to my energy when we stepped inside, and it was able to tear the veil as it was compelled to be near me.”
Fabulous. Lower-level creatures could already slip through thin spots without any help. “Can’t you turn your bat signal off while we take care of this? I don’t need imps breaking through everywhere I go.”
“If had had a corporeal form, I would have more control. With you as my host, I’m afraid my energy bleeds through your skin, creating a beacon for all demons.”
“Great. So the rifts are going to follow us wherever we go?”
“And it will only get worse. Our bond is solidifying faster than I thought it would. My power permeates your form, and your human flesh can’t hold it in.”
“Wait.” I stopped in my tracks and pressed my hand to my chest. “What are you saying? I thought we had two weeks before you took over completely. You said I was the order to your madness.”
“At the rate we’re bonding, it’s more like two days.”
“We’re not bonding any faster than we were before. What changed since yesterday?” A pendant in the thrift shop window caught my gaze, and I stopped to look at it. An upside-down pentagram embossed on what looked like bone hung from a black cord.
“You allowed me to control your form twice.”
“So? What makes you think that sped things along?”
“You lashed out at your sister for making a generalization about my kind. You’re growing fond of me.”
I laughed dryly. “Believe me, buddy, I am not growing fond of you. Getting you out of my head is my number one priority.” Right after I checked this artifact for magic. I glanced left and right to be sure no one was watching before I whispered my magic-revealing spell.
“Really? Because I’m growing fond of you. Before you summoned me, I would rather have plucked my eyes out with a pitchfork than have relations with a witch.”
My gold sparkles passed through the glass, hovered over the items in the window, and then dissipated. No magic, thank the goddess.
“You’ve been in a dark prison for hundreds of years. You’re fond of anything with boobs.” I turned away from the window and froze. A group of people on a history tour formed a circle around a man with a wild look in his eyes. He jabbed his fingers into his hair and ran toward another man in the group.
His target didn’t move. The man bounced off his chest and careened into a woman. She shoved him, and all hell broke loose. They shouted and pushed each other, grabbed each other’s bags, and dumped the contents on the ground. It was total…
Yep, you guessed it. Chaos.
“We need to get inside.”
“No kidding.” I turned on my heel and booked it the last block to our building.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
“Two days?” Ember shouted through the phone. “Why didn’t you call me sooner?”
“I literally just found out. I called you as soon as I washed the imp slime off and changed clothes.” I set an enchanted crystal in the corner of my bedroom and activated the ward.
“Where are you?”
“In my bedroom. I set up a shield to hold in magic, so he won’t bleed out past my door.” I’d also sent Ginger home and locked up the shop. With all the magic I’d used in a short amount of time, to say I was spent was an understatement.
“Stay there. I’m coming home.” She ended the call, and I dropped onto the bed, exhausted.
The second my lids closed, an image of the man with dark hair and green eyes played through my mind. He stood six-foot-four and had a broad, muscular chest and abs I could do laundry on. Fire flashed in his eyes as he prowled toward me, and his low vibration wrapped around me, sinking all the way to my bones.
Whether I was dreaming or not, a normal person would have shit their pants if a big, predatory Prince of Hell looked at them like he wanted to consume them. Not me. Every nerve in my body tingled, and I smiled.
He inhaled deeply, his brows drawing down like he wasn’t sure if he should devour me in a fun way or a literal way. My pulse thrummed, and I rested my hands against the smooth skin on his chest. Heat permeated my fingertips to pool in my core.
“Ash, wake up.” Ember poked my shoulder, drawing me from my dream. “I gave you an hour to recharge, but we’ve got to get moving.”
I sat up and rubbed my arms as if I could chase away the sensation of my hormones flaring to life over a demon. My mind sure had fabricated a sexy one. Oof.
“Mmm… Another good dream?” Chaos teased.
I ignored him. “Sorry. Too much spellwork.” I swung my legs over the side of the bed and grabbed my boots.
“Tell me about the imp. What happened? Did you find a map? Why did you set up a ward?” She paced at the foot of my bed, her hands curling into fists before splaying and curling again.
I laced up my boots. “I’m sorry for snapping at you earlier. It’s the bond. As soon as I get him out of my head, I’ll be normal again.”
“I figured as much.” She stopped pacing and rested a hand on her hip. “What happened?”
I relayed the events in the library, vanquishing the imp, and the effect I…Chaos…had on the tourists. “So I set up the ward to keep his magic contained while I rested.”
“Your fatigue weakened my ability to keep my magic in check. I’m better now.”
