~Blurb~
A warlock whose powers are hidden by the misty bayou. A necromancer who wants to control the underworld and the only other who harbors dark gifts similar to his own........a woman who can speak to the dead.
~Excerpt~
She crept as quietly as she could down the stairs and breathed in a sigh of relief when she finally reached the door. Outside, fog had wound itself around the great oaks that littered the lawn of the inn, obscuring the view of the ground from the porch. The humid steam that caked the air floated in from the swamp.
Hearing sounds, she walked to the side of the inn. She leaned into the wind, her ears straining to catch the sounds she heard. A party. At least, that was what it sounded like. Faint music wafted in, blues that made her body want to sway along. Voices mingled in with the tune, cheery and lively. She was wrong when she thought the town would be sleeping. Apparently celebrating never stopped here.
“At this late hour, you should be sleeping.”
The beautiful accent gave her a start as she jolted, banging her hip against the porch railing as she twisted to see who was there. Of course. It was him. The annoying, tantalizing Cayden. She had only known him for a few hours, how could she feel such a loathing and yet at the same time, such a pull to him? Chalking her dizziness at the sight of him up to lack of sleep and her vision, she stared at him.
“I could say the same about you. Don’t you have any manners at all?” Summer asked, impatiently crossing her arms over her chest, causing her breasts to swell slightly out of the top of her skimpy tank. His eyes flashed and for a moment she was caught wondering what was wrong with him. Then she realized she had skipped the bra. Oops.
“Yes, I do. May I ask what you are doing out here, barely dressed?” To emphasize his question, he scanned her body, from her forehead to her toes, setting nerves she hadn’t realized she had on fire.
“I didn’t think anyone would be up. I couldn’t sleep.” She shrugged, again making her breasts jiggle with the movement. Cayden let out an audible groan and looked the other way.
“I couldn’t sleep either. Fancy meeting you here.” He turned back towards her and gave her a one-sided smirk.
Not being able to help herself, she giggled, leaning back against the rails as she did. “Well, since we’re here, you could tell me a little bit about your town.”
Striding towards her, he stopped to her right, leaning his hip into the rails, and using his elbow to support his upper body. “You mean that you want to know about the witchcraft, the voodoo.”
Surprised at his insight, she agreed. “Yes, actually. That’s why I’m here.”
“I’ll tell you what. Take me up to your room, give me a drink, then maybe I’ll tell you some of what I know.” He bobbed his head in the direction of the inn.
“Yeah, right. I’m not inviting you into my room. Do you think I’m insane?” She scoffed at his suggestion.
“No, I don’t. But that’s the problem. I have a feeling that loosening up a little won’t hurt you. Maybe you need to take some chances, some risks.”
If he only knew what she saw almost nightly in her head, he would understand the irony of his statement. Rolling it around in her mind, she thought about the circumstances. It wasn’t like she couldn’t scream for help. Knowing that it was against her better judgement, she announced,
“Okay, but you have to stay within three feet of me. Understood?”
The muscles in his chest strained against the fabric of his shirt as he gave out a thick chuckle. He held up his hands, mimicking a stick-up as he said, “I solemnly swear.” Putting his hands down, he stepped closer, leaving only inches between her lips and his.
“On a condition of my own.”
His breath tickled her cheek as she went still, feeling her lips beg for just a touch. Fighting for air, she asked, “Okay, what’s the condition?”
“If you ask me to get close, then I’m allowed.” He studied her face, looking serious in his request.
She snorted. “Sure, as if that will happen.” Struggling to turn away, she finally found the strength and broke the spell.
With him in tow, she showed the way back to her room.
