Avery held her close, his ragged pants matching hers. He didn’t talk, just ran his hand down her hair, smoothing the wet strands back from her face. He smiled when she finally had the nerve to meet his gaze, praying he didn’t think her a complete fool.
He teased her lips with a feather-light kiss. “Never.”
She chuckled. “I think you need to show me how to shield, before you spoil every surprise we might have.”
“Surprises are highly overrated.”
“Wasn’t I a surprise?”
“More of an answered prayer.”
“See? Charming.”
“Let’s get you washed up and out of here before we run out of warm water, though the prospect of warming you up is intriguing.”
Temperance batted at his arm, shaking her head. “And impossible.”
Avery sighed, clenching his jaw as he pulled free of the firm clasp of her pussy, his body immediately missing the intimate contact. Truth was, she
had
surprised him. He hadn’t expected her to drop her barriers, not completely, and feeling her respond to him on a soul-deep level had been his undoing. He’d tried to stay gentle, to show her his feelings for her weren’t a passing phase. But then she’d opened herself, and he’d lost control, pushing her from one orgasm into another until she’d barely had the strength to hold on. Now she stood inside the circle of his arms, her body trembling, her legs looking as if they might give out at any second. She couldn’t have been more beautiful.
“Should I carry you to the bed?”
Her lips quirked ever so slightly. “Only if you plan on picking up where you left off in there.”
He shook a finger at her. “You are truly wicked.” Then he pulled her tight to his chest, cupping one side of her ass. “Though if given the chance…”
A blare of music interrupted their embrace and he looked toward the bedroom, his lips turned down in the beginnings of a frown. “Only Blake would be calling my cell today. God, I hope the damn truck didn’t break down.”
Temperance followed him into the other room, wrapping a towel around her body as she all but collapsed on the bed. He paused when he saw the dark smudges beneath her eyes and how her fatigue hunched her shoulders. While he didn’t mind being the cause of her sleepless night and overabundance of exercise, he didn’t like the thought that he’d kept her from some much-needed rest, especially after all she’d done for him the previous day.
He sighed. He’d talk with Blake then insist she get some sleep while he got them some food. By the time she woke up, he’d have everything he needed to have a perfectly sinful dinner using her body as his plate.
The thought sent more blood rushing to his cock, and he cursed as the damn thing thickened. Temperance must have caught him staring because she glanced over him, her eyebrow arching when her gaze slid to his groin. The naughty smile she flashed him almost made him forget about the phone blaring in the background.
“I’ll deal with that look in a minute, darling. Be certain of it.”
He grabbed his cell, touching the screen as he answered the call. “Bloody hell, Blake, what’s wrong now? Did a ghost steal one of your toys?”
A heavy rasp sounded on the other end, sending a cold shiver down his spine. He drew a sharp breath, wishing he’d checked the damn call ID before picking up. “Who is this?”
Something akin to a scream echoed in the distance, as more breathing grated against his ear. “Avery?”
He stilled at the disjointed rattle of his name, not sure if he’d actually heard someone speak or if he’d simply wanted to get a response. “Blake?”
The voice coughed, a gurgling sound that made Avery’s stomach heave. He cupped the phone, feeling Temperance’s arms encircle his waist.
“It’s Darrin.”
“Darrin? What the hell’s going on? Where’s Blake, and was that a scream I heard in the background?”
“I don’t have time to explain, it’s…it’s here. Some…creature. It keeps bellowing your name. Blake said he was calling you for help, but he never returned. Avery, you have to come, this things it’s…no!”
The line went dead, the eerie silence like a knife in his gut. He pulled the phone away, staring at the screen as if it held the answers. Temperance called his name, but he held up a finger, dialing Blake’s number, cursing when the damn thing went directly to voicemail. Blake never put his phone on voicemail. He loved interfacing with technology too much to miss any opportunity to use it.
He lowered the phone, cradling it in his hand, not sure whether to try again or toss the useless thing across the room.
“Avery. Talk to me. Is Blake okay?”
He shifted his gaze to her face, some of his terror lifting at the compassion staring back at him. He shook his head, darting into the bathroom to grab his clothes, before rushing out. “I don’t know. That was Darrin. He says there’s a creature there, bellowing my name. He can’t find Blake.”
Her breath caught in her throat as she yanked off the towel and grabbed her pants, shuffling them on almost as quickly as he had. “Do you think it’s the demon?”
“I don’t know what to think, I mean…hell, does it even know my name?”
“It knew you had unusual powers…and it said that you were its next target, but…it never called you by name.” She ran a hand through her hair before sitting on the bed and pulling on some socks. “That doesn’t mean it couldn’t find out, I guess. We learned its name.”
He nodded, not sure what to believe. “But why would it be searching for me? You’re still marked. Wouldn’t it call for you first?”
“Maybe it knows we’re together, or maybe it heard some of the other investigators talking. Hell, maybe it’s just a fucking demon that has more abilities then we could ever dream of, like being able to drain more than one person’s energy at a time. Maybe these marks won’t fade even if it releases me. I don’t have the answers. I just know that we’re wasting time worrying about what it might be, when we should be thinking about how quickly we can get there.”
Avery grabbed her shoulders when she stood and tried to move to the door. “Slow down, Temperance. It won’t do anyone any good if we storm out of here without taking the necessary equipment. Let’s just take a deep breath and figure a few things out.”
“You mean like how you’re going to convince me to stay here and not go to the Myrtles Plantation with you?”
“How…” He cursed, forcing in a deep breath. Damn, she was good. “Now who’s reading minds?”
“I don’t have to be psychic to see what’s clearly written on your face.”
“And I don’t have to be rational about keeping the woman I’ve discovered I’m in love with, safe.”
“And what about me? Don’t my feelings for you count?”
He glanced away, hating the pained look in her eyes. Now was not the time for her to confess her love.
The small press of her fingers on his jaw drew him back. “Avery. I’m not saying I don’t want you to protect my ass. Hell, I’m all for that. But you have to allow me the same privilege. I never thought I’d ever really fall in love, especially with a playboy-media hound like you, but…I have, and I won’t have my feelings trampled because you’re scared. I’m scared, too.” She brushed her thumb across his cheek, giving him a genuine smile. “Now, let’s grab our shit and go save your brother’s adorable ass.”
He held her firm. “On one condition.”
She arched a brow.
“You stop reminding me how hot you think Blake’s ass is. I’d hate to have to kill him after we go through the trouble of saving him.”
She winked at him. “I’ll consider your proposal.”
He sighed, grabbing a bag as he helped her gather their equipment, making a mental note to stop at the kitchen for some additional supplies. “You are wicked, darling.” He held up the keys, shaking them. “But I’ll still let you drive.”
Chapter Ten
Temperance drove along highway sixty-one, trying to concentrate on the road, but the endless drone of the wheels on the pavement only accentuated how tired she was. Not that she didn’t love driving the Porsche, it was just…she couldn’t stop glancing over at Avery. He’d spent most of the drive searching sites on his phone, trying to unearth as much information as he could on Gall and how the priest back in the sixteen hundreds might have cursed him.
She sighed at the frustrated look on his face. “Any luck?”
“Some, but there’s no one incantation that was used to exorcise demons, or send them to the other side of the veil for that matter. Everything here is about prevention. Apparently, once a demon is loose, you’re screwed.”
“Technically, he’s not loose yet…he’s still transitioning.”
“True, but that doesn’t help us much. He’ll still need some kind of spell or energy surge to send him back, medallion or not.”
She stared at the road, working things over in her head. “What if we don’t have to actually curse him again? I mean, if the medallion is the charm the priest used, shouldn’t that curse still be infused in it somehow? Maybe all we have to do is touch him with it or, like you say, hit him with a large power source while it’s in the vicinity and it will recharge the barrier that held him captive all this time.”
Avery shrugged. “Sounds like a great plan to me. I just don’t know if it’ll work.”
“There’s got to be something crucial about knowing his name. He said names have power. Maybe unearthing all that information on how he was cursed is the answer we needed?” She tugged on the medallion. “Maybe he was worried we’d find this?”
“I sure as hell hope so.” He glanced over at her. “You okay?”
“Fine.”
He huffed. “Remember…honesty.”
“Okay. I’m exhausted, sore and would rather be back at the hotel having you screw me against the wall.” She met his gaze. “But we don’t always get what we want.”
“Keep that thought on the backburner, darling. I’ll take care of it once we deal with this…demon.”
“You worried about Blake?” She cringed as the words left her mouth. Of course he was worried. She swore under her breath. “Sorry, bad question.”
He reached over and cupped her hand resting on the stick shift. “It’s fine, and yes, I’m uncharacteristically concerned about my little brother. Usually he’s the one I rely on to ‘ride to the rescue’, so to speak, as he’s generally outside of the paranormal activity. And he’s really not well-suited for that form of action.”
“I think he might surprise you. Maybe all he needs is the right motivation.”
“Well, staying alive is generally the
right
motivation.” He gave her hand a squeeze. “And I’d be more than thrilled with that kind of surprise.”
She nodded, unsure what else to say, as he went back to his phone, no doubt loading more sites. She watched the road pass in a hazy blur, every car looking like the next, as she reran the previous day in her head. The medallion had blocked his first attack, sending it back against him. As had the salt and iron. If they could somehow trap it, maybe that’s all it would take?
She held in the hysterical giggle that threatened to break free. This was way outside her realm of comfort and she wasn’t used to going into a situation blind. Ghosts she could handle. Demons…she rather wished she’d stayed clear of the cemetery that night. But then Avery wouldn’t have saved her, and last night…last night would never have happened.
Avery chuckled beside her, drawing her attention. He shifted his gaze when she stared at him. “I hate to burst your bubble, darling, but I would have stalked you either way. The demon just helped you see me in a different light, sooner.”
She shook her head. She was definitely going to learn how to shield her thoughts. “I’ll be sure to say thanks when we see it.” She nodded at the sign rushing toward them to the side of the highway. “Looks like we’re almost there. You ready?”
“After our glorious victory yesterday, this should be a snap.”
“Walk in the park, though I think it’d be wise to find Blake and the other investigators first. We can deal with Gall once we know they’re safe.”
“If we can find them.”
She gave him her best smile. “We will. And I’ll do my best not to stare at Blake’s ass.”
“You are truly a woman of virtue.”
She chuckled, more than aware the easy banter was just their way of dealing with the stress…and the fear. If anything had happened to Blake…
Avery sighed then patted her hand as she took the road to the plantation, staring at the beautifully landscaped lawns. Large oak and dogwood trees dotted the driveway, their branches swaying in the light breeze. Long finger-like shadows crept along the smooth pavement as the sun sank low on the horizon, staining the sky a brilliant red. Too bad they weren’t coming here for other, more romantic reasons. The atmosphere was stunning.
“We can always come back, Temperance, and fulfill all of those wonderful thoughts racing around inside that pretty head of yours.”
“Let’s just see how this trip goes. We might never want to set foot on this property again.” She pointed to the two houses. “Which one did they go to, the main residence or Ridgecrest?”
Avery motioned to the large home on the right. “I booked them in Ridgecrest, but they could be anywhere on the estate. The line went dead before Darrin could tell me anything. But let’s park at the main residence. If Blake did go for help like Darrin claimed, he’d probably head there, first.”