Gwen woke to an empty room. A chill travelled down her spine as she climbed from the bed and pulled a robe on. If Mike left, anything could have happened to him.
With her heart sinking, she left her bedroom, and found immediate relief when she spotted Mike reclined on the couch sketching on a yellow pad. He was lost to whatever was on the paper.
With a smile, she walked around the couch to look over his shoulder. He’d drawn a beautiful woman gripped in the throes of passion.
Then she realized it was her.
Her heart thudded in her chest as she stared in awe. “That’s what you see?”
A smile lit his face as he looked up at her. “I’d do better with a real canvas and my stuff.”
She reached out to caress his face. “Couldn’t sleep?”
“Inspiration hit.” He set the pad aside, as well as the pencil, and pulled her over the back of the couch into his lap. “Probably think that’s ridiculous.”
“Nah. Sexy. Besides, I found you naked on my couch, drawing something that makes me think you like what you see.”
He grinned, his hand slipping inside the thin silk robe to caress her breast and tease a nipple. “How could I not? From the moment I laid eyes on you, I was captivated.”
“Flatterer.” She sighed happily.
“It’s the truth.”
“Mike,” she whispered, “can’t get enough of you.”
“That’s what I like to hear.” He rolled until she was under him and ground his length against her heat, shifting her robe to the side. “So fucking wet, always so wet.” With that he pushed in slowly and set a torturous pace. “And ready.”
“For you? Yeah, that takes one look and I’m there.” Her hands found his stomach, and traced a path up his ribs and around his back. Dropping to his elbows, he kissed her, long and deep as he made love to her.
The sex before was amazing, but this was intimate and full of emotion.
His fingers tangled in her hair, his pace gradually increasing, the pleasure intensifying. She felt him all the way to her soul. He broke the kiss, looking into her eyes, his sounds becoming more urgent.
“Gwen, oh Gwen.” It came out like prayer.
His eyes flashed white with his climax. She was right there with him. She wanted to confess her feelings, but held back the words. For a long moment, he stared into her, his emotions playing over his face, making her fall even harder.
Mike sat up, scooped her into his arms, and carried her back to the bed, where he curled around her before falling asleep. Smiling, she tugged the covers over them both and closed her eyes, enjoying his comforting presence.
* * * *
Preston and Robert stood in Coltrain’s office. They’d been there for hours. The second Robert zapped them inside the dark office, Preston warded the doors and frazzled the circuits to the security system in a single spell.
Preston sat at the desk, going through an ancient book. The spells outlined in the tome were enough to turn Preston’s stomach. He jabbed the page with his finger and glared at Robert. “I fucking told the Council, Coltrain needed to be put on watch. They let him slip into oblivion. Fucking morons.”
“We all thought he was dead,” Robert pointed out.
“Yeah, but it didn’t feel right. If I hadn’t been sent on the next assignment, I would have kept looking, but they sent me to France to chase after that damned phoenix.”
“True. Hey, I wasn’t saying you failed.”
He sighed. “I’m worried about Gwen and that kid.”
Robert’s brow arched. “Do you really think she’s going to let him out of her sight?”
“Not intentionally. But Cole’s a crafty bastard. Who’s to say he won’t find a way to separate them, at least for a few minutes. That’s all it would take.”
“Can you make a case for Mike to stay out in Edenton for a few days?” Robert asked.
“Not off the top of my head. Then again, Coltrain probably won’t come out to play without Mike. We could use him as bait.”
“You want to use the kid as bait?” Robert asked with wide eyes. One hand rose and pointed at him. “You realize if that kid gets hurt, Gwen will implode.”
“We may not have a choice. Gwen’s training him. We should talk to her tomorrow.”
“Yeah, it can wait until morning.”
“Got that right. Waking Gwen before she’s ready is never wise. Girl’s grumpy in the morning.”
“You can say that again.” Robert looked away, a blush coloring his cheeks. Preston didn’t bother asking. He knew about their failed attempt at more than friends.
“There wasn’t much here. Like he already took most of it wherever he’s going.”
“Maybe Amanda has a clue trapped somewhere in her memories.”
Robert shuddered. “That poor girl. Cole ruined her life.”
“We deal with Coltrain and she has a shot at happiness. Where, I have no clue, but she has a chance to have a life without her strings being constantly pulled.”
“Let’s get out of here. There’s nothing else to find.”
* * * *
Coltrain sat in the private quarters of the hidden warehouse. He’d made his way there without running into any of the Council, and hoped to find out what they were doing in his office.
Tapping his fingers, he thought about which pets he kept in the cells. There were several reanimated corpses, but they were too far gone to pass for human. The ghouls were too monstrous. The vampire he presently had in captivity was Flynn, and he was easy to control.
Hoping his pet could glean some intel from his office, he rose from the desk and strode toward the section he had walled off and reinforced for the undead. There was a smaller, well-warded section for the druids he’d been experimenting with. Unfortunately thus far, he found that younger, weaker druids were the only ones he could glean power from. Older, more experienced test subjects were put down when he couldn’t get past their natural protection.
Mike’s lack of training meant he was the exception. He had an abundance of power. Perhaps Gwen’s interest in Michael was the same as her insane need to save her brother. Greg had been a worthless excuse for a caster, wanting to bottle away his “evil power.”
Flynn sat hunched in his cell, staring blankly at the wall. He cowered as Cole approached.
He took pleasure in capturing Flynn’s gaze and pouring his power into the command, “You will take this phone and go to Death’s Door to film the state of my office. You will not be seen, and will not be caught. You will come back as soon as you have visual confirmation on the state of my office, or sunrise comes. Do not dally.”
Flynn rose to his feet, nodding like an eager puppy. Cole opened the door and Flynn snatched the phone before disappearing in a blur.