While she headed up the stairs toward her apartment, Silver nearly bit her tongue hard enough to taste blood. Her father’s rants often had that effect. She loved the man deeply, but when he was on a roll, he wouldn’t let her get a word in edgewise.
Her head pounded with the sound of his voice. What she would give for a good headache tonic right now. Victor Ashcroft’s dominating personality had helped drive her away from home to join the San Francisco D’ Anu Coven all those years ago.
His deep baritone thundered with reprimand. Silver fought a sense of shrinking to the size of a young clumsy witch who hadn’t mastered a single spell.
Ridiculous.
She was an Adept of one of the most powerful D’Anu Covens.
Before the Fomorii had taken every witch in her Coven.
A dull ache settled in Silver’s stomach as she pressed the phone to her ear. Still listening to her father yammer, she slipped into her apartment and stepped onto the hardwood flooring. She kicked off her heels and moved to a plush blue and white throw rug that felt soft and comforting beneath her bare feet.
“The entire Coven.” Victor’s voice chased away any semblance of comfort. Her father always managed to make her feel like she was being yelled at even though he hadn’t yet raised his voice. “Gone. All but you and two apprentices!”
“They took us by surprise—” she started.
“Don’t presume to think I don’t know about your using dark spells, young lady.” She could picture his heavy body tense with anger, his face red and his jowls shaking with the force of it. “I saw in my scrying cauldron that you attempted to invoke beings you had no earthly right to call upon. What did I teach you, Silver? No sorcery under any circumstances. We didn’t use it to find your sister, and we won’t use it now. No dark sorcery.”
Oh. That’s why he’s so mad. Of course, he thinks gray witchcraft is nearly as bad as sorcery.
She straightened her spine. “I did not use sorcery. Nor will I ever.” Even though he wasn’t in the room with her, she raised her chin and clenched one fist at her side. And she didn’t tell him about the hundred or so times she had used a gray spell to try to locate Copper—with no success.
“I am a gray witch, Father. Not a white witch, not a black witch, but gray.”
This time his voice blazed as he spoke in a slow, measured tone. “By the Ancestors, I will disinherit you if you dare say that again.”
“I am a gray witch,” Silver said forcefully. “Copper was—is—a gray witch. We believe in fighting back to protect the innocent and those we love. If that means using magic that leans to gray, we will.”
“That’s it, young witch.” His voice went impossibly lower, yet still had the power to intimidate. Still had the power to make her tremble. “You are no longer—”
His words were suddenly cut off as Moondust Ashcroft came on the line. “Silver, dear,” she said in her ethereal tone. Silver could picture her mother in a flowing white dress, her platinum-gray hair spilling over her shoulders in a shimmering waterfall. Her gray eyes filled with concern.
In the background, Silver heard her father bellow, “Gray witch, my Grimoire. That’s no doubt what brought Copper to her fate. I will not lose another child to this madness.”
“Hi, Mother.” Despite the horrors of the past two days, Silver felt a wash of peace as her attention turned toward her mother. Moondust had that effect on most people, Victor being the exception. But Moondust was the only person who could contradict him, calm him even, take control of a situation without appearing to do so.
“What’s this about being a gray witch?” Concern laced Moondust’s voice. “You know the line between gray and black is so fine...”
“Yes, Mother.” Silver kept her tone even. “But I believe that evil allowed to exist could harm us all. What I’m doing is fighting evil, and I believe that’s a witch’s duty. Protecting the innocent. Balancing the scales of magic. We can’t pretend this is all going to go away if we ignore it.”
Moondust sighed. “My little witch—”
“I’m a full-grown Adept.” Silver pushed her hair over her shoulder as she clenched the phone tighter to her ear with her other hand. “I know what I’m doing.”
Silver imagined the determined look on her mother’s Elvin features as she said, “I think it best if we come for a visit.”
Fear tightened Silver’s gut. “No! Stay in Massachusetts. It’s too dangerous here now.”
Moondust’s voice was soft, musical, but Silver knew all too well that her mother would never waver once she made a decision. “When we’re packed and find a house sitter, we’ll head out on the earliest flight we can catch.”
“You can bet your Book of Shadows we’ll be out there!” her father roared in the background. “Straighten her out.”
No doubt if witches could really fly brooms like in folk tales, or appear and disappear at will, her father would already be standing next to her. Yes, she needed strong witches like her father beside her, but she didn’t want her parents anywhere near the Fomorii.
“It’s not safe.” Urgency and heightened fear rushed Silver. “Let me handle this.”
“See you soon, love,” Moondust said in her peaceful tone. “Blessed be.”
The line clicked. All Silver heard was the hum of the dial tone. A sick feeling filled her belly. Her parents would be here—in danger.
She punched the off button and barely restrained herself from throwing the phone to the far wall. Instead she flung out her arm. Pent-up magic burst from her fingertips, sending her couch pillows flying and tumbling across the room.
One pillow shot past her and took out a vase on an end table, with a smash of glass as it shattered across her hardwood floor. Another pillow slammed into the wall, knocking down an oil painting of the Golden Gate Bridge. The frame broke with a loud crack as it landed. The third pillow gave a soft thud as it hit something directly behind her.
Silver whirled. She stumbled backward as she found herself face-to-face with Hawk. How the warrior had come to be in her apartment so silently, she had no idea. He had one of her sapphire-blue pillows clutched in his big fist and an expression of concern on his handsome features.
Immediately she caught the scent of him. Wild, untamed, and utterly masculine. A thrill rippled through her. The attraction she felt every time he was near was madness.
“What are you doing in my apartment?” She snatched the pillow from him and held it to her chest, doing her best to ignore the immediate effect he had on her. Why did her body tingle from head to toe, just from his mere presence? By all the magic in the city, things were too critical now to be thinking of anything but saving her people.
Besides, she didn’t even know this man, this D’Danann.
“We need to talk,” he said with an apologetic shrug. “Your door was open.”
Silver tossed the pillow back onto the couch and set the phone on her coffee table with a loud thunk. Frustrated, she turned to look at the glass scattered on her floor. Normally she didn’t use her magic so casually, but she was in no mood to mess with it in the human way. She snapped her fingers. The glass scooted across the floor into a pile, until her magic retrieved every piece.
She ignored Hawk while she slipped into her closet-sized kitchen, grabbed the garbage can from beneath the sink, and returned to the living room. With another snap of her fingers, glass shards rose into the air and spilled into the can in a glittering waterfall.
Silver returned the can to the kitchen, and after picking up the broken picture frame and putting it aside, she came back to where Hawk stood. He was so large that he dwarfed his surroundings. His arrogant expression and regal bearing dominated the very air between them. The broadness of his shoulders, the way he carried himself—this was a man who commanded attention, who always got what he wanted.
And he was damned sexy.
Silver flicked her fingers at the front door, and it shut with a loud thump. She stuffed her hands into the pockets of her skirt, plopped down on the cream-colored couch, and sat on the edge of the soft cushions. Immediately she jumped up and began to pace. “We’re wasting time. What is happening? We have to do something.”
Hawk sat on the couch, on the edge, facing her, his sword scabbard lightly scraping the floor. He looked so out of place on the delicate furniture. His black leather clothing was a sharp contrast against the white of the couch, as were his dark looks.
Out of nowhere came a thought that caused her whole body to flare with heat. What would her pale skin look like against his tanned flesh?
Silver brought her thoughts to an abrupt halt, mentally shaking herself. But then her eyes locked with his for one long moment. A connection sizzled as if one of her spellfire balls had grown between them, drawing instead of repelling.
Hawk could barely take a breath as his eyes held Silver’s. But then a movement caught his attention and he tore his gaze from hers. In a flash his dagger was in his hand and poised to strike an enormous snake. It was slinking up the back of the couch behind his shoulders, its tongue flicking out and its wicked eyes focused on Hawk.
His shoulders remained tense even as he realized it was Silver’s godsdamn familiar.
He hated snakes.
Silver moved toward the couch. Gently stroking the snake’s scales, she glanced at Hawk and he could have sworn a smile teased the corner of her mouth. “Don’t you remember Polaris?”
Hawk slowly lowered his dagger, keeping his eyes on the snake. Adrenaline still rushed through his system as he shoved the weapon back into its sheath. The python flicked his tongue at Hawk who just grunted.
The damnable thing was at least eight feet long, and as thick as an apple. A very large apple. Out of every creature in this world, the witch had to have a snake.
Silver perched on the edge of the couch again, opposite Hawk. Polaris eased along her shoulders and partially into her lap so that she was stroking his head.
“You’re the expert on the Fomorii. Tell me what we need to do to send them back where they came from, and we’ll do it,” she said with a combination of conviction and uncertainty in her voice.
Hawk tried not to look at the snake and studied Silver for a long moment. The proud tilt of her chin, the determination in her gray eyes. Gods, she was beautiful. It took effort to focus on her words.
“We need more of my people.” He clenched his hands in frustration that other warriors hadn’t joined him when he’d been summoned. “Only the D’Danann can slay the demons.”
“No killing.” Silver shook her head. “They must have weaknesses that can aid us in returning them to Underworld. They can shape-shift into human form, so they have to have some human weaknesses while they’re changed, right?”
“That will be to our advantage.” He moved his hand to rest on the hilt of his sword.
Silver leaned forward, and Hawk’s gaze dropped to the opening of her blouse. The silky material gaped, exposing the curve of her breasts, and he almost groaned.
“How do we know who they are?” she asked while he struggled to focus on the conversation and not the way her breasts rose and fell in her agitation, beneath the silk of her blouse. “They can look like any human,” she continued. “For all we know, a Fomorii could now be the governor of California.” She frowned. “Which would explain a lot.”
“I can sense them—normally.” He raked his hand through his hair in frustration. “I believe the warlocks’ dark power is shielding them from me somehow.”
Silver’s pretty mouth twisted with concern. “What if they summon more Fomorii?”
“Because the membrane is so thick between Underworld and Otherworlds, it is likely to be difficult for them to bring over more of their kind.” Hawk tapped his thigh with his fingers. “Until the veils are at their thinnest...”
Silver’s eyes widened. “Samhain. That’s when it’s easiest to cross worlds.”
He gave a slow nod.
“Crap.” She rubbed one bare foot over the other. “Tell me more. Maybe something you share will help me scry in my cauldron.”
“They tend to work in legions. Each legion with a leader,” he said. “And likely they found a location to use as a lair and will stay close to it until they summon more of their kind. Not to mention they smell of rotten fish.” He frowned. “Except when in forms other than Fomorii. It makes it very difficult to detect them when they are not in their demon bodies, even without the help of sorcery.”
She slipped Polaris from her shoulders and draped him along the back of the couch as she eased to her feet. “I need to relax so I can think better. I’m going to make a cup of tea. Would you like anything?”
He followed her lead and stood. “Do you have any more cookies?”
Silver rolled her eyes. Hawk wasn’t certain, but he thought he caught the slightest hint of indulgence in her expression. Perhaps a bit of affection? Interest?
Her bare feet padded across the wooden floor until she reached the kitchen tile. “I’ll fix dinner and we’ll talk about what we need to do next.”
With one fleeting glance at Polaris, Hawk took off his weapon belt and draped it over the arm of a chair before following her to the tiny kitchen.
Silver couldn’t escape her over-awareness of Hawk. When he reached the kitchen he hitched his shoulder against the doorway, dominating the space, his arms folded across his broad chest. Hawk’s mere presence unnerved Silver, making her body feel jittery and shivery all at once.
“What would you like to drink?” She peeked into her refrigerator. “I have water and beer.”
“Ale would do,” he said.
She grabbed a bottle from the fridge, popped it open with a bottle opener, and handed it to him. While he took a swig of beer, then made a face and mumbled about strange brewing practices, she put a small copper kettle of water on the stove and turned on the burner. It made a snapping, then a whooshing sound as it came on, followed by the scent of natural gas and flame.
“What is Cassia?” Hawk asked, startling Silver with the bluntness of his question, as well as his surprising intuition.
“An apprentice witch.” She studied Hawk for a moment, then quietly added, “But, to be honest, I don’t know if she’s exactly who or what she claims to be.”
His amber eyes expressed his displeasure with her answer. “Why do you allow her to remain if she has not been honest with you?”
She sighed and opened a cabinet to withdraw her favorite teacup and saucer, the one with colorful sprigs of wildflowers gracing the white porcelain. She reached for a handmade teabag with cinnamon sticks and other spices and placed it in her teacup. “I’ve gone to the high priestess about my feelings, but Janis will hear nothing of it. I’m certain she must know that Cassia is...”
“Something other," Hawk finished for her.
“I guess so.” Silver frowned. For a moment she was silent and heard only the tick of her kitchen clock and the soft hum of the teakettle as the water closed in on its boiling point “But what exactly she may be,” she finally said, “I don’t know.”
The kettle began to whistle and she turned back to the stove and switched off the flame. “However, I don’t think Father would have allowed her near me if he was concerned. She came from the Massachusetts Coven, where my father is high priest.”
Hawk still didn’t look satisfied when she glanced at him, but as far as she was concerned, there was nothing left to say about the apprentice witch. If she was a witch. Silver would never totally let down her guard, and for now that would have to be enough.
Silver tipped the kettle and poured the heated water over the bag in her teacup. The scent of cinnamon filled the air. While the tea steeped, Silver switched on the oven and set the temperature.
Hawk studied her every movement as she focused on throwing together dinner, his eyes dark and sensual. A slight shiver raced through her at the way he was watching her.
From what she remembered from her studies, the Tuatha D’Danann were notorious for their hunger. Part of the legend of the D’Danann was that they even had a cauldron in Otherworld that provided a never-ending supply of food.
Hawk’s stomach growled and she managed a smile. “Hold on. I’ll have something ready in no time.” Silver turned away, opened the fridge, and began retrieving the vegetables, homemade sauce, tofu, goat’s milk cheese, and handmade pasta she needed to make her favorite meal—organic vegetable lasagna. She gathered the ingredients and placed them on the counter.
While she focused on making dinner, she found herself wanting to know more about him. “Do you have any family?”
When she glanced at him she saw sadness sweep across his face. “My wife Davina is dead.” But then the sadness was replaced with a gentle smile. “I do have a beautiful daughter.”
Silver’s heart ached for his loss as she wrapped her hand around the wooden handle of a vegetable knife, preparing to chop up vegetables for the lasagna. “What happened to your wife?”
Hawk hesitated. Cleared his throat. “I saw a venomous snake near our home, the home we lived in before she died. I could have killed it with my dagger, but I feared it, and believed that my aim wouldn’t be true.” He rubbed his eyes as if trying to relieve an ache there. “I went into our quarters to retrieve my sword. When I returned, my mate lay upon the ground. A Basilisk’s fangs had pierced her chest. Poison flowed from her body and I was helpless to save her.” His jaw was tense and his eyes filled with anger. “The Basilisk was nowhere to be found. If only I had not left, if I had killed the snake before it took its true form. I would have gladly died in her place.”
“I know what it’s like to lose somebody very close.” Silver swallowed and put her hand on Hawk’s. “I’m sorry.”
“I do not deserve your sympathy.” He pulled away from her. “I should have slain the filthy serpent with my dagger the instant I saw it.”
For a long moment silence filled the kitchen. Silver didn’t know what to say. Finally a question spilled from her lips that she’d had no intention of asking. “Why do you fear snakes?”
Hawk ran his palm down his face and for a moment he looked tired. So, so tired. “Keir.” His jaw clenched. “When I was a child, my fosterling brother always played tricks on me. He was jealous because he was the bastard son of my father and did not know his mother, whereas I was born of my father’s true union.
“One day he made a pit and filled it with countless snakes he had captured in the woods.” Now the look in Hawk’s eyes changed to fury. “I was so young, so small. Keir shoved me into the pit. It wasn’t very deep, so he knew I wouldn’t be hurt... But the snakes. They crawled all over me. Inside my tunic, over my head, into my boots. I did not know they were not venomous, and I was beyond terrified.”
Hawk’s throat worked. “My father came to my aid and punished Keir. For weeks upon weeks I had nightmares of snakes crawling over me, eating me, killing everyone I knew. I should have outgrown the fear, but I never did.” His voice was rough and filled with both anger and remorse.
Silver set aside the knife she had been using to cut vegetables as he spoke. She went to him and reached up to cup his cheeks in her hands. He felt warm and real, his stubble rough beneath her palms. His eyes were tortured as his gaze locked with hers. “I’m so sorry, Hawk.” She slipped her arms around his neck and placed her cheek against his chest and hugged him, giving him what support and comfort she could.
He was tense beneath her arms, but then relaxed and hugged her back for a few long moments. When they finally parted, she brushed a lock of his long dark hair from his face. “Nothing I say can make you feel better, but I hope one day you will realize it wasn’t your fault Davina died.”
He gripped her shoulders and set her apart from him, his features hardening back to a stoic mask. “That I shall never believe.”
Silver sighed and turned back to preparing dinner. “You must miss your daughter when you’re away from your home.”
“Aye.” He sighed. “If not for my duties as a warrior—duties I chose—I would be home with her now.”
She finished slicing an eggplant on a wooden cutting board. She grabbed a zucchini and chopped the vegetable as she spoke. “What’s your daughter’s name?”
Silver glanced at Hawk and saw a smile of pride cross his handsome features. “Shayla. She is beautiful. Strong-willed, and perhaps impetuous, like her father.” His smile melted into a frown and a sigh. “I miss her and never leave her for long. She is still so young, even by Earth’s standards.”
Silver nodded and grabbed a yellow crookneck squash and began to chop it up for the vegetable lasagna. “Of course. Shayla needs you.”
Knowing that Hawk was a father, a loving one, she saw him in a whole new light. He had seemed dangerous and exciting, as well as protective, caring, and kind, even if on the arrogant and dominating side.
Now she tried to picture him holding a beautiful child with dark hair and amber eyes like his own. Kissing the little girl’s forehead, hugging her tight, and tucking her into bed.
The thought warmed her heart. What would it be like to have a child? Being so busy with the shop and the D’Anu Coven kept her from thinking about things like having a family, with young witches of her own. She’d had occasional relationships with men, but had parted with each man on friendly terms. Her spirit had always been free and she’d never found a man she wanted to bond with.
After she finished chopping all the vegetables, Silver took another sip of tea to calm herself. She then withdrew a pan from a cabinet and began layering the sauce, pasta, tofu, vegetables, and cheese. When she was finished she slipped the pan into the oven. Hot air rolled over her through the open door before she closed it.
Silver stepped back. “It shouldn’t take too long until it’s done.”
“What, you can’t magically bake it?” Hawk said with a smile, and his stomach rumbled loud enough for her to hear again.
Silver withdrew a bag of frozen homemade breadsticks from the small combination freezer/refrigerator. “I could use spellfire, but I’m not sure you’d be up to charred lasagna.”
“Right now I could eat anything.” He shifted against the doorframe as she arranged half a dozen breadsticks on a baking sheet, then set it aside.
Silver paused on her way to the fridge, and his gaze caught hers. The sudden energy between them was so palpable that hair prickled on her arms and at her nape. She forced herself to turn away, to tear her gaze from his. She opened the fridge and withdrew a bunch of romaine lettuce, a tomato, and carrots and took them to the counter.
‘Tell me about your family,” Hawk said.
Was his voice husky, or was she imagining what she wanted to hear?
Silver paused in mid-motion, then tore pieces of the romaine and tossed them into the bowl. “My mother and father live in Salem, Massachusetts.” Tension gripped her body at her next thought. “But they’ll be coming soon, after they find a house sitter and catch a flight here.” She glanced at Hawk. “I really don’t want them anywhere near the Fomorii, but what can I do?”
He shifted. “What are they like?” he asked.
She gave a small shrug. “Mother is beautiful and the calm at the center of the storm.” Her mouth quirked as she glanced at Hawk. “My father is the storm.”
“And siblings?”
Silver finished slicing the tomatoes and tossed them onto the lettuce, then withdrew a grater from another cabinet for the carrots. “One.”
When she didn’t say anything further, he said, “And...”
“She’s missing.” She swallowed the last of her tea, then finished grating the carrots and added them to the bowl of salad.
Without looking at Hawk, she started to clean the counter, wash the dirty utensils and put them away. “About a year ago, Copper vanished after she’d left to perform a ritual. One day she was here, living with me and helping me with the store, and the next she was just gone.”
‘There were no clues?” Hawk’s voice lowered, concern in his tone.
“One.” Silver concentrated on washing her hands and drying them on a towel hanging on a hook on the cabinet beside the sink. “An outline of Balor’s eye had been drawn in the sand. The Balorites must have had a hand in her disappearance.”
Memories of her sister washed over Silver as she braced her hands on the porcelain sink and stared at the ring of rust around the drain. “She was so full of life. There was a sparkle to her. The mischievous gleam in her green eyes, the soft glow of her copper hair. And her clumsiness. She would look so beautiful and elegant, and then trip over her own feet. But she laughed. She always laughed.”
Hawk came up so quietly behind Silver that his touch startled her when he rubbed his palms along her upper arms and then began to massage her shoulders, her neck, her upper back. His fingers were so strong, so sure. The scent of the lasagna drifted through the kitchen and she heard his stomach rumble again.
The room became quiet, a comfortable silence that lasted while his touch relaxed her, calmed her. She leaned into his grip, welcomed the strength of his hands. Until that moment she hadn’t realized just how much she needed this.
When she finally turned to face him, he braced his hands on the sink to either side of her, caging her with his arms. “You are so very beautiful,” he murmured in that incredibly sexy Irish brogue that sent waves of desire through her.
He studied her with those eyes that seemed to see straight into her heart and soul. The heat of his body warmed hers, even though he was inches from her. His scent was intoxicating, filling her in a way she’d never been filled before. She felt comforted by his presence, yet completely aware of him as a man. A man who attracted her like no other man had ever done.
The strong smell of lasagna caught her attention. She had no idea how much time had passed. She ducked beneath one of his arms and grabbed a pair of blue and white potholders dangling on a hook by the stove. “This kitchen is so tiny. You’ll have to step back so I can open the oven door.”
Hawk moved back to the doorway, and she brought the bubbling pan of lasagna out of the oven and set it on a hot pad. While it cooled a bit, she slipped a pan of breadsticks into the oven to brown. The entire time the bread was in the oven, he kept looking at the lasagna and his stomach rumbled like a lion. She was tempted to grin. She enjoyed making him wait. He looked like such a little boy.
She swallowed the rest of her tea and then decided to add crumbled goat’s milk cheese to the salad. After the breadsticks were browned, Hawk helped her by carrying the pan of lasagna to the dining area, along with the salad and a bowl filled with the cloth-covered bread.
The table was in a tiny nook situated in one of the bay windows that looked out onto the steep hill below, where she had a view of other businesses, apartments, and the Transamerica building. She brought another bottle of beer for Hawk from the fridge, and made herself a cup of hot citrus tea, with a sweet orange scent to it.
While they ate, Silver watched Hawk. He devoured the meal like a man who hadn’t eaten in days. She only played with the food on her plate, her mind returning to what had happened to her Coven, trying to figure out what she needed to do. She set her fork on her plate and rubbed her arms, attempting to control that antsy feeling that she was going to crawl out of her skin if she didn’t do something now. But right now she had no place to start. How could she make plans when she didn’t even know where her Coven had been taken?
Hawk ate everything except what was on her plate. He wolfed down almost the entire pan of lasagna, five bread- sticks, and the rest of the salad.
After he was done, he wiped his mouth with one of the blue cotton napkins and gave her a boyish look. “Have any more of those cookies?”
Silver laughed and moved into the kitchen. “I think I can whip up some for you.”
Again he watched as he followed her. He obviously felt comfortable in her home by the casual way he reclined against her counter. After she gathered all the ingredients, she began measuring them into a bowl. She had a feeling she’d never have enough chocolate chip cookies for this man.
In a large handmade pottery bowl, she combined butter, brown and white sugars, vanilla, and eggs. Separately she sifted together salt, baking soda, flour, and tossed the dry mixture into the pottery bowl. Everything she used was organic and of the finest quality, just as the shop’s café did. She chose a wooden spoon out of a fat crock of utensils, stuck it into the bowl, tossed in the chocolate chips and started stirring.
While she blended the ingredients, she glanced at Hawk. “Now, why don’t you fill me in about the Fomorii and the D’Danann?”
Hawk frowned as if trying to determine exactly what to tell her. “We are the people of the goddess Dana. We were the last generation of gods to rule Ireland before the Milesius invasion. We left to be in our own sidhe, a subterranean court in an Otherworld.” His features softened. “It is a world of beauty”—he paused—“and dangers.”
“I read as much in the ancient scrolls.” Silver gave a slow nod. “But what about the Fomorii?”
“At the second battle of Magh Tuireadh we defeated the Fomorii with our superior abilities and with four great talismans,” Hawk said. “As you witnessed, no doubt, the Fomorii are violent and misshapen demons. Evil beings led by the most evil of all—Balor.” Hawk looked troubled at that. “If the Fomorii summon Balor, things will not bode well for your battle.”
A lump formed in her throat at the thought. “Bastards.”
“The goddess Dana sent the Fomorii to Otherworld after we defeated them.” Hawk’s mouth thinned into a grim line. “They preyed upon any races they could capture. The beasts can take over any body they wish to by simply touching their prey. When they move on to another host, they leave behind nothing but an empty shell.”
While Hawk talked, Silver stopped stirring the dough. She began scooping out golf-ball-sized amounts of the dough onto a cookie sheet until a dozen large cookies were arranged on the pan.
‘The D’Danann lived in another part of Otherworld, so we were not troubled by the Fomorii,” Hawk said. “The D’Danann Enforcers were called upon by the Shanai who begged for our assistance. Our elders agreed. We answered their call and again battled the Fomorii. At first we had much difficulty defeating them, as they had developed great fighting skills in Otherworld.”
Hawk gestured as he spoke, and Silver found herself fascinated by his strong hands and his long fingers as he told the story.
“Then the tide of battle turned,” he continued, “when the Elves and Fae suspended our differences long enough to work together to defeat the Fomorii. We rounded up every one of the demons we could find. We sent them to exile in Underworld.”
Silver slid the large pan of cookies into the oven, shut the door, and set the timer. “How did you do that?”
Hawk eyed the oven hungrily. “The Druids now reside in Otherworld, along with other powerful sorcerers and shamans and guardians. With their aid, the Fomorii were sent to roam the depths of the earth, beneath the oceans and lakes. The climate is sufficient to support life, and they have plenty of nutritious slugs and other below-ground creatures to eat. It isn’t luxurious, but more than the beasts deserve. Otherwise they would have been sentenced to death.”
Silver pushed her hair out of her face as it occurred to her that these D’Danann stood for what she didn’t believe in. No matter how evil they were, did the beings the D’Danann fought deserve death? Banishment, yes. Death, no.
“It wasn’t until now that some of the Fomorii escaped exile.” Hawk glanced at the remaining chocolate chip cookie dough in the bowl. “May I?”
Silver raised an eyebrow and handed him the bowl. Hawk used the wooden spoon to scoop out some of the cookie dough and took a big bite. He closed his eyes for a moment and he gave an orgasmic groan of pleasure. He opened his eyes and dug into the dough. With a smile she just shook her head and watched him devour it.
“Since the D’Danann are neutrally aligned, they may not help us like they helped the Shanai,” Silver said quietly, keeping her gaze focused on Hawk.
He sighed and put the spoon back into the bowl. “This is true. If the Elders believe it is time for the Fomorii’s rule again, then they will do nothing.”
Silver bit the inside of her cheek, hard, before she responded. “And you?”
His eyes met hers. “I want to send the bastards back where they belong. Back to Underworld.”
She felt as if some of the load had been lifted from her shoulders. If Hawk agreed to help, wouldn’t other D’Danann?
By the time Hawk polished off the cookie dough and all the baked cookies, it was late. Silver had cleaned the kitchen and washed the rest of the dishes, and found herself dragging. It had been a long couple of days and she was beyond exhausted. She needed to be fresh and energized tomorrow if she was going to find her Coven. She had no doubt in her mind that she would.
She was still in the cramped kitchen, with Hawk blocking the doorway, when she was ready to drop. Silver held her hand over her mouth, trying to suppress a yawn. “I don’t suppose you have anywhere to stay.” She gave him a teasing glance. “Or roost.”
Hawk stared at her with those molten amber eyes and she froze. For what seemed like time on end their gazes remained locked.
Magical feelings sparkled throughout her body and suddenly she wasn’t so tired any longer. Lust built within until it burned through her, hot and fiery. A need so deep she couldn’t deny it any longer.
And she had no doubt he was imagining the same thing she was—
The two of them. In her bed. Naked. Now.
Silver mentally shook herself. What was she thinking? One day of getting to know Hawk and she wanted to have wild and crazy sex with the man? Repeatedly.
Yes!
No.
She took a deep, centering breath and moved toward him. “Excuse me,” she said as she tried to squeeze by, tried to escape the confines of the kitchen and the power of his presence. She needed to—had to—do something.
Instead of letting her pass, Hawk caught her by her shoulders and pinned his gaze on hers. He lowered his head, and his mouth was so close she only had to move a bit and their lips would meet. His masculine scent of leather and forest breezes enveloped her and she tasted his warm breath as it danced upon her lips.
How she wanted to kiss him.
No. This is crazy.
Who cares?
“Thank you, Silver,” he murmured.
“For what?” Her own voice was barely a whisper.
“This,” he said, and brought his lips to hers.