Chapter 10

Spellbound.

The very thought that Tamarinda was spellbound made him almost forget his quest. That single notion was as intoxicating as the thought of his talisman itself.

A spellbound human. He hadn’t seen one of those in eons—truly, eons. Magic had all but disappeared from this world. The prospect made him want to dance with glee. In fact, he would do just that—

On his way through the waiting room, he spied the young woman with the oddly-colored hair sitting near the door. He seized her by the hand, pulled her up and whirled about the room with her.

Perhaps a little too quickly for a mortal to keep up. Ah, well, her head was probably spinning before he’d grabbed her. It would explain the wardrobe. And the choice of perfume.

He dropped the woozy girl back into her seat and bowed before skipping out the door, the sounds of her shaky laughter following him out into the hall.

The thrill of fire dancing still coursed through his veins like liquid flame. Tamarinda’s stern look and harsh reprimand had done little to dampen it. To be in his true form, a twist of blue flame, oxygen in a rush of combustion, blooming, consuming, every nerve aware—there was no sweeter release.

And to have done it with her so close by, the scent of her skin filling his head, the sound of her lovely voice, shouting to be heard over his own inferno—

Of course, he’d planned on seducing her to reclaim his talisman. Women were simple creatures who responded very well to pleasure. Fortunate thing mortal men were selfish lovers. Some playful lover’s talk, a bit of physical generosity—women were putty in his hands. Tamarinda should be no different.

But she was different. No one had ever played hard to get with him.

No woman in her right mind would. Was she in her right mind? Ironic, her choice of profession—

He paused, looking over his shoulder at the now-closed office door. Hmm. Maybe there was something to that…

The tell-tale gleam of magic had flashed from the back of her dark eyes. And the strength of the spell—it had to be tremendous, to keep her from escaping the death trap he’d conjured. That magic must be the root of all her stubbornness. She was terribly set on playing hard to get with him.

He licked his lips, slowly, thinking about the way she trembled when he held her close to him. He’d emanated a vast quantity of heat, intending to melt her chilly disposition just a little bit more. A normal woman would have puddled in his arms. A normal woman would have turned to simmered cream in his hands.

But she was not a normal woman.

And that made him want her all the more.

He ducked into the elevator and urged the car downward faster than the mechanics would normally travel, causing the gears to groan in protest. He needed to get home, to get away from the prying eyes of gawking humanity. He needed to get back to a safe place so he could retake that beautiful blue flame form and wear himself out with it. Tamarinda brought out his inner beast.

Time to let the tiger run free before it devoured him.