Wolf’s blood,I reminded myself, and my gut clenched, my mind flooding with nightmarish images of Emilio lying on that concrete floor, torn up and broken and writhing in pain, one faint heartbeat away from death’s door…
No.I couldn’t go down that road. Going down that road meant falling apart, and right now, I had to keep it together. For Gray. For Ronan and Darius. For Haley and Reva. For the other witches out there—strong, amazing women who’d just jumped out of the frying pan only to find out they’d still have to walk through fire, still have to face the Darkwinter and the hunters and whatever other crazy shit was waiting for all of us around the next corner.
“My hair feels like yarn.” Too soon, Gray pulled out of my embrace and reached up to wring out her hair. “And not the soft kind.”
Honestly, I was grateful for the distraction. Clearing the tightness from my throat, I pushed away the lingering thoughts of Emilio and grabbed the shampoo.
“Ever had your hair washed by a demon?” I teased, forcing myself to keep it light. Simple. Un-fucking-complicated in the face of the epically tangled, supremely fucked-up maze we were all stuck inside.
“No,” she said. Despite the exhaustion in her eyes, her mouth curved into a playful smile. “Only by a vampire.”
“Wait. What? You letBeaumontwash your hair? Seriously?”
She nodded, new mischief glinting in her eyes.
Keep talking. Keep distracting her from the blood still swirling at our feet…
“You’re fucking kidding me,” I said. “Well, screw that bloodsucker. I’mwaybetter at this. Turn around.”
With a small laugh, she did as I asked, and I eased her head back, squeezing shampoo into my palms and gently massaging it into her scalp.
She sighed, the sound of it more like pleasure than relief. I was taking that as a good sign.
“Told you,” I said. “Waybetter than Beaumont.”
“Not better. Just different.”
“Oh, I beg to differ, Cupcake.” I pressed my thumbs into the base of her skull and massaged upward, working my fingers across her scalp, unleashing the scent of mint and lavender—some expensive-ass spa shit that probably belonged to Emilio’s sister. A soft moan escaped Gray’s lips, and she shivered, despite the heat of the shower.
“Um, okay,” she breathed. “Where did you learn how to do this, exactly?”
“First admit I’m better at washing hair than the bloodsucker, then I’ll tell you.”
“You each have different… strengths and… and skills,” she said, the pleasure taking hold of her, making her gasp. “Okay. You… you’re better at this. You’re fucking amazing at this.”
“Cosmetology school,” I blurted out.
At this, she let loose a full-on laugh, turning around to meet my eyes. “Seriously, Ash? Cosmetology school?”
I nodded.
“You’re kidding me.”
“Hey. I wouldn’t joke about something like good hair, Gray. Close your eyes and rinse.” I guided her head back under the water, careful to block the soap from her eyes. “Natural talent can only get you so far. Crafting beautiful hair artistry takes training, practice, and experience, and you can’t just—”
“You are themostfull-of-shit demon I’ve ever met.” She laughed and tipped her head up, blinking the water from her eyes and looping her arms around my neck again.Fucking bliss.“Asher, the friendly neighborhood demonic hairstylist? Please. You were just trying to pick up girls.”
“Demonic hairdesigner.” I lifted a shoulder. “Besides, maybetheywere trying to pickmeup. Ever think of that? Not that I could blame them.”
“Of course not,” she said, dragging a finger down my chest, tracing a spiral pattern on my abs that had my cock stirring again. “Who could resist this? Big, bad incubus on the outside. Sensitive, artistic hairstylist—sorry, hairdesigner—on the inside…”
“That does sound like a winning combo, doesn’t it?” I grabbed her hand and brought it to my mouth, pressing a kiss to her fingers. It’s not that I minded her touch—the opposite, actually. I just didn’t know how much longer I could resist the siren call of her body, her smooth skin, her luscious lips, the tug of her magic… The last thing I wanted to do was scare her off with my insatiable appetite.
No matter what I felt about her, we’d only been together the one time, and that was just to save my ass from the devil’s trap Jonathan had injected into my bloodstream. Now, despite the fact that we were both standing here naked, I still wasn’t a hundred percent clear on her feelings for me. This thing between us—whatever it was now, whatever it was destined to become—it was all her call. It had to be.
Because the last woman I’d claimed as my own, the last one I’d claimed on my terms… she ended up dead.
So I held Gray’s hand and smiled and waited for her to make another joke, some crack about me picking up girls or becoming a beauty school dropout, but the jokes didn’t come. Her eyes had turned serious once again. She pulled her hand from my grip and slid her palm against my cheek, her thumb brushing my lips.
