Page 22 of The Slayer Seduction

His head lulls and he passes out and I’m just sitting there, completely shell-shocked. I look over at Scarlett and she raises her shoulders in a foxy shrug.

“I kind of like him,” she says and I blink at her.

“What?” I nearly shriek back.

“He got through the wards, he’s not here to harm you, he says he’s your mate. Does anything about him remind you of your visions?” Scarlett asks.

I glance at the sleeping man, thinking back to my visions of black eyes, bound wrists, and pleading screams. Scarlett doesn’t answer as she sniffs him again, like she’s doing magical forensics.

“He doesn’t smell like other men.”

“And how do other men smell?” I ask her, continuing my examination of the man tied to the bed.

“Stinky, and sometimes dripping in evil.”

I want to sigh at her response, but I don’t. Scarlett has never been a big fan of men, not even the male familiars. Yet, the one she likes is this one?

“What about the warning he gave when his eyes weren’t voided out?”

“We keep him tied up until we know for sure.”

I groan at her response, but what else am I going to do? Drop a clearly paranormal being off at a human hospital? Leave him to die?

None of those were options. Instead, I head downstairs, cleaning up the broken glass as Scarlett plays warden to our guest. Remembering what I promised my grandmother, I call her right away.

Not even a few minutes later, she portals herself outside of my shop.

“Where is he?” she asks, her hand firmly wrapped around her cane.

“Upstairs.”

It’s a combination of sheer will and magic that gets her up the stairs.

“Grandma!” Scarlett says happily, pouncing off the bed and running through her feet.

“Hello, sweet thing,” she tells the fox as she approaches the bed. She sits down on the mattress, grabbing the man’s wrist, feeling his pulse point. “He barged in here with a wound, you said?”

“Yes. Nearly bled out in the shop.” Then I tell her every single detail of the night, not leaving a thing out.

She rubs her fingers over her head in thought before turning in my direction.

“I can’t sense any evil intentions from him, not toward you, quite the opposite,” she says, touching his hand again. “It’s best to keep him here until we figure out what he is and what his relevance is to your…predicament.”

“You want me to just leave him here tied to my bed?”

“Do you have any other ideas?” she asks and I plop down onto the chair, rubbing my temples.

A vision flares to life in my mind and, for the first time, it isn’t a bad one. It’s quick, nearly so fast I can’t register it, but I swear it’s a large male hand petting down Scarlett’s fur.

I’m jolted to the present, Scarlett staring at me with blinking eyes and my grandmother looking contemplative, unaware of my vision.

“Well, do you have any other ideas?” she repeats and I sigh dramatically. “The wards are extremely specific. The moment he chooses to cause you harm, the building will toss him out.”

It’s the only reason I’m even entertaining any of this. Plus, the multiple warnings of what happens if I don’t pay the price of this curse. I can’t put anyone else in my coven in danger. It’s one thing to put my life on the line, but I’d never risk the people I love more than anything.

“What do you think he is?”

“Not sure. You said his eyes were completely black and that he healed quickly? Perhaps when he wakes up, he’ll be more willing to talk than you realize. If your potions aren’t working, he’ll be out of commission for a while. I’ll do some digging and see what I can find out, and you work your magic on him.”