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Chapter Ten
Xander
I wait until Rowan is long gone before I shift back into human form. She’d been frightened of me. She hadn’t run during the fight, even though she had the chance. No, she’d only decided to run when faced with my dragon.
For some reason, that stings.
I shake my head. Since fucking when do I care about the opinions of witches? She was smart to run. Should have done it sooner, if she had any sense.
No, what really stings are these gashes in my ribcage where that monster ripped into me. I look down and grimace. There’s blood everywhere, and some of it is black. Not good at all. Especially because I don’t even know what I fought.
I can tell it’s something demonic. Could smell the brimstone pouring off the thing. But demons run the gamut, and I need to know exactly what I’m up against. What sort of evil has come into my territory? And most importantly, did someone summon it, or is it acting of its own accord?
It’s clear that whatever the thing is, it’s connected to Sybil’s murder. It can’t be a coincidence that this creature was stalking Rowan near her house. But I’m still not any closer to figuring out who’s behind all of this. Who, or what. And why? I’m not a fan of witches, but I care even less for murderers running around in my woods. Now that I know something demonic is at play? That’s a thousand times worse.
Fuck.
What’s strange is that Sybil’s body was almost unmarred. It didn’t look like the work of a creepy horned slasher monster. That thing had little finesse, other than its cowardly disappearing act. Why the poison in Sybil’s system? It doesn’t add up.
I growl and stalk out of the meadow. I need to make sure Rowan actually gets home safe without that monster showing up again. As I move, I catch the scent of her perfume, and something inside me tightens. I clench my jaw and growl again.
As a man, I respect women and always treat them accordingly. But the dragon within… the dragon within wants Rowan. Wants to claim her in the most animalistic way. My head tells me to stay away from her. She’s a witch. Powerful. Dangerous. My enemy on all counts. But my body and my beast desire something entirely different.
Earlier that morning, when I’d had her pinned to the wall near the sheriff’s office, it was all I could do not to lift her skirt, run my lips down every inch of her body, and bury my head between her legs. Taste her sweet magic until she screamed my name. Just thinking of it now makes me hard.
After I’m sure that Rowan is home safe, I flee to my sanctuary. Penance is owed for these desires. Desires that are forbidden. Desires that can never be satiated. I clench my fists until blood springs up on my palms. I have got to snap the hell out of it, inner dragon or no.
My vow is more important. My vow is everything.
