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Chapter Seven
Skylar
The book in my lap felt heavier than it was, matching the weight in the pit of my stomach. How were we going to pull this off? We needed two demons and I was only half. Besides, I didn’t know if I even had enough magic to make anything happen.
The hellfire I produced came flooding back to my memory, reminding me that there had to be something there. But I had no idea how I’d created that or how to duplicate it.
I glanced over at Xander. His gaze was fixed on the road and he looked lost in thought. There was a lot to consider after what we’d learned. It was possible this would work and we’d be able to move on.
It was possible it would fail completely.
Then what?
Where were we supposed to find a friendly demon to help us destroy this thing?
“Hey, we’re going to figure this out,” Xander said.
I looked over at him, a little surprised by his comment. It was like he was in my head. Was it the bond? I was good at sensing other’s emotions but hadn’t let myself reach out to Xander. In fact, I’d kept myself pretty closed down since arriving at the safe house.
He nodded then turned back to the road.
Cautiously, I opened up my senses, letting magic flow through me. I could feel the hum of Xander’s shifter magic vibrating around me. There was also a gentle current, like a tide, pushing and pulling. It connected the two of us, flowing without slowing. The constant flow between us was comfortable, soothing even. It made me feel relaxed and at peace.
Was that the bond?
It surprised me. I expected something more electric after the way I felt when we kissed. Heat instantly rose in my center and I squeezed my thighs together, startled by the sudden lust. Where had that come from?
Quickly, I closed my senses down again. It was complicating things too much. I knew I wanted to complete the bond with Xander. There wasn’t any hesitation in my mind when I considered it but now wasn’t the time. We had a trio of demons after us. Add in the fact that it was possible I’d be able to shift after having sex with him. It complicated things. While I knew Xander wanted me, hell, he told me he loved me, I didn’t want him to think I was using him.
We had to get rid of the stone. Then I could figure out what was going on in my heart. That was the responsible thing to do, right?
I opened the book and started on the first page, skimming over the notes about herbs and recipes for potions. Most of them were for simple things. Treatment for warts, a liquid ice potion to take the edge of burns, and poultices for various poisons. I wasn’t sure who the book had belonged to, but if I had to guess, it was a healer.
In a way, that made me feel a little better about finding out I was half demon. If there were demons out there recording ways to treat maladies, they couldn’t all be bad. Plus, there was Elias. I wasn’t sure I’d classify him asgood,but he certainly wasn’t the bloodthirsty kill first, ask questions later type we were told demons were.
David, on the other hand, might be part of where that rumor got legs. I still wasn’t sure why he really spared me. Just being half demon didn’t seem like enough for him. Maybe I threw him off guard. Either way, I wasn’t going to chance I’d get lucky again. I was certain that if he had me pinned again, things would go very differently.
“What else is in the book?” Xander asked.
“Mostly healing and potions,” I said.
“Like what?” he asked.
I started reading the titles of the notes in the book. Flipping through, I read one after the other. We laughed about some of them and it helped lighten the mood. I turned the page and my jaw dropped at the title of this potion. “Love potion.”
“No way,” Xander said. “I thought those were a myth.”
I shook my head. “That’s what we were taught.” Dragging my fingers over the text, I skimmed the notes. “The author tried this one a lot. There’s crossed off ingredients and changes in the margins.”
“Wow, dedication,” Xander said.
“No kidding. None of the others had this many corrections,” I said.
“You thinking of trying it out?” he joked.
“No thanks,” I said. “I’m already in over my head with mates as it is.”
“You do know you have a choice,” he said.
