Justin’s POV
I burst out laughing. “You three play one hell of a prank. A demon? Yeah, right.”
“I wish we were joking,” Randy said. “Selina Crow left us the information and fled. She’s one of a handful of witches and wizards left, and they’re only alive because they hid from the Huntsman. But we looked up the Huntsman’s middle name and found Orias on the list of Solomon’s demons. Orias is thousands of years old. And like most demons, he has a gift of making trouble when he visits Earth.”
“This article is one Selina Crow did,” Randy explained, “outlining all of the demons Solomon summoned thousands of years ago, what they’re capable of, and where they might be now. It seems Orias was on Earth making trouble one hundred and thirty years ago when Jacob Cypress’s mother caught his eye.”
“Whether he took some human form and created a fictional relationsh
Justin’s POVSweet relief washed through me when Helen said she hadn’t slept with anyone else. Beowulf growled out that he didn’t believe her, but I ignored him the way he’d ignored me earlier.“Then are you suffering?” I asked Helen.“Not that I can tell. I assume that’s normal. I doubt the whole pack went through life either in pain because they were horny and not getting sex or involved in a sexual encounter. If I use my body as a guide, it’s just maintaining itself. I’m not getting any stronger, but I don’t feel any weaker, either. Does that make sense?”“Yes.” I cupped her chin and rubbed my thumb across her cheek. “Someday, I’ll earn enough of your trust back that we can sleep together again properly. Then we’ll take it slow and see how powerful the two of us can make you.”“Beowulf is good with this plan?” she asked.
Helen’s POVComing back to Justin’s father’s mansion was like returning to a bad dream. Even the smell of the gardens around the place conjured up horrible images in my mind and feelings in my chest. The closer we got to the property, the harder I prayed that we would find something in Juden’s library that would validate this whole trip and all of these nasty feelings. Otherwise, what a waste it would be not only to spend the time coming all the way out here but to dredge up all the joint horrors of our past.When we arrived, Justin went to the door and tried his key in the lock. Frustration took over his face, and he tried to jam the key in a second time.“My father’s been here,” he growled. “He’s changed the locks.”“Should we break a window to get in?” Randy said, tossing a rock up in the air and catching it, a wicked grin on his face.Justin shook his head. “I don’t think he’s here, or he’d have either come out to meet us himself or sent someone out to greet us, either in a good o
Helen’s POV“So, Lisa,” I said. “Do you live around here?”She nodded. “For the past six months or so. I live across town. Thankfully, my house sits on a street that leads straight here to work. So even though the walk is fairly long, it’s a straight shot.” Hot, fragrant tea dribbled into the cup she worked with.“That’s nice,” I said, fumbling to keep the conversation natural while I fished for information. “Where does your husband work?”She shook her head. “I’m not married or mated.”I bit back my grin and tried to tamp down my swelling hope. After all, even if Lisa was single, she might not like Russo. But at least we were getting somewhere hopeful.“A boyfriend then?” I pressed.“Not recently,” she said, putting a generous dollop of whipped cream on the top of my chai.“That’s too bad,” I said without meaning a word of it.”She shot me a look I couldn’t quite read. “It’s not too bad. He was a jerk.”“Oh, I see.”She snapped a lid on my cup and handed it to me.“Like I said,” I st
Helen’s POVFive minutes before the end of Lisa’s shift, a young werewolf walked in and tied an apron around his waist, taking a place behind the counter. “Is everything going all right today, Lisa?” he asked.She nodded. “This is my friend, Helen. I’m going with her after work.”He smiled at the two of us. “I’m thrilled to see you making friends, Lisa. I’ve always worried that you were going to be a little bit lonely. Are you working the closing shift tomorrow?”She shook her head. “No. I’m off tomorrow. But I’ll see you again the day after.”The bells on the door jangled as another customer opened the door and walked to the counter.“Hi, Brad,” the male werewolf now working the counter greeted him. “The usual for everybody at the store tonight?”Brad nodded his head, and the werewolf got to work fixing cups of coffee which he already seemed to know. Lisa hung her apron up on a hook at the back wall and came around the corner to join me.“Let’s go meet these friends of yours,” she sa
Helen’s POVLisa slouched back in the chair with a sigh. “Well, I guess I’m not going anywhere anytime soon. Because if you’re going to perform that sort of magic, you’re definitely going to need a witch or a wizard. And I don’t know any others are hiding right now.”I reached for her hand and then stopped. She didn’t know me well enough for that. But I wanted her to see the sincerity in my eyes.“I didn’t intend for you to have to fight the Huntsman with us,” I said. “When I made your acquaintance and suggested you come back to meet my friend, I was honestly only considering the comfort of you and Russo. If you don’t want to get involved in this mess, I fully understand. All you have to do is say the word, and we’ll find someone else.”Russo nodded in agreement, and Lisa cast a look between him and me and then back again. She rubbed her face, looking tired all of a sudden. “As much as I would like to say ‘go find someone, anyone else,’ I can’t. I don’t know how long it will take you
Helen’s POVI wandered the room, running my fingers across the titles. Some were new and shiny, and some were so old you could barely read the script on the binding anymore. I paused at one of these, where the gold lettering was nearly smudged out, and pulled it towards me so that I could see more clearly what it was.When I took the book, the whole bookshelf slid out and rotated to reveal a back side that had been hidden inside the wall. That side of the bookshelf was also lined with books, but these were titles that were much more interesting. Here, there were books on magic and herb lore and histories.“Guys, check out what I found,” I called.I didn’t really need to say anything, though. Because as soon as the bookcase had moved, all the other four were paying very close attention to what I’d discovered.“What exactly did you find?” Russo said, coming over and peering at the titles.Randy and Justin hurried to join him.“This is amazing,” Randy gasped out. “These are the sorts of
Helen’s POV Randy frowned and stared at Lisa. “Do you live with anyone?” he asked. She shook her head. “Do you have family or close friends around who can keep tabs on you?” She shook her head again. “Why? she asked. “I think you’d better stay with us,” Randy suggested. “I can’t see to your security if you go home alone. And you’ve been seen with us. The people who get close to us have a tendency to end up being used for bad purposes. I would hate to see you hurt in any way just for trying to help us out.” She looked frightened for a moment. Randy smiled at her. “Don’t worry. If you’re here, you’re under our protection. You’re safe. It’s only if you leave for home that it’s a problem.” “But what about my job?” she asked with a tremble in her voice. “I have tomorrow off, but if I have to stay with you for protection, it might take longer than one more day. I mean, clearly, it’s going to take longer than a day.” S
Helen’s POVJustin nibbled at my earlobe, running his hands up and down the length of my back. “Tonight will be amazing. I have an idea. It’s still early enough that we have some time to settle in with one another. We’ll take turns taking off as much clothing as we’re comfortable with seeing the other person in. Then we’ll climb in bed, and I want to snuggle my wife.”I blushed at the thought, drawing a warm chuckle from him.“I want to play with you,” he continued softly, “and when we hit your limit, or if I’ve hit mine, all we have to do is say the word, and we’ll stop.”“What if I need to stop part way?” I asked. “You know how rough our sex can get. What if you get all the way inside me, and we’re doing something, and it’s too much, and I can’t handle it?”He let out a purring growl next to my cheek, kissing along my neck. &ldq