Bewitching the Beast Page 26

  “Tess!” Ethan fought to move, but Kade pinned him to the wall like living art.

  Kade stepped toward her as his magic held Ethan in place. She scrambled away, fear moving her faster than she thought possible. He followed. Putting the bed between them, she snatched up the bedside lamp and used her softball pitching arm to let it fly.

  Would’ve been helpful if she’d unplugged it first. It landed on the bed with a bounce.

  She pasted a smile on her face. “Now let’s not be hasty.” Tess retreated a step. “You want to kill me because I’m a threat to you, right?”

  Kade snarled.

  She peered over his shoulder, where Ethan helplessly watched with his teeth gritting and his eyes focused on Kade.

  Kade stalked her, rounding the bed.

  “News flash. I don’t want to hurt you,” she explained, backing away. “I was told by my grandmother you wanted to kill me. That’s the only reason I’m here.” She came up against the closet door and cringed at the memory of what lay hidden inside.

  He scowled and drew nearer.

  “So, you see, now that we understand each other, there’s no reason for violence. We can all go our separate ways.” Tess held her breath and, in a last ditch effort, sprang forward. She clasped her hands around his neck and summoned her power. A calmness settled over her as energy flowed to her fingertips.

  Raising a hand to his face, Kade blinked, and the sparkling green vanished from his eyes, leaving a honey-brown color.

  Holy crap! Her power had actually worked this time? “Kade?”

  He looked around the room as if confused.

  Released from Kade’s hold, Ethan fell forward from the wall and lifted his hand. The dragon on his palm radiated red.

  “Wait,” Tess shouted.

  Too late. An invisible force jerked Kade off his feet. He landed on his back with a hiss. Kade shook his head and pushed himself up, his eyes the green Tess had come to fear. Throwing out an arm, he slammed Ethan against the wall. Ethan groaned and tumbled to the floor with a sick thud.

  Oh, God.

  Kade rose to his feet.

  She tried to touch him again, but he knocked her aside, sending her to the carpet on her knees. Tess scanned the room for a weapon, an escape . . . anything. The closet. She’d seen some belts hanging on a hook in there. Sliding open the door, Tess avoided looking at the dead lady and snatched a long black belt. She pulled back her arm and snapped it in Kade’s direction. The heavy buckle scored his cheek. Snarling, he thrust out his hand and used his power to shove her. She struck the rear wall of the closet. Pain flashed through her hip as she collapsed to the floor.

  Ethan raced up behind Kade and grabbed the lamp. He swung it like a club and smashed it against Kade’s head.

  The blow knocked him to the side, and he stumbled, then fell unconscious to the floor.

  Ethan sprinted from the room.

  “Where are you going?” she yelled, dragging herself from the closet, her muscles screaming in protest and her gag reflexes on high alert.

  He returned with a kitchen knife in his hand. The Beast inside him growled. Kneeling on the floor beside Kade, Ethan raised his arm high.

  “Don’t do it.” She seized his arm with both hands.

  “Let go, Tess. It’s the only way.”

  “You didn’t see what I did. There’s a man in that body.”

  “He’ll kill you.” Ethan’s voice cracked.

  She bent close. “No, he won’t.” Tess slipped the knife from his grip. “I’m going to save you both.”

  Chapter 20

  “Here we are.” His muscles aching, Ethan walked across the hotel room and set Tess’s suitcase next to a corner desk. Man, he was tired.

  Limping a little, Tess followed him inside, the door swinging shut behind her. She scanned the room, taking in the potted grass on the dresser, the Zen garden on the desk, and the wind chimes dangling over her head. “Potted grass? What is this place?” she muttered.

  “It’s designed to soothe and relax. Something we both need right now.” Hopefully, the room would work as designed. The tension between them was still running high.

  “A shower would work wonders. After Kade’s filthy apartment, I feel gross.” She picked up her bag and moved it to the nearest bed. The chimes rang softly as she passed by, and she looked up with a frown. “I wish we could have stayed at my apartment.”

  “It wouldn’t be safe. Kade knows we have the gem.”

  She unzipped her suitcase and grabbed a hair clip and a few toiletries, her movements sluggish. “With any luck, he’ll stay put.”

  “Not likely.” Ethan kicked off his boots and stretched out on the other bed. His muscles protested every movement he made. “With his strength and magical power, I don’t care how well we tied him or with what, he’s going to get free. If anything, we bought some time before he’s on our trail again.”

  “I hope you’re wrong.” She stepped to the bathroom door and sighed. “A tub. We have a tub. I’m taking a bath.”

  A bath would do Tess some good. She probably ached as much as he did. He scowled, remembering the way Kade had tossed her around. Her body had hit the wall with such force he’d thought she might break. “If you’d let me finish Kade off, it wouldn’t be an issue.”

  “You didn’t want to do it. I could see it in your eyes,” she called out from the bathroom. The rush of water echoed off the walls, and he caught a whiff of a floral scent.

  “I should have done it anyway. He’s dangerous,” Ethan called out. “Instead you plan to ‘save’ him.”

  “My power worked this time.”

  “How dependable is your ability now? Can you do it at will?”

  “Not yet. Maybe it’s not something I control. It could be a natural reaction when I come up against a beast. Or when I panic because we’re about to die.” Tess marched out of the bathroom. “Besides, how is he any different than you?”

  “For one thing, he wants to kill a certain witch named Tess.” Ethan ground his teeth. He’d had a chance to end this thing before Tess got hurt, and he’d blown it.

  She dug inside her bag, gathering up a change of clothes. “You mean the demon inside Kade wants me dead.”

  “Same thing.”

  Grimacing, she massaged her shoulder, rotating her arm in its socket.

  “You okay?”

  “Yup.” She headed to the bathroom. The wind chimes jingled when she closed the door behind her. He stared up at the brass tubes, their music soothing. A muted splash of water joined the notes.

  The Beast had become blissfully silent since they’d left Kade’s apartment. Why? The Beast sure as hell wasn’t gone. During the fight, he’d made his presence known. But once again he’d chosen to keep Tess safe, this time at the expense of one of his own. Strange.

  A crash followed by a curse echoed from the bathroom.

  “Tess?” Ethan stood and approached the door. “Are you all right in there?”

  Sniffles and a splash of water answered him. He opened the door.

  Sitting in the large Jacuzzi tub, Tess looked small and fragile, her golden hair clipped high on her head. The water sloshed around her with a thick layer of bubbles hiding her from view. Her eyes glistened as she wiped at her nose with a tissue.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “N-Nothing. I slipped getting a tissue.” She gathered the bubbles closer to her chest and pointed to a puddle of water on the floor.

  “Are you hurt?”

  She shook her head, but the tears kept rolling. “I’m just tired.”

  The grief in her eyes twisted him up inside. He resisted the urge to go to her and hold her in his arms, knowing she would pull away. Instead, he leaned against the doorjamb. “Do you want to talk about it?”
/>
  She tossed the tissue into the trash. “About what?”

  “I know it hit you pretty hard, finding Matt’s obituary in my apartment.”

  Tess blanched and shrank farther into the water. “I don’t want to talk about Matt.”

  “It might make you feel better.”

  “What do you know about it?” Her voice hitched. “You have no right to tell me what I should or shouldn’t do concerning Matt.” A sob broke free. “He was my fiancé. Mine.”

  Ethan dropped his arms to his sides and swallowed the jealous remark that sprang to his lips. “Tess, I’m sorry.”

  “Not good enough.” With a jerk of her arm, she threw a sponge at him. It smacked him in the chest, soaking through his shirt, and landed on the floor.

  “Tess.” He took a step forward, hating the misery on her face.

  “Don’t give me that look.” She swiped at the tears on her cheeks. “Don’t pity me.”

  His chest tightened. “What do you want me to do?”

  “Nothing,” she snapped. “I just want him back.”

  “Well, Matt’s not coming back. It sucks, but it’s true,” he blurted. Her words stung, and they shouldn’t have. How could he blame her for wanting her old life, a life without him?

  “No, he’s not.” She grabbed a bar of soap. “Because of you.” Tess let the thing fly.

  It hit his shoulder and slapped the tiled floor. “You’re right. It’s my fault. Do you hate me for it?”

  “I should.” She felt around in the tub, no doubt searching for something else to throw.

  “You don’t hate me?” He crept forward. A thread of hope drew him closer. “Why not?”

  She stiffened, her spine tense against the porcelain, the suds clinging to the rise of her breasts.

  “I drained him of energy. He died because of me.” Ethan crumpled to his knees beside the tub. If only he were a better man, a hero, like the firefighters and police officers he’d seen so many times from behind his camera lens. For once, he wanted to save a life. “Tess, I’m so sorry.” He didn’t deserve her. “I’d give him back to you if I could. If I could change places with him—”

  She swept his hair from his face with damp hands. “That’s not what I want.” She looked away, and a tear trickled from the corner of her eye. “Matt was my rock. I’m nothing without him.”

  He raised his hand to her cheek and guided her face toward his. “You don’t need anyone else to make you whole. If I’ve learned anything about you, it’s that you’re strong and clever.”

  She wiped her cheek. “You think so?”

  “You’re amazing. I wish you could see what I do.” What he wouldn’t give to take her sadness away. He touched his lips to her forehead. “No matter what happens with this whole beast thing, I want you to start living for yourself, instead of mourning the past.”

  “You mean if we survive this beast thing.”

  “I won’t let anything happen to you.”

  “Like nothing happened at Kade’s apartment?”

  Ethan clenched his jaw. Tess was right. He’d have to do better next time. “I’ll do everything in my power to protect you.”

  Cocking an eyebrow, she lifted her hand out of the water and studied the bubbles on her skin. “At least until I figure out how to free you of The Beast.”

  He gave an incredulous laugh. “You think if that happens, I’ll leave you?”

  “Why not? Isn’t it why you’re still with me?”

  His hands on either side of her face, he stared into her eyes. “No, I’m here because I care about you.” He wished to hell he didn’t, but he couldn’t stop himself. Ethan leaned over the tub and brushed her lips with his.

  Her chin quivered. “I don’t know what I feel anymore.”

  “Don’t push yourself to figure anything out right now.” His hands traveled over her damp shoulders as bubbles quietly snapped around them in a steady rhythm. “Just let me help you feel better.” He braced himself on the sides of the tub and kissed her, his heart aching.

  Tess tugged him closer, grabbing the collar of his shirt. Her tongue met his, and desire snaked through the pit of his belly. Her face against his, she gasped in a breath and asked for one thing. “Ethan, make me forget.”

  The desperation in those words tore at him. He wrapped his arms around her and hugged her tight, her wet chest pressing into him. More. He needed to feel every inch of her. He needed to wipe away her misery.

  Ethan snatched off his socks and stepped into the tub. If he couldn’t take away her pain, he’d give her pleasure.

  “What in the . . .” Tess’s eyebrows rose, but a smile danced across her lips. “Your clothes are going to get all wet.”

  Her smile made the feel of clinging denim worthwhile. “They’ll dry.” Hot water crept up his legs as he knelt down, and the floral scent of her bubble bath enveloped him. Leaning forward, he unclipped her hair, letting it spill to her bare shoulders. “God, you’re beautiful.” He dropped a kiss on one of those delectable shoulders and slipped his fingers into her silken hair.

  Tess redirected him back to her lips and kissed him with so much need he groaned. As she unfastened the buttons of his shirt and explored his chest, he dipped his hands into the water and stroked her sides, her skin smooth perfection. He brushed his mouth along her cheek and nuzzled her neck as he skimmed his hands back up to the curves of her breasts and grazed his thumbs over her taut nipples. Tess’s moan echoed off the walls. He would make her forget her pain if only for this moment.

  He slid his hands along her ribs, past her belly button, to the juncture between her thighs. Hot liquid velvet. Her breath caught. Not good enough. He wanted to see ecstasy on her face and feel it against his hand. Ethan pushed a finger inside her, and she shivered. Transfixed by the sight of her response, he thrust again. Her eyes closed, and her lips parted. His hand rocked in a steady rhythm, and she arched, her breasts peeking out from the suds, her nipples hard, her mouth open in a silent cry.

  A jolt of lust flashed through him as she spasmed around his finger.

  When she opened her eyes, the hunger he saw there took his breath. She grabbed a handful of his shirt and snatched it free of his jeans. Sweeping the damp material from his shoulders, she leaned into him, her slick breasts caressing his pecs.

  He stopped her with his hands on her arms. “Tess, you don’t need to do this.” The release he’d given her was enough to sustain him.

  She pushed him back until his spine rested against the side of the tub. “I want to.”

  Raw desire coiled in his gut, and he slipped a hand behind her neck, bringing her forward. His mouth claimed hers, and her fingers reached lower. He growled as she stroked him through the thickness of his jeans. She popped open the button and unzipped the closure. No hesitation, she grasped his shaft and pulled him free.

  “Holy shit.” His body jerked, her fingers inciting sparks that blazed through his body.

  Pulse racing, he bucked up his hips and tugged at his jeans, trying to take them off. No deal. He yanked harder. Tess’s laughter rippled through him. Giggling, she gripped the legs of his jeans and pulled. The denim stuck to his skin, moving only inches. Ethan’s shoulders shook from laughter as they tried again. The denim slid lower. Good enough. He reached for her hips and drew her close. Desire thrumming through his veins, he paused. There was more than one way to hurt someone. Giving them hope and then tearing it away could cause pain much worse than anything physical.

  He stared up at her face and the tenderness glimmering in her eyes. Too late. No matter what they did here and now, they would both pay the price in the end. He eased her down on top of him, his shaft sinking deep. Blinding sensation ripped through him, blotting out all thought.

  Her breasts bobbed with her movements as she leaned over him and raise
d her hips. She sank down, and her face flushed with pleasure.

  Water sloshed over the tub’s sides as they gave in to their desire, each stroke an escape from reality.

  Ethan grasped her waist, adding more force to each drop of her hips until Tess cried out. In one final thrust, he throbbed deep inside her. He rested his forehead on her chest, and she wrapped her arms around his head, holding him there. Ethan breathed in her clean skin, dropping a kiss onto her breast.

  ~ ~ ~

  Beneath Tess’s feet, the grass on Gram’s farm was lush green with a sprinkle of yellow dandelions. Tess stared out across the rolling hills. A wide line of trees hid the Eau Pleine River from view, and a bald eagle glided effortlessly across the sky. The sight should have relaxed her. It didn’t. Her nerves stayed knotted. Ethan’s life depended on her, and she had no idea what to do. Inhaling a breath of fresh country air, she closed her eyes and willed herself to take in the chirping of birds, the rustle of leaves, and her grandmother’s soft hum. Gram?

  Her eyes popped open, and she scanned the yard. Kneeling under a low arbor, Gram labored over her beloved ginseng. Tears sprang to Tess’s eyes as she sped toward her. “Gram, I’m so glad to see you. How do I use the gem against the beasts? And somehow I’m supposed to use a mirror, but what do I do with it?”

  Gram looked back. “Oh, there you are. Come on over and give me a hand.”

  Tess dropped to her knees beside Gram, afraid to touch her, or she might disappear. “I need you to tell me what to do. Is there a brew or a spell?”

  “Aren’t you in a tizzy?” Wearing a grubby Tombstone Pizza T-shirt, her silver hair in its usual bun, Gram carefully dug around a plant, working the root from the soil. “I’m going to make a special tea for your grandfather.” She shook the dirt off the sizable two-pronged root. “Not only does ginseng support good health, it’s also an aphrodisiac.”