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  “Elena!”

  His voice was more urgent now, more near.

  “Karl?” It was barely a whisper.

  “Yes! Again, say my name again.”

  Dimensions were shifting. The fabric around her was flickering from black to magnolia – outer-space to living room. Green eyes shifted to blue, then back again.

  “Karl.”

  “That's it, come back to me.” The desperation colouring his voice strengthened her resolve. But just before she finally wrenched herself free from the demon, his kiss branded her just above her pubic bone.

  “You will give yourself to me...”

  And then she was in her living room, fully back in her body, baking hot, aching, too aroused...

  Karl had pulled her up to sitting and was cradling her, his eyes full of concern, and a hint of guilt, but none of the anger or hurt from earlier.

  Relieved, she burrowed herself into him, clung to him, breathed in his scent and … No!

  With a choked sob, she threw herself free from his grasp and to the other side of the room.

  “What … Elena it me, it's okay.”

  “No, I can't...”

  Kneeling, he stopped in front of her collapsed form. “You can't, what?”

  She buried her head in the knees that she hugged tightly to her chest. She had to force her words out and she hoped he could hear them, because she couldn't speak any louder.

  “I want you … I wanted you … earlier. And I couldn't stop it, and I couldn't control it. What I did to you, it was all because I want you. I'm just as bad as he is.”

  Everything around her seemed to still. Snakes and shadows licked at the parameters of her soul, trying to suck her back into their world, trying to change her. Fear grabbed at her – the demon was no longer here, yet there was darkness in her, she could feel it. Where had it come from? Had it always been there?

  “It's not something that's been done to you – it's something you are...”

  She squeezed her eyes shut against his words and reached within herself, trying to find the light, any source of light that could chase away the shadows.

  Hands, as warm as the sun on her skin, gently took her wrists. The shadows grew smaller. The hands trailed its warmth up her arms and pulled them away from her head, letting in a light she didn't know was there. It warmed her. It filled her soul. This was some kind of new magic she wasn't familiar with. The snakes slithered away. A break in her internal cloud let in the light, and black began to fade into colour.

  She leaned into Karl's hand, which now held her face, stroking her cheek, with a tenderness that she knew belied his need for her. His thumb stroked her bottom lip. When she opened her eyes, he was just an inch away, his eyes brimming with compassion and love.

  I'm in love with him.

  The realisation took her breath away. It overwhelmed her, and a stubborn slither of fear wrapped itself around her heart – this was too much. It was a love that was doomed; she'd only end up hurting him.

  “Karl—”

  “Sshhhh...”

  His lips touched hers, and fear, darkness, doubt, even demons, all disappeared into the nothingness they'd come from. All that existed was warmth and light.

  ~*~

  Katherine knew he was in the room before she walked in. It was a type of energy, an essence exclusive to the Shanka that thickened the atmosphere, heated it up, so that all you could think about was how the air felt on your skin. How they felt on your skin. The Shanka were the very first incubi. For millennia, they had been seducing humans, stealing their seed, or filling them with theirs, all so they could penetrate this world – the world from which they had been outcast, and the one they must never be a part of, for they would destroy everything in it. So far, their power over life and death was as immaterial as they were, only able to become reality through dreams … and the mysterious witching pen.

  The demon now filtrating her bedroom was a stark and bitter reminder to Katherine, that the person she loved more than anyone else in the world, the one she had so desperately tried to protect all these years, was in imminent danger of losing more than her life. And she didn't know how to stop it.

  “Did you really think you could keep her from me, Katherine? Did you think I wouldn't know?”

  Her breath caught in her throat as those green eyes glinted from the shadows of her unlit room. It had been a long time since she'd seen him. Not long enough. She had to remind herself he was only a shadow – he couldn't hurt her like this, despite the utter blackness that filled the room.

  With a composure that came from years of practise, she wrapped her iciness around herself. Like a familiar friend, it strengthened her resolve and steeled her soul against the fear that had lived in her too long.

  “Nathaniel. How has kingship been treating you?”

  A laugh, low, rumbling, caressed her skin and she shivered. “So, you have been watching us, making notes. I was supposed to see you dead for killing Darius; the Shanka were up in arms. But you did me a favour.”

  “You should have killed me.”

  “I should kill you now, for keeping such a phenomenal secret from me all of these years. Maybe your death will erode her defences; maybe she'll turn to me in the darkest hour of her secret thoughts while she mourns you.”

  “She hates me. I've seen to it. There is nothing that will make her turn to you, Nathaniel. You have no hold over her.”

  “And the boy?”

  Katherine blanched. Damn it!

  “Did you know he has the power to pull her from me?”

  She held his gaze, saying nothing.

  “She loves him, doesn't she? Not even love can keep one from the shadows of their heart, you of all people should know that.”

  She mentally gave herself a new coat of frosting, refusing to go down that particular road of her past, and kept her gaze steady.

  “I would have thought you would have wanted to keep her from that kind of hurt. No matter. He'll be easy to kill.”

  “That boy is stronger than you think.”

  “I didn't say I was going to kill him.”

  She took in a sharp breath, the implication of his words sinking in.

  “You never told her, did you? My, my, Katherine, what will you do? By trying to protect her, you've set her up for a world of pain … and now you've run out of time. She will have no choice but to turn to me.”

  She blinked back hot tears, his words ringing with truth. “She will never go to you willingly.”

  “There are very few things, in any world, thicker than blood.”

  Her lip trembled. “How did you find out?”

  His smile was thin, cruel. “I had no idea at first. I only knew she was a powerful witch, the first thirteenth generation witch for centuries. Powerful enough to wield the pen, so I gave her the pen, intending to have her bring down the veil of your dimension with it, so we could finally walk through.

  “Then I visited her in her dreams last night and I could smell it under her skin – her blood – our blood. I held in my arms a thirteenth generation witch with Shanka blood flowing through her veins. I knew instantly who her mother must be. Until that moment, I had no idea what Darius had seen in you. Then all the pieces fell into place. He'd planned it all.

  “You've done well to shield her from us, Katherine, but you've failed. She's our salvation – she belongs to us, and I will claim her.”

  Chapter Six

  The first thing she realised on opening her eyes was that her sleep had been dreamless, the second was that a warm body was firmly wrapped around her, one arm slung around her waist in a protective hug.

  The dawn was only just breaking, streaking the duskiness of the bedroom with hues of pink. With a smile, she gently turned. Karl groaned, but didn't wake and his breathing remained slow and steady. The man who never slept deeply seemed to be out cold.

  Elena studied his face. She'd always thought he was something of an anomaly. Most people looked young when they slept, their
relaxed features bringing out a vulnerability, and a peace and innocence most never got to see. With Karl, it was the exact opposite. When awake, he looked young and innocent, even boyish. Most people thought him around twenty-two, not the twenty-seven years he actually was, and if it weren't for the fact that he was generally too broad and well built for a man that young, no one would ever question it. When he slept, however, he looked ancient. His skin was still smooth, he still looked at peace, but his visage seemed to hide a world of knowledge only he could access. She'd noticed it in the past, when they'd stayed up late chatting and he'd fallen asleep on the couch, or even once sitting at the kitchen table, his head just missing a plate of nachos.

  He looked that way now – wizened, with a hint of warrior about him – and anything but vulnerable. She put it down to his family troubles and having to overcome such violence, a past that echoed through him as he slept. Yes, she felt safe in his arms – she always had, she'd just never realised it.

  He murmured something incoherent and huddled further into her. Her smile widened when she realised exactly what was pressing so firmly against her thigh. God, this was Karl – Karl! Her best friend!

  She bit back a giggle, not wanting to wake him, but her joy soared silently. How the hell she'd never noticed how she felt was beyond her. Just the feel of him next to her was sending delicious sensations throughout her entire body. She remembered last night, how light and warmth had cascaded through her 'til there was nothing left but total contentment – just with one kiss. How did he do that? Was that what love was? Did everyone in love feel like that when they kissed? And what about … when they did more?

  She heated up at the thought of it. This was an area of her life she felt completely lost in – she may as well still be a teenager. It was as if that emotional part of her had stopped developing when her mum had sat her down and told her all about why she would have to die a virgin. Sure, she'd pleasured herself, she knew how to do that. She'd read everything she could about sex in books, online, absorbed all kinds of stories from others at school, she'd looked at pictures in dirty mags, hell, she'd even watched porn a whole bunch of times. But she'd never had the privilege of feeling it – growing as a person with it. It was always something that she held at arm's length, for obvious reasons. With a sinking feeling, she didn't know how she was going to do that any more, because she wanted Karl in ways she never knew was possible.

  Pushing that sinking feeling away, she gave him a quick look. His eyes were closed, his breathing still even. Tentatively, she pulled the covers off them and glanced at his cotton boxers. The material was moulded around his erection, showing off its contours. It looked bigger than she'd expected and judging by the wetness she could feel between her own legs, her body didn't mind.

  She held her breath and bit her lip to steady her hand, then hooked one finger around his waistband.

  “I will not be held responsible for my actions based on any decision you're about to make.”

  With a start, she let go of his underwear and the elastic pinged back against his skin.

  “Ouch.”

  “Sorry! I was just—”

  “Curious?”

  She nodded, her face aflame. “I've never seen one in real life.”

  His eyebrows shot up. “You're kidding.”

  “No.”

  The silence was tinged with her embarrassment, but curiosity still gnawed at her.

  “Can I … can I see it?”

  She saw desire colour his eyes. It gave her an illicit feeling of pleasure – something deep and so wonderfully personal.

  I make him feel like that.

  He nodded.

  Tugging at his waistband once more, she pulled down his boxers and released him. Her heart thudded behind her ribcage. It was even bigger now. She'd seen enormous ones in magazines, but those had seemed unreal somehow. This however, was very real … and magnificent. It twitched under her gaze, as if it were alive. With a small moan, she realised that's how it would feel inside her. Alive, moving, hard … how hard was it?

  “Can I touch it?”

  “Fuck, Elena, you're going to be the end of me.” His voice was hoarse – it drove her on.

  “Please?”

  With a groan, he nodded again.

  She touched it lightly with her fingertips, starting at the top, slowly feeling her way down. It was smooth and warm. She wasn't sure why, but in her mind, she'd always thought it would be cold, like steel or something – maybe because hard things were always associated with coldness.

  She wrapped her entire hand around him. It was definitely hard.

  Karl let out a noise that had her wanting to throw herself on top of him, and moved his hips up off the sheets. She moved her hand up with him and before she knew it, she was the one lying back on the bed and Karl was devouring her mouth with his own, his tongue sweeping the inside of it.

  Last night all they'd done was kiss, and this was not like last night's gentle kisses. This was desire and urgency. It was a Karl she wasn't used to and it had her hungry for more of him. It was then that she realised her hand was still gripping him, squeezing harder than before. She moved her fist up and down to match the pace of their kisses. It earned her a guttural mewl of pleasure, and then his hand was on hers, prising her off him.

  The weight of her disappointment shocked her. “Did I do it wrong?”

  “God, no.”

  “Then why—”

  “I've waited for this for years, I don't want it over in seconds.”

  “Oh.”

  She gasped in delight as his mouth found a sweet spot behind her ear.

  “So, you liked what I was doing to you?”

  He grunted his affirmation.

  “What did it feel like?”

  He looked at her the way a cat looks at mouse. The morning sun had found its way into the room and it turned Karl's hair golden – he may as well have been wearing a halo, and damn it if he didn't look like some kind of saint. Only the devil was glinting in his eyes...

  Her bra was successfully unhooked and whipped off. He latched his mouth onto her left breast, teasing her nipple.

  “Oh, God!” This was new.

  “It felt like that.”

  Then he did the same to her other breast.

  “And like that.”

  Fuck!

  “But it mostly felt like this.” He eased his fingers inside her, stretching her, and began to thrust in and out, heavenly strokes that had her moaning and arching into him. Her wetness engulfed his fingers, which peaked her embarrassment once more, but Karl seemed to think it was a good thing judging by those wonderful noises coming from his throat and chest – he was practically purring. He sunk his fingers in deeper, sending a bolt of fire to her belly. While his thumb worked its magic on the outside, he seemed to find a spot inside her which had her crying out every time he touched it.

  A small wave of an orgasm rippled at her core. Holy shit...

  “Karl—”

  “Now, Elena, touch me now.”

  She didn't hesitate, wrapping her hand around him once more, marvelling at the feel of him. She matched his speed and rhythm, letting herself be guided by the sounds he made – beautiful sounds that played like music to her ears and took her higher.

  Opening her eyes to see him, she momentarily lost herself. What the hell...?

  Light surrounded them. Golden light, and there was no way that was the sun bouncing off his hair. He seemed oblivious to it, his own eyes closed in pleasure.

  Am I doing this? I don't know any magic that does this.

  And then all thoughts flew out of her head as her climax hit her.

  Karl whispered, “beautiful” into her mouth, just before his own release consumed him, and in that shared moment, a warm certainty settled deep in Elena's chest: she wanted a future with this man – the large house, children, the whole damn thing. She wanted to love him freely, without holding back, and if giving him all of herself meant giving him her powers too, so
be it. She'd do it.

  ~*~

  Katherine threw the last of her things into her overnight bag. She had hoped to God it would never come to this, but in her heart, she knew Nathaniel was right: she'd run out of time. She had to tell Elena everything, and then she had to disappear without a trace so her life could never be used as a bargaining tool for Elena's own. The Shanka knew of her daughter's existence, knew what she was, and it wouldn't be long before that knowledge rippled out of the demon world and into this one – it wouldn't be long before The Council knew what blood really flowed through her veins. Maybe they knew already.

  Hot tears stung her eyes, a stark contrast to the ice that lived around her heart. With a last mental check to make sure she had everything, she zipped up her bag, took one last look at her home and headed for the door … and froze.

  The door was flung open and the Elder stood in its frame, his thick, snow white hair, an aura around his head, his eyes the colour of mud and his expression as unreadable as it always was.

  “Katherine,” he nodded, stepping into her home and shutting the door firmly behind him.

  The anger mounted in her chest and she sucked in a breath through her teeth. “What, you don't knock any more?”

  He eyed her overnight bag. “I think it's time we had a little chat, don't you?”

  “I have nothing to say to you.”

  The floor lamp flickered as his voice boomed out, despite it being unplugged at the wall. “Clearly there are many things you should have said over the past two and a half decades.”

  “You lost the right to know anything about me a long time ago.”

  “This isn't just about you, this is about the whole bloody world. Christ, Katherine, you've always been selfish, but this takes the biscuit.”

  “Selfish? I've spent the last twenty-five years sacrificing everything to make sure my daughter is safe, that she would get to lead some kind of normal life, without risk of … of...”

  “Being kidnapped by demons?”