“Come,” he growled. “Come now.”
Victoria’s back bowed as the pleasure speared through her, her sex tightening, then convulsing around him. She cried out, trembling, racked with love and longing and a desperate surge of magic. Power exploded from her, snuffing out the candles, then reigniting them with bright licks of flame. Max arched upward, his head thrown back with a virile snarl. He became the eye of the storm, his body the nexus of the magical tempest.
She clung to him as it ravaged him, the anchor he needed yet refused to reach for.
Four
In the early hours of the morning, Max slipped from bed, careful not to wake Victoria, who slept deeply. She might not realize it yet, but he was draining her, his magic greedily tapping into hers. Such was the way of parasitic black magic. It was ravenous and soul destroying, turning warlocks and witches into junkies who cared for nothing as much as they did their next fix.
He pulled on his pants and tied the drawstring as he moved out into the living room. Over the next hour, he increased the wards around the loft, tightening security to protect his most valuable possession. He’d nearly lost Victoria in the battle against the Triumvirate and had nearly lost his mind in the process. He had crossed a line that night, using both white and black magic to lure her back from the Transcendual Realm. He’d changed then, been stained by that violation of a sacred law. The Council chose not to disavow him, because he was too valuable to Them as a warlock who would do whatever was necessary.
Once he’d secured their home, he moved into the bedroom. The woman who slept in his bed was stretched out like a cat, her arms above her head and her legs extended. Soft purrs rumbled in the air, filling him with a contentment he’d never known before her. The deep purple satin sheet was draped over her pale skin, covering her taut belly but leaving one breast and leg exposed.
He shouldn’t have come home to her after starting the hunt. He should’ve stayed away until it was over.
“Max.”
Managing a smile, he leaned over and pressed a kiss to Victoria’s sleep-soft mouth. “Good morning.”
“Why are you out of bed?”
He nuzzled his nose against hers, then straightened. “Planning what to feed you for breakfast.”
“Umm . . . ” She smiled her catlike smile, a provocation his body responded to instantly.
“Would you like to shower before or after?” He enjoyed Victoria any way he could get her, but naked and wet was one of his favorites.
“I want to lie in bed with you all day.”
Max took a deep breath, wanting the same thing but knowing he couldn’t afford to lose an entire day. As long as Powell and Barnes were out there, Victoria was at risk. “Soon, kitten.”
Her gaze narrowed. “You’re starting the hunt?”
“No time like the present.” He headed to the kitchen, hoping to avoid a fight.
It was a fruitless exercise, he realized, when a sleek black cat raced by him and promptly sat on the threshold to the kitchen. Victoria couldn’t keep up with his long stride in her human form, but she had him beat in her feline one.
“Sweetheart,” he said sternly, moving to step over her and getting swiped at instead.
She shifted, appearing before him in all her naked glory.
His breath caught as it always did when he saw her bared. He’d never wanted any woman more.
With an impatient wave of his fingers, he covered her in a red silk robe, loving the way the color contrasted with her creamy skin and dark hair. “We’re not rehashing this.”
“At least tell me where you’re going and how long you’ll be gone.”
His brows rose. “That sounded like an order.”
“Maybe it was. You came after me, Max, when I tried to walk out of your life. You claimed me. If you didn’t want the hassle, you should’ve let the Council pair me with Gabriel, as They intended—”
Victoria! Magic surged out of him along with acidic jealousy. He couldn’t think of her with someone else, it made him furious. “You’re pushing me, kitten.”
“You’re pushing me aside!” she argued.
Recognizing the fear in her eyes, Max pulled her close and pressed his lips to her forehead. “They’re close,” he said softly. “Too close. I need to know you’re safe or I’ll give them an opening that wouldn’t be there otherwise.”
“I feel them, too,” she said, snuggling into him. “You’re strong, Max. The strongest warlock I’ve ever come across, but it’s two against one! At least with me, you can even the odds.”
“I can even the odds without risking you.”
“With black magic. That’s too dangerous!”
He rested his chin on the top of her head. “Like calls to like. I have to draw them in.”
“Which is why it’s even more important that I be with you!” Pulling back, she looked up at him, her emerald eyes pleading. “I can keep you grounded.”
“Or I could taint Darius’s magic and push you too far.”
“Is that what you’re afraid of?”
Releasing her, Max ran a hand through his hair. “Among other things.”
Her eyes widened, then softened with love. “You’ve never been afraid before.”
“I never had anything to lose.”
She cupped his cheek and lifted to her tiptoes to press her mouth to his. Her tongue darted over his lips, leaving the taste of her behind.
“Don’t worry about me,” she murmured.
“I can’t stop it.” He caught her waist, felt how fragile she was. For all her power, she was soft and delicate. “I won’t make it without you, Victoria. You’re everything to me.”
“Max . . . ”
He kissed her, silencing the pleas that strove to weaken his resolve.
Victoria worked hard to accept Max’s decision, fighting the sense of foreboding that had her agitated. The last thing she wanted was to distract Max in any way from his hunt, despite her certainty that he shouldn’t go alone.
He slid the zipper up the back of her skirt, then ran his hands over her hips. His lips touched her nape and her eyes closed. She’d become so accustomed to being cared for, she had been lost the two days Max had been gone.
“Ready?” he asked.
She nodded, though it was a lie. He would take her to work, then disappear, and she had no idea when—or if—he’d be back. It wasn’t in her nature to accept not getting her way. Max was the only one who ever told her no. She’d learned to accept it, knowing the reward would be worth suffering the denial, but she couldn’t see a reward here, beyond hoping and praying that he returned to her alive and untainted.