Bloodfire (Blood Destiny 1) - Helen Harper Page 0,85
“Perhaps it was just an old ring and didn’t have much power left.”
“Yes, perhaps, kitten, perhaps.” He stretched out his arms and linked his hands behind his head. I was suddenly very aware of the stretch of the dark fabric of his t-shirt against his tanned muscular biceps.
Irritation exploded out of me. “Will you stop fucking calling me that?”
“What?” he taunted, softly, eyes glinting.
“I am not a cat,” I said through gritted teeth. “I am a hamster. And my name is Mack, not kitten.”
“Well then, maybe I should just call you Hammy, instead,” he purred.
My stomach squirmed into knots. He was flirting with me. After everything that had happened, and all he’d already said and threatened me with, he was flirting. Why me? This could not happen. I’d rather face an army of ispolin than this.
“Well then, maybe I’ll call you Pants,” I snapped at him.
He laughed, and opened his mouth to say something else. Oh no, it was high time to put an end to this. “My lord, perhaps you could help to open the drawer.” And get your fingers frozen off instead of mine, I thought silently.
He cocked his head at me, with another glance that I couldn’t quite interpret, before replying with a cocky business-like air, “As my lady wishes.”
I resisted the urge to slap him around the head and stepped out from the desk. He brushed past me, and I had to try very hard not to flinch at the warm hard heat of his body against mine. I quickly moved away to nearer the door so I had a quick exit if I needed it. Humour flashed across his face again, as if he knew exactly what I was thinking. Fuck. Off. If he knew who I really was then he’d snap my neck like a twig and forget all about me in an instant. I just had to keep remembering that.
He bent down to look at the drawer and frowned. “Huh, this a pretty powerful ward.”
He stood up and gazed at me, all serious now. “Did John have magic skills?”
“A few parlour tricks,” I shrugged, glad that we were off the topic of pet names for each other, “nothing like this. Not that I knew of anyway.”
He jerked his head in brief acknowledgement and then crouched down again. His very large hands reached out to the drawer, then he drew back suddenly, as if scorched. Hah! That would teach him.
“Stand back,” he ordered.
I bristled at the command but did as he asked. With a look of intense concentration on his face he pulled back his hand and formed a fist. I wondered if he was seriously going to try to punch his way through it. That would be completely idiotic. He’d rip his hand off for sure. I took another step back, just in case.
His whole body tensed and then, quick as lightning, he slammed his fist forward. There was the sound of breaking, splintering wood, and a flash of blue light. He shook his hand a few times, and I could see that it was red and beginning to swell, but he grinned at me like the cat that got the cream and stepped aside with a flourish. You have got to be kidding me. I walked gingerly round and stared down at the mess of the desk. He’d actually snapped through the ward, and the fabric of the wood itself, leaving a hand sized hole. I gaped at him.
He laughed. “Impressed much, kitten?”
I became aware that my mouth was hanging open so I snapped it shut and glared at him, trying vainly not to appear over-awed. Shit, clearly there was a good reason why he’d been voted in as the new head Alpha.
“Big deal,” I said, with far more nonchalance than I was feeling. I stuck my hand into the destroyed drawer and felt around, noting the remaining bristle of magic tremble against my touch. There was nothing there apart from what felt like a paper folder. I tugged at it, trying to yank it out, and cursed when it wouldn’t fit through the gap.
Impatient, I knelt down and pulled out the drawer, lifting out the folder. It was unmarked. I raised my eyebrows at Corrigan and showed him it, then lifted the flap. At that point, the study door was flung open and Staines and Alex came through.
“What in god’s name was that?” Staines shouted.
Wow. Talk about being annoyed at missing the party, I thought.