Demon Hunting with a Dixie Deb - Lexi George Page 0,48
strongest swimmer could be overcome by treacherous currents. Snakes, muscle spasms, and simple fatigue: the dangers were manifold.
Then there was the witch. Had the Hag had been lying in wait, Sassy would be trussed up like a venison roast in the witch’s oven at this very moment, a tasty, fairy-spiced snack.
The thought made Grim shudder.
Time to lay down the law for Milady Peterson. Her safety and his peace of mind required it.
Rule number one: No leaving the house unaccompanied.
Ever.
No exceptions.
Rule number two: No more climbing trees, or swimming alone, and absolutely no more—
The monster stopped some fifty yards from shore and began to thrash about. Sassy was thrown clear. She bobbed to the surface, unhurt.
A sensible person would stay clear of the floundering animal, but not Sassy. She swam straight for the giant fish.
Damn it, she would be crushed.
“Stay back, Sassy,” Grim shouted.
He dove in, boots and all, and reached her in a few swift strokes. Swimming up beneath her, he grabbed her ankle. She shrieked and kicked him in the nose. Pain exploded in his head. Gritting his teeth, Grim surfaced.
“That is twice in as many days,” he said. “What do you have against my nose?”
“Grim?” Recognition dawned in her wide eyes. “You scared me half to death. I thought something had me.”
“Something does have you.” Grim tugged her close. She felt wonderful in his arms, a perfect fit. “Little fool, have you no notion of danger?”
A tiny crease marred the smooth skin between her brows. “You mean Gilbert? He won’t hurt me.”
“Gods above, never say you have named the thing. Next you will want to take it home and put it in a tub.”
“Don’t be silly. Gilbert would never fit.”
She rested her palms against his bare chest and looked up at him. Grim’s heart thudded, his body responding to her nearness. The water was cool, but her skin was warm. She pulsed with light from the fairy tonic. She was dazzling, mystery and sensuality in feminine form. She was wild and uninhibited, naiad, dryad, and elemental in one enticing form.
She had no notion of her power or her appeal. Men would kill for her, write sonnets to her beauty. Prostrate themselves at her feet like sacrificial lambs.
Grim was no poet. He knew only that he longed for her as a dying man longs for succor. He wanted her hands on him, and her succulent mouth. He wanted to taste and stroke her in return, memorize every delectable inch of her. He wanted to whisk her to some deep, hidden lair and devour her in slow, savoring bites.
But she was not for him.
Not for him. Not for him.
His brain understood the mantra, but his body did not. Without conscious volition, his hands slid from her hips to her slender waist, his thumbs stroking her smooth skin. Gods, she was a miracle. Everything about her, from her out-of-control tresses to the lush curve of her bottom lip, drove him crazy. He wanted to cup her luscious bottom in his hands and take her, here and now.
He groaned at the thought.
“Grim, are you all right?”
He gazed at her lips and traced the line of her straight little nose with his fingertip. Her cheeks were flushed.
“No.”
“Does your nose hurt?”
“No.”
She exhaled in an irritated little huff. “Grim. Gilbert’s caught on something. Part of a barbed wire fence, I think. We’ve got to help him.”
Grim pushed his randy thoughts aside. “Stay here. I will free him.”
“But, Grim—”
“No buts. Stay.”
Grim forced his hands from Sassy’s waist and glided through the water to the trapped animal. Gilbert—merciful Kehv, now he was calling the creature by that ridiculous name—thrashed harder when he saw Grim.
Easy, Grim was still merged with the animal. I will not hurt you.
The fish quieted, though his large lips worked in alarm at Grim’s approach.
Net? A shudder rippled through the great fish. Hook?
Grim examined the snare. A long length of twisted metal with spikes was wrapped around the fish’s left pectoral fin.
Some kind of river debris, I think. I will soon have you free.
Carefully, Grim untangled the cruel trap. “There.” He gave the big fish a friendly slap. “Be on your way.”
The fish surged away. Snagging a nearby log, Grim secured the wire to it and sent it downstream.
Sassy swam up to him. “Is Gilbert okay?”
“Gilbert is fine. No doubt he has gone in search of breakfast.”
“Breakfast?” Sassy’s expression brightened. “What a wonderful idea. I’m starved.”
She darted away, quick as a minnow. She reached the end of the wharf in a blink and climbed