— Ruffled. Its. Ears. Like it was a damn golden retriever.
“Well hello, handsome. Look at you,” she purred and ruffled its fur even more.
My jaw dropped. What is even happening right now? I cleared my throat, but she ignored me. She’d done it. She’d actually summoned a bloody hellhound and was now cuddling the bloody thing. I just wanted to go. I wanted to leave before she had the crazy idea to summon—
Heat rushed over my body, burning like I’d swallowed fire. I looked up and choked on a scream. HIM. The beautiful man with black smoke wings.
He looked down at Tegan and snarled in disgust — then turned his glowing gold eyes on me. I squirmed and stumbled back a few steps. I opened my mouth to scream for Tegan when he reached out and grabbed my arm…and then darkness fell all around.
Chapter Seven
Chloe
I blinked — then we were in the middle of the forest behind our estate. The tree branches above us had a gap just big enough to let moonlight in, casting his face in shadow. I screamed and swatted at where his hand still gripped my bicep. Red smoke shot out of me and slammed into his arm.
“Let me go!” I shouted and slapped his arm over and over. “Don’t touch me!”
His grip loosened and I scrambled away. I spun and sprinted back in the direction of the house — and slammed into his chest. I screamed and shoved at his body but he didn’t budge. He gripped my elbows and lifted me off the ground, my feet hovering a foot in the air. Fear flooded my veins. I’d never been in a fight in my entire life, but I was going to go down swinging now. I swung my leg forward right into his groin. He grunted and dropped me.
I spun and sprinted across the little meadow we were in but he appeared out of nowhere right in front of me. I slid to a stop and leapt backwards – and crashed into his chest. He lifted me off my feet again. I cursed and threw my head back into his nose. He sighed and dropped me. I kicked my legs and tried to run but he was already there in front of me.
“NO,” I screamed. I couldn’t get away from him. He was everywhere. He was shadow and darkness.
I knew it was futile, but I spun and tried again to flee. I only made it three feet before he had me in his hands, dangling in the air. I sucked in a deep breath to scream and my breath left me in a rush. He smelled amazing. He smelled like smoke, but the good kind. Like sitting in front of a bonfire or a fireplace. It was intoxicating. Just one breath of him and my fight melted away. The fire raging from him burned my chest. His hands gripping my elbows sent heat rushing up and down my arms.
He carried me a few feet into the brightest patch of moonlight, casting him in a blueish light. Those black wings made of smoke swayed in the air behind his back. Then he sat me on my feet but kept his hands on my elbows…then he spoke. His voice was rough and raspy, like crackling wood and smoke. I didn’t know the words or the language. It was foreign and strange, unlike anything I’d ever heard. Yet there was something familiar about it.
I looked up into his face and my chest tightened. He was beautiful, frighteningly so. His lips were perfectly defined and when he licked them I actually moaned a little. His jawline was sharp and covered with stubble up to his high, sharp cheekbones. His dark brow furrowed deep and it brought my gaze up. And then his glowing gold gaze found mine and I melted in his arms.
He was the prettiest creature I had ever seen…and that was just how their magic worked. He was an incubus. He had to be. His entire appearance was a tool to lure women in and then weaken them. He’d put his hands on me and I was no match for his kind of dark magic. With every breath his smoky scent seeped deeper into my bones, infesting my mind and soul with his darkness.
To my utter horror, I arched my back and pressed into him. My body was acting on its own volition. My body was melting and I liked it, like a fuzzy blanket next