The Rose Witch - Chandelle LaVaun Page 0,26

to a fireplace on a cold winter’s night. I wanted to snuggle into him and lose myself. Heat radiated off of him in waves. He slid his hands up my arms and I shivered. His fingers went to the clasp of my dress behind my neck. Something in the back of my mind still had free thought and it was screaming for me to fight back.

But I couldn’t.

It was like his magic had detached my mind from my body. My brain sent all the messages to fight, to disengage, to flee…yet my body was mush.

I just prayed whatever he wanted with me would be quick and painless. I wanted his magic gone. I wanted my free will and mind back. Then I’d learn how to protect myself from this happening ever again. His thumb brushed over my throat and I gasped.

His eyes widened.

Just do it already. Get it over with so I can fight this power you have over me.

He cursed, then stepped forward and pressed his body flush against mine. His arm wrapped around my waist and his hand burned into the small of my back. I sagged into him just as darkness coiled around us — and then the forest was gone.

We were in some kind of dimly lit room. My body snapped back to attention. No, no, no, no, no. GET OUT. I cursed and shoved his chest. He frowned and stumbled back a few steps. It wasn’t much but it was just enough distance to be free of his hypnotism. I had to get away. I had to get out. But this was some kind of castle or dungeon. The walls and floors were all made of gray stone. Black candles lined the floors and furniture. Little golden flames flickered in my peripheral vision.

He took a step forward and I leapt backwards in a panic.

“What do you want from me?” I heard myself cry out.

He spoke again, those same words as before. And then he was on me. My feet were swiped out from under me. I crashed down but his big, hot hands grabbed me before I slammed into the stone. But then his knee landed between my legs, pinning me to the ground beneath him. He lunged for me and I freaked out. I threw my hands up and pushed my red smoke right into his face. I pushed with everything I could manage. It swirled around his face, but he just shook his head and leaned forward, sliding right out of it like it was nothing at all. I hadn’t hurt him.

His fingers brushed my throat again. The collar of my dress tugged against my body. He was going for my dress clasp to undress me. Not today, incubus. I thrashed as wildly as I possibly could. I kicked my legs like a toddler having a fit. I swung my arms like I was trying to swim.

He growled and jumped off of me.

I sat up straight just in time to watch him storm off down a stone corridor. He cursed in the distance over and over. I gasped. My whole body trembled so hard I heard my bones rattling together. This was it, my moment to escape. I had to get out before he came back and finished the job. Before he had his way with me then killed me. I scrambled back to my feet.

The world wobbled around me. My vision blurred. I stumbled and crashed into a stone wall. I scrubbed my eyes, then opened them and looked up. Then I spotted it.

A painting.

On the wall.

My breath caught in my throat.

I had no idea what the painting was of, but the archway made of stone was definitely a passageway. Tegan’s words replayed in my mind. She’d said to be careful and test it safely. But then she’d also handed me over to this incubus on a bloody silver platter. She set me up. She couldn’t be trusted. Now I didn’t even know if her spells had helped me or not.

But I had no other choice. That painting led somewhere. I pushed my shoulders back and took a deep breath…then sprinted as fast as I could straight for the archway painted on the solid stone wall.

Chapter Eight

Chloe

Bright light flashed around me. Cold air swept over my body like I’d jumped into a frozen lake. I gasped and stumbled forward, blinking my eyes and waiting for my vision to settle. Everything was dark and blurry. The air was sharp, the kind of ice-cold