seemed to fill the space with his sheer size. Now that I’d figured out his magic, he didn’t bother to keep quite as tight a rein on it. It swirled around me, my senses lighting up with the sound of wind and the caress of water. It was nearly overwhelming to stand near him. Especially with the memory of our weird, violent, sexy embrace still in my mind.
I sucked in a careful breath. “Come this way.”
As I turned to lead him to the workshop, I couldn’t help but feel like this moment was going to change my life forever. And probably not in a good way.
3
I walked quickly to my workshop, feeling the weight of his gaze on my back. Normally, I might ask the name of my client. In this case, I hadn’t even thought to. I’d been too distracted by his sheer presence. By how it impacted me.
We stepped into the long room at the back of the house that was filled with the ingredients of my trade. Shelves were crowded with jewel-colored vials of potion that glittered and gleamed. Dozens of bowls and knives and specialty tools were stacked in neat piles. Dried herbs hung from the ceiling, filling the room with scents of lavender and rosemary and sage, among other things that had no names but many uses.
A long wooden table sat in the middle of the space, with two chairs pressed against the wall opposite the enormous hearth. It was quiet and cold now, so I strode to the mantel and took a tiny pinch of magical powder out of the bowl that sat in the middle. I tossed it into the hearth. Flames burst to life, bathing me in warmth.
I could feel the man’s gaze on me as I worked, and I schooled my features into passive interest as I turned. “Well, are you ready to get started?”
He stood by the door, his posture deceptively relaxed. I recognized that stance—it was the one warriors used when they were in unfamiliar places. Seemingly relaxed, but ready to fight.
“I presumed you would be the one starting?” he said.
“For the most part, but I’ll need a drop of your blood for this to really work.”
He frowned, clearly displeased.
“There’s no way around it. This is Blood Sorcery, after all.” I would use my own blood in the spell—it was immensely powerful—but I’d need his as well since he would be the one to wield the final charm.
“Fine, then.” He took off his suit coat and draped it over one of the chairs. The dark gray shirt beneath looked to be just as expensive as the jacket, tailored to fit perfectly over his broad shoulders and taper to his narrow waist.
I moved toward the shelves to gather my ingredients. This was dark magic when practiced without consent, which was why I lived in Darklane. If I’d taken his blood without his permission, I’d be fully on the side of evil. But if you practiced it with consent and with good intentions, you were fine.
Try telling that to the government though.
Like many of those who lived in Darklane, I walked the line between good and evil. Most were like me—not explicitly bad, but definitely iffy.
Aeri and I toed the line of legality these days, primarily because we worked for the Council of Demon Slayers. And because we weren’t really interested in being assholes.
I gathered a bowl and two small silver knives, along with four vials of potion —red, green, blue, and yellow. I returned to the table as the man was rolling up the sleeve of his shirt, revealing a powerful forearm.
I laid the ingredients on the table. “What’s your name?”
There was the briefest hesitation before he said, “Alexander.”
“Hmm. You don’t seem like an Alexander.” I removed the stoppers from the vials and poured precise amounts of the potion into the bowl. The liquid sizzled and smoked upon contact, and I stirred it with one of the blades.
“Do you do this work often?” he asked.
“Are you trying to distract me from my question about your name?”
He frowned at me. “I’m just interested in your work.”
“No, you’re not.” I pointed to his eyes. “You can’t keep your eyes off this potion, and you just paid me an enormous sum for it. You need this. Badly. It’s the only thing you’re interested in.”
He stepped closer, almost a prowl, until he stood so close I could smell the clean forest scent of him. Feel the faint heat of his skin. My heart pounded