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  Victoria stiffened. “My mom. My mom actually killed him.” Wonder filled her voice. “I think that might screw her up a little.”

  Adam skidded his fingers down Victoria’s ribs, counting each one, pleased there were no bruises. “The Realm shrink is one of the best. Her name is Lily.” The prophet was also a little nutty, but she got the job done. “Your mom will get help, and before you know it, we’ll be at headquarters with her.”

  Victoria lifted her head. “Do you really think so?”

  “Aye,” he said, meeting her gaze as his vision hazed a little. The last thing in the world he wanted to do was lie to her, but he needed her calm for the long flight. Avoiding a plane crash seemed like a good reason to tell a falsehood. “I’m sorry it took so long to get to you.”

  She tugged his belt free, pulling his jeans down past his cock. “You got there at the perfect time.” She brightened. “I jammed his gun. Once, anyway.”

  “That’s impressive.” Adam slid a hand through her hair, cupping her precious head. “I need to know: Where are you hurt?”

  She shook her head against his hand, her hair sliding like silk along his skin. “I’m fine. I thought my shoulder was broken, but it feels all right now. Just a little sore.”

  He turned her and bit back a curse at the raw purple bruise spreading from her shoulder blade. “Jesus. What happened?”

  “My dad threw me into the SUV. Well, after I stabbed him a couple of times.” Pride filled her voice. “You know, a knife is a lot harder to get out of a person than I would’ve thought.” Energy rushed from her and she hopped. “Then my mom, my actual mom, jumped on his back and hit him a bunch of times where I’d stabbed him.”

  Adam shut his eyes for the briefest of moments to calm himself. His blood boiled with the poison, but it was slow to spread. “When you were out of my sight, I thought I’d lose my mind,” he whispered, the fear still holding him. He took a deep breath and focused on the bruise. “Let me help you.” Concentrating on the air around them, he reshaped molecules and formed a reverberating deep green ball of fire.

  She looked over her shoulder, and the glow reflected off her face. “Your fire is usually blue.”

  “This is different,” he whispered, pressing the ball over her injury.

  “Oh,” she whispered, her body starting. The plane rose into the night.

  He slid his other arm around her waist to hold her upright. “Just let it in.” Closing his eyes again, he pushed the healing mass through her skin to reach tissue and muscle.

  She sighed, her body going limp, healing energy rolling off her. “That’s so nice.”

  He left the heat working inside her and removed her boots, jeans, and wet socks. Her bra was last, and instead of jarring her healing shoulder, he just burned the bra off without touching her delicate skin. She turned around, interest in her eyes. “I’m naked.”

  A smile tickled his lips. Tension of a different sort swelled in the small room. “I noticed.”

  She leaned in to survey his chest. “Oh,” she gasped, gingerly touching one of the bruises from the spray of bullets. “Heal that.”

  “Yes ma’am.” He sent cells to the bruises as the green fire inside her skin dissipated. He brushed back her hair and clasped her neck, kissing her with all the emotion he’d kept tamped down the last week.

  She made a sound low in her throat and opened for him, letting him take her mouth. Both her hands reached to stroke him. His knees weakened, and his lungs filled. There was a delicacy to her, a sense of energy that seemed fractured.

  He lifted her, kissing her deep, feeling her nipples pebble against his chest. Sliding his hand down, he heated her spine and then her ass. They needed to make this fast before he passed out. He could slow the poison inside him only for so long.

  She gasped into his mouth, moving against him, already wet.

  Gently, he turned them and fell back on the bed, keeping her pressed against him. Her knees fell on either side of his hips. “Adam?” she asked, desire thick in her voice.

  “You get to be in charge,” he said, trying not to smile. “For now, anyway.”

  “I want quick.”

  “Then take quick.”

  She levered herself up and positioned him against her sex and slowly slid down. Several times she had to stop and let her body adjust, and her arms shook with the effort. He planted his hands on her hips to steady her and take some of her weight. She tried again, taking her time, torturing them both. Finally, she sat on him, with his cock fully embedded inside her.

  Her nails curled into his healed chest, and she arched her back.

  Fire rushed down his spine and shot out, burning him from within. Yet he held himself in check. “Are you all right?” he asked.

  She nodded, a bright flush across her face. “I knew you’d come for me tonight at the warehouse. I knew I just needed to hold everything together until you got there.” Bending over, she kissed him, softer than any silk. “Thank you for coming.”

  “I’ll always come for you,” he said, in a vow he had no right to give. Definitely not now—considering what he was planning when he met with the Council.

  She lifted her hips and moved down, torturing him with her wet heat.

  His eyes nearly rolled back in his head. She was everything good in the world, and for this very brief moment in time, she was all his. Yet tension rode her, an emotion barely tapped. He reached between them, right where they were joined, and pressed his finger against her clit.

  Vibrations shook her body, pulsing around his cock. He groaned.

  She gasped and started to move, leaning down, her hands caressing his shoulders, so much sweetness in her his heart hurt. She was tougher than she realized, but her true strength lived in her sweetness, her gentleness and kindness. And she gave them all to him. “You make me feel like me,” she whispered.

  That easily, she sliced his heart in two. “Victoria.” He cupped her head, taking over the kiss, unable to make any promises. The Guard was most likely going to try and kill him the second he set foot in Council chambers, and even in the best scenario, he’d end up on the run for eternities. So he deepened his kiss, gratified when her sex convulsed around him.

  Her emotions were still raw, and he could think of only one way to help her. So he clamped his hands on her hips and started to move her faster, forcing her to use her knees for leverage and then pulling her down hard enough her pretty breasts bounced.

  She partially sat up and threw her head back, her eyes shutting in pleasure.

  He increased the movements, giving her the quick she’d wanted earlier. She met his speed, increasing her strength, so he released one hip and zeroed in to rub her clit.

  She broke within seconds, her cry soft and her body shaking so hard he had no choice but to shudder hard with his own climax. As she came down slowly, her eyelids opened and her blue eyes focused. “Adam?”

  He pulled her to the side and set them both beneath the covers, rolling her into his chest. He pressed her face to his neck. “It’s okay, baby. The night was a rough one.” He could feel her emotions as if they lived in his own skin, all fractured and confused yet physically satisfied.

  Her first sob hurt him inside, but it was necessary. He rubbed down her back, providing comfort. “Let it out, Victoria. I’ve got you.”

  It was the promise of protection that made her break. She cried against him, a lost woman who’d seen her mother kill her father, who’d seen her sister almost murdered.

  Who had just made love to a man who couldn’t give her promises. As she wound down, she settled into a deep sleep. He started to follow suit as the Apollo poison weakened his limbs and sent dots across his vision. He’d fought it as long as he could, and now it had to run its course.

  The plane hit turbulence, and he tightened his hold around her. God, he hoped that was turbulence.

  Chapter 33

  Ireland was pretty much the same as last time—guards with guns, secret drives through the city, blindfolds
. Tori yanked off the offending silk the second she entered the same damn energy-riddled building as before. She followed Adam through a labyrinth of hallways lined with stone walls. A red carpet that looked old and expensive showed the path. Guards with guns were in front and behind them.

  “Stay on the red carpet,” Adam ordered, seeming all right after sleeping. “Weapons discharge from the walls if you don’t.”

  “I’m starting to hate witches,” Tori retorted.

  Adam chuckled. “We get that a lot.”

  She couldn’t believe she’d slept the entire plane ride. Well, after she’d had sex with Adam and then bawled all over him like a loser. Yet now she felt centered. In control. At peace. “Are they going to kill us?”

  “No,” he said.

  She waited for an explanation. None came. Sometimes he seemed to say things just to put her at ease. There was probably a decent chance the Coven people would order their deaths since they hadn’t mated. At the thought, her heart thumped like she’d been kicked by a horse.

  Adam didn’t want to mate her.

  Sure, he liked her. He definitely liked sex with her. But not once had he even considered making it permanent. She glared at his back. To save his own life, you’d think he’d at least think about it. But no. He was all sweet and let her cry, but when it came to getting serious, the guy would rather have his head cut off than stay with her forever.

  “Jerk,” she muttered, trying to keep from crying again.

  He stiffened but kept walking through the creepy underground tunnel. His movements were a little slower than normal. Was the Apollo still hurting him? “What?”

  “Nothing.” She fought the very immature urge to stick her tongue out at his too-broad, sexy, and muscular back.

  He kept moving, and soon the guard in front rearranged a bunch of small rocks on the wall into a pretty design, and the wall slid open.

  “I’m so tired of invisible doors,” Tori groused.

  Adam kept moving, his gait graceful. But she’d seen his eyes. They were bloodshot and streaked with an odd purple from the Apollo darts. “Are you healed?” she whispered.

  He gave a short nod. “I’m fine. Sleeping on the plane helped.”

  They entered the same big stone chamber as before, and Adam led her over to the same big stone table. “Have you guys ever considered a decorator?” she mumbled.

  Adam stood, his hands on the rock. Two armed guards took positions on either side of the chamber.

  Yet another invisible door opened behind the wide raised bench, and the three judges walked in and took their seats. Tori studied the guy in the middle. Peter Gallagher had an arrogant tilt to his chin that she really didn’t like. The Sal guy had big bags underneath his brown eyes, and he fiddled with his tie as he sat. The one woman, Nessa, looked at Adam with concern in her violet eyes.

  This didn’t look good.

  Tori stiffened her back to keep from dropping to the floor. She was in witch land, and if they wanted her dead, she’d be dead. What she wouldn’t give for a green gun right now.

  Peter actually banged down an ancient-looking gavel. “Enforcer Adam Dunne. You have disregarded the orders of this Council and have assisted known fugitives in avoiding the law. You are hereby relieved of your duties.”

  Adam didn’t so much as twitch.

  Nessa held up a hand next to Peter. “Wait a minute. Adam is responsible not only for destroying an exorbitant amount of the Apollo drug but also for cutting off the distribution chain in Seattle. That has surely kept Dublin and our people safe for a while. His actions must be taken into account and acknowledged.”

  Peter cut her a harsh look. “As the newest and most inexperienced member on this Council, perhaps you should listen more than speak, Miss Lansa.”

  What a douchebag. “She has every right to speak,” Tori piped up.

  Adam cut her a harsh look.

  She quelled and again fought the need to stick out her tongue. Girl power needed a serious lift in the Coven Nine. She leaned over to whisper. “Their tenors are odd. Gallagher’s is kind of thick and dirty, while Nessa’s is pure, if that makes sense.”

  Adam nodded. “He’s lying while she’s telling the truth, probably.” His breath whispered against her ear.

  Whoa. That was a good new talent to have. “I’d trust Nessa,” Tori whispered.

  Adam nodded.

  “Stop whispering. In addition, you have not mated the human, as you promised,” Gallagher said grimly. “I know you’re a criminal, but I have to admit I’m surprised to see you break a vow.”

  Adam stood taller. A tremor went down his right arm, and Tori’s eyes widened. He’d hidden it from the Council, but she’d noticed. How much Apollo was still in his system? “Adam?” she whispered.

  He ignored her and continued facing the Council. His jaw was firm, and his shoulders back, giving no indication of the battle his body was fighting. “I have not broken any vow, as I did not agree to any arbitrary timeline. When I mate the human, it will be on a timeline that is none of your fucking business, Gallagher.”

  That was it. That was so it. Tori lost it. “You don’t want to mate me. Don’t sit here and call me a human and go on and on about damn timelines.” Her temper burst through her so quickly she could barely breathe. “It’s all complete bullshit.”

  He turned and seemed to forget all about the Council. “What in the hell?” he snapped, his eyes burning.

  She planted both hands on her hips. As far as she was concerned, they were the only people in the whole stupid world. “I love you, Adam Dunne. Even though you’re stubborn, difficult, and sometimes caught in the last century.” She sucked in air. “But you’re also strong, sweet, and totally trustworthy.” She cut a glare at Gallagher, remembering the slimeball existed. “He’d never break a vow, you moron.”

  Adam stepped toward her. “Victoria—”

  “No.” She stomped her foot. “That’s it. You’ve had the chance to mate me, and you didn’t want to. I get it. You probably want a badass witch who has eaten crumpets with a queen or two. I get it. I’m from the wrong side of the tracks, and that’s the truth.”

  “Crumpets?” He looked at her like she’d completely lost her mind.

  She didn’t care. “But you’re wrong.”

  “I am?” he asked mildly.

  His tone caught her off guard. Provided a sense of warning. Yet she couldn’t stop. “Yes. Dead wrong. I’m the best thing that ever happened to you. I make you laugh. I make you see life in other terms than your rigid plans. And you like my music.” She wound down, her heart hurting. “You always hold back, because you don’t realize I can handle all of you. I want all of you.”

  “Victoria—” He reached for her, and a huge crash came from behind them. He pivoted, putting her to the side.

  “What was that?” she whispered, as the air popped all around them. Magic was freakin’ scary sometimes. Or physics. Hadn’t Adam said it was really physics?

  “I don’t know.” The muscles vibrated down his back.

  Another crash, and the entire rock wall shimmered and rolled. What the hell?

  Gallagher smashed his gavel down again. “Interlopers.”

  Tori bit back a totally inappropriate snort. Seriously. Who used that word? “What’s happening, Adam?” She wanted to be brave, but being stuck underground where rocks collapsed sped the adrenaline through her.

  He tilted his head. “It’s familiar. Signatures.” He breathed in through his nose. “You’re fucking kidding me.”

  “What?” Tori asked, moving closer to him.

  He shook his head. “Family. Damn it.” He looked down at her, his eyes darkening and his lips pursing. “You said you could jam that gun?”

  She nodded, her throat too dry to speak.

  “Good.” He pointed to the wavering wall. “If I had to guess, I’d say there’s a cadre of witches on the other side, probably a vampire and demon as well, and they’re trying to unravel the physics that keeps the wall in plac
e. Why don’t you help them?”

  She blinked. “Me? Get rid of a wall?”

  “’Tisn’t really a wall,” he said, crossing his arms. “It’s not real at all. And there’s a lot of power coming from the other side.” Flames flowed naturally down his arms. “I’ll aim high for the corners so I don’t burn anybody, and you go for the center.”

  She gulped.

  “Stop it. Stop this right now,” Gallagher yelled from behind them. “Guards!”

  Adam threw a fireball into the top right corner, and the wall morphed and stretched.

  Tori shut her eyes and held out her hands, trying to focus all of herself into her fingers. A tingle started inside her. She pushed harder, energized by the now-familiar feeling.

  “Kill them,” Gallagher yelled.

  Panic rushed through her, and she added it to her strength. Something shot from her fingers, something she felt like fire. A huge crash sounded, like windows upon windows of glass being shattered. She opened her eyes to see the wall collapse, hit the ground . . . and then disappear.

  She swallowed air like it was water.

  Kellach, Daire, Simone, and the king stood facing her, along with a dark-haired man with a scar along his jaw and another guy, this one blond with sharp black eyes.

  “The cavalry?” Tori asked, her voice shaking.

  “Aye,” Adam said with a resigned sigh. “You know everyone except Zane Kyllwood, the leader of the demon nation”—he pointed to the large dark-haired man—“and Nick Veis, his second-in-command and Simone’s mate.” He nodded toward the blond.

  Tori gave a weak wave. “Hi, demons.”

  “What the hell was that?” Kellach asked, twisting his neck to look where the edges of the wall had been.

  “That was Victoria,” Adam said proudly. “Now that’s power.”

  Armed guards rushed in from both sides, guns pointed. Kellach started to form fire.

  “Wait a minute,” Nessa yelled.

  Tori turned.

  The stunning woman was standing, her face red. “Enough of this. What is it with your family? You keep coming in and blowing up the Chambers.” She shook her head, her dark hair spilling out of its knot. “You can’t just keep showing up here with guns and blowing things up.” Her arms gestured wildly. “We need better blooming protection.” In full temper, the witch was truly gorgeous.