Four
In the early hours of the morning, Max slipped from bed, careful not to wake Victoria, who slept deeply. She might not realize it yet, but he was draining her, his magic greedily tapping into hers. Such was the way of parasitic black magic. It was ravenous and soul destroying, turning warlocks and witches into junkies who cared for nothing as much as they did their next fix.
He pulled on his pants and tied the drawstring as he moved out into the living room. Over the next hour, he increased the wards around the loft, tightening security to protect his most valuable possession. He’d nearly lost Victoria in the battle against the Triumvirate and had nearly lost his mind in the process. He had crossed a line that night, using both white and black magic to lure her back from the Transcendual Realm. He’d changed then, been stained by that violation of a sacred law. The Council chose not to disavow him, because he was too valuable to Them as a warlock who would do whatever was necessary.
Once he’d secured their home, he moved into the bedroom. The woman who slept in his bed was stretched out like a cat, her arms above her head and her legs extended. Soft purrs rumbled in the air, filling him with a contentment he’d never known before her. The deep purple satin sheet was draped over her pale skin, covering her taut belly but leaving one breast and leg exposed.
He shouldn’t have come home to her after starting the hunt. He should’ve stayed away until it was over.
“Max.”
Managing a smile, he leaned over and pressed a kiss to Victoria’s sleep-soft mouth. “Good morning.”
“Why are you out of bed?”
He nuzzled his nose against hers, then straightened. “Planning what to feed you for breakfast.”
“Umm . . . ” She smiled her catlike smile, a provocation his body responded to instantly.
“Would you like to shower before or after?” He enjoyed Victoria any way he could get her, but naked and wet was one of his favorites.
“I want to lie in bed with you all day.”
Max took a deep breath, wanting the same thing but knowing he couldn’t afford to lose an entire day. As long as Powell and Barnes were out there, Victoria was at risk. “Soon, kitten.”
Her gaze narrowed. “You’re starting the hunt?”
“No time like the present.” He headed to the kitchen, hoping to avoid a fight.
It was a fruitless exercise, he realized, when a sleek black cat raced by him and promptly sat on the threshold to the kitchen. Victoria couldn’t keep up with his long stride in her human form, but she had him beat in her feline one.
“Sweetheart,” he said sternly, moving to step over her and getting swiped at instead.
She shifted, appearing before him in all her naked glory.
His breath caught as it always did when he saw her bared. He’d never wanted any woman more.
With an impatient wave of his fingers, he covered her in a red silk robe, loving the way the color contrasted with her creamy skin and dark hair. “We’re not rehashing this.”
“At least tell me where you’re going and how long you’ll be gone.”
His brows rose. “That sounded like an order.”
“Maybe it was. You came after me, Max, when I tried to walk out of your life. You claimed me. If you didn’t want the hassle, you should’ve let the Council pair me with Gabriel, as They intended—”
Victoria! Magic surged out of him along with acidic jealousy. He couldn’t think of her with someone else, it made him furious. “You’re pushing me, kitten.”
“You’re pushing me aside!” she argued.
Recognizing the fear in her eyes, Max pulled her close and pressed his lips to her forehead. “They’re close,” he said softly. “Too close. I need to know you’re safe or I’ll give them an opening that wouldn’t be there otherwise.”
“I feel them, too,” she said, snuggling into him. “You’re strong, Max. The strongest warlock I’ve ever come across, but it’s two against one! At least with me, you can even the odds.”
“I can even the odds without risking you.”
“With black magic. That’s too dangerous!”
He rested his chin on the top of her head. “Like calls to like. I have to draw them in.”
“Which is why it’s even more important that I be with you!” Pulling back, she looked up at him, her emerald eyes pleading. “I can keep you grounded.”
“Or I could taint Darius’s magic and push you too far.”
“Is that what you’re afraid of?”
Releasing her, Max ran a hand through his hair. “Among other things.”
Her eyes widened, then softened with love. “You’ve never been afraid before.”
“I never had anything to lose.”
She cupped his cheek and lifted to her tiptoes to press her mouth to his. Her tongue darted over his lips, leaving the taste of her behind.
“Don’t worry about me,” she murmured.
“I can’t stop it.” He caught her waist, felt how fragile she was. For all her power, she was soft and delicate. “I won’t make it without you, Victoria. You’re everything to me.”
“Max . . . ”
He kissed her, silencing the pleas that strove to weaken his resolve.
Victoria worked hard to accept Max’s decision, fighting the sense of foreboding that had her agitated. The last thing she wanted was to distract Max in any way from his hunt, despite her certainty that he shouldn’t go alone.
He slid the zipper up the back of her skirt, then ran his hands over her hips. His lips touched her nape and her eyes closed. She’d become so accustomed to being cared for, she had been lost the two days Max had been gone.
“Ready?” he asked.
She nodded, though it was a lie. He would take her to work, then disappear, and she had no idea when—or if—he’d be back. It wasn’t in her nature to accept not getting her way. Max was the only one who ever told her no. She’d learned to accept it, knowing the reward would be worth suffering the denial, but she couldn’t see a reward here, beyond hoping and praying that he returned to her alive and untainted.
His hand linked with hers, and in the blink of an eye, they were around the corner from the St. John. She was struck once again by the breadth of his power . . . and turned on by it. Max wielded his magic so easily. Effortlessly. And carried the weight of it with an air of command that was sexy and devastatingly attractive.
“Keep your guard up,” he said quietly.
“Yes, of course.”
He kissed her forehead, her eyelids, the tip of her nose, then finally her mouth. He smelled wonderful and looked even better. Tall and powerfully lean, his broad shoulders hugged by tailored Armani. The black three-piece suit complemented his dark hair, framing a sculpted face that still made her breath catch when he smiled.
“Stop worrying,” he admonished.
Overwhelmed by fear for him, Victoria caught him by the tie. “Refuse the hunt. Don’t go.”
“Victoria—”
“They can send someone else.”
“I don’t want them to send someone else.”
She froze. “Why? Did the High Council threaten you? Did They threaten me?”
“No.” He cupped her nape in his hand and his silver gaze slid over her face. “Hunting is what I do, Victoria. You’ve always known that.”
“Yes, but there will be other hunts. You don’t have to take—”
“None this challenging.”
She stared at him, her breath quick and her pulse racing. “You’d choose this hunt over me?”
“Don’t.” His face hardened. “I am who I am. You wouldn’t want me any other way.”
“I want you alive!”
“You want a predator, just like you. You ruined every Hunter that stalked you before I came along. Ruined them and tossed them aside.” He caught her by the arms and lifted her onto her toes. “I hunt and I catch. I caught you. I’ve kept you. And I’ll come home to you. Don’t try to leash me, kitten. I won’t have it and you wouldn’t want it.”
I love you.
She watched his eyes close as her words drifted through his mind. I love you back.
Max wrapped her up in his arms. He held her close and she didn’t care that they were embracing on the street with people walking by. She didn’t want to let go.
“Come on,” he said finally, pulling back. “The sooner I get started, the sooner it’ll be over.”
“You already started.”
His chest expanded on a deep, slow breath. A silent admission.
With his hand at her elbow, he led her around the corner and came to an abrupt stop. Victoria stumbled into his side, gathering her power to face the threat. It wasn’t what she expected.
She wasn’t what Victoria expected.
Petite and voluptuous, the blonde waiting in front of the St. John was clearly expecting Max, as evidenced by the wide curve of her pink lips when she saw him. The tension that gripped Max’s frame in response made Victoria’s claws extend and a low growl rumble in her chest.
The woman was a witch. A powerful one. Victoria could feel the magic pulsing off her. Wearing towering stilettos and a sleeveless blue wrap dress that matched her eyes, the witch was being eyed appreciatively by every man within viewing distance.
“There you are,” the blonde said, walking toward them in a leisurely, seductive way, her waist-length hair swaying gently. “You always like to keep me waiting. Not that I’ve ever had cause to complain in the end.”
She ignored Victoria altogether.
“Jezebel,” Max drawled. “What are you doing here?”
“Once I heard your name linked with Powell and Barnes, nothing could’ve kept me away. A dual hunt like this comes once in a lifetime.” Her mouth curved and her blue eyes sparkled with feminine appreciation as they raked him from head to toe. “Considering how long we live, darling, that’s saying something.”
She stopped in front of Max and ran her hand down his tie, disregarding the fact that he was holding hands with another woman. He caught her by the wrist, which only made her smile widen.
“Jezebel, let me introduce you to Victoria. Sweetheart, this is Jezebel . . . an old friend.”
Victoria bristled, aware of precisely how good a “friend” Jezebel had been to Max. The sensual awareness between them was obvious, as was their chemistry.
You f*cked that? she asked.
Sheath the claws, kitten.
Jezebel flicked her gaze to Victoria for the first time. “A Familiar. How quaint. I’d heard you’d paired with one, but couldn’t believe it.”
“Believe it,” Victoria growled, punctuating her words with a sudden gust of air that sent the blonde stumbling back a step to totter on her heels.
“Victoria,” Max warned. You can’t take her on, she’s too powerful.
I don’t care. She’s talking around me as if I’m not here!
She’s trying to get to you, he said grimly, and you’re letting her.
Jezebel laughed huskily and shook out her hair. “She’s not tamed at all, is she? Knowing you, Max, you find that a challenging form of entertainment.”
Victoria waited for him to say something in her defense. Instead, Max said, “Let me see Victoria to the door, then we’ll talk.”
If you head off with that bitch, I’m going to be pissed.
You’re already pissed, he retorted.
Max!
She felt a flare of magic that cut off their sharing of thoughts and her stomach knotted. He was changing. Worse, he was disconnecting from her in the process.
His perfunctory kiss on her forehead and briskly spoken I love you did nothing to alleviate the fear that she was losing him.
Victoria watched through the revolving glass entrance doors of the St. John as Jezebel linked her arm with Max’s and led him across the street. They made a striking couple—Max tall and dark, Jezebel petite and golden. There was also a natural familiarity in the way they moved together.
He’d been with her for a considerable length of time at some point.
Seething with jealousy and territorial possessiveness, Victoria turned on her heel and headed toward the elevators, determined to find out exactly how much of a threat Jezebel was.