attributes. Not only was he spectacularly handsome, but he had a killer grin, too? Rori could tell. She didn’t need further demonstration.
“All sorts of things could happen.”
“Like what?”
“You could get accosted by a stranger.”
“Really?” Rori tried for a sarcastic air. It didn’t work. She sounded breathless and young even to her own ears. She also felt more chilled than before and wrapped her shawl tighter. It probably looked as gauche and awkward as it felt.
“You’re cold.”
“N-no.” The word trembled.
“Allow me.”
Without one word of intent, and little time, he whirled the coat off and had it about her shoulders, where it reached to the sidewalk beneath her. Rori knew that part. She was looking at the cement and trying to remember to breathe at the same time. The coat was silk lined and expensive. It smelled of leather and of male. Him. She took small breaths infused with the scent, and wondered why every blink of her eyes had a prism of color about it.
“Better?”
She nodded.
“Now, hold on.”
To what?
She almost said it, and a moment later watched as the sidewalk beneath her appeared to move away, at an extremely rapid pace. It matched her heartbeat. And her gasps. Rori narrowed her eyes, and damned both her roommates, Elizabeth and Naomi, again. She’d known not to believe they had a grasp on witchcraft, or had any idea what a real coven looked like. She’d just wanted to believe in them so much! And what had she got? A bad trip on some really bad dope. She was never trusting another soul again…not in this lifetime. Never. Ever.
“Keep to that. You’ll live longer.”
The apparition orchestrating their ascent said it, his voice tinted with a foreign accent she couldn’t place. She didn’t have any trouble hearing the amusement. It sounded like he mocked her. Rori stiffened, and then she pushed to gain release, and when that didn’t work, she struggled, gaining little more than a completely breathless state and sweat-soaked hair, too. He had arms that resembled iron bars, and the more she shoved at him, the tighter he wrapped them, until she ended up fully against his chest, looking up at a perfectly defined jaw, long hair that was wind-whipped, and this time when he chuckled, she knew he was mocking her.
All of which had to be dealt with. She had to gain control of this, just like always. She wasn’t flying. She wasn’t in the arms of some super-hero. She wasn’t going to some unknown destination. She was suffering the ill-effects of that star-shaped spot Naomi had told her to place on her tongue. A bad trip. That’s what was happening. It wasn’t real.
Which meant, neither was he.
“Wrong deduction. Interesting…but wrong.”
He whispered it, and then winked. Rori gave him her best dead-pan look - the one that got her slapped more than once by her fourth foster-mother. She was good at it, and very proud of that fact. It usually got her exactly what she wanted: left alone. Nothing about him changed.
“What?”
“I’m very real.”
There wasn’t any way to avoid him. She was firmly in his grasp, and trying not to like it so much. The instant she thought it he sucked in on his cheeks, pursing his lips, and making them look totally kissable.
“Later. A lot later.”
“What?”
“I’ve got all sorts of plans for us. Later.”
“I don’t do guys I’ve just met. And I don’t go off with guys, either.”
“Both of which, you’re about to change.”
“You’re an ass.”
The whiff of breath touching her nose demonstrated his amusement. He didn’t have to laugh.
“Please remember I did warn you.”
“About what?”
“Strangers.”
“You’re not so very strange.”
“No?”
He was looking down at her again, stealing her every breath with the impact of deep dark eyes. Rori licked her lips and watched him glance there before returning his gaze to hers.
“You want me to sum it up? Ok. I’ve been around you before. You’re
“All sorts of things could happen.”
“Like what?”
“You could get accosted by a stranger.”
“Really?” Rori tried for a sarcastic air. It didn’t work. She sounded breathless and young even to her own ears. She also felt more chilled than before and wrapped her shawl tighter. It probably looked as gauche and awkward as it felt.
“You’re cold.”
“N-no.” The word trembled.
“Allow me.”
Without one word of intent, and little time, he whirled the coat off and had it about her shoulders, where it reached to the sidewalk beneath her. Rori knew that part. She was looking at the cement and trying to remember to breathe at the same time. The coat was silk lined and expensive. It smelled of leather and of male. Him. She took small breaths infused with the scent, and wondered why every blink of her eyes had a prism of color about it.
“Better?”
She nodded.
“Now, hold on.”
To what?
She almost said it, and a moment later watched as the sidewalk beneath her appeared to move away, at an extremely rapid pace. It matched her heartbeat. And her gasps. Rori narrowed her eyes, and damned both her roommates, Elizabeth and Naomi, again. She’d known not to believe they had a grasp on witchcraft, or had any idea what a real coven looked like. She’d just wanted to believe in them so much! And what had she got? A bad trip on some really bad dope. She was never trusting another soul again…not in this lifetime. Never. Ever.
“Keep to that. You’ll live longer.”
The apparition orchestrating their ascent said it, his voice tinted with a foreign accent she couldn’t place. She didn’t have any trouble hearing the amusement. It sounded like he mocked her. Rori stiffened, and then she pushed to gain release, and when that didn’t work, she struggled, gaining little more than a completely breathless state and sweat-soaked hair, too. He had arms that resembled iron bars, and the more she shoved at him, the tighter he wrapped them, until she ended up fully against his chest, looking up at a perfectly defined jaw, long hair that was wind-whipped, and this time when he chuckled, she knew he was mocking her.
All of which had to be dealt with. She had to gain control of this, just like always. She wasn’t flying. She wasn’t in the arms of some super-hero. She wasn’t going to some unknown destination. She was suffering the ill-effects of that star-shaped spot Naomi had told her to place on her tongue. A bad trip. That’s what was happening. It wasn’t real.
Which meant, neither was he.
“Wrong deduction. Interesting…but wrong.”
He whispered it, and then winked. Rori gave him her best dead-pan look - the one that got her slapped more than once by her fourth foster-mother. She was good at it, and very proud of that fact. It usually got her exactly what she wanted: left alone. Nothing about him changed.
“What?”
“I’m very real.”
There wasn’t any way to avoid him. She was firmly in his grasp, and trying not to like it so much. The instant she thought it he sucked in on his cheeks, pursing his lips, and making them look totally kissable.
“Later. A lot later.”
“What?”
“I’ve got all sorts of plans for us. Later.”
“I don’t do guys I’ve just met. And I don’t go off with guys, either.”
“Both of which, you’re about to change.”
“You’re an ass.”
The whiff of breath touching her nose demonstrated his amusement. He didn’t have to laugh.
“Please remember I did warn you.”
“About what?”
“Strangers.”
“You’re not so very strange.”
“No?”
He was looking down at her again, stealing her every breath with the impact of deep dark eyes. Rori licked her lips and watched him glance there before returning his gaze to hers.
“You want me to sum it up? Ok. I’ve been around you before. You’re
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