Page 42 of Oracles Always Win

Iswayed towardGage.I’dfelt a magnetic pull to him yesterday too, but today it was like a current was pushing me toward him andIwas helpless to resist.

“Easynow,” he murmured.Hejumped to his feet and grabbed my narrow hips in his strong warm hands.Histhumbs rubbed little circles on the skin right above my underwear as he steadied me.Heled me over to the edge of my bed and helped me sit like he was scaredI’dcollapse at any second.Andhe wasn’t wrong.Mylegs were wobbly, and my head felt foggy.

Whenhe stepped away,Iwhimpered just a little, but he wasn’t gone for long.

“Almostdone,” he whispered. “Let’sjust get you cleaned up a little more.”

Thenhe drew a warm wet cloth over my skin.Igasped in pleasure.

Holyshit.

Whydid that feel so good?

Isat, enthralled by the sensation, and watchedGageclean me.Shockingly, my cock wasstillthrilled about what was going on and was happy to let him know all about it.Itbobbed and jerked with each gentle stroke of the cloth.

“There,” he said when he finished.Hetossed the dirty cloth to the sink, andIwas absurdly happy he didn’t walk away again.Ididn’t know whyIwas being so clingy, but it was like all my normal self-preservation techniques had been obliterated under the weight of my fatigue. “Now, let’s get you into bed.”

Iwanted to nod enthusiastically.Iwanted to grabGageand pull him down to the mattress too, but as soon as he pulled the covers over my body, my eyelids became detestably heavy.

“Youdidn’t come back last night.”

“I’mhere now,” he said.

“Don’tleave,”Imurmured.Iwas ready to have sex.Assoon as possible.Sincehe hadn’t run away because of the puke,Iwas eager to capitalize on his lack of self-preservation.Icouldn’t do that if he left. “Justneed an hour or two.”

“I’llbe here when you wake.”Gage’slips brushed my forehead.

Chapter Seventeen

GAGE

Assoon asJake’sbreathing settled into the steady and even rhythm of sleep, my gaze strayed to the strange assortment of paintings littering his room.AnyconcernsI’dhad about my attraction toJake, or the strange pullWillowLakehad over me, evaporated.Theoracle’s message was clear:Destinyhad called me toWillowLakeand toJake.

WhowasIto turn my back on a message from theEternalMagic?

WhenIwas sureJakewas deeply asleep,Iopened a portal to thePinkLady.I’dnever stripped off my clothes, showered, and dressed again so quickly.ThenIchecked my phone for any messages from my team.

LastnightAdrianhad volunteered to interview some of the older locals to get more anecdotal descriptions of the wolves in the hills from when the bastards had lived in town.Hehadn’t messaged me yet with any information.Iwondered if he'd taken his almost-human mate,Jeremy, with him.

IfoundJeremy’sendless barrage of questions disconcerting, but many others found him cute, which was surprisingly effective in getting people to open up, even the old guard supes.Iwasn’t above using any means necessary to get answers, even sending the persistent and guilelessJeremyinto interviews.Nothinghad come in from my people in the city either, but there were messages from bothIsaacandNelson.Theyhad both just sent a number “4” through text, which was our code that things were going fine.

Good.I’dpromisedJakeI’dbe at his side when he woke.Ademon never broke a promise.

Ratherthan opening another portal,Idrove the motorhome back throughWillowLaketo the inn.Havingseen the oracle’s messages in the paintings about me staying inWillowLake,Istudied the small town with heightened interest.

Thetown was unlike anywhere elseI’dvisited, andIsuspected it had to do with the substantial number of supes who called it home.Thelights in all the store display windows sparkled a little brighter, each intersection provided a picturesque view of the lake, and almost everyone, from the people in other vehicles to the pedestrians on the street, waved at me asIpassed them.Therewasn’t an overt use of magic like you might see in gated mage communities, but the place was almost like a scene from one of those predictable and disgustingly sweet holiday moviesDavinaliked to watch inDecember.

Buta demon was not the kind of person you’d expect to find in a small-town holiday movie.

HadtheEternalMagicmade a mistake?

Still,Icouldn’t deny how right it felt to guide the motorhome between the grand gates into the parking lot atJake’sinn and park my home close to his.Thelarge, gravelled space was empty except for one other vehicle.Vanessa, the brownie fromJake’spainting group, stood beside a dark brown sedan with her hands clasped in front of her.Shedipped her head slightly in respect whenIdescended the motorhome steps.

“Everythingis here, my lord,” she said. “Excepthis car.Ididn’t see his keys with his painting supplies.”

Inodded. “Iwill collect the car later.Thepainting is what is most important.”

“Ofcourse, my lord.Ihave it here.”Sheopened the back door of her car and gestured toward both ofJake’spaintings, the colorful one and the black-and-white one, which she’d propped up on the back seat. “Iwas going to put everything inside, but the doors to the inn are locked.”