Page 29 of Love Summoned

“Let’s try it,” I say in a rush. Sera’s beautiful face flashes with a hint of disappointment, and that’s worse than the unsettled feeling from before.

Her dainty inked fingers flex at her sides before squeezing the fabric of her pajama pants. “What’s your full name?”

“Nikolai Turner.” I give her my human name.

She nods, chewing on her lip, before squaring her shoulders and looking me dead in the eyes. “I, Seraphina Hewitt, reject you, Nikolai Turner, as my mate.”

With bated breath, I wait for something to break, or a feeling inside that goes empty, back to the way it was before, but nothing is different.

Sera frowns. “Maybe this is a curse, and that’s why my visions have stalled. Which means we need a spell or potion to break it. We’ve been looking at things from the wrong angle, just like Edith said.”

She turns and rushes over to the dresser beneath the window. I join her, watching as she pushes up the sleeves of her pajama top before searching through a small leather bag.

“Are you going to make a potion right now?” I ask.

“I need to do some research on breaking curses, but maybe I can try something generic for now.”

“Didn’t your sister already try that with whatever was meant to turn off your libido?”

Sera freezes then drags her eyes to mine. The yellow ring around her pupil glows neon against the green as she stares at me entirely unamused.

“You were the one who touched me first.” She goes back to rummaging through the bag, studying the label of each tiny vial.

“I was saving you.” I lean into her. “You’re welcome.” I whisper.

Her gaze drops to where my forearm presses against hers. Gold ebbs surround us in a flurry, starting at the place our bare skin touches before snaking up our arms. I don’t pull away. I’m not afraid of what it is, but I am curious.

A piece of hair falls over Sera’s shoulder in a soft curl of black and ice blonde. I wind my finger through it then gently place it back behind her ear. The second my fingertip grazes her skin, more gold ignites like tiny starbursts.

“Edith also said we’re soulmates.” My body vibrates with longing.

I’m certain it’s because I’ve been in the human realm for too long. The company of a she-demon is what I’m lacking, but all I see at night is Sera. All I dream of, ache for, is her. If the rejection didn’t work like typical mate bonds, then touching shouldn’t strengthen it either. All I can think of right now is touching her.

“Do you believe that?” she asks, the words soft and daring.

Nothing about the last few days feels real to me. If this isn’t a typical mate bond, then maybe we’ve been holding ourselves back for the wrong reasons.

My fingers trace along her jaw as I pull away, then hold my palm up to her. When it’s just Sera and me, everything is better; the noise in my head is quiet. She stares at my hand, swallowing before glancing at me with her hypnotic green and gold eyes, then brings her palm to mine.

A current charges between our fingertips before our skin touches. The pressure ignites like fire as we close the distance, and my body hums to life. Golden orbs dance over our locked hands the second we make contact. Wisps of magic are carried through the air, circling our arms, traveling up until they reach our chests.

“I don’t know what I believe anymore,” I whisper, pushing my fingers through hers. Everything in me sings, like a harmony hitting every note and sending something higher. I’d say it’s my soul, but I gave that up a long time ago.

My thumb traces back and forth over her skin. I want to touch her everywhere. I want to map every dip and curve and feel the way her body trembles as I come to know every scar and freckle.

I push my shadows forward, circling Sera’s waist and lifting her against me. Her thighs wrap around me as I walk us to her bed and lower her to the mattress. She gasps when I hover over her, our hands still linked together.

“Maybe fighting is what we’ve been doing wrong. Rejecting it didn’t work, and your sister’s desensitizing potion didn’t quell your obvious desires for me. Maybe it’s time to try something else.”

“Obvious desires? That sounds like wishful thinking.” Her breathless words push against my lips, my eyes zeroing in as she wets her bottom lip. “What did you have in mind?”

I command my shadows forward like a hand to trail up her calf and caress the bare skin beneath her pants. She trembles from my shadows; what would she do if it were my hands, my tongue, my cock?

Another shadowed hand teases the hem of her shirt.

“Why does it feel like you have—” She looks down, eyes widening as my shadows knead into her skin.

“More than two hands?” I ask, linking my fingers through her other hand and pinning them both on either side of her head. “That’s not the only thing I can make two of.”